Lions Work Out CB David Amerson
The Lions auditioned a host of free agents including cornerback David Amerson last week, according to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter links).
Amerson inked a one-year deal with the Chiefs after being cut by the Raiders, but he essentially played himself out of a roster spot on a club that needed all the help it could get in the secondary. The 26-year-old defensive back made 42 starts with Washington and Oakland from 2014-16, but injuries and ineffectiveness have limited his production since that time.
Detroit currently has five cornerbacks on its roster in Darius Slay, Nevin Lawson, Teez Tabor, Jamal Agnew, and Dee Virgin, while safety Quandre Diggs also moonlights as a slot corner. Amerson could give the Lions more depth in the back end, but he hasn’t historically contributed on special teams, a problem for a reserve player.
Here’s the full list of players Detroit worked out, per Balzer:
- WR Johnny Holton
- WR Roger Lewis
- WR Francis Owusu
- WR DeAngelo Yancey
- DE Will Clarke
- DE Nate Orchard
- DE Whitney Richardson
- LB Ufomba Kamalu
- LB Lorenzo Mauldin
- CB Demetri Goodson
Cowboys Sign G Xavier Su’a-Filo
The Cowboys have agreed to sign free agent guard Xavier Su’a-Filo, according to his agents at Schwartz and Feinsod (Twitter link).
Su’a-Filo, 27, worked out for Dallas last week, so the Cowboys know what they’re getting in the former second-round pick. The UCLA product started 40 games for the Texans from 2015-17, but Houston made little effort to re-sign him this offseason. Su’a-Filo landed a one-year deal with the Titans in March, but didn’t survive final cutdowns.
The Cowboys are currently without starting center Travis Frederick as he deals with the effects of Guillain Barre syndrome, and while Su’a-Filo hasn’t played center in his NFL career, he will give Dallas more depth along the interior offensive line. Other reserve lineman on the Cowboys’ roster include Cameron Fleming, Kadeem Edwards, and Adam Redmond.
Texans OT Seantrel Henderson Done For Year
Texans offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson will miss the remainder of the 2018 season after suffering a suffering a significant ankle injury, head coach Bill O’Brien told reporters, including Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reported Sunday that Henderson, who will undergo surgery on Tuesday, broke a bone in his ankle.
Houston was already fielding one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines, so the club could ill afford any depletions to its starting five. After Henderson went down on Sunday, the Texans moved left tackle Julien Davenport to the right side, and inserted rookie Martinas Rankins on Deshaun Watson‘s blindside. That’s likely the combination Houston will use from here on out, but the team could potentially reshuffle its line this week.
Henderson, 26, signed a one-year, $4MM deal with the Texans this spring that contains $500K guaranteed. A former seventh-round pick, Henderson had spent the entirety of his career with the Bills until 2018. After starting 26 games during his first two years in Buffalo, Henderson devolved into a backup in his last two seasons with the Bills.
Eagles To Work Out WR Breshad Perriman
The Eagles are working out former Ravens wide receiver Breshad Perriman, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Perriman, the 26th overall selection in the 2015 draft, has never lived up to his draft billing, as injuries and ineffectiveness have prevented him from reaching his potential. After missing his entire rookie campaign, Perriman posted 33 receptions in 2016, but managed only 10 catches last year.
Philadelphia currently has six receivers on its roster, but Alshon Jeffery is expected to be sidelined for several more weeks. Nelson Agholor, Mike Wallace, and DeAndre Carter saw most of the work in the Eagles’ season opener, while Shelton Gibson and Markus Wheaton are also on the club’s roster.
Perriman certainly isn’t wanting for free agent interest, as he’s met with the Jets, Giants, Bills, and Vikings since getting cut by the Ravens.
49ers Hosting LBs Erik Walden, Hau’oli Kikaha
Free agent linebackers Erik Walden and Hau’oli Kikaha is visiting the 49ers today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
Walden, 33, signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks earlier this year, but didn’t make the final cut and was released from injured reserve last week. The veteran pass rusher spent the 2017 campaign with the Titans, appearing in all 16 games while managing four sacks and 36 tackles. Walden posted 11 sacks as recently as the 2016 season, but he’s struggled to find contracts in recent years despite that production.
Kikaha, meanwhile, was the 44th overall selection in the 2015 draft, but he’s been beset by injuries and ineffectiveness during his three-year tenure. After playing on 62% of the Saints’ snaps during his rookie campaign, Kikaha missed the 2016 season with a torn ACL (the third of his football career) and subsequently saw action on only 209 defensive snaps the following year. New Orleans shopped Kikaha ahead of the 2017 trade deadline, and waived him during final cutdowns.
Both Walden and Kikaha could conceivably play either outside linebacker or defensive end in the 49ers’ 4-3 scheme. At present, San Francisco is deploying former first-round picks Solomon Thomas and Arik Armstead as its starting edge rushers, with Cassius Marsh, Ronald Blair, and Julian Taylor in reserve.
Falcons Place Keanu Neal On IR
The Falcons have placed safety Keanu Neal on injured reserve and signed defensive end Steven Means, the club announced today.
Neal suffered a torn ACL in Atlanta’s season opener on Thursday night and will subsequently miss the entire 2018 campaign. The former first-round pick had started 30 games over his first two NFL seasons, but he’ll now be replaced by 2017 draft pick Damontae Kazee. The Falcons could conceivably target a free agent like Eric Reid, or a trade candidate such as Earl Thomas, but there’s been no indication as of yet that Atlanta will head in that direction.
