Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/18
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Alex Carter
- Placed on IR: S Damian Parms
Denver Broncos
- Waived: OL Leon Johnson
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Quan Bray
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: CB Kevin Peterson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Claimed off waivers: CB De’Vante Harris
- Waived: CB Aaron Davis,
New Orleans Saints
- Waived:G Trevor Darling
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Elijah Battle, LB Jason Hall, C Marcus Henry
- Waived: FB Jalston Fowler, TE Je’Ron Hamm, LB Warren Long
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Tony Washington, LB Davond Dade, DL Francis Kallon
- Waived: LB/FB Nick DeLuca, S Joshua Kalu
D'Onta Foreman Continues To Recover
- While Texans running back D’Onta Foreman remains on the physically unable to perform list, it sounds like the second-year weapon is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon. “I think he’s progressing well,” coach Bill O’Brien told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “I think he’s doing well. He’s on the right track, and we’ll see. We’ll see how it goes, but I think he’s headed in the right direction.” Foreman’s season ended in November, at which point he had compiled 327 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 78 carries.
[SOURCE LINK]
Details On Benardrick McKinney's Re-Up
- Benardrick McKinney‘s five-year Texans extension is worth a bit more than originally reported. It’s a $51.1MM deal rather than a $50MM accord, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. The inside linebacker received just a $3.75MM signing bonus, with Wilson adding a $5.25MM 2018 roster bonus came McKinney’s way as well. Overall, $21MM is guaranteed in this deal. Wilson notes McKinney will make $6MM in 2019 base salary; that figure is guaranteed. His $6MM base in 2020 is guaranteed for injury but becomes fully guaranteed if he’s still on the roster by the fifth day of ’20 league year. McKinney’s cap figures are as follows: $7.7MM (2018), $7.5MM (’19), $7.5MM (’20), $8.5MM (’21), $10.25MM (’22), $10.25MM (’23).
Johnathan Joseph Not Even Thinking About Retirement
- Johnathan Joseph, who signed a two-year, $10MM deal to remain with the Texans this offseason, does not plan on calling it quits anytime soon, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. The 34-year-old Joseph is entering the 13th year of his career, but he remains a starting cornerback and stills loves the game and the camaraderie it engenders. Joseph said, “as long as I’m healthy and I’m fine, I’m going to go out there and compete and contribute to the team. I’ll never play this game just to be playing and out there taking checks and stuff like that. So, if I’m able to be out there playing winning football, I’ll always play.”
Jadeveon Clowney To Play Out Final Year
Texans edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney is expected to play out the final year of his deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. There’s still time for an extension to come together, but barring a significant change in talks, Clowney will be on course for free agency next year. 
Clowney is set to earn $12.306MM in 2018, per the terms of his fifth-year option. Naturally, the Texans are interested in moving forward with Clowney, but they want to gauge his performance and health for one more season before making a major commitment.
Clowney is coming off of a full 16-game season, but injuries have been an issue in the past. This offseason, an arthroscopic knee surgery sidelined Clowney throughout the spring and early summer.
Clowney, 25, compiled career highs in sacks (9.5), tackles (59), and fumble recoveries (3) last year. His next deal should position him as one of the highest-paid defenders in the NFL, though he’s not expected to top the likes of Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack.
Texans expecting Foreman To Be Ready For Season
- The Texans expect D’Onta Foreman to be ready for the start of the regular season, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The second-year player showed flashes as a rookie but his season was cut short by a torn achilles. The Texans seem high on him, and he should play a bigger role as a sophomore.
Clowney Expected To Be Ready For Camp
While Jadeveon Clowney‘s pursuit of a lucrative second Texans contract has accounted for most of the buzz surrounding him this offseason, the fifth-year pass rusher was not available for Houston’s practices due to a surgery.
Clowney did not participate in the Texans’ OTAs or their minicamp, but he pronounced himself ready to go for training camp. Clowney did so without going into specifics, but Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports the outside linebacker is not expected to have health limitations once the Texans begin camp.
