Minor NFL Transactions: 11/30/19
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted from practice squad: G Parker Ehinger
- Waived: C Jake Brendel
Chicago Bears
- Signed off Broncos’ practice squad: OL Corey Levin
- Signed off Raiders’ practice squad: TE Eric Saubert
- Placed on IR: DB Sherrick McManis, TE Adam Shaheen
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted from practice squad: S Montre Hartage
- Waived: CB Xavier Crawford
New York Giants
- Promoted from practice squad: LS Colin Holba
- Placed on IR: LS Zak DeOssie
Washington Redskins
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Chris Odom
- Waived: LB Carroll Phillips
NFL Workout Updates: 11/27/19
Here is the latest from the workout circuit on Wednesday:
Baltimore Ravens
- OT Seantrel Henderson, OL Matt Kaskey
Cleveland Browns
- LB Asantay Brown, DE Robert McCray (signed), LB Gimel President, FB Sutton Smith
Miami Dolphins
- WR Cyril Grayson, WR Keon Hatcher, WR Reece Horn, WR Jordan Veasy, WR Terry Wright
San Francisco 49ers
- DL Alex Barrett (signed), OLB Trevon Young
Tennessee Titans
- CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun, CB Kenneth Durden, K Kai Forbath, K Elliott Fry, Derrick Jones, K Nick Rose, K Ryan Santoso (signed), K Kaare Vedvik
Washington
- DE Kasim Edebali, LB Shane Ray, DE Nate Orchard (signed)
Dolphins Place WR Jakeem Grant On IR
The ankle injury Jakeem Grant sustained will end his season. The Dolphins placed Jakeem Grant on IR on Wednesday and promoted fellow wide receiver Isaiah Ford from their practice squad to fill his roster spot.
One of the NFL’s shiftiest players, Grant has primarily served as Miami’s return man. He has four return touchdowns in four seasons, including a kick-return score this season. Grant played in 10 of the Dolphins’ 11 games but will finish a second straight season on IR.
Miami’s reconstructed front office saw enough from Grant during his first three seasons to extend him over the summer. The 5-foot-7 wideout is signed through the 2023 season via the four-year, $19.7MM re-up he inked in August. One of many Dolphins veteran wideouts signed beyond this season, the former sixth-round pick will finish this season with 19 receptions for 164 yards.
Grant joined Albert Wilson in suffering injuries Sunday in Cleveland and will join Preston Williams on Miami’s IR list. A 2017 seventh-round pick, Ford played three games earlier this season for the Dolphins.
Dolphins, Eric Rowe Discussing Extension
Perhaps the only recognizable name in the Dolphins’ current secondary to most, Eric Rowe is finishing out a one-year contract. But the Dolphins would like him to return.
The former New England cornerback is discussing an extension to stay in Miami, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes. Rowe signed a one-year, $3.5MM deal to join former Patriots assistant Brian Flores‘ first Dolphins team. And he’s been a key part of the secondary, one that has seen most of its notable talent either traded or land on IR.
Rowe has played both corner and safety this season, moving to the back line midway through the year. Pro Football Focus categorizes Rowe as a safety but has graded him as one of the league’s worst this season. After part-time roles in Philadelphia and New England, Rowe has played 95% of Miami’s snaps this season. The Dolphins traded Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Steelers and placed both Reshad Jones and Bobby McCain on IR last week.
The Eagles traded Rowe to the Patriots after his first season. The 2015 second-round pick started two playoff games for the Pats, including Super Bowl LII against his former team, and was a seven-game starter during their 2016 championship season.
The Pats let Rowe walk in free agency this year, but the Dolphins look to view him as part of their rebuild. Despite the Dolphins’ 2019 veteran purge, they have extended Jakeem Grant, Allen Hurns and Jesse Davis over the past three-plus months. The team is projected to hold north of $100MM in 2020 cap space.
Extra Points: Colts, Dolphins, JPP, Broncos
The Colts are expecting Devin Funchess to return soon, but head coach Frank Reich didn’t want to say anything definitive when talking with reporters on Monday.
“Yeah, we’re gonna monitor him as we go,” Reich said (via Andrew Walker of the team’s website). “You know, we’ve already talked about his injury a bunch; I mean we’ve gotta make sure that thing’s 100 percent healed, so we’ll monitor it this week and see how it goes.”
Reich did note that wideout T.Y. Hilton didn’t suffer a setback with his calf injury during Thursday’s night loss to the Texans, and he also revealed that receiver Parris Campbell could return this week from a fractured hand. Running back Marlon Mack won’t play this weekend against the Titans, according to the head coach.
Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…
- The Dolphins will likely be on the hunt for wide receiver help, according to ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe (via Twitter). Jakeem Grant (ankle) and Albert Wilson (rib) both suffered injuries during Sunday’s loss to the Browns, leaving the team with only two healthy receivers in DeVante Parker and Allen Hurns. Head coach Brian Flores noted that he’s uncertain if Grant or Wilson would end up missing the rest of the season due to their injuries (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald).
- Buccaneers linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul played 76-percent of his team’s defensive snaps this weekend, earning him another $600K. As Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets, the veteran has already earned $3MM in bonuses in five games, and he could earn another $3MM through his team’s final five games. Pierre-Paul has a $3MM base salary this season.
- Take this for what it’s worth, but Vic Fangio told reporters that Broncos quarterback Drew Lock could “possibly” be on the roster this Sunday and could “possibly” start vs. the Chargers (via Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post on Twitter). The second-round rookie has been on the IR since September, but he was designated to return earlier this month.
