Jets’ Kelechi Osemele Expects To Be Released
Kelechi Osemele says he “100%” expects the Jets to release him this offseason (Twitter link via Dennis Waszak of the Associated Press). This comes after a bitter back-and-forth between Gang Green and the guard regarding his readyness from shoulder surgery.
Meanwhile, Osemele’s agents say he will undergo surgery on Friday, with or without the Jets’ approval, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. If the Jets push back, they say “he will have all of his rights under the CBA enforced through the legal process.”
The Jets fined Osemele this week and it seems likely that the veteran will respond for a grievance. At this point, it would be surprising if the Jets didn’t also suspend Osemele for conduct detrimental to the team.
Osemele, who has been one of the game’s better interior linemen throughout his career, seems ready to move on from the Jets.
“It’s been killing me,” Osemele said Friday. “I’m just trying to get this done. I’ve done everything I can. I’ve been at work every day, waking up at 5 in the morning, doing all the rehab and the treatments and stuff like that. I’m like the last dude out of here at night. I’m doing everything I can. I’m working with my agent. We’re communicating with the team. There’s just not communication between the team and my doctor and my agent. It’s just been butting heads for whatever reason. Hopefully, it gets resolved soon.”
Soon, the Jets may move on from him.
Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh Denies NFL Interest
This week, a college football blog reported that Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was looking to get out of his contract and return to the NFL. On Wednesday, Harbaugh denied those rumors in a letter to the parents of his players. 
“I am reaching out to let you know that the recent claims that I am ‘pursuing an exit strategy’ are total crap,” Harbaugh wrote (via Sam Webb of The Michigan Insider). “It’s an annual strategy driven by our enemies to cause disruption to our program an to negatively recruit. By the way, I don’t even have an ‘agent or representative.’”
This isn’t the first time that Harbaugh has been linked to the pro game since taking over the Wolverines in 2015 and it likely won’t be the last. This past offseason, the Jets reportedly went after the ex-49ers HC and the Dolphins were also said to have him high on their list.
Harbaugh led the 49ers to three straight NFC championship games in his first three years as their head coach. At Michigan, Harbaugh is 43-16 overall, including a 3-2 record this year.
Dion Jordan Drawing Interest
Former No. 3 overall pick Dion Jordan is drawing interest from “a bunch” of NFL teams, agent Tareq Azim tells NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The defensive end is said to be at 8% body fat at 273 pounds and his rep says he’s feeling great both mentally and physically. 
Jordan will be eligible to return from suspension in a few weeks, following his ban for PEDs. According to Jordan, he tested positive for Adderall after his therapeutic use exemption (TUE) expired.
“I made a mistake,” Jordan told Pelissero back in May. “I feel like the person that I am, I’m ready to move forward, I’ve been ready to move forward, with this specific issue. I’ve been working really hard with myself outside of football, and I can see the progress as a young man, as Dion Jordan, I can see it. My whole lifestyle — it’s been a 180-degree change. I f–ked up, man. I can’t fix this [expletive]. It is what it is. But I know what I can’t do and what not to do compared to the mistakes I’ve made in the past.”
If and when he signs, he’ll look to shed his draft bust label. Jordan was only a part-timer in his first two seasons with the Dolphins and managed just three sacks in total. Then, his 2015 season was wiped out due to a year-long suspension for diluting his drug test sample.
Jordan spent the last two seasons with the Seahawks, but it is not clear whether the Seahawks have any interest in a reunion.
Lions Trade Quandre Diggs To Seahawks
The Lions will ship defensive back Quandre Diggs and a 2021 seventh-round pick to the Seahawks for a 2020 fifth-round draft pick, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. 
Diggs, 26, was asked to carry more of the load this year after the Lions moved on from Glover Quin. The safety started in five contests this year, notching 20 tackles in total. For his work, Pro Football Focus has him graded as just the No. 61 ranked safety in the NFL, but, historically, PFF’s advanced metrics have held him in high regard.
