Bucs’ Jason Pierre-Paul Could Miss Season
The early word after Jason Pierre-Paul‘s car crash indicated that he was not seriously injured. Unfortunately, that no longer appears to be the case. The Buccaneers defensive end may be in danger of missing the entire season due to a neck injury suffered in the accident, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. 
At this time, the belief is that Pierre-Paul will require surgery, which would almost certainly rule him out for the year. Pierre-Paul led the Bucs with 12.5 sacks last season, but the club will need to find pass rush pressure elsewhere in 2019.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that an off-the-field injury has held JPP back. On July 4, 2015, Pierre-Paul lost his right index finger in a fireworks accident. To the surprise of many, he bounced back to register 15.5 sacks across 28 games in the following two seasons. Hopefully, Pierre-Paul can rebound similarly after his neck malady.
Roughly half of Pierre-Paul’s $14.9MM salary for 2019 became guaranteed in March, so the Bucs have little recourse here when it comes to the salary cap. They also have very little in the way of cap flexibility, so it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to get in on the bidding for Ezekiel Ansah and other impact edge rushers left on the market.
Latest On Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper
The Cowboys have made more progress in their contract talks with quarterback Dak Prescott than wide receiver Amari Cooper, a source tells Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram. A new deal for Prescott would come in at around $30MM per year, Hill hears, but the Cowboys seem unfazed by that figure. 
”We are sold on Dak,” Jones said in a recent radio interview. “We do want to have him for the long term. We think he is worthy of investing in for the long term. He is going into his fourth year in the NFL. When you look at the snaps he has had, the situations he has been in and how he has got here and you see he has performed, we see real upside in Dak. You don’t have it all yet. We love the way he logically progresses through a game. You see when the going gets tough when he’s got to come from behind when he turns it loose a little bit. You see him make those plays. He emboldens me to make a deal with him that puts him here for the long term.”
They’d also like to lock up Cooper for the long haul, though his deal likely wouldn’t be less than $16MM/year. Cooper underwhelmed towards the end in Oakland, but he bounced back when came to Dallas in a midseason trade. In nine starts, Cooper hauled in 53 receptions for 725 yards and six touchdowns.
For now, the Cowboys have Cooper under contract for $13.924MM in 2019 thanks to his fifth-year option. Prescott, meanwhile, is on course for unrestricted free agency after his four-year rookie deal expires following the ’19 season.
Compensatory Pick Formula Ends Today
Starting at 4pm ET/3pm CT, any unrestricted free agent that signs with a new team will not count towards the 2020 compensatory draft pick formula, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This should quickly accelerate the market for several free agents of note, including:
- DT Ndamukong Suh
- DE Ziggy Ansah
- RB Jay Ajayi
- S Tre Boston
- DT Muhammad Wilkerson
- CB Morris Claiborne
- DE Allen Bailey
- LB Shane Ray
- RB LeGarrette Blount
Compensatory picks are given to teams that lose a greater number of compensatory free agents (or, a greater quality of free agents) than they acquire. The complicated formula that dictates how the picks are dispersed is not disclosed to the public, but teams are wary of signing even lower impact UFAs while it is in effect.
But, when the formula is turned off, veteran free agents should start flying off of the board.
Richie Incognito Leaves Raiders Without Deal
6:24pm: Incognito has left the Raiders without a deal, per Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter). However, Bair says that the two sides could come to terms later, and he confirmed that Incognito is in great shape.
5:10pm: Incognito has finished his workout but still needs to pass a physical before the Raiders consider signing him, per ESPN. Incognito pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct stemming from his arrest last August, so he may still be subject to some league discipline if he signs with a team. And that, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Twitter), may be the only obstacle to getting a deal done. Pelissero hears that there is mutual interest, and that Incognito is in great shape.
11:19am: The Raiders will work out free agent guard Richie Incognito on Monday, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The veteran was out of football last year out of a string of bizarre incidents, but he apparently wants to play again. 
Last year, Incognito agreed to a pay cut with the Bills only to “retire” for a short time and force his release from Buffalo. Days after his release, Florida cops placed Incognito in a mental hospital after he hurled weights at a gym and told officers that the government is spying on him. Incognito claimed that he drew interest even after that event, but as far as we know, his Oakland workout marks his only real inquiry in the last calendar year.
On the plus side, Garafolo hears that Incognito is feeling well “in all aspects.” If he’s healthy – both mentally and physically – Incognito could factor into the Raiders’ starting left guard competition following the trade of Kelechi Osemele to the Jets. The Raiders say that Gabe Jackson will remain on the right side, which currently leaves Denzelle Good as the leader in the clubhouse at LG.
In 2017, Incognito graded out as the 12th best guard in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. He ranked seventh amongst all guards in 2016 and second in ’15, making him the Bills’ top-rated offensive lineman in that three year period.
Raiders Trade K Eddy Pineiro To Bears
Robbie Gould might not be coming back to Chicago after all. On Monday, the Bears acquired kicker Eddy Pineiro from the Raiders, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will net the Raiders a 2021 seventh-round pick, provided that Pineiro is on Chicago’s active roster for five games.
After last weekend’s rookie minicamp, the Bears trimmed their kickers down from four to two. Now, they have three kickers to audition in Pineiro, Elliott Fry, and Chris Blewitt.
