HEADLINES

Author: Dallas Robinson

Broncos Claim CB Cyrus Jones, Waive CB Coty Sensabaugh

November 13th, 2019 at 9:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Broncos have claimed cornerback Cyrus Jones off waivers from the Ravens and are waiving fellow defensive back Coty Sensabaugh, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com.

Selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2016 draft, Jones has now completed two separate stints with both New England and Baltimore. Nominally a corner, Jones has only played nine total defensive snaps this year. Instead, he spends most of his time on special times — he was the Ravens’ primary punt returner this season, averaging 9.4 yards per return on 12 attempts. Jones could take over for Diontae Spencer as Denver’s return man, and may also add depth in the secondary.

Sensabaugh, 30, appeared in four games for Denver after signing off the street in October. While he’s probably not a household name, Sensabaugh was a fairly regular starter for the Steelers over the past two seasons, starting four games at the tail of end the 2017 campaign and 10 more last year. Football Outsiders was a fan of Sensabaugh’s work in 2018, charting him as ninth among qualified corners in yards allowed per pass and 26th with a 56% success rate (meaning he was effective at stopping opposing wide receivers short of the sticks).

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/13/19

November 13th, 2019 at 8:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

  • Promoted from practice squad: T Chandler Brewer, DB Donte Deayon

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Dolphins’ Andrew Van Ginkel To Return From IR

November 13th, 2019 at 7:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins have designated rookie linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel to return from injured reserve, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Van Ginkel suffered a foot injury during the preseason that sidelined him until now.

Van Ginkel will become the second and final Miami player designated to return from IR this year, joining offensive tackle Julien Davenport, who was designated for return in late October but hasn’t yet officially returned to practice. Because NFL teams are only allowed to bring two players off injured reserve, other injured Dolphins like cornerback Aqib Talib and defensive end Jeremiah Ledbetter, are officially done for the season.

Van Ginkel, 24, spent the final two years of his collegiate career at Wisconsin after originally playing at both South Dakota and Iowa Western Community College. In his two years as a Badger, Van Ginkel appeared in 26 games, posting 98 tackles, 12 sacks, and two interceptions during that time. In Van Ginkel’s pre-draft profile, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said the 6’4″, 234-pounder plays with “consistent energy” but can also be “manhandled” by opposing offensive tackles.

Because he was placed on IR shortly after initial 53-man rosters were set, Van Ginkel has yet to make his NFL debut. When he does, he’ll likely play in a reserve and special teams role behind Dolphins starting outside linebackers Charles Harris and Samuel Eguavoen.

Titans Work Out RB Jeremy Hill

November 13th, 2019 at 6:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Titans recently worked out running back Jeremy Hill, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). While Hill’s audition reportedly went “very well,” Wilson says Tennessee will not be signing Hill at this time.

Hill, now 26, enjoyed several seasons as the Bengals’ main ball-carrier 2014 to 2016, averaging 222 carries, 919 yards, and 10 touchdowns during that time. 2014 and 2015, notably, were especially productive campaigns for Hill, as he ranked as a top-12 back in Football Outsiders’ success rate metric in both seasons.

Hill was Cincinnati’s nominal starter in 2017 even after the club used a second-round pick on Joe Mixon, but Hill went down with a ankle injury in November and was subsequently placed on injured reserve. He inked a one-year, $1.5MM deal with New England prior to the 2018 campaign and was listed as the team’s third running back, but his season ended after he tore his ACL in Week 1.

Tennessee doesn’t necessarily need help at running back — Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis are more than capable of handling the load, so Hill’s audition was probably more about updating the Titans’ emergency list. Hill also worked out for the Lions this year.

Latest On Colin Kaepernick’s Workout

November 13th, 2019 at 6:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After initially indicating it would release a list of personnel executives who attend Colin Kaepernick‘s upcoming Saturday workout, the NFL has now reversed course and will not do so, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Additionally, a number of teams have contact Kaepernick’s to preemptively apologize for not being in attendance this weekend, noting they were confused by the timing of the workout.

NFL executives weren’t the only ones caught off guard by the planned audition — Kaepernick himself didn’t even know about the workout until the league informed him of it, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. The NFL hasn’t given any indication as to why it’s holding a tryout for Kaepernick at this time, but the league wouldn’t budge on a date, time, or what will happen at the workout.

The workout may be in response to teams contacting the league with interest in Kaepernick, as Steve Wyche of NFL.com reports. Most of said clubs are actually eyeing a Kaepernick signing for the 2020 campaign, per Wyche, not for the current season.

Most teams figure to send scouts or lower-level executives to see Kaepernick, not general managers or head coaches, according to Michael Silver of NFL.com (Twitter link). Most GMs and head coaches are occupied on Saturdays, so a workout on, say, a Tuesday may have made more sense.

Colts Designate Devin Funchess For Return

November 13th, 2019 at 5:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts have designated wide receiver Devin Funchess to return from injured reserve, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Funchess suffered a broken collarbone during his Indianapolis debut in Week 1, but the Colts had been holding out hope that he’d be able to return to the field late in the regular season. While Funchess is back at practice as of Wednesday, head coach Frank Reich said this week that Funchess needs to prove his health before he returns to game action.

