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2020 NFL Cap Space, By Team

October 19th, 2020 at 11:24am CST by Zachary Links

As shown by Le’Veon Bell‘s recent deal with the Chiefs, big name free agents can come available at any point throughout the season. His contract wasn’t particularly pricey, but teams like to keep cash on hand during the year, especially when mulling potential trades before the deadline. Excess cap room can also be rolled over from year-to-year and give clubs the opportunity to lock up their most valuable players with extensions.

Here are the most recent figures for each team, via Over The Cap:

  1. Cleveland Browns – $33.1MM
  2. New York Jets – $27.9MM
  3. Dallas Cowboys — $23.9MM
  4. Washington Football Team – $23.6MM
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars– $22.9MM
  6. New England Patriots – $22.9MM
  7. Denver Broncos – $19.7MM
  8. Detroit Lions – $17MM
  9. Philadelphia Eagles– $18MM
  10. Miami Dolphins – $15.8MM
  11. Indianapolis Colts – $10.4MM
  12. Pittsburgh Steelers – $9.6MM
  13. Cincinnati Bengals– $9MM
  14. Baltimore Ravens – $9MM
  15. Arizona Cardinals– $8.9MM
  16. Chicago Bears – $8.4MM
  17. Tennessee Titans – $8.3MM
  18. Houston Texans – $8.1MM
  19. Los Angeles Chargers — $8MM
  20. New Orleans Saints – $8MM
  21. Green Bay Packers – $7.7MM
  22. New York Giants – $7.2MM
  23. Los Angeles Rams – $7MM
  24. Las Vegas Raiders – $6.3MM
  25. Carolina Panthers – $6.2MM
  26. Kansas City Chiefs – $5.8MM
  27. Buffalo Bills – $5MM
  28. San Francisco 49ers – $4MM
  29. Seattle Seahawks – $4MM
  30. Atlanta Falcons – $2MM
  31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $1.4MM
  32. Minnesota Vikings – $158K

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/17/20

October 17th, 2020 at 4:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Patriots Cancel Practice Due To COVID-19 Positives

October 16th, 2020 at 11:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots canceled Friday’s practice after another player tested positive for COVID-19, a source tells NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). They’ve also received another positive on the team, though that test is being rechecked to confirm.

The Pats are going ahead with virtual meetings today, but Sunday’s game against the Broncos is now in flux. That game, of course, was already delayed one week due to previous Patriots positives. Both teams have already burned their bye weeks, so it would be difficult to reschedule the games to be played any later than Monday or Tuesday. Unfortunately, playing the game early next week won’t be an option if the Patriots are not quickly cleared from coronavirus protocols.

Meanwhile, the Colts announced that their previously reported four positives have come back negative after being re-tested. Their game against the Bengals will go on as planned. The Patriots will keep their fingers crossed for a similar outcome. Meanwhile, the league has launched an investigation into their recurring testing issues, which have brought back a number of false positives throughout 2020.

COVID-19 Tests Close Colts’ Facility

October 16th, 2020 at 9:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts announced that they have closed their facility in the wake of positive COVID-19 tests. For now, they’ll work remotely as the tests are re-checked for accuracy.

“This morning, we were informed that several individuals within our organization have tested posted for COVID-19,” the team said in a statement. “The team is currently in the process of confirming those tests. In the meantime, the practice facility will be closed and the team will work remotely while following NFL protocols. We are in communication with the NFL and will have more information when available.”

The Colts are currently slated to play the Bengals in Indy on Sunday. Rescheduling the game – as we’ve seen throughout the season – could prove to be tricky. The Colts’ bye is in Week 7; the Bengals’ bye is in Week 9.

Meanwhile, the Falcons’ latest round of testing did not yield any new positives, giving them the greenlight to resume in-person activities. With that, the game between the Falcons and the Vikings is set to go on as scheduled. Ditto for Colts-Bengals, though that could change between now and the end of the business day.

Bengals Place DE Sam Hubbard On IR

October 15th, 2020 at 3:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

After being designated a non-starter for the first time since 2012, Carlos Dunlap appears headed back to the Bengals’ first unit. The Bengals placed defensive end Sam Hubbard on IR Thursday, sidelining the young pass rusher for at least three weeks.

