Giants Waive RB James Robinson
Like many teams around the league, the Giants have already made a number of cuts ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for 53-man rosters to be finalized. Per a team announcement, running back James Robinson is among the players who have been let go. 
Robinson’s career started far differently than it has gone in recent years. The former UDFA recorded 1,414 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns as a rookie in 2020. The Jaguars eventually saw former first-rounder Travis Etienne assume the role of lead back, however, which made Robinson a luxury in the backfield. The latter was dealt to the Jets midseason in 2022.
With Breece Hall having suffered an ACL tear, the door appeared to be open for Robinson to take on a somewhat notable role. Instead, he received only 29 carries, and his 2.9 yards per attempt average made it an easy decision for New York not to retain him. Robinson briefly found a home in free agency by signing a two-year deal with the Patriots, but his tenure there proved to be very short lived.
The 25-year-old was released after he was unable to remain healthy through the spring. That left him on the open market once again until the onset of training camp, where he landed a deal with the Giants. The absence of Saquon Barkley at the time, which was sparked by his contract situation, gave Robinson an opportunity to win at least the third RB spot. Barkley is back in the fold, though, along with Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell and Eric Gray.
In addition to Robinson, the Giants have waived defensive tackle Kevin Atkins, defensive back Darren Evans, defensive tackle Donovan Jeter and wideout Collin Johnson. Defensive linemen Tashawn Bower and Brandin Bryant, along with offensive tackles Korey Cunningham and Julien Davenport and receiver Jaydon Mickens were released. Lastly, wideout Bryce Ford-Wheaton was placed on injured reserve, meaning he will be sidelined for the 2023 season.
Colts Release RB Kenyan Drake
Although Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has been given permission to seek a trade and is unsurprisingly garnering plenty of interest, and although fellow RB Zack Moss sustained a broken arm at the end of July that threatens his Week 1 availability, Kenyan Drake was unable to crack Indianapolis’ roster. Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the club has released the veteran back.
Now 29, Drake just signed with the Colts earlier this month. He saw action in each of the team’s three preseason games, though he failed to impress as a runner, accumulating just 36 rushing yards on 13 carries, which amounts to a poor 2.8 YPC average. In Indy’s preseason finale against the Eagles on Thursday, he did exhibit the receiving acumen that has made him a valuable commodity during his NFL career, catching two balls for 22 yards and a touchdown.
Obviously, that was not enough for the Colts to keep him around, and the fact that the club cut ties with Drake while Taylor’s future in Indianpolis is so uncertain perhaps suggests that Moss will be cleared before the start of the regular season. It could also mean that the team is content with its other RB options, a largely unproven group that includes third-year pro Deon Jackson — who has just a 3.3 YPC average in 81 career carries — fifth-round rookie Evan Hull, Jake Funk, and Jason Huntley.
Prior to his short-lived tenure with the Colts, Drake had been with four teams over the last four seasons. Despite that nomadic stretch, he has had productive spurts with each of those outfits. The Alabama product averaged 5.2 yards per carry in his 2019 Cardinals games following a midseason trade with the Dolphins, and Arizona put the transition tag on him in 2020. The then-Kliff Kingsbury-led team used Drake as its top back that year, and he finished with a career-high 10 touchdowns. Drake totaled more than 1,000 scrimmage yards in 2019 and ’20, and the Raiders — despite having drafted Josh Jacobs in the first round of the 2019 draft — gave him a two-year, $11MM deal in March 2021.
Jon Gruden‘s vision of Drake serving as a dynamic pass-catching back complement to Jacobs did not entirely come to fruition, with Drake totaling just 291 receiving yards in the 2021 campaign. The Josh McDaniels-headed Raiders released Drake last summer following failed trade talks, which led Drake to the Ravens. In Baltimore, Drake had several notable performances, including a 119-yard game against the Giants and a 93-yard showing against the Saints. Though he was deactivated for the final few games of the season and the Ravens’ lone playoff contest, Drake finished with 482 rushing yards on a 4.4-YPC rate and made some key contributions to the cause while J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards battled injuries.
Given his history, it seems likely that Drake will get another opportunity at some point.
Buccaneers To Place C Ryan Jensen On IR
AUGUST 27: Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Jensen’s career is likely over (via Michael Baca of NFL.com). Jensen, however, is unwilling to throw in the towel just yet.
Jensen says the decision to suit up for the Bucs’ lone playoff contest did not lead to a setback, and he also does not believe that surgery would be helpful (via ESPN’s Jenna Laine). Before making the decision to forego surgery last year, he consulted with five orthopedic surgeons, and he suggested that going under the knife would only exacerbate the problem.
“I’m gonna fight and do whatever I’ve gotta do to get this knee healthy,” Jensen said. “Right now it’s just time and doing what we need to do to get it feeling better.”
