Colts Cut Punter Jeff Locke
Some people didn’t believe that the Colts were serious about having a punting competition. They ought to be believed now. The team announced on Monday morning that punter Jeff Locke has been released.
The 27-year-old Locke (28 in September) signed with the Colts as a free agent in March after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Vikings. He was given a two-year, $3.45MM deal to take over the for the retired Pat McAfee, but it will instead be undrafted rookie Rigoberto Sanchez handling that responsibility for Indianapolis.
McAfee was among the NFL’s top punters last year while Locke finished toward the bottom of the league in yards per punt and net average. Sanchez, meanwhile, averaged 44.8 yards per punt during his collegiate career at Hawaii.
To his credit, Locke ranked No. 5 in the league last year when it came to pinning opposing teams inside their 20-yard line.
Locke’s deal included $1.25MM in guaranteed cash, so he’ll have a nice chunk of change to hold him over until he finds his next gig.
Giants, Others Tried To Claim Kony Ealy
The Jets scooped up Kony Ealy after he was waived by the Patriots, but they weren’t the only team that wanted to claim him. The Giants, Redskins, Cowboys, Buccaneers, Lions, and Cardinals also put in claims on the veteran, Jane Slater of NFL Network and Kimberley A. Martin of The Buffalo News report (Twitter links). 
The Jets aren’t playing for much in 2017 and Ealy has just one year left on his deal, so one has to wonder if they could entertain trades for him. Clearly, there is a market for his services, even though he struggled in offseason practices with the Patriots.
For now, the 25-year-old profiles as a reserve behind the likes of Leonard Williams, Sheldon Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Steve McLendon. The defensive line is the Jets’ strongest unit, but it stands to reason that Ealy could make the cut when rosters go from 90 to 53 on September 2.
Prior to the trade that sent him to the Patriots this spring, Ealy had played his entire three-year career with the Panthers. The former second-round pick has started a combined 15 games over the past two years with identical stat lines in each campaign: 32 tackles and five sacks. He also added a total of five forced fumbles during that span.
Bengals’ Vontaze Burfict Facing Suspension
Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict is facing a five-game suspension for an illegal hit against a Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman in the preseason, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Burfict is appealing and he’ll have his hearing next week. 
Upon learning of the league’s decision, the Bengals offered support for the veteran in a statement:
“The Bengals are aware of the NFL’s letter to Vontaze regarding a play in last weekend’s game. The film shows that the hit was legal, that Vontaze engaged his opponent from the front, and that contact was shoulder-to-chest. The Club will support Vontaze in the appeal process.”
Video of the hit shows Burfict driving his shoulder into Sherman’s head/neck area roughly four or five yards from the line of scrimmage. Sherman is not Alex Smith‘s targeted receiver, but Burfict’s reps may argue that he was first thrown off by a pump fake from the quarterback, leading him to a tackle on the fullback. Burfict will probably argue that the placement of the hit was also accidental.
Of course, this is not Burfict’s first rodeo when it comes to violating league safety rules. 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. Last year, Burfict was sidelines for the first three weeks of the season due to an illegal hit on Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown in the 2015 playoffs.
The Bengals are now slated to be without Burfict for games against the Ravens, Texans, Packers, Browns, and Bills. Because the Bengals have a Week 6 bye, Burfict would not return to the field until Week 7 against the Steelers.
Extra Points: Eagles, Blount, 49ers, Marks
There has been speculation that LeGarrette Blount could be on the Eagles‘ roster bubble, but the running back seems to think that his job is secure.
“Oh yeah. Without a doubt,” Blount said when asked if he feels like he’s a big part of the team’s game plan (via NFL.com). “And like I said, I’m excited and I love the opportunity that I’ve been presented here. Everybody’s been nothing but great towards me this whole entire time. And that’s a big thing for me, because you want to be comfortable with the guys you’re going to be working with every day.”
