Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/20
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: P Johnny Townsend, WR DeAndrew White
Buffalo Bills
- Released from IR: DT Niles Scott
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Alex Wesley
- Released: WR Trevor Davis
- Waived/injured: TE Darion Clark
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: C Frederick Mauigoa, DT Kahlil McKenzie
- Waived: G Clay Cordasco, WR Damion Willis
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed (from Dolphins): DE Curtis Weaver
- Placed on IR: S Grant Delpit
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DE Sharif Finch
- Waived: DE Ade Aruna
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Daniel Bituli, LB Derrick Moncrief
- Waived: LB Bryan London, QB Josh Love
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: LB Trent Harris
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DB Kemon Hall
New York Jets
- Signed: RB Pete Guerriero
- Waived: DB Anthony Cioffi
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Tyrone Swoopes
- Waived: WR Robert Davis
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: RB Salvon Ahmed
NFL Workout Updates: 8/24/20
Here are Monday’s notable workouts:
Arizona Cardinals
- LB Devante Bond
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
- LB Darron Lee
Las Vegas Raiders
- LB Sharif Finch, CB KeiVarae Russell
Minnesota Vikings
- LB Bryce Hager
New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- WR Greg Dortch, WR Shelton Gibson
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/24/20
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: CB Duke Thomas
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on reserve/retired list: CB Ike Brown
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on IR: C Casey Dunn
Denver Broncos
- Placed on IR: LB Justin Strnad (wrist)
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on IR: TE Ian Bunting
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DL Chris Smith
- Waived/injured: LB Nick Usher
Miami Dolphins
- Waived/injured: LB Curtis Weaver
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: ST Johnson Bademosi
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: WR Spencer Schnell
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S Walt Aikens
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/23/20
Here are today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OT Ka’John Armstrong
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: RB Jordan Scarlett
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated: WR John Ross
- Placed on IR: DT Renell Wren
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DE Will Clarke
- Released: OL Caleb Benenoch
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Daren Bates, LS Anthony Kukwa
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Andre Chachere, C Joey Hunt
- Placed on IR: Andrew Donnal
- Waived/injured: TE Ian Bunting
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Matt Flanagan
- Waived/injured: TE Charles Jones
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: CB Hakeem Bailey
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: RB William Stanback
New England Patriots
- Signed: TE Paul Quessenberry, DT Xavier Williams
- Released: TE Alex Ellis, DT Darius Kilgo
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated: WR Travis Fulgham
- Waived: OL Casey Tucker
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Kyle Markway
Raiders Sign LB Kyle Emanuel, RB Theo Riddick
The Raiders have been busy this weekend. Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the club is signing linebacker Kyle Emanuel (Twitter link), and Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com tweets that the Raiders have signed running back Theo Riddick to a one-year pact.
Emanuel, 29, was selected by the division-rival Chargers in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, and he completed his four-year rookie pact with the team before announcing in April 2019 that he was retiring from the game. He appeared in 63 out of a possible 64 contests with the Bolts, including 33 starts, but he only topped 50% playing time once during that span. He was, however, a consistent force on special teams.
Before Emanuel stepped away, several teams were interested in his services (including the Raiders). He announced in March 2020 that he was coming out of retirement, and Pelissero says the North Dakota State product was again generating some attention on the open market. But Emanuel saw an opportunity to win in Vegas, so he put pen to paper with the Raiders.
He also likely saw an opportunity for playing time with the Silver-and-Black. The Raiders signed Nick Kwiatkoski and Cory Littleton this offseason, but Emanuel could theoretically push Nicholas Morrow and third-round rookie Tanner Muse for playing time on the weak side while showing off his ST acumen.
Riddick, who established himself as one of the league’s better receiving backs during his six-year stint with the Lions, also sat out the 2019 season, but that was due to injury, not retirement. Detroit released him last July, and the Broncos scooped him up shortly thereafter, but he suffered a shoulder fracture in the preseason that ultimately kept him sidelined for the entire campaign.
Though he has posted a mediocre 3.6 yards-per-carry average in his career, he has 285 career catches for 2,238 yards and 14 TDs. He will have a chance to reassert himself as a reliable pass catcher in Vegas behind RB1 Josh Jacobs.
Raiders Eyeing Yannick Ngakoue
There’s nothing imminent on the Yannick Ngakoue front, but the Raiders are keeping an eye on the Jaguars defensive end, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears (Twitter link). There are several obstacles to a deal, but Rapoport stresses that it’s not an impossibility. 
Multiple teams have shown interest in Ngakoue, but Rapoport hears that the Raiders have been the only club to maintain active discussions. That jibes with what we’ve heard lately. Last week, we heard that the Jets are no longer interested. The Seahawks, meanwhile, were connnected to Ngakoue in the spring, but lately we’ve been hearing more about a possible reunion with Jadeveon Clowney or a play for veteran Clay Matthews.
The Raiders could make a characteristically bold move for Ngakoue, adding him to their group of edge talent led by Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby. Still, the asking price is steep. The Jaguars want more than a second-round pick for Ngakoue and GM Dave Caldwell is still playing hard to get. Ngakoue hasn’t signed his tender, and he still says that he does not want to play for Jacksonville, but Caldwell says that they’re not close on a trade with any club.
