Minor NFL Transactions: 8/23/20
Here are today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OT Ka’John Armstrong
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: RB Jordan Scarlett
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated: WR John Ross
- Placed on IR: DT Renell Wren
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DE Will Clarke
- Released: OL Caleb Benenoch
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Daren Bates, LS Anthony Kukwa
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Andre Chachere, C Joey Hunt
- Placed on IR: Andrew Donnal
- Waived/injured: TE Ian Bunting
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Matt Flanagan
- Waived/injured: TE Charles Jones
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: CB Hakeem Bailey
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: RB William Stanback
New England Patriots
- Signed: TE Paul Quessenberry, DT Xavier Williams
- Released: TE Alex Ellis, DT Darius Kilgo
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated: WR Travis Fulgham
- Waived: OL Casey Tucker
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Kyle Markway
Jaguars’ Josh Mauro Draws PED Suspension
The Jaguars have experienced an unusual stretch on their defensive line. They lost a player to retirement (Aaron Lynch), saw another step away from football for the time being (Rodney Gunter) and on Friday lost a recent signing to a lengthy suspension.
The NFL suspended Josh Mauro five games for a violation of its performance-enhancing drug policy, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com tweets. While the public is learning about Mauro’s ban today, DiRocco notes the Jaguars were aware of the impending penalty when they signed him last week.
Mauro has played six seasons — for the Cardinals, Giants and Raiders — and has logged 37 starts in that time. Last season, the Raiders used him as a seven-game starter. The run-stopping D-lineman was set to compete for a supporting-cast role in Jacksonville. But the Jags’ defensive line looks quite different now than it did going into camp. And the team could well be on the verge of trading its highest-profile pass rusher, though Yannick Ngakoue remains a Jaguar — albeit one not at camp.
However, the Jags still have longtime nose tackle Abry Jones and have used first-round picks on defensive linemen — Taven Bryan, Josh Allen and K’Lavon Chaisson — in each of the past three drafts. But their depth has taken a hit this month.
Raiders Eyeing Yannick Ngakoue
There’s nothing imminent on the Yannick Ngakoue front, but the Raiders are keeping an eye on the Jaguars defensive end, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears (Twitter link). There are several obstacles to a deal, but Rapoport stresses that it’s not an impossibility. 
Multiple teams have shown interest in Ngakoue, but Rapoport hears that the Raiders have been the only club to maintain active discussions. That jibes with what we’ve heard lately. Last week, we heard that the Jets are no longer interested. The Seahawks, meanwhile, were connnected to Ngakoue in the spring, but lately we’ve been hearing more about a possible reunion with Jadeveon Clowney or a play for veteran Clay Matthews.
The Raiders could make a characteristically bold move for Ngakoue, adding him to their group of edge talent led by Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby. Still, the asking price is steep. The Jaguars want more than a second-round pick for Ngakoue and GM Dave Caldwell is still playing hard to get. Ngakoue hasn’t signed his tender, and he still says that he does not want to play for Jacksonville, but Caldwell says that they’re not close on a trade with any club.
Ngakoue, 25, has been at odds with the Jaguars for months. The Jaguars have moved on from Jalen Ramsey, Calais Campbell, and A.J. Bouye within the last year, but they have yet to bend to Ngakoue’s trade demand.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/20/20
Here are Thursday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon:
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed (from Bills): K/P Kaare Vedvik
- Waived: TE Andrew Vollert
Chicago Bears
- Placed on IR: Artie Burns (story)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Wes Hills
- Placed on IR: DT Jashon Cornell
- Waived: FB Luke Sellers
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on IR: TE Josh Oliver
New Orleans Saints
- Reverted to IR: DB Tino Ellis
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed (from Packers): WR Travis Fulgham
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Ray-Ray McCloud
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: DB DeMarkus Acy, LB Jonas Griffith
Washington Football Team
- Released: OL Kevin Pamphile
Jaguars GM: No Yannick Ngakoue Deal Imminent
Hold the phone. Contrary to a recent report, the Jaguars are not close to trading Yannick Ngakoue, according to GM Dave Caldwell (Twitter link via Alex Marvez of SiriusXM). 
