Cardinals To Sign Dre Kirkpatrick
The Cardinals are planning to sign Dre Kirkpatrick, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The free agent cornerback is currently meeting with team brass and the one-year deal should be finalized once he passes his physical. 
Kirkpatrick will reunite with his former positional coach, Vance Joseph. Joseph, now the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator, helped guide Kirkpatrick through some of his formative years with the Bengals.
Robert Alford‘s latest injury has left the Cardinals thin at cornerback once again. As it stands, they have 2019 second-rounder Byron Murphy as their top counterpart for star Patrick Peterson. Their recent additions of B.W. Webb and former Saints starter Ken Crawley may help, but Kirkpatrick would bring experience and a first-round pedigree to the group.
Kirkpatrick has also been connected to the Vikings and Raiders this offseason, thanks to connections with former coaches Mike Zimmer and Paul Guenther. Nothing materialized on either front, however, leaving Kirkpatrick to wait.
Kirkpatrick played just six games last season before he was sidelined by a knee injury. In the offseason, the Bengals dropped him to save $8.3MM against the cap. Now 30, Kirkpatrick comes to Arizona with 67 starts under his belt and the potential to help salvage Joseph’s pass coverage corps.
Browns Sign Malcolm Smith
The Browns have signed former Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith, per a club announcement. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it’s likely a one-year deal for the veteran linebacker. 
[RELATED: Mack Wilson Suffers Knee Injury]
Smith has 104 career games to his credit with several teams, though his most memorable moments came with the Seahawks. The Super Bowl XLVIII MVP moved on to the Raiders in 2015 and served as a two-year starter, but he didn’t necessarily impress. Later, he hooked on with the 49ers, but he was plagued by injuries over the course of the two-year deal. Last year, Smith spent time with the Jaguars and Cowboys, suiting up for four games in total.
In Cleveland, he’ll help fill-in for Mack Wilson, who suffered a severe knee injury last week. To make room for Smith, the Browns have dropped center Casey Dunn with an injury designation (foot). They’re at an even 80 players on the roster, enabling them to have the entire team practice at a single site between now and the start of the season.
Latest On Ravens, Earl Thomas
Aug. 23: Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reports that Thomas is not expected to be back at the Ravens’ facility today (video link). As ESPN’s Ed Werder observes (via Twitter), the fact that Thomas is being asked to stay away without any public assurances about his future could be significant. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says the team should make a final decision today (video link).
Aug. 22: The Ravens sent Earl Thomas home on Saturday, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. This comes one day after Thomas’ practice altercation with teammate Chuck Clark, which also prompted the Ravens to send the safety packing for the afternoon. 
The Ravens are now evaluating their options, though Thomas’ deal does not afford them an easy escape hatch. The Ravens may be able to escape Thomas’ fully-guaranteed 2020 salary of $10MM if they suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team, PFT’s Mike Florio writes. Of course, Thomas would fight such a move and the Ravens would have to support their argument in arbitration. If they can’t get his 2020 salary off the books with a suspension, cutting Thomas would leave the Ravens with a $5MM cap charge this year and $10MM next year. Meanwhile, Thomas would leave $22MM richer, after just one season with the Ravens.
This isn’t the first time Thomas has found himself at odds with team management. The Pro Bowler got into a scuffle with teammate Brandon Williams after a game last season and never seemed to fully grasp the playbook. Thomas, 31, registered 49 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, and four passes defensed in his first season with Baltimore.
Before Thomas came to Baltimore, and before things turned sour, he spent nine years in Seattle as one of the premier safeties in the NFL. His platform year was largely wiped out by a broken leg, but he still found a solid four-year, $55MM deal payday. Thomas came to Baltimore with three first-team All-Pro nods, two second-team All-Pro selections, and six Pro Bowl trips. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus regularly ranked him among the NFL’s best at his position.
Patriots Meet With Nick Folk
The Patriots met with Nick Folk this weekend, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic (on Twitter). Folk could be considered as an alternative to rookie Justin Rohrwasser, who has reportedly been a bit shaky in camp. 
[RELATED: Browns Work Out Folk, Parkey]
Folk, 35, briefly put a stop to the Patriots’ revolving door of kickers last year before taking a break of his own for an appendectomy. All in all, he appeared in seven games for the Pats while connecting on all 14 of his 17 field goal tries. The Browns also met with Folk recently, plus a host of other kickers including Kai Forbath, Cody Parkey and Matthew McCrane. The Browns have a young kicker of their own in Austin Seibert, but the former Oklahoma Sooner missed five extra point tries in 2019.
In other Pats news, the club has given a slight salary bump to durable defensive lineman Lawrence Guy. They’re also exploring additional depth for that unit, including a recent workout with former Chiefs and Cardinals DL Xavier Williams.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/22/20
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on IR: WR Antoine Wesley
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Nate Holley
Seattle Seahawks
- Suspended: G Kyle Fuller (two games)
Patriots’ Lawrence Guy Gets Pay Bump
The Patriots have revised Lawrence Guy‘s contract, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Patriots increased Guy’s salary by $200K while pushing his per-game roster bonuses by $700K. Meanwhile, two of his play-time incentives totaling $900K were removed. It all works out to an even swap in terms of totals, but it gives the defensive lineman some added security. 
