Saints To Acquire Chris McCain From Dolphins
6:10pm: The Dolphins will receive a conditional seventh-round pick, tweets Jackson.
5:11pm: The Saints have struck a deal to acquire linebacker Chris McCain from the Dolphins, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter linknk) the first to report that a trade was in the works.
McCain, 24, is entering his third season in the NFL, but hasn’t contributed much during his first two years in the league. He’s appeared in 19 games, but he’s been more of a special teams player than a defensive stalwart. McCain picked up a sack and a forced fumble in 2015, but only played on 113 total snaps (43 on defense), and wasn’t ticketed for a larger role this year.
In New Orleans, special teams will likely be the area of focus for McCain once again. The Saints have a decent crop of linebackers, with Stephone Anthony, James Laurinaitis, and Dannell Ellerbe making up the starting three, and McCain is unlikely to push free agent addition Craig Robertson for playing time. Given that he was an undrafted free agent, McCain is entering the final year of hi deal, but will only reach restricted free agency after 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Broncos Contact Cowboys About Mark Sanchez Trade
The Broncos have reached out to the Cowboys regarding a potential trade of quarterback Mark Sanchez, tweets Jane Slater of the NFL Network. However, Dallas is not interested in Sanchez at his current salary. Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report says (Twitter link) the Cowboys are just one of several teams Denver has contacted about Sanchez.
Dallas has been looking for a veteran backup to play behind rookie Dak Prescott since it was announced that Tony Romo will be sidelined for awhile with a back injury. The Cowboys talked to the Browns about Josh McCown, but found their asking price to be too high, and also had discussions with Nick Foles earlier this offseason. At the current time, Dallas’ No. 2 QB would be 2015 UDFA Jameil Showers.
The Broncos traded for Sanchez this spring as a Plan B in case they were unable to re-sign Brock Osweiler or bring in an established veteran at QB. Denver did not retain Osweiler or land a vet, but Sanchez was unable to win the starting job or even secure the No. 2 role. He’s set to earn a base salary of $4.5MM in 2016, $1MM of which is guaranteed.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Patriots Place Tre’ Jackson On PUP
The Patriots announced that they’ve placed guard Tre’ Jackson on the reserve/PUP list. As such, Jackson will miss the first six weeks of the regular season — New England will then have a three-week window during which it can decide to activate Jackson.
Jackson, 23, was selected by the Patriots in the second round of last year’s draft. During his rookie season, Jackson played a key role on a New England offensive line that was dealt injury blows throughout the year, and he ended up starting nine games (and appearing in 13). According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson was roughly average in 2015, grading as the NFL’s No. 47 guard.
Additionally, the Patriots announced last Tuesday defensive lineman Frank Kearse was released, but he was instead was placed on IR, according to the NFL transaction wire (via NESN’s Doug Kyed). Originally drafted by Miami in the seventh round of the 2011 draft, Kearse has also had stops with Carolina, Tennessee, Dallas, and Washington.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chiefs RB Knile Davis On Trade Block
The Chiefs have made running back Knile Davis available, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Davis’ only chance at making the Kansas City roster was as a return man, but as Garafolo notes, that role has been taking by Tyreek Hill.
Davis finds himself buried on Kansas City’s depth chart with Jamaal Charles, Charcandrick West, and Spencer Ware ahead of him on the depth chart. Earlier this year, West and Ware both inked brand new deals with KC that will keep them in the fold for the next two seasons.
Davis, meanwhile, reportedly requested a trade prior to the new deals for Charles’ primary backups. The Dolphins called the Chiefs about acquiring a running back in March and asked about all four tailbacks on KC’s depth chart, including Davis.
Davis was once listed as Charles’ primary backup, but he has since been leapfrogged by Ware and West. Last season, Davis’ main contribution came in the Wild Card playoffs when he opened up the contest against the Texans with a 106-yard kick return touchdown. In the regular season, Davis had just 28 total carries for 72 yards and one score. Over three seasons for the Chiefs, the former third-round pick has carried the ball 232 times for 777 yards, good for a 3.3 yards-per-carry average.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Seahawks’ Roster Now At 84
The Seahawks’ release of veteran defensive back Brandon Browner had already been reported, but now the club has officially confirmed the move, along with announcing several other transactions that moves their roster to 84 players. Seattle has until 3pm tomorrow to get to 75 men.
Waived:
- FB Kyle Coleman
- WR Montario Hunter
- DE DeAngelo Tyson
- WR Deshon Foxx (waived/injured)
Placed on injured reserve:
Vikings, Seahawks Shopping Centers
If any NFL team is looking for a center, they should call the Vikings and/or the Seahawks. Minnesota is shopping John Sullivan, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link), while Seattle is trying to trade Patrick Lewis, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Sullivan, 31, has long been on the league’s more underrated pivots, as though he’s never been named an All Pro or Pro Bowler, he’s been considered among the top centers in the NFL. Until last season, he had started at least 14 games in every season since 2009. Sullivan missed all of 2015 due to injury, and veteran Joe Berger performed like a top-five center in his stead. Given that Berger is much cheaper, it makes sense that the Vikings are trying to trade away Sullivan and his $5.4MM base salary.
Lewis, meanwhile, isn’t the caliber of player that is Sullivan, but he did start nine games for the Seahawks last season. Seattle has been reshuffling its offensive line, and Justin Britt, who was formerly both a tackle and a guard, is now set to move to the middle, and early reports on the transition have been glowing. Lewis is entering the final year of his deal, and will earn $1.671MM for 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Patriots To Waive Bryan Stork
The Patriots have decided to waive center Bryan Stork after a trade that would have sent Stork to the Redskins fell through, according to Doug Kyed of NESN.com (Twitter link).
