Browns Hope Josh Gordon Will Be Ready For Week 1
After Josh Gordon‘s much-anticipated return to the Browns yesterday, Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson expressed his hope that Gordon will be ready to go when the team opens up the regular season against the division-rival Steelers on September 9. Jackson said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, “There’s a chance. Obviously, we’re just going to take it one step at a time. His focus is going to be on meetings and conditioning, and then we’ll just kind of go from there. Hopefully, we can get him up and running by the first game.”
As we learned yesterday, Gordon was placed on the active/non-football injury list, which means that he can start practicing as soon as the Browns’ medical team gives him the green light. Until that happens, he can attend meetings and conditioning sessions, but if he is going to play in Week 1, he obviously needs to return to the practice field as soon as possible (though Jackson expressed his belief that Gordon developed sufficient chemistry and understanding of the offense in OTAs and minicamp).
Interestingly, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes that the league has plenty of say as to when Gordon will make a full return. He writes that, while many reporters have “parroted” the notion that the process has been controlled by a proactive Gordon, this tweet from Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, which quotes NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, suggests otherwise. The tweet says that, since Gordon is still in the league’s substance abuse program, he needs to meet certain conditions before playing, and then it quotes McCarthy as saying, “this [is} part of the process. Can attend meeting, do conditioning. Can go to practice, but not participate. No timetable on next step.”
Florio says it’s clear that Gordon’s ability to practice and to play will be subject to league approval, which means that something happened during Gordon’s treatment plan that triggered his absence in the first place. If Gordon truly did keep himself out of training camp, Florio says he would have been instantly reinstated with no restrictions of any kind upon his return.
The way this situation has played out not only suggests that the league has been directly involved, per Florio, but that the NFL is also realizing that overly-aggressive application of its substance abuse policy is not helpful to either the player or the league. Instead, it appears that the NFL has opted to work with Gordon in this case instead of running him out of the league — another misstep on Gordon’s part would result in at least another year-long suspension — which jibes with a piece from Tony Grossi of ESPN 850 WKNR, who says that commissioner Roger Goodell has been sympathetic to Gordon since the two men had a face-to-face meeting last November.
Grossi also opines that, since the Browns have finally upgraded their receiving corps, Gordon may need the team more than the team needs him for the first time in their tumultuous history together, which may be the motivation he needs to stay on the right track.
Jackson, though, made no guarantees that Gordon is back for good. He said, “I’m confident that he’s here. That’s the most important part. How long he stays, only Josh knows that, but he’s in a much better place. I think all those things, as you guys know, are always fluid. That’s always a concern, but at the same time, we’re here to support, help and try to create the right environments for Josh.”
Colts Rejected Seahawks’ Offer For Jacoby Brissett
From a statistical standpoint, Jacoby Brissett was not especially impressive as the Colts’ starting signal-caller last season, but teams apparently saw enough in the former third-round pick to try and pry him away from Indianapolis this year. We heard back in March that the Colts had rejected two trade offers for Brissett — though the identities of the two teams and the strength of the offers were not known — and Colts owner Jim Irsay recently said that his club would not even trade Brissett for a first-round pick.
While it’s unlikely that the Colts have been tempted with a first-rounder, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports that the Seahawks did recently offer a second-round choice to Indianapolis in exchange for Brissett, and the Colts declined. Seattle, of course, does not need a starting quarterback with Russell Wilson under center, but the team apparently believes it could upgrade its backup situation. Austin Davis, who served as the team’s No. 2 QB last year, has not attempted a regular season pass since 2015, and the other quarterback on the roster, Alex McGough, is a rookie and was a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft. Seattle recently worked out Josh Johnson, which also suggests the team is not sold on either Davis or McGough should Wilson be forced to miss time.
The Colts, meanwhile, are thrilled to have Andrew Luck back and apparently healthy, but given his serious and well-documented shoulder problems, it is understandable that they would like to have a capable backup should Luck suffer any more setbacks.
Brissett is under contract through the 2019 season. Last year, his first as a full-time starter, he complied a 4-11 record and an 81.7 quarterback rating, throwing for 3,098 yards and 13 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He did rush for an additional 260 yards and four scores, and given his relative inexperience, the Colts’ porous offensive line, and the fact that he was traded from New England to Indianapolis just before the 2017 regular season began, he did about as well as could be expected (as evidenced by the trade interest he has generated).
Jamaal Charles To Visit Redskins
The Redskins’ search for running back depth continues, as the team is set to meet with free agent Jamaal Charles today, per ESPN’s Josina Anderson (via Twitter). Washington is also planning to work out Orleans Darkwa today.
