Patriots To Release K Mike Nugent
The Patriots are cutting kicker Mike Nugent, sources tell The MMQB’s Albert Breer (on Twitter). Nugent’s replacement is TBD, but we know this much: The Pats will be moving on to their third kicker of the 2019 season.
The Patriots worked out other kickers before signing Nugent this year, including Giorgio Tavecchio, Nick Folk, Greg Joseph, and Austin MacGinnis. They could circle back to those names, or bring in a new group of kickers, as they look to sort out the situation.
Nugent went 5-of-8 on field goals during his short Patriots run, but it was his two misses against the Browns that cost him his job. The Patriots still won and advanced to 8-0, but head coach Bill Belichick decided he was through with Nugent anyway.
The Pats’ search for a new kicker, in theory, could lead them to Matt Bryant. The veteran, who was cut loose by the Falcons on Tuesday, could give them an experienced option in crunch time.
Dolphins To Place Xavien Howard On IR
There could be more big names changing teams today before the trade deadline. Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard won’t be one of them, however. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Trade For Rams’ Aqib Talib]
Howard is headed to injured reserve after suffering a knee injury on Monday night, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The good news: it’s not an ACL or MCL tear, but the Dolphins are choosing to exercise caution with the young star.
The Dolphins inked Howard to a five-year, $72.25MM extension in May, so they’re keeping their eyes on the prize. Of course, this year’s prize is the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft. Beyond that, the Dolphins view Howard as a major franchise cornerstone.
In related news, the Dolphins have released tight end Nick O’Leary, hours after his ill-time drop led to a Monday night loss against the Steelers. His release leaves the ‘Fins with Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe as the team’s only TEs.
Before the injury, the Dolphins were receiving calls of trade interest on Howard. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether they would have considered moving him and, now, we may never now.
Eagles Eyeing Broncos’ Chris Harris Jr.
The Eagles have called the Broncos about Chris Harris Jr., according to sources who spoke with Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). At this time, however, their asking price is too high.
The Broncos are paper thin at cornerback, but they also have no real shot at contention this year. With a chance to add to their draft stockpile, they could move Harris to a team that could put the veteran to good use, like the Eagles.
Meanwhile, the Broncos have no plans to trade Von Miller, sources tell Russini (Twitter link). The former Super Bowl MVP and perennial Pro Bowl pass rusher is signed through the 2021 season. Harris, however, is in a contract year and expressed a desire to test the market after a weeks-long holdout this offseason.
Denver landed Harris as a 2011 UDFA and paired the slot defender with Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby in 2014. While that trio helped the Broncos to the 2015 title, Harris is now the team’s only reliable corner. The four-time Pro Bowler could profile as a player the Broncos would like to extend, despite Harris being 30, due to an inability to find cornerbacks since that 2014 offseason. However, the Broncos are staring at a rebuild and have only a handful of starters from their Super Bowl team left. They traded Emmanuel Sanders last week.
Philadelphia finished second in the Jalen Ramsey derby and inquired on Detroit’s Darius Slay. It’s clear Howie Roseman recognizes his group of corners could use help, with the Eagles’ pass defense having struggled for much of this season. Harris has traveled with No. 1 wide receivers this year, as opposed to locking down the slot, so that would obviously be a key asset for a team looking to get back in the surefire contender mix. The Eagles have been in on Harris for a bit now but may have to deal a second-round pick to acquire him.
Jets, Cowboys Discussed Jamal Adams Trade
The Cowboys inquired on Jets safety Jamal Adams, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, there will be no deal – the asking price proved to be too high for the Cowboys, Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter) hears.
The Jets were open to dealing big-name players at the deadline and Adams – a Texas native –was open to a change of scenery.
“I know he wants to play [for the Cowboys]. I know he wants to go home,” former NFL safety Ryan Clark told ESPN. “This is from speaking to him.”
[RELATED: Jets Trade Leonard Williams To Giants]
The Jets’ high asking price was and is understandable. They wanted a first-round pick and then some for their high-end safety, Rapoport tweets. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have balked in giving up major assets for a safety for two offseasons now, so making another trade involving a first-rounder — after 2018’s Amari Cooper swap — was a scary proposition.
