NFC Notes: Elliott, Brees, 49ers, Lions
The NFL was reportedly close to ending its investigation into domestic violence allegations against Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott nearly a week ago, but his fate is still unknown. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expects that to change soon, though. “I think we’ll have a decision imminently,” Jones told SiriusXM on Thursday (via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk). “Of course, I don’t know what that will be and wouldn’t want to have conjecture in any way involving that.” Jones claimed over the weekend that his own review cleared Elliott of any wrongdoing, and he once again defended the superstar rusher Thursday. “What I have seen, though, is the presentation of Zeke and his people, and I’ve seen the league’s presentation. There’s no domestic violence involved here,” Jones insisted.
Elsewhere around the NFC…
- Quarterback Drew Brees signed a one-year extension before last season to remain with the Saints through 2017, but he’s not pushing for another deal this summer, writes Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. When asked Wednesday whether the Saints have approached him about a new contract, Brees said: “I don’t expect them to I don’t really desire them to. I just want to play football. I want to help this team.” Theoretically, New Orleans is at some risk of losing the soon-to-be 39-year-old Brees after next season, though it seems he expects to eventually ink a new deal with the club. “I know that that stuff takes care of itself,” he commented. “It takes care of itself when it’s supposed to. That shouldn’t be a priority right now.”
- General manager John Lynch suggested Thursday that the 49ers aren’t in a rush to sign any of their contract-year veterans to extensions, telling Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group and other reporters, “We’re going to let this play out a little bit and see how they fit with what we want to do.” That’s not a surprising stance on Lynch’s part, as it’s debatable at best whether the team has any must-sign players due for free agency next offseason. Running back Carlos Hyde, safety Eric Reid, and linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Aaron Lynch are San Francisco’s headliners in contract years.
- More on the 49ers, who got some welcome news Thursday when rookie linebacker Reuben Foster announced that he has been completely cleared to participate in training camp, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. The former Alabama defensive stalwart underwent right shoulder surgery in February, which contributed to his falling draft stock and helped the 49ers land him at No. 31 (after trading up from No. 34). Adam Schefter of ESPN then reported after the draft that Foster’s surgery “didn’t take,” leading to fears that he’d miss his first season, but he’s good to go for now.
- The Lions worked out safety Stefan McClure on Thursday, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets. Two of the Lions’ safeties, Don Carey and Rolan Milligan, are on the physically unable to perform list, thereby opening up room at the position. Unlike Carey, McClure hasn’t seen any game action in the NFL. He went undrafted from California last year and spent some time on the Colts’ practice squad.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
AFC Notes: Kap, Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, Pats
Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith became $2MM richer when he showed up to training camp Thursday, making his reporting bonus the largest in the NFL, per Field Yates of ESPN (on Twitter).
With Smith and first-round pick Patrick Mahomes in the fold, the Chiefs aren’t in the market for a signal-caller, but there would be “no hesitation” to sign polarizing free agent Colin Kaepernick if they were, owner Clark Hunt told NBC Sports Radio in San Francisco on Wednesday (via Scott Gleason of USA Today).
While Kaepernick’s political activism has made it difficult for him to find work since he opted out of his contract with the 49ers in March, that wouldn’t have deterred the Chiefs from pursuing him. Clark noted that “there are certain circumstances where guys get in trouble off the field, and that is something as an organization and as a family we care about,” but Kaepernick isn’t someone who has been a problem away from the gridiron.
Notably, Kaepernick was teammates with Smith when the two were 49ers from 2011-12. Kaepernick took the No. 1 job from Smith during that stretch, which led San Francisco to trade him to Kansas City, but there’s no chance of the two appearing on the same depth chart with the Chiefs.
More on KC and a few other AFC franchises:
- Free agent wide receiver Anquan Boldin‘s workout in Buffalo this past Monday hasn’t led to a deal, though head coach Sean McDermott hasn’t closed the door on the 36-year-old signing with the Bills. McDermott told Mike Rodak of ESPN.com and other reporters Thursday that the two sides are still determining whether they’re the right match for each other. McDermott also called the meeting with Boldin a “nice visit,” according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).
- The Ravens were the only team other than the Jets to put him in a claim for wide receiver Lucky Whitehead, tweets Field Yates of ESPN. Whitehead hit waivers after the Cowboys cut him Monday, and he joined the Jets on Wednesday.
