Minor NFL Transactions: 9/21/20
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on IR: TE Maxx Williams
Chicago Bears
- Released: S Marqui Christian
Denver Broncos
- Placed on IR: DE Dre’Mont Jones
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: LB/DB Javin White
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: WR Bennie Fowler, DT Margus Hunt
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: CB Mazzi Wilkins
RB Devonta Freeman Visits Giants
Following Saquon Barkley‘s season-ending injury, the Giants are in the market for a running back. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that veteran Devonta Freeman visited the team today.
The Giants will be hard pressed to replace Barkley’s production, and the organization is apparently looking for someone to either supplant or join Dion Lewis and Wayne Gallman on the depth chart. That could potentially be Freeman, who still finds himself unsigned after being released by the Falcons back in March.
It’s been a while since the 28-year-old has flashed his Pro Bowl talent. Injuries limited Freeman to only two games in 2018, and he averaged just 3.6 yards per carry in 14 games last season. That underwhelming performance led to him being ranked 41st among 43 running backs in success rate, per Football Outsiders.
Still, despite the lack of on-field productivity, plenty of teams have reached out to Freeman. The veteran reportedly rejected a one-year, $3MM deal from the Seahawks during the offseason, and he’s met with both the Jaguars and Eagles since the start of September. Both of those latter teams could theoretically offer Freeman some sort of role, so it’s clear the running back isn’t solely looking for an opportunity. Rather, if the Giants want to sign him, it sounds like they’ll have to satisfy his financial demands.
49ers RB Tevin Coleman To Miss Several Weeks
It keeps getting worse for the 49ers. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that 49ers running back Tevin Coleman will miss several weeks with a knee injury. The veteran suffered the injury during his team’s win over the Jets yesterday.
The 49ers training staff has presumably been working overtime this season, and the injuries have made their way to the running back room. Raheem Mostert is dealing with a MCL strain that will likely sideline him this weekend against the Giants, and with Coleman out, the team will likely have to turn to the likes of Jeff Wilson, Jerick McKinnon, and JaMycal Hasty to lead their running game.
Coleman, 27, joined the 49ers last offseason after spending the first four seasons of his career in Atlanta. The veteran was solid in his 14 games (11 starts), compiling 544 yards and six scores on 137 carries. He also hauled in 21 receptions for 180 yards and one touchdown. The emergence of Mostert relegated Coleman to more of a backup role, although he still has 18 carries (albeit for only 30 yards) through his team’s first two games this season.
With injuries up and down the roster, it sounds like the 49ers did receive a bit of good news today. As Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com passes along, the 49ers are optimistic that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo won’t miss any time due to his high-ankle sprain.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/19/20
Recent practice squad notes from around the league:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: C Jonotthan Harrison
- Released: T Victor Salako
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Hakeem Butler
- Released: S T.J. Green, T Aaron Monteiro
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Devante Bond
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Kyle Markway
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Eric Saubert
- Released: DB Josh Nurse
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: OL Patrick Omameh
- Placed on practice squad IR: WR Marcell Ateman
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Troymaine Pope
Miami Dolphins
- Suspended four additional games: WR Antonio Callaway
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DE Anthony Zettel
- Released: DB Grant Haley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OL Brandon Walton
Of course, the big news here surrounds Callaway. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that the wideout has earned an additional four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. This means he’ll be eligible to return to the field in Week 8.
Callaway will continue to sit on the Dolphins’ practice squad suspended list, per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com. The 23-year-old will still be allowed to attend meetings, but he can’t practice with the squad until his suspension ends.
The talented wideout out of Florida fell to the Browns in the fourth round of the 2018 draft thanks in part to a 2016 four-game suspension from former head coach Jim McElwain. Callaway immediately contributed in Cleveland, hauling in 43 receptions for 586 and five scores during his rookie campaign. However, the receiver was suspended for the first four games of the 2019 season after violating the substance-abuse policy, and he underwhelmed in the four games following his return (eight receptions, 89 yards).
He was slapped with a 10-game ban late last year, and the suspension was supposed to last through the third week of the 2020 season. Thanks to the latest suspension, Callaway won’t see the field through the first seven weeks of the season.
