AFC Notes: Glenn, Robinson, Haden, Harris
Bengals left tackle Cordy Glenn has been ruled out of the team’s Week 1 game, Ben Baby of ESPN.com relays. Back-up left tackle Andre Smith will take over duties and will face a fearsome defensive front in Seattle that includes newcomers Ziggy Ansah and Jadeveon Clowney.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- Jaguars LT Cam Robinson is not playing vs. the Chiefs but it’s not the knee that he recently had surgery on that’s keeping him out, as Phillip Heilman of The Athletic relays (Twitter links). Robinson’s right knee is now the issue.
- Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link) has details on Joe Haden‘s extension with the Steelers. The pact comes with a signing bonus of $13.8MM.
- Don’t expect an extension for Broncos CB Chris Harris anytime soon. Troy Renck of ABC Denver (Twitter link) hears that an extension is not in the team’s plans right now, as John Elway & Co. will wait until the offseason to handle the matter.
Latest On Negotiations Between Dak Prescott, Cowboys
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are not expected to have a deal completed before the team plays its week 1 game against the Giants later today.
Prescott isn’t rushing to sign a new contract, as he’ll instead wait to receive what he deems as a fair one. The quarterback isn’t too worried about the potential risk for injury, as he has loss of value and disability insurance policies that are valued at over $50MM, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Prescott also has several multi-year endorsements.
“Obviously I want to see it done,” Prescott previously said. “To put a time frame on it, I think I’ve said this before, I’m not going to do that. At this point my focus is all on the Giants and the Giants defense and what this team needs to do to win the game. And next week it will roll to the next opponent. I don’t want to blur my mind or distract myself any with thinking about those talks or thinking about what’s going on when I’ve got enough on my plate to handle. So I’m just focused on the Giants and I’ve got people to take care of [the contract].”
The team would like to get a deal done before the game, though they’ll continue negotiations through the season if they can’t accomplish that goal. Should Prescott and the Cowboys not come to a deal before the offseason, the franchise tag would be a possibility for the quarterback. The two sides are undergoing negotiations this morning, as David Moore of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
Chargers’ Melvin Gordon Plans To Report
The Chargers remain without Melvin Gordon as the running back is holding out for a new contract. Sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com that Gordon will not sit out the entire season like Le’Veon Bell did last year. Instead, he plans to report between Weeks 6 and 8. 
Gordon will play on the $5.6MM fifth-year option of his contract this season, though that amount will be prorated based on how many games he plays. He must report before Week 10 in order to qualify for free agency next season.
Gordon’s plan to sit out for up to half of the season is a risk management tactic, as he wants to mitigate the chances of injury heading into free agency. He’s missed nine games because of injuries in his four years, though he’s played hurt in several games.
Los Angeles has already fined Gordon over $1MM and previously gave him permission to seek a trade. The Eagles were among the interested teams in his services, though the Chargers found their offer underwhelming. Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson will split touches while Gordon is away.
AFC South Notes: Tunsil, Brissett, Jack
New Texans starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil is wasting no time getting acclimated to his new team. Coach Bill O’Brien said the former first-round pick is putting in “double time” with regard to getting up to speed with Houston’s communication on packages, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle relays.
“Laremy has been in here all day working with Mike, working with a couple of guys, some of the veteran guys, Nick Martin, guys like that,” the coach said. “Look, at the end of the day, that’s going to be a challenge early on here because he just got here.
“But I think that he’s played a lot of football and maybe what somebody calls an apple, we call an orange. It’s just different terms, but it’s the same blocking assignment.”
Here’s more from the AFC South:
- Jacoby Brissett, who recently signed a new two-year, $30MM extension, told Mike Chappell of CBS4 in Indianapolis that he negotiated the contract himself. “I don’t like people to BS on my behalf. I try to say it for myself. . . . all you can be is honest,” the Colts new starting quarterback said. “I did my rookie contract, too, so I kind of had the gist of it.’’
- The details on Myles Jack‘s new contract are in. The deal pays the linebacker $26.06MM in guarantees, as Pro Football Talk details. That figure is second in the league among inside linebackers (C.J. Mosley).
- Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline envisions Dion Lewis being heavily involved in the Titan’s offense. Lewis has three years remaining on the four-year, $19.8MM deal he inked during the 2018 offseason.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/3/19
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad decisions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: TE Carson Meier
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: QB Kyle Sloter
- Re-signed: OLB Pete Robertson
- Released: CB Nate Brooks, OLB Vontarrius Dora
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DT Trevon Coley
- Released: OL Marcus Applefield
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: C Brad Lundblade
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LB Hardy Nickerson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE Jordan Leggett, DL Pat O’Connor
- Released: RB Bruce Anderson
Patriots Add RB Robert Martin, Make Other Minor Moves
The Patriots have signed RB Robert Martin and LB Scooby Wright, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss (Twitter links). Both players practiced with the team today.
Martin, who spent 2014-17 at Rutgers, will add depth for New England, as Damien Harris is dealing with minor injuries and the team isn’t likely to play any of its top running backs in its fourth preseason contest. The franchise worked out former Washington State running back James Williams before signing Martin, as Doug Kyed of NESN relays.
Wright was a seventh-round pick in the 2016 draft. He’s played for the Browns and Cardinals in addition to briefly playing in the failed AAF league.
New England waived DE/OLB Keionta Davis and placed special teamer Brandon King on injured reserve to accommodate the signings.
Cowboys Make Massive Offer To Ezekiel Elliott
The Cowboys, regardless of Jerrah’s “Zeke who?” charades, value their top running back very much. According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Dallas has made an offer to Ezekiel Elliott that would make him one of the two highest-paid running backs in the league.
Todd Gurley, who is the highest paid running back in the league, has an average annual salary of approximately $14.38MM. Le’Veon Bell, who signed a deal this offseason, makes $13.13MM per season and is currently the second highest-paid back by AAV.
It’s been reported that Elliot is looking for a deal with annual values in the $15MM range. It would be surprising if he hits that mark but getting close seems like a realistic outcome given Werder’s report.
Members of the franchise have remained in contract with Elliott throughout his holdout with Jason Garrett describing the conversations as “very positive.”
Eagles, Cardinals Swap S Rudy Ford, DT Bruce Hector
The Eagles and Cardinals have agreed to a trade. Safety Rudy Ford, who was a sixth-round pick in 2017, will head to Philadelphia. Defensive tackle Bruce Hector will head to Arizona, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (Twitter link).
Hector came into the league in 2018 out of the University of South Florida. He was not selected in the 2018 draft but found his way onto the Eagles’ roster, appearing in eight games as a rookie and recording a half-sack. The big man was unlikely to make Philadelphia’s final roster this year.
Ford, who played college ball at Auburn, hasn’t carved out a major role on defense during his two seasons in the league. The 5’11” safety has top level speed and has played on Arizona’s special teams.
Steelers Sign Jayrone Elliott, Waive Lavon Hooks
The Steelers are bringing in linebacker Jayrone Elliott, according to the team’s website. To accommodate the move, the team has waived Lavon Hooks.
Elliot spent most of career with the Packers, appearing in 38 games for the franchise. He’s been a football nomad since Green Bay traded him to the Cowboys in 2017 with Dallas waiving him after just one game. Since then, he’s had stints with the Saints and Dolphins as well as an appearance in the Alliance of American Football league before it shut down.
Hooks tore his Achilles this preseason, which put the writing on the wall for his release. The 27-year-old defensive tackle has yet to play in an NFL game, instead, spending most of his time on practice squads.
NFC Notes: Witten, 49ers’ QB Trades, Kessler
Jason Witten made his return to the Cowboys after one year away from the club. As a former locker room leader of the franchise, integrating himself back into the fold could have been tricky, as new leaders have emerged in his absence. However, according to coach Jason Garrett, Witten has had no issues rejoining the team.
“Witt has been very mindful of that coming back,” Garrett said of Witten’s locker room role (via ESPN’s Ed Werder on Twitter). “He doesn’t want to be a guy the younger guys are constantly deferring to. He wants to integrate himself back into it, and he’s done that beautifully.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- It appears the 49ers will hang on to both Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard rather than trading one of the quarterbacks. “We haven’t had talks at all,” GM John Lynch said of the possibility of trades (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports’ Twitter feed).
- Jimmy Ward was in full pads for the first time this week since he fractured his collarbone, Maiocco tweets. The 49ers gave him a one-year deal this past offseason.
- Cody Kessler remains in the concussion protocol, per the Eagles‘ Twitter feed. The franchise signed Josh McCown earlier today to add depth at the QB spot.
- While the Texans may want picks if they are going to trade Jadeveon Clowney, Eliot Shorr-Parks of WIP (Twitter link) contends that the Eagles should offer Derek Barnett straight up for him. Barnett, who was a first-round pick back in 2017, has two years remaining on his deal.