Minor NFL Transactions: 10/21/18
Here are today’s minor moves:
New York Giants
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Quadree Henderson
- Waived: TE Garrett Dickerson
Steelers Owner Does Not Expect Le’Veon Bell Trade
12:07pm: Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports (via Twitter) that Bell’s agent did speak with the team about the terms of a two-week roster exemption late last week. That would seem to indicate that Bell is getting closer to reporting, but of course nothing will come easy in this never-ending drama. Glazer says that the Steelers do not want to pay Bell during the exemption period, which obviously will not sit well with Bell and his camp.
08:25am: Steelers owner Art Rooney II does not expect his team to trade running back Le’Veon Bell, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Of course, the trade deadline is just nine days away, and Bell has yet to report to the Steelers — which is just one of many obstacles to a Bell trade — so Rooney’s take may be more of a comment on the reality of the situation than anything else.
Indeed, although Rooney said “I expect [Bell] to be a member of the team going forward,” Rapoport writes that Rooney is resigned to the scenario that most around the league expect to play out: Bell will report to the team sometime soon, will form a potentially formidable 1-2 punch with fellow running back James Conner, and then sign with a different club in the offseason. Conner has been thriving in Bell’s stead and is averaging 4.4 yards per rush to go along with 26 catches for 257 yards in 6 games and seven scores.
Rooney appears just as uncertain as everyone else about exactly when Bell will show up, and there are some who believe that Bell will wait until after the trade deadline if he is not dealt before then. But Rooney said there has been no discussion of adding money back to Bell’s ever-dwindling franchise tag number to convince him to report, and he added that conversations between the Steelers and Bell’s agent have been minimal.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports confirms that no one in the organization has any clarity as to when Bell will report, and several Steelers execs do expect him to wait until after the deadline. Although the team could agree to trade terms with another club without Bell having signed his tender, and then allow Bell to speak with the acquiring team to complete the transaction, there has been very little movement on the trade front.
West Notes: Broncos, Bosa, Henry, Seahawks
Yesterday, 28-year-old Brittany Bowlen publicly confirmed her interest in one day becoming the Broncos‘ controlling owner. As Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic tweets, however, Bowlen’s interest had been known for some time, yesterday just marked the first time she went public with her feelings. Jhabvala also confirms that, if Bowlen does not become the controlling owner, the Pat Bowlen Trust will likely sell the club to an outside buyer.
Now let’s take a look at some more news and notes from the league’s west divisions:
- Chargers DE Joey Bosa will make his debut on November 4 against the Seahawks, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. That is the return date that the team has been targeting for some time, and Bosa will obviously provide a huge boost to the team’s pass rush and playoff aspirations.
- The news is not as good for Chargers TE Hunter Henry. Although there was some hope that Henry could return to the field this season, despite the fact that he tore his ACL in May, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that the odds of that happening are quite slim.
- La Canfora confirms a report from earlier this week that the Seahawks will eventually be sold in the wake of Paul Allen‘s death. Allen, who has no heirs and who did not intend to pass on the team to a specific person, did make plans and stipulations just the same. The NFL is reserving comment at this time and will allow the Seahawks to make Allen’s plans public when they choose to, but sources expect that the transfer of the team — likely for a price exceeding $2.3 billion — will take a similar course as the eventual sale of the Bills after Ralph Wilson‘s passing. In that case, Wilson had put a framework in place for the Bills to remain in Buffalo, and the team was ultimately sold to Terry Pegula, who already had strong ties to the region.
- 49ers sixth-round draft pick Marcell Harris was cleared to begin practice this week, the team announced, making him eligible to return as early as Week 9 against the Raiders. The strong safety was placed on IR after the team’s final cutdown, but the team left open the possibility that he could play this year. The Niners must activate him before Nov. 7 for him to be eligible to play. If he does play this year, it will snap an inactive streak that has been ongoing since he suffered a torn Achilles at Florida.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Trade Rumors: Raiders, Cooper, Cowboys, Broncos
The trade deadline is just nine days away, and earlier this morning, we learned that the Saints and Eagles could be two of the most aggressive teams as they seek to bolster their rosters for a potential championship run. Here are a few more notes from the trade market:
- Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link), many Raiders players believe that head coach Jon Gruden is simply not happy with his collection of talent, and that there will be major roster turnover within the next several years. In fact, those players feel it will take up to two years for Gruden to assemble the type of roster he wants, and while rival GMs are not sure they can swing a deal with Oakland GM Reggie McKenzie alone, they believe they can make headway with Gruden. The Raiders are clearly in a state of upheaval right now, and the sense is that everyone on the team is available for the right price.