Cowboys Place CB Anthony Brown On IR
Anthony Brown is heading to the IR. The Cowboys announced that the safety has been placed on the injured reserve with a rib injury. Thanks to the change in IR rules, Brown will be sidelined for at least three weeks.
The 2016 sixth-round pick has spent his entire career with the Cowboys, starting 34 games along the way. Brown was limited to only nine games in 2019 thanks to a triceps injury, finishing the campaign with 17 tackles and five passes defended. Between the 2017 and 2018 campaigns, Brown started 20 of his 31 games, compiling 85 tackles, three sacks, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and 19 passes defended. It was that production that led to Brown’s three-year, $15.5MM deal with Dallas this past offseason.
Jourdan Lewis will have an opportunity to step up in Brown’s stead, and Chidobe Awuzie could see an expanded role. Dallas could even turn to defensive back Brandon Carr, who was promoted from the practice squad last week.
With the open roster spot, the Cowboys have promoted offensive tackle Eric Smith from the practice squad. The 2017 undrafted free agent out of Virginia will provide the team with some extra depth in case Tyron Smith is unable to play.
Bears, RB Tarik Cohen Discussing Extension
Allen Robinson isn’t the only Bears player who could receive a contract extension. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that Tarik Cohen could ink an extension “in the near future.” NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport echoes that report (on Twitter), noting that the two sides had had “fruitful discussions” and “there is a push to get it done today in advance of Week 2.”
Cohen is in the final year of his four-year rookie deal, and he’s currently earning a $2.1MM base salary. The 25-year-old has had a consistent role for the Bears since being selected in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2018 after finishing with 1,169 all-purpose yards and eight offensive touchdowns. While he set a career-high with 79 receptions in 2019, he finished with a career-low 669 all-purpose yards.
It’s always tough to gauge the value of pass-catching running backs. Chris Thompson earned around $3.5MM per year when he inked his extension with Washington, and James White signed a three-year, $12MM deal with the Patriots back in 2017 (although $3MM of that money was incentive-based). Neither of those players have a Pro Bowl appearance on their resume, so Cohen could expect at least something in that range.
Despite reports of a trade request from earlier this week, it sounds like Robinson may also be sticking around Chicago. We heard this morning that the two sides have resumed extension talks.
College Notes: Sanders, Onwuzurike, Mayfield
Deion Sanders has received his wish. After pushing for a head coaching job earlier this year, the Hall of Famer has been hired by Jackson State. Rashad Milligan of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger reports (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com) that Sanders will be the next head coach of the Tigers.
Prime Time won a pair of Super Bowls, earned eight Pro Bowl appearances, and garnered six first-team All-Pro nods during his illustrious NFL career. However, as Florio notes, the 53-year-old hasn’t even served as an assistant coach (much less head coach) at the college or professional level. Sanders is currently coaching his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, at Trinity Christian in Cedar Hill, Texas.
Jackson State fired John Hendrick back in August, with T.C. Taylor and Otis Riddley taking over interim head coaching duties. The school is sitting out the fall 2020 season, but they’re expected to participate in a spring league that begins in February.
More notes out of the college ranks:
- Washington defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike has opted out of the 2020 season and will declare for the 2021 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-3, 288-pound lineman earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors last season, and he’ll finish his Huskies career having compiled 95 tackles and seven sacks. Onwuzurike will likely be a top-five defensive tackle in the 2021 draft, and he’s currently projected to be a second-day selection.
- Last month, it sounded like Michigan offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield was going to sit out the 2020 season and prepare for the draft. However, Angelique S. Chengelis of The Detroit News reports that Mayfield will actually return to the Wolverines this season. Mayfield was projected to be a first-round pick in next year’s draft.
- MSU has confirmed that defensive end Jacub Panasiuk has reversed course and will play this season (via Matt Charboneau of The Detroit News on Twitter). The six-foot-three, 245-pound lineman initially opted out of the season last month. In 38 games at MSU, Panasiuk has compiled 80 tackles and eight sacks. Thanks to the decision, Panasiuk could improve his current third-day draft stock.
Bears, WR Allen Robinson Resume Extension Talks
Allen Robinson may be staying put after all. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Bears and the wideout have resumed contract talks. Rapoport warns that “[t]here is still a significant gap to close,” but the continued negotiations are a good sign nonetheless.
