Jets Cut Kenneth Dixon
Kenneth Dixon‘s time with the Jets has come to an end. 
On Wednesday, the Jets dropped the running back to make room for Chris Hogan.
[RELATED: Jets Have No Interest In Ngakoue]
Dixon joined the Jets late last year in the wake of Bilal Powell‘s ankle injury. Before that, he spent the early part of his career with the Ravens. The 2016 fourth-rounder played well when he was healthy, averaging 5.6 yards per tote in 2018. However, that came in a small sample size – Dixon had just 60 carries that year.
Between injuries and suspensions, Dixon was on the field for just 18 games across three Baltimore seasons. When the Ravens added Mark Ingram and Justice Hill, they had no room for Dixon. The Jets, with less depth in the backfield, have come to the same conclusion. With just a few weeks to go before the start of the season, they’ll forge ahead with a young group of RBs behind Le’Veon Bell and Frank Gore.
Hogan agreed to join the Jets earlier this week, but his deal did not become official until earlier today. The two-time Super Bowl champ can now say that he has inked deals with all four teams in the AFC East.
49ers Work Out Jaron Brown
The 49ers are bringing wide receiver Jaron Brown in for an audition, as NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Brown could serve as additional depth in the wake of Jalen Hurd’s suspected ACL tear. 
[RELATED: 49ers To Sign Tavon Austin]
Hurd went down with a non-contact injury while practicing on Sunday. It’s yet another setback for the 2019 third-round pick, who missed his would-be rookie season with a back injury. The Niners, meanwhile, are looking thin at the position. Deebo Samuel will be out for a stretch with a Jones fracture in his foot and Travis Benjamin is out of the equation following his opt out.
The Niners added reinforcements by signing Tavon Austin and J.J. Nelson last week, but they could still use some more bodies. Brown, who has spent seven seasons in the NFC West between the Seahawks and Cardinals, could stay in comfortable territory for an eighth year. In 2019, Brown caught 16 passes for 220 yards and two scores. His best season came in 2017, when he registered 31 catches for 477 yards and four touchdowns with Arizona.
Jaguars DE Aaron Lynch Retires
Jaguars defensive end Aaron Lynch will retire from the NFL, per a club announcement. Lynch, 27, leaves the Jaguars with yet another hole to fill in the front seven. 
[RELATED: Jaguars’ Gunter Announces Retirement]
On Monday, fellow Jaguars DE Rodney Gunter arrived at the same decision. Previous to that, defensive tackle Al Woods opted out of the 2020 season, pushing his three-year, $18MM deal into 2021. All three of those players were new arrivals in Jacksonville, and none of them will be playing this year. Woods and Gunter were supposed to help fill in for Marcell Dareus and Calais Campbell. Lynch, meanwhile, was set to serve as a rotational edge rusher.
Lynch entered the league in 2014 as a fifth-round pick of the 49ers. He spent his first four seasons in SF and made a dent early with 12.5 sacks through his first two pro campaigns. Suspensions and injuries limited him to only 14 games between 2016 and 2017, and he moved on to the Bears in 2018. All together, he leaves the sport with 20 career sacks.
Melvin Ingram Skips Chargers Practice
Chargers defensive end Melvin Ingram is sitting out of practice in hopes of getting a new deal, sources tell Daniel Popper of The Athletic. As it stands, Ingram has one year to go on his four-year, $66MM deal. 
[RELATED: Chargers Sign Bosa To Five-Year, $135MM Deal]
There’s no word on when Ingram will suit up, or how long he might be willing to hold his position. At the age of 31, Ingram might be looking for a new long-term deal to give him security for the remainder of his career. He might also be seeking some short-term insurance. Ingram is slated to earn $14MM in base salary this year, but it’s completely non-guaranteed. Ingram’s agent didn’t offer much clarity when contacted by Popper, though he did deny that Ingram is sitting out in search of guaranteed cash.
Teams have been reluctant to commit big bucks to players in the midst of the pandemic, but that didn’t stop the Bolts from handing Joey Bosa a five-year, $135MM re-up in late July. The COVID-19 excuse likely won’t fly with Ingram, who is still at the team facility but abstaining from on-field activity. Because this isn’t a full-on holdout, Ingram will not be subject to the usual $50K in daily fines.
“Melvin Ingram is in meetings, he’s in walkthroughs, he’s at everything, individual,” head coach Anthony Lynn said this week. “What he does on the practice field, we’ll see later. But like I said earlier, that’s kind of company business, and I’m just going to leave it at that because I don’t have to talk about it right now. I got a lot of other things that I got to get done. I don’t really want to spend a lot of time talking about that.”
Last year, Ingram notched seven sacks and 48 tackles in 13 games. For his career, he has 49 sacks across eight seasons, all with the Chargers.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/17/20
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: QB Danny Etling
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on IR: DT Niles Scott
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed off waivers (from Dallas): DE Jalen Jelks
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived/Injured: RB Rodney Anderson
Houston Texans
- Activated off NFI: WR Kenny Stills (Sunday)
- Activated off PUP: LB Dylan Cole (Sunday)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on IR: TE Josh Oliver
- Released from IR: DT Brian Price
Kansas City Chiefs
- Claimed: TE Daniel Helm (from 49ers)
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: OT Nick Kaltmayer (Sunday)
Minnesota Vikings
- Cut (injury designation): LB Quentin Poling
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Ben Braden, TE Paul Butler, TE Alex Ellis
New York Jets
- Signed: TE Connor Davis
- Waived: S Anthony Cioffi
New York Giants
- Signed: DT Daylon Mack
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB/DE Jamal Davis II (Sunday)
Ravens Place Iman Marshall On IR
Iman Marshall‘s season is over. The Ravens placed the cornerback on injured reserve after he tore several knee ligaments, including his ACL. 
