Ravens Release Earl Thomas
11:37am: The Ravens have released Thomas, the team announced. The wording of the announcement suggests that Baltimore will indeed attempt to void his $10MM guaranteed salary for 2020 for conduct detrimental to the team.
9:12am: The Ravens will trade or release star safety Earl Thomas, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). Thomas got into a physical altercation with teammate Chuck Clark at practice on Friday, and the team sent the three-time First Team All-Pro home on Saturday. Baltimore told Thomas to stay away from the facility today, so it definitely sounded like a parting of the ways was in the works.
Schefter notes in a separate tweet that the Cowboys, who have long been connected to Thomas, are once again a candidate to land him. The ESPN scribe adds that Baltimore has been trying to complete a trade throughout the weekend, though obviously nothing has materialized just yet (Twitter link). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) that the 49ers and Texans could also be in the mix, while Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News says the Cowboys will not trade for Thomas (Twitter link). Dallas could make a play for him if he is released.
The Ravens’ decision comes just one year after they landed Thomas, arguably the best safety of his generation, on a four-year, $55MM free agent contract. So any club that trades for the 31-year-old would be taking on the remainder of that hefty deal, though Thomas could certainly agree to some sort of restructure in order to facilitate a trade.
Without such a restructure, the Ravens would see a $15MM dead cap charge this year, though Thomas was set to count $15MM against the cap if he stayed with Baltimore, so that’s basically a wash. However, the Ravens would be left with a $10MM dead money hit in 2021 (when the salary cap is likely to be reduced), making this a major financial issue.
Of course, the Ravens don’t have a ton of leverage in trade talks right now, so a release could be forthcoming. If that happens, then obviously the same dead money charges would apply, though Baltimore could try to void Thomas’ guaranteed $10MM salary for 2020 for conduct detrimental to the team, thereby alleviating the burden. Thomas would almost certainly grieve such a move, but Baltimore would stand a good chance of succeeding in the grievance process. After all, the altercation started when Clark, Thomas’ would-be running mate at safety, became upset after Thomas blew a coverage assignment. Clark slammed his helmet to the ground, and Thomas escalated matters by throwing a punch. Thomas later posted a video of the play itself on social media, which is clearly prohibited.
That the Ravens are willing to take on a potentially massive dead cap hit while parting ways with a player like Thomas is indicative of just how bad of a fit he was in the team’s locker room. The incident with Clark, who is well-respected by his teammates, angered a number of prominent players, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic details. And last year, Thomas was late for or missed several team and position meetings, and he reportedly already missed one position meeting this year.
His Ravens teammates had grown weary of his antics and wanted him gone, but they might very well miss his on-field presence. Though Thomas struggled in the early portion of the 2019 campaign as he learned Baltimore’s defensive system, his play improved considerably as the year went on, and opposing offenses generally avoided him. He did not make many splash plays, but he was consistently strong in coverage and earned his seventh career Pro Bowl nod.
For now, Thomas will be replaced by DeShon Elliot, a promising young player who has dealt with injury problems in the early stages of his career. Elliott was selected in the sixth round of the 2018 draft.
Eagles, TE Zach Ertz Resume Negotiations
Eagles’ star tight end Zach Ertz is under contract through 2021, but the two sides have been exploring an extension just same. After months of silence on that front, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer says contract talks have resumed.
Given the recent developments in the tight end market, that is not altogether surprising. The 49ers agreed to a historic contract with George Kittle earlier this month, and the Chiefs reached an accord with Travis Kelce almost immediately thereafter. As Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com observes, the Eagles had been monitoring the Kittle and Kelce situations, and Philadelphia could finalize something with Ertz in the coming weeks (video link).
But as McLane points out, although the Kittle and Kelce extensions have provided meaningful comps for an Ertz deal, they also added a few complications. The 49ers and Chiefs standouts have similar average annual values ($15MM for Kittle, $14.3MM for Kelce), but there are major differences. For instance, Kelce’s deal is more backloaded — he won’t be taking home any new money in 2020 — and Kittle received significantly more in guarantees.
