Albert Breer On Elliott, Bills, Rams, Watkins
The NFL and the NFLPA were at odds last week over a purported leak in the Ezekiel Elliott saga. When the press learned that ex-girlfriend Tiffany Thompson thought about blackmailing the Cowboys running back with a sex tape, the league pegged the union as the source. The NFL wasn’t just guessing – Albert Breer of The MMQB was told that the league was explicitly told that the union was responsible for the leaks.
The leak especially irked the NFL because the league office believed that certain facts were cherry-picked to paint Thompson as the villain. For example, Thompson told league investigators that she realized it would be “crazy” to go through with the blackmail plot.
It sounds like things are only going to get uglier from here as we look ahead to Elliott’s appeal hearing. As of this writing, Elliott is slated to serve a six-game suspension for the allegations of domestic abuse.
Here’s more from Breer’s column:
- Although Doug Whaley was technically in charge for the Bills‘ draft this year, Breer hears that coach Sean McDermott was given carte blanche to pull players off of the board for character reasons. That could help to explain this month’s surprising move to jettison wide receiver Sammy Watkins and cornerback Ronald Darby via trade. Darby came into the league with some red flags and his performance has dipped since his strong rookie season in 2015. Watkins, meanwhile, didn’t have character issues, but his lingering injury problems could have posed a hurdle for the first-year head coach. Brandon Beane now holds the GM title, but McDermott may have been the real driving force behind the trades.
- The Rams‘ interest in Watkins is nothing new. Breer hears that the wide receiver was a real consideration for GM Les Snead & Co. in 2014 before the team settled on offensive lineman Greg Robinson at No. 2 overall. The jury is still out on whether Watkins can live up to his draft status, but he has certainly done better than Robinson. Years later, Snead is hoping that Watkins can stay healthy and become a superstar for his squad.
Extra Points: Spring League, NFLPA, Tulloch
Want to play professional football? The Spring League is ready to give a chance to hopefuls everywhere with tryouts in multiple cities this fall, according to a press release. The Spring League will hold its first open audition in New York (October 1), followed by events in Cincinnati (October 8), Memphis (October 22), Dallas (November 5), Atlanta (November 19), Tampa (February 18), and Los Angeles (February 25).
Last year, The Spring League launched with four teams playing in an accelerated six-game season. The league, which is not affiliated with the NFL, featured a number of notable names, including defensive end Greg Hardy, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., and running backs Ben Tate and Ahmad Bradshaw. It’s likely that we’ll see some more familiar faces when things kick off in April.
Here’s more from around the world of football:
- Commissioner Roger Goodell had his contract extended through the 2024 season, but his counterpart at the players’ union is only signed through March of 2018. NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith tells HBO’s Bryant Gumbel that he would like to stay on board for another term (via PFT). The union gives three-year terms to its presidents, so another deal would mean that Smith’s contract would expire shortly after the current CBA runs out in 2021.
- Former NFLer Stephen Tulloch will visit the Lions this week to assist in coaching the club’s linebackers, tweets Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Tulloch, who announced his retirement in April, will not be restarting his career, although he might be able to help given the thin state of Detroit’s linebacking corps. After spending 2011-15 with the Lions, Tulloch joined the Eagles last spring but ultimately played only 69 defensive snaps in Philadelphia.
- This week, Jets owner Woody Johnson was formally sworn in as America’s ambassador to the United Kingdom. The move forced the team to shake up its management structure.
Jets Pursued Saints RB Alvin Kamara
Heading into this year’s draft, the Jets were high Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara. However, GM Mike Maccagnan was unwilling to pay the price to move up and draft him, sources tell Manish Mehta of the Daily News. “Important people” within the organization badly wanted to make a big play to get him and some of those people are still annoyed at the GM’s passiveness, Mehta hears. 
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Ultimately, the Saints grabbed Kamara in the third round via an aggressive deal with the 49ers, shipping their 2018 second-round pick and 2017 seventh-round pick out west for the No. 67 choice. Kamara may not have top billing in New Orleans with Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson ahead of him on the depth chart, but he is in the midst of an excellent preseason and the Jets are among the teams wishing they could get a re-do on the draft (To play devil’s advocate: the Jets’ 2018 second-round pick could very well be in the No. 33-35 range, and that’s a steep price for a current year third rounder.)
