Raiders Looking To Trade For WRs
The Raiders are on the lookout for wide receivers as Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline approaches, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears (Twitter link). One possible target for Oakland, he hears, is Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson, who is one of several Gang Green players on the block. 
The Raiders already swung one October trade for a wide receiver when they brought in Zay Jones from the Bills, but their work might not be done. Besides Jones, the Raiders’ WR group includes Tyrell Williams, Dwayne Harris, Hunter Renfrow, Trevor Davis, Keelan Doss, and Marcell Ateman. They had Williams on the field this weekend, which is a positive development, but the Raiders’ No. 1 target came up short down the stretch in Sunday’s loss to the Texans.
“I’ll look back at this game and see missed opportunities for myself,” said Williams, who was being hard on himself, even after making some key plays in the second half. “I just have to make those plays on that last drive. There are easy fixes. I just have to make those plays.”
On that front – quarterback Derek Carr says he’ll continue to send the ball in Williams’ direction.
“There are two or three that he wants back, but you guys know me. I’m going to keep throwing it to him,” Carr said. “When we had [Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree] rolling, a drop didn’t matter. I was going to keep throwing them the ball. They are going to get chances. The ball is still coming with confidence…Whenever they want to single him up and make him beat us, we’re going to take that chance. There were probably two or three where I could’ve delivered a better ball or that he’d want back.”
If the Raiders can add another talented WR to the fold between now and tomorrow afternoon, Williams may benefit from some improved matchups.
Falcons To Promote Danny Etling
The Falcons will promote practice squad quarterback Danny Etling, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter). The move is significant, because it may be an indicator that Matt Ryan won’t play on Sunday vs. the Seahawks. 
Ryan suffered an ankle injury against the Rams on Sunday and is presently listed as questionable. The Falcons haven’t said much about his status, but the promotion of Etling says a lot.
If Ryan is out, Matt Schaub will start in his stead. Meanwhile, Etling will serve as his top clipboard holder. Etling, a 2018 seventh-round pick by the Patriots, appears to be back at the QB position. Earlier this year, the Pats were experimenting with him as a wide receiver/QB hybrid.
This has been a trying year for Ryan and the Falcons. Through seven games, they’re 1-6, and appear to be in selling mode as the trade deadline approaches. Mohamed Sanu has already been jettisoned to Etling’s former club and edge rusher Vic Beasley could be the next notable to go. Teams are also interested in tight end Austin Hooper, but the Falcons seem set on keeping him for the long haul.
Bucs’ JPP To Play Vs. Titans
The Buccaneers have activated outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul from the non-football injury list, per a club announcement. That means JPP will return within the allotted 21-day window for NFI players and take the field against the Titans on Sunday. 
JPP suffered a fractured neck in a May car wreck, but miraculously managed to return to practice earlier this month. It’s fantastic news for the Bucs, who get a Pro Bowler back in the lineup to join UFA addition Shaquil Barrett, who has been exceptional as JPP’s main fill-in. Barrett is tied for the league lead with nine sacks – already tripling last year’s tally with the Broncos.
JPP, meanwhile, notched 12.5 sacks in his first Bucs season. With any luck, he’ll be able to pick up right where he left off and help the Bucs climb out of their 2-4 hole.
Latest On Jets, Kelechi Osemele
Kelechi Osemele’s Friday surgery went well, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. As a result, his season is over, but his fight in the trenches against the Jets is just getting started.
Osemele’s reps and the NFLPA are now “considering specific action against the Jets’ team doctor for violations of State Medical Board Regulations,” Schefter reports. Osemele’s camp says that the damage found in his shoulder was more extensive than anticipated and he is expected to argue that the Jets were acting irresponsibly by trying to force him back on the field prematurely.
The Jets traded for Osemele in the offseason and inherited the remaining two years on his contract. At this point, it seems like his Jets tenure will be capped at three games.
Moving forward, the Jets will deploy Alex Lewis at left guard as they duke it out with Osemele off of the field.
Latest On Cowboys, Dak Prescott
The Cowboys want to re-up Dak Prescott, but only on a team-friendly deal that would allow them flexibility on other parts of the roster. That was the prevailing sentiment in Friday interviews given by owner Jerry Jones and EVP Stephen Jones. 
