Eagles To Sign WR Jordan Matthews
The Eagles have agreed to sign wide receiver Jordan Matthews after working him out on Tuesday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Matthews began his career in Philadelphia after entering the league as a second-round pick in 2014. The Vanderbilt product went on to post the best three seasons of his NFL tenure, averaging 75 receptions, 891 yards, and six scores per year. The Eagles shipped Matthews to the Bills as part of the Ronald Darby trade in advance of the 2017 campaign, and he’s bounced around ever since.
Matthews landed with the Patriots in 2018, but he was released with a settlement after suffering a knee injury. The now-27-year-old then started his second stint in Philadelphia, but played sparingly and managed only 20 receptions for 300 yards. This year, Matthews has already had two stints with the 49ers, and was most recently released in late October.
The Eagles’ offense has struggled since losing DeSean Jackson in Week 1; Jackson was just placed on injured reserve, so he won’t be returning this season. Matthews certainly isn’t a like-for-like replacement, as he’s hardly a downfield threat like Jackson. But Matthews can offer a familiarity with Philadelphia’s offense while likely seeing time in the slot.
Jordan Matthews Worked Out For Eagles
The Eagles’ search for a new wide receiver could lead them to a familiar face. On Tuesday, the Eagles brought in Jordan Matthews for a work out, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Matthews had a pair of stints with the 49ers this season, appearing in a single game (Week 7 vs. the Redskins). He’s also had workouts with the Vikings and Saints, and at only 27-years-old, there’s apparently some hope that the receiver can emerge from his current journeyman status.
Matthews had his best three seasons with Philly between 2014 and 2016, hauling in 225 receptions, 2,673 yards, and 19 touchdowns. However, since suffering a knee injury with Buffalo in 2017, he hasn’t had the same production.
The former second-rounder spent the 2018 season with Philly, hauling in 20 catches for 300 yards and two scores. With DeSean Jackson ailing, the Eagles are predictably in the market for some receiver help. Matthews’ familiarity with the offense could make him a somewhat reliable target for Carson Wentz down the stretch.
49ers Cut Jordan Matthews
Veteran receiver Jordan Matthews is looking for a new team yet again. Matthews was released by the 49ers earlier today, the team announced. San Francisco needed the roster spot for LS Kyle Nelson, who they activated from his suspension. 
Matthews signed a one-year, $1.8MM deal with a $300K signing bonus earlier this offseason, but was released at final cuts. After Jalen Hurd was placed on injured reserve a few weeks ago, the 49ers re-signed Matthews. The Vanderbilt product is approaching journeyman status, as he’s been with four team in just the past three years. Originally drafted by Philly in the second-round back in 2014, Matthews had some very productive years with the Eagles. He got traded to the Bills, and then injuries started to pile up.
After getting released by San Fran right before the start of the season he had workouts with the Vikings and Saints, so maybe he can latch on with one of those teams. Still only 27, he should be able to resurface at some point soon and he could get brought back by the 49ers.
After rejoining the Eagles last year, he had 20 catches for 300 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games. Nelson was suspended ten games for PEDs toward the end of last season, but the team clearly never lost confidence in their long-snapper. Back in March, they signed him to a four-year extension.
49ers To Re-Sign Jordan Matthews
Jordan Matthews will head back to San Francisco. The recently released wide receiver will re-sign with the team and take Jalen Hurd‘s roster spot, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The 49ers are placing Hurd on IR.
Hurd has been dealing with a back stress fracture, suffered in San Francisco’s first preseason game, and will now be out until at least December. He will join wideout Trent Taylor on the 49ers’ IR list. The 49ers used a third-round pick on Hurd this year, but he’s yet to debut.
Matthews signed with the 49ers early in the offseason but did not make the team. He participated in multiple workouts during the regular season’s audition circuit but did not sign anywhere.
The sixth-year wideout has not been able to re-establish his previously promising career track since being traded from Philadelphia to Buffalo in 2017 but stands to join former Bills teammate Marquise Goodwin, along with Dante Pettis and rookie Deebo Samuel, as notable 49ers receivers. A former second-round pick, Matthews is still just 27. He eclipsed 800 yards in a a season from 2014-16, doing so in both Chip Kelly and Doug Pederson‘s offenses.
Vikings Work Out Jordan Matthews
After falling short of making the 49ers’ 53-man roster, Jordan Matthews is attempting to catch on elsewhere. The veteran wideout auditioned for two NFC teams this week, with the Vikings giving him a look Friday after a Tuesday Saints tryout, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
The Vikings, who recently placed Josh Doctson on IR, also worked out receivers Deontay Burnett and Tanner Gentry, per ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin (on Twitter).
