Cowboys Sign S Jeron Johnson
The Cowboys have reached a contract agreement with free agent safety Jeron Johnson, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Dallas has waived quarterback Dalton Sturm in a corresponding roster move.
As Archer notes, Johnson is the second defensive back Dallas has signed in the past day, joining undrafted free agent Dominick Sanders. The Cowboys can use all the help they can get at safety, as Xavier Woods is expected to miss three-to-four weeks with a hamstring injury, while Jameill Showers was recently placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL.
Johnson, 30, has spent the majority of his seven-year career with the Seahawks, so he has experience playing under new Cowboys defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator Kris Richard. Primarily a special-teamer, Johnson has topped 20% playtime just once (in 2015, with the Redskins). In 2017, Johnson signed with the Jaguars in August but was placed on injured reserve the following month, and never saw action on the field.
Dallas, of course, has and could continue to pursue safeties with larger name value than Johnson. The Seahawks’ Earl Thomas has been on the Cowboys’ radar for some time, while the club is also reportedly interested in George Iloka, whom the Bengals released on Sunday.
Seahawks RB J.D. McKissic To Miss Time
Seahawks running back J.D. McKissic will miss four-to-six weeks after suffering a Jones’ fracture in his foot, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Seattle is already down one running back, as rookie first-round pick Rashaad Penny underwent surgery last week for a broken finger. He’s now expected to miss three-to-four weeks, leaving the Seahawks with Chris Carson, C.J. Prosise, Mike Davis, Gerald Holmes, and Justin Stockton as healthy backs.
McKissic, 25, appeared in 13 games and made one start for the Seahawks in 2017. He managed 4.1 yards per carry on 187 attempts, and was effective in the passing game, where he posted 34 receptions. An exclusive rights free agent this offseason, McKissic signed a one-year tender worth the league minimum.
Due to his recovery timeline, McKissic is a candidate to return from injured reserve. However, that scenario would entail Seattle keeping McKissic on its roster until final cutdowns, as any IR/return player must be carried through to his team’s respective initial 53-man roster.
If the Seahawks opt to look for a free agent running back to account for recent depletions, they could look at option such as Orleans Darkwa, Andre Williams, or Lance Dunbar, or perhaps attempt to convince DeMarco Murray — who worked out for Seattle earlier this year — to come out of retirement.
Rams Won’t Sign Junior Galette
The Rams will not sign free agent edge rusher Junior Galette, head coach Sean McVay told reporters, including Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic (Twitter link). McVay also clarified th
at Galette’s recent meeting with Los Angeles did not include a workout, only a physical, tweets Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com.
Los Angeles has spent the offseason adding marquee names to its roster, but it still doesn’t have much of a depth chart at outside linebacker. While the Rams should get plenty of pass rush from the interior of its defensive line, but they’re currently projected to start Matt Longacre and Samson Ebukam on the edge.
Galette, of course, was once a double-digit sack force with the Saints from 2013-14, but injuries and off-field issues have turned him into more a rotational player. After suffering those aforementioned torn Achilles tendons in both 2015 and 2016, Galette finally got in a full season with the Redskins in 2017, and played extremely well on 37% of the club’s defensive snaps. While he only posted three sacks, Galette managed 25 pressures and graded as the league’s No. 30 edge defender among 106 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
Galette has not ruled out re-signing with Washington (although the Redskins may have ruled him out), while the Raiders and — most recently — the Seahawks have auditioned the veteran pass rusher. Retirement is also reportedly an option for Galette if he doesn’t find a suitable offer.
49ers Still Interested In Eric Reid For Minimal Role
The 49ers are still interested in re-signing free agent safety Eric Reid, but only for a backup role and on something close to a league-minimum salary, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters, including Matt Barrows of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, Shanahan doesn’t believe Reid would interested in such an offer.
Reid has previously indicated that he’d accept a one-year deal from San Francisco, but only at his 2017 base salary of $5.676MM, so it’s highly unlikely he’d take a pact that pays less than $1MM. But it’s still unclear if and when Reid will receive a serious offer from a defensive-back needy club.
The NFL’s safety market has been stagnant this offseason, but Reid is likely also being rebuffed due to his intentions to kneel during the national anthem. Reid did take a visit with the Bengals earlier this year, but later filed a grievance after Cincinnati asked him about his anthem stance. He was scheduled to meet with the Titans earlier this month, but multiple flight cancellations prevented Reid’s visit.