This followed a week where the impending free agent receiver expressed frustration with his contract, inquired about a trade, denied the trade rumors, and reiterated that he wants to stay in Chicago. Phew. Robinson is in the final season of his three-year, $42MM deal, and initial reports indicated that Robinson wasn’t satisfied with the Bears’ initial extension offers.
A trade always seemed somewhat unlikely. In a crucial season for quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, it would have been unproductive to trade a 1,000-yard receiver. The 27-year-old had one of the best seasons of his career in 2019, finishing with a career-high 98 receptions to go along with 1,147 yards and seven scores. He had five catches for 74 yards during his team’s Week 1 win.
Further, the Bears have traditionally taken care of their own. In recent years, they’ve extended Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Cody Whitehair in the month of September. Even with the presence of 2018 second-rounder Anthony Miller, a Robinson extension has always seemed like a possibility, if not an inevitability.
Broncos Reached Out To Cameron Wake, Couldn’t Agree On Deal
The Broncos continue to seek replacements for Von Miller. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the organization recently reached out to free agent pass rusher Cameron Wake. However, the two sides were unable to agree on a contract.
Earlier this week, Denver lost Miller to an ankle injury that will likely sideline him for the entire season. While there’s *some* optimism that the veteran linebacker could return towards the end of the campaign, that hasn’t stopped the front office from approaching free agent pass rushers. We heard the other day that the Broncos inquired on veteran edge rusher Clay Matthews. The team was informed that Matthews is “not going to play,” but agent Ryan Williams later clarified that he was “unable to come to an agreement with Denver,” and his client “remains open to playing in the NFL in 2020, provided it’s the right opportunity for him and his family”
So, the Broncos apparently turned their focus to Wake, who earned five Pro Bowl nods during his 10 seasons with the Dolphins. The veteran spent the 2019 season with the Titans, compiling four tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 11 quarterback hits in nine games. When the 38-year-old was cut by Tennessee back in March, he indicated that he wanted to play during the 2020 campaign.
Denver’s offer to Wake was well off its Matthews proposal, Mike Klis of 9News notes. The Broncos also pursued Aldon Smith before the Cowboys signed him; Klis adds the team has not contacted Terrell Suggs or Ziggy Ansah about a deal.
Assuming the Broncos don’t end up signing a linebacker who can play this weekend, the team will enter the season with some question marks at linebacker. Former first-rounder Bradley Chubb has been working his way back from a torn ACL, and the team is otherwise relying on the likes of Alexander Johnson, Josey Jewell, Malik Reed, Jeremiah Attaochu, and Mark Barron.
Rams, WR Cooper Kupp Agree To Three-Year Deal
Cooper Kupp is sticking around Los Angeles for at least the next few years. The team announced that they’ve signed the wideout to a three-year extension. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the deal is worth up to $48MM.
Earlier this week, there was some pessimism surrounding a Cooper Kupp/Rams extension, but the two sides apparently made up some ground. Earlier today, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported (via Twitter) that the organization and the wideout had “made significant progress on a large new contract extension.”
We heard on Wednesday that the Rams were still pushing for a deal, but reports indicated that there was still “a lot of work to be done.” It was always going to be tough for the Rams to give Kupp a significant pay increase on his $2MM salary for the upcoming season. The organization is right against the cap, especially after they inked cornerback Jalen Ramsey to a new deal. Of course, the Rams have some flexibility to pay Kupp in future seasons (although they were projected to have just $9MM in space in 2021 prior to this extension).
While the Rams’ lack of cap space was a concern, it was also going to be tough to settle on a final number. As our own Dallas Robinson noted earlier this week, Jarvis Landry is the only slot receiver to be in the top-15 highest-paid players at his position ($75.5MM). Kupp could probably argue for more than that, but you’ve got to assume that the front office was wary of overspending on the wideout.
The 2017 third-round pick has been a productive member of the Rams offense since his rookie season, but he took it to a new level in 2019 after appearing in 16 games for the first time in his career. The 27-year-old set career-highs in receptions (94), receiving yards (1,161), and touchdowns (10). With Brandin Cooks now out of the picture in Los Angeles, Kupp will have a chance to build off those numbers in 2020.