Jets To Sign Donte Moncrief
The Jets are set to sign Donte Moncrief (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The deal, pending a physical and COVID-19 testing, will give the Jets some sorely needed depth at wide receiver. 
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Moncrief made his name with the Colts, playing as a featured regular in Andrew Luck‘s offense. The former third-round pick totaled 13 touchdown receptions between the 2015-16 season and set a career-high in ’15 with 733 yards. Since then, things have been a bit rocky for the 27-year-old. Last year, he appeared a grand total of eight games for the Panthers and Steelers, resulting in four catches for 18 yards.
The Jets are curious to see what Moncrief can offer at this stage, especially since they’re dealing with a rash of injuries at WR. Newcomer Breshad Perriman and highly-touted rookie Denzel Mims are both banged up; ditto for reserves Vyncint Smith, Jeff Smith, and Lawrence Cager. That’s left the Jets with only a handful of recognizable receivers, including Jamison Crowder, Braxton Berrios, and Chris Hogan. Moncrief will look to show a bit of his old form and make the fast-approaching final cut.
Dolphins Trade LB Raekwon McMillan To Raiders
The Dolphins have agreed to trade linebacker Raekwon McMillan to the Raiders, according to a source who spoke with Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). In exchange, the Raiders are sending a 2021 fourth-round pick to Miami, but they’ll also receive a 2021 fifth-round pick along with McMillan (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). 
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In 2019, McMillan ranked as the Dolphins’ best defensive player, according to Pro Football Focus. Earlier this year, the Dolphins were said to be considering an extension for McMillan, but the pandemic threw a wrench into those talks. The Dolphins also had their doubts about McMillan’s pass coverage, and they were planning to mostly use him on run downs this year. DeVante Parker, Jesse Davis, Allen Hurns, and Jakeem Grant all received extensions recently, but the Dolphins ultimately did not want to lock down the young ‘backer.
McMillan, who has one year and $1.1MM left on his deal, will now try to make his case in Las Vegas. There, he’ll support a revamped linebacker group that previously had depth concerns, despite the additions of Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski.
McMillan wasn’t the right fit for Brian Flores‘ 3-4 hybrid scheme, but he could fare better with Jon Gruden. He comes to the Raiders with ample experience, having started 28 of his 29 games since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2017.
Bills Cut Stephen Hauschka
The Bills parted ways with one-time fantasy football hero Stephen Hauschka. With the veteran kicker out of the picture, they’ll turn the job over to Georgia Southern product Tyler Bass.
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Hauschka spent the bulk of his career with the Seahawks and had stops with the Ravens and Broncos before landing with the Bills in 2017. In his first Buffalo season, he converted 87.9% of his field goals. Since then, he’s gone 22-of-28 in each of his last two campaigns. Last year, the 35-year-old struggled from deep range, going just 1-for-5 on kicks of 50+ yards. After watching him compete with Bass – a sixth-round pick – the Bills have decided to go in a younger (and cheaper) direction.
By cutting Hauschka, the Bills will save $1.55MM against the 2020 cap while carrying an equal amount as a dead money hit.
Eagles’ Andre Dillard Done For Year
The hits just keep on coming for the Eagles’ offensive line. Andre Dillard has been ruled out for the season with a biceps injury, as NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Dillard, a 2019 first-round pick, was reportedly having an inconsistent camp, following his up-and-down rookie campaign. Still, it’s a bad break for an Eagles O-Line that has already been spread thin by injuries.
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As Dillard gets set for surgery, the Eagles will scramble for solutions. They managed to quickly replace guard Brandon Brooks by re-signing Jason Peters (and shifting him to the interior), but Dillard’s absence creates a whole new problem for the Birds. Peters, in theory, could return to his usual post, but the Eagles would then have to figure out their right guard situation all over again.
If they put Peters at left tackle, the Eagles could draw from their current group of guards which includes Matt Pryor and fourth-round pick Jack Driscoll. They could also take things down to the wire by waiting a few days to see what shakes loose after cutdowns. There will undoubtedly be a number of proven guards and tackles available when teams trim down their rosters, but any new addition will have to learn the scheme in a hurry.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/27/20
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Craig Reynolds
Buffalo Bills
- Released: P Lachlan Edwards
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: CB Derrek Thomas
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: C Jon Toth
- Placed on IR: DE Curtis Weaver
Denver Broncos
- Waived: LS Wes Farnsworth
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DT Kevin Wilkins
- Waived: DT Olive Sagapolu
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on IR: RB Bruce Anderson
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Avery Moss
New York Giants
- Signed: RB Tavien Feaster
- Released: WR Tony Brown
New York Jets
- Released: RB Pete Guerriero
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Jayrone Elliott, LB Liam McCullough
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR River Cracraft
- Released: WR Jaron Brown
- Waived/Injured: DL Jonathan Kongbo
Tennessee Titans
- Released/Deal Voided: S Walt Aikens
Dolphins Trade Kalen Ballage To Jets
Earlier today, the Dolphins toldd Kalen Ballage that he was getting cut. Instead, they’re trading the running back to the rival Jets, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In exchange, Miami will receive a conditional late-round draft choice.