Reid, 26, was something of a playmaker during his first two NFL campaigns, as he posted seven total interceptions from 2013-14. While he hasn’t kept up that rate of turnover creation, Reid is still a solid starter, and Pro Football Focus graded him as the league’s No. 30 safety a year ago.
Jets To Work Out K Kai Forbath
The Jets will work out kicker Kai Forbath on Wednesday, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
If New York signs Forbath, it will have a whopping four kickers on its active roster, meaning the club will need to trim its depth chart. Cairo Santos is still dealing with the effects of a chronic groin injury, and it’s fair to assume the Jets will eventually cut ties with him. Gang Green also has undrafted rookie Taylor Bertolet and veteran Jason Myers — claimed off waivers from the Seahawks earlier today — on its squad.
Forbath, 30, was released by the Vikings on Monday after losing out to rookie Daniel Carlson in Minnesota’s kicking competition. In 2017, Forbath converted 32-of-38 field goal attempts (including six-of-nine from 50+ yards), and his 84.2 accuracy percentage ranked 16th in the NFL. His field goals and extra points lost 3.1 point of field position for the Vikings, good for just 21st in the league, per Football Outsiders.
5 Key NFL Stories: 8/12/18 – 8/19/18
Josh Gordon returns to Cleveland, where Dez Bryant is unlikely to land. Gordon is back with the Browns after taking time to deal with off-field issues, and Cleveland is hoping he’ll be available for Week 1 of the regular season (although he’s not currently allowed to practice). Bryant, meanwhile, finally met with Browns management last week, but he’s apparently “not on the front burner” in Cleveland. The Browns aren’t ruling out a Bryant contract, but it doesn’t sound like a deal is close at this time.
Adrian Peterson gets a workout. Peterson is attracting his first interest of the offseason, as he’s scheduled to audition for the Redskins on Monday. Washington is in dire straits at running back, having already lost rookie Derrius Guice for the year, while backups Samaje Perine and Byron Marshall are also dealing with nagging injuries. Peterson was one of the NFL’s least effective backs with the Saints and Cardinals in 2017, but he’s an option for Washington on early downs. The Redskins also looked at free agent backs Jamaal Charles and Orleans Darkwa.
Rookie quarterbacks in line to start. Free agent acquisition A.J. McCarron suffered a broken collarbone during the Bills’ second preseason game, an injury which should ensure first-rounder Josh Allen starts for Buffalo. Elsewhere in the AFC East, Sam Darnold is now looking like the inevitable starter for the Jets after excelling through two exhibition contests. Veteran Teddy Bridgewater, who has also produced well thus far, is considered a trade candidate.
Bengals cut George Iloka. Cincinnati had begun mixing in second-round defensive back Jessie Bates with the starting defense through its first two preseason games, signalling that it may be comfortable moving on from Iloka. The Bengals did just that on Sunday, cutting the six-year veteran and saving $5.6MM against the salary cap. Iloka offers plenty of starting experience and should easily land a new job, although the flaccid free agent safety market has to be concerning.
The 2018 draft class is fully signed. At long last, Bears rookie Roquan Smith is under contract, meaning every 2018 draft choice now has a deal in place. Smith, the eighth overall pick, was looking for contract language that would protect his financial guarantees in the event of a helmet rule-related suspension. Chicago and Smith ultimately forged a compromise, one that will only void Smith’s guarantees if he’s suspended for three consecutive games.
PFR Originals: 8/12/18 – 8/19/18
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- Should the Browns sign free agent wide receiver Dez Bryant? PFR readers are split right down the middle, but it doesn’t appear Bryant will be landing in Cleveland any time soon. He’s reportedly no longer “on the front burner” for the Browns, and is reportedly looking for a one-year, prove-it deal with a contending club. Cleveland could conceivably circle back to Bryant later this year, but it seems like they’ll roll with Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway, and the returning Josh Gordon for now.