Washington lost presumptive starter Derrius Guice to a torn ACL during the team’s first preseason game, and Samaje Perine is expected to miss at least a week with an ankle injury, so Rob Kelley, Chris Thompson, and Kapri Bibbs are the team’s only healthy backs at the moment. While Thompson offers upside as a pass-catcher out of the backfield and as a change-of-pace back, the Redskins could really use some more help.
Enter Darkwa and Charles. Darkwa was a bright spot in an otherwise miserable season for the division-rival Giants in 2017, posting career-highs in starts (11), rushes (171), yards (751), and touchdowns (five). Advanced metrics were generally fond of his play, and he has generated plenty of interest this offseason.
Charles, meanwhile, made it through the 2017 campaign healthy — which was an accomplishment in and of itself — but aside from that, it was not an especially memorable season for the 31-year-old. The two-time All-Pro, who was one of the most exciting players in the league before being plagued by extensive knee trouble, racked up just 69 carries for the Broncos last year, and while he led all Denver ball-carriers with a 4.3 YPC average, he was a healthy scratch to close out the year and was frustrated with his lack of playing time.
Charles did meet with the Saints back in June, but we have not heard of any other interest in his services.
Chiefs Sign Orlando Scandrick
After meeting with him last Tuesday, the Chiefs have signed cornerback Orlando Scandrick, as the team officially announced this morning. ESPN’s Field Yates was the first to report (Twitter link) that Kansas City was set to sign Scandrick, and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets that it will be a one-year, $1.5MM deal for the veteran DB.
Scandrick, who spent the first 10 years of his professional career with the Cowboys after Dallas selected him in the fifth round of the 2008 draft, signed a two-year pact with the Redskins back in March. Washington, however, made the somewhat surprising move to cut Scandrick last week, putting him back on the open market.
Although Pro Football Focus painted Scandrick as one of the 15 worst qualified cornerbacks in the NFL in 2017 — and the advanced metrics have not been kind to him since 2014 — Redskins head coach Jay Gruden indicated that the Boise State product was not released because of poor performance during his brief time in Washington. Gruden said, “It has nothing to do with his play. It was really the emergence of the rookies and [we] wanted Orlando to latch on to another team.”
Financially, Scandrick’s release has not worked out well for him. His two-year deal with the Redskins was worth $7MM and could have climbed to $9-10MM if he had hit certain incentives, but he collected only his $1MM signing bonus with Washington before being let go and will earn just $1.5MM with Kansas City this year.
Nonetheless, Scandrick should see a fair amount of playing time. The Chiefs project to use newcomers Kendall Fuller and David Amerson as their top corners, but Scandrick will otherwise be battling for snaps with players like Steven Nelson and Will Redmond.
Kansas City was one of the clubs in the market for Bashaud Breeland, but the Scandrick acquisition likely means that Breeland will not be signing with the Chiefs.
NFC Notes: Donald, Giants, Cash, Lions
The Aaron Donald saga may finally be nearing a conclusion. Rams GM Les Snead indicated earlier this week that team and player were progressing towards a new deal, and head coach Sean McVay echoed those sentiments last night. Per Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic (Twitter link), McVay said, “there’s increased dialogue. There’s more…we feel positive about the direction that these things are going. I think there’s a level of urgency that’s being displayed from us.” That probably sounds like music to the ears of Rams fans, who have legitimate championship dreams this season.
Now let’s take a quick look at a few more notes from the NFC:
- Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com tweets that Giants quarterback Kyle Lauletta is getting reps with the second team today, which is the first time Dunleavy can recall that happening. 2017 third-rounder Davis Webb was said to have a big lead on Lauletta for Big Blue’s backup job coming out of minicamp, but this could be a sign that Lauletta, a 2018 fourth-round pick, is closing the gap. Webb, of course, was selected by New York’s prior regime, while Lauletta has the benefit of being chosen by the team’s new crop of decision-makers.
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that Cardinals LB Jeremy Cash sustained a knee injury during last night’s preseason game that is believed to be season-ending. That is a tough blow for the Duke product, who has bounced around a few different teams since entering the league but who had a real chance of cracking Arizona’s 53-man roster this season. The Cardinals claimed him off waivers in March.
- Good news for 49ers fans, as right guard Joshua Garnett has returned to practice after missing two weeks to deal with his right knee issue, per Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter). Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweets that Garnett’s primary competitor for San Francisco’s right guard job, Jonathan Cooper, is also on hand, so perhaps the competition can finally begin in earnest. This comes just a week after a report that the 49ers were growing increasingly concerned about Garnett’s knee problems.
- Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press offers his take on the prospects of a few different Lions after the team’s first preseason game several nights ago. He says it is only a matter of time before rookie Kerryon Johnson becomes Detroit’s starting tailback, though Ameer Abdullah also looked good and was the first man up on kick and punt returns. Birkett adds that Jake Rudock‘s rough night, combined with Matt Cassel‘s ties to head coach Matt Patricia, have increased Cassel’s chances of opening the season as the club’s backup QB.
- The Bears signed running back/return specialist Knile Davis earlier today.
Latest On Broncos’ QB Situation
It is never wise to read too much into preseason games, particularly the first preseason game. But after the Broncos’ current backup signal-caller, Paxton Lynch, played miserably in last night’s loss to the Vikings, writers and fans are understandably wondering whether Chad Kelly — who looked quite good outside of one interception — will begin taking reps with the second team.
Case Keenum, whom Denver signed to be its starting QB after he shocked the world with an excellent 2017 campaign for Minnesota, did not play very well in his first real action for the Broncos either, but his job is secure (even though it must have been a little painful for Broncos fans to watch Kirk Cousins, deemed too expensive by Denver’s front office, march his Vikings down the field for a touchdown in his only drive of the night). The real question is how long Lynch, who has been abjectly terrible since the Broncos traded up to draft him in the first round of the 2016 draft, will remain the team’s No. 2 QB (or, for that matter, how long he will remain on the roster).
Both Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post and Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic (Twitter link) believe that the team has to bring in a veteran QB to be Keenum’s backup, either through trade or free agency. Kiszla goes so far as to say that GM John Elway made an egregious error in signing Keenum over Cousins, as Cousins is clearly the superior player, and Kiszla calls Elway’s decision penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Kelly, a 2017 seventh-rounder who missed his entire rookie campaign as he recovered from wrist and knee surgeries, was 14-of-21 for 177 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception last night, while Lynch was 6-of-11 for 24 yards and an interception. Lynch was also booed pretty emphatically by his hometown fans, who began “KELL-Y! KELL-Y!” chants while the former Mr. Irrelevant was on the field.
There were already rumblings earlier this week that Kelly could become Keenum’s backup, and head coach Vance Joseph did nothing to dispel that notion after last night’s game. Joseph said, “We’ll see. We’ll watch the tape and see where we are. Obviously Case is the starter, so that’s my main concern. But Chad, he’s played well. He played well tonight outside of the one interception. He is a guy that plays with a lot of confidence” (Twitter link via Jhabvala).
The current list of free agent quarterbacks is fairly uninspiring, but a player like Teddy Bridgewater could be available via trade if the Broncos do indeed choose to go that route.
AFC East Rumors: Mack, Brady, Hughes
The Raiders and star defender Khalil Mack are embroiled in contract negotiations that could result in Mack being traded. If that happens, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com suggests that the Jets should pounce. Gang Green has little pass rushing talent at the moment, and the club has $82MM of projected cap room in 2019, with only one big contract (Leonard Williams) on the horizon. Oakland would demand at least a first-round pick in return, and in addition to negotiating a high-level trade, the Jets would also need to work out a long-term deal with Mack. Those types of deals are difficult to pull off, and it is still unlikely that the Raiders part with Mack, whom they can keep under club control through three more seasons if they so choose. However, if Oakland does begin entertaining offers, Cimini would not be surprised if the Jets are one of the first teams to jump on the phone.
Let’s take a look at a few more rumors from the AFC East:
- Jets OLB Lorenzo Mauldin is still around because of New York’s aforementioned dearth of pass rushers, but Mauldin, a 2015 third-round pick, has been dogged by injuries throughout his brief career, and he hasn’t been particularly effective even when he’s gotten on the field. As such, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets that Mauldin could be cut sooner rather than later, and that New York could let him go with an injury settlement (Mauldin is currently dealing with a leg issue that kept him out of the team’s preseason opener).
- In a full-length piece, Mehta says that Brandon Copeland, a former UDFA out of UPenn who signed a one-year deal with the Jets this offseason after missing all of 2017, has been very impressive in camp and has been taking first-team reps over the past few days. Given the Jets’ pass rushing needs, Copeland has a real chance to get plenty of playing time this season.