- Raiders receiver Amari Cooper is clearly available via trade, and Rapoport says that the team has had the most significant discussions about Cooper with NFC East clubs, including the Cowboys. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com confirms that Dallas is doing its due diligence on Cooper, and Albert Breer of TheMMQB thinks there would be teams willing to part with a second-round choice for him, though it does not seem likely that Oakland will get the first-rounder it is reportedly seeking. Breer reports that the team wants a third-round pick in exchange for safety Karl Joseph.
- In addition to Cooper, the Cowboys are monitoring Dolphins WR DeVante Parker and Bills WR Kelvin Benjamin, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Eagles have also spoken to Miami about Parker, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).
- Teams are very much interested in Broncos receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders and corners Bradley Roby and Chris Harris, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Schefter writes that Denver is willing to part with Thomas, but not Sanders.
- The Jaguars are not mulling a trade for a quarterback to challenge incumbent Blake Bortles, per Schefter. Despite another mediocre season from Bortles, the Jags “believe that the quarterback position is the least of their issues.”
Saints, Eagles Could Be Aggressive At Trade Deadline
The Saints and Eagles are expected to be among the most aggressive teams in advance of the October 30 trade deadline, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, who adds that the two clubs are interested in a few of the same players.
Interestingly, La Canfora writes that Philadelphia is still monitoring the trade markets for Le’Veon Bell and LeSean McCoy, though recent reports surrounding both running backs suggest that they will be staying with their current teams. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer says it would not cost much to get McCoy, despite what the Bills have been saying, but it does not seem likely that the Eagles will reunite with their former star. Instead, in keeping with previous reports, it sounds as if the Eagles are content with their running back situation, and Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the team sees a defensive tackle, secondary help, and a field-stretching wide receiver as bigger priorities.
La Canfora also writes that the Eagles are seeking another receiving option and a quality corner, and he says the Saints are looking for upgrades at the same positions. The Raiders are said to be shopping Amari Cooper, who is probably the best wide receiver who could be had at the deadline, but Larry Fitzgerald and Emmanuel Sanders may also be in play. Meanwhile, Eli Apple, Gareon Conley, and Bradley Roby are some of the corners who have been attracting the interest of rival clubs.
The Saints are currently 4-1 and are atop the NFC South, and they are clearly in win-now mode as they hope to bring home another Lombardi Trophy before Drew Brees, 39, hangs up the cleats. The defending champion Eagles are just 3-3 but are very much alive in the wide open NFC East.
Mychal Kendricks To Meet With League Office
Seahawks linebacker Mychal Kendricks, who was suspended indefinitely earlier this month, will meet with the league office sometime this week to discuss his ban, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Kendricks’ suspension, of course, stems from his involvement in insider trading, to which he has pleaded guilty. He will be sentenced in January 2019 and could receive 30 to 37 months in prison.
As a result, Kendricks, his lawyers, and the NFLPA have been battling to prove that the NFL does not have the right to impose an indefinite suspension under these circumstances. Although the indefinite suspension was upheld on appeal, arbitrator Harold Henderson’s written ruling suggested that a more specific punishment should be forthcoming. Some sources familiar with the situation, however, believe the league wants to postpone such a decision until after Kendricks is sentenced.
Florio opines that the NFL should impose a suspension of a fixed number of games and should do it quickly out of fairness to Kendricks. He adds that, since the standard punishment for first-time domestic violence offenders is a six-game suspension, Kendricks should be banned for at most four games, and Florio says there is no good reason a decision in that regard has not been made already. Kendricks’ suspension has forced him to miss Seattle’s last two contests, though the team is on a bye this week.
He was playing well in his brief time as a Seahawk, posting 15 tackles and two sacks in three games with the club. Seattle, at 3-3, would certainly like to have him back soon, and Kendricks — who may be 31 when he is released from prison — is obviously anxious to get back on the field while he still can.
AFC East Notes: McCoy, Bills, Wake, Pats
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says the odds of the Bills trading any veterans — like RB LeSean McCoy, whose name has recently surfaced in trade rumors — are very slim. La Canfora writes that it would take a “bounty” to pry McCoy or Jerry Hughes away from Buffalo, as the team considers both players, who are both signed beyond this season to club-friendly deals, to be vital veteran components of its rebuild. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com agrees, saying it could take as much as a second-round draft pick to land McCoy.