Means, who turns 28 years old this week, was a preseason star for the Eagles, as he posted three sacks in the club’s final exhibition game. His regular season track record is much more spotty, as he’s appeared in just 26 games since entering the league in 2013. Means, who has spent time with the Buccaneers and Ravens in addition to the Eagles, will boost an Atlanta edge rush that already includes Vic Beasley and Takkarist McKinley, among others.
Aaron Rodgers Expects To Play In Week 2
Aaron Rodgers indicated after Sunday night’s comeback victory that he expects to be available for the Packers’ Week 2 contest against the Vikings, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Rodgers, of course, left last night’s game in the first half with a knee injury, but reappeared in the third quarter and led Green Bay to an improbable win.
Rodgers re-entered Sunday’s game with sporting an air cast typically associated with knee sprains, per Rapoport. He’ll undergo more testing over the next few days, and is expected to experience a bit of soreness as he recovers. However, the Packers boast one of the league’s most conservative medical staffs, says Rapoport, so the club likely wouldn’t have allowed Rodgers back on the field if any risk still existed.
Green Bay trailed 17-0 at halftime in its season opener, and fell behind 20-0 before a Mason Crosby third quarter field goal once again cut the lead to 17 points. Rodgers, amazingly, tossed three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, including a 75-yarder to Randall Cobb that sealed the win.
Rodgers, 34, agreed to a four-year extension late last month which made him the NFL’s highest-paid player at $33.5MM per year.
5 Key NFL Stories: 9/2/18 – 9/9/18
No Le’Veon in Pittsburgh. Nearly every observer expected running back Le’Veon Bell to report to the Steelers last Monday, but that didn’t happen. He didn’t show up during the week at all, in fact, and missed Pittsburgh’s first game (and an $850K+ game check) today. Rookie back James Conner was incredibly impressive in Bell’s absence, but the Steelers surely want to get the All-Pro back on the field. The club has no plans to trade Bell or adjust his contract, so it’s a battle of wills at this point.
Earl Thomas comes back. While Bell didn’t show for the Steelers, the Seahawks appear to have outlasted Thomas in their ongoing stalemate. Thomas, of course, wants a new contact or a trade out of Seattle, but the Hawks have no inclination to honor either request. The veteran defensive back re-appeared in Seattle last week and started against the Broncos today. The Cowboys, for one, reportedly are still interested in acquiring Thomas, but view a second-round pick as their maximum offer.
Falcons lose Keanu Neal. Atlanta sent Neal for a precautionary MRI following Thursday’s loss to the Eagles, but the club felt the safety would be ready for Week 2. That won’t be the case, as Neal was diagnosed with a torn ACL and will now miss the entire 2018 season. For now, the Falcons will roll with 2017 draft pick at strong safety, but other intriguing options are available. Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn has familiarity with the aforementioned Thomas, while Eric Reid is still sitting on the free agent market.
Off-field trouble rears it heads. After being cut by the Raiders last week, wide receiver Martavis Bryant is reportedly facing a yearlong suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. It’s an unfortunate occurrence for Bryant, who was shipped from Pittsburgh to Oakland in the spring in exchange for a third-round pick. Elsewhere, Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregoy is today playing in his first game since 2016, but he too could be in for another ban. Sadly, Gregory mye have suffered a drug relapse during the summer, and could be suspended after missing the entire 2017 season with a drug ban.
LeSean McCoy unlikely to be suspended. McCoy was linked to a unsettling incident earlier this year when his ex-girlfriend accused him of involvement in a home invasion incident which left her battered. However, McCoy is not expected to face any criminal charges as a result of the episode. And while the NFL has its own authority to suspend players regardless of legal outcomes, McCoy isn’t likely to face a league-imposed ban.
Raiders Sat On Khalil Mack Contract Proposal
The Raiders could have potentially re-signed edge rusher Khalil Mack to a deal that was cheaper than the six-year, $141MM pact he eventually received from the Bears, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
Oakland reportedly sat on a proposal from Mack and his camp for six months, per La Canfora. While the details of the offer are unknown, it clearly wouldn’t have made Mack the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player. And because it would have been signed before Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald reset the defensive market with a $22.5MM annual average value of his own, Mack’s theoretical deal would have likely come in lower than Donald’s.
The Raiders agreed to send Mack, a 2020 second-round round pick, and a conditional 2020 fifth-round pick to the Bears in exchange for a 2019 first-round pick, 2020 first-round pick, a 2020 third-round pick, and a 2019 sixth-round pick. Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie recently admitted his club’s plan was never to trade Mack, but it became clear a contractual agreement was not going to be reached with the star pass rusher.
Mack, 27, has been a wrecking ball since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2014. A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, Mack has totaled 40.5 sacks over his first four NFL seasons. In 2017, Pro Football Focus graded Mack as the NFL’s seventh-best edge defender.
PFR Originals: 9/2/18 – 9/9/18
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- Pro Football Rumors writers posted their predictions for the 2018 NFL season, choosing division winners, postseason results, and awards finishes. Click here for projections from Zach Links, Ben Levine, Andrew Ortenberg, Rory Parks, Dallas Robinson, and Sam Robinson, and to weigh in with your opinions!