And that makes sense, given that Kelce is four years older and is not called upon to block as much. Ertz is a year younger than Kelce, but both were selected in the 2013 draft, and while Ertz is generally a capable blocker, he is not the force that Kittle is. Plus, Kelce (like Ertz) had two years left on his prior contract before signing his extension, whereas Kittle was entering the final year of his previous deal.
So look for Philadelphia to push for a contract more akin to Kelce’s. Philadelphia may feel even more justified in doing so given the presence of Dallas Goedert. The third-year pro has shown that he could be up to the task of replacing Ertz, and while the Eagles would like to keep both, their salary cap situation may make that more difficult. If Ertz wants to finish his career in the City of Brotherly Love, as he has repeatedly stated, he may have to accept something of a team-friendly re-up.
Speaking of Goedert, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network says the South Dakota State product suffered a hairline fracture in his thumb earlier this week (Twitter link). Luckily, it’s not a significant injury, and Goedert could return to the field with a splint in the coming days.
The Eagles tried to further bolster their TE group by submitting a waiver claim for Andrew Vollert a few days ago, as Mike Jones of USA Today tweets. The Colts, though, had higher waiver priority and therefore obtained Vollert’s rights.
COVID-19 Test Results Cause Concern
NFL training camps had been rolling right along with very few COVID-19 cases. The positivity rate had been less than 1% (and dropping), and as of this morning, only four players league-wide were on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
But the NFL released a statement today indicating that yesterday’s testing returned several positive results from each team that is serviced by the same lab in New Jersey. The league is investigating those results, the impacted teams are working to confirm or deny the positive tests, and clubs around the league are taking precautionary measures, including altering or cancelling football activities today. The full statement can be found here, courtesy of Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (on Twitter).
Luckily, it appears this might just be a issue with the testing site. Indeed, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Times tweets, the Bears’ testing on Saturday yielded nine positive tests, but it turned out that all nine were false positives. The Bears have simply pushed back today’s morning practice to later in the afternoon, and at least a few clubs that aren’t serviced by the New Jersey location are practicing as normal.
Of course, even false positives during the regular season could force games to be canceled or force healthy players to sit out, so it may be a blessing in disguise that this has happened now so that the league will be better equipped to handle lab irregularities in the future. As of now, today’s news just seems to be a blip in the radar, but it is obviously worth keeping an eye on.
Raiders Sign LB Kyle Emanuel, RB Theo Riddick
The Raiders have been busy this weekend. Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the club is signing linebacker Kyle Emanuel (Twitter link), and Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com tweets that the Raiders have signed running back Theo Riddick to a one-year pact.
Emanuel, 29, was selected by the division-rival Chargers in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, and he completed his four-year rookie pact with the team before announcing in April 2019 that he was retiring from the game. He appeared in 63 out of a possible 64 contests with the Bolts, including 33 starts, but he only topped 50% playing time once during that span. He was, however, a consistent force on special teams.
Before Emanuel stepped away, several teams were interested in his services (including the Raiders). He announced in March 2020 that he was coming out of retirement, and Pelissero says the North Dakota State product was again generating some attention on the open market. But Emanuel saw an opportunity to win in Vegas, so he put pen to paper with the Raiders.
He also likely saw an opportunity for playing time with the Silver-and-Black. The Raiders signed Nick Kwiatkoski and Cory Littleton this offseason, but Emanuel could theoretically push Nicholas Morrow and third-round rookie Tanner Muse for playing time on the weak side while showing off his ST acumen.
Riddick, who established himself as one of the league’s better receiving backs during his six-year stint with the Lions, also sat out the 2019 season, but that was due to injury, not retirement. Detroit released him last July, and the Broncos scooped him up shortly thereafter, but he suffered a shoulder fracture in the preseason that ultimately kept him sidelined for the entire campaign.
