NFC East Rumors: Redskins, Cowboys, Eagles
Redskins quarterback Alex Smith is currently battling a leg infection in his broken fibula and tibia, but he’s still optimistic about resuming his playing career, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Doctors are removing tissue to clear the infection, but the issue remains extremely serious. Smith’s broken bone punctured his skin, which can result in increased likelihood of infection even though Smith underwent immediate surgery. Washington is now down to its third quarterback of the season in Mark Sanchez, as No. 2 Colt McCoy is also done for the year after suffering a fractured fibula of his own.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- Although Sean Lee himself has indicated he’ll be ready to play on Sunday, the Cowboys may hold out the veteran linebacker until Week 15, per Rapoport (Twitter link). When he does return, Dallas will need to decide how to divvy up its snaps in the second level of its defense. Lee, of course, is a superstar when on the field, but Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith are both immensely capable, as well. Pro Football Focus grades both Vander Esch and Smith as top-seven linebackers league-wide, and Vander Esch is in consideration for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Given that NFL clubs are using nickel (two-linebacker) packages on more than two-thirds of plays, one of the Cowboys’ ‘backers will have to take a back seat.
- Although he’s now the Redskins‘ backup quarterback, Josh Johnson still intends to play for the Alliance of American Football’s San Diego Fleet in spring 2019, tweets Rapoport. Johnson was protected as the first overall pick in a recent AAF draft, and he’ll suit up when the league begins its season next year. One of several quarterbacks — including Landry Jones and Ryan Mallett — who worked out for Washington after Smith went down, Johnson had the edge given his history with head coach Jay Gruden. He’s the only signal-caller behind Sanchez on the Redskins’ depth chart.
- The Eagles‘ offensive struggles shouldn’t be blamed on offensive coordinator Mike Groh, argues Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Groh, notably, doesn’t call the plays in Philadelphia, as head coach Doug Pederson holds those duties. The Eagles suffered a major brain drain this offseason, losing both ex-OC Frank Reich to the Colts and ex-QBs coach John DeFilippo to the Vikings, and now rank just 20th in offensive DVOA after finishing eighth a season ago.
West Notes: Hawks, 49ers, Broncos, Chiefs
Before he signed with a one-year, $8MM deal with the Vikings in March, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson received a $4-5MM offer to stay with the Seahawks, as he explained to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link). “The contract they offered me was terrible. It wasn’t what they told me when I left after the exit meetings,” Richardson said. “When my agent told me the offer, I told him, ‘They can keep that.’” Richardson has excelled for Minnesota this season: Pro Football Focus currently grades him as the league’s No. 36 interior defender, while Richardson is tied for sixth among defensive tackles with 14 quarterback hits. Given that he only inked a one-year pact, Richardson will be able to hit the free agent market again in 2019 at the age of 28.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two West divisions:
- In her first comments to the media after Reuben Foster was arrested on domestic violence charges in Tampa last month, Foster’s ex-girlfriend Elissa Ennis indicated the 49ers attempted to intervene during Foster’s arrest. It’s unclear whether Ennis was referring to San Francisco staffers or other players, but the club has issued a statement nonetheless. “The 49ers fully cooperated with authorities, assisted in locating Mr. Foster and in no way impeded their investigation,” said the team. San Francisco, of course, immediately waived Foster following the arrest, but he was claimed by the Redskins. Tampa Police are still reviewing the case against Foster, but an arraignment is tentatively scheduled for January 3, tweets Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.
- The Broncos lost one of their most important offensive players in Emmanuel Sanders on Wednesday, but they did get a little lucky in acquiring fellow receiver Andre Holmes off waivers from the Bills, as Mike Klis of 9News explains (Twitter link). Sanders went down with a torn Achilles at 12:06 MT, and Denver’s doctors had diagnosed him 14 minutes later. When practice ended at 1:20, Broncos offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave relayed to the club’s personnel department that he had coached Holmes while the two were in Oakland. Five minutes before the waiver deadline, the Broncos put in a claim on Holmes.
- Austin Reiter‘s two-year extension with the Chiefs has a maximum value of $5.5MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Reiter, a reserve offensive lineman, will receive a $1MM signing bonus that, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com notes (via Twitter) will prorate over three seasons given that Reiter signed his new deal before the close of the 2018 campaign. Reiter, 27, was projected to become a restricted free agent next spring, but he’ll now get a little more financial security instead of a non-guaranteed RFA tag. He started four games at center for Kansas City earlier this year while Mitch Morse was injured.
