HEADLINES

Author: Dallas Robinson

Titans Designate K Ryan Succop For Return

October 23rd, 2019 at 5:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Titans have designated kicker Ryan Succop to return from injured reserve, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link).

Tennessee placed Succop on IR with a knee injury just after initial 53-man rosters were set, meaning he’s eligible to return to game action in Week 9. With Succop sidelined, the Titans first turned to Cairo Santos at kicker, but he was cut after posting a dismal 44.4% field goal conversion rate through five games. Former Bears kicker Cody Parkey has taken over for Tennessee’s past two contests, hitting one field goal and going two-for-three in extra points.

Succop, 33, has made 83.6% of his career field goal attempts. Last season, he converted 26-of-30 tries, including three-of-four from 50+ yards, but missed three extra points. The ex-South Carolina Gamecock last year linked a $20MM extension that will keep with the Titans through the 2022 campaign.

Bengals Sign DE Anthony Zettel

October 17th, 2019 at 9:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bengals have signed free agent defensive end Anthony Zettel, the club announced today. He’ll take the roster spot of recently-released Samaje Perine.

Cincinnati is extremely banged up at the defensive end position, so the club can use plenty of help. Carlos Dunlap didn’t play in Week 6 and hasn’t practiced this week while battling a knee injury, while Carl Lawson — who did play against the Ravens on Sunday — has been held out of practice with a hamstring issue. Veteran Kerry Wynn, meanwhile, was recently placed on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in Week 2.

Zettel, 27, was a 2016 sixth-round pick of the Lions. He started all 16 games and posted 6.5 sacks in 2017, but was waived after the season despite that performance. Zettel spent the 2018 campaign with the Browns, playing on roughly 15% of Cleveland’s defensive snaps.

Patrick Mahomes Suffers Knee Injury

October 17th, 2019 at 9:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, already battling an ankle issue, left Thursday night’s contest against the Broncos after suffering a knee injury on a quarterback sneak. Kansas City ruled Mahomes out for the rest of tonight’s game but provided no further update on his status.

Mahomes suffered a patella (kneecap) dislocation, tweets James Palmer of NFL.com. While the star signal-caller didn’t suffer a break, Mahomes will need to wait for the results of an MRI to reveal if he damaged any ligaments, per Palmer.

The defending league MVP, Mahomes is arguably the brightest spot in today’s NFL, and losing him for any period of time would be a blow for the league as a whole. The Chiefs, who hold a half-game lead over the Raiders in the AFC West, have turned to backup Matt Moore to hold down the fort in Mahomes’ absence.

Mahomes, 24, wowed during his first season as Kansas City’s starter, leading the league in touchdown passes, adjusted yards per attempt, and ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating. Heading into Week 7, Mahomes was first among all NFL passers with 2,104 yards through the air, and while regression and his aforementioned ankle injury had put a damper on some of his production, he’d still posted 14 touchdown passes against only one interception.

If Mahomes is forced to miss time, the Chiefs would need to lean on rushing attack lead by Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy, a duo that’s played a part in Kansas City ranking just 20th in Football Outsiders’ rushing DVOA. The Chiefs’ defense, which has performed decently against the pass but is sieve against the run, would also need to step up if Mahomes is sidelined.

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Redskins, Eagles

October 17th, 2019 at 8:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys may be without their top wide receiver when they face the Eagles in a key NFC East battle on Sunday night. Amari Cooper left Sunday’s loss to the Jets after only three snaps due to a quadriceps injury, and while the issue isn’t getting any worse, it could derail his availability for Week 7, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Despite missing nearly all of Week 6, Cooper still ranks fifth in the NFL in receiving yards (515) and is tied for second with five receiving touchdowns. Cooper hasn’t practiced this week, another indication that he’ll be either out or limited for Dallas’ showdown with Philadelphia.

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

  • Redskins quarterback Alex Smith has undergone an astounding 17 surgeries on his broken right leg, as Thom Loverro of the Washington Times writes. Last December, a report indicated Smith had gone under the knife six times, so either that report was inaccurate, or Smith has undergone an additional 11 surgeries this calendar year. Ben Standing of The Athletic caught Smith throwing with team officials at Fedex Field on Monday, an encouraging sign. Smith, who was confined to a wheel chair for four months post-surgeries, indicated as recently as June that he wants to play in the NFL again.
  • Under interim head coach Bill Callahan, the Redskins are making a number of changes, and the club is feeling more upbeat as a result, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. One such change was making quarterback Colt McCoy a healthy scratch against the Dolphins on Sunday, reports Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. McCoy, who started Washington’s Week 5 loss to the Patriots, is possibly viewed as former head coach Jay Gruden‘s “guy,” per Breer, which may have played a role in his inactive status. McCoy joined the Redskins in 2014, the same year as Gruden.
  • Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby returned as a limited practice participant on Wednesday, tweets Mike Kaye of NJ.com. Darby has missed Philadelphia’s past three games after suffering a hamstring injury against the Lions in Week 3. The Eagles can use all the help they can get at cornerback — they’ve given up the most touchdowns to wide receivers of any team in the NFL (11), and only the Buccaneers have allowed more yardage to opposing wideouts.

