Texans Working Out WR Javontee Herndon
The Texans worked out free agent wide receiver Javontee Herndon today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Texans Waive WR Keith Mumphery]
Herndon, 23, had spent most of his career on the Chargers’ practice squad, but saw action in eight games on the club’s active roster in 2015, during which time posted 195 yards on 24 receptions. Additionally, Herndon was a factor on special teams, averaging 7.4 yards per punt return and 22.4 yards per kick return. After suffering a knee injury last August, however, Herndon was placed on injured reserve and spent the entire season on the sidelines.
While Herndon would likely have trouble seeing regular offensive snaps given that Houston’s depth chart is led by DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, and Braxton Miller, he could help out as a returner. The Texans ranked dead last in special teams DVOA a season ago, and lost 8.3 points on kick returns. If signed, Herndon would likely compete with Tyler Ervin — a 2016 fourth-round pick who was Houston’s primary return man last year — for playing time.
The Texans signed wide receiver Dres Anderson earlier today, so it’s unclear if the club is still interested in adding another pass-catcher such as Herndon.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/2/17
Today’s minor moves:
- The Cowboys have signed center Ross Burbank and waived wide receiver Quincy McDuffie, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Per Archer, Dallas head coach Jason Garrett said earlier this week the Cowboys were in need of offensive line depth, and they’ve now added another front five player in Burbank, who was originally an undrafted free agent in 2016. He’s spent the past year with the Raiders and Seahawks, but doesn’t have any NFL experience. McDuffie, meanwhile, had signed a reserve/futures deal with the Cowboys in January.
- The Giants announced that they’ve waived/injured wide receiver Jalen Williams, who has since cleared waivers and reverted to injured reserve. Williams, a UMass product, signed with New York as an undrafted free agent just over a month ago. During his senior collegiate season, Williams posted 27 receptions, 520 yards, and six touchdowns. Now that he’s cleared waivers, Williams could conceivably be let go with an injury settlement, a transaction that would allow him to become a free agent.
- The Falcons have signed wide receiver Marvin Hall and waived offensive lineman Robert Leff, the club announced today. Hall, a 2016 undrafted free agent, has spent time with Oakland and Arizona during his NFL tenure, but was waived by the Cardinals last month. He’s now part of a deep Atlanta wideout unit that includes Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and Taylor Gabriel, and others. Leff, meanwhile, was a UDFA in this year’s draft.
- The Chargers announced that they’ve waived cornerback Michael Lee in order to create a roster spot for newly-signed draft pick Dan Feeney. Lee, 25, spent the majority of the 2016 campaign on Los Angeles’ practice squad, and had signed a reserve/futures contract in January.
Cardinals Waive QB Zac Dysert
The Cardinals have waived quarterback Zac Dysert and safeties Drico Johnson and Cyril Noland-Lewis, the club announced today.
[RELATED: Chris Johnson Wants To Continue Playing]
Dysert, 26, has bounced around the league since entering the NFL as a seventh-round draft choice in 2013, and the Cardinals were the sixth club he’s been with during his four-year career. Arizona promoted him to the active roster last December in order to prevent losing him to Miami, but Dysert still has yet to take a snap in a regular season contest. Given that the Cardinals tendered him as an exclusive rights free agent earlier this year, Dysert had been scheduled to earn a minimum salary in 2017.
Arizona’s recent signing of free agent quarterback Blaine Gabbert signified that at least Cardinals signal-caller was likely to lose his roster spot, and Arizona seemingly Trevor Knight, a Texas A&M product who signed with the Cards as an UDFA, over Dysert. Gabbert and Knight will compete for snaps behind starter Carson Palmer and backup Drew Stanton.
Chiefs Release WR Jeremy Maclin
In a rather surprising move, the Chiefs announced that they’ve released wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.
“I’d like to thank Jeremy for his effort and dedication the past two seasons,” general manager John Dorsey said. “I have great respect for all players, which makes decisions like these very difficult, but we felt it was in the best interest of our club moving forward to part ways at this time. We wish Jeremy the best as he continues his career.”