- The Chiefs promoted Mike Borgonzi from co-director of player personnel to director of player personnel on Wednesday, per BJ Kissel of the team’s website. Borgonzi had shared the position with Brett Veach, who took over for the fired John Dorsey as Kansas City’s GM earlier this month. Veach beat out Borgonzi and others for the role.
- Undrafted rookie Austin Carr could benefit from Andrew Hawkins‘ retirement more than any other Patriots receiver, observes Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. The Pats are still loaded at receiver, where they’ll primarily rely on Julian Edelman, Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola, but Hawkins’ exit leaves Carr as the next man up, writes Reiss. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Carr was the Big Ten receiver of the year last year, when he piled up 90 catches, 1,247 yards and 12 touchdowns at Northwestern.
Latest On 49ers’ Talks With Solomon Thomas
49ers defensive lineman Solomon Thomas is one of just three rookies without a contract, and general manager John Lynch told reporters Thursday that he’s “concerned” that the third overall pick remains unsigned. Lynch is “hopeful,” though, that the two sides will reach an agreement before San Francisco starts training camp practice Friday.
“I wish this were done. I think it should be done,” said Lynch (via NBC Sports Bay Area).
As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, the battle between the 49ers and the ex-Stanford star likely centers on offset language, signing bonus cash flow or a combination of the two. Last year’s third overall pick, defensive end Joey Bosa, fought over those issues with the Chargers and didn’t strike a deal until the end of August, when he landed the largest upfront signing bonus in franchise history ($17MM) in exchange for letting the Bolts include offsets in the deal.
The 49ers and Thomas won’t necessarily go down the same ugly road that the Chargers and Bosa did, but it’s worth noting that the players are both CAA clients. Also of concern is that Thomas missed most of the 49ers’ offseason program because NFL rules stipulate that rookies who haven’t completed their undergraduate degrees are not allowed to join their teams on a full-time basis until the spring semester ends. So, sitting out a chunk of camp on top of that missed time during the spring would place Thomas further behind the 8-ball than he already is.
When Thomas does sign with the 49ers, they’ll get a player who totaled 61 tackles and 8.5 sacks last year en route to third-team All-America honors. For now, he and two other first-rounders – Titans wide receiver Corey Davis (fifth overall) and Raiders cornerback Gareon Conley (24th) – are the only members of this year’s draft class awaiting contracts.
Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Latest On Dolphins’ Jarvis Landry
The Dolphins have not made contract-year wide receiver Jarvis Landry an extension offer – reportedly because they’re afraid of offending him with a lowball proposal – and there’s no guarantee one is coming, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. With Landry having set a Week 1 deadline for talks, the Dolphins only have about a month and a half to lock him up before their Sept. 10 opener, but owner Stephen Ross said Thursday that doing so isn’t “really mandatory.”
“I think that he’s a great player,” commented Ross. “There’s no question about it. I think he handled himself well. He didn’t hold out. It’s not a question — if we don’t sign him now, we lose him. We can franchise him and go from there. There’s a lot of opportunity for him to stay here. I hope he stays here. He’s a great player.”
Placing the franchise tag on Landry would cost Miami around $15.7MM in 2018, which is an enormous amount in a vacuum. However, it’s a much more tolerable figure when you combine it with his near-minimum salary of $893K this year. Anyone would sign up for two years and $16.5MM for Landry, a force in the slot who holds the record for most catches in his first three NFL seasons (288, to go with 13 touchdowns). And while many players are averse to the tag, Landry’s remarks Thursday indicate he won’t cause a stir if the Dolphins do use it on him.
NFC East Notes: OBJ, Cowboys, Redskins
The Giants aren’t prioritizing a new contract for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who’s under control at eminently affordable prices through next season. If they do attempt to lock up Beckham down the line, it doesn’t seem that it’s going to be an easy negotiation. Beckham told uninterrupted.com on Thursday that he’s aiming to eventually become the NFL’s highest-paid player (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post). “It’s like the elephant in the room and you don’t want to talk about it,’’ said Beckham. “I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I’m like, there’s no need to not talk about it. I believe that I will be, hopefully not just the highest-paid receiver in the league, but the highest paid, period.”