Earlier this week, coach Doug Pederson also characterized Blount as a “big part” of the offensive game plan. Despite some speculation to the contrary, it sounds like Blount’s spot is safe.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- We now have details on the 49ers‘ deal with new defensive lineman Sen’Derrick Marks, courtesy of ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). It’s a pact with $1MM in base salary, $600K in per-game roster bonuses, and $400K available through incentives. Most notably, the deal includes no guaranteed cash, so the Niners won’t be on the hook for his deal if he does not make the 53-man cut on Sept. 2.
- D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution looked at who is on the Falcons‘ roster bubble as the deadline approaches. The wide receiver group is one to watch as Justin Hardy, Nick Williams, and undrafted free agent Reggie Davis duke it out for one or possibly two spots. Through the preseason thus far, Davis leads the team with 114 receiving yards. However, coach Dan Quinn wants to find out if he can serve as a gunner on punt coverage. Meanwhile, as the Falcons look to replace Jalen Collins in the No. 4 cornerback role, CJ. Goodwin seems to have the leg up on Deji Olatoye and Akeem King. Former third-round pick Blidi Wreh-Wilson is among those listed as a longshot.
- The Packers have to decide whether to keep Taysom Hill as a third quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers and Brett Hundley, Ryan Wood of USA Today writes. Hill, a 27-year-old UDFA, led two touchdown drives this preseason and boasts 4.4 second 40-yard-dash speed.
Latest On Browns WR Josh Gordon
It’s not clear when or if we’ll see Josh Gordon on an NFL field again, but things are at least moving in the right direction. The Browns wide receiver went to rehab two months ago in cooperation with the NFL in hopes of being reinstated in late September, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) hears. 
[RELATED: Browns Shopping QB Brock Osweiler]
Gordon’s name was in the news a couple of weeks ago when commissioner Roger Goodell said that Gordon’s reinstatement “was not under active consideration.” However, that was much ado about nothing since Gordon had already been told in May that he could not apply for reinstatement until the fall.
Top Browns executive Sashi Brown says the club is open to a Gordon return, but it has been reported that the team will trade or release him if/when he is allowed to play again. If he’s reinstated and put on the block, you can expect him to draw considerable interest from teams, despite all of his baggage.
In 2013, Gordon’s last full season, he had 87 catches, a league-leading 1,646 yards, and nine touchdowns in 14 games. He was also productive in his suspension-shortened 2014 season, catching 24 passes for 303 yards.
49ers Release Ahmad Brooks
San Francisco is parting ways with its longest tenured defensive player. The 49ers formally announced that they have released outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks. The team initially tried to trade Brooks, but they were unable to find a suitable deal. 
“We would like to thank Ahmad for his nine years of service and contributions to the 49ers,” said 49ers general manager John Lynch. “In that time, he played a significant role on some formidable defensive units that helped this team achieve great success. We feel good about the depth and competition along our defensive front and believe that by making this decision now it will give Ahmad a head start on exploring his options with other teams. We wish him and his family nothing but the best.”
The 33-year-old was in the midst of a battle with Eli Harold for the starting strongside linebacker job. Apparently, he lost his footing on the gig as Harold started against the Broncos in the team’s most recent preseason game. Harold is ten years Brooks’ junior and comes at a fraction of the price. Free agent addition Dekoda Watson and rookie Pita Taumoepenu are also expected to contribute at SLB.
Brooks has either led or tied the team in sacks every season since 2013. In 2016, Brooks registered 6.0 sacks and 53 total tackles. Across his eight years with the team, he amassed 51.5 sacks and never had less than 6.0 in any given season. He also played through injury and missed only five regular season games during that span.
Brooks is still putting up numbers, but he has slowed down a little with age. Last year, he graded out as just the 87th best edge rusher in the NFL out of 110 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus. In each of the last three years, Brooks has finished near the bottom of PFF’s edge defender rankings and has not graded out as a top-20 type since 2012. He’ll draw interest on the open market, but he won’t command the kind of salary he was getting in SF.
Brooks was slated to carry a $6.1MM+ cap hit for the coming season. Instead of keeping the veteran and having him take up roughly 3.5% of the salary cap, the SF will save $5.3MM while eating $848K in dead money.
