Chargers Consider Dontrelle Inman Trade
The Chargers have had trade talks about wide receiver Dontrelle Inman, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). As Pelissero notes, several teams are looking to deal wide receivers as the 53-man deadline approaches. 
[RELATED: Seahawks WR Jermaine Kearse Also On Market]
Inman has been with the Bolts for the last three seasons following a post-college stint in the CFL. The 28-year-old has a breakout campaign in 2016, with career-highs in receptions (58), receiving yards (810), and touchdowns (four). Despite that performance, it appears he has slipped in the Chargers’ pecking order.
Per the terms of his second-round tender, Inman is set to earn a non-guaranteed $2.797MM base salary for the coming season. If the Chargers do not find a taker for Inman and would rather use his roster spot on someone else, they could release him without financial penalty.
Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, and Travis Benjamin figure to see the most looks out of Los Angeles’ wide receivers this year. Inman, Isaiah Burse, Geremy Davis, and UDFA Artavis Scott are jostling for supporting roles while first-round rookie Mike Williams looks to recover from his back injury.
Jermaine Kearse of the Seahawks is also among the wide receivers on the trade block.
Extra Points: Bills, Dareus, Ravens, Orr
Mike Rodak of ESPN.com wonders when the Bills get out from defensive tackle Marcell Dareus‘ contract. Signed to a six-year extension with $60MM guaranteed by Doug Whaley’s front office, Dareus has become a major headache for Buffalo due to discipline and legal issues. New GM Brandon Beane won’t say whether he’s looking to dump Dareus, but he did indicate that he’s on a short leash.
“Everybody’s got to be on board right now, so hopefully this is something he’ll learn from, and everybody will understand the message that Sean and I are [sending],” Beane said. “We have expectations, we have standards that everybody has to live by, and if you’re not [going to], then you’re not going to be here.”
If the Bills were to cut him this offseason, his entire $16.1MM cap number would remain on the books, plus $7.35MM of his ’18 pay. Trading him before Week 1, meanwhile, would give them cap savings of $9.75MM for this year, but would still leave them with the same $14.2MM dead money charge in 2018.
If the Bills wait until next offseason to cut Dareus, they’ll still be facing unpalatable cap charges. Their best option would be to find a trade partner willing to take on the fully guaranteed portions of his salary. Dareus is undeniably talented, but it’s hard to see a team rolling the dice on him with this price tag. The Bills might just have to keep Dareus for the coming season and hope that he performs up to par.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Zach Orr is rejoining the Ravens, this time as a coach. He’ll be “interning” with the Ravens’ coaching and personnel staffs, according to a team announcement. “It’s a great opportunity,” Orr said. “I’m thankful because, like I always said, I love football. I still want to be around the game. Even though I can’t play anymore, I still love everything about it.”
- Due to the massive flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, the Texans‘ final preseason game against the Cowboys has been canceled. It’s small potatoes compared to the real-life implications of the storm, but players on the 53-man roster bubble will no longer have one final opportunity to showcase their skills for Houston or Dallas.
- On Wednesday, the Packers signed linebacker Ahmad Brooks to a one-year deal.
Eagles, DE Steven Means Agree To Extension
The 53-man roster deadline is coming at the end of the week, but defensive end Steven Means won’t have to sweat it out. Means has inked a one-year extension with the Eagles that will keep under contract through the 2018 season. 
Means came to Philly in December 2015 when he was signed off of Houston’s practice squad. He made his on-field debut for the Eagles in 2016, tallying three tackles and one sack in eight games.
After a strong offseason, Means could be seeing an increased role, though he’ll likely spend the bulk of his time on special teams. The latest roster projection from Roster Resource has Means as the No. 5 defensive end behind starters Derek Barnett and Brandon Graham and supporters Chris Long and Vinny Curry.
NFC Notes: Eagles, Haden, Cowboys
Despite earlier reports to the contrary, an Eagles source tells Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) that the team was not in on Joe Haden. The Eagles, the source claims, are content with their young cornerbacks.
It’s quite possible that the Eagles were interested in Haden but were not among the finalists for him, making this all a matter of semantics. In any case, the Eagles were unwilling to approach, match, or exceed the $7MM guarantee that Haden secured in his new three-year deal with the Steelers.