Maclin, 29, posted a down season in 2016, missing four games with a groin injury and registering career-lows in both receptions and receiving yards. Additionally, Kansas City is tight on cap space, with just over $2MM available in funds at the moment. Maclin’s release will help alleviate the Chiefs’ fiscal situation, as the club will clear $10MM in cap room while assuming $2.4MM in dead money.
Even given those factors, the release of Maclin comes as a shock, as the veteran wideout was set to act as the Chiefs’ No. 1 pass-catcher in 2017. Signed to hefty contract just two years ago, Maclin had success during his first campaign with Kansas City in 2016, managing 87 catches for more than 1,000 yards and eight scores.
Without Maclin in the fold, the Chiefs’ wide receiving corps is extremely short on experience. Tyreek Hill was a revelation during his rookie season last year, but he acted as more of a gadget player than as a true No. 1 wide receiver. While Kansas City boasts an excellent tight end in Travis Kelce, the club’s other receivers are Chris Conley, rookie Jehu Chesson, De’Anthony Thomas, Demarcus Robinson, and Kenny Cook.
Maclin now becomes the clear top option among the free agent wide receiver class, as he joins the likes of Anquan Boldin, Steve Johnson, Eddie Royal, and Marquess Wilson on the open market.
Chargers Sign Third-Round OL Dan Feeney
The Chargers have agreed to terms with third-round guard Dan Feeney, meaning the club has now locked up every member of its 2017 draft class.
[RELATED: Melvin Ingram Could Stay Away From Workouts]
Feeney, an Indiana product, was the second guard chosen by Los Angeles in last month’s draft, following second-round Western Kentucky alum Forrest Lamp. Clearly, the Chargers are attempting to revamp an offensive line that ranked in the bottom-third of NFL clubs in both adjusted sack rate and adjusted line yards, per Football Outsiders. Veteran guard Orlando Franklin was released two weeks ago, meaning both Feeney and Lamp are likely to have starting jobs come Week 1.
Here’s an overview of the Chargers’ 2017 rookie class:
- 1-7: Mike Williams, WR (Clemson)
- 2-38: Forrest Lamp, OL (Western Kentucky)
- 3-71: Dan Feeney, OL (Indiana)
- 4-113: Rayshawn Jenkins, S (Miami)
- 5-151: Desmond King, DB (Iowa)
- 6-190: Sam Tevi, T (Utah)
- 7-225: Isaac Rochell, DT (Notre Dame)
Ravens TE Dennis Pitta Has Dislocated Hip
As had been the fear, Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta has once again dislocated his hip, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). Pitta will likely undergo surgery at some point, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
When news initially broke of Pitta’s injury earlier today, Schefter reported that if Pitta had indeed dislocated his hip for the third time in four years, the veteran tight end’s career was likely finished. Now that the severity of the injury has been identified, it’s unclear if Pitta will make a quick decision regarding his playing status, or perhaps take some (deserved) time to evaluate his future.
Pitta, 32 this month, led all tight ends in receptions last season, while he also posted a career-high in receiving yards. Having agreed to a paycut earlier this year, Pittta is now slated to carry $5.2MM cap numbers in each of the next two seasons.
Texans To Sign LB Sio Moore
The Texans have agreed to sign linebacker Sio Moore and wide receiver Dres Anderson, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Houston waived linebacker Max Bullough and wideout Keith Mumphery earlier today, so the club has now made a two-for-two replacement transaction. Moore is the more notable addition, as the 27-year-old has four years and 47 games worth of NFL experience under his belt. 2016 was an especially nomadic campaign for Moore, as he spent time with three clubs — the Colts, Cardinals, and Chiefs — while posting 60 tackles and grading as the league’s No. 40 linebacker in nine games, per Pro Football Focus.
While the Texans have a solid starting linebacker crew of Whitney Mercilus, Brian Cushing, Benardrick McKinney, and rookie Zach Cunningham, Moore will be able to offer the club depth. He’s familiar with playing in a 3-4 scheme, as all three clubs that employed him a season ago run that front, and he’s capable of playing both inside and outside ‘backer.