“Technically, he could be cleared to play the game,” Reich said. “But he’s got a few more boxes to check. We have to make sure he’s good to go because this will really be his first week of practice. Then we still have to see how much he’ll be able to do Wednesday. We’re really encouraged. I think there’s another box he has to check before we can go full boar on the practice.”

The Colts signed Funchess to a one-year, $10MM deal in March after he spent the first four years of his career with the Panthers. The only free agent receiver who collected more on an annual basis this offseason was Tyrell Williams, who inked a four-year, $44.4MM pact with the Raiders. In his stint with Carolina, Funchess averaged 40 receptions, 558 yards, and five touchdowns per season.

When he does officially return, Funchess will join a Colts wide receiver depth chart by T.Y. Hilton, who is currently battling injury himself. Indianapolis has made heavy use of its tight ends in the passing game this season, leaving Zach Pascal as the only Colts wideout besides Hilton with more than 20 receptions on the year.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/7/19

November 7th, 2019 at 3:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s practice squad updates:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Redskins Place Trent Williams On NFI List

November 7th, 2019 at 3:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Redskins have placed offensive tackle Trent Williams on the non-football injury list, the club announced today. Now that he’s on NFI, Williams is out for the rest of the season.

Williams reported to Washington in late October following a season-long holdout, but he couldn’t pass his physical after reporting pain while wearing his helmet. The Redskins were reportedly attempting to find Williams a more comfortable helmet, but were apparently unable to do so.

Of course, Williams’ issues with his helmet involves a serious backstory. Williams underwent surgery during the offseason to remove a growth from his head that turned out to be cancerous. The 31-year-old first noticed the growth in 2013, but he says Redskins doctors told him the issue was not severe. However, he’s since been diagnosed with Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP), a “soft tissue sarcoma that develops in the deep layers of the skin.”

Williams’ contract is not expected to toll as a result of his being placed on NFI, meaning he’ll be under contract for one more season at a base salary of $12.5MM. The Redskins failed to trade Williams in advance of last month’s deadline, but could reportedly consider moving him in a deal this offseason.

Players on the NFI list aren’t technically required to be paid by their clubs. If Washington opts not to pay Williams, the veteran tackle would likely file a grievance against the team, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com, opening an entirely new battle between the Redskins and their offensive line stalwart.

Former NFL DT Earl Mitchell Retires

November 7th, 2019 at 1:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Defensive tackle Earl Mitchell has announced his retirement from the NFL after nine seasons, as he announced on his Instagram.

“I thought that I would be sad when I decided to let go of something I’ve loved for so long. I feel grateful to walk away with no regrets knowing I gave it my all. After 9 great years, I’m officially retiring from the National Football League. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Since 2002 I’ve dedicated my life to this game. When I first stepped into the locker room at North Shore, I decided to put my all into learning something that I knew nothing about. If it wasn’t for this game I would have never been able to achieve my original dream of going to and graduating college. I’m extremely proud of my career and I appreciate all of those who have supported me along the way.”

A third-round pick out of Arizona in 2010, Mitchell spent the first four years of his career with the Texans before inking a four-year, $16MM deal with the Dolphins in 2014. After three seasons in Miami, another four-year deal followed, this time with the 49ers. Mitchell played in San Francisco for two years before getting released.

Mitchell briefly latched on with the Seahawks this summer, and may have still been able to draw free agent interest, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports the 32-year-old still had some suitors (Twitter link). Instead, Mitchell will hang up his cleats having appeared in 130 career games (66 starts) and collected more than $23MM in career earnings.

A.J. Green Will Not Play In Week 10

November 7th, 2019 at 12:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green will not make his 2019 season debut on Sunday after all, as the veteran pass-catcher told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com (Twitter link). Green’s experienced ankle swelling during Cincinnati’s walkthrough on Wednesday, and the issue is serious enough to prevent him from playing against the Ravens in Week 10.

Green, of course, hasn’t played a single snap this season after suffering ankle damage during training camp. The Bengals opted not to put him on injured reserve to start the year, which would have mandated an absence of at least eight games. Green, clearly, has already missed that requisite amount of time, meaning Cincinnati has been playing a man down all year long.

The Bengals are reportedly not close to an extension with Green, who will become a free agent at season’s end. The former first-round pick has been adamant that he doesn’t want to be assigned the franchise tag next offseason, and it’s unclear if Cincinnati will honor that request.

“I don’t really care about (the contract negotiations),” Green told Jay Morrison of The Athletic (Twitter link). “If they’re worried about me not playing or not being healthy, then there’s 32 teams out there. I’m not really worried about that situation.”

Green became the NFL’s highest-paid receiver in 2015 after inking a four-year, $60MM extension, but his $15MM average annual value now ranks 11th at the position. The former No. 4 overall selection will be 32 years old when the 2020 campaign gets underway, and Green’s recent injury history — at least six missed games in 2016, 2018, and 2019 — will certainly factor into his asking price, but he should still be expected to command a lucrative multi-year deal if he does hit the free agent market.

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