The Jets, meanwhile, have the league’s most lackluster roster and an offense that is painfully short on playmakers. Matt Forte and Bilal Powell will be the top options in the backfield and while they could be a serviceable pair, neither player has guaranteed money beyond this season. It’s too early to anoint Kamara as a star, but he would have given the Jets something to build off of for the future.
“I wouldn’t say we (don’t) have any difference makers,” said coach Todd Bowles earlier this month as he tried to combat criticism. “We just have to play together. If we block the quarterback we’ll have a chance.”
If Kamara turns out to be a starting caliber player, Maccagnan won’t be the only GM kicking himself over a missed opportunity. However, it seems that others at One Jets Drive are growing frustrated with Maccagnan’s passiveness and emphasis on stockpiling draft picks, and that could be a bigger issue for the team down the road.
NFLPA Talking With Colin Kaepernick’s Reps
Colin Kaepernick continues to search for work and the players’ union has taken a special interest in his pursuit of a contract. Union chief DeMaurice Smith says that he has been in constant contact with the quarterback’s representatives. 
“We stand supporting our player, as we always have,” Smith told Albert Breer of The MMQB (video link). “We’ve been in touch, we haven’t stopped being in touch with his agents and his representatives and it’s important for the union to consistently balance the issues, needs, desires of an individual player against the issues and objectives of the collective player.”
Smith responded in the affirmative when asked if he finds Kaepernick’s outspoken approach to be admirable. Naturally, not everyone agrees and Kaepernick still finds himself in limbo even as several teams have serious question marks under center. The Ravens publicly flirted with the idea of signing Kaepernick earlier this month, but we haven’t heard anything on that front even as Joe Flacco recovers from a sore back and Ryan Mallett continues to struggle in practice. The Jaguars, meanwhile, seem poised to give the starting QB job to Chad Henne over Blake Bortles, but they’re not in pursuit of Kaepernick or any other free agent signal caller.
Time has not necessarily run out for Kaepernick to sign with a team, but he won’t have enough time to learn anyone’s playbook in time for the start of the season. The season begins when the Patriots face the Chiefs on September 7 – just over two weeks from today.
Jets Owner Sworn In As UK Ambassador
The Jets announced that owner Woody Johnson has been formally sworn in as the United States’ ambassador to the United Kingdom. With that in mind, Woody’s younger brother Christopher Wold Johnson will take over as the Jets’ chairman and CEO. 
Christopher is twelve years Woody’s junior, so he could potentially hold down the fort for a while. We first learned that Christopher would ascend to this role back in June.
While Woody Johnson will face some challenges in his new role, Christopher Johnson has a difficult task of his own. This year’s Jets team may be one of the least talented squads assembled in the modern era. Meanwhile, the team is without a promising young quarterback to groom for the future.
The Jets also may have to make a decision on the club’s decision-making structure in the coming months. If Gang Green struggles again in 2017, the team could be looking to replace general manager Mike Maccagnan and/or head coach Todd Bowles.
Seahawks Acquire Matt Tobin From Eagles
The Eagles and Seahawks have completed a trade. The Seahawks will acquire tackle Matt Tobin and a 2018 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2018 fifth-round pick. 
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Tobin, 27, saw significant playing time for the Eagles in 2014 and 2015. Last year, he appeared in 12 games before he landed on IR in December. The 6’6″ lineman was on the field for 101 offensive snaps last year (35 passing, 65 running) and earned a substandard 49.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
Presumably, the former UDFA has healed up from last year’s knee injury, so he might be able to push Rees Odhiambo for the starting job vacated by George Fant‘s season-ending injury. If he falls short in that battle, Tobin’s versatility will work in his favor with experience at both tackle and guard.
The Seahawks still have to figure out their left tackle situation, but they project to start Luke Joeckel, Justin Britt, Oday Aboushi, and Germain Ifedi at the remaining O-Line spots.
AFC East Notes: Patriots, Dolphins, Matthews
The Patriots‘ lack of a legitimate pass rushing defensive end is a serious weakness, Albert Breer of The MMQB (video link) opines. The Pats lost third-round pick Derek Rivers for the season and Breer hears that trade acquisition Kony Ealy hasn’t looked all that sharp in practice. With a lack of depth at defensive end, Breer believes that the Patriots will be looking into some out-of-house options.