An elbow injury will shelve Hubbard, who joined Carl Lawson as a Cincinnati D-end starter against Baltimore. Hubbard has played at least 60% of the Bengals’ defensive snaps this season, operating as the team’s busiest defensive lineman.

The Bengals have used Hubbard, a 2018 third-round pick, as a starter since last season. The Ohio State product registered a career-high 8.5 sacks last season. This placed second on the team behind Dunlap, who recorded nine.

Dunlap voiced frustration about his recent demotion, but Hubbard’s injury should lead to the Bengals’ all-time sack leader being back in the starting lineup in Week 6. Dunlap, who has made 115 starts in his 11-year career, played a season-low 46% of Cincinnati’s defensive snaps in Week 5 but did record his first sack of the season.

Bengals’ A.J. Green: I Don’t Want To Be Traded

October 15th, 2020 at 1:16pm CST by Zachary Links

A.J. Green left Sunday’s loss to the Ravens early with a hamstring injury, and he walked off the field showing clear frustration. Some viewers thought they saw Green tell an assistant that the Bengals should trade him if they won’t use him properly, but the wide receiver says that’s not the case. 

“I’m just happy to be back out there,” said Green (Twitter link via Ben Baby of ESPN.com). “I know it’s going to come over time. . . . I don’t want them to force me anything.”

There was tension between Green and the Bengals this offseason as the veteran lobbied for an extension. But, after he missed the entire year with injury, the Bengals decided to table discussions with the 32-year-old. Instead, they used the one-year, ~$18MM tag to keep him for 2020. The two sides cannot resume talks until after the season is over.

Before last year, Green was a Pro Bowler in each of his first seven NFL seasons. And, in every season in which he’s played at least 13 games, he’s topped 1,000 yards receiving. So far this year, he has just 14 grabs for 119 yards through five games. Now, it sounds like he’ll be out for a while as he nurses a hamstring issue, but he hopes to remain in Cincinnati beyond the deadline.

The trade deadline falls a bit later than usual this year. Teams will have up until 4pm ET/3pm CT on Nov. 3 – which is also Election Day — to make deals.

Carlos Dunlap Vents About Demotion

October 13th, 2020 at 5:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bengals may be beginning the process of moving away from their all-time sack leader. For the first time since the 2012 season, Carlos Dunlap did not start. Cincinnati used younger defensive ends Sam Hubbard and Carl Lawson as its first-stringers in Baltimore, playing Dunlap on a season-low 46% of the defensive snaps. Dunlap, who signed an extension to stay in Cincinnati in 2018, said the Bengals did not inform him directly about a demotion ahead of the game but merely listed his new non-starter status on an updated depth chart.

Dunlap now looms as a 2021 cap casualty. The Bengals would save $11.25MM by cutting him next year, and Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic (subscription required) expects a release to commence. He could be a trade chip this year, with the rebuilding Bengals sitting last in a stacked division. Dunlap, 31, is due more than $5MM in remaining 2020 base salary. Dunlap’s 82.5 sacks are seven more than anyone else has accumulated in Bengals history, but Pro Football Focus rates both Lawson and Hubbard above him through five games.

  • Dunlap will not be the only longtime Bengal out of the picture next year. The team spending $18MM-plus to tag A.J. Green has not worked out, and John Ross has been a healthy scratch the past three weeks. Perennial Pro Bowl defensive tackle Geno Atkins made his season debut last week, but Dehner notes in the same piece the $9.6MM the team could save by moving on him puts that on the table. Atkins’ 75.5 sacks are second in Bengals history, holding that spot by more than 25 sacks. A fellow 11th-year vet, Atkins signed an extension along with Dunlap in 2018. Two years remain on his deal, whereas 2021 would be a Dunlap contract year.
  • Although injured reserve stays only require three-week absences this season, the Bengals are not planning on having one of their starting O-linemen back soon. Guard Xavier Su’a-Filo is not expected to return until after Cincinnati’s Week 9 bye. Zac Taylor said the veteran blocker may be out beyond that point, per Dehner (on Twitter). The Bengals signed Su’a-Filo this offseason and used him as a Week 1 starter but placed him on IR because of an injured ankle soon after.