As great as Beckham has been during his three-year career, the top-paid honor tends to belong to a quarterback. That’s the case right now, with the Raiders’ Derek Carr‘s just-signed deal (five years, $125MM-plus) atop the heap on an annual basis. The Steelers’ Antonio Brown leads all receivers in yearly pay ($17MM per on a four-year, $68MM accord), but he lags far behind Carr. And it might be awhile before the 24-year-old Beckham is even able to challenge Brown and the league’s other richest wideouts, given that the Giants will have the option of placing the franchise tag on him for tolerable costs in both 2019 and ’20 if he’s unsigned. In the meantime, Beckham’s set to play this year for $1.8MM – a pittance relative to his production – and the Giants picked up his $8.5MM fifth-year option for 2018.
More on New York and two of its NFC East rivals:
- The Cowboys’ signing of running back Ronnie Hillman on Thursday has nothing to do with a potential suspension for Ezekiel Elliott, reports David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. Rather, the Cowboys added Hillman as both a possible Lance Dunbar replacement and someone capable of accruing touches during the summer and taking some of the stress off the team’s other backs in the coming weeks. As for Elliott, who was bracing for a suspension two weeks ago, the NFL probably won’t announce his fate until later in the preseason, per Moore.
- Redskins outside linebacker Trent Murphy underwent offseason surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot, according to JP Finlay of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Murphy is now healed, but he still won’t factor into the Redskins’ early season plans as a result of the four-game performance-enhancing drugs suspension the NFL handed him in April. When he returns in Week 6 (the Redskins have a Week 5 bye), the nine-sack man from 2016 will look to continue that strong production in a contract year.
- Giants coach Ben McAdoo told reporters on Thursday that defensive end Owa Odighizuwa has reported to camp (Twitter link via Schwartz). Odighizuwa stayed away from the Giants during the offseason on account of personal issues.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
AFC North Notes: Bengals, Steelers, Browns
When the NFL handed Bengals cornerback Adam Jones a one-game suspension last week, it appeared he would fight the ban. That won’t be the case, though, Jones announced Thursday. “You know, I take all accountability for what I did and my actions and my words. I accept it — the one game suspension — and I’m ready to move on, man,” Jones told reporters, including Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The 33-year-old’s suspension came after he was charged with three misdemeanors and a felony, though he was able to avoid jail time after pleading guilty to a lesser offense.
More from Cincinnati’s division…
- Although the league conditionally reinstated Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant from a year-plus suspension in April, it still hasn’t cleared him to participate in training camp. General manager Kevin Colbert addressed the situation Thursday, stating: “Upon his conditional reinstatement in April, Martavis Bryant was made aware it was only the beginning of a process toward a return to being a full contributing member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. We have been informed by the NFL that Martavis is still in the process of being fully reinstated. Until that time, Martavis will be permitted to take part in off-the-field team activities at training camp, but he will not be permitted to practice or play in any games.”
- As expected, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell did not show up at training camp Thursday, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com was among those to report. The franchise-tagged star has not signed his $12.12MM tender, meaning he’s under no obligation to attend camp. Bell could follow in the footsteps of Chiefs safety Eric Berry and not report until the regular season is on the verge of beginning. That’s what Berry did last summer when he was unhappy with the fact that he had to play the season under the tag in lieu of a multiyear contract.
- Browns wide receiver Ricardo Louis has hired super-agent Drew Rosenhaus to represent him, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com (Twitter link). As a fourth-round rookie last year, Louis started in three of 16 appearances and logged 18 catches for 205 yards. With three years left on his rookie deal and unspectacular production to date, a pay raise isn’t imminent for Louis.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Buccaneers Sign Justin Trattou
The Buccaneers have signed defensive end Justin Trattou and waived/injured fellow DE Evan Panfil, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
The 28-year-old Trattou joins the Bucs after spending the first six seasons of his career with the Giants and Vikings. Since going undrafted out of Florida in 2011, Trattou has totaled 37 appearances but hasn’t yet started a game. His most productive campaign came with Minnesota in 2015, when he improbably logged more interceptions than tackles (two to one) across five games. He then posted his first 16-game season in 2016, but only 10 of his 280 snaps came on defense. Trattou was third on the Vikings in special teams snaps (270) and is now moving from an ST unit that finished ninth in DVOA last year to one that placed 21st.