Diggs is signed through the 2021 campaign thanks to the three-year, $20.4MM extension he signed with Detroit back in 2018. Still, the Seahawks can easily escape his deal, if they want to, after this season.
The Seahawks’ secondary is a long way from the Legion of Boom days and an experienced player like Diggs was badly needed in Seattle. Still, the Seahawks’ training staff will have to give Diggs some attention if they want him to stay on the field – the former sixth-rounder has seen limited snaps since Week 4 due to hand and hammy issues.
With Diggs in Seattle, the Lions will move forward with Tracy Walker, Tavon Wilson, and Will Harris as their top guys.
Cardinals To Sign RB Alfred Morris
The Cardinals have agreed to sign running back Alfred Morris, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. To make room, they’ve dropped linebacker Ramik Wilson. 
Morris is on hand to help man the running back position while David Johnson nurses an ankle injury. He edged out Thomas Rawls and Zach Zenner in a recent audition as he looks to get his career back in track.
Morris, 30, played 12 games with the 49ers last season. This offseason, Morris reunited with the Cowboys, but Ezekiel Elliott‘s early September return left A-Mo without a job.
Morris did his best work early on with the Redskins, including a stellar 1,600-yard rookie season. In 2013 and 2014, he earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods and eclipsed 1,000 yards each time. There have been signs of life more recently than that, however. In 2017, Morris managed 4.8 yards per carry in a small-but-not-that-small sample of 115 totes.
The Cardinals, who have a 3-3-1 record, will face the Saints on Sunday.
Lions Place Kerryon Johnson On IR
Kerryon Johnson won’t see the field for a while. The running back has been placed on injured reserve, according to head coach Matt Patricia.
Johnson was forced out of the first quarter of Sunday’s game with a right knee injury and further testing revealed that he’ll need surgery to help jumpstart his recovery. Per league rules, Johnson can return after eight missed weeks. Patricia says that’s the plan, though that’ll hinge on the pace of Johnson’s recovery. That’ll also hinge on the Lions’ place in the playoff chase, though Patricia did not vocalize that part.
Johnson’s early career has been defined by potential and bad injury luck. Last year, he missed six games with a left knee injury, though he showed some promising flashes.
In six games this year, Johnson ran for 308 yards and two touchdowns. Through the air, he added another score and 126 receiving yards off of nine catches.
With the 2018 second-round pick out of action, the Lions will likely turn to Ty Johnson and J.D. McKissic. There’s also No. 3 RB Tra Carson on the active roster and Paul Perkins may be considered for a promotion.
Giants Sign Deone Bucannon
The Giants have signed former Cardinals and Buccaneers linebacker Deone Bucannon, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The deal reunites the former first-round pick with James Bettcher, his old friend and defensive coordinator in Arizona. 
Bucannon offers some dual-position potential as a safety and, despite the ups and downs of his career, is still only 27. There’s upside here for the G-Men and little risk as this is likely a low-cost deal.
The Bucs also had some hope for Bucannon after inking him to an inexpensive one-year, $2.5MM pact. He didn’t do much to replace Kwon Alexander in his short run, however, and saw just eight snaps through five games.
Last year, Bucannon finished as one of Pro Football Focus’ worst-graded linebackers in a limited sample of 389 snaps. He’s still looking to reprise the 2015 season in which he broke out with 109 tackles, three sacks, and an interception.
Broncos Trade Emmanuel Sanders To 49ers
The Broncos have traded wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to the 49ers, according to Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). The deal will send Sanders and a 2020 fifth-round pick to the Niners with 2020 third- and fourth-round picks going to Denver, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
The trade talk around Sanders has been percolating for some time. The Niners, meanwhile, have been on the hunt for a game-changing wide receiver. Mohamed Sanu, one of the top available WRs leading up to the trade deadline, was snagged by the Patriots in a Tuesday morning trade. Instead, the 49ers pivoted to Sanders, who offers a lengthy playmaking resume.
