HEADLINES

Author: Dallas Robinson

Eagles To Sign WR Jordan Matthews

November 6th, 2019 at 11:32am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Eagles have agreed to sign wide receiver Jordan Matthews after working him out on Tuesday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Matthews began his career in Philadelphia after entering the league as a second-round pick in 2014. The Vanderbilt product went on to post the best three seasons of his NFL tenure, averaging 75 receptions, 891 yards, and six scores per year. The Eagles shipped Matthews to the Bills as part of the Ronald Darby trade in advance of the 2017 campaign, and he’s bounced around ever since.

Matthews landed with the Patriots in 2018, but he was released with a settlement after suffering a knee injury. The now-27-year-old then started his second stint in Philadelphia, but played sparingly and managed only 20 receptions for 300 yards. This year, Matthews has already had two stints with the 49ers, and was most recently released in late October.

The Eagles’ offense has struggled since losing DeSean Jackson in Week 1; Jackson was just placed on injured reserve, so he won’t be returning this season. Matthews certainly isn’t a like-for-like replacement, as he’s hardly a downfield threat like Jackson. But Matthews can offer a familiarity with Philadelphia’s offense while likely seeing time in the slot.

Packers Activate S Ibraheim Campbell

November 6th, 2019 at 10:41am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Packers have activated defensive back Ibraheim Campbell from the physically unable to perform list, the club announced.

Campbell originally joined Green Bay’s roster last November when the Packers claimed him off waivers shortly after trading fellow safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to the Redskins. Unfortunately, Campbell’s season ended roughly a month later when he suffered a torn ACL. Green Bay re-signed him in August 2019, but he spent the first nine weeks of the year on PUP while recovering from his knee injury.

Now 27 years old, Campbell entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick of the Browns in 2015. A part-time starter during his time in Cleveland, Campbell has since bounced around the league, seeing action with the Texans, Cowboys, and Jets over the past two-plus seasons.

The Packers already have three capable safeties in Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage, and Will Redmond, meaning Campbell will likely see most of his time on special teams. He’s played at least 40% of his club’s special teams snaps in six of his seven NFL seasons.

Bills Sign DT Corey Liuget

November 6th, 2019 at 8:15am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills have signed veteran defensive tackle Corey Liuget after working him out on Tuesday, the club announced. In a corresponding roster move, Buffalo has placed linebacker Maurice Alexander on injured reserve.

Liuget, 29, signed a fully guaranteed, $1MM deal with the Raiders in August, but only lasted two months in Oakland before getting cut in late October. The former first-round pick didn’t appear in a game for the Raiders until Week 4, and then played on fewer than 50 defensive snaps over the course of three contests, posting three tackles and one quarterback hit during that time.

Liuget, of course, spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Chargers after entering the league in 2011. Typically a consistent producer, Liuget suffered multiple setbacks in a 2018 campaign that couldn’t have gone much worse. A suspension, pay cut, and season-ending knee injury littered what became a lost season and Liuget was released by Los Angeles in February.

Now in Buffalo, Liuget will join a defensive tackle depth chart that already includes Star Lotulelei, Jordan Phillips, Ed Oliver, and Vincent Taylor. Liuget will likely play in a reserve, run-stuffing role for the time being, but there’s always a chance he could absorb a larger role as the season progresses.

Bengals, A.J. Green Not Close In Extension Talks

October 31st, 2019 at 9:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

A.J. Green has made it clear that he does not want to be franchise-tagged by the Bengals in 2020, but he is open to working out a new long-term deal. However, Green and the Bengals are not close in extension talks, sources tell Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).

Green hasn’t played a single snap this year after suffering ankle damage during the preseason, and when he does return in Week 10 following Cincinnati’s bye, he’ll be catching passes from someone other than Andy Dalton. Fourth-round rookie Ryan Finley is taking over at quarterback for the Bengals, giving Green a different signal-caller as he enters a stretch of games that will strongly affect his market value next spring.

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 the Bengals do franchise Green, they’ll be locking in a fully guaranteed one-year salary in the $18.5MM range. If Green remains adamant about not accepting the tag, he could potentially hold out next spring and summer, creating a dicey situation between a franchise icon and a Cincinnati organization currently struggling through yet another dismal season.

Dolphins Designate OT Julien Davenport To Return

October 31st, 2019 at 8:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins have designated offensive tackle Julien Davenport to return from injured reserve, the club announced today.

Davenport, a fourth-round pick of the Texans in the 2017 draft, started 19 games for Houston over his first two seasons in the NFL. He was packaged alongside two first-round picks, a second-round pick, and defensive back Johnson Bademosi in the deal that sent Laremy Tunsil, wide receiver Kenny Stills, and fourth- and sixth-round selections to the Texans.