AUGUST 26: After being a question mark to suit up for Week 1, Ryan Jensen‘s 2023 prospects having taken another turn. The Buccaneers center will be placed on IR, general manager Jason Licht said on Saturday. Jensen will miss the season as a result. 
Tampa Bay was without its starting pivot for the full regular season last year as Jensen dealt with a major knee injury. He elected not to have surgery, and rehabbed to the point that he was able to take part in the team’s wild-card loss. Another full offseason of recovery seemed to have Jensen on the right track, and he expressed optimism earlier this month that he was back at 100%.
However, the Buccaneers proceeded with caution with respect to using him in team (as opposed to individual drills) upon his activation. As he dealt with complications from the knee injury, it became clear he would be hard-pressed to receive enough reps in the remainder of training camp and the preseason to be ready in time for the start of the campaign. In spite of that, a return to the field at some point in 2023 had been expected.
Now, Jensen will be sidelined for a full campaign for the second straight year. The 32-year-old took out a $5MM insurance policy in the wake of his knee injury last year, and today’s news will lead to legitimate questions about his playing future in the NFL. A Pro Bowler in his last healthy season, Jensen was in line to once again serve as a vital part of the Buccaneers’ offensive line upon his return.
After establishing himself as one of the most effective centers in the league over his four rookie-contract years in Baltimore, Jensen signed a four-year, $42MM deal in Tampa Bay. As has been the case with many Buccaneers veterans in recent years, his subsequent extension was restructured for salary cap purposes. That leaves the team on the hook for a cap hit of $17.2MM next year and $11.8MM in 2024, which is a void year.
Tampa Bay will again rely on Robert Hainsey as Jensen’s fill-in at the C spot. The former earned a respectable PFF evaluation last season, but the Buccaneers will be without their ideal O-line quintet in 2023, a year in which they are already beginning life after longtime left tackle Donovan Smith. While the team’s offense will be shorthanded without Jensen, attention will turn to his willingness and ability to rehab once more after what will be a second year out of football.
Colts C Danny Pinter Out For Season
Colts center Danny Pinter suffered a broken left ankle during the team’s preseason win over the Eagles on Thursday, as Mike Chappell of Fox 59 writes. Pinter has been placed on injured reserve, and his season is over.
Pinter, a 2020 fifth-round choice, has appeared in 46 games (seven starts) in his first three professional seasons. He opened the 2022 campaign as Indianapolis’ starting right guard but was benched for poor performance after just three games. He handled the bulk of the snaps at center in relief of an injured Ryan Kelly in the Colts’ Week 5 win over the Broncos, was relegated to reserve duty when Kelly returned the following week, and scarcely saw any action the rest of the way.
This season, Pinter was penciled in as Kelly’s primary backup at the pivot. Pinter started three games at the position in 2021 and received a strong 78.4 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus for his work, though his subpar 46.0 pass-blocking mark left much to be desired. The Colts did, however, win all three of those contests, and the club values Pinter’s ability to line up at multiple positions along the O-line.
“Danny is a really good player for us,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “To lose a guy like him is very unfortunate for us.”
2022 UDFA Wesley French and 2023 waiver claim Dakoda Shepley are the top internal options to fill the backup center role. However, French has yet to take a regular season snap in the NFL, and Shepley’s only non-special teams action came with the Cowboys last year, when he took eight snaps at center and six at right guard.
Steichen did not commit to either player at this point, saying, “[we’re] working through all of that right now. There are a couple of guys we’re looking at.”
It is possible that the Colts look for external reinforcements with cutdown day looming, especially since they will be starting rookie Anthony Richardson at quarterback.
Raiders, Josh Jacobs Agree To One-Year Deal
There’s no longer any doubt surrounding Josh Jacobs‘ availability for Week 1. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Raiders running back has agreed to a revised contract with the organization. Jacobs has since confirmed the news on Twitter.
Per Pelissero, Jacobs signed an “upgraded” one-year pact worth up to $12MM. Jacobs was previously attached to the $10.091MM franchise tag, but he’ll now earn a base salary of $11.8MM next season, according to Pelissero. The RB can earn another $200K via incentives, leading to the $12MM number.
The revised deal will also have some future implications on Jacobs and the Raiders. Pelissero tweets that Jacobs’ new deal could help boost a potential 2024 franchise tag value to north of $14MM.
After Jacobs no-showed training camp and the preseason, there were some questions if he would extend his holdout into the regular season. However, it sounds like both sides made significant progress this week to get the star RB back on the field. According to Pelissero, the player and agent Chad Wiestling flew to Las Vegas this week to meet with Raiders officials. The reporter adds that Jacobs will be at the team facility on Sunday to officially sign the contract.
