Rams Grant LB Ernest Jones Permission To Seek Trade
3:52pm: While Jones could find himself on the move, he made it clear via an X post that he never requested a trade. It will be interesting to see how much of a market develops in the coming days and whether or not any offers reach a level where Los Angeles seriously considers a deal.
9:21am: The Rams have given linebacker Ernest Jones permission to seek a trade, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Jones is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Jones’ status as an extension candidate this offseason has been somewhat unclear. Back in March, we heard that Jones was on the club’s extension radar, but GM Les Snead said just a few days later that he would not authorize a new deal for the talented defender in 2024.
Earlier this month, however, Fowler himself reported that Jones is indeed a candidate for a second contract from the Rams, Los Angeles’ general unwillingness to pay big money to an off-ball LB notwithstanding. Fowler’s report from today notes that player and team have discussed an extension but have made no progress on that front. Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic adds that the Rams broke off negotiations in the spring (subscription required).
Regardless of when contract talks took place and when they broke down, the upshot is that Snead & Co. are evidently prepared to adhere to their standard operating proecudure when it comes to off-ball ‘backers and let Jones seek his second NFL deal elsewhere. And, considering Jones’ performance to date, there could be a number of clubs interested in his services.
In 2023, Jones recorded 145 tackles and 4.5 sacks across 15 games (all starts) while enjoying a 93% snap share. That production is not a mere byproduct of heavy volume, as the South Carolina alum graded out as the 13th-best linebacker in the league out of 82 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus’ metrics. Of his 145 tackles, 14 of them were behind the line of scrimmage.
Jones, 24, is also Los Angeles’ defensive signal-caller, so the club would need to get someone else to fill that role if a trade is consummated. According to Rodrigue, the Rams’ willingness to move Jones may be at least partially informed by the emergence of UDFA rookie Omar Speights, whom Snead said will make the team. If Snead has decided that a Jones extension is too expensive for the Rams, he may believe that recovering some draft capital for him now while getting an extended look at Speights is more valuable than retaining Jones for one more season.
However, given Jones’ talent and obvious importance to the Rams’ defense, it would seemingly take a rather strong trade offer to pry him away from a club that qualified for the playoffs last year and is eyeing another postseason run in 2024. Perhaps this is a case of a GM allowing other teams to establish a player’s market before extending an offer of his own — after all, interested clubs would surely want to have a multiyear deal in place with Jones before pulling the trigger on a trade — but in any event, Rodrigue says the situation is fluid. In other words, neither a trade nor an extension is imminent.
Titans P Ryan Stonehouse Expects To Be Ready For Week 1
Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse, one of the league’s more under-the-radar weapons, is on track to suit up for the regular season opener, as Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com writes. That is in keeping with the goal that Stonehouse set for himself back in June.
Stonehouse, 25, suffered a torn ACL and MCL, along with a broken bone, in his plant (non-kicking) leg during a Week 13 loss to the Colts in December. That put his availability for the start of the 2024 season in doubt, but updates from McCormick and Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com in July suggested the talented specialist had a real chance to make a Week 1 return.
Indeed, Stonehouse is expected to get a punt or two in today’s preseason finale against the Saints, which will presumably serve as the last box to check in his quest to begin the season on the active roster. As McCormick observes, Stonehouse booted a 60-yard kick in practice last week, demonstrating that his trademark power was back.
A 2022 UDFA out of Colorado State, Stonehouse broke Sammy Baugh‘s single-season punting average mark in his rookie season, moving the NFL’s standard from 51.4 yards per boot (set in 1940) to 53.1. Stonehouse matched that average in 2023, though his season ended a few games early. He also placed over half of his kicks inside the opponent’s 20 last year.
“Obviously, I’m going to continue my rehab throughout the year, but getting these game reps is really exiting,” Stonehouse said of his planned appearance in today’s game. … “I just think for me personally, it’ll help me get back in that groove and allow me to figure out if I don’t feel comfortable with something in the game, the next two weeks I can kind of tackle whatever that feeling is.”
Assuming all goes according to plan, the Titans will likely waive Ty Zentner, though they could stash him on the practice squad if he clears waivers. Zentner, who originally signed with the Eagles as a 2023 UDFA, appeared in four games for the Texans and an additional five for the Titans in the wake of the Stonehouse injury.
A July report indicated that Zentner, who posted a 46.5 yards-per-punt average with Tennessee as a rookie, showed improvement during offseason work.
Latest On Christian Barmore, Patriots’ DT Plans
A frightening report from late last month noted that Patriots DT Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots. At the time, it was too early to speculate on his NFL future, but we now have some additional information to pass along.