Anderson, meanwhile, is a Utah product who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2015. Though he’s been a member of both the 49ers and Bears (he was waived by Chicago last month), Anderson is yet to appear in an NFL game.
West Rumors: Broncos, Seahawks, Raiders
Although Broncos linebacker Shaquil Barrett won’t require surgery for his ailing hip, he’s still expected to miss a good deal of time leading up to the 2017 campaign, and could potentially be sidelined for the beginning of the regular season, according to Mike Klis of 9News. Additionally, because Barrett injured his hip doing a plyometric exercise outside the Broncos’ purview, Denver could choose to place the 24-year-old edge rusher on the non-football injury list. If the Broncos opt for that course of action, they would have the right to rescind a portion of Barrett’s $615K base salary, per Klis. A former undrafted free agent with two accrued seasons under his belt, Barrett is scheduled to become a restricted free agent in 2018.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two West divisions:
- Earl Thomas was taking “nearly every rep” during Seahawks practice sessions today, an excellent sign as the veteran safety recovers from a broken leg, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The news surrounding Thomas and his rehabilitation has been nearly all positive since his December injury, as Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said Thomas was “way ahead of schedule” in March before indicating earlier this month that Thomas will be ready for the 2017 season opener. Seattle has added reinforcements in the defensive backfield this offseason, so the club should be well-prepared if Thomas is forced to miss any time. In addition to making a value signing in Bradley McDougald, the Seahawks used a third-round pick to draft Michigan safety Delano Hill.
- Now that a new regime is running the 49ers, players signed or drafted by the previous decision-making group aren’t assured of playing time or roster spots, as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee details. Tight end Vance McDonald and linebacker NaVorro Bowman, notably, have been mentioned in trade rumors, and Bowman is now expected to be forced to compete for snaps with Reuben Foster and Malcolm Smith. Fellow linebacker Ray-Ray Armstong, signed to an extension last year, could fall from a potential starting gig to a third-string role, per Barrows, while 2016 first-round pick Joshua Garnett isn’t a lock to be a starter, either.
- Derek Carr has already indicated he won’t discuss an extension once the regular season begins, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk opines that the Raiders quarterback may not want to negotiate a new deal until the campaign concludes. At that point, Carr would be able to exert enormous leverage over Oakland, as the club would be forced to deploy the exclusive franchise tag to ward off potential suitors. Thanks to the extraordinary value of the quarterback franchise tag, Carr could demand north of $90MM in three-year cash flow, and could also extract concessions such as having his future salaries tied to a percentage of the salary cap, per Florio.
Eric Schaffer In Lead For Redskins GM?
Redskins vice president of football administration Eric Schaffer is considered the “clubhouse leader” for Washington’s general manager vacancy, league sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
An internal hire has always been on the table for the Redskins, although another incumbent executive — senior personnel man Doug Williams — had been viewed as the favorite to earn a promotion. Meanwhile, other reports have indicated Washington may not even add a formal general manager, and may instead opt to re-apportion duties inside the front office, with Schaffer among those taking on larger responsibilities. Whichever course the Redskins choose, team president Bruce Allen is expected to retain a great degree of control.
Schaffer, Washington’s lead contract negotiator, has worked for the Redskins for 14 years, with a decade spent in his current role. Additionally, he’s the Redskins’ general counsel, advising the club on all legal issues. Prior to his Redskins employment, Schaffer worked as a lawyer for the IMG agency.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/31/17
Today’s draft pick signings:
- The Packers have signed fourth-round linebacker Vince Biegel, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Biegel, a Wisconsin product, has already been hit by the injury bug during his short NFL tenure. After being sidelined by a hand injury during rookie minicamp, Biegel later suffered a broken foot and may not be available for the start of training camp. Nevertheless, NFL clubs are required to negotiate in good faith, meaning Biegel’s injuries won’t affect his contract status. Biegel, who posted four sacks during his senior season, will attempt to augment a Green Bay pass rush that already ranked sixth in adjusted sack rate a year ago. Third-round defensive tackle Montravius Adams and fourth-round running back Jamaal Williams are now the only unsigned Packers rookies.