Jacobs lost some leverage when he failed to sign a long-term contract with the organization by the July 17 deadline. However, the player sounded sincere when he threatened to sit out the 2023 campaign due to dissatisfaction with not only his contract, but the RB market in general. Since Jacobs didn’t ink his franchise tag, he wasn’t subject to fines from the organization for his absence.
After the sides failed to agree to a new deal, there were whispers that the Raiders and Jacobs made considerable progress in the hours leading up to the deadline, and that framework may have been important in this revised deal. Later reports indicated that the Raiders offered Jacobs a deal worth $12MM a season, a value that was ultimately reflected in his reworked one-year pact.
While Jacobs has been absent from Raiders camp up to this point, there seemed to be some optimism regarding Jacobs availability for the start of the regular season. This was especially true when fellow franchise-tagged running back Saquon Barkley signed a revised deal with the Giants, perhaps paving the way for Jacobs to ink a reworked deal in Las Vegas. The Raiders also made it clear throughout the process that they had no intention of trading Jacobs, although that didn’t stop teams like the Chiefs, Broncos, and Dolphins from reaching out.
While the player’s future with the organization is still cloudy, both sides can enter the 2023 campaign knowing that the RB will be leading the backfield. With Derek Carr no longer on the squad, the offense will be counting on Jacobs more than ever. The RB had his best season in 2022, finishing with 2,053 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns en route to a first-team All-Pro nod.
Zamir White seemed like the top candidate to take over the RB1 spot if Jacobs sat out regular season games. With the starter definitively playing next season, the team may be willing to hold fewer running backs than they originally intended. The rest of the team’s depth chart at the position includes pass-catching veteran Ameer Abdullah, special teams ace Brandon Bolden, former Chiefs RB Damien Williams, and young options like Brittain Brown, Sincere McCormick, and Darwin Thompson.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/23
Saturday’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: CB Blessuan Austin, OL Jalen Mayfield, DL Delontae Scott, DT Justin Ellis
Detroit Lions
- Released: DT Christian Covington, TE Daniel Helm
- Released from IR via injury settlement: RB Ibrahim Mohamed
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from PUP list: TE Hunter Long
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: T Roderick Johnson
San Francisco 49ers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DE Taco Charlton
Mayfield missed all of last season due to injury, but he started each the 16 games in his rookie campaign the year prior. The former 23-year-old struggled at guard, which prompted a change in plans for the Falcons on the interior. They tried Mayfield at tackle this offseason, but that has clearly not gone according to plan given today’s move. It will be interesting to see if Atlanta tries to keep him in the fold via the practice squad if that option presents itself next week.
Covington, 29, could have provided experienced depth along the defensive interior for the Lions had he made the 53-man roster. The former sixth-rounder has 102 games to his name, including 20 with the Chargers over the past two years. Covington has also spent time with the Texans, Cowboys and Bengals, collecting 196 tackles and 9.5 sacks. He will now have a slight head start on many other players with respect to finding a new home as teams sort through their final roster decisions.
Steelers Begin To Trim Roster By Cutting 8
After finishing up the preseason this past Thursday, the Steelers are wasting little time in beginning to form their initial 53-man roster. The team still has a few days before they need to get all the way down to 53 players, but here are the eight the team has already decided won’t be onhand to start the season:
- WR Dan Chisena
- CB Nevelle Clarke
- LB Kuony Deng
- CB Madre Harper
- DE James Nyamwaya
- K B.T. Potter
- LB Forrest Rhyne
- LS Rex Sunahara
Chisena was a longshot to make the 53-man roster at a position that should have plenty of serviceable options in the two-deep. With Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Allen Robinson II locking down the starting three positions, Pittsburgh really only has to determine which three or four guys to keep out of Calvin Austin III, Miles Boykin, Gunner Olszewski, Dez Fitzpatrick, Jordan Byrd, and Aron Cruickshank.
On defense, a new-look cornerbacks group will not include Clarke or Harper. Harper is the more experienced of the two and should find a practice squad spot somewhere or even an opportunity to make an active roster elsewhere. The same applies to Rhyne, a former FCS first-team All-American out of Villanova. Rhyne had some NFL snaps as a rookie in Indianapolis and should find more NFL opportunities in the future.
Lastly, neither undrafted special teamer will end up unseating the incumbents. Potter will look for his next destination as Chris Boswell remains the guy in Pittsburgh, and Sunahara will move on after failing to surpass Christian Kuntz.
Panthers Cut QB Jake Luton, 10 Others
The Panthers have a few more days until they need to reduce their roster to 53 players, but the front office has already started the process. The team announced that they’ve waived the following 11 player:
- OT Larnel Coleman
- S Collin Duncan
- DL Antwuan Jackson
- WR Gary Jennings
- QB Jake Luton
- RB Camerun Peoples
- LB Bumper Pool
- WR CJ Saunders
- S Josh Thomas
- K Matthew Wright
- CB Rejzohn Wright
While none of these cuts are particularly surprising, there are still some notable players in the bunch. As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets, the Panthers may be starting the process early and trying to tempt another squad to make a waiver claim, which would improve Carolina’s spot in the rankings.
