Latest On Jaguars’ Jalen Ramsey
Jaguars star Jalen Ramsey will not practice on Wednesday, per the club’s daily blast. Ramsey is listed as unable to participate with a back injury, though many have been suspicious about his continued absence. 
Ramsey wants out of Jacksonville, and the Jaguars seem poised to trade him, but the club’s asking price seems to be a barrier to a deal. At the outset, they started the bidding at two first-round picks. Recently, a contending team offered two first-round choices, but the Jaguars turned down the deal with the belief that those picks would likely fall at the end of the draft.
Nearly every team in the league seems to be interested in Ramsey, but Peter King of NBC Sports recently speculated that the Chiefs and Ravens rank high on that list. He also believes the Chargers could join the fray.
For any club, Ramsey would mark a massive upgrade for today and become a huge cornerstone for seasons to come. The appeal is obvious – he’s one of the very best corners in the game and won’t turn 25 until later this month. On the flipside, acquiring Ramsey would mean giving the young star a top-of-the-market deal that is commensurate with his ability, so the notion of sacrificing two first-round picks for him is unpalatable to most franchises.
In related news, quarterback Gardner Minshew was added to the injury report with a knee ailment, but that issue is believed to be minor. Right now, it sounds like he’ll be available to face the Panthers this weekend.
Injury Roundup: Hilton, Lions, Bolts, Rams
It’s looking like the Colts‘ passing attack will have to operate without its top weapon Sunday. T.Y. Hilton drew a doubtful designation on Indianapolis’ Friday injury report. He did not practice all week. The eighth-year wideout left the Colts’ Week 3 win with a quadriceps injury, and although the Raiders enter Week 4 ranked 30th in pass defense DVOA, the Colts went 0-2 without Hilton last season. They are already down previous starter Devin Funchess, who sits on IR. The Colts also ruled Darius Leonard out for a second straight week. The All-Pro linebacker remains in concussion protocol.
Here is the latest from the Week 4 injury front:
- Matthew Stafford popped up on the Lions‘ injury report Friday; he’s listed as questionable with a hip malady. While Stafford should be expected to play, given that he’s played through injuries in recent years and holds the league’s third-longest active start streak among QBs with 131, this is a less-than-ideal scenario going into a key inter-conference matchup with the Chiefs. Rookie UDFA David Blough has been Stafford’s backup this season, though Jeff Driskel is now on Detroit’s 53-man roster.
- That matchup will not include Chiefs starting running back Damien Williams, who will miss a second straight game with a knee ailment. LeSean McCoy put together two full practices this week and will likely team up with Darrel Williams, as he did last week, in Detroit.
- Good news for the Rams‘ offense. Sean McVay said both Austin Blythe and Tyler Higbee will be available against the Buccaneers on Sunday, per Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Blythe missed Los Angeles’ Week 3 game with a sprained ankle, while Higbee has been sidelined with a lung contusion.
- Another Chargers game will unfold without their primary kicker option. The Bolts ruled out Michael Badgley for a fourth straight contest. Punter Ty Long‘s multipurpose afternoons will continue. Long made both of his field goal tries last week after missing two in Week 2.
- Additionally for the Bolts, they will be without Mike Williams. He’s been declared out with a back injury. Travis Benjamin will head to Miami as doubtful to play, meaning Dontrelle Inman and Geremy Davis stand as the Chargers’ only two healthy auxiliary wideouts. This marks Williams’ second injury of the season. A knee problem plagued the third-year target earlier this month but did not force him to miss any time.
- The Vikings‘ No. 2-ranked rushing attack will be tested in Chicago this week, and right guard starter Josh Kline will not play a part in the NFC North contest. The free agent acquisition will miss Sunday’s game with a concussion that kept him out of practice this week. This will end Kline’s 49-start streak. Veteran Dakota Dozier will start, per Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Dozier has started eight games in his six-season career, which included a Week 2 start in place of Pat Elflein.
Rams Sign Jachai Polite To Practice Squad
The Rams have signed linebacker Jachai Polite to the practice squad, per a club announcement. This marks the third deal of Polite’s career, even though he was a 2019 third-round pick of the Jets. 
[RELATED: Rams To Extend Johnny Hekker]
The Jets shocked the world when they cut Polite this summer, but he has done little to prove his critics in New York wrong. He went unclaimed on waivers and did not land a 53-man roster deal after his release. Instead, he hooked on with the Seahawks’ taxi squad and lasted all of three weeks. Now, he’ll try his hand with another NFC West club.
