Raiders Sign Ethan Westbrooks
The Raiders have signed defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks, according to a team announcement. In related moves, they have waived defensive lineman Ronald Ollie and tight end Erik Swoope. 
Westbrooks spent his first five years with the Rams and started in nine contests for L.A. in 2017. In that season, he registered four sacks, marking a new career high.
Last year, however, was not his finest. In September, Westbrooks was cuffed for possession of a stolen handgun. He still appeared in all 16 games for the Rams, but he made zero starts for their star-studded front seven and finished out with just eight tackles and one sack. With the Raiders, he’ll likely find himself as a depth addition once again.
Swoope, a former basketball standout at the University of Miami, had a noteworthy year with the Colts in 2016. Thanks in part to injury, he has yet to see similar playing time since then or match his average of 19.8 yards per reception (across a limited sample of 15 catches).
Dolphins Interested In Robert Nkemdiche
The Dolphins are among teams that have made “preliminary due diligence inquiry calls” on Robert Nkemdiche, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter) hears. Nkemdiche, a former first round pick of the Cardinals, was released this week and cleared waivers, making him a free agent. 
Nkemdiche is an interesting case. He has loads of potential, but is still recovering from a torn ACL in December. The good news is that he is expected to be ready for action in September and likely wouldn’t cost much for the Dolphins or any other interested club. In the case of the Dolphins, a multi-year deal (or, a deal with a team option for the 2020 season) would make lots of sense, given their ongoing rebuilding efforts.
The 24-year-old defensive lineman (25 in September), had no sacks until last season when he registered 4.5 QB takedowns. Injuries have been a constant for him – the Mississippi product has only appeared in 27 games over three years for Arizona.
Redskins To Sign Donald Penn
The Redskins have made a major upgrade on the offensive line. The team is set to sign veteran tackle Donald Penn to a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). 
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Penn will provide the Redskins with serious insurance against Trent Williams‘ very serious holdout. His presence also means that the team won’t have to rely heavily Ereck Flowers, a former draft bust of the rival Giants who was originally signed to play on the interior.
The Redskins expressed interest in Penn during his 2014 free agency and, many years later, they finally got their man. Penn is a proven commodity, though he was shelved by injury for much of the 2018 season. Prior to that, he started in 174 of 176 possible games dating back to 2007.
This might not be the end of the team’s offensive line shuffling. The Redskins could still use some depth, particularly at guard, and the club could explore trading Williams now that they have a proper fill-in.
Steelers Restructure Stephon Tuitt’s Deal
The Steelers have converted $5.195MM of defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt’s $6M base salary into a signing bonus, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). The move will create $3.9MM in desperately needed cap space for the Steelers. 
Heading into Tuesday, the Steelers had just $1.091MM in breathing room, the lowest in the NFL. Now that the Steelers have roughly $5MM in space, the Broncos (~$4.8MM) have the least amount of cap room in the league.
Tuitt, 26, registered 5.5 sacks and 45 total tackles in 14 games last season. A full-time starter since 2015, Tuitt has 20 sacks to his credit, but has yet to play a full 16-game slate since joining the first string.
Last year, Tuitt agreed to a similar contract adjustment in order to accommodate the Steelers.
Texans Give Raise To CB Johnathan Joseph
The Texans gave cornerback Johnathan Joseph a raise, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. In the revised deal, Joseph received a $1.5MM signing bonus and a base salary bump from $2.9MM to $4MM. Meanwhile, his per game roster bonuses were reduced from $1MM to $500K total. 
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It’s a solid reward for a veteran player who has outperformed the two-year, $10MM deal he signed prior to the 2018 season. Joseph has pretty much been a starter throughout his career, but last year he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 10 ranked cornerback in the NFL, though his check put him in the middle of the pack at his position.
Joseph finished out 2018 with 58 tackles, two interceptions, and a touchdown. At the age of 35, Joseph now has 30 career picks, seven scores, and 175 total starts to his credit.
Patriots Notes: Etling, Allen, Judge
Here’s a look at the Patriots:
- Quarterback Danny Etling is now wide receiver Danny Etling, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. Already, there is excitement about what Etling can do as a multi-threat talent. “We always knew Danny could play different positions. I always used to joke with him and call him Taysom Hill,” receiver Phillip Dorsett said. Etling also took practice repetitions on special teams this week, which is another area in which Hill contributes to the Saints.
- As the Patriots near the end of August, NESN’s Doug Kyed and Zack Cox looked ahead at the team’s roster projection. The duo sees Etling missing the cut, despite his versatility. Both writes also see punter Ryan Allen losing the battle to cheaper alternative Jake Bailey.
- More from Reiss, who notes that Joe Judge is in a unique position as the NFL’s only special-teams coordinator/wide receivers coach. Because he can’t be in two places at the same time, Judge has been relying on Patriots Hall of Famer Troy Brown as a WR assistant on a temporary basis that could theoretically become a full-time job.
Dolphins Fire Pat Flaherty
The Dolphins have fired offensive line coach Pat Flaherty, according to a team announcement. To take his place, the team has promoted analyst Dave DeGuglielmo. 
It’s a surprising twist for a number of reasons, including timing. Flaherty was set to implement a new blocking system, but the Dolphins were unwilling to give him the length of training camp to get results.
DeGuglielmo and Flaherty worked together while with the Giants, but DeGuglielmo is now supplanting Flaherty as the ‘Fins OL guru. DeGuglielmo, 51, offers vast experience as an offensive line coach at both the collegiate and NFL level. He’s worked for Miami before, as he was the club’s line coach from 2009-11. Last year, he helped transform the Colts’ offensive line into one of the NFL’s best before his surprise ouster in January.
Saints To Meet With Alfred Morris
Free agent running back Alfred Morris is set to meet with the Saints, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Rapoport also hears that Morris has received interest from two other NFL teams. 
The Saints have been in the market for a running back and Morris would bring experience to their already talented group. At present, they have Latavius Murray, Dwayne Washington, one-time Ravens standout Buck Allen, and a couple of other RBs behind star Alvin Kamara.
Morris, 30, signed with SF last year for the veteran’s minimum. He went on to appear in 12 games and averaged 3.9 yards per carry in a limited sample of 111 totes. For his career, Morris has averaged 4.3 yards per attempt, including three high-usage years with the Redskins in which he topped 1,000 yards rushing.
Ravens To Sign QB Joe Callahan
The Ravens are expected to sign quarterback Joe Callahan, a source tells NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). Callahan may face long odds of making the roster, but he has familiarity with offensive coordinator Greg Roman thanks to their time together at Holy Spirit High School in 2008. 
With RG3 sidelined, the Ravens needed another quarterback to move them through camp. The hope is that Griffin will be ready for Week 1, but it’s possible that he’ll need extra time to recover. In either event, the Ravens will have Callahan to support Lamar Jackson and rookie Trace McSorely.
Prior to signing Callahan, veteran Josh Johnson rejected an offer from the Ravens.
Josh Johnson Turns Down Ravens
It wasn’t meant to be. Quarterback Josh Johnson has turned down a contract offer from the Ravens, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Johnson would have been a logical fit for the Ravens given his history with the club and the team’s need for another arm in camp. However, RGIII will likely return when the season begins, so Johnson didn’t feel it was the right opportunity. Instead, he’ll presumably wait for another camp injury and a better opportunity to make someone’s 53-man cut.
Johnson has toured much of the NFL over the course of his career, but went many years without actually taking a snap. At the age of 33, Johnson is probably tired of the add/drop game and is looking for something stable. This season will mark Johnson’s 12th in professional football.