This year, up to two players that are placed on injured reserve on cutdown day can be activated during the season (previously, a player had to be on the 53-man roster on cutdown day and then placed on IR in order to be eligible for activation, which led to a significant amount of seemingly needless roster machinations). According to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Barmore is one of New England’s top candidates to benefit from the new rule (safety Marte Mapu is the other player that Kyed names).
In other words, there is a chance that Barmore will play this season. As Kyed notes, the 25-year-old defender has not yet been placed on a season-ending reserve list, so the Pats are at least holding out hope for a 2024 return.
That would obviously represent a key development for the club’s defense. In his 2023 breakout, Barmore logged a 66% snap share and recorded career highs in sacks (8.5), total tackles (64), tackles for loss (13), quarterback hits (16), pass deflections (six), and forced fumbles (one). The advanced metrics supported that surface-level production, with Pro Football Focus ranking Barmore as the eighth-best interior defender in the NFL.
On the strength of that performance, the 2021 second-rounder became one of a number of Patriots to land an extension from the club’s new regime, inking a four-year deal worth up to $92MM in April. Clearly, New England saw Barmore’s 2023 effort as a sign of things to come and not a one-year blip.
While the Pats await Barmore’s return, they will turn to Daniel Ekuale as his primary replacement, as Kyed writes. While Ekuale has been utilized primarily on passing downs since coming to Foxborough in 2021, he has the size (6-3, 310) to operate as a three-technique defensive tackle.
Like Ekuale, the similarly-sized Trysten Hill has quietly had a strong camp, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Nonetheless, Reiss expects the club to trawl the waiver wire for a run-stuffing DT – and additional offensive line help – when teams across the league make their final cutdowns this week (that is especially true since free agent pickup Armon Watts has failed to impress). New England has No. 3 waiver priority so should have an opportunity to claim some of the more intriguing cuts from rival clubs.
Panthers Shopping WR Terrace Marshall
The Panthers are shopping wide receiver Terrace Marshall, according to Joseph Person of The Athletic (subscription required). Marshall received permission to seek a trade in advance of last year’s deadline, but Carolina found no takers.
Marshall, 24, has not made the type of impact the club expected when it made him a second-round pick in 2021. Now that he is in the last year of his rookie contract, the Panthers will renew their attempt to extract some trade compensation for their former Day 2 investment.
Marshall entered the league with high expectations after he played a role in LSU’s explosive passing game alongside Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. After a rookie campaign in which he caught just 17 balls for 138 yards, Marshall took a notable step forward under then-OC Ben McAdoo in 2022, recording 28 catches for 490 yards – good for a whopping 17.5 yards-per-reception rate – and a score.
That performance seemingly set Marshall up nicely for at least a role as a legitimate big-play threat in 2023, but he operated in a reduced capacity under HC Frank Reich and OC Thomas Brown to begin the year. That precipitated the above-referenced trade request, which did not lead to a desired change of scenery. Marshall was inactive for Weeks 11 through 17 of the 2023 campaign, and he finished the year with 19 catches for 139 yards.
It was reported back in May that Marshall was on the roster bubble, though Carolina hopes that he has shown enough in the preseason to curry some trade interest. Marshall caught five passes for 53 yards and a TD over the three-game exhibition slate, including a 3/39/1 performance in yesterday’s contest against Buffalo. According to Person, Marshall has also flashed in practice.
Although Carolina could certainly find room for Marshall as an ancillary weapon, it appears the club is prepared to move on and offer him a chance at a quality platform season elsewhere. Person names the Bills, who saw Marshall’s best preseason performance firsthand and who have taken a look at other veteran wideouts this offseason, as a team to monitor (Buffalo also employs Joe Brady as its offensive coordinator, and Brady was with LSU during Marshall’s time there and was Carolina’s OC when Marshall was drafted).
The Panthers’ willingness to trade Marshall could be impacted by the health of fellow wideout Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who sustained an ankle injury in the Buffalo contest.
Jaguars Cut WR Denzel Mims
The Jaguars have cut wide receiver Denzel Mims, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Mims, who has accrued just three years of service time, will be placed on the waiver wire.
Now 26 (27 in October), Mims has always had tantalizing potential. Selected by the Jets in the second round of the 2020 draft, the Baylor product was never able to carve out a consistent role for himself with his original club, and he became a consistent presence in trade rumors not long after his tenure in New York began.