Adams is one of the very best young safeties in the game, but he ranks just 19th in salary. That means the Cowboys, or any other team acquiring Adams, would have had to give him a pay bump. The Jets, meanwhile, were thinking about allocating those dollars in different areas. For now, the Adams Era continues in New York, even as the Jets continue to struggle.
The Cowboys flirted with significant safety upgrades over the years, but they never closed on Eric Berry, Earl Thomas, or the other Pro Bowlers linked to Dallas. Adams would have arguably been the greatest get of ’em all, due to his age and rookie contract.
The Jets may be star-crossed and, at times, downright dreadful, but Adams has been nothing but stellar throughout his young career. The former No. 6 overall pick turned in a strong rookie year, earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2018, and, so far, he’s stopped defenders 39 times in 2019. Pro Football Focus presently has him ranked as the seventh-best safety in the league – ahead of Thomas and other multiple-time Pro Bowlers.
Latest On Lions, Darius Slay
Lions cornerback Darius Slay has been involved in trade rumors, but it’s starting to sound like Slay might stay in Detroit. The Lions have set an extremely high asking price for the 28-year-old, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears, and that might be a barrier to a deal getting done. 
[RELATED: Eagles Pursuing Lions’ Darius Slay]
The Eagles were said to be “working hard” on a Slay trade this week, which makes sense given their failed pursuit of Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey. However, as Garafolo notes, the Eagles were only willing to go so far for Ramsey, who is much younger than Slay. Alas, Detroit’s price might be too high, even for Eagles GM Howie Roseman, who has a serious tolerance for risk and an affinity for major trades.
Slay, a two-time Pro Bowler, notched eight interceptions in 2016. He hasn’t matched that unreal level of production since, but he still rates as one of the better available cornerback options as the deadline draws near. On the flipside: He ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 52 cornerback this year, a far cry from Pro Bowl level play.
For his part, Slay would probably welcome a fresh start. Or, at least, that’s what he said in the immediate wake of the Quandre Diggs deal that shipped his friend to the Seahawks.
The Lions extended Slay in 2016 with a four-year, $50.2MM deal. He’s got one more full year on that pact, with a $10MM base salary coming to him in 2020.
Broncos To Place Joe Flacco On IR?
Joe Flacco‘s season might be over. The Broncos are expected to place the quarterback on injured reserve, according to Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). 
On Monday, the Broncos ruled out Flacco for Week 9 with a neck injury. That means Brandon Allen, who has never taken a regular season snap, will start against the Browns. He’ll have the newly-activated Drew Lock behind him, and possibly Brett Rypien, if he’s promoted from the practice squad. They haven’t taken an NFL snap yet either.
The Broncos are no stranger to the injury bug this year and Flacco has been familiar with it throughout his entire career. He missed time in 2015 and 2018 with maladies and also dealt with back pain in 2017.
The good news for Flacco is that surgery probably won’t be required and his career is not in jeopardy, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears (on Twitter). Still, Flacco is looking at a 5-6 week absence, at the least. He’ll get a second opinion on Tuesday, which should inform the Broncos’ roster decision.
The Broncos are tethered to the 34-year-old through at least next season. After trading a fourth-round pick to acquire Flacco from the Ravens, they restructured the QB’s deal, which previously had no guaranteed money beyond 2019. If released after this season, Flacco would count for $13.6MM against the cap.
Without Flacco or a realistic shot at the postseason, the Broncos may look to ship out key players in advance of the trade deadline. Emmanuel Sanders is already gone and star cornerback Chris Harris Jr. could be the next to leave Denver.
In eight games this year, Flacco completed 65.3% of his passes, higher than any previous season in his career. He also threw only six touchdown passes against five touchdowns and turned in his lowest TD% ever.
