Bills Trade C Russell Bodine To Patriots
The Patriots can’t stop trading. On Friday, they acquired center Russell Bodine from the Bills in exchange for a sixth-round pick, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
Specifically, the Patriots have been trading for offensive linemen all week long. This marks the third OL acquired by the Pats in trades in the past few days.
The Patriots’ offensive line depth has been hit hard in the wake of injuries to David Andrews and Hjalte Froholdt. Bodine can offer help on the interior, along with fellow new OLs Korey Cunningham and Jermaine Eluemunor.
For the Bills, it’s a low-cost acquisition of a late-round draft choice. They liked Bodine, but his presence was not required given the recovery of center Mitch Morse.
Patriots’ Josh Gordon Cleared For Week One
Great news for Patriots fans and nervous fantasy football players – Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon has been cleared to play for Week One by the league office, per an NFL announcement. 
Previously, Gordon received a conditional reinstatement from NFL HQ, granting him permission to play if he satisfied certain terms. Gordon, apparently, has met the requirements, and he has received the green light for the start of the 2019 season.
Gordon appeared in 11 games for the Patriots last year, catching 40 passes for 720 yards and and three touchdowns. Late in the year, he suddenly revealed he was stepping away from the team, and not long after it was announced that he was being slapped with an indefinite ban.
Despite the many hiccups in his career, Gordon continues to hold serious promise. If he stays on the right track, Gordon could be primed for a massive year in New England.
Patriots Trade CB Duke Dawson To Broncos
The Patriots have traded cornerback Duke Dawson to the Broncos, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The two sides will exchange late-round picks in the deal, with the Patriots receiving a sixth-rounder and the Broncos getting a 2020 seventh-rounder.
The Patriots were forced to Dawson on IR last season due to a hamstring injury. He was later designated for return, but never made it back on to the field.
Prior to all of that, Dawson was in the mix to become New England’s slot cornerback early in camp in 2018. This year, he seemed to have a shot at a steady role, but things did not pan out. Instead, the Broncos will acquire the 2018 second-round selection for pennies on the dollar.
Colts, Texans, Browns Lead NFL In Cap Space
On Tuesday morning, the NFL released a report of every team’s cap space. The total number accounts for the top-51 cap numbers on every team’s roster. Therefore, these numbers will naturally change before next week as teams set their 53-man rosters (although the 52nd- and 53rd-ranked cap numbers (and beyond) for each team will hardly change anything).
It’s also worth noting that there have been a handful of extensions, trades, signings, and cuts since this report was released. However, there weren’t any significant moves that would drastically alter these rankings.
Why are these numbers important at this time of year? Well, rosters will be trimmed on Saturday, meaning an influx of players will hit the open market. While we can’t imagine any roster casualties earning a lucrative contract from a new team, these numbers can help illustrate the monetary advantage one organization has over another. These numbers are also useful in regards to any potential trades or extensions.
With help from TheMMQB.com’s Albert Breer on Twitter, we’ve listed the league’s cap space totals (as of Tuesday morning) below:
- Indianapolis Colts: $56.6MM
- Houston Texans: $37.0MM
- Cleveland Browns: $34.6MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $26.1MM
- Tennessee Titans: $26.0MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $25.5MM
- Buffalo Bills: $23.3MM
- Miami Dolphins: $22.1MM
- Chicago Bears: $22.1MM
- Washington Redskins: $21.7MM
- Detroit Lions: $21.5MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $21MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $19.7MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $19.5MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $18.6MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $18.2MM
- Oakland Raiders: $17.3MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $16.4MM
- Green Bay Packers: $15.2MM
- New York Jets: $14.9MM
- New England Patriots: $14.1MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $13.4MM
- New Orleans Saints $7.5MM
- Carolina Panthers $5.9MM
- Los Angeles Rams $5.6MM
- New York Giants $5.5MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers $4.9MM
- Minnesota Vikings $4.7MM
- Arizona Cardinals $4.7MM
- Denver Broncos $4.4MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers $4.3MM
- Atlanta Falcons $3.4MM
Ravens Trade OG Jermaine Eluemunor To Patriots
The Patriots aren’t done trading for offensive linemen. About an hour after acquiring Korey Cunningham from the Cardinals, the Pats went out and got another body up front.