Jaguars Sign CB Parry Nickerson

October 17th, 2019 at 7:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Days after trading their top cornerback to the Rams, the Jaguars have made an addition to their defensive backfield, announcing today that they’ve signed free agent cornerback Parry Nickerson.

Jalen Ramsey hadn’t been in the Jaguars’ lineup since Week 3, meaning Jacksonville had been turning to second-year pro Tre Herndon to play outside cornerback opposite A.J. Bouye. Herndon hasn’t been very successful, grading out as a bottom-10 corner league-wide per Pro Football Focus.

Nickerson was well-regarded before becoming a fifth-round pick of the Jets in 2018, so there’s a chance he could see significant action by season’s end. However, the results of his rookie campaign weren’t anything special, as Nickerson ranked as the fourth-worst cornerback among players with at least 200 defensive snaps, per PFF.

A Tulane product, Nickerson played in all 16 games (two starts) for the Jets last season before being dealt to Seattle this offseason. He spent time with the Seahawks’ practice squad before being cut loose earlier this week.

Before signing Nickerson, the Jaguars also auditioned fellow corners Jordan Brown, Kenneth Durden, Arrion Springs, according to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter link).

Lions Claim RB Tra Carson

October 17th, 2019 at 6:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions are making a change to their running back depth chart. Detroit has claimed Tra Carson off waivers from the division-rival Packers while waiving Paul Perkins, the club announced today.

Carson, a former undrafted free agent, has been in the NFL since 2016, but he’s mostly bounced between active and practice squads with the Bengals and Packers. His most significant game action actually came in Week 5 of this year, when he handled six carries for 14 yards and posted four receptions against the Cowboys.

Turning 27 years old next week, Carson has some ties to the Detroit staff, as Lions running back coach Kyle Caskey previously tutored Carson in Cincinnati. Carson will slide into a Lions depth chart that includes starter Kerryon Johnson as well as backups Ty Johnson and J.D. McKissic.

Perkins, 24, was selected by the Giants in the fifth round of the 2016 draft and put up 456 yards during his rookie campaign, but hasn’t done much since. He spent the 2018 campaign on injured reserve before being claimed by the Lions last month.

Latest On Redskins OT Trent Williams

October 16th, 2019 at 9:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Redskins continue to “stonewall” rival clubs that have inquired on the availability of left tackle Trent Williams, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter link), who adds Williams’ trade value is difficult to ascertain given that Washington hasn’t truly engaged in any substantive conversations with other teams.

Just last week, Redskins president Bruce Allen reiterated his club has not had any “dialogue with any other team” regarding Williams and indicated Washington is not actively shopping the veteran offensive lineman. The Redskins have long maintained that they have no interest in dealing Williams despite his season-long holdout and his displeasure with the team.

The Browns have been mentioned as a likely suitor for Williams in the event he does become available, and despite Allen’s assertion, Cleveland has had talks with Washington about Williams. Asked today about his talks with the Redskins, Browns general manager John Dorsey said, “We’ve had a few conversations,” as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. However, Dorsey also said “it takes two to tango,” once again indicating the Redskins aren’t especially interested in moving Williams.

Cleveland is currently deploying Greg Robinson at left tackle, but that could soon change. Robinson either has been or will soon be benched, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Pro Football Focus grades Robinson as the No. 22 tackle among 73 qualifiers, the former No. 2 overall pick doesn’t have a record of above-average production. As a unit, the Browns offensive line ranks 19th in adjusted line yards and 24th in adjusted sack rate, per Football Outsiders, but ninth in pressure rate allowed.

Williams, 31, has spent all nine years of NFL career in the nation’s capital. A seven-time Pro Bowler, Williams is under contract through next season. He’s due the remainder of a $10.85MM base salary in 2019 and $12.5MM in 2020.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/16/19

October 16th, 2019 at 9:24pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Promoted from practice squad: LB Alex Singleton

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Raiders Extend TE Darren Waller

October 16th, 2019 at 8:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Raiders are signing breakout tight end Darren Waller to an extension through the 2023 season, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). The team has since confirmed the transaction.

Oakland already controlled Waller’s rights for the 2020 campaign, as the former sixth-round pick had been scheduled to become a restricted free agent next spring. Waller’s new deal is essentially a three-year extension on top of what would have been a one-year RFA tender, tweets Pelissero, adding Waller will collect roughly $9MM annually under his new pact.

Waller has played in just five games as a result of the Raiders’ early bye week, but he still ranks second to only Austin Hooper in receptions among tight ends, and is sixth at the position with 359 receiving yards. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus grades Waller as the league’s ninth-best run-blocking tight end.

Waller, 27, was selected by the Ravens in the 2015 draft. Suspended twice by the NFL (the second time for a full season), Waller has since courageously overcome addictions involving cocaine and opiates. Oakland signed him off Baltimore’s practice squad last November, and has been rewarded with one of the more surprising stories of the 2019 season.

While full details of Waller’s extension aren’t in just yet, a $9MM annual average would rank fifth among tight ends behind Jimmy Graham, Travis Kelce, Jordan Reed, Kyle Rudolph, and Greg Olsen. In terms of guarantees, Trey Burton leads the way with the $22MM he received under his free agent deal with the Bears.

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