Though he has posted a mediocre 3.6 yards-per-carry average in his career, he has 285 career catches for 2,238 yards and 14 TDs. He will have a chance to reassert himself as a reliable pass catcher in Vegas behind RB1 Josh Jacobs.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/21/20
Here are today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on IR: CB Robert Alford
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: OL Scottie Dill
Chicago Bears
- Placed on IR: TE Darion Clark
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed (from Panthers): TE Andrew Vollert
New York Jets
- Signed: S Anthony Cioffi
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: WR Saeed Blacknall
Bills, Ravens Monitoring Ziggy Ansah
The Bills and Ravens have free agent DE Ziggy Ansah on their radar, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Ansah has sent a workout video of himself to NFL teams in an effort to show that he is fully recovered from his recent shoulder injuries.
Of course, Ansah and Jadeveon Clowney were supposed to be an edge rushing nightmare for the Seahawks last year, but things didn’t work out as planned. Clowney managed just three sacks and Ansah posted only 2.5 sacks in eleven games. Still, the potential is there – Ansah registered 12 sacks in 2017 for the Lions, and he would be a serious threat if he could regain his old form. Now another year removed from the shoulder surgery that marred his 2018 season and delayed his 2019 debut, he profiles as a potential low-risk/high-reward pickup.
The 49ers brought Ansah in for a workout earlier this month, but it’s presently unclear where things stand on that front. Buffalo and Baltimore, meanwhile, both boast strong defenses that could nonetheless benefit from another pass rusher.
The Bills bid adieu to last season’s sack leaders, Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson, in free agency, though they did add Iowa standout AJ Epenesa in the second round of this year’s draft. The Ravens, meanwhile, don’t have much by way of proven edge rushing depth behind Matt Judon, and while the club has been loosely connected to Clowney and Yannick Ngakoue, the price tag for either player probably puts them out of Baltimore’s range.
Ansah, 31, has one Pro Bowl to his credit, which came after a 14.5-sack campaign in 2015. The fifth overall pick of the 2013 draft appears ready to sign with a new team as soon as possible.
Bucs’ T.J. Logan Likely To Miss Season
T.J. Logan just can’t catch a break. Per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Logan sustained a patellar tendon injury in yesterday’s practice and is likely to miss the season (Twitter link).
A fifth-round pick of the Cardinals in the 2017 draft, Logan missed his entire rookie campaign due to an injured wrist. He got some work as a kick returner in 2018, but Arizona waived him before the start of the 2019 campaign.
The Bucs claimed him off waivers, and he became Tampa’s primary return specialist, handling 13 punts and 13 kickoffs. Unfortunately, a thumb injury suffered last December cut his season a bit short, and now he will have to wait until 2021 to get back on the field.
A running back by trade, Logan had a good chance to reprise his role as the Bucs’ kick returner in 2020, and he may have had the opportunity to see some time as a change-of-pace option in the backfield. He has nine receptions and five rushing attempts in his career.
Making matters worse is the fact that the injury came from friendly fire. Per Patrik Walker of CBS Sports, linebacker Quinton Bell tackled Logan from behind during a non-tackling period of practice, drawing the ire of his teammates and head coach Bruce Arians.
As James Palmer of the NFL Network tweets, Arians has indicated that rookie RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn could get a shot at return duties. In addition to Vaughn, a third-round choice, and seventh-rounder Raymond Calais, the Buccaneers signed veteran LeSean McCoy to buttress their rushing attack, fronted by the inconsistent Ronald Jones.
College Football Notes: Winter Season, Slater, Lance
Just like everything else in the world, college football has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. And the NFL, whose talent comes almost exclusively from the collegiate ranks, is willing to do whatever it can to make sure college football is played before the 2021 NFL draft.
As Albert Breer of SI.com writes, college coaches have discussed starting their season not in the spring, but on January 1, which would allow them to play out an eight-game season and even a postseason by mid-March. The NFL is willing to assist with that endeavor, whether that means offering its stadiums — like the Lions’ Ford Field — or pushing back its combine and draft.
Of course, the Big Ten and Pac-12 have already announced plans to postpone their fall schedules to the spring, but a winter season may make it more likely that top college prospects choose to play rather than declare for the draft. Either way, it seems inevitable that the NFL will need to make some serious adjustments to its 2021 offseason schedule, but the league seems prepared to do so.