- Former NFL running back Karlos Williams has signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL, the team announced on Twitter. Williams ran for 517 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie, but he was later slapped with three separate suspensions. The 26-year-old was reinstated from his indefinite suspension last February, and he’s finally found his next gig.
AFC Notes: Marrone, Dolphins, Lawson
After the Jaguars ugly 42-20 loss to the Titans, the team fell to 4-7 and reporters asked head coach Doug Marrone if the team would be making any changes at quarterback or defensive coordinator. Marrone remained steadfast that he is not considering changes at either spot, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.
Marrone, currently in his third season as Jacksonville’s official head coach (he served as the interim at the end of 2016), is still looking to replicate the success he found in his first year at the helm. That season the Jaguars had one of the best defensive units in football that carried a team with questionable quarterback play to the AFC Championship Game. Since, the team is 9-18 and recently looks in disarray defensively. On the opposite side of the field, rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew showed promise while Nick Foles was out with a broken collarbone. Foles returned last week, but has yet to lead a strong offensive performance.
Here’s some more Sunday notes from the AFC:
- Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is perfect for the Dolphins situation, according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald. Fitzpatrick has helped their offensive unit maintain an acceptable level of competence, but not to a level that could cause the team to win enough games to have their first round pick fall outside the top five in next year’s draft. Salguero also notes that head coach Brian Flores’ choices have made clear that Miami believes that Josh Rosen is not the franchise’s answer under center.
- The Bills defense dominated the Broncos offense in Sunday’s 20-3 victory. It’s no secret that Buffalo has one of the best defensive units in football, but one player seemed to be playing with a little chip on his shoulder. According to Denver7’s Troy Renck, Bills edge rusher Shaq Lawson, who recorded two sacks on Sunday, looked for Broncos center Connor McGovern after the contest to tell him, “You will remember me now.” Apparently, McGovern said he did not who Lawson was prior to the game and the Clemson alum took note.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/20/19
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad decisions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Tanner Vallejo
- Released: OL Ian Silberman
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Andy Jones
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Quincy Adeboyejo
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Derrick Baity
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/20/19
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Jesper Horsted
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: S J.T. Hassell
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed off Colts’ practice squad: CB Deante Burton
- Placed on IR: CB Anthony Brown
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from IR: LB Andrew Van Ginkel
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Gerald Willis
Dolphins Place Jones, McCain On IR
The two longest-tenured Dolphin defenders will finish their seasons on injured reserve. Miami placed safeties Reshad Jones and Bobby McCain on IR, where they will join cornerback Xavien Howard.
This strips the Dolphins’ secondary of two key veterans — in a year that’s seen numerous Miami vets depart or head to IR — and creates questions about Jones’ future with the franchise. Jones is by far the Dolphins’ longest-tenured player, at 10 years, but he was a trade candidate throughout this offseason.
A chest injury cost Jones four games this season, but he returned for the Dolphins’ Week 11 matchup against the Bills. Against the Browns, the Dolphins will deploy a skeleton crew featuring Eric Rowe and a host of young players. McCain suffered a shoulder injury against Buffalo.
The Dolphins gave Jones a $12MM-per-year extension in March 2017; the two-time Pro Bowler’s play since, however, has not quite lived up to that price. Jones will turn 32 in February and stands to count $15.6MM toward Miami’s 2020 cap. The Dolphins could save nearly $8MM by releasing Jones next year, though that move would cost them almost as much in dead-money charges.
Miami offered Jones to Pittsburgh before sending Minkah Fitzpatrick there this year, but the former’s high salary impeded trade talks this offseason. For a Dolphins team that’s made no secret of a full-scale rebuild, as the exits of most of the franchise’s previous core have shown, it will likely not have an issue jettisoning Jones next year.
McCain has started eight games for Miami this season and 40 since joining the team as a 2015 fifth-round pick. He’s attached to a four-year, $27MM extension the Dolphins gave him in 2018. With only $5.5MM in 2020 salary due, the 26-year-old defender has a better chance of returning next season.
The Dolphins added safety help by signing ex-49ers starter Adrian Colbert off the Seahawks’ practice squad. They also placed 2019 Seahawks wide receiver draftee Gary Jennings on IR.
QB Notes: Rudolph, Rosen, Wentz
Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph told reporters he did not say anything that “escalated” the altercation between him and Myles Garrett, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. Garrett, of course, swung a helmet at Rudolph’s bare head and received an indefinite suspension from the league, which he is currently appealing. While Garrett was not the only player suspended, many have criticized the league for handing no suspension to Rudolph for instigating the situation.
At the moment, Rudolph has yet to hear from the league regarding any punishment, per Kaboly. Although everyone believes a fine will be coming his way.
Here’s some more news surrounding quarterbacks around the league:
- While Dolphins head coach Brian Flores revealed Ryan Fitzpatrick would be the team’s starter this week at quarterback, he left the door open for Josh Rosen to retake the mantle at some point in the near future. Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald speculates that a three-game stretch beginning on December 8th could have massive implications for Miami’s draft position. Giving the reigns back to Rosen could both help the team evaluate his long-term future and improve their draft standing, per Beasley.
- Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has struggled recently. Even with his poor play of late, Philadelphia’s starting center Jason Kelce said he has “all the faith in the world [in Wentz]” during an interview on 94 WIP. At 5-5, the Eagles have failed to live up to lofty expectations and in last week’s 17-10 loss to the Patriots, Wentz completed just 20 of 40 pass attempts. However, with former backup Nick Foles now in Jacksonville, current backup Josh McCown is not going to push Wentz for playing time anytime soon.