Latest On Contract Talks Between Ravens, Ronnie Stanley
It does not sound like the Ravens and left tackle Ronnie Stanley have made much progress in contract talks, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com observes (Twitter link). Stanley is currently playing under the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, and the last we heard, he is looking to top the massive $22MM/year deal that Laremy Tunsil signed with the Texans.
The Tunsil pact was viewed as an unnecessary overpay by Bill O’Brien, a head coach who appears miscast as a GM, but the market is the market, so it makes sense that Stanley — who earned a First Team All-Pro bid last season — is shooting for the stars. However, Baltimore knows it will soon have to pony up major cash for a new deal for quarterback Lamar Jackson, and it just committed a ton of money to CB Marlon Humphrey.
Still, Stanley has a lot of leverage. The Ravens’ O-line does not look as sharp as it did last year, as the team had to replace a future Hall-of-Fame right guard in Marshal Yanda with rookie Tyre Phillips, and right tackle Orlando Brown Jr. has regressed a bit. Losing one of the best LTs in football is not something Baltimore will allow to happen, especially with Jackson under center.
Stanley has dealt with injuries throughout his first four years in the league, though he has never played fewer than 12 games in a season. He will miss today’s contest against Washington with a shoulder ailment, but the team hopes he will return in Week 5. As of now, durability will not be a huge factor in negotiations.
Fowler says that player and team have explored multiple scenarios, including a short-term contract that would keep Stanley under club control for a couple more seasons while allowing him to be eligible for free agency again before he turns 30. Apparently, though, those talks have not been especially productive, and the franchise tag is looking more and more likely.
Eric Weddle Open To Return
Six-time Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle, who announced his retirement in February, may be getting the itch to play again. According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (video link), Weddle has received at least two offers from NFL clubs, and though he spurned both of those overtures, the 35-year-old is open to a return.
Garafolo says that an AFC North club made an offer prior to the season, and depending on when the offer was made, it could have come from either the Browns, Ravens, or Steelers. Cleveland lost rookie safety Grant Delpit for the year in August; Baltimore pivoted to the unproven DeShon Elliott following its release of Earl Thomas, and it might have welcomed a reunion with Weddle, who spent three seasons in the purple-and-black; and the Steelers were interested in Weddle before he signed with the Ravens in 2016, and they might have liked the idea of pairing him with Minkah Fitzpatrick in the defensive backfield.
More recently, Weddle received an offer from an unnamed AFC South club, which might have been the Colts, who lost Malik Hooker for the season after he suffered an ACL tear in Week 2. Weddle hasn’t found the right situation yet, but he might suit up this year if a contender that he like comes calling.
Although Weddle made the Pro Bowl during each of his three seasons in Baltimore, his speed was clearly in deep decline. He hooked on with the Rams last March after the Ravens released him, but chronic shoulder and knee pain led to his decision to hang up the cleats after his first and only season in LA.
Apparently, he feels good enough to make a comeback, and a club with playoff aspirations might covet his veteran leadership in a rotational role.
Chiefs, Patriots To Play Monday Night
The Chiefs’ latest round of point-of-care COVID-19 tests came back negative, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). Adam Schefter of ESPN.com had previously reported that the Patriots’ tests also came back negative (Twitter link), so the two clubs will play each other Monday night at 7:05pm ET.
This is obviously great news for the NFL, which is dealing with a significant number of positive tests on the Titans. After New England’s Cam Newton and KC’s Jordan Ta’amu also tested positive, there was plenty of speculation that, like the Titans-Steelers Week 4 contest, the Patriots-Chiefs game slated for this week could be pushed back. For now, it seems like this particular crisis has been averted.
Still, the Chiefs will now face the tall task of playing three games in 10 days, and if the Titans-Bills Week 5 game gets postponed, Buffalo will be coming off a Week 5 bye when it takes on KC. On the other hand, the Chiefs will face a Brian Hoyer-led New England offense tomorrow night, as Newton has now landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Although teams don’t usually undergo tests on gamedays, Schefter reports that both the Patriots and the Chiefs will be tested tomorrow morning (Twitter link). The Falcons-Packers game, the original Monday night contest, will be pushed back to 8:50pm ET.
