Panthers Host G Jonathan Cooper On Visit
Richie Incognito‘s return from suspension led the Raiders to release Jonathan Cooper. The former top-10 pick is already generating interest.
The Panthers are hosting Cooper on a visit Thursday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The 29-year-old blocker is a Wilmington, N.C., native and is a former Tar Heel. Cooper, though, has made his way through several teams and has suited up for four franchises over the past four seasons.
Carolina has Trai Turner and Greg Van Roten installed as its guard starters and drafted Dennis Daley in the sixth round this year. However, reserve offensive lineman Brandon Greene has not practiced this week due to a neck injury, creating a potential need for depth up front.
Cooper played for the Cardinals, Browns, Cowboys and Redskins over the past four seasons. He was also with the Patriots and 49ers in this span. The 2013 draftee did not play for the Raiders this season, being a healthy scratch in each of Oakland’s first two games.
Panthers’ Cam Newton Unlikely To Play Vs. Cardinals
The Panthers are unlikely to have Cam Newton in uniform when they face the Cardinals on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. If Newton is sidelined, the Panthers will turn to Kyle Allen as their starter. 
Newton’s foot sprain recovery has come along much slower than expected and his outlook for the rest of the season is murky, at best. Through two games, it’s clear that Newton is playing at far below 100% strength – he has yet to score a touchdown via the air or ground, and he completed just 49% of his passes in a rough outing against the Bucs last week.
The Panthers are hoping for an inverse of their 2018 season, which saw a strong beginning and a bumpy finish. After a 6-2 start, they went 1-7 as Newton battled a shoulder issue. That achey shoulder ultimately landed Newton on the bench for the final two games of the campaign.
After the Cardinals, the 0-2 Panthers will face the Texans and Jaguars in Weeks 4 and 5.
QB Notes: Cam, Dak, Teddy, Eli, Siemian
Kyle Allen is trending toward starting for the Panthers this week, as Cam Newton missed practice Wednesday while he recovers from a foot injury, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. After Carolina’s loss to Tampa Bay last week, Newton complained of foot pain and it was expected that he would miss some game time. After initially suffering the injury during the preseason, and then aggravating it last week, it would seem wise for Carolina to let the former MVP fully heal before taking the field again.
In the interim, Allen would be the starter for the foreseeable future and would be set to face former college teammate Kyler Murray this Sunday when they take on the Cardinals. In his lone career start last year, a win against the Saints, Allen played well, completing 16 of 27 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns.
Let’s take a look at some other quarterback notes from around the NFL:
- A week ago, Jerry Jones said a deal for Dak Prescott was “imminent,” but a few days later acknowledged just because he thinks it is imminent doesn’t mean the quarterback does, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. After the Cowboys‘ win in Washington, Jones continued to display his belief a deal will get done. “I have no hesitation about it. I’m very comfortable. He’s very comfortable,” Jones said. “The way it is, he’s very comfortable. Those are things we re-emphasize a timeframe in anything that requires two people … and I’m not trying to be talking riddles here. Certainly from the standpoint of where we’ve been from talking about, his business, talking about the Cowboys’ business, we have a lot of water under the bridge.” Many expect a deal to get done between the Cowboys and Prescott at some point this season.
- With Drew Brees expected to miss the next six weeks due to a thumb injury, the Saints will rely on Teddy Bridgewater to carry the load and run the offense. Interestingly, there are also some financial incentives tied to Bridgewater making starts for the Saints in the wake of Brees’ injury. Bridgewater can earn up to $5.25MM in incentives, while also getting $2.5MM if he plays 50% of the offensive snaps and they make the playoffs, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
- After undergoing an MRI on Tuesday, Adam Gase informed the media that Trevor Siemian would unsurprisingly be out for the season, with an MRI revealing torn ligaments. After the swelling goes down, Siemian is expected to have surgery, according to Rapoport. In the interim, Luke Falk is penciled in as the Jets’ starter until starter Sam Darnold returns from mono, which could be as soon as Week 5 against the Eagles.
- After being benched by the Giants for rookie Daniel Jones, Eli Manning said today that that he was “obviously disappointed, not happy”, but still intends to finish this season and support Jones. It remains to be seen if Manning finishes the season with the only NFL franchise he’s known. However, if any of the quarterback-needy teams were to try and trade for Manning, they would have to take on a hefty amount of salary. Manning is making $17MM this year, with $5.5MM (roster/workout bonuses) having already been paid out, costing any team $676k a week (base salary), according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Cam Newton To Miss Time?