Now let’s round up a few more notes from the AFC East, starting with more from Orchard Park:
- This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but Rapoport tweets that the Bills have no intention of playing newly-acquired signal-caller Derek Anderson, barring injury. Anderson is with the club to tutor rookie QB Josh Allen, not to take any of his playing time.
- From the “something to keep an eye on” department, Jenna Cottrell of 13 WHAM tweets that Allen asked wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin if he wanted to work on routes during pregame warm-ups today, and Benjamin told him no. The Bills acquired Benjamin at the trade deadline last year but have not gotten much production out of him, and he does not appear especially motivated to perform well in his platform year.
- Dolphins DE Cameron Wake recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery but could be back as soon as next week, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Normally such a procedure would require a four-week recovery period, but Wake is such a quick healer that he may make it back in a fraction of that time.
- Mike Reiss of ESPN.com observes that Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty is on pace to recoup the money that he lost when he agreed to a pay cut before the regular season. New England gave him the opportunity to make up the difference via incentives, and McCourty is well on his way to hitting those incentives. The same cannot be said for Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, however.
- Reiss also notes that Kenjon Barner, who has been shuttled on and off of the Patriots‘ roster several times since September 12, may have a little more job security right now. Barner’s former club, the Eagles, are very much in need of RB help, and the Pats know that if they cut Barner again, they may not get him back.
- Darryl Slater of NJ.com tweets that Jets defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers, who is dealing with a serious illness, is on the sidelines for the team’s game against the Colts today. It does not sound as if he has resumed his coordinator responsibilities yet, but it is a good sign nonetheless.
Tyler Kroft Has Broken Bone In Foot; Latest On Preston Brown
The news keeps getting worse for the Bengals and their tight ends. After losing Tyler Eifert for the season due to a broken ankle, Cincinnati will be without Tyler Kroft for at least the next several weeks, if not the entire season, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Kroft left the team’s Week 5 win over the Dolphins with a right foot injury, and as it turns out, he has a broken bone in his foot. Schefter reports that Kroft will meet with a specialist within the next several weeks to determine whether he can play through the injury or if he will need season-ending surgery.
It’s a tough blow for Kroft, who emerged during Eifert’s absence last season to post 42 catches for 404 yards and seven scores. That performance even had Kroft, who is in the last year of his rookie contract, thinking about a lucrative multi-year extension, which is probably not in the cards at this point. Before his injury, Kroft had managed just four catches for 36 yards in 2018, and he was being considerably out-snapped by C.J. Uzomah (who, like Kroft, was a 2015 draft choice). It appears that Uzomah will remain Andy Dalton‘s top tight end for the rest of the season, even if Kroft is able to come back, though Cincinnati added some depth to the position earlier this week by plucking Matt Lengel off the Texans’ practice squad.
Meanwhile, Bengals linebacker Preston Brown is dealing with a painful injury of his own. An ankle injury forced him to miss two games earlier this year — the first games he ever missed during his five-year career — and he re-aggravated that injury during last week’s Dolphins game. Paul Dehner Jr. and Fletcher Page of the Cincinnati Enquirer report that Brown will not be completely healed for some time, but he will attempt to battle through the next three games before the team’s Week 9 bye, which he is very much looking forward to.
Raiders Shopping Amari Cooper, Karl Joseph
11:34am: The Raiders are also looking to deal wideout Amari Cooper, per Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (video link). Vic Tafur of The Athletic explains that it makes sense for the Raiders to be shopping Cooper now (via Twitter), because he will be on the last year of his rookie deal in 2019, and it looks as though Oakland is priming for a multi-year rebuild. And if Gruden traded Mack when he thought the team couldn’t contend, it stands to reason that he would be willing to trade Cooper as well.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out that Mack, Joseph, and Cooper are all represented by the same agent, Joel Segal, and it could be that the team’s willingness to trade those players is motivated at least in part by its unwillingness to negotiate with the man who won a stare down with Gruden during the Mack negotiations.