The Eagles will be starting a pair of 23-year-old corners in Jalen Mills and the newly-acquired Ronald Darby. Behind them, they have only one player outside of his 20s in veteran Patrick Robinson. Eventually, rookie Sidney Jones could join the active roster and provide help, but that doesn’t help to boost the group’s experience level.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- Tests show that Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens, who suffered a tibial plateau fracture recently, suffered no ligament damage, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That means that no surgery will be needed and that, in theory, could help to speed up recovery. In a press release, the Cowboys indicated that Hitchens likely will not go on IR. The latest projections have Hitchens missing total eight weeks of action.
- Doctors say that Bears wide receiver Cameron Meredith only suffered ACL and MCL damage and did not injure any other major ligaments in his knee, Rapoport tweets. Meredith is done for the year, but he could be back in time for next year’s OTAs.
- Now that the Packers have added Ahmad Brooks to the fold, they can be more patient with rookie Vince Biegel‘s recovery, Ryan Wood of the Press-Gazette tweets. A source tells Wood that he’ll “probably” start the season on the PUP list, meaning that he won’t count against the initial 53-man limit.
- Former Saints defensive end Royce LaFrance signed with the CFL’s Roughriders, Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets.
NFC West Notes: Cardinals, Gabbert, ‘Hawks
Carson Palmer is getting towards the end of his career, but Cardinals coach Bruce Arians says that he might already have his quarterback of the future on the roster.
“Short-term, I’d be very comfortable if [Blaine Gabbert] had to play for us. Long-term, if he continues at this rate, he could be a starter,” the coach said (Twitter link via Mike Jurecki of 98.7 FM).
Arians isn’t the only coach that likes Gabbert – Seattle considered him this offseason and Miami pondered trading for him after Ryan Tannehill‘s injury. Still, it’s somewhat surprising to hear that Arians views him as a future starter since the former No. 10 overall pick hasn’t really experienced success at the NFL level. In five games as San Francisco’s starter last season, Gabbert posted a 1-4 record, while completing 56.9% of his passes for five touchdowns and six interceptions.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- It appears that J.D. McKissic is back to being a running back after spending some time at wide receiver, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times notes. This could have implications on the Seahawks‘ 53-man roster, chiefly for 2016 fifth-round choice Alex Collins after he did not get a carry in the team’s most recent preseason game.
- 49ers running back Raheem Mostert is making a late run for a roster spot, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. The well-traveled 25-year-old is having a strong preseason while veteran Tim Hightower has missed two of three games. In Hightower’s lone appearance, he lost a fumble and had three carries for minus-one yard. In Mostert’s last outing, he had 130 all purpose yards and flashed serious skills as a pass catcher.
- The Cardinals have interest in acquiring Panthers punter Andy Lee.
Seahawks Working To Trade Jermaine Kearse
The Seahawks are trying to trade wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, sources tell ESPN.com’s Dianna Russini (on Twitter). Kearse is set to enter the second season of his three-year deal with Seattle. 
The Seahawks gave Kearse a three-year pact worth $13.5MM with $6.3MM guaranteed last offseason. Following a slight dip in production, the Seahawks apparently see him as expendable.
The Seahawks have a bit of a logjam at receiver thanks to the addition of third-round pick Amara Darboh. Currently, Kearse fits in as the No. 5 or No. 6 wide receiver, but that would leave players like seventh-round rookie David Moore, last year’s seventh-round pick Kenny Lawler, and UDFA Darreus Rogers off the roster.
In 2015, Kearse started 16 games for the first time and amassed a career-high 685 yards and five touchdowns. On the surface, his 2016 production was similar enough with 41 grabs for 510 yards and one score. However, he reeled in only 46% of his targets versus 72% in the year prior.
The Seahawks will have Doug Baldwin, Paul Richardson, Tyler Lockett, and Kasen Williams as their top four receivers to start the year, though a shoulder injury could keep Richardson off the field in Week 1 against the Packers.
Vontaze Burfict’s Suspension Reduced
Vontaze Burfict‘s suspension has been reduced to three games, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. The Bengals linebacker was slated for a five-game ban before his appeal hearing. 
