Buccaneers Place RB Charles Sims On IR
The Buccaneers have placed Charles Sims on injured reserve. The running back suffered a knee injury on the opening kickoff of the team’s most recent playoff game against the Titans. 
Sims was re-signed to a one-year deal this offseason and was hoping to get back to his old form after getting limited carries in 2017. Although teams are permitted to bring two players back from IR, the Bucs’ announcement made it sound as though Sims is done for the year. He’ll have to wait until 2019 for redemption, and there’s no guarantee that will happen in Tampa.
Appearing in all 16 games, Sims totaled just 21 rushing attempts for 95 yards. He did have 35 catches for 249 yards and one score, however.
The Buccaneers have Peyton Barber, rookie Ronald Jones, and Jacquizz Rodgers effectively locked in for the 53-man roster. Sims was pushing for a spot behind him, and that will now likely go to Duke product Shaun Wilson. Dare Ogunbowale also has improved odds of making the cut now that Sims is out of the picture.
Steelers Sign Vince Williams To Extension
The Steelers have signed linebacker Vince Williams to a new three-year extension, the team announced. The new pact, which will keep Williams under contract through the 2021 season, is a three-year add-on worth more than $20MM, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
“I feel like the Rooney family gave me an opportunity to play professional football,” Williams said in a statement released by the team. “It’s a great culture here. A great fan base. I take pride in being in Pittsburgh. It’s a hard-nosed group of individuals who work here. I feel like the people here are no nonsense, hard-working individuals. They are proud people too. I love this place.”
Last year, Williams set a single-season career high with eight sacks last season, second only on the team to Cameron Heyward. The former sixth-round pick started in all 16 games and finished out with 88 tackles in total.
It’s possible that Williams’ loyalty to the Steelers has cost him some serious free agent upside. After compiling eight sacks, the linebacker would have sailed past $6MM/year on the open market with a repeat performance. Still, he does gain financial security through the extension, and that has value in a violent sport.
It has been a busy day for the Steelers. Minutes before announcing Williams’ extension, they also signed kicker Chris Boswell to a new four-year extension.
AFC East Notes: Incognito, Patriots, Bryant
Disturbing new details have emerged about Richie Incognito‘s arrest. According to the arrest report, funeral home employees say the former Bills Pro Bowler wanted his father’s head cut off for research purposes and walked through the funeral home punching caskets and throwing objects (via Stevie Johnson of the Democrat and Chronicle).
Incognito also made a gun gesture towards an employee and told him that he had guns in his truck. When police searched Incognito’s car, they found a tan Glock 17 9mm handgun, a black Glock 35 .40-caliber handgun, three rifles and four magazines.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Some Patriots fans have been clamoring for Dez Bryant after the release of Kenny Britt, but Doug Kyed of NESN.com doesn’t think it’s an automatic fit. Bryant famously turned down a $7MM/year from the Ravens while accomplished wide receiver Eric Decker came on board for less than $2MM. If Bryant still wants top dollar, the Pats might not be the right place for him. Bryant may be a better option than Decker, but he’s not necessarily worth more than triple the money, Kyed argues. It’s also worth noting that Decker came in with knowledge of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offense while Bryant would have to learn the offense in less than three weeks.
- There has been a lot of talk about a potential Teddy Bridgewater trade, but Brian Costello of the New York Post doesn’t think the Jets should be in any rush to trade the quarterback. Nothing says the have to move Bridgewater before the season starts and he argues that it doesn’t make sense to do so unless a starting QB gets hurt in the preseason and that team gets desperate. Personally, I think it’s hard to argue with that line of thinking. Bridgewater has shown that he is a starting-caliber QB, and the Jets should not settle for anything short of full price for the former Vikings standout.
Steelers, K Chris Boswell Agree To Extension
The Steelers and kicker Chris Boswell have agreed to an extension, the team announced on Thursday. Four years have been tacked onto Boswell’s deal at a value of $19.72MM, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. 
Boswell will still play out his 2018 tender, worth $2.97MM. After that, the new four-year deal will begin. All in all, he’s under club control through the 2022 season.
The new pact makes Boswell the sixth highest-paid kicker in the NFL. It only makes sense after Boswell nailed 35 of 38 field goal attempts and 37 of 39 extra point tries last year. His 35 field goals set a franchise single-season record and marked the first time a Steelers kicker has made at least 30 field goals since Shaun Suisham did so in 2013.
Five other kickers earn at least $4MM annually, and the most recent member of that club — the Panthers’ Graham Gano — signed a deal in March that came in above Justin Tucker‘s 2015 contract.
In his career Boswell has connected on 85 of 95 field goal attempts, with the long being his 53-yard game-winning field goal against the Packers last year. He’s also converted 99 of 102 extra points.
Bills LB Keenan Robinson Retires
Bills linebacker Keenan Robinson has retired from the NFL. On Thursday, Robinson came to the conclusion that he no longer has what it takes to play in the NFL and said goodbye to his teammates, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The Bills subsequently placed him on the reserve/retired list. 
Robinson appeared in 58 games for the Giants and Redskins from 2012-2017. He was a 13-game starter in 2013, but his playing time has been reduced ever since and he missed ten games last year due to a quad injury.