If all goes well for Polite, he could have an opportunity to face one of his former clubs when the Rams play the Seahawks on Oct. 3. In the meantime, the players on the Rams’ 46-man active roster will be tasked with the Bucs this weekend.
Latest On Austin Blythe's Status
- Austin Blythe needed a cart to leave the field Sunday at Los Angeles Coliseum, but the Rams‘ starting right guard looks to have dodged significant trouble. The fourth-year blocker said (via ESPN.com’s Lindsey Thiry, on Twitter) he suffered a low ankle sprain. Blythe is not certain how much time he will miss, but considering how he left the field, this may have been the best possible outcome. If he cannot return for Sunday’s game in Cleveland, 2018 sixth-rounder Jamil Demby would be in line to start.
Jaguars’ Jalen Ramsey Requests Trade
Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey has requested a trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears. Ramsey has butted heads with Jags brass many times over the years and the latest incident took place on Sunday in a heated confrontation with head coach Doug Marrone. 
Part of Ramey’s beef, Rapoport hears, stems from the way he’s being used on the field. Ramsey ranks among the best cover corners in the NFL and wants to play man-to-man on opposing wide receivers. Marrone, meanwhile, deploys him in a zone scheme.
The Jaguars, it seems, are willing to move him, but they won’t part with him on the cheap. The Jaguars are asking teams for at least one first-round pick in return for the Pro Bowler, but want even more than that in a return, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
Ramsey is under team control through the 2020 season, thanks to the fifth-year option the team exercised this spring. But the contract-seeking cornerback has not exactly been pleased with the franchise as of late. Recently, on the podcast hosted by Titans tackle Taylor Lewan and former Titans linebacker Will Compton, Ramsey said he wouldn’t mind playing for the Titans or Raiders.
In the summer, Ramsey also explained that he would not be willing to give the Jags any sort of a hometown discount.
“Next year, especially after I ball, they’re going to come to me ‘Hey, you know, we want to holler at you,” Ramsey said as he shook his head, on Instagram. “That number is going to be so ungodly.…They’re going to say, ‘Oh god, can’t we get a little discount, 20% off?‘ I’m going to tell them last year you could have gotten that discount. This year, I’m going to need all of that.”
Ramsey, a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro, has played in and started 50 out of 50 career games. For his career, he has registered 202 tackles, nine interceptions, and 45 pass breakups.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/19
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived from IR: LB Alvin Jones
Houston Texans
- Promoted from practice squad: QB Alex McGough
- Waived: CB Cornell Armstrong
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: WR Byron Pringle
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived/injured: DB Dominique Hatfield, C Aaron Neary, LB Trevon Young
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: TE Brandon Dillon
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: DL Mitchell Loewen
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: TE Alex Ellis
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OLB Jayrone Elliott
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Parry Nickerson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Andrew Adams
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Hroniss Grasu
- Waived: RB Dalyn Dawkins
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DL T.Y. McGill, CB Simeon Thomas
- Waived: TE J.P. Holtz
- Waived/injured: CB Greg Stroman
Rams To Extend P Johnny Hekker
This has now become a two-transaction day for Rams punter Johnny Hekker. After restructuring his previous deal, the four-time All-Pro agreed to an extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Hekker agreed to a one-year, $4.25MM re-up, which increases the Rams’ commitment to their top-flight specialist to five seasons. The 29-year-old punter is now signed through the 2023 season. This deal comes with $3MM in additional guarantees, Schefter adds. Hekker now has $18.75MM remaining on his Rams contract.
Earlier Saturday, Hekker converted $2.25MM in base salary to a signing bonus. The Rams, who also extended both Jared Goff and Tyler Higbee earlier this week, moved to reward him.
Having teamed with Greg Zuerlein since the 2012 season, Hekker now joins Goff, Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks in Rams being signed through 2023. Given punters’ career spans, and Hekker’s performance through seven seasons, it’s a good bet he will be with the Rams through the ’23 season.
Hekker already has more first-team All-Pro seasons than Hall of Famer Ray Guy. Among pure punters, he trails only Shane Lechler (six) in NFL history. Hekker’s 2018 season was his first not to include a Pro Bowl invite since 2014, but in a defense-powered Super Bowl, the veteran punter did his part to keep the Rams in that game. His nine-punt performance ended with three dropping inside the Pats’ 20-yard line.