“The only thing we need him to do is work with us a little bit, and I understand because it’s his money and it’s easy for someone else to say, but the only reason we’re having a negotiation is to talk him into all the reasons why it’s good to have a good supporting cast around him,” Stephen Jones told 105.3 The Fan. “Other than that, it would be really easy to write the check. It’s not saving Jerry and I any money. What we’re trying to do is keep this young football team together. We think it’s a really good one. We think it’s only going to keep getting better because it is young. Other than that, this negotiation would have been over with months ago. But I think he understands where we’re coming from. We understand where he’s coming from. Ultimately, we’ll figure this out.”
Ditto for Double-J – he says he’s only willing to go so far, but he’s optimistic about an extension getting ironed out.
“How close we are to getting it done is really not identifiable because it takes two, and it takes the will of two looking at it from two different perspectives,” Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. “You never know what that is, and the other one never knows where that is until it’s actually done…both parties are continuing to operate as though we’re going to get something done at some point.”
Through seven games, Prescott has led the Cowboys to a 4-3 record (good for first in the NFC East) with 8.9 yards per throw (behind only Patrick Mahomes and Kirk Cousins). The mark Prescott likely has in mind: Russell Wilson‘s league-leading $35MM/year average.
XFL Salaries Lower Than Reported?
Recently, the XFL projected salaries of about $55K per year for its players. In actuality, those salaries could be even lower. 
“The salary schedule did not come close to matching what was talked about rampantly throughout the XFL combine workouts and was discussed online by many different sources,” agency Logan Brown Sports said in a statement (via Twitter). “The base salary is $27,040 with per-game active bonuses of $1,685 and weekly win bonuses of $2,222.”
LBS represents defensive end Corey Vereen, who was selected by the L.A. Wildcats in the XFL’s first ever draft. Because the pay is lower than anticipated, Vereen says he will not play for Vince McMahon‘s rebooted league.
Vereen is the first XFLer to back out of playing with the league, but if his take on the salaries is accurate, he probably won’t be the last.
The XFL’s two-day draft kicked off on October 15. On Day 1, notables including Christine Michael (No. 6 overall, St. Louis), Tommylee Lewis (No. 13, Dallas), Sammie Coates (No. 18, Houston), Cameron Artis-Payne (No. 20, Dallas), and Jace Amaro (No. 26, Seattle) found their new pro football homes.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/25/19
We don’t dance now, we make minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DL Ufomba Kamalu (from Patriots practice squad)
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: DT Justin Hamilton
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: DT Bruce Hector
Patriots Work Out Elijah McGuire
After the Patriots got done smoking the Jets, they took a look at one of their former running backs. On Friday, the Jets auditioned running back Elijah McGuire, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. 
McGuire spent the last couple of seasons with the Jets, up until his recent release. The tailback drew solid reviews in Jets practice over the last two years, but his career 3.3 yards per carry average isn’t much to write home about.
Austin Walter, a Rice product, also showed his stuff for the Patriots. Walter recently auditioned for the Texans as well, so he may have an opportunity to stay in the great state of Texas.
If McGuire or Walter wind up with the Pats, they might get to make their New England debut against the Browns on Sunday. And, if they don’t, they might find a spot on the Patriots’ always-growing emergency list.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/25/19
We’ll keep track of today’s workouts here:
Houston Texans
- DB Picasso Nelson, DB Trevor Williams
New York Jets
- DE Quinton Bell, LB Ukeme Eligwe C Leo Koloamatangi
San Francisco 49ers
Washington Redskins
- LB Tashawn Bower, TE Rico Gathers, LB Porter Gustin, DE Dewayne Hendrix, TE Gabe Holmes, QB Chase Litton, LB Carroll Phillips, TE Will Tye, TE Clive Walford
Redskins’ Prez: “We’ve Heard From Every Agent”
The Redskins’ internal drama has been well-documented, but team president Bruce Allen claims that he’s heard from “every agent” for head coaching candidates regarding the vacancy (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Andrea Kremer). 
[RELATED: Trent Williams To Report By Week 10?]
“Let’s just say we’ve heard from every agent,” Allen said. “They found our phone number.”
The Redskins have seen the postseason since their 2015 playoff exit against the Packers in the Wild Card round. This year, they canned Jay Gruden after an 0-5 start that dropped his career record to 35-49. When Gruden was fired, he was reportedly happy to be moving on from the team and an apparently toxic relationship with club management.
When asked about the Gruden divorce, Allen was terse, to say the least.
“We HAD to fire Jay,” he said (via Kremer, emphasis hers). “The team wasn’t responding.”
There are, at least, two candidates currently in the mix for the Redskins job: interim head coach Bill Callahan and offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell. The Redskins are expected to consider both men for the post before potentially casting a wider net in December.