As an experienced player with special teams abilities, Robinson had a real chance to make the Bills’ final cut when he joined the club in late July. After competing with fellow veteran linebackers Ramon Humber, Julian Stanford, and Deon Lacey for about a month, however, Robinson felt that he had lost a step.
We wish Robinson the best in retirement.
49ers Trade Eli Harold To Lions
The Lions have acquired outside linebacker Eli Harold from the 49ers, a source tells Kyle Meinke of MLive Media Group (on Twitter). San Francisco will receive a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick in the trade. 
Harold has to be on Lions’ roster for four weeks in order for the pick to be conveyed to the 49ers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. So, if Harold doesn’t make the final cut on Sept 1 – or doesn’t last until the Lions’ Week 3 contest against the Patriots – the Niners will get nothing in return.
Harold, a third round pick in the 2015 draft, has played in all possible 48 games since entering the league. He started ten games last year and seemed to be in the mix for a starting job this year before the trade. Without Harold, Dekoda Watson is likely to start at outside linebacker in San Francisco with Pita Taumoepenu as his primary backup.
In Detroit, Harold will compete for an OLB job in support of presumptive starters Devon Kennard and Christian Jones. The Lions have yet to record a sack through two exhibition games, so they’re open to making changes in the front seven.
For some, Harold may be best known for his anthem protests, but he has been standing for the anthem so far in the preseason.
Packers Receiving Trade Interest In Cobb
The Packers have received trade interest in wide receiver Randall Cobb, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, the Packers are not shopping him and expect him to be a contributor for them this season. 
At one point this offseason, Cobb’s spot on the team was in jeopardy. However, the Packers opted to cut fellow wide receiver Jordy Nelson instead, saving them $10.2MM against the cap. Cobb’s contract, and his $12.72MM cap hit, remain on the books.
Cobb has been a major producer in the Packers’ offense for a long time, but he is coming off of two straight down years. In 2016, he missed three games and finished out with 60 catches, 610 yards, and four touchdowns. Last year, he put up a 66/653/4 line while missing only one game, though many of those contests were played without the services of Aaron Rodgers. His performances over the last two seasons are a world away from his career-high 1,287 receiving yards in 2014, or even his 800+ yard showing in 2015.
This year, Cobb figures to serve as the Packers’ WR2 behind Davante Adams and ahead of Geronimo Allison.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/22/18
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DT Tani Tupou, DT Nigel Williams
- Released: TE Chris Bazile, WR Austin Wolf
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB Tion Green
- Waived/Injured: RB Josh Ferguson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Terrell Watson
- Waived/Injured: LB James Onwualu
Jets Express Interest In Khalil Mack
The Jets reached out to the Raiders to express their interest in trading for Khalil Mack, Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears. Naturally, the Jets aren’t the only team to ask about Mack – Mehta hears that more than a dozen teams have called, and several of those clubs have reached out multiple times. 
The Jets have yet to make an offer, but it’s clear that they are being aggressive in their mission to address their pass rush. Right now, the Jets’ pass rush is arguably their biggest weakness, and Mack is one of the very best in that department.
So far, the Raiders have brushed off the army of suitors. However, as Mack’s holdout nears the 30-day mark, and the season fast approaches, nothing can be ruled out.
The Jets been in the league-wide cellar for sacks in each of the past two seasons, which explains their interest in Mack and Dante Fowler Jr. of the Jaguars. Even head coach Todd Bowles admits that it’s an area that can be improved on.
“Well, we don’t have the name guy,” Bowles said. “We don’t have the Lawrence Taylor, so to speak, but we have guys that work hard and are very tough at the point of attack. You don’t need a name guy. You just need a guy with production. And the production will make the name. Disrupting the quarterback is the big thing as well as setting the edge. We have certain guys that can do a lot of things right now. We’re mixing and matching to get a feel for what guys can and can’t do right now.”
Patriots Release WR Kenny Britt
Kenny Britt‘s time with the Patriots has come to an end. On Wednesday, the Patriots released the wide receiver, according to an announcement from his agency. 
Britt was expected to take on a larger role with the Pats following the departure of Danny Amendola and the four-game suspension handed to Julian Edelman. However, he was never able get on the field during training camp with due to his hamstring, and the Pats ran out of patience.
The Pats removed Britt from the PUP list a couple of weeks ago. At the time, the soon-to-be 30-year-old indicated that he was close to being ready, though he declined to speculate on his Week 1 status.
In 2016, Britt had breakout campaign and recorded a 1,000-yard season with the Rams. He parlayed that success into a lucrative free agent deal with the Browns, but that proved to be a disaster. In his first act as the Browns’ new GM, John Dorsey axed Britt, leading him to sign with the Patriots in December.
The Patriots’ wide receiver group was thinned out even further this summer when they axed Jordan Matthews and Malcolm Mitchell. They have since signed Eric Decker, but this WR group has decidedly less star power than it did four weeks ago.
The Patriots should now have an easier time when it comes to roster cuts on Sept. 1. Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson, and special teams ace Matt Slater all figure to be on the 53-man roster, while sixth-round pick Braxton Berrios and Decker could convince the Pats to carry six receivers into the season opener. Of course, the math can change if the Patriots add a notable veteran such as Dez Bryant.
Britt already earned $200K in offseason roster and workout bonuses this year, so he won’t leave New England empty handed. In three games for the Patriots last year, he caught two passes for 23 yards.