Panfil, formerly with Purdue, signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent in May.
Cardnals Sign Philip Wheeler
The Cardinals have signed linebacker Philip Wheeler to a one-year contract, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com.
Arizona is the sixth NFL team for the 32-year-old Wheeler, who entered the league as a third-round pick of the Colts back in 2008. Wheeler has since racked up 133 appearances and 66 starts, including 16 and four in those categories with the NFC-winning Falcons last season. The 6-foot-2, 245-pounder amassed 27 tackles on 339 defensive snaps along the way, and after posting those modest totals, he didn’t generate any known offseason interest prior to signing with the Cardinals.
While a healthy Cards team should be fairly deep at linebacker, they’re in need of bodies there now with Deone Bucannon and Jarvis Jones dealing with injuries. For the time being, Wheeler will provide some extra help at the position, though he’s clearly not a lock to crack their season-opening roster.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/17
Thursday’s minor moves:
- The Texans have claimed wide receiver Devin Street off waivers from the Jets. Houston’s already the fourth team this year for Street, who had brief stints with the Patriots and Jets after the Colts cut him in May. The three-year veteran has just 10 catches in 35 games.
- While the Jets lost Street to waivers Thursday, they claimed running back Marcus Murphy from the Saints. Two years after New Orleans used a seventh-round pick on Murphy, the club cut him Wednesday. Murphy made no offensive impact with the Saints (one carry, one reception in 16 games), but he did return 34 kicks – one of which he ran back for a touchdown – and 19 punts. To make room for Murphy, the Jets waived running back Brandon Wilds, who totaled 12 touches (10 rushes, two catches) with the team as an undrafted rookie last year.
- The Redskins have signed tight end E.J. Bibbs and waived linebacker Houston Bates. Bibbs’ only action to this point came as an undrafted rookie with the Browns in 2015, when he appeared in seven games and picked up one reception. Bates is more experienced, having collected 24 appearances with the Redskins from 2015-16. Although he didn’t make a dent on defense during that time, Bates did lead the Redskins in special teams snaps (293) last season.
- The Rams made four additions on Thursday, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com, signing offensive lineman Parker Collins, running back De’Mard Llorens, and linebackers Andy Mulumba and Folarin Orimolade. Mulumba is the most notable member of the group, having played 22 games with the Packers and started three from 2013-15. He
- As part of a series of moves, the Cardinals signed tight end Gerald Christian to a one-year deal and cut fellow TE Steve Wroblewski, an undrafted rookie. They also also reached injury settlements with cornerback Jumel Rolle and linebacker Tevin Floyd. Christian came into the league in 2015 as a seventh-round pick of the Cardinals, but his only game time came with Buffalo last season. He caught one pass in three contests as a Bill.
- The Patriots have signed receiver Tony Washington, who’s joining his third team since hooking on with the Colts as an undrafted free agent from Appalachian State in 2014. Washington logged six appearances with the Jaguars over the previous two seasons and caught one pass.
- The Falcons have added offensive lineman Larson Graham, an undrafted rookie from Duquesne.
- The Broncos have waived undrafted rookie O-lineman Chris Muller, tweets Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. Muller signed with the team last month.
Broncos To Sign Stevan Ridley
The Broncos have agreed to a deal with running back Stevan Ridley, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Ridley worked out for the club on Thursday and did enough to earn a one-year contract, tweets Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post.
The addition of Ridley comes in response to the wrist injury fellow running back Devontae Booker suffered. With Booker set to miss six to eight weeks, Denver wanted a replacement to slot in behind C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles in its backfield.
The 28-year-old Ridley joins Charles as the Broncos’ second back with at least one 1,000-yard season under his belt, though the former hasn’t been particularly effective overall. Since a strong 2011-13 showing in New England that included a 1,263-yard, 12-touchdown season, Ridley’s output has declined substantially. He wasn’t much of a factor in 2014, his final season with the Patriots, and combined for just 10 appearances, 39 carries and 97 yards with the Jets and Falcons over the previous two years.
Thanks to his recent downturn in production, Ridley didn’t generate much offseason interest prior to reaching an agreement with the Broncos. He worked out with one of his ex-teams, the Jets, back in May, but it was radio silence otherwise.