Ngakoue, 25, has been at odds with the Jaguars for months. The Jaguars have moved on from Jalen Ramsey, Calais Campbell, and A.J. Bouye within the last year, but they have yet to bend to Ngakoue’s trade demand.
Raiders To Meet With Cardale Jones
The Raiders will audition quarterback Cardale Jones on Friday afternoon, according to Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The former Ohio State standout has made multiple stops in the NFL but has just one pro game under his belt. 
Jones played for the D.C. Defenders in the XFL’s short-lived reboot. His stats weren’t great – he completely just 61 of 113 throws for 674 yards and four touchdowns against seven interceptions. Previous to that, Jones spent time with the Chargers, Seahawks, and Bills.
In 2015, Jones emerged as a superstar for the Buckeyes when quarterbacks Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett were lost to injury. After leading Ohio State to victory over Oregon in the National Championship game, Jones went from a relative unknown to a bonafide NFL prospect. He was benched midway through the 2016 season, but many believed that big things were in store for the athletic QB when the Bills tapped him in the fourth-round of the draft. Ultimately, he only appeared in one game for Buffalo.
Even if Jones lands a deal, he may face long odds of making the final cut. The Raiders seem well set under center with Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota, and Nathan Peterman on the QB depth chart.
Jaguars Close To Yannick Ngakoue Trade?
The Jaguars may be on the verge of ending the Yannick Ngakoue impasse. They are “extremely close” to a deal that will send the disgruntled defensive end elsewhere, Mike Lombardi of The Athletic reports (on Twitter).
A team has submitted a firm offer to the Jags, with Lombardi adding that a second-round pick may well be the compensation. This rumored trade could occur as soon as today, Lombardi adds. Any team that trades for Ngakoue cannot extend him until after the season. The franchise tag deadline passed more than a month ago, putting Ngakoue in a similar position to Jadeveon Clowney last year.
The Raiders resumed their Ngakoue pursuit before training camp, re-engaging with the Jags on trade talks, per Sirius XM’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). The Jags and Raiders discussed an Ngakoue deal in April, but talks did not progress. Las Vegas has 2019 draftees Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby spearheading their pass rush, but the Raiders’ perennially shaky defense could certainly use a player of Ngakoue’s caliber.
Although a report last week indicated the Jets were not interested, Lombardi tweets the team is involved in this pursuit. Gang Green has done surprisingly little to upgrade its edge rush this offseason, so Ngakoue would surely help the cause. The Jets are not believed to be interested in Clowney. The Seahawks were a rumored Ngakoue suitor prior to the draft. They pulled off a similar deal last August, landing Clowney from the Texans for a third-round pick and change. They have again been linked to Clowney, and Clay Matthews has surfaced on Seattle’s radar.
Ngakoue has not reported to the Jaguars but has hired a new agent, according to Neil Stratton of InsidetheLeague.com (on Twitter). This may be accelerating the trade talks. Ngakoue fired his previous agent last week. Jacksonville received multiple offers for Ngakoue before the tag deadline. While the ideal time to trade the fifth-year defender would have been before July 15, the 2021 salary cap’s uncertainty may not make a rental scenario too damaging for the Jags’ compensation. Still, a first-round pick and change — which the Chiefs paid for Frank Clark last year — was previously rumored as the price.
Ngakoue, 25, has been at odds with the Jaguars for months. He has vowed never to play for the team again, though he did check in with Jags brass earlier this summer. The former third-round pick would certainly upgrade a team’s pass rush, having racked up 37.5 sacks in four seasons. The Jags trading Ngakoue would continue their rebuilding path. They have already dealt Jalen Ramsey, Calais Campbell and A.J. Bouye over the past 10 months.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/18/20
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon.
Cleveland Browns
- Waived/injured: DE George Obinna
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: T Pace Murphy
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: CB Ken Crawley
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Rod Smith
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB Hardy Nickerson
- Waived: CB Marcus Sayles
Seattle Seahawks
- Claimed (from Falcons): QB Danny Etling
- Signed: DT P.J. Johnson
Raiders, Mychal Kendricks Discussed Deal
The Raiders have already allocated more resources than usual to their linebacker spots this year, signing Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski. They are still looking for veteran help.
Mychal Kendricks landed on the Raiders’ radar, and the team attempted to sign him, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The former Eagles, Browns and Seahawks linebacker, however, could not come to terms with the Raiders and remains a free agent.
The former Super Bowl starter faces not only a pending court date after pleading guilty to insider trading but is attempting to return to action after suffering an ACL tear. However, Kendricks has been medically cleared and has seen his court date postponed numerous times since his 2018 plea.
Spending the past two seasons in Seattle, Kendricks played 14 games last year. The 29-year-old ‘backer already served an eight-game suspension for the insider trading crime. He bounced back last year, starting 14 games and playing extensively alongside Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright on passing downs. The Seahawks used their base defense often last season; Kendricks played 61% of Seattle’s defensive snaps. He finished with 71 tackles, three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. The Seahawks, however, drafted Jordyn Brooks in Round 1 and let Kendricks walk in free agency.
Kendricks brings far more starting experience than Kwiatkoski and resides as one of the best remaining free agents. He may need to lower his asking price in order to land with Las Vegas, however.