The Jets finally dealt Mims last July, sending him to the Lions in exchange for a minimal return. Unfortunately, Mims contended with multiple ailments in Detroit and was waived with an injury designation just one month after being acquired. He lingered on the open market until early October, when the Steelers scooped him up and added him to the taxi squad.
Although Pittsburgh certainly could have used some receiving help in 2023, the team never promoted Mims to the active roster during the course of the campaign. Apparently he showed enough in practice to stick around via a reserve/futures deal, but the Steelers sent him back to the waiver wire in June, shortly after minicamp ended.
The Jags then became the fourth team to take a flier on Mims, signing him shortly after Pittsburgh dismissed him. While Jacksonville lost Calvin Ridley in free agency, the team acquired Gabe Davis and Devin Duvernay and added Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round of this year’s draft. Mims caught just one pass for seven yards during the preseason slate, and he did not do enough in training camp to carve out a spot on the back end of the Jags’ WR depth chart.
Another team may well gamble on Mims’ upside; in an admittedly small sample size of 42 catches, he has posted a 16.1 yards-per-reception rate. However, as he searches for a fifth professional team, his opportunities to establish himself as a viable NFL receiver are dwindling.
Vikings Sign CB Stephon Gilmore
AUGUST 21: Gilmore’s Minnesota deal comes with $7MM in base value, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. The Vikings included void years in 2025 and ’26 to spread out Gilmore’s $3.5MM signing bonus. Gilmore’s 2024 cap number will check in at $4.67MM, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling. The Vikings would incur $2.33MM in dead money by letting Gilmore walk in 2025.
AUGUST 18: The Vikings have agreed to terms with veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. It will be a one-year deal worth up to $10MM, with $7MM of that total guaranteed. 
Although Minnesota had not been publicly connected to Gilmore for much of this offseason, the club brought him in for a visit earlier this month, at which point we learned that the Vikes had maintained interest in the well-traveled defender for some time. He will immediately slot in atop a CB depth chart that has some question marks.
Fourth-round rookie Khyree Jackson died tragically in a car accident back in July, and second-year contributor Mekhi Blackmon suffered a torn ACL early in training camp. The Vikings still roster Byron Murphy and slot CB Josh Metellus, and players like Shaquill Griffin, Fabian Moreau, and Nahshon Wright have been added to the mix this offseason.
Griffin, who signed a three-year, $40MM deal with the Jaguars in advance of the 2021 season following a successful stint with the Seahawks, saw his Jacksonville contract terminated after two years, thanks largely to a back injury that he sustained during the 2022 campaign. In 2023, he inked a one-year, $3.5MM contract with the Texans, but after he started six of Houston’s first nine games, he was demoted to a special teams-only role and subsequently waived. He was claimed by the Panthers, though he appeared in just two games (one start) in Charlotte. Griffin finished the year as Pro Football Focus’ 53rd-best CB out of 127 qualifiers, while Murphy graded out as the 87th-best. Clearly, then, there was room for a quality addition, and even though Gilmore is going into his age-34 season, he should provide the Vikings’ secondary a considerable boost.
Gilmore, a five-time Pro Bowler, two-time First Team All-Pro, and the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, finished as PFF’s 35th-best CB in 2023 as a full-time starter for the Cowboys. Per Pro Football Reference, Gilmore yielded an 82.7 QB rating on passes thrown in his direction, which was his highest mark since the site began tracking that statistic in 2018 but which is still a solid number. Plus, his presence will allow DC Brian Flores a little more flexibility with matchups, as Flores could move Murphy to nickel on occasion while Gilmore and Griffin — with support from Evans and Moreau — man the outside.
Despite his many accolades, Gilmore has become a bit of a nomad since he turned 30. A first-round pick of the Bills in 2012, the South Carolina product spent the first five years of his pro career in Buffalo before signing a lucrative contract with the Patriots during the 2017 offseason. After four productive years in Foxborough, he was dealt to the Panthers in October 2021, signed with the Colts during the 2022 offseason, and was traded to the Cowboys last March. He authored strong performances at each stop, however, including a top-10 finish in PFF’s rankings for his full season of work in Indianapolis in 2022. Plus, he should have some familiarity with Flores’ scheme, as Flores was New England’s de facto defensive coordinator in 2018.
The Panthers had plenty of interest in a reunion with Gilmore this offseason, and at one point, a return to Carolina appeared to be inevitable. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Panthers did make an offer to Gilmore, though Minnesota’s offer was obviously more compelling.
The Vikings finished in the bottom-10 in passing yards allowed in 2023, and the addition of Gilmore on a notable contract shows that they plan to improve upon that showing and compete for a playoff spot this season.