Texans HC Bill O’Brien To Be More Involved In Play-Calling
Texans head coach/GM Bill O’Brien has come under intense scrutiny for his management of his club’s roster, especially after this offseason’s infamous DeAndre Hopkins trade. O’Brien did cede play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, but in the wake of Houston’s 0-3 start to the season, the head coach is renewing his involvement in that side of the operation.
As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes, O’Brien will take on an increased role in game-planning and play-calling. Kelly will continue to relay the plays to QB Deshaun Watson, but O’Brien will have significant input into which plays are called. That means that Houston’s offense will run more like it did in 2019, which ended in a trip to the divisional round of the playoffs.
The Texans’ offense has sputtered without Hopkins, and the team currently ranks near the bottom of the league in terms of total offense and yards per game. Still, the club has more offensive talent than that showing would suggest, and O’Brien apparently believes he can help get more production out of that unit.
Houston has started the season in an 0-3 hole, but since its first three opponents have a combined 8-1 record, no one is panicking just yet. Still, an 0-4 start would put an even bigger damper on the Texans’ playoff aspirations, and O’Brien is trying to make sure that doesn’t happen. His club will take on the Vikings this afternoon in a battle of talented but winless outfits.
No Progress In Talks Between Bears, Allen Robinson
Negotiations between the Bears and top wideout Allen Robinson picked up last month after reports surfaced indicating that Robinson was unhappy with how contract talks had proceeded and after Robinson removed Bears-related references from his social media pages. Robinson, though, denied making a trade demand, and Chicago reportedly rebuffed all trade inquiries that came its way, so it seemed that there was a chance of a long-term accord coming together.
But Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says that seems unlikely. La Canfora reports that the two sides remain at an impasse, and that the renewed negotiations did not gain any traction. One reason for that may be that Robinson sees himself as the top receiver in the 2021 free agent class, which means that he is likely shooting for a contract paying him at least $20MM per year. Statistically speaking, he doesn’t have the same resume as players like Michael Thomas and Julio Jones, but since Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper are also above the $20MM threshold, Robinson may well get that type of money on the open market.
Unfortunately for him, he might not be allowed to get to the open market. La Canfora reiterates his earlier report that this process will probably end with Robinson receiving the franchise tag, and that rarely makes a player happy. But with Nick Foles now under center for Chicago, Robinson may be able to bolster his bargaining position as the season unfolds.
Robinson is off to a solid start in the 2020 campaign, catching 18 passes for 230 yards and a score. His 3-0 Bears will battle the Colts this afternoon.
WFT Could Bench QB Dwayne Haskins
The Washington Football Team is not pleased with how quarterback Dwayne Haskins has performed through the first three games of the season, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says the club could bench Haskins if he does not show improvement soon. In fact, Rapoport hears Haskins could be yanked during the club’s game against the Ravens this afternoon.
Haskins was the 15th-overall pick of the 2019 draft, and WFT gave him all the first-team reps in this year’s training camp while tailoring the offense to his strengths. Washington is not talent-rich on the offensive side of the ball, so not all of the club’s struggles fall on Haskins’ shoulders, but Haskins has certainly had his issues.
Thus far, he has taken too many sacks, has not shown much poise in the pocket, and he turned the ball over four times in last week’s loss to the Browns (three interceptions and one fumble). Although WFT did have an exciting comeback win over the Eagles in Week 1, Haskins has completed just 56.4% of his passes and has thrown four TDs against three picks, good for a 75.7 QB rating.
The Ohio State product had just one season as a starter in college, so it would seem strange that a team like Washington that doesn’t have realistic postseason hopes would pull the plug on him before he has even played a season’s worth of games as a pro. But as Rapoport writes, WFT sees the five games after Baltimore as eminently winnable — the team plays the Rams, the Giants twice, the Cowboys, and the Lions — and the coaching staff might believe current backup Kyle Allen is better-suited to win those games.