It’s a situation that plays out often in the NFL. Before formally releasing a player, teams will often leak word of their impending release to reporters. That sometimes prompts teams further down the waiver wire to make a call. In this case, it worked out for the Dolphins, who will be receiving something, rather than nothing, for their former fourth-round pick.
In an admittedly small sample size of 36 carries, Ballage averaged 5.3 yards per attempt as a rookie. He was far less impressive last season, but the Jets could find a role for him behind starter Le’Veon Bell and RB2 Frank Gore.
49ers Sign WR Kevin White
The 49ers have signed Kevin White, per a club announcement. This marks yet another stop for the former No. 7 overall pick, who has yet to realize his potential as a pro. 
White, a West Virginia product, came out of West Virginia with tons of hype. The Bears jumped at the chance to grab him in 2015, but injuries have limited him ever since. Over the last five years, he’s played in just 14 games. And, in the last ~365 days, he’s been pretty much off the radar. The Cardinals were his last employer, and they cut him in August of 2019.
All in all, White has 25 career catches for 285 yards and zero touchdowns. Still, he’s coming into his age-28 season, so there’s reason to believe that he can get back on the right track.
SF already added Tavon Austin and J.J. Nelson, but the team is dealing with a host of injuries. Deebo Samuel remains out with his foot fracture, while Richie James is battling a broken hand. First-round pick Brandon Aiyuk is dealing with a hamstring injury, further clouding the 49ers’ potential first-string wideout picture. Jalen Hurd also suffered an ACL tear recently, with that setback following Travis Benjamin‘s opt-out decision. Meanwhile, they’ve released Jaron Brown with an injury designation.
Latest On Bengals’ Joe Mixon
Joe Mixon has been out of Bengals practice for the last few days with migraines, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Meanwhile, Mixon is in talks with the Bengals, who are probably hoping that Mixon isn’t looking to cause headaches for the front office. 
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The Bengals have been adamant about wanting to extend Mixon, but talks have been slow to progress. For now, Mixon is set to play out the final year of his rookie deal with a salary of just $1.2MM. The 24-year-old is clearly in line for a pay bump, however, and Bengals player personnel director Duke Tobin recently pointed out the team’s history of extending players during training camp.
As camp draws to a close, Mixon is said to be seeking Top 8 RB money. That would mean an average annual value of at least $8MM – a substantial, but not unreasonable, raise.
The Bengals currently have upwards of $20MM in available cap room. If they’re not aiming for another major addition, it might behoove them to frontload Mixon’s deal and ease the burden in 2021, when the cap is expected to shrink.
Mixon managed a respectable 4.1 yards per carry average last year, despite the Bengals’ sagging offense. This year, he’ll look to reprise his 2018 performance which included a 4.9 ypc mark.
David Montgomery Suffers Groin Injury
THURSDAY, 10:02am: Montgomery will be out of action for 2-4 weeks, which means he still has a chance at playing in the Bears’ season opener against the Lions (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).
WEDNESDAY, 12:53pm: Bears running back David Montgomery went down with a non-contact injury on Wednesday, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. After hobbling off of the field, the 23-year-old was diagnosed with a groin strain. Now, the Bears are awaiting word and hoping for the best. 
It’ll take at least a day or two to determine Montgomery’s timetable for recovery, but it’s possible that the Bears won’t have the young rusher for the start of the season. Without Montgomery, the Bears will have to lean even more on Tarik Cohen, plus support from Ryan Nall and Artavis Pierce. Cohen, of course, is utilized more as a pass-catcher than a traditional RB. Last year, he carried the ball just 64 times for 213 yards in total while recording a career-high 79 catches. Montgomery, meanwhile, logged 242 totes for 889 yards as a rookie.
This year, the Bears were counting on Montgomery to take a big step forward. The youngster has been eager to show what he can do, especially since cleaning up his diet.
“Whenever I had the craving for a Krispy Creme doughnut, I’d definitely go have one back in the day,” Montgomery said, via the team’s website. “But now, I fight the urge to go have one…I feel amazing. Everything feels good right now, as far as my body. I’m not as sore as I was last year because of the lack of food that I don’t need that has a lot of inflammation to it. And just running. Just being able to run and feeling good at how I run and being able to make the right cuts.”
49ers To Work Out Jamon Brown
Jamon Brown could be on the verge of landing his next job. The 49ers will audition the offensive lineman on Friday, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
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Brown started nine games last season but the Falcons released him from his three-year, $18.75MM deal earlier this week. Finances may have been a factor, but the Falcons also seem to be high on third-round pick Matt Hennessy, who may wind up as the team’s starting left guard. Brown, meanwhile, is still owed $4.75MM in guaranteed base salary from Atlanta.
Brown has bounced around a bit since 2018, when a suspension cost him his starting gig with the Rams. The Giants picked him up off of waivers that year, prior to his free agent deal with the Falcons. All in all, Brown has 60 career games to his credit, including 47 starts.