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AFC South Notes: Tunsil, Brissett, Jack

September 4th, 2019 at 3:40pm CST by cwcrouse

New Texans starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil is wasting no time getting acclimated to his new team. Coach Bill O’Brien said the former first-round pick is putting in “double time” with regard to getting up to speed with Houston’s communication on packages, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle relays.

“Laremy has been in here all day working with Mike, working with a couple of guys, some of the veteran guys, Nick Martin, guys like that,” the coach said. “Look, at the end of the day, that’s going to be a challenge early on here because he just got here.

“But I think that he’s played a lot of football and maybe what somebody calls an apple, we call an orange. It’s just different terms, but it’s the same blocking assignment.”

Here’s more from the AFC South:

  • Jacoby Brissett, who recently signed a new two-year, $30MM extension, told Mike Chappell of CBS4 in Indianapolis that he negotiated the contract himself. “I don’t like people to BS on my behalf. I try to say it for myself. . . . all you can be is honest,” the Colts new starting quarterback said. “I did my rookie contract, too, so I kind of had the gist of it.’’
  • The details on Myles Jack‘s new contract are in. The deal pays the linebacker $26.06MM in guarantees, as Pro Football Talk details. That figure is second in the league among inside linebackers (C.J. Mosley).
  • Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline envisions Dion Lewis being heavily involved in the Titan’s offense. Lewis has three years remaining on the four-year, $19.8MM deal he inked during the 2018 offseason.

Colts Give Jacoby Brissett Two-Year Deal

September 2nd, 2019 at 4:36pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

In the wake of Andrew Luck‘s sudden retirement, the Colts are locking up his former backup. Indianapolis is giving Jacoby Brissett a two-year extension worth $30MM, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Rapoport used the term extension, but Stephen Holder of The Athletic clarified in a tweet that it’s actually a two-year deal that will take the place of his current contract. That means Brissett only has one new year on his deal, and he’ll be under contract through the 2020 season not the 2021 season like some initially thought. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe originally tweeted that a deal was close. Per Rapoport, Brissett will get $20MM guaranteed at signing. It’s a big show of confidence from the Colts in their new starter just before the regular season kicks off. Brissett had been set to earn around $2MM in the final year of his rookie deal before this.

The North Carolina State product only attempted four passes last year, but he was the team’s starter for virtually the entire 2017 season when Luck was sidelined with a shoulder injury. That year he racked up 3,098 yards and 13 touchdowns while tossing seven interceptions. He averaged 6.6 yards per attempt and while the numbers weren’t anything to write home about, it was somewhat impressive given the circumstances. Brissett had been traded from the Patriots just before the start of the season, and then suddenly thrust into the starting role.

This time around he’s been practicing with the first-team for months, and he already has a full year in Frank Reich’s system under his belt. He’s got a better coaching staff, and a much better offensive line protecting him, so he should be able to improve on his 2017 results. In the end, the extension could end up working out well for both sides.

Brissett gets some security and a boatload of cash now, and the team ends up getting a huge discount if he shows well. If Brissett were to have a good season and establish himself as a starter, he would’ve gotten far more than this on the open market. Indy also gets to show that they’re all-in with Brissett, and avoid any doubt once regular season action kicks off.

The Colts signed Brian Hoyer to a three-year deal earlier today, but he clearly won’t be a threat to Brissett’s job with this type of commitment. Brissett has come a long way, as he was reportedly about to be cut by New England before Indianapolis traded for him. The Colts considered trading Brissett last summer when Luck made his return, and they’re surely glad they didn’t pull the trigger. The 91st pick of the 2016 draft will kick off his season against the Chargers on Sunday.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/2/19

September 2nd, 2019 at 3:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Signed: G John Jerry
  • Placed on IR: G O’Shea Dugas

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

  • Waived: S Rolan Milligan

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/2/19

September 2nd, 2019 at 11:33am CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of Monday’s practice squad moves here:

Atlanta Falcons

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: WR Davion Davis

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers 

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

Colts To Sign QB Brian Hoyer

September 2nd, 2019 at 8:46am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have agreed to sign Brian Hoyer to a three-year, $12MM deal, as Adam Caplan of SiriusXM tweets. The pact includes $9MM in guarantees, giving the veteran a whole lot of fiscal security.

For the Colts, the deal gives them additional experience under center in the wake of Andrew Luck‘s retirement. Jacoby Brissett – another ex-Patriot – will remain as the team’s QB1. Hoyer will be the top clipboard holder, so it remains to be seen what they’ll do with Chad Kelly when he returns from his two-game ban.

The Patriots wanted Hoyer back, but as Jeff Howe of The Athletic (on Twitter) notes, they were only willing to do a one-year deal. The Colts won out, in part because they were willing to sign the soon-to-be 34-year-old to a three-year contract.

Hoyer, a veteran journeyman, has started games for the Browns, Texans, Bears, and 49ers and has made other stops around the league. All in all, he’s got 37 starts to his credit across ten seasons.