This year, there will be more than 1,000 players available when rosters are cut down from 90 to 53. There will be a good number of edge rushers in that group and a handful of them should be of interest to New England.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- There is a good chance that Kraig Urbik won’t be able to play in the Dolphins‘ opener as he deals with a knee issue, Adam Beasley of The Miami Herald writes. That’s problematic for Miami since Urbik was supposed to start in place of injured left guard Ted Larsen.
- New Bills wide receiver Jordan Matthews has a chip fracture in his sternum, but he says he’ll be ready to go for the season opener (via The Associated Press). “I want to go out there and prove myself to my teammates. I want them to know that I’m tough, and I want them to know that I’m not the type of guy that wants to miss practice and just be there for games.” Matthews said. “I’m extremely confident I will be ready to play for Week 1.” Since being selected in the 2014 draft, Matthews led Philly receivers with a combined 225 catches, 2,873 yards and 19 touchdowns. He’ll be counted on for major production after the team jettisoned Sammy Watkins and saw Anquan Boldin retire over the weekend.
- On Monday, two Jets starters learned that they will not be punished by the league for their role in a dustup at a summer concert.
Broncos Cut RB Bernard Pierce
The Broncos are releasing running back Bernard Pierce, as Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Pierce had been with Denver since signing a reserve/futures deal in January.
The 27-year-old showed potential as a rookie in 2012 with the Ravens, averaging 4.9 yards per carry on 108 attempts. He spent another two seasons with Baltimore, but his performance was up-and-down in his reserve role. In 2015, he hooked on with the Jaguars and totaled just six carries for 11 yards. He did not see the field in 2016 and he was even passed on by the Jets in December.
The Broncos still have a good number of running backs on the 90-man roster, including C.J. Anderson, Devontae Booker, Jamaal Charles, Juwan Thompson, and De’Angelo Henderson.
AFC West Notes: Raiders, Smith, Mahomes
Here’s a look at the AFC West:
- Raiders coach Jack Del Rio offered some support for Sean Smith as he faces felony assault charges. “I think we’ll let him battle legally what issues he has,” Del Rio said (via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle). “I don’t really have anything to add to it. I mean, I think you heard the story. He was defending his sister. Obviously, things occurred that were taken issue with, so he’s having to defend himself right now.” Smith played in the team’s second preseason game Saturday night and right now there’s no reason to believe that the team will come down on him with a suspension. However, depending on how things shake out, Smith may have to answer to the legal system and the league office.
- Chiefs coach Andy Reid was unequivocal when asked whether rookie Patrick Mahomes could start over quarterback Alex Smith. “It’s Alex’s job. There’s no gray area,” Reid said (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com on Twitter). John Dorsey was in charge at the time of the Mahomes pick, but apparently new GM Brett Veach was the one who put him on Dorsey and Reid’s radar. There’s every reason to believe that Mahomes will wind up as the Chiefs’ main QB at some point, but the Chiefs want to avoid speculation of the transition happening this year.
- Chargers back up offensive tackle Tyreek Burwell has a broken hand, as Alex Flanagan of NFL Network tweets. Burwell first joined the Bolts as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He appeared in eleven games as a rookie and five last season.
NFL Clears Jets’ Lee, Williams
The NFL has cleared a pair of former Jets first-round picks. Neither linebacker Darron Lee nor defensive lineman Leonard Williams will face league punishment stemming from their an altercation at the Governors Ball Music Festival on Randall’s Island in June. 
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“Following a review, we concluded there was insufficient evidence to support a finding that there was a violation of the personal conduct policy,” an NFL spokesman said in a statement.
Reportedly, Williams pushed Lee away as he was arguing with a woman who may have been his girlfriend. One eyewitness said that Lee’s argument with the woman turned physical, but the league found no proof to substantiate that claim. Williams, it seemed, was simply trying to break things up. Neither player was arrested.
Lee, a 2016 first-round pick, appeared in 13 games (nine starts) with the Jets last season, compiling 73 tackles and one sack. Williams, a first round choice in 2015, had seven sacks and 68 total tackles last year.