Allen was with WFT head coach Ron Rivera and OC Scott Turner in Carolina, so he has more experience with the offense. But Haskins definitely has a higher ceiling than Allen, and the team has much more invested in him. It will be interesting to see if Rivera — who was not with Washington when the club selected Haskins — has a quick hook.
COVID-19 Latest: Titans, Pats, Newton
After three blissfully uneventful weeks in the NFL — at least as far as COVID-19 is concerned — the virus has begun to rear its ugly head. Let’s get you up to date with all the pandemic-related happenings in the league:
- One more Titans player and one more Tennessee personnel member tested positive, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, bringing the total to 20 positive tests (10 players and 10 personnel). Since the Titans have now had positive tests on six straight days, the soonest they could reopen their facilities would be Wednesday, October 7 (Twitter link via Schefter). Tennessee is scheduled to play the Bills next Sunday, October 11.
- Schefter says in a full-length piece that the league and union are investigating whether the Titans violated COVID-19 protocols, and the team has been asked to turn over multiple videotapes of team activities. At least one source believes Tennessee failed to follow the protocols, and if that turns out to be true, the club could face punishment in the form of fines or draft pick forfeiture. Another source thinks that the league will ultimately look to make an example out of the Titans.
- Luckily, no other team had a positive test from yesterday’s round of testing, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network observes (via Twitter). That includes the Patriots and Chiefs, both of whom recently had a player test positive (starting QB Cam Newton of New England, and practice squad QB Jordan Ta’amu of Kansas City). But as Schefter cautions, the virus has an incubation period, and Newton was in the huddle all week with teammates (Twitter link). There will be another round of testing today, but if the tests come back negative, the plan is to have the Pats and Chiefs play each other on Monday night, per Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Newton, of course, will miss that game, and his availability for Week 5 is also in doubt.
- There was a scare last night when ProFootballTalk reported (via Twitter) that a Saints player had tested positive. Subsequent reports indicated that the player was fullback Michael Burton, but as Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football tweeted, Burton’s retest came back negative, so the Saints’ game against the Lions will go on today as scheduled.
- Hopefully the league will be able to recover from these scares, but Mark Maske of the Washington Post says the NFL is looking into the possibility of adding a Week 18 to the regular season schedule to accommodate postponed games (Twitter link). ProFootballTalk adds that multiple coaches have discussed the possibility of temporarily suspending the season, reconfiguring the schedule to allow for 12 total games, and then putting teams in hotels for the nine games that would remain (Twitter link).
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the league will hold a mandatory phone call for coaches, GMs, and owners tomorrow to discuss penalties for violating COVID-19 protocols. La Canfora says in a separate piece that the league is also considering playoff bubbles.
Packers Place Christian Kirksey On IR
Packers inside linebacker Christian Kirksey sustained a shoulder injury during the team’s Sunday night victory over the Saints, and Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reported earlier this week that Kirksey would miss at least one game as a result. Unfortunately, the Packers placed the 28-year-old ‘backer on IR today, sidelining him for at least three games.
It’s a tough break for Kirksey, who was released by the Browns in March following two injury-marred seasons. An assortment of ailments limited him to just seven games in 2018, and he missed all but two games of the 2019 campaign due to a broken collarbone. He still managed to find a nice payday in free agency, landing a two-year, $13MM contract from Green Bay after generating a significant amount of interest on the open market.
He played in all of the Packers’ defensives snaps over the first two games of the season, recording 12 total tackles in each contest. He also served as the defensive signal-caller. 2019 seventh-rounder Ty Summers filled in for Kirksey and wore the speaker helmet, and the team reported no communication issues.
Still, if Kirksey is out for an extended period, Green Bay could look to sign a veteran, especially since the club is also starting UDFA rookie Krys Barnes at the other inside linebacker spot. Players like Wesley Woodyard and old friend Jake Ryan currently headline the available ILBs.
Bills Activate Josh Norman From IR
SATURDAY: Norman is in line to make his Bills debut Sunday in Las Vegas. The Bills will activate their free agent corner acquisition ahead of their Week 4 game against the Raiders.