Installed as Miami’s starting right tackle in Week 1, Davenport suffered a hyperextended knee and a small crack in his tibia in practice sessions before Week 2. Because he’s required to miss eight games after being placed on injured reserve, Davenport will be eligible to return to the Dolphins’ active roster in Week 10.

With Davenport sidelined, Miami has deployed J’Marcus Webb at left tackle and Jesse Davis on the right side. It’s unclear if Davenport will immediately reclaim a starting role, but the Dolphins could certainly use help up front, as they rank bottom-eight league-wide in both pass- and run-blocking, per Football Outsiders.

Michael Bennett Will Be A 2020 Free Agent

October 31st, 2019 at 8:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Defensive end Michael Bennett signed a new contract after being acquired by the Cowboys that will allow him to reach free agency at the conclusion of the 2019 season, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Under his previous contact, Bennett was due roughly $2.25MM in salary and roster bonuses for the rest of the season. Now, he’ll collect “close” to $2MM in base salary and bonuses but can also bring in another $750K via incentives. And instead of waiting until the 2021 offseason to hit the open market, Bennett can now sign with a new team this coming spring.

As Pelissero notes, Bennett has already been paid $5.6MM by the Patriots, who acquired him from the Eagles earlier this year. New England gave Bennett a new two-year deal after trading for him which included a $4MM signing bonus. That bonus money will stay on the Patriots’ books following Bennett’s trade to Dallas.

While he’s still a talented player, the now-32-year-old Bennett had his role reduced in New England and also had issues with his defensive line coach Bret Bielema. The Patriots weren’t able to get much in return for the veteran pass-rusher, acquiring only a conditional 2021 seventh-rounder in exchange for Bennett.

Redskins Request Review Of Trent Williams’ Medical Records

October 31st, 2019 at 6:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Trent Williams saga has taken another turn. Earlier today, Williams told Les Carpenter of the Washington Post that the growth on his head had turned out to be a cancerous tumor, and blamed the Redskins for not recognizing the seriousness of the issue sooner. Now, Washington has issued a press release indicating it wants a third-party review of Williams’ medical records, ostensibly to remove any blame placed on the Redskins.

“The Washington Redskins have requested that the NFL’s Management Council convene a joint committee with the NFLPA to review the medical records and the medical are given to Trent Williams. We have requested this review under the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement that provides for an independent third-party review of any NFL player’s medical care. The Redskins continue to prioritize the health and well-being of our players and staff.”

Williams 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.” This offseason, the Redskins sent Williams to a hospital where the condition was finally recognized, and he had an operation during the winter to remove the growth.

The most pressing issue here is clearly Williams’ long-term health, but it’s difficult to avoid how Williams’ latest revelation — and the Redskins’ response — will further fracture the relationship between team and player. Washington failed to trade Williams before Tuesday’s deadline, and the veteran offensive tackle subsequently reported to the club. However, he failed his physical after his helmet gave him discomfort. If the Redskins can’t find Williams a helmet in the next two weeks, he’s likely to be placed on the non-football injury list, ending his season.

Le’Veon Bell: Four Teams Had Trade Interest

October 31st, 2019 at 5:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets reportedly considered moving Le’Veon Bell ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, and the veteran running back says the Steelers, Packers, Chiefs, and Texans all expressed interest in acquiring him. Appearing on his SiriusXM show “17 Weeks,” Bell said he heard through his agent that those four clubs were trying to trade for him, as Joshua Axelrod of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes.

Pittsburgh, clearly, is the most surprising possible destination mentioned by Bell, as he just left the Steelers organization after a tumultuous 2018 in which he sat out the season rather than play on the franchise tag. Given all that went down between Bell and the Steelers, it’s difficult to imagine Pittsburgh’s management re-acquiring the running back, even if he is now placated with a long-term contract.

The Packers, too, seemingly don’t make much sense as a landing spot given the continued breakout of Aaron Jones and the steady presence of backup Jamaal Williams. Houston, meanwhile, has already traded for two running backs — Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde — and John McClain of the Houston Chronicle says the Texans were not interested in picking up Bell (Twitter link). Kansas City has deployed LeSean McCoy and Damien Williams with middling results.

“The Jets were really asking for a high price and a lot for me,” Bell said. “On top of that, my actual contract was kind of tough for teams to deal with, which is understandable. Not too many teams want to pay that high of a price for a running back.

“To be honest, I was not trying to take a pay cut, simply for the fact that I sat out a full year of football to get what I earned and deserved. That would’ve kind of defeated the whole purpose, so I didn’t want to do that.”

Bell’s remaining salary in 2019 would have been manageable for just about any team in the NFL, but he’s owed more than $13MM in 2020 between his base salary and roster bonus. Most of that money is fully guaranteed, so a club like the Steelers (who have less than $4MM in available 2020 funds) would have been hard-pressed to take on that contract.

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