Pineiro, who joined the Raiders as a UDFA out of Florida last year, has yet to kick in a regular season game. In the preseason last year, he made all three of his field goal tries, plus his lone XP attempt.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/6/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DE Aaron Adeoye, CB Terrell Bonds, OT Darrell Williams
- Waived: DB Robertson Daniel, S Evan Worthington, OL C.J. Toogood
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Tommy Doles, DE Jalen Dalton
- Cut: DB Adarius Pickett, DE Lawrence Marshall
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Jhavonte Dean, RB Travon Gray, LB Willie Harvey
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed: WR Jawill Davis
- Signed: WR Darrius Shepherd, CB Chandon Sullivan
- Released: RB Lavon Coleman
Kansas City Chiefs
- Reserve/non-football injury list: DE Tim Ward
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Bryce Hager
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Terrance Alexander, DE Stacy Keely, DB Isaiah Wharton
New England Patriots
- WR Xavier Ubosi
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Kenny Bigelow Jr., RB Devine Ozigbo, CB Jordan Wyatt
New York Giants
- Signed: G Austin Droogsma
New York Jets
- Waived: QB Brandon Silvers
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: P A.J. Cole, DT Ronald Ollie
- Waived: P Drew Kaser, OL Jamar McGloster
San Francisco 49ers
- Claimed: OL Willie Beavers,
- Signed: LB LaRoy Reynolds, RB Austin Walter
- Waived: RB Matthew Dayes, DL Ryan Delaire
49ers, DeForest Buckner Far Apart On Talks
The 49ers and star defensive lineman DeForest Buckner have had contract negotiations for a long-term deal, but but they remain far apart on terms, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Agent Chafie Fields has talked with team brass over the last few days, but there is no deal in sight. 
The Niners exercised Buckner’s fifth-year option last week and a long-term pact remains a priority for the club. The former No. 7 overall pick is coming off a breakout 2018 campaign in which he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 23rd-best defensive lineman. He started all 16 games, and racked up 12 sacks while also being a force against the run.
For now, the fifth-year option is slated to pay Buckner $12.378MM in 2020. The Niners can ill-afford to lose him after that, especially since 2017’s No. 3 overall pick Solomon Thomas hasn’t panned out so far.
The good news for the 49ers is that Buckner isn’t necessarily in a rush to ink a multi-year pact.
“We’ve had conversations here and there. Honestly, it’s very early,” Buckner said in April. “Just because I’m eligible for a new contract going into my fourth year, it’s still very early in the process.”
Bucs To Sign Kerwynn Williams
The Bucs are signing running back Kerwynn Williams, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Williams, who was released by the Lions last week, offers familiarity with head coach Bruce Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich from their time together with the Cardinals. 
In Arizona, Williams saw a decent amount of work as a reserve and even started in a handful of games in 2017, his final season with the team. All in all, he averaged 4.5 yards per carry, though the ’17 season was the only campaign in which he cracked 100 attempts on the year.
In other Bucs news, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul was recently involved in a car accident. Fortunately, JPP was not seriously injured in the crash.
Dolphins Interested In Nick Perry
The Dolphins have made overtures to free agent edge rusher Nick Perry, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Perry, unlike other veteran free agents, would not count against the Dolphins’ 2020 compensatory pick formula. 
The Packers ate a considerable amount of dead money to move Perry’s deal off their books in March and revamped their outside linebacker corps by signing Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith. Ending the past two seasons on IR, Perry did not live up to the deal he signed with Green Bay in 2017. But, the 29-year-old pass rusher is said to be fully healthy for the first time in months.
Perry has never played 16 games in a season, but prior to the 2018 campaign that saw him miss seven games, the former first-round pick had played in at least 12 from 2014-17. He finished with 18 sacks between the 2016 and ’17 seasons and would profile as a reasonable upgrade for Miami. In fact, he may be the best remaining edge rusher left, save for Ezekiel Ansah.
Perry would make sense for the Dolphins – Patrick Graham, the Dolphins’ new defensive coordinator, was Perry’s position coach in Green Bay last year. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have to reload after losing both Cameron Wake and Robert Quinn.
With that in mind, Beasley also says that former Bills defender Jordan Mills is a player to watch for the Dolphins. Mills would impact the Dolphins’ comp pick formula, so Miami may not ramp things up on that front until the end of the week.
Panthers Cut S Da’Norris Searcy
The Panthers cut safety Da’Norris Searcy, according to a team announcement. In a related move, the club also waived offensive tackle Isaiah Battle. 
Searcy joined the Panthers on a two-year, $5.7MM deal lasty offseason with the ability to make up to $3.1MM in 2017. A former fourth-round pick, Searcy managed 12 tackles and one interception in his first year with Carolina while grading as the NFL’s No. 61 safety among 87 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
Last year, Searcy missed eight games due to a pair of concussions suffered in September and did not make it back to the field despite being designated for return in late November. By releasing him, the Panthers will incur a modest $650K cap hit while saving $1.76MM.
Without Searcy, 2018 third-round pick Rashaan Gaulden appears to be in line for a starting safety spot opposite of Eric Reid. It’s also possible that the Panthers could add a veteran safety in the offseason to compete for the gig.
Battle, 26, joined Carolina on a futures deal in January. The 6’7″ Clemson product has bounced around the league since entering as a supplemental pick of the Rams in 2015, but has yet to see live action.