Seahawks To Release Punter Jon Ryan
Jon Ryan‘s time with the Seahawks has come to an end. On Monday, the punter took to Twitter to bid farewell to the Seahawks after spending the last ten seasons with the organization. 
“Its been an absolute honor and privilege to play in this great city of Seattle for the past ten years. I never wanted this day to come, but knew it would someday,” Ryan wrote. “Even though I’m leaving, I will always be a Seahawk…I want to thank all of my teammates over the years, Paul Allen, John Schneider, Matt Thomas, and Peter McLoughlin, the amazing coaches I’ve had here: Mike Holmgren, Jim Mora Jr., and Pete Carroll, and the entire support staff at 12 Seahawks Way. But, more than anything, I want thank the 12s. You embraced a pale-skinned, red-headed Canadian with a speech impediment and made him feel like a superstar. I will forever be grateful for each and every one of you. Thank you Seattle.”
Although Ryan is sad to leave Seattle, the writing has been on the wall for some time now. The Seahawks selected fellow punter Michael Dickson in the fifth-round of this year’s draft, so Ryan was unlikely to win the job despite his history with the club and proven abilities as a holder.
Lions Release DL Cornelius Washington
The Lions cut defensive lineman Cornelius Washington, according to a team announcement. Washington was set to enter the second year of a two-year, $6MM deal, so his release comes as a surprise. 
Washington played 488 snaps last season at defensive end with the Lions and registered 2.5 sacks. The Lions, though, drafted Da’Shawn Hand in the fourth round this year, which put him on the chopping block.
Prior to joining the Lions, Washington spent four years with the Bears. He has 46 career games to his credit, but he’s registered only four starts across five NFL seasons. Washington will likely find a new home before the season opener, but it will almost certainly be as a reserve.
In related moves, the Lions signed cornerbacks Dexter McDougle and Sterling Moore and offensive lineman Beau Nunn. To help make room, the Lions placed linebacker Steve Longa on IR and waived cornerback Antwuan Davis.
Raiders Eyeing S George Iloka
The market for George Iloka is starting to take shape. The Raiders plan to make a run at the safety, Michael Gehlken of the Review-Journal tweets. 
[RELATED: Cowboys Considering George Iloka]
Iloka spent six seasons playing under defensive coordinator Paul Guenther while with the Bengals, so he would be a natural fit for Oakland. Iloka could easily step into a starting role with the Raiders, but Gehlken cautions that finances will play a role in his fit with the team.
The Bengals stunned the league when they released Iloka on Sunday, and teams – including the Cowboys – are already considering the 28-year-old defender.
For now, the Raiders project to start fellow ex-Bengal Reggie Nelson at free safety and 2016 first-round pick Karl Joseph at strong safety. If signed, Iloka could take over for Joseph and give Guenther a solid 1-2 in the middle of the secondary.
Marcus Smith May Retire
Former Seahawks defensive end Marcus Smith may retire after just four seasons in the NFL, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Smith, a former first-round pick of the Eagles, was not fully committed to playing in 2018, which led to his release from Seattle. 
In three seasons with the Eagles, Smith never made a start and registered only four sacks. In 2016, the 26-year-old Smith played on only 20% of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps.
The Seahawks scooped up Smith after he was released last summer and he showed some promise in a limited role. In 252 snaps, Smith had 14 tackles and 2.5 sacks, and he was re-signed to a one-year deal that could have paid him up to $2.7MM this year.
After four total years in the league, the former first-round pick seems ready to move on to something else.
Vikings Release K Kai Forbath
The Vikings’ kicking competition is over. The club has released Kai Forbath, according to a team announcement. The Vikings will now turn to rookie Daniel Carlson as their kicker. 
The Vikings traded up into the fifth round to draft Carlson in the spring, an indicator that a kicking change was in the cards. After months of impressive performances, the Vikings feel that the youngster is ready for the job.
Last year, Forbath converted 32 of his 38 field goal attempts and he nailed 34 of his 39 extra point tries. He was re-signed in March, but it was a low-cost deal with little or no guaranteed money, so the release won’t have any real effect on the Vikings’ cap.
Carlson, an Auburn product, converted 92 of 114 field goal tries (80.7%) over the course of his four-year collegiate career. He also nailed all 198 of his extra point tries.
Broncos To Cut OL Menelik Watson
The Broncos will release offensive lineman Menelik Watson, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. The Broncos will be left on the hook for his $5.5MM guarantee. 
Technically, Watson will first be placed on injured reserve with a pectoral injury. Then, when he’s healthy, he’ll be released and permitted to sign with any team. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that Watson’s pec strain should be cleared up in a couple of weeks, so it sounds like he’ll be able to catch on with another team before the season begins.
Watson came to Denver on a three-year, $18.75MM contract last year. Although he is talented, injuries have plagued him throughout his career. Last year, a foot injury shut Watson down in November, meaning that he has missed 48 career games out of 80 possible appearances for the Raiders and Broncos. The former second round pick has yet to play in more than 12 games in any given campaign.
This year, the Broncos were giving some thought to moving Watson from right tackle to guard, but they bailed on that experiment with a few weeks to go before the start of the season. Instead, the Broncos will start Ronald Leary and Connor McGovern at the guard spots with the likes of Max Garcia and Billy Turner in support. Tackle Cyrus Kouandjio and center Sam Jones may also be asked to play guard, if necessary.
Jets GM Open To Teddy Bridgewater Trade?
The Jets are not locked in to keeping their three quarterbacks to start the season. In a radio interview, Jets GM Mike Maccagnan acknowledged that he is open to trading – or releasing – one of his QBs. 