Saints CB Marshon Lattimore Expected To Be Ready For Week 1
In the wake of the trade rumors that swirled around Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore earlier this offseason, head coach Dennis Allen addressed that speculation with Lattimore and made it plain that his star defender would remain in New Orleans in 2024. Lattimore has been contending with a hip injury in training camp, but according to Nick Underhill of NewOrelans.Football, the 28-year-old corner has been intensifying his work in recent practices. Though he was still working off to the side with trainers at the time of Underhill’s report, Lattimore is expected to be ready for Week 1.
The trade chatter surrounding Lattimore picked up after the Saints restructured the four-time Pro Bowler’s contract in February. That restructure converted much of Lattimore’s 2024 base salary into an option bonus as opposed to the more common signing bonus, and the option does not trigger until one week before the start of the regular season. As such, if Lattimore were to be dealt before that day, the bonus would become the responsibility of the acquiring team and would not result in additional dead money on New Orleans’ cap.
While the Saints reportedly did explore the possibility of a trade, which jibes with reports that rival clubs considered Lattimore to be on the trade block, Allen’s subsequent remarks shut down that talk. And given that New Orleans has playoff aspirations in 2024, keeping a high-end corner around rather than selling low on him after he missed the final seven games of the 2023 season due to an ankle injury is a perfectly reasonable approach.
Unfortunately, Lattimore’s injury woes last year followed a 2022 campaign in which he missed 10 games due to a lacerated kidney. In the five seasons prior to that, however, he played in at least 13 contests each season, hitting the 16-game threshold twice. During that time, he established himself as one of the league’s top corners and earned Pro Bowl acclaim in three consecutive years from 2019-21.
Assuming he remains healthy and returns to that level of performance, the Saints have a relative bargain on their hands. Although the five-year, $97.6MM deal Lattimore signed in September 2021 has been restructured multiple times, the Ohio State product remains under club control through 2026 and is due a base salary of $16MM in 2025 and $16.5MM in 2026 (to go along with $2MM roster bonuses in both years). Given the current state of the CB market, that is not an overly steep price to pay for an elite boundary defender.
Latest On Bills’ LB Situation Following Matt Milano Injury
In the wake of outside linebacker Matt Milano’s bicep tear, which will keep the 2022 First Team All-Pro on the shelf for an indefinite period of time, the Bills will need to find an adequate replacement. Per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic (subscription required), Buffalo will likely give Dorian Williams the first shot at taking over for Milano.
That does not come as much of a surprise, as Williams was a third-round pick last year and had been serving as Milano’s backup throughout much of training camp anyway. However, his ascension to a starting role is still contingent upon improvement in several areas.
The most glaring weakness in Williams’ game is his coverage ability, as he frequently takes the bait on play-action fakes. While his speed is an asset and allows him to make splash plays in run defense, he remains vulnerable against the pass, and given how much the Bills ask of their linebackers – which is why they invest more dollars at the position than many other teams – the second-year pro is still in the process of learning his responsibilities.
Of course, Milano suffered a season-ending leg injury in Week 5 of the 2023 season, and Buffalo initially gave Williams a crack at an increased role before ultimately turning to Tyrel Dodson. Dodson took advantage of his opportunity and parlayed his strong performance into a one-year, $4.26MM deal with the Seahawks this offseason, which gives Williams a clearer path to a starting job this time around.
Still, third-year pro Baylon Spector has looked good in camp and could be in the mix as Milano’s replacement, even though he has spent most of his time working as Terrel Bernard’s backup at middle linebacker. Veteran Nicholas Morrow is another option, though he has battled a core/groin injury. Despite the injury, Milano’s absence certainly improves Morrow’s chances of making the initial 53-man roster.
If the Bills want to take advantage of Williams’ run defense upside while mitigating his coverage liabilities, the team could bring in an additional safety on obvious passing downs and drop another safety into the second level of the defense to serve as a de facto third LB on those plays. That is what Jordan Poyer did last year, but Poyer is now with the Dolphins, and in Buscaglia’s view, safety might be the weakest position on the team, so Buffalo may not be able to line up in dime coverage as often as it might like.
The Bills could also turn to free agency or a trade if Williams et al. are not up to the challenge. However, head coach Sean McDermott prefers to address these types of issues via internal promotions, so Buffalo could eschew that route, especially in light of the above-referenced complexities that accompany the club’s linebacker positions.
Williams appeared in all 17 of the Bills’ regular season games last year, including two starts. He participated in 211 defensive snaps and recorded 40 combined tackles.