News of Brooks’ release was first reported by Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee.
Texans To Sign RB/KR Jordan Todman
Jordan Todman is adding to his jersey collection once again. The running back/kick returner is signing with the Texans, a source tells Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter). 
Todman signed with the Jets in June but he was let go earlier this week. He has appeared in games for four different NFL teams over the last six years – not counting cup-of-coffee type stints like he had in New York – but he is hoping to find some stability in Houston.
Most recently, Todman spent the 2016 season with the Colts where he carried the ball only nine times and contributed mainly on special teams. He had 16 kick returns for a total of 478 yards in 2016, giving him a strong 29.9 yards-per-return average. That total includes one spectacular 99-yard return for a touchdown against the Packers in November.
The Texans’ rushing attack will be led by Lamar Miller with support from Alfred Blue and rookie D’Onta Foreman. Akeem Hunt and Tyler Ervin are also fighting for backup RB spots.
Latest On Ezekiel Elliott
It sounds like Ezekiel Elliott may be fighting an uphill battle in his appeal. Hearing officer Harold Henderson has refused to require the NFL to make alleged victim Tiffany Thompson available, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Henderson has also barred her notes and interviews from inclusion in the hearing, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. 
[RELATED: Could NFL Delay Elliott’s Suspension Until 2018?]
Based on the details of the case that have leaked over the last couple of weeks, it sounds like Elliott’s team is looking to raise questions about Thompson’s credibility and motives. Without being able to discuss her interviews, Elliott’s representatives might not be able to highlight her potentially bogus allegations of a domestic assault on July 22, 2016. NFL investigators have already acknowledged that Thompson was not entirely truthful about the events that transpired on that day.
Even if Thompson fabricated the events of 6/22, Elliott will still have to explain the bruises that Thompson was left with after other alleged arguments they had on the same week. When that time comes, he’ll be defending himself in person and not telephonically, Rapoport hears (Twitter link).
Elliott will miss practice on Monday and Tuesday in order to attend the appeal hearing.
Latest On Saints’ Dannell Ellerbe
An interesting name is about to enter the free agent linebacker market. Dannell Ellerbe has been cleared for football by Dr. Robert Anderson and he’ll be released from IR soon now that his foot has healed up, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Saints Sign Zach Line, Bryan Braman]
The Saints were forced to shut Ellerbe down in late July after his latest ailment. The linebacker has struggled to stay healthy over the last three seasons, appearing in just 16 regular season games over that span. However, he has been productive when on the field. In 2016, Ellerbe racked up 44 total tackles and 4.0 sacks for the Saints across nine games. Before the foot problem, Ellerbe was expected to compete for the Saints’ starting weakside linebacker job.
For what it’s worth, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus have never been all that high on Ellerbe. Last year, he graded out as the No. 60 ranked linebacker in the NFL out of 86 qualified players. He had respectable showings for his coverage and pass rush, but his run defense score was among the worst of any qualified LB.
Patriots Shopping Kony Ealy
The Patriots have gauged the trade market for Kony Ealy, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Ealy reportedly hasn’t lived up to expectations this offseason and Pelissero says he’s someone to keep an eye on in tonight’s preseason game as the Patriots evaluate their options. 
The Pats acquired Ealy in a trade with the Panthers that saw them move down from the No. 64 pick in the second round to the No. 72 selection in the third round. The hope was that Ealy would fill the pass rushing void left by Rob Ninkovich‘s retirement. Instead, the 25-year-old has been running with the second string unit.
It makes sense that the Patriots would consider moving on from Ealy considering his shaky performance this summer, but the Patriots are paper thin in the pass rush department after losing rookie Derek Rivers to a torn ACL. If the Patriots were to dump Ealy, they’d likely promote Lawrence Guy to the starting bookend opposite Trey Flowers, leaving fourth-round pick Deatrich Wise as the first DE off of the bench. If the Patriots trade Ealy, they better have their next course of action already mapped out.
Ealy is slated to make just $800K in 2017 and his salary is not guaranteed.