“There’s nothing to stop us from keeping three and there’s nothing to stop us from keeping two,” Maccagnan said (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com).
Of course, No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold is staying put, and it’s hard to imagine the Jets getting much for 39-year-old Josh McCown, who is set to earn $10MM this year. The odd man out – if there is one – is Teddy Bridgewater. Maccagnan also praised the “unflappable” Darnold, which is yet another sign that they might have enough confidence in the rookie to start him in Week 1 and remove one of his safety nets.
Bridgewater has looked sharp this offseason and he unquestionably has trade value. For the right offer, it sounds like the Jets are willing to pull the trigger.
East Notes: Cowboys, Gathers, Bridgewater
The Cowboys typically keep two quarterbacks on the roster, but Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News believes that fifth-round pick Mike White will force them to keep three. In theory, the Cowboys could cut White and try to sneak him on to the practice squad, but he believes there’s a good chance that another team would pounce on the Western Kentucky product.
Meanwhile, he does not see tight end Rico Gathers making the cut, even in the wake of Jason Witten‘s retirement. While Gathers has impressed with some impressive catches over the last few preseasons, he sees Dallas keeping only Geoff Swaim, Blake Jarwin, and Dalton Schultz at tight end.
Here’s more from the East divisions:
- There has been a lot of discussion about a potential Teddy Bridgewater trade, but a deal could be tough to pull off for the Jets, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Bridgewater presumably wants to play, so he could spike a potential trade by saying that he doesn’t want to be someone else’s No. 2 quarterback. For his part, Bridgewater may prefer to stay in New York until/unless another QB gets injured and he has an opportunity to start. Alternatively, the Jets could release Bridgewater, but he’d lose out on $5MM in salary and leave with just the $1MM he’s already earned.
- The Jets have some tough tight end decisions of their own to make, as Greg Joyce of the New York Post writes. Chris Herndon, Jordan Leggett, Neal Sterling, Eric Tomlinson and Clive Walford have all shown flashes in recent weeks, which will make the September cuts difficult for head coach Todd Bowles. “It’s probably the toughest spot evaluating because all five can play,” Bowles said Sunday. “We don’t have a lapse amongst them so that’s probably going to be one of the toughest decisions we make because all five of them are very good. We like all five.”
- The Giants had interest in cornerback Orlando Scandrick before he landed with the Chiefs.
NFC West Notes: Avril, Seahawks, Cardinals, 49ers
Cliff Avril indicated earlier this offseason he wanted to resume his career, despite the severe neck injury he suffered in 2017 ending his time with the Seahawks. Three months have passed since reports of Avril interest surfaced, and the 2016 Pro Bowler appears to be moving closer to full retirement.
Avril began dabbling in radio shortly after his Seahawks release, and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes he now has an every-day hosting gig. However, the 32-year-old former Lion and Seahawk is mentoring one of the players competing to take his old job. Condotta writes Avril has been mentoring 2016 fifth-rounder Quinton Jefferson while hosting a daytime radio show. It’s uncertain if he’s regained clearance to play again. Should that happen in the near future, Avril may have another chance. But as of now, it looks like Avril’s played his last NFL down.
Here’s the latest out of the NFC West:
- Josh Rosen looking ready for potential near-future action may not mean Mike Glennon’s roster spot is in jeopardy. The Cardinals’ injuries at quarterback last season serve as a warning of what can happen, Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com tweets. Plus, with Sam Bradford serving as the starter, it’s obviously critical to stockpile depth. Glennon, the Bears’ starter to begin last season, signed for two years and $8MM. It would not save the Cards any money to cut him.
- Jamar Taylor is still the frontrunner to be the Cardinals’ Week 1 starter opposite Patrick Peterson, Jurecki tweets. The Browns traded the once-embattled cornerback to the Cardinals this offseason – the second time Taylor’s been shipped elsewhere by a new regime – and he’s leading a race for a job that’s been one of the NFL’s biggest trouble spots in recent years.
- John Lynch said (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle) Jerick McKinnon will be out for the remainder of the preseason because of the calf strain he suffered in the 49ers’ first exhibition game. The 49ers don’t have a deep running back depth chart, and No. 2 back Matt Breida is also dealing with an injury. San Francisco signed Alfred Morris recently. He and Joe Williams figure to see more time while the top two ball carriers are on the shelf.
- Mike Person’s received the bulk of the first-team work at right guard for the 49ers and is a threat to be the Week 1 starter, despite the franchise having used a first-round pick on Joshua Garnett two years ago and having added Jonathan Cooper this offseason, Branch notes. Although the 30-year-old Person would seemingly be a longshot to claim this job, the injury histories of Cooper and Garnett give him a better shot than he’d have under ordinary circumstances. Garnett spent all of last season on IR, and Cooper has struggled with a litany of maladies in his five-year career. Person was a full-time starter at center for the 2015 Falcons.
49ers Bring Back S Dexter McCoil
Dexter McCoil spent most of last season with the 49ers as a reserve safety, but an untimely injury induced the team to waive him this spring with an NFI designation.
McCoil was expected to need approximately a six-week recovery period after he suffered a broken foot while training independently. But the 49ers on Friday re-signed him to a one-year deal. They placed safety Terrell Williams Jr. on IR to make room on their 90-man roster.
Initially a Chargers UDFA in 2016, McCoil played in 16 games (two starts) for the Bolts as a rookie. The Chargers waived him in October of last year, and the 49ers made a successful claim. The Tulsa product then played in eight games for San Francisco.
A safety out of Houston, Williams was one of the 49ers’ 13 initial UDFA signings after the draft.