Bears Likely To Retain RB Khalil Herbert
Shortly after minicamp ended in June, we heard that Bears running back Khalil Herbert could be on the roster bubble. That is no longer the case, with Adam Jahns of The Athletic (subscription required) noting that Chicago needs Herbert and that his place on the club seems secure.
Just last year, it was reported that Herbert was the frontrunner to take over primary back duties following the departure of David Montgomery. Despite the 2023 offseason additions of D’Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson, Herbert was the obvious candidate for the job, as he showcased high-end potential as Montgomery’s backup in each of the prior two years. During that time, Herbert tallied 1,164 rushing yards on 232 carries (over 5.0 yards per attempt) and six TDs.
Herbert, 26, did indeed open the 2023 campaign as Chicago’s RB1, but given the rushing prowess of former quarterback Justin Fields and the fact that the Bears suffered double-digit losses in each of their first thee games of the season, he totaled just 23 totes in that span. He unfortunately sustained a high ankle sprain in Week 5 and landed on injured reserve as a result.
He reclaimed his starting job near the end of the season and posted two 100-yard performances in Weeks 16 and 17, displaying the burst that the club had become familiar with. The Bears knew, however, that they would be drafting QB Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, and as part of their efforts to surround Williams with as much talent as possible, they signed RB D’Andre Swift to a three-year, $24MM contract in March.
The addition of a Pro Bowl running back, plus the continued presence of Johnson and Travis Homer, made Herbert a potential cut or trade candidate earlier in the summer. However, Herbert is still cheap — the 2021 sixth-rounder is making just over $1MM this year, the final year of his rookie deal — he has just 364 career carries, and he managed to post 4.6 yards per attempt last season despite an ankle injury and despite playing on a below-average offense.
As Jahns notes, this may be Herbert’s last season with the team. Nonetheless, the club clearly plans to contend in 2024, and as such, it makes plenty of sense to retain a talented, inexpensive back who can serve as one more weapon in an offensive attack that suddenly looks quite dangerous (depending, of course, on Williams’ development).
49ers Notes: Hufanga, Puni, Davis
The 49ers continue to work on resolutions to their high-profile contract disputes with WR Brandon Aiyuk and LT Trent Williams, and the club is also waiting on 2022 First Team All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga. As Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle details, Hufanga — who sustained a torn ACL in November — was cleared to take the next steps in his rehab, but that does not yet include practice.
“We can push him a little bit harder,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Not against players. But those type of dynamic cuts. Hopefully, he has a real good week with it and we can talk about easing him into practice.”
With the start of the regular season fast approaching, the fact that Hufanga has not been cleared to practice yet suggests that he may not be ready for Week 1 as originally hoped. George Odum has been taking first-team reps in Hufanga’s absence, though fourth-round rookie Malik Mustapha is pushing the veteran for playing time.
2024 is the final season of Hufanga’s rookie contract, so an early and productive return to the starting lineup will be a major boon to his future earning power.
Now for a few more items, including several injury-related notes, from the Bay Area:
- Thanks in part to injuries to Spencer Burford and Jon Feliciano, third-round rookie Dominick Puni saw immediate action as the first-team right guard in the early days of training camp. It was noted at the time that the former Central Missouri blocker, who finished his collegiate career as a tackle at Kansas, was catching on quickly to the Niners’ complex blocking scheme, and it seems he has continued to build momentum. Per Matt Barrows of The Athletic (subscription required), Puni is the presumptive RG starter, although the team wants to see further growth from him.
- Puni’s fellow starting guard, LG Aaron Banks, recently sustained a broken little finger, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Like Hufanga, Banks is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and though he has served as the full-time starter at left guard over each of the past two seasons, he has not exactly been a world-beater. A strong showing in 2024 will help him secure a notable second NFL contract, even if it does not come from the 49ers (the club has not been overly willing to pay up for interior lineman in recent years, and we heard last month that Puni could eventually take over for Banks at LG). Luckily, Banks could return for Week 1.
- The news is not as good for DT Kalia Davis, who will undergo knee surgery and who will miss half of the 2024 season as a result (as relayed by Barrows). Davis, a 2022 sixth-rounder, sustained a torn ACL during his final year of college and missed his entire rookie season as a result. He appeared in a total of 54 defensive snaps across three games last year, but he performed well in last week’s preseason opener (a sack and two backfield hits). His efforts to carve out a more meaningful role in San Francisco’s D-line rotation will be put on hold, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting that surgery is necessary to remove a floating body in Davis’ knee.