Shane Steichen To Call Chargers’ Plays
The Chargers fired their offensive coordinator on Monday night and, technically speaking, they do not have a new one just yet. They do, however, have a new play-caller: QB coach Shane Steichen will be at the wheel, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Chargers Fire OC Ken Whisenhunt]
Head coach Anthony Lynn, meanwhile, will be heavily involved. That only makes sense since offense is Lynn’s bread and butter – he was a running backs coach for the bulk of his NFL coaching career and served as the Bills’ OC in 2016. Towards the end of the year, he succeeded Rex Ryan as the interim head coach before moving on to the L.A. job.
Lynn traveled the NFL throughout his assistant coaching career, but Steichen has spent most of his sideline time with the Chargers, dating back to 2011. Since 2016, he’s managed Philip Rivers & his backups as the Bolts’ QB coach.
Steichen takes over for Ken Whisenhunt, who got the heave-ho on Monday night. The Chargers haven’t cracked 40 yards rushing in any of their last four games (despite having Melvin Gordon on the field) and they ranked just 23rd in points under Whisenhunt this year.
With a new de facto OC, the Chargers will look for their second straight win when they face the Packers in L.A. on Sunday.
Ravens, Willie Snead Agree To Extension
The Ravens will sign Willie Snead to a one-year, $6MM extension, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The sum of the pact is fully-guaranteed, so it represents a solid payday for the wide receiver.
The 2014 undrafted free agent out of Ball State bounced between the Browns and Panthers before landing with the Saints. The wideout turned into one of Drew Brees‘ top targets, compiling 141 receptions, 1,879 yards, and seven touchdowns between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. However, he fell off a bit during his final season in New Orleans, and the Ravens landed Snead as a restricted free agent in 2018.
The 27-year-old was dependable during his first year in Baltimore, hauling in 62 receptions for 651 yards. In seven games this season, Snead has 15 catches for 223 yards and two touchdowns.
Snead was set to his unrestricted free agency this summer. The wideout would have joined a relatively deep free agent pool that includes the likes of Amari Cooper, A.J. Green, Emmanuel Sanders, Robby Anderson, and Nelson Agholor. As Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweets, this transaction could also clear up some cap space for a trade addition.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/28/19
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: QB Danny Etling, CB D.J. White
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released from IR via injury settlement: RB Alfred Blue
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed: CB Xavier Crawford (from Texans)
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: QB Cody Kessler
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: DT Bruce Hector
Trade Notes: Chargers, Gordon, Howard
Some league officials have linked the Lions and Bills to Chargers star running back Melvin Gordon (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler). Both clubs could be in the market for running back help and both would make ample sense for Gordon – if the Bolts are willing to lower their asking price a bit.
The Chargers haven’t been too keen on moving Gordon, despite the drama-filled offseason and holdout that ventured into the regular season. It’s possible that he could be pried loose for the right price, however, since he’ll be out-of-contract following the 2019 season.
Through four games played, Gordon hasn’t looked like his old self: he’s got just 2.5 yards per carry, plus two touchdowns (one rushing and one receiving). Last year, in 12 contests, Gordon averaged 5.1 yards per tote with 14 TDs in total.
Here’s more from around the NFL as we gear up for trade deadline day:
- The Dolphins are getting calls about cornerback Xavien Howard, Albert Breer of The MMQB reports. Howard says he’s not seeking a trade, and the Dolphins would do well to keep the 26-year-old for future seasons, but that’s not keeping other clubs from inquiring. Thanks to the five-year extension he inked with Miami in the offseason, Howard is under contract through the 2024 season.
- Interest in Broncos cornerback Chris Harris seems to have cooled a bit, due in part to the asking price, Troy Renck of Denver7 hears. The Eagles and Texans were among the clubs with serious interest, but the Eagles’ D has turned things around and the Texans seem to have already address their CB needs. Meanwhile, the Broncos are paper thin at cornerback, so Renck senses that they won’t consider moving him for less than a third-round choice. Harris, meanwhile, wants to finish out 2019 in Denver, where he and his wife are expecting their fourth child.
- In case you missed it: The Redskins are now open to trading Trent Williams.