Following Thursday night’s game, Ron Rivera said Cam Newton‘s early-season struggles were not due to injury. The Panthers’ stance has changed on this front, and their ninth-year quarterback looks set to miss time.
Newton informed Panthers officials of foot pain after the team’s loss to the Buccaneers last Thursday, David Newton of ESPN.com notes. No solid timeline for the former MVP’s return exists, per GM Marty Hurney. This is another mid-foot sprain, per Albert Breer of SI.com (on Twitter). Newton suffered this injury in Week 3 of the preseason and re-aggravated it Thursday. He missed nearly two weeks of practice recovering from the initial foot injury.
It almost certainly sounds like Kyle Allen will start this week against the Cardinals. Allen, who finished last season as the Panthers’ starter, resides in front of third-round rookie Will Grier on Carolina’s depth chart. The Panthers do not plan to sign a veteran in the interim, Rivera added.
Newton initially suffered this foot injury in his short preseason cameo. He played in the Panthers’ first two games but was not especially effective, finishing Week 2 with a 48% completion rate. The Panthers have lost Newton’s past eight starts, this record coinciding with the former MVP’s foot and shoulder maladies. Newton has delivered the highest percentage of uncatchable passes through two games, per Pro Football Focus’ Steve Palazzolo (on Twitter).
Allen and Grier split reps in practice Tuesday. This could be a multi-game absence. The Panthers travel to Arizona and Houston in Weeks 3-4 before returning home to face the Jaguars. Carolina’s bye is not until Week 7.
Rivera: Cam Not Dealing With Injury
- Ron Rivera denied Cam Newton is experiencing issues with the foot he injured during preseason play or his surgically repaired shoulder. The Panthers have now lost two home games, and Newton has not played especially well in either. He completed 48% of his passes on Thursday and did not fare well against Bucs blitzes. Prior to Newton’s shoulder injury last season, he had the Panthers on track for another playoff berth and was on a better statistical run than his 2016 or ’17 slates. Now 0-2, the team will have an uphill battle to make it back to the postseason. The 30-year-old passer is signed through the 2020 season.
Restructured Contract Details: Flacco, Solder, Panthers
With the majority of the NFL beginning their 2019 campaigns tomorrow, a number of teams have slightly tweaked contracts in an effort to open some extra cap space. We’ve compiled some of the notable restructured contracts from this morning, along with some details on some recently-completed deals.
- The Broncos converted $17MM of Joe Flacco‘s base salary into a signing bonus, reports NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). The front office also added a pair of voidable years to the contract, thus opening around $13.6MM in 2019 cap space. The veteran quarterback is still on the books for $20.25MM in 2020 and $24.25MM in 2021.
- The Giants made a similar move with offensive tackle Nate Solder, according to Pelissero (on Twitter). The front office converted $7.5MM of the veteran’s base salary to a fully-guaranteed roster bonus, opening up $5MM in cap space. Solder will still earn the same amount of money over the next two years ($13MM in 2019, $14MM in 2020).
- One more from Pelissero (via Twitter): the Panthers restructured the contracts of defensive tackle Kawann Short and offensive lineman Trai Turner, opening $13MM in cap space. While the team could use that open money for extensions, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets that the transaction is “more about taking cap space into next year.” Linebacker Shaq Thompson and cornerback James Bradberry are impending free agents, while running back Christian McCaffrey and quarterback Cam Newton could be eyeing lucrative extensions.
- The Rams converted $2.25MM of punter Johnny Hekker‘s base salary into a bonus, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter). The move opens up around $1.69MM in cap space, allowing the team is better accommodate the recent extensions for quarterback Jared Goff and tight end Tyler Higbee.
- Center Mike Pouncey‘s one-year, $9MM extension with the Chargers will guarantee him $5MM in new money, tweets ESPN’s Dan Graziano (via Twitter). The guarantees include a $2.5MM signing bonus and $2.5MM guaranteed salary in 2020 (the full base salary is $6MM). The veteran’s cap number is now $10MM in 2019 and $7.75MM in 2020.
- Jacoby Brissett‘s two-year, $30MM extension with the Colts includes an $11MM signing bonus, reports Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). The quarterback has a $2MM salary for 2019, $2MM in per-game roster bonuses (for both years), and a $7MM roster bonus that’s guaranteed in March. As Volin notes, the 26-year-old will likely earn around $13MM to $15MM this season before renegotiating next offseason.
- Josh Doctson‘s deal with the Vikings is for one year at the league minimum of $720K, reports Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). The deal includes no guaranteed money. Following the signing of the wideout and punter Britton Colquitt, Minnesota is now sitting with around $1.17MM in cap space.