08:52am: When the Raiders hired Jon Gruden in January, it became immediately clear that seventh-year GM Reggie McKenzie and the club would be parting ways in the near future. After all, the Raiders made an enormous commitment to Gruden while giving him a significant amount of McKenzie’s power over roster construction, so the writing has been on the wall for some time. And, despite the fact that Gruden’s evaluation methods have created tension within the team’s personnel department, he is continuing his mission to rid the roster of talent that he inherited from McKenzie, which he has clearly been unhappy with.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the Raiders are shopping 2016 first-round pick Karl Joseph, who has struggled with injuries during his brief career. La Canfora says that Joseph, who sat out the past two games with a hamstring injury, has also fallen out of favor with Oakland’s new staff.
Of course, Joseph’s senior year at West Virginia was cut short by a knee injury, and many teams placed a second- or third-round grade on him as a result. But the Raiders, then led by McKenzie, believed enough in Joseph’s talent to make him the No. 14 overall selection in the 2016 draft, and while he has certainly not played poorly with the Raiders, he has not exactly lived up to his draft status either. As such, it is unlikely the Raiders would be able to get much for him, especially as he is entering the most expensive year(s) of his rookie deal.
The Raiders have already tried to cut ties with Joseph’s fellow safety, 2017 second-rounder Obi Melifonwu, who is currently on IR but who has probably played his last down for Oakland. La Canfora also says that the team is willing to trade veteran Derrick Johnson, whom Gruden brought in to serve as Oakland’s starting middle linebacker this offseason. Johnson, who will turn 36 next month, is obviously not a part of the Raiders’ future plans.
Gruden has already shown a willingness to part with top-flight talent when he traded Khalil Mack before the start of the regular season, and La Canfora says that Gruden could soon be shopping another one of McKenzie’s prized draft picks, quarterback Derek Carr. The CBS scribe writes that a growing number of GMs believe Gruden could entertain offers for Carr in 2019, and it appears that the team will certainly be one of the busiest over the next couple of weeks, as the trade deadline looms on October 30.
NFC Rumors: P. Peterson, Winston, Peters
We heard last week that the Cardinals were at least willing to listen to trade offers for Deone Bucannon and Haason Reddick, and while GM Steve Keim later threw cold water on those rumors, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that Arizona is not only looking to deal Bucannon and Reddick, but that the team is also open to parting with star cornerback Patrick Peterson. Mike Jurecki of the team’s official website tweets that there is zero chance that the Cardinals move Peterson, but even if that’s the case, it seems apparent that the rebuilding Cards will be busy as we approach the October 30 trade deadline.
Now let’s take a look at a few more items out of the NFC:
- Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link) reports that Jameis Winston‘s job with the Buccaneers is pretty secure for the time being, but the rest of the season will be critical in determining Winston’s long-term future with the club. He is under club control through 2019 under the fifth-year option, but that option would cost the Bucs $20.9MM and is guaranteed for injury only, so if Winston performs poorly but remains healthy, Tampa Bay could conceivably cut ties after the 2018 season.
- La Canfora reports that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell tried to hire Falcons team president Rich McKay in recent years to oversee the league’s football operations, a department that has come under fire for its handling of Bountygate, Deflategate, and other scandals. However, the compensation committee, which has been trying to cut spending, would not authorize the creation of an expensive executive position like that, and there is nothing to indicate that anything will change in that regard, even if McKay were open to such a post (which he apparently was).
- Eagles LT Jason Peters suffered a torn biceps against the Giants on Thursday night, but Rapoport tweets that Peters is expected to return and play this season and could miss just a game or two. While Peters has not been performing to his usual standards in 2018, this is still obviously great news for Philadelphia.
- Redskins head coach Jay Gruden and cornerback Josh Norman have discussed the halftime incident that garnered some media attention earlier this week and have put the matter behind them, per Rapoport (video link). Rapoport says that Gruden stepped to the front of the locker room to address the team at halftime of Monday’s loss to the Saints, and Norman had his headphones on — as he always does at halftime — and had his back to Gruden, so did not know that the head coach had begun talking. Gruden took exception to what he perceived as a lack of attention and yanked the headphones of off Norman’s head, which obviously made Norman upset. Norman walked away from Gruden and was therefore benched to start the second half, but it does not sound as if this issue will be a lingering problem for the two men moving forward.
- The Packers, at 2-2-1, are clearly not performing as well as they would like, and Pete Dougherty of PackersNews.com has a couple of suggestions as to how Green Bay might shake things up. Dougherty believes the team should consider making a change at safety, either by giving Jermaine Whitehead a shot at starting or moving Bashaud Breeland into the rotation (when healthy), and he also believes Robert Tonyan should get more snaps at tight end.