Minor NFL Transactions: 11/14/17
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed off Browns‘ practice squad: RB Terrence Magee
- Waived: LB Jermaine Grace
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DT Deandre Coleman
- Waived: DT Jerel Worthy
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed off Falcons‘ practice squad: RB Brian Hill
- Waived: LB Hardy Nickerson
Denver Broncos
- Waived: LB Kasim Edebali
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Jace Billingsley, DE George Johnson
- Waived: WR Jared Abbrederis, DE Jacquies Smith
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LS Brett Goode
- Waived: LS Derek Hart
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LS Colin Holba
- Placed on injured reserve: LS Matt Overton
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: T Taylor Hart
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DL Caraun Reid, LB Zach Vigil
- Waived: DL Brandon Banks
Latest On Patriots, Martellus Bennett
Martellus Bennett‘s unusual exit from the Packers and reunion with the Patriots raised some eyebrows in the football world. However, NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart says the league office does not have any issues with how things played out (Twitter link via Ben Volin of The Boston Globe). 
The Packers signed Bennett to a lucrative multi-year deal with the expectation that he would be a big, steady target for Aaron Rodgers in the red zone. Instead, Bennett never clicked with the Packers offense, perhaps due in part to his torn rotator cuff. After he intimated that he would retire after the 2017 season, the Packers released Bennett, opening the door for him to be claimed by his former team. It doesn’t take an Alex Jones-level conspiracy theorist to question whether Bennett might have orchestrated his own return to New England, but the commissioner’s office doesn’t share that same skepticism.
After he was cut loose, Bennett instructed his agent to inform interested teams that he might not be able to play due to his injured shoulder. Then, on Sunday, Bennett was on the field for seven snaps and caught three balls for 38 yards. He looked rather healthy in the 41-16 romp over Denver, and that didn’t help to quiet speculation about a potential pre-release arrangement between Bennett and the Patriots.
It’s a closed case in the eyes of the NFL, but the Packers may still go after a portion of Bennett’s signing bonus.
Packers RB Aaron Jones Out 3-6 Weeks
Packers running back Aaron Jones is expected to miss three-to-six weeks after suffering an MCL injury on Sunday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Pending an update on Ty Montgomery, Green Bay is now down to only Jamaal Williams and Devante Mays at running back, meaning the club could add to its backfield in the coming days. Montgomery suffered a rib injury in Week 10, the same issue he dealt with earlier this season. Mays was inactive on Sunday, a designation that will likely change going forward, while fullback Aaron Ripkowski can also handle backfield duties.
The Packers don’t have another running back on their practice squad that can be promoted, although the club could add another fullback — Joe Kerridge — from the taxi squad. A free agent addition is also possible, and players such as Shaun Draughn, DeAngelo Williams, Ryan Mathews, and Tim Hightower could make sense. A number of former Packers, including James Starks and Knile Davis, are also available on the open market.
Jones’ timeline allows for a variety of return dates, and the chance that he could be placed on injured reserve does exist. Such a move would force Jones to miss at least eight weeks, though, meaning he’d be out until the second round of the postseason. Green Bay, of course, isn’t anything close to a lock to earn a playoff berth without quarterback Aaron Rodgers in tow, but Sunday’s victory over the Bears improved their postseason odds to 27%, per FiveThirtyEight.
Jones, a rookie fifth-round pick out of UTEP, took over as the Packers’ starting running back following Montgomery’s initial injury. From Weeks 5-7, Jones managed two 100-yard rushing games and scored two touchdowns. He’d been splitting time with Montgomery during Green Bay’s past two contests.
Latest On Patriots TE Martellus Bennett
After being waived by the Packers last week, tight end Martellus Bennett told his agent to inform teams not to claim him due to his injured shoulder, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
“It’s not about, ‘Could you play?’ It’s, ‘Should you play?’ It was one of those things,” Bennett said. “Right now, I’m just like, (expletive) it. At first, I told my agent to tell no teams to claim me because I was still trying to get the surgery. So when Bill (Belichick) called and said they claimed me, I was like, ‘No (expletive) way.’ ”
Bennett, who was apparently considering taking a desk job with Netflix for the rest of the season, will attempt to play through his injury as he closes the campaign with New England. Bennett disparaged Green Bay’s medical staff on his way out of town, but current and former Packers have since come to the unit’s defense. The Packers, meanwhile, may attempt to recoup a portion of Bennett’s signing bonus, and they could do so even if Bennett plays the rest of the year, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Bennett’s case is interesting on a number of levels, but its ramifications on the NFL’s compensatory pick system are unclear at the moment. At a base level, Belichick’s claim of Bennett seems designed to test the comp pick formula, as Nick Korte of Over the Cap notes (Twitter links). Players who are cut before Week 10 typically don’t count towards the compensatory process, but Bennett’s situation is unique given that he was claimed off waivers. However, Korte ultimately projects Bennett will not factor into the comp pick formula.
