NFL Hires Former 49ers GM Trent Baalke
Trent Baalke is back in football. The former 49ers GM has accepted a job within the league office, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
Baalke will serve as a “Football Operations Consultant,” a job which is composed of several micro-jobs. He’ll have “an advisory role on game-related matters, officiating, player development and evaluation, and officiating video review,” sources tell Schefter.
Baalke was canned by San Francisco in January after five years as the team’s GM. Prior to that, he spent six years in the Niners’ front office. Under his leadership, the Niners advanced to the Super Bowl after the 2011 season, but that wasn’t enough for him to keep his job after a two-win season.
At one point this winter, Baalke was in the mix for a job in the Packers’ front office, but that never materialized.
Browns Reject Brock Osweiler Trade Offer
The Browns will start quarterback Brock Osweiler in the team’s preseason opener against New Orleans, head coach Hue Jackson announced Monday. And, apparently, it’s not to showcase him to other teams. 
Pat McManamon of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears the Browns are starting Osweiler because he is their best option at quarterback and not because he is potential trade bait. When the Browns first acquired Osweiler from Houston this offseason, it seemed likely that they would flip him to a team desperate for a quarterback. Now, Cleveland seems prepared to keep him for themselves. In fact, the Browns have already turned down a trade proposal for Osweiler this offseason, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
“A lot goes into our evaluation but it’s always going to be about efficiently and effectively running the offense,” Jackson said in the press release regarding Osweiler’s preseason start against the Saints. “You want your starter to be able to do that despite any circumstance. Brock hasn’t really gotten any first team reps and this will give him that chance. We look forward to seeing what he can do with this opportunity throughout the week and against the Saints.”
Cody Kessler will serve as the No. 2 QB against New Orleans and he’ll be followed by rookie DeShone Kizer and Kevin Hogan on the depth chart.
Dolphins To Place Ted Larsen On IR
Ted Larsen‘s torn biceps will require a stay on injured reserve, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets. The hope is that the Dolphins can bring him after Week 8, the earliest point at which players can return from IR. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Sign Jay Cutler]
Larsen was expected to serve as one of the Dolphins’ starting guards in Week 1. Although he wasn’t stellar last year, he was the team’s best option next to Kraig Urbik. Miami will now have to consider backups like Jermon Bushrod and fifth round pick Issac Asiata. The Dolphins may also want to look at free agent options, like the newly available Orlando Franklin. Of course, after his stay with the Saints was terminated in less than a week, the Dolphins would want to take a good look at his knee injury.
Last year, players were permitted to only bring one player back from injured reserve during the season. This year, teams will be allowed to designate two players for return from IR. Teams do not have to declare their one IR-DTR player in advance, meaning that the Dolphins can monitor Larsen’s situation and bring him back when he is fully healthy. Conversely, the Dolphins reserve the right to change course and use their two IR-DTR spots on other players.
Jets Claim WR Bruce Ellington Off Waivers
The Jets claimed wide receiver Bruce Ellington off waivers, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The 49ers dropped him from the roster on Thursday. 
Ellington, who turns 26 later in August, was a regular for the 49ers in 2014 and 2015. Unfortunately, the former fourth-round pick missed the entire 2016 season when he sustained a severe hamstring injury just prior to the 75-man cutdown.
Ellington will look to grab one of the team’s final wide receiver spots, putting him in competition with newcomer Lucky Whitehead and others. Both players profile as return specialists.
The Jets are expected to go into September with Quincy Enunwa, Marquess Wilson, Robby Anderson, third round pick ArDarius Stewart, and fourth round pick Chad Hansen on the 53-man roster. Jalin Marshall will be sidelined to start the year as he serves a four-game ban.
In 2015, Ellington’s recorded 19 grabs for 137 yards. He did most of his work on special teams with 26 kick returns for 665 yards, good for an average of 25.6 yards.
Ravens Waive TE Crockett Gillmore
The Ravens announced that tight end Crockett Gillmore has been waived to make room for the newly signed Austin Howard. Gillmore, of course, is out for the year after suffering a knee injury in July. 
[RELATED: Ravens Sign OT Austin Howard]
Gillmore, 25, had 33 catches for 412 yards and four touchdowns in 2015. Unfortunately, injuries have hampered him ever since. In 2016, he appeared in only seven games thanks to back and knee issues. Now, he’ll have to wait until 2018 to see the field again.
By exposing Gillmore to waivers, the Ravens run the risk of another team swooping in on him and planting him on the roster. If Gillmore clears waivers – probably the most likely scenario given his current status – then he will revert to the team’s injured reserve. From there, the Ravens can either park him on IR or release him with an injury settlement.
Steelers, Mike Tomlin Agree To Extension
The Steelers have inked an extension with coach Mike Tomlin. The new deal will take him through the 2020 season. 
“I am pleased to announce we have extended Mike Tomlin’s contract through the 2020 season,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II. “Mike continues to prove he is one of the top head coaches in the National Football League. We appreciate the leadership that Mike has provided over the last 10 seasons, and we are confident and excited to have him continue to lead our team as we focus on winning another championship.”