An arthroscopic knee surgery sidelined Clowney this offseason. The process dragged on, however, with the surgery occurring shortly after the 2017 season concluded but sidelining Clowney throughout the spring and early summer. He saw Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion, Wilson reports, adding the Texans will likely ease their top edge man back to work at their West Virginia-stationed camp.
Clowney also appeared to squash the prospect of a holdout, a course of action fellow 2014 first-rounders Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald are taking as they pursue extensions.
“I’m ready, man,” Clowney said, via Wilson. “I’m very excited. I’m looking forward to the season … I’m great, I’m good. See you guys at camp.”
This will be a pivotal season for Clowney. He’ll receive a nice pay bump — to a $12.306MM salary on a fifth-year option — but no report this year indicated he and the Texans were close on an extension. No substantive re-up talks between Clowney’s camp and the Texans occurred this offseason, leading John McClain of the Houston Chronicle to foresee the 2014 No. 1 overall pick playing this season for the option price and the parties reconvening after the campaign concludes.
The Texans may want to see Clowney stay healthy this season, or at least avoid knee problems, in order to be convinced he’s worthy of a top-market extension. The 25-year-old defender, though, has played 30 regular-season games the past two years after injuries affected him more earlier in his career. Nevertheless, Clowney shaking off this latest one figures to be critical en route to that elusive extension.
Texans' Deshaun Watson Ready For Camp
- Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson tells NFL Network that he expects to be “full-go” for the first day of training camp (Twitter link via Adam Wexler of KPRC). Watson was able to practice without a knee brace during the team’s minicamp last month, so it was expected that he would be ready to roll for camp this month. Watson threw for 19 touchdown passes in his injury-shortened seven-game season and expectations are high heading into Year Two.
This Date In Transactions History: Tony Boselli Retires
On this date in 2003, one of the most underrated offensive linemen in the history of the game called it a career. Tackle Tony Boselli, the first ever draft pick of the Jaguars, retired at the age of 31. 
Soon after being drafted with the No. 2 pick in the 1995 draft, Boselli established himself as one of the best players in Jacksonville. He earned five consecutive Pro Bowl appearances from 1996-2000 with three First-Team All-Pro selections coming in 97-99. The Jaguars reached the postseason in four of their first five seasons in existence, and Boselli played a huge role in their success.
Unfortunately, injuries started to chip away at Boselli in 2001 and he appeared in only three games that season. In February 2002, the Jaguars made Boselli one of their five exposed players for the Texans’ expansion draft. With the very first pick, Houston took on Boselli’s $6.883MM cap figure, but they did not get the All-Pro they were expecting.
”I am retiring because of medical reasons, specifically my left shoulder, which did not continue to improve to the point where I could play,” said Boselli as he announced his retirement.
Boselli’s career was relatively short, but highly impactful. In seven seasons with the Jaguars, Boselli allowed only 15.5 sacks and cemented his legacy as one of the Jaguars’ most important players of all-time.
Boselli signed a one-day deal to retire with the Jaguars in 2006 and became the first inductee into the team’s Hall of Fame. Still, the football Hall of Fame eludes him. In 2018, Boselli was denied entry in his 12th year of eligibility and his second year as a finalist.
Texans Release G Jeff Allen
The Texans announced that they have released guard Jeff Allen from the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list with an injury settlement. Allen was placed on PUP in May after two years of dealing with concussions and ankle injuries. 
Allen was already off of the 90-man offseason roster thanks to the designation, but today’s transaction will allow him to seek work elsewhere. It’s not immediately clear whethe the 28-year-old will continue to play football.
A second-round selection by the Chiefs in 2012, Allen spent four seasons in Kansas City where he primarily played left guard, but also spent time at left tackle and right tackle. He made the move to right guard upon his arrival in 2016 missed six games for Houston with those injury issues. Prior to his release, he had two years remaining on his deal, with base salaries of $5.75MM (2018) and $6MM (2019).
The Texans project to start newcomers Zach Fulton and Senio Kelemete at the guard spots this year. Greg Mancz and Chad Slade, meanwhile, appear to be in line for the top reserve spots.