[RELATED: Jaguars Seeking “More” Than Second-Round Pick For Ngakoue]
Earlier this week, the Jaguars were said to be on the verge of a trade that would grant Ngakoue’s long-standing wish. Last night, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero cast some doubt on the likelihood of a deal, noting that the Jaguars’ asking price remains high. A second-round pick, he says, would not get the job done. Instead, the Jaguars would want a second-rounder “and change”.
Ngakoue still wants out, and he recently hired a new agent to help facilitate a trade. Still, there’s reason to believe that Ngakoue will ultimately cave and suit up for the Jaguars in 2020. He did, at long last, make contact with Caldwell, and he doesn’t have a lot of great options if the Jags continue to stand firm. Ngakoue will lose out on more than $1MM per week if he takes his holdout into the regular season, and he’ll have to report by Week 10 in order to earn an accrued season towards free agency.
It’s hard to see any team – even the ever-aggressive Raiders – coughing up more than a second-round pick for a rental. With the franchise tender extension deadline in the rear-view mirror, teams cannot engage in contract talks with the defensive end until after the 2020 season. Even then, an Ngakoue extension would be a pricey proposition.
Jaguars Seeking “More” Than Second-Round Pick For Yannick Ngakoue
The Jaguars are reportedly close to a deal that would send Yannick Ngakoue elsewhere and possibly net the team a second-round pick in return. Apparently, that wouldn’t be quite enough. The Jaguars want “more” than a second-round pick, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Jaguars Close To Yannick Ngakoue Trade?]
A second-rounder “and change,” could be enough to sway Jacksonville, rival teams tell Pelissero, though he hasn’t heard of any imminent deals. The Raiders could be one possible destination for Ngakoue, who would bolster a pass rush currently headlined by Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby. The Jets – who were previously said to be disinterested – are still mulling the possibility, according to Mike Lombardi of The Athletic. The Seahawks may also make some sense for the 25-year-old, and they made a similar late-summer move for Jadeveon Clowney last year.
Ngakoue says he’s through with the Jaguars and he has hired a new agent to help speed up trade talks. On the field, the Jaguars have been happy with the Maryland product – he’s got 37.5 sacks to his credit across four seasons. Off the field, he’s engaged in Twitter spats with team ownership while disparaging the front office publicly. For now, he’s set to play out the 2020 season on his one-year, $17.88MM tender.
Jaguars Close To Yannick Ngakoue Trade?
The Jaguars may be on the verge of ending the Yannick Ngakoue impasse. They are “extremely close” to a deal that will send the disgruntled defensive end elsewhere, Mike Lombardi of The Athletic reports (on Twitter).
A team has submitted a firm offer to the Jags, with Lombardi adding that a second-round pick may well be the compensation. This rumored trade could occur as soon as today, Lombardi adds. Any team that trades for Ngakoue cannot extend him until after the season. The franchise tag deadline passed more than a month ago, putting Ngakoue in a similar position to Jadeveon Clowney last year.
The Raiders resumed their Ngakoue pursuit before training camp, re-engaging with the Jags on trade talks, per Sirius XM’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). The Jags and Raiders discussed an Ngakoue deal in April, but talks did not progress. Las Vegas has 2019 draftees Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby spearheading their pass rush, but the Raiders’ perennially shaky defense could certainly use a player of Ngakoue’s caliber.
Although a report last week indicated the Jets were not interested, Lombardi tweets the team is involved in this pursuit. Gang Green has done surprisingly little to upgrade its edge rush this offseason, so Ngakoue would surely help the cause. The Jets are not believed to be interested in Clowney. The Seahawks were a rumored Ngakoue suitor prior to the draft. They pulled off a similar deal last August, landing Clowney from the Texans for a third-round pick and change. They have again been linked to Clowney, and Clay Matthews has surfaced on Seattle’s radar.
Ngakoue has not reported to the Jaguars but has hired a new agent, according to Neil Stratton of InsidetheLeague.com (on Twitter). This may be accelerating the trade talks. Ngakoue fired his previous agent last week. Jacksonville received multiple offers for Ngakoue before the tag deadline. While the ideal time to trade the fifth-year defender would have been before July 15, the 2021 salary cap’s uncertainty may not make a rental scenario too damaging for the Jags’ compensation. Still, a first-round pick and change — which the Chiefs paid for Frank Clark last year — was previously rumored as the price.