Only four receivers reside on Minnesota’s active roster. The two backups are currently Chad Beebe and seventh-round rookie Olabisi Johnson. It would be logical for the Vikes to make a move at receiver before the Saturday afternoon transaction deadline.
Matthews, who topped 800 yards in each of his first three seasons, has not been able to replicate the production of his first Eagles stay. He failed to surpass 300 yards during his Bills season in 2017 and finished with exactly 300 in 14 Eagles games last season. Were Matthews to find a gig this season, it would only be his age-27 campaign.
NFL Workout Updates: 9/17/19
Here are Tuesday’s updates from the workout circuit, all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter unless otherwise noted.
Atlanta Falcons
- LB Carroll Phillips (per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, on Twitter)
Cleveland Browns
- T Dino Boyd, G Colby Gossett, G Malcolm Pridgeon (Twitter links via Balzer and the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson)
Dallas Cowboys
- T Paul Adams, WR Quincy Adeboyejo, CB Deante Burton, DT Justin Hamilton, DE Willie Henry, LB Jawaun Johnson, S Josh Jones, WR DaMarkus Lodge, WR Anthony Ratliff-Williams (via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer)
Detroit Lions
- RB Benny Cunningham, RB Quinton Flowers, DE Durrant Miles, CB Marcus Sherels, LB James Vaughters (link)
Green Bay Packers
- WR Keon Hatcher, RB Bo Scarbrough, RB Austin Walter, DL Anthony Zettel (Twitter links)
Indianapolis Colts
- T Gerhard deBeer, Christian DiLauro, Brandon Hitner, C James Murray (link)
New Orleans Saints
- LB Ray-Ray Armstrong, QB J.T. Barrett, TE Crockett Gillmore, WR Krishawn Hogan, TE Gabe Holmes, QB Chad Kanoff, WR Jordan Matthews, TE Brian Parker, LB Brian Peters, LB Malcolm Smith, WR Deonte Thompson, QB Phillip Walker (link)
New York Jets
- LB B.J. Bello, CB Jordan Brown, CB Nigel Harris, CB Joshua Holsey, Shakial Taylor, CB Ahmad Thomas (link)
Oakland Raiders
- WR Jamal Custis (Twitter link via Wilson)
San Francisco 49ers
- LS Jon Condo, LS Garrison Sanborn, LS Drew Scott, T Sam Young (Twitter links via Balzer and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter)
Seattle Seahawks
- LB Malik Carney, CB Jeremy Clark, S Adrian Colbert, DT Lyndon Johnson, CB Greg Mabin, CB Duke Thomas (link)
Washington Redskins
- RB Josh Ferguson, RB De’Angelo Henderson (Twitter links via Rapoport and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo)
49ers Cut Joshua Garnett, Reach Max
The 49ers got down to the 53-man roster maximum by releasing 24 players in total on Saturday, including former first-round pick Joshua Garnett.
The Niners used the No. 28 pick to select Garnett in 2016, but they never saw much from him at the pro level. The Stanford product started in eleven of his 15 games as a rookie, but even then, his performance was underwhelming – Garnett racked up penalties and didn’t excel in run blocking or pass blocking. Garnett then missed all of 2017 after undergoing knee surgery and only saw action as a reserve in seven games last year. At a rate of $10.35MM, it made little sense to keep Garnett for 2020, especially since the option would have been guaranteed for injury.
This year, Garnett is said to be healthy, but that ensured little in terms of performance, so he’s out. The Niners will save $1.7MM against $1.2MM in dead money.
Jordan Matthews was said to have had a strong camp, but the 27-year-old wide receiver wasn’t able to stick in SF. He inked a one-year, $1.8MM deal with the Niners in March, but he’ll exit with just his $300K signing bonus in hand.
Aside from Garnett and Matthews, here’s the rest of the Niners’ cuts:
Released
DB Antone Exum Jr.
DL Kevin Givens
TE Daniel Helm
WR Malik Henry
LB Elijah Lee
LB David Mayo
OL Najee Toran
RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
Waived/Injured
OL Andrew Lauderdale
West Rumors: 49ers, Metcalf, Raiders
It’s been a rough year for 49ers injuries. A few of their key players may not be ready for Week 1. It is now possible Nick Bosa and Jason Verrett will join the likes of Garrett Celek and Jerick McKinnon (in all likelihood) as being sidelined for San Francisco’s opener. During an interview with KNBR (via Pro Football Talk), John Lynch called both Bosa and Verrett 50-50 to suit up for the 49ers’ opener against the Buccaneers. Bosa is battling a high ankle sprain — his latest in a string of maladies since his junior year at Ohio State — and Verrett is also dealing with ankle trouble. The injury-prone cornerback, who tore an Achilles’ tendon in July 2018, sprained an ankle August 7.