For those of you keeping score at home, here’s the finally tally of Stork’s travels over the last week. On Wednesday, Stork was supposedly on the verge of being released by the Patriots. However, the Redskins got word that Stork was about to be released and, rather than fight it out with other teams on the open market, they worked out a trade with the Patriots. Hours later, it was learned that Stork was thinking about quitting football altogether. The Redskins got Stork to change his mind, but it turns out he’s not healthy enough to play right now anyway.
Stork, 25 (26 in November), emerged as the Patriots’ starting center just four weeks into his rookie season in 2014, and finished the year there. Pro Football Focus’ grades suggested that Stork’s performance was somewhat up and down, but most of his worst performances came during the first half of the season. In 2015, Stork suffered a concussion which limited him to just eight games.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bengals’ Cedric Peerman Fractures Arm
The Bengals have confirmed that running back Cedric Peerman suffered a fractured left arm during tonight’s preseason game against the Jaguars, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Latest On Injured TE Tyler Eifert]
While Cincinnati didn’t announce a recovery timetable for Peerman, it’s likely that such an injury will be a season-ender. Peerman will probably go on injured reserve, and while the NFL’s new IR rules would allow the Bengals to bring Peerman back in the middle of the season without designating him to return immediately, the club has other candidates for that spot. As Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com tweets, Cincinnati is likely saving its IR/return slot for first-round corner William Jackson III, who suffered a torn pectoral during training camp.
Peerman, 29, is a running back in-name-only, as he didn’t rush the ball a single time in 2015. In six NFL seasons, in fact, Peerman has seen only 64 carries, with the majority of those coming in two seasons. But Peerman is still an extremely valuable player, as he’s probably the most important member of Darrin Simmons‘ special teams unit in Cincinnati. Perrman played on nearly two-thirds of the Bengals’ ST snaps last year, and was named to the Pro Bowl for his efforts.
Peerman is entering the final year of his current contract with the Bengals, and will count $1.21MM on the salary cap this season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
5 Key Stories: 8/21/16 – 8/28/16
Down goes Romo. The Cowboys are dealing with another injury to quarterback Tony Romo, as the veteran signal-caller suffered a broken bone in his back and is expected to miss 6-10 weeks. Rookie QB/preseason legend Dak Prescott is now set to take over for Dallas, although the 
Cowboys are looking to acquire a veteran backup (2015 UDFA Jameil Showers is the club’s No. 2 at present). While Romo should be able to return this season, this latest injury could have an effect on Romo’s future in Dallas.
Trades, trades, trades! We’ll never see the amount of trades in the NFL that we see in MLB, but you wouldn’t know that if you followed the league this week. The Patriots were involved in two deals, as they shipped center Bryan Stork to the Redskins before picking up former sixth overall pick Barkevious Mingo from the Browns. The 49ers, too, completed multiple trades, as they sent cornerback Kenneth Acker to the Chiefs, then acquired receiver Jeremy Kerley from the Lions in exchange for offensive lineman Brandon Thomas. Meanwhile, clubs are inquiring on wide receiver Josh Gordon, but the Browns aren’t inclined to trade him.
Bosa vs. Chargers turns ugly. It’s nearly September and No. 3 overall pick Joey Bosa still hasn’t hammered out a deal with the Chargers, so San Diego took the unprecedented step of issuing an accusatory public statement on the 
situation. Bosa’s agent predictably retaliated, while Chargers owner Dean Spanos called Bosa’s holdout “absolutely asinine.” Meanwhile, rival GMs are reportedly “laughing” at San Diego’s handling of the situation, as execs believe the club has essentially thrown its first-round pick’s rookie season down the drain.
No quarter for Mark Sanchez. Although it isn’t yet official, Trevor Siemian looks like the Broncos’ Week 1 starter at quarterback, meaning Sanchez’s role with the club is unclear. Denver has yet to ask him to take a pay cut, but that option has been bandied about, and there’s virtually no way Sanchez can stay on the roster at his current salary. A trade remains a possibility, but it’s likely that Sanchez is released in the coming days.
A flurry of transactions. Teams have until 3pm CT on Tuesday to reduce their roster to 75 players, and many club got a head start today. Rueben Randle, Chris Givens, Erik Pears, and Ropati Pitoitua were among the veterans cut today, and there will be more in the coming days and weeks. You can follow all the latest news by bookmarking PFR’s Transactions Page.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Broncos Haven’t Yet Asked Mark Sanchez To Accept Pay Cut
The Broncos haven’t asked quarterback Mark Sanchez to accept a pay cut as of yet, reports Troy Renck of Denver7. However, the idea of doing so has “surfaced as a possibility,” according to Renck.
[RELATED: Broncos Shopping Punter Britton Colquitt]
Although Denver hasn’t yet announced its starting quarterback, it’s become apparent that Trevor Siemian will be under center when the Broncos open the season in Week 1. As such, it’s unlikely that Sanchez is a fit for the Denver roster unless he’s the backup signal-caller. With first-round pick Paxton Lynch pushing him for that role, Sanchez could soon find himself released, as his cap hit isn’t palatable for a No. 3 QB.
While Siemian is only due to earn a minimum salary during the upcoming season, Sanchez is scheduled to count $4.5MM on Denvers’ salary cap, $1MM of which is guaranteed. Sanchez can also earn another $3MM through incentives, but the Broncos could clear $3.5MM off their books by releasing him before the start of the season.
Sanchez is likely to accept any pay cut overture, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS, who notes that no outside quarterback option would be more familiar with head coach Gary Kubiak‘s system. Other scenarios include outright release or a trade, and Klis lists the Cowboys and Seahawks as potential suitors. A deal is unlikely however, because an acquiring club would not only have to take on Sanchez’s salary, but ship a seventh-round pick to the Eagles as a condition of the trade that originally sent Sanchez to Denver.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.