[RELATED: Patriots Try Out DT Xavier Williams]
Guy, 30, joined the Pats in 2017 a four-year, $19MM deal. Since then, he’s been a staple on New England’s D-Line. Guy hasn’t missed a game in each of the last three seasons, and he’s starting in all but two of those games. Last year, he set a new career high with 61 total tackles, including three sacks. Before he joined the Patriots, Guy was a featured regular in the Ravens’ defensive end rotation. And, before that, he was something of a journeyman.
The Pats have taken care of the hard-nose lineman in the past. In each of the last two years, they’ve paid out more than $750K in signing bonuses to make up for the playing time incentives that he narrowly missed.
Cowboys Rework Tyron Smith’s Contract
The Cowboys converted $8.9MM Tyron Smith‘s base salary into a signing bonus (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). With that, the Cowboys have freed up at least $6.675MM in cap space for 2020. It’s not immediately clear whether a void year has also been added to the tackle’s deal, but if that’s the case, they’ll have upwards of $7.1MM in additional room. 
[RELATED: Cowboys Release Gerald McCoy]
Smith, 29, is under club control through 2023 thanks to the eight-year, $97.6MM extension he inked with the Cowboys in 2014. Since then, he’s made similar concessions to help the Cowboys navigate their numbers crunch.
Smith made six straight Pro Bowls from 2014 through 2019 and was named as a first- or second-team All-Pro in four of those campaigns. Unfortunately, injuries have been a roadblock in recent years. He has not played in a full season since 2015 – a mix of knee, back, groin, and hip issues have limited him to just 13 regular season contests in each of the last four years.
The extra space could give the Cowboys some extra ammunition to help replace Gerald McCoy. After McCoy tore his quadriceps, the Cowboys tore up his three-year, $18MM deal. The Cowboys have support thanks to the additions of Dontari Poe, Aldon Smith, and Everson Griffen, but more interior help couldn’t hurt.
Raiders Eyeing Yannick Ngakoue
There’s nothing imminent on the Yannick Ngakoue front, but the Raiders are keeping an eye on the Jaguars defensive end, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears (Twitter link). There are several obstacles to a deal, but Rapoport stresses that it’s not an impossibility. 
Multiple teams have shown interest in Ngakoue, but Rapoport hears that the Raiders have been the only club to maintain active discussions. That jibes with what we’ve heard lately. Last week, we heard that the Jets are no longer interested. The Seahawks, meanwhile, were connnected to Ngakoue in the spring, but lately we’ve been hearing more about a possible reunion with Jadeveon Clowney or a play for veteran Clay Matthews.
The Raiders could make a characteristically bold move for Ngakoue, adding him to their group of edge talent led by Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby. Still, the asking price is steep. The Jaguars want more than a second-round pick for Ngakoue and GM Dave Caldwell is still playing hard to get. Ngakoue hasn’t signed his tender, and he still says that he does not want to play for Jacksonville, but Caldwell says that they’re not close on a trade with any club.
Ngakoue, 25, has been at odds with the Jaguars for months. The Jaguars have moved on from Jalen Ramsey, Calais Campbell, and A.J. Bouye within the last year, but they have yet to bend to Ngakoue’s trade demand.
Raiders To Meet With Cardale Jones
The Raiders will audition quarterback Cardale Jones on Friday afternoon, according to Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The former Ohio State standout has made multiple stops in the NFL but has just one pro game under his belt. 
Jones played for the D.C. Defenders in the XFL’s short-lived reboot. His stats weren’t great – he completely just 61 of 113 throws for 674 yards and four touchdowns against seven interceptions. Previous to that, Jones spent time with the Chargers, Seahawks, and Bills.
In 2015, Jones emerged as a superstar for the Buckeyes when quarterbacks Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett were lost to injury. After leading Ohio State to victory over Oregon in the National Championship game, Jones went from a relative unknown to a bonafide NFL prospect. He was benched midway through the 2016 season, but many believed that big things were in store for the athletic QB when the Bills tapped him in the fourth-round of the draft. Ultimately, he only appeared in one game for Buffalo.
Even if Jones lands a deal, he may face long odds of making the final cut. The Raiders seem well set under center with Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota, and Nathan Peterman on the QB depth chart.
Cardinals Sign B.W. Webb
The Cardinals have agreed to sign B.W. Webb, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Webb will join the Cards on a one-year deal, giving the club another cornerback to consider as the season draws near. 
Webb hooked on with the Bengals last year on a two-year, $10.5MM deal, but he only fetched $2.5MM in guaranteed dollars. In his lone Bengals season, Webb appeared in 15 games and started in 12 of those contests. In March, they cut him to save $3.5MM against the cap.
Webb, 30, had a stronger 2018 when he was with the Giants. In that season, he graded out as the No. 77 ranked corner in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. By those advanced metrics, he performed roughly as well as Morris Claiborne, Marcus Peters, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Jimmy Smith.
Now with the Cardinals, Webb will look to find a roster spot behind starters Patrick Peterson and Byron Murphy.