Ngakoue, 25, has been at odds with the Jaguars for months. He has vowed never to play for the team again, though he did check in with Jags brass earlier this summer. The former third-round pick would certainly upgrade a team’s pass rush, having racked up 37.5 sacks in four seasons. The Jags trading Ngakoue would continue their rebuilding path. They have already dealt Jalen Ramsey, Calais Campbell and A.J. Bouye over the past 10 months.
Jaguars DE Aaron Lynch Retires
Jaguars defensive end Aaron Lynch will retire from the NFL, per a club announcement. Lynch, 27, leaves the Jaguars with yet another hole to fill in the front seven. 
[RELATED: Jaguars’ Gunter Announces Retirement]
On Monday, fellow Jaguars DE Rodney Gunter arrived at the same decision. Previous to that, defensive tackle Al Woods opted out of the 2020 season, pushing his three-year, $18MM deal into 2021. All three of those players were new arrivals in Jacksonville, and none of them will be playing this year. Woods and Gunter were supposed to help fill in for Marcell Dareus and Calais Campbell. Lynch, meanwhile, was set to serve as a rotational edge rusher.
Lynch entered the league in 2014 as a fifth-round pick of the 49ers. He spent his first four seasons in SF and made a dent early with 12.5 sacks through his first two pro campaigns. Suspensions and injuries limited him to only 14 games between 2016 and 2017, and he moved on to the Bears in 2018. All together, he leaves the sport with 20 career sacks.
Jaguars DE Rodney Gunter Stepping Away From Football
Rodney Gunter is calling it a career, at least temporarily. The Jaguars defensive end revealed last night that he’s stepping away from football at the advice of doctors. In a procedural move, the Jaguars placed Gunter on the reserve/retired list.
In a statement, Gunter explained that he was diagnosed with a severe heart condition, and he could have ruptured his aorta is he continued his football career. Surgery could eventually remedy the issue, and that would theoretically allow him to return to the football field. However, the 28-year-old currently doesn’t meet the specific criteria for the procedure, so he’s understandably stepping away from football as he awaits his next steps.
On Monday, head coach Doug Marrone praised the player’s offseason work ethic, and he revealed that he offered Gunter a staff position with the purpose of keeping him around the team.
“These are the things that are very difficult,” Marrone said. “Things come up that are out of your control and take away things that you love and want to do…It’s just an awful feeling. It really is. It’s just tough.”
The 2015 fourth-round pick had spent the first five seasons of his career with the Cardinals, including a 2019 campaign where he finished with 31 tackles and three sacks in 13 games. He signed a three-year, $18MM deal with Jacksonville this past offseason, and he was expected to replace traded defensive lineman Calais Campbell.
Now, Jacksonville will be scrambling to figure out their defensive line depth, especially with defensive end Yannick Ngakoue avoiding camp. As ESPN’s Michael DiRocco notes, the team’s already seen nose tackle Al Woods and defensive end Lerentee McCray opt out of the upcoming season, while defensive tackles Dontavius Russell and Brian Price were placed on IR.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/17/20
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: QB Danny Etling
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on IR: DT Niles Scott
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed off waivers (from Dallas): DE Jalen Jelks
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived/Injured: RB Rodney Anderson
Houston Texans
- Activated off NFI: WR Kenny Stills (Sunday)
- Activated off PUP: LB Dylan Cole (Sunday)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on IR: TE Josh Oliver
- Released from IR: DT Brian Price
Kansas City Chiefs
- Claimed: TE Daniel Helm (from 49ers)
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: OT Nick Kaltmayer (Sunday)
Minnesota Vikings
- Cut (injury designation): LB Quentin Poling
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Ben Braden, TE Paul Butler, TE Alex Ellis
New York Jets
- Signed: TE Connor Davis
- Waived: S Anthony Cioffi
New York Giants
- Signed: DT Daylon Mack
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB/DE Jamal Davis II (Sunday)