Considering his position, Luton is one of the bigger names on the list. The quarterback hasn’t seen the field for a regular season game since he was winless in three starts with the Jaguars in 2020, but he’s still had backup gigs over the past few years, with the QB having also spent time with the Seahawks, Dolphins, and Saints. The former sixth-round pick joined the Panthers back in July.
Wright will surely find himself in the kicker rolodex once teams get hit with injuries. He was the Jaguars’ (mostly) full-time kicker in 2021, connecting on 87.5 percent of his field goal attempts and 86.7 percent of his extra point tries. He split the 2022 campaign between the Chiefs and Steelers, converting 15 of his 18 FGAs and all 15 of his XPAs.
Earlier today, head coach Frank Reich told reporters that the organization was going to have some difficult decisions to make before Tuesday’s roster deadline. As of today, the Panthers still have to cut 26 players.
“Literally every position has battles in place, not just for the roster, but you know, play time, who’s starting, how we’re looking at things,” Reich said (via the team’s website). “But the good news is they’re hard decisions, right? Because we feel good about the guys we have on our roster.”
49ers Trade QB Trey Lance to Cowboys
The 49ers have found their trade partner for former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the young quarterback will now head to Dallas to compete for the backup job behind Dak Prescott. San Francisco receives a return on Lance of a 2024 fourth-round pick, according to a later Schefter tweet. 
One day after general manager John Lynch claimed Lance would “most likely” remain a 49er, the Lance experiment is now over in the Bay Area. After trading three first-round picks and a third-round pick to swap draft slots with the Dolphins in order to select Lance, the 49ers only saw four starts in two years and a fourth-round pick for their major investment.
Injuries and the emergence of last year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, contributed to Lance’s lack of opportunities and success in his first two seasons. Now, with fellow former first-round pick Sam Darnold coming in to claim the backup quarterback job in San Francisco, Lance had found himself sliding down the depth chart in his third year. The 49ers will move forward with Purdy and Darnold in 2023.
Dallas is secure with Prescott at starting quarterback. They do have a need for a strong backup passing option considering Prescott hasn’t played a full season for the Cowboys since 2019. Over the past three years, Prescott has missed 17 of a possible 50 games. Dallas has been lucky to win eight of the last 10 games Prescott has sat out, but the potential Lance still holds as a former high draft pick still presents the opportunity for improvement at the position behind Prescott.
The money is an interesting aspect looking forward at the deal. Prescott is set for a contract year in 2024 in which he will hold a $59.46MM cap hit. He has a no-trade clause and is not able to be franchise-tagged, so the only solution out of that egregious cap number is an extension, a restructured contract, or getting Prescott to waive his no-trade clause for a preferred trade destination. Lance, on the other hand, is set to earn $940K this season and $1.55MM next year with a $4.26MM roster bonus. The Cowboys will also get the decision of whether or not to exercise Lance’s fifth-year option in 2025.
In the immediate future, Lance will come in and compete with Cooper Rush for the primary backup position behind Prescott. There’s likely a hope in Dallas that not only will Lance beat out Rush for the QB2 role, but that eventually, Lance might provide them with a serviceable option should they choose to move on from Prescott. Obviously, Lance hasn’t shown that ability to consistently start, but the Cowboys are holding out hope that he can still develop into more than we saw in San Francisco.
It’s finally official, though: Lance will get a fresh start in Dallas. After failing to stay on the field for various reasons in San Francisco, Lance will attempt to solidify a spot in the NFL with the Cowboys over the next two or three years.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/23
Here are today’s minor moves heading into the final weekend of preseason games this year:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: C Cohl Cabral
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: WR Shemar Bridges
Buffalo Bills
- Released from IR with injury settlement: DE Shane Ray
Carolina Panthers
- Released from IR with injury settlement: WR Damiere Byrd
Houston Texans
- Signed: P Ty Zentner
- Waived: T Jacky Chen
- Released: CB Darius Phillips
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DT Jamal Woods
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Jameson Houston
- Waived: T Chim Okorafor
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: WR Hakeem Butler, WR Cody White
Ray’s unlikely return to the NFL will have to wait a bit longer, it seems. Having not appeared in an NFL regular season game since 2018, Ray’s opportunity in Buffalo has come to an end. His bid to play alongside former Broncos teammate Von Miller will fall short due to injury.
Zentner is likely a short-term signing for Houston, who lost punter Cameron Johnston to a tweaked calf. Johnston shouldn’t need long to get back to the field, but Zentner will be asked to fill in for the team’s preseason game against the Saints this weekend.