Burfict found himself in hot water for his hit on Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman earlier in the preseason. The linebacker tackled Sherman roughly four or five yards from the line of scrimmage and nailed him in the head/neck area. Sherman did not have the ball, nor was he the targeted receiver on the play. Whether intentional or not, the hit provoked the ire of the league office because it came in well above the jersey numbers.
“I hit harder than most of the other linebackers,” Burfict explained earlier this week (via Jim Owczarski of The Enquirer). “He kind of crunched up. I lowered my target, hit him straight in the chest. I talked to him the next series to see if he was alright and he said yeah, that’s a legal hit. You’ve got to keep your head on a swivel when you come across the middle and everybody knows that.”
Of course, Burfict has run afoul of league safety rules before. Over his five-year career, Burfict has racked up nearly $800K in fines and been flagged 16 times for unnecessary roughness, personal fouls or roughing the passer.
Burfict’s 2016 season was also shortened by a suspension. He finished out the year with 101 tackles and two sacks across eleven games.
The Bengals will be without Burfict for games against the Ravens, Texans, and Packers, but they’ll now have him in uniform for contests against the Browns and Bills.
Broncos Have Discussed T.J. Ward Trade
The trade market is heating up. The Broncos have received calls on safety T.J. Ward and have had trade conversations about him, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link) reports Denver is actually initiating the trade talks on Ward (instead of waiting for other teams to contact them).
[RELATED: Click Here For The Latest Broncos Rumors]
It’s not immediately clear which teams have called on Ward, but it stands to reason that multiple contenders have expressed interest. Ward, 30, holds appeal as a two-time Pro Bowler on an expiring contract, though his $5.7MM cap number is a bit on the high side. Ward graded out as just the No. 50 safety among 90 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, so he may not be the elite player he once was.
Back in May, Ward expressed interest in finishing his career in Denver and the two sides reportedly had preliminary talks about an extension. We haven’t heard much on that front over the last three months, so those conversations appear to be on the back burner.
Other notable players reportedly on the trade block include Jets running back Matt Forte, Browns cornerback Joe Haden, and Browns offensive lineman Cameron Erving. A significant trade also went down on Tuesday morning as the Niners shipped tight end Vance McDonald to the Steelers.
Jets Shopping RB Matt Forte
The Jets have gauged the trade market for running back Matt Forte, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. He’s healthy now, but it will still be difficult to find a taker for his contract. 
Forte is owed $4MM in guaranteed salary for the coming season, a huge number for an aging running back on the back nine of his career. I’d imagine that the Jets will have to eat at least half of that money in order to make a deal happen.
Following eight productive seasons with the Bears, Forte joined the Jets last offseason on a three-year, $12MM deal with $8MM guaranteed. Forte went on to record career-lows in rushing yards (813), receptions (30), and receiving yards (263) during his first season with the team.
The 31-year-old was once one of the league’s top running backs, but knee and shoulder injuries have caught up with him. He was placed on IR in December of last season after admitting that he played with a torn meniscus for much of the year.
The Jets are planning to use Forte and Bilal Powell as their lead backs, but they’ll gladly reconfigure things if they can find someone to take on the money owed to Forte.
Colts DB Vontae Davis Suffers Injury
Bad news for the Colts. Defensive back Vontae Davis will be missing multiple weeks with a groin injury, coach Chuck Pagano told reporters. He added that the injury is “significant.” 
[RELATED: Colts Center Ryan Kelly To Miss Time]
Davis was being counted on to start at left cornerback opposite of Quincy Wilson. Now, the Colts will have to lean more heavily on utility man Darius Butler as well as recent free agent pickups Corey White and Chris Culliver.
Last year, Davis was hampered by a ligament issue in his ankle, though he managed to tough it out and play in 14 of Indy’s regular season games. This time around, it’s a more serious injury that will require some serious rest.
Davis has been a pillar of the Colts’ defense ever since joining the team in 2012. He earned Pro Bowl nods in 2014 and 2015 and his performance was further validated by his exceptional marks from Pro Football Focus. Davis earned an insane 95.1 overall score in 2014 and followed it up with a solid 81.9 mark in ’15. Last year, PFF had Davis as one of the ten worst qualified CBs in the NFL.