Now for more collegiate notes that could have a major impact on the professional game:
- Northwestern OT Rashawn Slater is opting out of the 2020 season, per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Slater is viewed as one of the best O-line prospects in the country — he was one of the few players to limit Ohio State star Chase Young last year — and Thamel believes Slater will not fall out of the first round.
- Slater’s Big Ten colleague, Michigan CB Ambry Thomas, has also declared for the 2021 draft, a decision that Thomas himself announced via Twitter. Thomas just became a full-time contributor on defense in 2019, and he was excellent in press coverage. A likely Day 2 selection, he also has appeal as a kick returner.
- One of the country’s premier FCS programs, North Dakota State, will not be playing football in 2020, as Andrew Groover of the NFL Network tweets. NDSU quarterback Trey Lance, whom NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah has compared favorably to former Colts QB Andrew Luck, is a candidate to opt out of the program’s spring season and declare for the draft.
- Per Thamel, the NCAA Division I Council has decided that fall sport student-athletes can participate in any number of competitions this year without it counting towards their eligibility (Twitter link). So if, say, a senior in the SEC has a down season in 2020, he can return next year to try and rebuild his stock.
Chargers Guarantee Melvin Ingram’s 2020 Salary
Chargers defensive end Melvin Ingram had been sitting out of practice in hopes of getting a new deal. He doesn’t have a new deal yet, but he does have some newfound security.
As Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reports (via Twitter), Ingram signed an adjusted contract that guarantees his 2020 salary, which checks in at a hefty $14MM. While the Bolts were unlikely to cut Ingram to save that money, the 31-year-old is now assured of earning a very nice income this season. As such, he has returned to the practice field.
It’s unclear what, if anything, this means for contract talks between player and team, though both sides have benefited from their eight-year relationship. From 2015-18, Ingram started every game for the Chargers and averaged nine sacks per season. Though he missed three games last season due to injury, he collected his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod.
The South Carolina product may not be one of the league’s most feared pass rushers, but he is consistently able to apply pressure to opposing quarterbacks, and those types of players get paid handsomely in today’s NFL. He is shooting for one last big-money contract — he is entering the final year of the four-year, $66MM deal he signed in 2017 — and he has a good chance of getting it, whether that happens this season or in 2021.
If the Chargers’ key defenders can stay healthy this year, the club will have a good chance to rebound from a disappointing 2019 season and return to the playoffs.
Packers Eyeing David Bakhtiari Extension
Aaron Rodgers‘ longtime blindside protector, David Bakhtiari, is entering the final year of the four-year extension he signed with the Packers just before the 2016 campaign. He has more than lived up to that contract, earning two Pro Bowl nods and one First Team All-Pro bid over the past four seasons.
He is unquestionably one of the best left tackles in the league, and as Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network observes, Green Bay would love to get an extension finalized before Week 1 (Twitter link). After all, the LT market is rapidly heating up, and Bakhtiari’s deal now places him outside of the top-10 in terms of average annual value.
When asked back in June if there were any ongoing negotiations with the Packers, the soon-to-be 29-year-old was tight-lipped. Though he did commit 12 penalties in 2019, including a career-high five false starts, he chalked that up to learning a new offensive system. Indeed, he did not commit any penalties in the final four games of the campaign, and if he turns in a typical performance in 2020, he will have every right to demand a contract similar to the monstrous three-year, $66MM pact ($50MM guaranteed) that Laremy Tunsil recently signed with the Texans.
The Packers certainly would like to get Bakhtiari tethered to something a little more team-friendly, so it stands to reason that they would try to lock him up sooner rather than later. That is especially true in light of the expected salary cap decrease in 2021.
In other OL news for Green Bay, offseason acquisition Ricky Wagner left practice with a left arm injury yesterday, as Tom Silverstein and Jim Owczarski of PackersNews.com write. If Wagner misses an extended period of time, look for the club to line up 2019 right guard Billy Turner at right tackle and Lane Taylor at right guard.