Shifting first to some issues the Seahawks’ Week 1 contingent may have, here is the latest from the West divisions:
- Two key Seahawks wide receivers may not be ready for the team’s 2019 opener. D.K. Metcalf underwent knee surgery this week and is uncertain for Week 1, while Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets David Moore will not be ready for Seattle’s 2019 debut. Moore will seek a second opinion on a shoulder injury, one Pelissero notes is not expected to require surgery. But Pete Carroll confirmed Moore (26 receptions for 445 yards and five TDs in 2018) will not suit up in Week 1. Moore and Metcalf are expected to play key roles for the post-Doug Baldwin Seahawks. They may have to supplement Tyler Lockett with lower-profile players early.
- Thought to be on the wrong side of the 49ers‘ roster bubble, Jordan Matthews may be on the verge of making the team. The 49ers held the veteran receiver out of action Monday in Denver, and Kyle Shanahan confirmed he did so to get a look at his younger talents. “Jordan’s had a hell of a camp,” Shanahan said, via Matt Barrows of The Athletic (subscription required). “He’s done very good in practice; he’s been consistent in OTAs. He’s been very consistent in training camp, and we’ve seen him a lot on tape before he got here. I’ve got a lot of confidence in Jordan, and I know we can win with Jordan.” This, of course, does not mean the 27-year-old pass catcher is a roster lock. But it does paint a picture of the 49ers potentially opting for dependability here.
- Hard Knocks has chronicled rookie UDFA Keelan Doss‘ attempt to make the Raiders, and after three preseason games, Vic Tafur of The Athletic has the receiver making the team over Ryan Grant. As for the former Redskins and Colts talent, the Raiders held him out of action Thursday in Winnipeg. While that could mean Grant has secured a spot on Oakland’s 53-man roster, Tafur expects a trade to occur in the coming days rather than the team keeping seven wideouts.
- The most recent Hard Knocks episode showed plenty of an irritated Jon Gruden, with the ire being primarily directed toward backup quarterbacks. But Tafur expects the Raiders to keep both Mike Glennon and Nathan Peterman, pegging Gruden as viewing the former as the more reliable player and the latter with greater upside (despite his previous regular-season resume).
Contract Details: Nsekhe, Anderson, Dorsett
Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed NFL contracts:
- Ty Nsekhe, T (Bills): Two years, $9MM. $6.7MM guaranteed. $2MM signing bonus. $1.5MM available annually in playtime incentives. $1.5MM playtime escalator in 2020 (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Henry Anderson, DL (Jets): Three years, $25.2MM. $17MM guaranteed. $1.75MM available via annual incentives. $850K sacks-based escalator in 2020 and 2021 (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Phillip Dorsett, WR (Patriots): One year, $2.6MM. $500K signing bonus. $600K in per-game roster bonuses (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com).
- Ereck Flowers, T (Redskins): One year, $3.25MM. $1.5MM guaranteed. $750K in playtime incentive (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com).
- Mike Iupati, G (Seahawks): One year, $2.75MM. $2.25MM guaranteed. $1.25MM signing bonus. $500K in per-game roster bonuses. $500K available via playtime incentives (Twitter link via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com).
- Terrence Brooks, S (Patriots): Two years, $3.25MM. $1.305MM guaranteed. $500K signing bonus. Playtime bonuses available in 2019 and 2020 (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Jordan Matthews, WR (49ers): One year, $1.8MM. $300K signing bonus (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com).
- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB (Redskins): One year, minimum salary benefit. No guaranteed money (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- Jamize Olawale, FB (Cowboys): Three years, $5.4MM. $2.8MM guaranteed. $1.8MM signing bonus. 2021-2022 are option years that must be exercised prior to end of 2020 league year (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Brent Qvale, OL (Jets): One year, $1.4MM. $550K guaranteed. $1MM in incentives (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).
49ers Sign WR Jordan Matthews
The 49ers have signed free agent wideout Jordan Matthews, the club announced today.
The fifth-year wideout should slide right into a serviceable role as receiver who can play both on the outside and in the slot. He figures to feature primarily inside, with Marquise Goodwin and Dante Pettis serving on the outside.
The 49ers definitely had a need at the position, with only Goodwin, Pettis, Trent Taylor and Kendrick Bourne the only receivers on the team with much experience.
Matthews broke into the league in 2014 and immediately impressed, logging 67 catches for 872 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie. He followed that up with another eight scoring grabs and a career-best 85 catches in 2015 before logging 73 receptions in 2016. He then spent a year in Buffalo after being traded for cornerback Ronald Darby.
After a year with the Bills, Matthews signed a one-year deal with the Patriots but was cut before the start of the 2018 season. He then returned to the Eagles, and added 20 catches for 300 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games.