Bengals Sign DT Xavier Williams, Place D.J. Reader On IR

October 12th, 2020 at 1:34pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Bengals are bolstering their banged up defensive line. The team has signed defensive tackle Xavier Williams and placed fellow defensive tackle D.J. Reader on injured reserve in a corresponding roster move, Cincy announced Monday.

As we wrote last night, the team believes Reader, one of their big free agent signings this offseason, will miss the rest of the year with a quad injury. Williams is a 2015 UDFA who spent his first few seasons with the Cardinals. After finally getting some real playing time with Arizona in 2017, he signed with the Chiefs as a restricted free agent the following year. He appeared in all 16 games with Kansas City in 2018, starting four while racking up 47 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

He missed most of last year with an ankle injury but was activated down the stretch, and ended up playing a sizable role on defense in the Chiefs’ first two playoff wins. After earning his ring he signed with the Patriots back in August, but was cut two weeks ago after appearing in only one game with New England.

Fellow interior defensive lineman Mike Daniels is on injured reserve as well, leaving the Bengals without the stout run-stuffing trio they envisioned. Fortunately, All-Pro Geno Atkins made his 2020 debut this past week and should begin to ramp up his snaps.

2021 NFL Draft Order

October 12th, 2020 at 11:57am CST by Zachary Links

With most of Week 5 in the books, we bring you a way-too-early look at the current order for the 2021 NFL draft. For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2020 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. After that, the same goes for the six clubs eliminated from each round of the postseason, with the final two picks determined by the outcome of the Super Bowl.

Here’s where things stand in the race to the bottom:

  1. New York Giants (0-5)
  2. Atlanta Falcons (0-5)
  3. New York Jets (0-5)
  4. Washington Football Team (1-4)
  5. Minnesota Vikings (1-4)
  6. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4)
  7. Miami Dolphins (via Houston Texans, 1-4)
  8. Los Angeles Chargers (1-3)
  9. Detroit Lions (1-3)
  10. Denver Broncos (1-3)
  11. Philadelphia Eagles (1-3-1)
  12. Cincinnati Bengals (1-3-1)
  13. Miami Dolphins (2-3)
  14. San Francisco 49ers (2-3)
  15. New Orleans Saints (2-2)
  16. New England Patriots (2-2)
  17. Arizona Cardinals (3-2)
  18. Indianapolis Colts (3-2)
  19. Dallas Cowboys (2-3)
  20. Carolina Panthers (3-2)
  21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)
  22. Las Vegas Raiders (3-2)
  23. Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)
  24. Cleveland Browns (4-1)
  25.  Chicago Bears (4-1)
  26. Baltimore Ravens (4-1)
  27. Jacksonville Jaguars (via Los Angeles Rams, 4-1)
  28. Tennessee Titans (3-0)
  29. Green Bay Packers (4-0)
  30. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-0)
  31. Buffalo Bills (4-0)
  32. New York Jets (via Seattle Seahawks, 4-0)

Bengals Believe DT D.J. Reader Done For The Year

October 11th, 2020 at 4:13pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

On the heels of their first win of the season the Bengals got crushed 27-3 by the Ravens, and the bad news doesn’t end there. The team believes defensive tackle D.J. Reader will miss the rest of the season with a quad injury, sources told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

It’s a brutal blow for a defense that has already been struggling mightily. One of the Bengals’ big offseason acquisitions, Reader signed a four-year, $53MM contract back in March. He had to be carted out of the team’s opener against the Chargers, but that turned out to be minor and he returned the following week. This time he wasn’t as lucky after getting carted off.

Fortunately for Cincy fellow defensive tackle Geno Atkins, an All-Pro, returned for his first action of the season against Baltimore. The Bengals have been getting gashed on the ground, and it looks like they won’t ever really get to see the Reader/Atkins combo they envisioned for 2020.

A fifth-round pick of the Texans back in 2016, Reader quickly broke out in Houston. He became a full-time starter in his second season, and started at least 14 games each of the past four years. Still only 26, Reader should be a big part of Cincinnati’s defense next year.

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