Four Teams Wanted Wendell Smallwood

September 2nd, 2019 at 8:29am CST by Zachary Links

Of all the players to hit the waiver wire over the weekend, Wendell Smallwood was the most popular. Before the former Eagles running back was ultimately grabbed by the Redskins, the Colts, Jaguars, and Bengals all placed claims on him, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter).

The Redskins quietly boast a deep running back group with redshirt rookie Derrius Guice, future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson, pass-catching specialist Chris Thompson, Byron Marshall, and Smallwood. Fun fact: No Eagles RB had more rushing yards over the last three years than Smallwood.

He would have been a logical fit for the Colts, Jags, and Bengals as well. For the Bengals, Smallwood would have provided depth behind Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard in the wake of Rodney Anderson’s season-ending torn ACL. The Colts, meanwhile, only just got Jordan Wilkins back on the practice field and they still await Jonathan Williams‘ return. And the Jaguars, who just had to place Alfred Blue on IR, likely preferred Smallwood to Tyler Ervin and Devine Ozigbo, the two RBs they picked up on Sunday.

Colts To Meet With Brian Hoyer

September 1st, 2019 at 6:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts, finally, might have their backup quarterback situation solved. The club will meet with quarterback Brian Hoyer, fresh off of his Saturday release from the Patriots (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero).

Hoyer is now the frontrunner to become the new backup to Jacoby Brissett, if the two sides can agree to terms, Pelissero hears. We heard earlier today that the Colts had interest, though the Patriots are also mulling a reunion.

The Colts, of course, were forced to promote Brissett to the starting job following Andrew Luck‘s surprise retirement. Chad Kelly is on hand, but he’ll be suspended to start the season. Phillip Walker was a candidate to serve as Brissett’s backup, but he was a victim of Saturday’s giant list of cuts.

Hoyer, a veteran journeyman, has started games for the Browns, Texans, Bears, and 49ers and has made other stops around the league. All in all, he’s got 37 starts to his credit across ten seasons.

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC South

September 1st, 2019 at 4:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC South teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Colts, Jaguars, Texans and Titans are noted below.

Additionally, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads today. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s AFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Tennessee Titans

Colts Host QB David Fales, Debating Options

September 1st, 2019 at 4:16pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Colts are continuing their search for an additional quarterback. The team is bringing in former Bears, Dolphins, and Lions passer David Fales for a visit, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

In the wake of Andrew Luck‘s retirement and the waiving of Phillip Walker, the Colts have only Chad Kelly behind Jacoby Brissett. Kelly is suspended for the first two games of the season, meaning right now Brissett is the only available quarterback for Week 1. Speaking to the media today, Colts GM Chris Ballard said the team is still debating a couple of options, per Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). Ballard said Indy is still considering whether to sign a more established veteran who will be the team’s backup for all 16 weeks, or just signing a stopgap who will get them to Week 3 when Kelly can take over holding Brissett’s clipboard.

We heard earlier this afternoon that the Colts were interested in Brian Hoyer, and he’d likely be a 16-week option. The same could be said for the other guys they’ve shown interest in who have real regular season experience, like Brock Osweiler, Matt Cassel, and Brandon Weeden. If they’re just going with a two-week stopgap, someone like Fales would make sense. Fales was a sixth-round pick of the Bears back in 2014, and he’s never started a regular season game. His only significant live action came in Week 17 of the 2017 season with the Dolphins. A longtime pet-project of Adam Gase, Fales was cut by the Lions last week.

Colts, Pats, Others Interested In Brian Hoyer

September 1st, 2019 at 1:37pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Brian Hoyer is already gaining significant interest on the open market. Shortly after he was released by the Patriots, we heard that the Broncos were interested. Denver has since claimed Brandon Allen off waivers from the Rams, so it’s unclear if they’re still in the market for a backup quarterback.

Even if they’re out of the running, it doesn’t sound like Hoyer will have much trouble finding a new home. The Colts are “very interested” in the journeyman, a source told Dianna Russini of ESPN (Twitter link). It looks like they’ll face some competition for his services, as Adam Caplan of Sirius XM hears that at least six teams have expressed interest in the Michigan State product (Twitter link).

The Patriots are exploring the idea of bringing Hoyer back, Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets. He has been their backup quarterback for the past 1 1/2 seasons.

The Colts are currently without any quarterbacks behind Jacoby Brissett on the active roster, so they need to sign somebody. Andrew Luck‘s sudden retirement left them with only Phillip Walker and Chad Kelly, and Walker was just cut while Kelly is suspended for the first two games of the season.

Indy hosted Brock Osweiler for a visit this past week, and they also worked out Matt Cassel and Brandon Weeden. They should be adding a passer in the next day or two. Hoyer has bounced around the league quite a bit since entering the league as an undrafted free agent all the way back in 2009. He has at various times been the starting quarterback for the Browns, Texans, Bears, and 49ers. All told, he’s started 37 games over the past ten seasons, and spent time with seven different teams. Hoyer is always capable of playing competently in a pinch, so the Colts’ interest makes sense.

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