Claiming Bennett was essentially a no-risk move for the Patriots — Bennett is due a $2MM roster bonus on the third day of the 2018 league year, reports Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, and if New England declines it, the club will have no further financial investment in the veteran tight end. The Patriots could also come away with even more windfall if the Packers file a grievance against Bennett. If Green Bay wins such a grievance, the Patriots would be entitled to a $13MM (Bennett’s salaries in 2018-19) credit on their cap next season, per salary cap guru Troy Chapman (Twitter link).
Jones, Montgomery Injury Notes
- The Packers lost two running backs in today’s win over the division rival Bears. Ty Montgomery left the game with an apparent rib injury, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. While not ideal, it’s an ailment we’ve seen him overcome earlier in the season. But while his outlook remains unclear, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears that fellow back Aaron Jones looks to have a sprained MCL. Rapoport reports that the rookie will undergo an MRI on Monday, but has likely avoided a serious injury, even though he may miss a few weeks regardless. Third-string running back Jamaal Williams finished out the contest, but look for the team to add more depth to the position during this coming week.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/12/17
Today’s workout updates:
Green Bay Packers
- Per Rob Demovsky of ESPN,com, the Packers worked out TE Devon Cajuste, who was on the club’s practice squad last season before getting injured.
Packers To Go After Martellus Bennett's Signing Bonus
- The Packers released Martellus Bennett with a Failure to Disclose a Physical Condition designation, alleging that Bennett failed to tell the team that he had a torn rotator cuff before he signed with the team this offseason. Bennett, of course, refutes that notion, but Green Bay intends to recoup the signing bonus it paid to Bennett, per Rapoport. Whether the Packers will seek the full $6.3MM bonus or the $4.2MM prorated portion is unclear, but they have over a month in which to file their grievance.
Could Dom Capers Be Scapegoat?
- If this Packers slide results in the team’s eight-season playoff streak ending, there could be changes in Green Bay. Pete Dougherty of PackersNews.com notes Dom Capers‘ job looks to be in the most danger. The Packers have invested 10 first- or second-round picks in their defense since 2012 and are trotting out a sub-average unit. Green Bay ranks 21st in defensive DVOA and 19th in points allowed. Dougherty writes the advancing ages of Aaron Rodgers (34 in December), Mike McCarthy (54, but in season No. 12) and Ted Thompson (64, in season 13) could force the organization to make a high-profile change in hopes of capitalizing on this era’s Rodgers-opened window. The 67-year-old Capers is in his ninth season leading Green Bay’s defense and been leading defenses for more than 25 seasons.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/11/17
Here are today’s practice squad moves.
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: G Will Pericak
- Cut: CB Sammy Seamster
Green Bay Packers
- Cut: LB Derrick Mathews
New England Patriots
- Signed: DE Geneo Grissom
- Cut: OL Anthony Fabiano
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Michael Hunter
Latest On Martellus Bennett
Martellus Bennett did not practice in the final days of his Packers tenure and did not play against the Lions on Monday night. The Packers cut him, only for the talented tight end to return to the Patriots via waiver claim.
Bennett appeared at Patriots practice Friday, indicating he passed a physical despite reportedly having a torn rotator cuff. The 10th-year veteran addressed his status on Friday afternoon.
The 30-year-old pass-catcher said (on Instagram, via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport) he did, in fact, opt for shoulder surgery earlier this season. Bennett said he asked the Packers to examine his shoulder further after the team’s Week 5 win over the Cowboys, and he added he elected to have surgery. However, Bennett says the Packers persuaded him to play through this injury — one he said was made worse this season.
Three subsequent visits to separate doctors revealed, per Bennett, the damaged shoulder needed to be repaired. And he posts that he decided to do that, only to see the Packers cut him. He alleges the Packers’ reasoning for waiving him (with a Failure to Disclose a Physical Condition designation) was bogus, writing that he circled “shoulder” weekly when he filled out a team-issued body evaluation sheet.
Bennett writes in his post he made this decision for surgery after Week 5. This comes after a report indicated the tight end wanted out of Green Bay after Aaron Rodgers‘ Week 6 injury. Bennett mentions his October declaration to retire after this season as the Packers’ reasoning for this cut. He was due a $2MM roster bonus on Day 1 of the 2018 league year. The $6.3MM guarantee in Bennett’s three-year, $21MM Packers pact was spread through 2019 via signing bonus.
While uncertain to play this week with the Patriots, Bennett is traveling to Denver, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. He’s listed as questionable to face the Broncos. Bennett now trying to play through pain for a different team, and not getting this surgery that’s been reportedly recommended, strikes the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein as odd (Twitter link).
Demovsky (Twitter link) said he’s heard consistent praise for the Packers doctor Bennett’s criticized, Dr. Pat McKenzie, including rave reviews from Rodgers. Silverstein adds McKenzie has a conservative reputation when it comes to injuries, and Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal (on Twitter) echoes this sentiment.
So, this might not be the last that’s discussed about Bennett’s unremarkable (but not exactly forgettable) Packers tenure. For now, though, the Packers (via Silverstein, on Twitter) aren’t responding to Bennett’s allegations.