- Prior to A.J. McCarron suffering a broken collarbone, Sam Robinson asked PFR readers who should start at quarterback for the Bills. First-round rookie Josh Allen had already garnered nearly 50% of the vote before McCarron’s injury, and he now looks like the clear starter with McCarron sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Chargers Place Jaylen Watkins On IR
The Chargers announced that they’ve placed safety Jaylen Watkins on injured reserve after he suffered a torn ACL in Saturday night’s preseason games, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Watkins, 26, wasn’t expected to start for Los Angeles in 2017, as the club will deploy first-round pick Derwin James and Jahleel Addae at safety. But the former fourth-round pick could have offered valuable depth, as Watkins appeared in 36 games during a four-year run with the Eagles. Philadelphia opted not to tender Watkins as a restricted free agent this offseason, and he subsequently met with the 49ers before landing with the Chargers.
Even with Watkins sidelined, Los Angeles has enough safety depth to get by in 2018. James and Addae project to be backed up by Rayshawn Jenkins and Adrian Phillips, while A.J. Hendy could be kept on the the Chargers’ practice squad. Fourth-round rookie Kyzir White, drafted nominally as a safety, is expected to play a sub-package linebacker role in LA.
To replace Watkins on their roster, the Chargers announced that they’ve claimed defensive back Micah Hannemann off waivers from the Browns.
NFC East Notes: Giants, Scandrick, Cowboys
The Giants expressed interest in cornerback Orlando Scandrick when he was released by the Redskins last week, but he landed with the Chiefs before New York could arrange a visit, tweets Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. New York is set at outside corner, where Janoris Jenkins and Eli Apple will start, but could still use help at slot, which is where Scandrick has experienced the most success. At present, veterans William Gay and Leonard Johnson are the leading candidates to play inside for the Giants, but given their interest in Scandrick, it stands to reason Big Blue could consider further additions — either via the free agent or trade market, or through a waiver claim — in the coming weeks.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- Zack Martin went down on Saturday night during the Cowboys‘ second preseason game, but the news is expected to be positive for the All-Pro guard. Martin likely suffered a hyper-extended left knee, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com, who adds Martin is expected to undergo an MRI on Sunday. Speaking to reporters last night, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Martin’s knee issue was not expected to be “problematic,” according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. However, given his injury, Dallas could hold out Martin from game action until the regular season begins.
- While Martin is likely to escape a serious injury, Cowboys safety Jameill Showers wasn’t so lucky. Showers is believed to have suffered a torn ACL, tweets Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News, and will have an MRI on Sunday to confirm. After entering the league as a quarterback in 2015, Showers transferred to defensive back, and has spent much of the past three seasons on Dallas’ practice squad. While he was far from a roster lock, Showers’ injury will further deplete the Cowboys’ defensive depth.
- The Cowboys need to add another receiver, opines Calvin Watkins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Dallas added free agent Allen Hurns and draft pick Michael Gallup to its receiving corps this offseason, but the position group as a whole hasn’t been overly impressive through two preseason games. While Watkins points to back-of-the-roster pass-catchers such as Noah Brown and Deonte Thompson as candidates for increased playing time, the Cowboys could conceivably look at free agents including Jeremy Maclin, Dontrelle Inman, or Brandon Coleman.
Redskins To Host Adrian Peterson
The Redskins will host free agent running back Adrian Peterson on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Washington is in serious need of backfield depth, especially after losing presumptive starter Derrius Guice to a torn ACL. Meanwhile, Samaje Perine is expected to miss at least a week with an ankle injury, and Byron Marshall could be sidelined for a month with his own ankle issue. The Redskins also waived/injured running back Martez Carter earlier today, leaving them with Rob Kelley, Chris Thompson, and Kapri Bibbs as their only health backs.
Guice was expected to handle early-down work for the Redskins, and that’s a role Peterson can conceivably still handle. However, the 2017 campaign wasn’t Peterson’s finest, as he averaged just 3.4 yards per carry on 156 rushes between the Saints and Cardinals. That was the second-lowest figure league-wide among backs with at least 150 carries, while Peterson also finished 46th among 47 RBs in Football Outsiders’ DVOA, meaning he wasn’t efficient on a per-play basis.
At his best, of course, Peterson is a Hall of Fame-caliber player, and he managed more than 1,400 yards on the ground as recently as 2015. His pass-game deficiencies aside, Peterson could give Washington a Guice replacement, one capable of handling running downs before ceding to Thompson on passing plays.
The Redskins worked out fellow running backs Orleans Darkwa and Jamaal Charles on Sunday, but it doesn’t appear Washington is in a hurry to sign either player, per Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).