- Seahawks guard D.J. Fluker is expected to miss several weeks with a hamstring strain, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). Fluker, who inked a one-year, $1.5MM deal with Seattle this year, hasn’t played very well during his first season in the Pacific Northwest, as PFF grades him as a bottom-15 guard among 79 qualifiers. Former undrafted free agent Jordan Simmons will take over at right guard for the time being.
NFL Workout Updates: 12/6/18
Today’s workout updates, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter):
Carolina Panthers
- G Jordan Morgan
Cleveland Browns
- WR Jake Lampman
Minnesota Vikings
- QB Bo Levi Mitchell; WR Diontae Spencer; DB/LB Chris Ackie; LB Jameer Thurman; CB Winston Rose
Washington Redskins
Giants S Landon Collins Facing 4-6 Month Recovery
Giants safety Landon Collins is facing a four-to-six month recovery once he undergoes surgery for a partially torn labrum, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (Twitter link).
That timeline isn’t a problem for Collins’ ability to play in 2019, as he should easily be able to return to the field before training camp begins. But Collins’ recovery could impact his upcoming free agency, as interested clubs could express concern about his health next spring. Given his four-to-six month projection, Collins almost certainly won’t be fully healthy when the free agent market opens in March.
Although they haven’t talked about a new contract for Collins, the Giants still seemingly have every intention on keeping him in their 2019 plans. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported lat month that New York will deploy the franchise tag on Collins next spring if it fails to ink him to a long-term agreement. Collins, who if healthy could have aimed to top Eric Berry‘s $13MM annual average (the highest among safeties), can be retained via the franchise tag at a one-year cost of ~$12MM.
If the Giants reverse course and don’t use the franchise tag on Collins (and don’t come together on an extension), he’d be entering a free agent market that includes a stellar crop of available safeties. The safety market, of course, was incredibly stagnant this past offseason, and Collins would be hitting free agent alongside options such as Earl Thomas, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Lamarcus Joyner, Adrian Amos, and the group of safeties that were forced to ink one-year deals in 2018 (Tre Boston, Eric Reid, Kenny Vaccaro, George Iloka, and Tyrann Mathieu).
Given all the factors working against Collins — his health, the overloaded safety market — it shouldn’t be a surprise if he inks a one-year, “pillow” contract in order to re-establish his value. If Collins isn’t able to pass a physical by the time free agency opens, it might be best for him to accept some level of financial security and hope he can land a larger contract in 2020, when he’ll still be only 26 years old.
Collins, a second-round pick in the 2015 draft, has been a full-time starter for the Giants since entering the league. A two-time Pro Bowler, Collins posted 96 tackles, four passes defensed, and a forced fumble this season while grading as the NFL’s 36th-best safety, per Pro Football Focus.
Latest On Ex-Packers HC Mike McCarthy
Although reports earlier this week indicated former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy intends to coach in 2019, that may not be the case. McCarthy is still deciding whether to take head coaching interviews or instead remain in the Green Bay area for another year, a source tells Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
McCarthy didn’t say he won’t coach next season, but did indicate he plans to “lay low and try to finish this professional chapter on the high road.” He has five children, four of whom are still school-aged, so leaving Green Bay may not be an easy decision. Over 13 seasons with the Packers, McCarthy posted a 125-77-2 record during the regular season and a 10-8 mark (including a Super Bowl victory) in the playoffs.
Now that’s no longer tied to Green Bay, McCarthy can freely speak to other teams about their vacancies. In addition, he can reach out to contacts around the league in an effort to formulate a potential staff. Both of those factors could give him an edge over other head coaching candidates who are still employed.
A clearer picture of where McCarthy could end up in 2019 won’t fully develop until more head coaching openings are created, but there is already conjecture on his destination. The Jets have been mentioned as possible suitor if Todd Bowles is fired, while the Browns also make sense as a landing spot given the presence of former Packers executives — John Dorsey, Eliot Wolf, Alonzo Highsmith — in Cleveland’s front office.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/6/18
Today’s practice squad updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Malachi Dupre, OL Denver Kirkland, DT Pasoni Tasini
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: T Andrew Lauderdale, WR Da’Mari Scott
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: S Kai Nacua, G Ian Silberman, WR DeAndrew White
- Released: CB Josh Thornton
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Mason Gentry, WR Daniel Williams
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: TE Billy Brown, T De’Ondre Wesley
- Placed on injured list: TE Je’Ron Hamm
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Isaiah Williams
- Released: QB J.T. Barrett
New York Giants
- Signed: P Brock Miller
New York Jets
- Signed: DB Tyvis Powell
Chiefs To Sign WR Kelvin Benjamin
The Chiefs have agreed to sign free agent wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Benjamin’s deal will run through the end of the 2018 season.