Through seven games, Sanders has 30 catches for 367 yards and two touchdowns. While those aren’t bad numbers, he’ll aim to get back towards his old form. Last year, Sanders managed 71 catches for 868 yards and four touchdowns in just 12 games. In 2014, his first season with the Broncos, he set career highs of 101 grabs for 1,404 yards and nine TDs. Sanders’ best ball might be behind him, but he’s still plenty dangerous, the potential is there for him to be a difference-maker as one of Jimmy Garoppolo‘s top targets.
In this deal, the Broncos managed to acquire draft capital while giving up a 32-year-old player in the final year of his deal. It was a solid move for GM John Elway, who likely isn’t done working the phones. There’s still a week to go before the trade deadline and the Broncos are clearly willing to sell after their loss to the Patrick Mahomes-less Chiefs. At this point, all eyes are on cornerback Chris Harris Jr. Elway has implied that Harris, Von Miller, and Derek Wolfe are staying put, but he said roughly the same thing about all of the team’s big “names” just days ago, and that group certainly included Sanders.
Outside of tight end George Kittle, the Niners were lacking proven receiving talents. In fact, none of the 49ers wide receivers have eclipsed the 200-yard mark or scored more than one touchdown this season. Sanders knows a thing or two about finding the end zone, however – he’s scored 39 career touchdowns for the Steelers and Broncos across his NFL career. If Sanders can produce – and mentor Dante Pettis and Deebo Samuel – he’ll be well worth the price. The Niners will be in even better shape if Trent Taylor returns to action later this year.
Sanu and Sanders are spoken for, but A.J. Green (Bengals), Taylor Gabriel (Bears), and DeVante Parker (Dolphins) are still available for trade between now and Tuesday buzzer.
Falcons Believe They’ll Keep Austin Hooper
The Falcons’ fire sale is underway, but it sounds like Austin Hooper will be staying put. Even though the tight end is bound for unrestricted free agency as the Falcons look to manage salary cap issues, club officials still believe they can re-sign him this offseason, Jeff Schultz of The Athletic tweets. 
With that in mind, there’s little motivation for the Falcons to trade Hooper, who has been one of the few major bright spots for the Falcons during an otherwise dismal year. To date, Hooper has reeled in 46 catches for 526 yards and four touchdowns, putting him on pace to blow past last year’s 71/660/4 stat line. And, just a couple of weeks ago, he reminded everyone in Atlanta of just how dangerous he can be with eight catches, 117 yards, and a touchdown against the Rams.
Hooper, 25 in November, is earning just $2.025MM in base pay in the final year of his rookie contract. The 6’4″ target is in line for a major pay day in March, but the Falcons seem willing to be the ones writing the check.
There could be even more targets and opportunities for Hooper in the second half of the year. Mohamed Sanu, who drew 42 looks in seven games, was shipped to the Patriots on Tuesday morning in exchange for a second-round pick.
Jaguars To Sign Malcolm Smith
The Jaguars are set to sign linebacker Malcolm Smith, a league source tells ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco (on Twitter). Smith will help replenish the club’s depth after a costly victory against the Bengals on Sunday. 
Smith spent the last two seasons in San Francisco. Years before that, he reached the pinnacle of the game with the Seahawks, capturing the Lombardi Trophy and the Super Bowl XLVIII MVP award.
Things, unfortunately, haven’t been the same since that February night.The one-time Super Bowl MVP was forced to take a pay cut in the offseason after two injury plagued seasons with the Niners and, ultimately, did not make it through final cuts.
Smith’s first year with the 49ers wiped out by a torn pectoral muscle. Then, in 2018, he registered just 35 tackles and one pass defensed in 12 games (five starts). His Pro Football Focus grade of 63.4 was an improvement over his 2015 and 2016 showings with the Raiders, but that placed him as the 53rd best linebacker in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.