The Rams have Zuerlein signed through only 2019, so extension talks on that front should probably be expected. Both were All-Pros in 2017, that marking the third straight season Hekker cleared 47 yards per punt. He averaged 46.3 yards per boot in 2018 — seventh in the NFL.
Restructured Contract Details: Flacco, Solder, Panthers
With the majority of the NFL beginning their 2019 campaigns tomorrow, a number of teams have slightly tweaked contracts in an effort to open some extra cap space. We’ve compiled some of the notable restructured contracts from this morning, along with some details on some recently-completed deals.
- The Broncos converted $17MM of Joe Flacco‘s base salary into a signing bonus, reports NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). The front office also added a pair of voidable years to the contract, thus opening around $13.6MM in 2019 cap space. The veteran quarterback is still on the books for $20.25MM in 2020 and $24.25MM in 2021.
- The Giants made a similar move with offensive tackle Nate Solder, according to Pelissero (on Twitter). The front office converted $7.5MM of the veteran’s base salary to a fully-guaranteed roster bonus, opening up $5MM in cap space. Solder will still earn the same amount of money over the next two years ($13MM in 2019, $14MM in 2020).
- One more from Pelissero (via Twitter): the Panthers restructured the contracts of defensive tackle Kawann Short and offensive lineman Trai Turner, opening $13MM in cap space. While the team could use that open money for extensions, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets that the transaction is “more about taking cap space into next year.” Linebacker Shaq Thompson and cornerback James Bradberry are impending free agents, while running back Christian McCaffrey and quarterback Cam Newton could be eyeing lucrative extensions.
- The Rams converted $2.25MM of punter Johnny Hekker‘s base salary into a bonus, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter). The move opens up around $1.69MM in cap space, allowing the team is better accommodate the recent extensions for quarterback Jared Goff and tight end Tyler Higbee.
- Center Mike Pouncey‘s one-year, $9MM extension with the Chargers will guarantee him $5MM in new money, tweets ESPN’s Dan Graziano (via Twitter). The guarantees include a $2.5MM signing bonus and $2.5MM guaranteed salary in 2020 (the full base salary is $6MM). The veteran’s cap number is now $10MM in 2019 and $7.75MM in 2020.
- Jacoby Brissett‘s two-year, $30MM extension with the Colts includes an $11MM signing bonus, reports Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). The quarterback has a $2MM salary for 2019, $2MM in per-game roster bonuses (for both years), and a $7MM roster bonus that’s guaranteed in March. As Volin notes, the 26-year-old will likely earn around $13MM to $15MM this season before renegotiating next offseason.
- Josh Doctson‘s deal with the Vikings is for one year at the league minimum of $720K, reports Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). The deal includes no guaranteed money. Following the signing of the wideout and punter Britton Colquitt, Minnesota is now sitting with around $1.17MM in cap space.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/5/19
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released from IR via injury settlement: OT Rees Odhiambo
Denver Broncos
- Released from IR via injury settlement: LB Joe Dineen
Los Angeles Rams
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Alex Bachman
New Orleans Saints
- Released from IR via injury settlement: LB Will Compton
New York Giants
- Released from IR via injury settlement: S Kenny Ladler, CB Henre’ Toliver, CB Ronald Zamort
Washington Redskins
- Released from IR via injury settlement: TE Matt Flanagan
NFL Cap Space By Team For 2019
With hours to go before the start of the 2019 NFL season, here’s a rundown of how much cap room each NFL team has (via ESPN.com’s Field Yates, on Twitter):
- Indianapolis Colts – $42.1MM
- Cleveland Browns – $32.7MM
- Miami Dolphins – $31.9MM
- Houston Texans – $29.5MM
- Buffalo Bills – $24.8MM
- Tennessee Titans – $24.1MM
- Dallas Cowboys – $22.3MM
- Detroit Lions – $19.2MM
- San Francisco 49ers – $18.7MM
- Chicago Bears – $17.3MM
- Carolina Panthers – $16.6MM
- Washington Redskins – $15.9MM
- Philadelphia Eagles – $14.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals – $13.3MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $12.4MM
- Oakland Raiders – $12MM
- Denver Broncos – $11.2MM
- Green Bay Packers – $10.8MM
- Los Angeles Chargers – $10.2MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars – $9.5MM
- New York Jets – $9.3MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $8.6MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $8.2MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $6.3MM
- New England Patriots – $4.9MM
- Arizona Cardinals – $2.7MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $1.2MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $1.2MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $852K
- New Orleans Saints – $604K
- Atlanta Falcons – $493K
- New York Giants – $457K