Kansas City had been on the lookout for wide receiver depth as Sammy Watkins continues to battle a foot injury. Watkins played only a handful of snaps in the Chiefs’ Week 11 loss to the Rams, and — even following a bye in Week 12 — was still unable to play in Week 13. He’s put in limited practice sessions so far this week, but Kansas City needed reinforcements behind Tyreek Hill, where the Chiefs are light on options outside out of Chris Conley.
Benjamin, 27, went unclaimed on waivers after the Bills cut him earlier this week, but that was hardly surprising given his contract. As a former first-round pick, Benjamin was locked into a guaranteed base salary that didn’t necessarily reflect his current market value. Any team that claimed him would have been responsible for the remainder of that salary, which would have come out to roughly $2MM. Now, the Chiefs are likely signing Benjamin at the league minimum rate, while the Bills — provided typical NFL contract language was used — will receive a small cap credit in 2019 thanks to offset language.
Even factoring in his draft pedigree, Benjamin doesn’t offer much in the way of upside and has historically had problems with his conditioning. Additionally, nearly every wide receiver metric has Benjamin near the bottom of the list. Among wideouts with at least 50 targets this season, Benjamin ranks dead last in catch rate (his 37.1% rate is more than eight percent greater than the next-worse pass-catcher). He’s 61st among 66 qualifiers in Football Outsiders’ DYAR, which measures value over a replacement level player, and 64th in DVOA, which measures value on a per-play basis.
Sam Darnold Expected To Start In Week 14
Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold is expected to start against the the Bills after Sunday after missing New York’s last three games with a foot sprain, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Head coach Todd Bowles declined to officially name Darold his Week 14 starter, but that’s believed to be the Jets’ plan.
Per Rapoport, the Jets have been delicately handling Darnold’s recovery, and he probably could have played in Week 13 if the club would have let him. However, New York is taking a cautious approach with its first-round signal-caller, just as the Bears have done recently with their young quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Chicago already essentially has a playoff spot locked up and didn’t feel the need to rush Trubisky back, while the Jets are in the midst of a lost campaign and thus didn’t intend to deploy Darnold until he was fully healthy.
Gang Green sent their own first-rounder and three second-round picks to the Colts this spring in order to acquire the No. 3 overall selection, which they subsequently used on Darnold. While it’s fair to question the talent around him, Darnold hasn’t been great so far, as he ranks dead last among NFL quarterbacks in passer rating, interception, and adjusted net yards per attempt.
After facing the Bills on Sunday, Darnold and the Jets will close out the 2018 season with the Texans, Packers, and Patriots.
Looking Ahead To 2019 Franchise Tags
The NFL’s salary cap for 2019 won’t officially be set until sometime after the Super Bowl, but based on the direction the cap has trended in recent years, we have a general idea of where it may end up. Predicting an increase of about 7.22% on this year’s $177.2MM cap, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com projects a 2019 cap of $190MM, and uses that figure to get a sense of what next year’s franchise-tag figures would look like. So while the official amounts may end up looking a little different, these should be pretty close.
Here are the non-exclusive franchise tag amounts projected by Corry, using a presumed cap of $190M for 2019:
- Quarterback: $23.189MM
- Running back: $11.866MM
- Wide receiver: $15.982MM
- Tight end: $9.846MM
- Offensive line: $14.077MM
- Defensive end: $17.143MM
- Defensive tackle: $13.939MM
- Linebacker: $14.961MM
- Cornerback: $14.975MM
- Safety: $11.287MM
- Punter/kicker: $4.939MM
All of those figures are modest increases over the 2018 amounts, which can be found right here. The most significant increase comes at defensive tackle, where a new contract for Aaron Donald helped boost that figure. Cornerback, which should see an increase of 8.01%, was buoyed by fresh deals for Trumaine Johnson and Kyle Fuller.
With those numbers in mind, Corry also examines a few potential candidates to be franchised or to receive the transition tag. Pass rushers such as Dee Ford, Jadeveon Clowney, and Frank Clark are perhaps the most obvious candidates for the tag, but Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski, Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, and Giants safety Landon Collins could also get franchised. For the full list, along with explanations, be sure to check out Corry’s piece, which is an interesting read.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/6/18
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LS Jon Condo
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted from practice squad: G Taylor Hearn
- Placed on injured reserve: G Brendan Mahon
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: OL Kyle Kalis
New York Giants
- Promoted from practice squad: DB Kenny Ladler