HEADLINES

Author: Dallas Robinson

Patriots Sign S Jordan Richards

October 2nd, 2019 at 5:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots have signed free agent safety Jordan Richards, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

New England should be quite familiar with Richards, as Bill Belichick & Co. drafted the former Stanford standout in the second round of the 2015 draft. Despite his draft pedigree, Richards never became much more than a special teams ace during his time with the Patriots, as his season-high in defensive snaps was 272 (2017).

Richards saw much more defensive action after New England traded him to Atlanta prior to the 2018 campaign in a deal that netted the Patriots a 2020 seventh-round pick. After the Falcons were decimated by injuries to their defensive unit, Richards made 12 starts and played on 42% of the club’s defensive snaps, posting 39 tackles and three passes defensed in the process.

The Patriots are well-stocked in their defensive backfield, with Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung, and Duron Harmong seeing the majority of the snaps. Richards will slot in as a special teams option alongside fellow reserves Nate Ebner and Terrence Brooks.

AFC West Notes: Chargers, Broncos, Chiefs

September 26th, 2019 at 7:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Now that he’s back with the Chargers, running back Melvin Gordon will instantly vault to the top of the club’s depth chart. “He’s our starter. No doubt,” said head coach Anthony Lynn, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. “He was our starter for a reason… as soon as Melvin’s ready, he’ll go back. He’ll go back to number one.” Lynn also said backups Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson will continue to get work, but Gordon will become the No. 1 back. Meanwhile, Los Angeles received a roster exemption for Gordon, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Gordon’s exemption ends on October 7, so the Chargers don’t technically have to activate him for either Week 4 or 5.

Here’s more from the AFC West:

  • The Chargers placed left tackle Russell Okung on the non-football injury list prior to the beginning of the regular season, meaning he has to miss at least the first six weeks of the campaign. Lynn says Okung, who is dealing with a pulmonary embolism, could potentially return by Week 7 or 8, but that timeline is unclear, as Albert Breer of The MMQB.com writes. Amid the uncertainty, Trent Scott has taken over as LA’s starter on Philip Rivers‘ blindside, but he’s graded out as a bottom-10 tackle league-wide, per Pro Football Focus.
  • Broncos right tackle Ja’Wuan James is expected to miss two-to-four more weeks while dealing with a knee injury, while cornerback Bryce Callahan is out four-to-six more weeks after undergoing a procedure on his foot, according to Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Meanwhile, defensive back Kareem Jackson is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars because of a foot issue, tweets Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. As a result, Denver could potentially be without its top three free agent signings for its Week 4 contest.
  • Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes is eligible for an extension at season’s end, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier this year that the Chiefs signal-caller is likely to land a deal worth more than $200MM. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk examines what’s changed in the months since while looking at just how soon Kansas City could give Mahomes a fresh pact.

Giants Place WR Russell Shepard On IR

September 26th, 2019 at 6:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants have placed wide receiver Russell Shepard on injured reserve and promoted running back Jon Hilliman from the practice squad, the club announced today.

Shepard, 29, had been working as New York’s fourth wideout behind Sterling Shepard, Bennie Fowler, and Cody Latimer. On 73 offensive snaps, Shepard had posted three receptions for 25 yards on eight targets. With veteran pass-catcher Golden Tate due back from a suspension in Week 5, Shepard — who recently suffered a foot sprain — is no longer needed. He could potentially return from IR in eight weeks, but it seems unlikely the Giants would use an IR/return slot on Shepard.

Hilliman will become New York’s third healthy running back behind Wayne Gallman and Elijhaa Penny, and will serve as depth while starter Saquon Barkley is shelved four-to-eight weeks with a high-ankle sprain. A 2019 undrafted free agent, Hilliman signed with the Giants’ practice squad August after getting waived at final cutdowns. He spent three years at Boston College and one at Rutgers, managing 3.5 yards per carry during his collegiate career.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/26/19

September 26th, 2019 at 6:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins

Seattle Seahawks

Saints Rework Larry Warford’s Contract

September 26th, 2019 at 5:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints have created a bit of financial breathing room by restructuring the contract of guard Larry Warford, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). New Orleans has converted $5.5MM of Warford’s base salary into a signing bonus, opening up $2.75MM worth of cap space in the process.

Prior to reworking Warford’s deal, the Saints possessed the fourth-least amount of cap space in the league ($1.754MM), per Over the Cap. Now, they’ll have a little more room if they need to make more transactions — in-season signings, moving players to injured reserve, practice squad, etc. — throughout the remainder of the season.

Warford, 28, inked a four-year, $34MM deal with New Orleans prior to the 2017 campaign. After re-doing his contract, Warford now have cap charges of $7.85MM and $13.35MM in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Through three games this year, Warford has played 100% of the Saints’ offensive snaps while grading as the No. 9 guard in the league, per Pro Football Focus.

Notable NFL Practice Squad Salaries

September 12th, 2019 at 9:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Playing on an NFL practice squad isn’t a bad gig. You work with a club’s 53-man roster every week, have a good chance to get called up if/when injuries strike, and collect a solid paycheck ($8K per week minimum). And for some practice squaders, the pay can get even better.

While all practice squad salaries count towards the salary cap, there’s no restriction on how much a team can pay a practice squad player. When a club desperately wants to retain a player but can’t fit him on its 53, they’ll often bump up his salary in an effort to keep him around. Here’s a look at several players who are earning much more than the NFL’s $8K per week standard, via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link):

The 49ers clearly have no problem with spending a little extra on practice squad players, as both Lee and Harris are earning at least $22K more than the league PS minimum. Lee’s been with San Francisco since 2017 and started five games for the club last season, but the 49ers’ front seven depth is keeping him on the taxi squad for now. Harris, too, was a part-time starter for San Francisco in 2018.

The quarterbacks on the list are also interesting. Rypien has been deemed Broncos’ offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello‘s “project” and could be called up to the active roster at some point given that Denver is only carrying two quarterbacks in Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen (rookie second-rounder Drew Lock is on injured reserve). And the rebuilding Dolphins seem intent on hanging onto Rudock, who spent the first three seasons of his career with the Lions.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/12/19

September 12th, 2019 at 8:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

  • Claimed off waivers: TE J.P. Holtz
  • Waived: DL Abdullah Anderson

Detroit Lions

Minnesota Vikings

  • Promoted from practice squad: CB Nate Meadors
  • Released from injured reserve: DE Ade Aruna

Dolphins OT Julien Davenport To Miss Time

September 12th, 2019 at 6:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Acquired by the Dolphins in the Laremy Tunsil trade, offensive tackle Julien Davenport is going to miss time with his new club. Davenport suffered a hyperextended knee and small crack in his tibia during practice and will be sidelined for several weeks, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Davenport may be placed on injured reserve, but he’d be a contender to return later this season.

Neither Davenport nor Miami left tackle Jesse Davis played particularly well in the Dolphins’ embarrassing Week 1 loss to the Ravens, as Pro Football Focus graded both linemen as bottom-10 tackles. Now, with Davenport out, the Dolphins will rely on recently-signed journeyman J’Marcus Webb to take over on the right side.

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 Tunsil, wide receiver Kenny Stills, and fourth- and sixth-round selections to the Texans.

The Dolphins aren’t necessarily attempting to compete, and their offensive line is among the weakest areas on a bare-bones roster. In Week 1, the unit ranked dead last in adjusted line yards and 19th in adjusted sack rate, per Football Outsiders.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/12/19

September 12th, 2019 at 5:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s practice squad updates:

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

  • Signed: DL Abdullah Anderson
  • Released: LB James Vaughters

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

  • Signed: TE Donald Parham
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