- We have written extensively on Tom Brady‘s new contract with the Patriots in recent days, and the moral of the story is that it looks as if Brady will continue playing through at least the 2019 season, and that the two sides could come to terms on another new deal next year in order to push some of Brady’s increased 2019 cap number into 2020. However, as Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets, since Brady and the Pats officially put pen to paper on August 9, 2018, they can’t renegotiate his contract again until August 9, 2019.
- Trent Brown, whom the Patriots acquired via trade with the 49ers earlier this offseason, is the favorite to replace Nate Solder as New England’s starting left tackle, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Brown is eligible for unrestricted free agency next year, so he will have plenty of incentive to perform at a high level.
- Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News calls 2018 the most critical season of Bills DE Jerry Hughes‘ career. Hughes’ volatile on-field personality could be overlooked when he was posting double-digit sack totals earlier in his career, but his sack numbers have slumped since he signed a five-year, $45MM in 2015, so the unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties are a little harder to stomach. His $10.4MM salary in 2018 is the highest on the Bills, and while Buffalo could have cut him this offseason and saved a little cap room, the team could save $7.5MM by releasing him after the 2018 campaign, so he may need to show a return to his early-career form to stay in Buffalo and earn another $10.4MM next year. For what it’s worth, the Bills think Hughes’ sack numbers will be improved with the addition of Trent Murphy and (hopefully) some growth out of Shaq Lawson. Plus, Hughes did grade as a top-10 run defender (among edge players) last season, in Pro Football Focus’ view.
- The Bills shook up their defensive line rotation earlier today.
- The Dolphins are visiting with the increasingly-popular Bashaud Breeland today.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/18
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Alex Carter
- Placed on IR: S Damian Parms
Denver Broncos
- Waived: OL Leon Johnson
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Quan Bray
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: CB Kevin Peterson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Claimed off waivers: CB De’Vante Harris
- Waived: CB Aaron Davis,
New Orleans Saints
- Waived:G Trevor Darling
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Elijah Battle, LB Jason Hall, C Marcus Henry
- Waived: FB Jalston Fowler, TE Je’Ron Hamm, LB Warren Long
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Tony Washington, LB Davond Dade, DL Francis Kallon
- Waived: LB/FB Nick DeLuca, S Joshua Kalu
Bears Sign Knile Davis, Cut Kaleb Johnson
The Bears have signed free agent running back Knile Davis, as Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk reports. In a corresponding move, the team has released offensive lineman Kaleb Johnson, who was signed just last week.
In Chicago, Davis will reunite with Matt Nagy, the Bears’ new head coach who served as the Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach during Davis’ first three seasons in Kansas City (the Chiefs selected Davis, an Arkansas product, in the third round of the 2013 draft). The Chiefs elevated Nagy to offensive coordinator in 2016, and they traded Davis to the Packers for a conditional draft pick in October of that year. Green Bay released him just two weeks later, and Davis re-signed with Kansas City shortly thereafter.
Davis was reasonably effective during his first two years in the league, rushing for 705 yards and 10 touchdowns as a change-of-pace back. He also ran back a kickoff for a touchdown in 2013 and 2014, and even though his workload as a running back was dramatically reduced in 2015, he still returned 29 kicks.
However, he was released by the Steelers before the start of the 2017 campaign, and he was not picked up by any other club (though he did work out for the Jets last September). As Williams notes, if Davis is to crack Chicago’s roster, he will likely have to do so on the strength of his return ability. The Bears boast a fairly crowded backfield, headlined by Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, but Davis does appear to have a fan in Nagy.
Bills Sign Tyrunn Walker, Cut John Hughes
The Bills have made a switch in their defensive line rotation, signing Tyrunn Walker and cutting John Hughes, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Hughes suffered a groin injury in the team’s first preseason game on Thursday, which triggered his release.
Interestingly, Buffalo was also considering Walker when it signed Hughes in June, but it preferred Hughes at the time because he is more of a “space eater” than Walker. Both men have primarily served as backups in their respective careers, though Walker was more productive than Hughes in 2017. The 28-year-old Walker finished with 22 tackles, one sack, and four passes defended in 16 games (four starts) for the Rams last year, while Hughes played just eight games (no starts) for the Saints and compiled 10 tackles. He tore his bicep late in the season and landed on injured reserve as a result.
Walker, who has also suited up for the Saints and Lions in his career, auditioned for the Jets earlier this offseason, and New Orleans also considered bringing him back into the fold. He experienced a major legal scare last June when he was accused of rape, but he was later cleared by a grand jury.
He will battle for snaps behind starters Star Lotulelei and Kyle Williams.