NFL Cap Space By Team For 2019
With hours to go before the start of the 2019 NFL season, here’s a rundown of how much cap room each NFL team has (via ESPN.com’s Field Yates, on Twitter):
- Indianapolis Colts – $42.1MM
- Cleveland Browns – $32.7MM
- Miami Dolphins – $31.9MM
- Houston Texans – $29.5MM
- Buffalo Bills – $24.8MM
- Tennessee Titans – $24.1MM
- Dallas Cowboys – $22.3MM
- Detroit Lions – $19.2MM
- San Francisco 49ers – $18.7MM
- Chicago Bears – $17.3MM
- Carolina Panthers – $16.6MM
- Washington Redskins – $15.9MM
- Philadelphia Eagles – $14.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals – $13.3MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $12.4MM
- Oakland Raiders – $12MM
- Denver Broncos – $11.2MM
- Green Bay Packers – $10.8MM
- Los Angeles Chargers – $10.2MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars – $9.5MM
- New York Jets – $9.3MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $8.6MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $8.2MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $6.3MM
- New England Patriots – $4.9MM
- Arizona Cardinals – $2.7MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $1.2MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $1.2MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $852K
- New Orleans Saints – $604K
- Atlanta Falcons – $493K
- New York Giants – $457K
NFL Workout Updates: 9/3/19
Here are today’s workout updates, all courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter) unless otherwise noted. The Saints had several recognizable players in for workouts.
Arizona Cardinals (Twitter link via veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer)
- RB Justin Davis, RB Devontae Jackson
Carolina Panthers (Twitter link via Balzer)
Cincinnati Bengals
- LB Malik Carney, C Ryan Groy, LB LaRoy Reynolds, LB Sutton Smith, LB Connor Strachan, OT Josh Wells, OT T Bryan Witzmann
Detroit Lions
- WR Victor Bolden Jr., RB Nick Brossette, WR Terry Godwin, DL Geneo Grissom, WR Marvin Hall, QB Taylor Heinicke, RB Darius Jackson, DE Anthony Johnson, QB Chad Kanoff, RB David Williams
New Orleans Saints
- RB Cameron Artis-Payne, LB James Burgess, LB Tre Crawford, RB Darius Jackson, TE Ben Koyack, RB Marcus Murphy, TE Brian Parker, LB Tegray Scales, LB Tre’ Watson, TE Luke Willson, RB Zach Zenner
New York Jets
- G Brandon Hitner
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins (Twitter link via Balzer)
- LB Ray-Ray Armstrong, OLB Davin Bellamy, LB Reshard Cliett, LB Te’von Coney
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/3/19
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad decisions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: TE Carson Meier
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: QB Kyle Sloter
- Re-signed: OLB Pete Robertson
- Released: CB Nate Brooks, OLB Vontarrius Dora
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DT Trevon Coley
- Released: OL Marcus Applefield
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: C Brad Lundblade
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LB Hardy Nickerson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE Jordan Leggett, DL Pat O’Connor
- Released: RB Bruce Anderson
NFL Workouts: 9/2/19
In the wake of all the cuts that have taken place over the past few days, there are a ton of players looking for new homes. Many teams are bringing guys in for tryouts, and we’ll keep track of all of today’s here, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter).
There were a few notable names, including former-first round pick offensive guard Joshua Garnett, who worked out for the Seahawks. The 49ers drafted Garnett 28th overall in 2016, and he started 11 games as a rookie. He then missed the entire 2017 season with an injury, and didn’t make any starts last year. The 49ers were able to save $1.7MM by cutting him, and they jumped at the opportunity. Perhaps he’ll be able to revive his career with an NFC West rival.
The Dolphins are hosting offensive tackle J’Marcus Webb, who has plenty of starting experience. After trading away Laremy Tunsil, the Dolphins are understandably looking for tackle help. Webb started 16 games for the Raiders as recently as 2015, and one for the Colts last season before being placed on IR. He’s been around since 2010, and spent his first three seasons as a starter with the Bears. As Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald quipped in a tweet, it’s “not optimal” that the Dolphins are potentially looking for a starting tackle six days before the opener.
The Bills appear to be looking for a punter, as they worked out a group of them today.
Here’s the full list:
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
- OT Chidi Okeke
Kansas City Chiefs
- WRs Reggie Davis, J’Mon Moore, QB Tanner Lee
Miami Dolphins
- OT J’Marcus Webb
New Orleans Saints
Seattle Seahawks