A new deal has been expected for weeks now. This year, Tomlin’s deal automatically vested through the 2019 campaign based on wins, but the Steelers wanted to lock him up for an even longer term.
Tomlin is entering his eleventh season as the coach of the Steelers. In his time at the helm, Pittsburgh has made the playoffs seven times and has never finished a season with less than eight wins. Overall, Tomlin has a 103-57 regular season record, two AFC Championship titles, and one Super Bowl ring.
Next up for the Steelers could be an extension for general manager Kevin Colbert. His current deal expires after the 2018 draft.
The Steelers have just three coaches since 1969, the year of Chuck Noll‘s hiring.
Dolphins Reach Out To Jay Cutler
The Dolphins are already looking for insurance in the event that Ryan Tannehill has to miss games. The team reached out to former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald. 
After finding a tepid market this spring, Cutler retired from football and joined the NFL on FOX’s broadcast team. He indicated that he was most likely done playing, but he could maybe be persuaded to return if he can jump in with a potential playoff team like the Dolphins.
Of course, Cutler and coach Adam Gase have some shared history. Gase was Cutler’s offensive coordinator in 2015 when the QB threw 25 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. It turns out Gase personally reached out to Cutler shortly after Tannehill suffered his injury.
Coach Adam Gase has been in contact with Cutler personally the pasty two days as the two men have worked on rekindling a relationship that helped Cutler throw 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2015 when he was the starting QB for Chicago and Gase was the offensive coordinator
The Dolphins have reached out to “multiple” QBs, according to Salguero, but Cutler is the most prominent one of the bunch so far. That probably means that Colin Kaepernick has not been contacted. Other noteworthy available QBs include Robert Griffin III, Christian Ponder, and Shaun Hill.
Now that Cutler is in play for Miami, one has to wonder if the Dolphins might also try and lure CBS broadcaster Tony Romo out of retirement.
Ravens Sign OT Austin Howard
The Ravens will sign former former Raiders offensive tackle Austin Howard, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Howard was released by Oakland one week ago.
It’s a three-year deal worth$16MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The deal includes team options after each year with $5.5MM coming to him in the first season. At the end, Howard was down to the Ravens and Texans after also visiting Houston. 
The deal marks something of a homecoming for Howard, who once was a part of the Ravens’ practice squad. He can expected to compete with James Hurst for the starting right tackle job. If he falls short, he can be used as a swingman off of the bench to bolster the depth on both the interior and exterior of the line. Then again, with a contract like this, the Ravens are probably anticipating that he’ll be with the first unit.
Howard was slowed by an ankle injury in 2016 and is coming off of a down year in terms of performance. Still, he offers far more experience than Hurst and could be a decent starter if he’s healthy. Hurst has just 16 career starts versus Howard’s 72 starts in 76 career appearances.
Overall, this hasn’t been a great offseason for the Ravens’ offensive line. The team lost right tackle Ricky Wagner to free agency, center John Urschel to retirement, and guard Nico Siragusa to a season-ending knee injury. Baltimore hopes that the addition of Howard will help offset its major losses.
Jets Sign Devon Still
The Jets have signed Devon Still, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The defensive lineman will join the Jets’ 90-man roster with an eye on making the final 53-man cut in September. 
Still, 28, barely played for the Texans last year a Lisfranc injury sent him into surgery. A former second-round pick, the defensive tackle has never lived up to his draft billing, as he’s never started a game during his career due to health issues and lack of effectiveness. Of course, Still has dealt with plenty in his off-field life, as his daughter Leah battled cancer until announcing in 2015 she was cancer-free.
Still’s so-so production last year left him on the market for longer than he would have liked, but his versatility helped him land a job with the Jets’ 3-4 scheme after the 4-3 Bills passed on signing him last month. Still will now fight to back-up the likes of Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, Leonard Williams, and Steve McLendon. It won’t be easy to crack the Jets’ deepest unit, but he’ll at least be doing in full health.
Latest On Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott
Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott remains under investigation by the league, but owner Jerry Jones says the NFL is looking at his pattern of behavior rather than the allegations of abuse from last year. 
“The domestic violence is not an issue,” Jones told NBC (via Charean Williams of PFT). “Zeke has had some other things that have been looked at and are being looked at. But from the domestic violence issue, there’s not an issue. I think that my hope is that Zeke is with us opening night, and I don’t want to get into anything that might in any way influence negatively that decision from the league office.”
All along, Jones has maintained that the allegations against Elliott are without merit. The owner’s latest comments indicate that the league may be in agreement, though his other missteps could still keep him from the field. Those off-the-field incidents include pulling a woman’s shirt down during a St. Patrick’s Day parade in March and potentially having some involvement in a barroom brawl days before the start of training camp.
Although Jones is firmly in Elliott’s corner, he also hopes that he learns from his mistakes and avoids dicey situations going forward.