[RELATED: Ravens Won’t Sign Antonio Brown]
Marshall, a fourth-year pro out of USC, was pushing for one of the final spots on the Ravens’ CB depth chart. Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Tavon Young, and Jimmy Smith are set to lead the group, but there will be one or two more openings to fill.
Marshall also missed the bulk of his rookie season due to injury. He suited up for just three games, spending most of his on-field time with the special teams unit.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens are doing their homework on Dez Bryant. Meanwhile, they’ve ruled out Antonio Brown, despite Lamar Jackson‘s strong endorsement.
Cardinals’ Robert Alford Suffers Torn Pec
Cardinals cornerback Robert Alford suffered a pectoral injury in practice yesterday, sources tell Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Alford is now awaiting word on the diagnosis and a timeline for recovery. 
[RELATED: Cardinals Sign Kentrell Brice]
This is, unfortunately, familiar territory for Alford. A leg injury in August of last year cost Alford the entire season. The Cardinals inked the veteran to a three-year, $22.5MM deal in 2019 and he has yet to take a single snap for Arizona.
Alford, 31, had been one of the Falcons’ longest-tenured players, as he’d been with the club since being selected in the second round of the 2013 draft. An 88-game veteran, Alford started 15 games in 2018 but posted arguably the worst campaign of his pro career. Pro Football Focus graded Alford as a bottom-10 cornerback league-wide that year. He also ranked dead last among 85 qualifiers in Football Outsiders’ yards per pass allowed and success rate.
Alford was eager to prove himself all over again this year, but he may have to wait until next year.
Cowboys’ Gerald McCoy Done For Year
A torn quadriceps muscle will rule out Cowboys defensive tackle Gerald McCoy for the year, per an announcement from the team. The injury was initially feared to be an ACL tear, but the end result is the same.
[RELATED: Prescott Expects To Remain With Cowboys Long-Term]
The Cowboys inked McCoy to a three-year, ~$20MM deal in March. Even though it was a lot less than McCoy’s massive Bucs deal, it was still a significant layout for Dallas. For the 32-year-old, it was an opportunity to win in the twilight of his career.
McCoy hooked on with the Panthers last year after spending his previous nine pro seasons with the Buccaneers. He started in every game for Carolina and was still effective on the interior – he finished out with five sacks, bringing his career total to 59.5.
McCoy was set to join forces with DeMarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford on Dallas’ D-Line, helping to fill the void left by the departures of Robert Quinn and Maliek Collins. Now, he’ll have to wait until next year to make his Dallas debut.
Giants Cut Chandler Catanzaro
The Giants have released kicker Chandler Catanzaro, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). That job now belongs to former Panthers kicker Graham Gano, who spent years playing under GM Dave Gettleman. 
[RELATED: Giants Sign K Graham Gano]
Catanzaro, 29, hooked on with the Jets last year. After a rocky training camp and equally rough start to the preseason, he announced his retirement. He returned to the game last month with New Jersey’s other team, but his stay was short-lived.
Catanzaro nailed 87.9% of his kicks as a Cardinals rookie in 2014 and 90.3% of his tries in 2015. His success rate dipped to 75% in 2016, but bounced back a bit with the Jets in 2017, making 83.3% of his kicks and all of his PATs. Then, he dipped once again. His three-year deal with the Bucs was torn up pretty quickly after he missed two field goals in a loss to the Redskins, ending his Tampa Bay tenure with a weak 73.3% success rate. His last live action came with the Panthers towards the end of the 2018 campaign.
Gano, meanwhile, has been out of football since he fractured his femur towards the end of the 2018 season. Before that, he was tremendous in 2017, his last full season. Gano nailed 29 of his 30 field goal tries for a league-leading 96.7% conversion rate.
Ravens Won’t Sign Antonio Brown
The Ravens are interested in Dez Bryant, but they will not consider Antonio Brown, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Lamar Jackson has pushed for the Ravens to sign his workout pal, but owner Steve Bisciotti is not interested. 
[RELATED: Ravens To Audition Dez Bryant]
There was, at least, a glimmer of hope recently when head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that he’s willing to “look at any and every player” and that Brown is “no exception.” Brown, apparently, is an exception. His troubling off-the-field issues and the club’s history with Ray Rice have soured any potential deal.
Brown must serve an eight-game NFL suspension before returning to the field. Even then, it’s still not clear if he’ll get an opportunity. Seahawks star quarterback Russell Wilson would love to bring him to Seattle, though Pete Carroll seems more inclined to reunite with Josh Gordon.
Brown, 32, has tallied 841 receptions for 11,253 yards over the course of his career, which includes seven Pro Bowl appearances.