WEDNESDAY: The Bills have designated cornerback Josh Norman for return, according to the league’s transaction wire. Buffalo now has a three-week window to activate the veteran DB.
Once considered one of the best corners in the league, Norman was all over the PFR pages back in 2016, when he and the Panthers were going through a messy divorce. On the heels of a platform campaign that saw him bring home First Team All-Pro honors, Norman was hit with the franchise tag, but Carolina rescinded the tag shortly thereafter. When that happened, Norman signed a five-year, $75MM contract with Washington, which made him the highest-paid CB in NFL history at the time.
But he was not quite the same player with Washington that he was with the Panthers, and in 2019, he graded out as the third-worst qualified cornerback in the league per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. However, he managed to finagle a one-year, $6MM pact out of the Bills this offseason, and both Buffalo and Norman were hoping that a reunion with Bills HC Sean McDermott — who was Carolina’s defensive coordinator throughout Norman’s entire tenure with the club — would help Norman look more like his old self.
Norman, however, landed on IR earlier this month with a hamstring injury. He appears to be on the mend and is nearing his debut with the current leaders of the AFC East.
AFC East Notes: Douglas, Pats, White
Jets head coach Adam Gase may soon receive his walking papers, and though the leash for GM Joe Douglas will be a bit longer, Douglas is not without blame for the club’s struggles over his first 16 months or so on the job. In a piece that colorfully recounts all of Douglas’ missteps, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News includes an interesting nugget indicating that Douglas nixed an impending agreement for free agent DB Logan Ryan — whom Douglas reportedly coveted — because he was unhappy that the agreement was leaked to the media.
To be fair, other reporters wrote that Ryan’s asking price was the real obstacle to the deal, and Mehta himself has noted on more than one occasion that Douglas is operating under owner-imposed financial constraints, so it’s unclear what actually prevented Ryan from joining Gang Green. And obviously the Jets would still look just as directionless with Ryan as they do without, but when Douglas’ body of work is laid out in black-and-white, one can understand any skepticism Jets fans might feel about the GM’s abilities.
Now for more from the AFC East:
- Doug Kyed of NESN.com believes the Patriots should try to trade for a top-flight wide receiver. His piece was published before QB Cam Newton threw the ball all over the place in the team’s narrow loss to the Seahawks in Week 2, but in New England’s Week 3 triumph over the Raiders, it was clear that Newton could use another receiving threat. After posting eight catches for 179 yards against Seattle, Julian Edelman caught just two passes for 23 yards against Las Vegas, and the Pats want to reduce Edelman’s snap count. Meanwhile, N’Keal Harry is still coming into his own, and Damiere Byrd is hardly irreplaceable. Kyed believes a player like the Bears’ Allen Robinson would be a great fit, and that New England should not be hesitant to give up 2021 draft capital.
- Prior to the Patriots‘ win over Las Vegas, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com suggested that Sony Michel needed a big game to keep his job as New England’s RB1, and Michel delivered. He reeled off 117 yards on just nine carries, though he and J.J. Taylor both had 11 touches and Rex Burkhead had 13 (three of which ended in touchdowns). As usual, it looks like the Pats will take a committee approach to their backfield, and the committee will become even more crowded when Damien Harris returns from IR. Still, it’s encouraging for New England that Michel, who has not exactly lived up to his status as a former first-rounder, looked as good as he did.
- The Bills signed cornerback Tre’Davious White to a massive extension shortly before the season started, a deal that temporarily positioned him as the highest-paid CB in the league in terms of AAV ($17.25MM). But as Jason Wolf of the Buffalo News writes, some league observers believe Buffalo came out ahead in that deal, as Jalen Ramsey signed a five-year, $105MM extension shortly after the ink dried on White’s contract. The NFL world knew that Ramsey’s deal was coming soon, so pundits like Joel Corry of CBS Sports believe White could have gotten himself at least $19MM per year if he had been more patient, and that the Bills were wise to strike when they did. Of course, with $55MM in guaranteed money coming his way, most people won’t be too sad for White.