New England has reached a deal with Baltimore to trade for guard Jermaine Eluemunor, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). In the deal, the Ravens will send Eluemunor and a sixth-round pick to the Pats a fourth-round pick, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter hears.
Hensley writes that Eluemunor was originally the favorite to start at left guard for the Ravens, but he “fell out of favor” after failing a conditioning test earlier this offseason. He also had several nagging injuries that kept him off the practice field.
Terms of the deal weren’t immediately disclosed, and the Ravens later tweeted out they were receiving an “undisclosed draft pick.” The Patriots needed some offensive line depth, so these moves make some sense. After it was revealed that David Andrews might miss the entire season with a blood clot, Ted Karras became the starting center. Karras was also a reserve guard, and the Pats’ interior line became pretty thin with him getting bumped up to a starting role.
Eluemunor was drafted by the Ravens in the fifth-round back in 2017. He started two games as a rookie and one last year. The Texas A&M product isn’t a lock to make New England’s roster, especially if the pick they gave up for him turns out to be conditional.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/19
We’ll keep track of today’s roster shuffling here as teams gear up for major cuts at the end of the week:
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on IR: DE Mike Love
- Waived: P Corey Carter
- Waived from IR: OL De’Ondre Wesley
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LS Andrew DePaola
- Placed on IR: DT Destiny Vaeao
Chicago Bears
- Claimed off waivers: OL Tommy Doles
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB James Williams
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Jackson Porter
- Waived (failed physical): LB Nicholas Grigsby
Houston Texans
- Waived: DB Deante Burton, DB Derrick Jones
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived from injured reserve: RB Roc Thomas
New England Patriots
- Waived from injured reserve: WR Maurice Harris
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: OT Riley Mayfield
- Placed on IR: WR Charles Johnson
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: TE Cole Wick
- Waive/injured: OLB Josh Smith
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: T Will Holden, DE Logan Tago
- Waived: DT Jay-Tee Tiuli
Cards Trade Korey Cunningham To Patriots
The Patriots are sending a sixth-round pick to the Cardinals in exchange for offensive lineman Korey Cunningham, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Cunningham first broke the news himself, via Instagram.
“Arizona!! Man, it’s been a fun year and a half out in the desert!” Cunningham wrote. “Thank you to Mr. [Bidwill], Steve Keim, and the Cardinals organization for allowing me to start off my career here. Wish you guys nothing but the best of luck this season! With that being said, I was just notified that I have been traded to the New England Patriots. Beyond excited to continue my career and to get back to work!!”
Cunningham, a second-year pro, was set to serve as a backup tackle for the Cardinals after starting six games last season. Instead, the 2018 seventh-round pick will provide depth for the Patriots.
Given the Patriots’ need for offensive line support and the timing of the deal, Cunningham seems likely to make the 53-man roster as a swing tackle behind Isaiah Wynn and Marcus Cannon. Dan Skipper and Cole Croston, meanwhile, could be on or near the bubble.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/27/19
It was a busy day in the NFL as teams made early cuts in advance of the 53-man deadline. We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived/Injured: T Dieugot Joseph
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Jacob Ohnesorge
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: S Anthony Fish Smithson
Detroit Lions
- Released: QB David Fales
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on IR: FB John Lovett
New England Patriots
- Waived/Injured: WR Maurice Harris
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Hayes Pullard, S Jason Thompson
- Waived: LB Asantay Brown, S Tre Sullivan
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed: CB Jhavonte Dean
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Chris Campbell, RB Brandon Wilds, WR Nick Williams
- Waived: OL Willie Beavers, OL Dillon Day
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Nyqwan Murray, WR Kahlil Lewis
- Waived: WR Amara Darboh
- Placed on IR: DL Nazair Jones, CB Kalan Reed
Rob Gronkowski On Retirement, Possible Return
Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski made waves on Tuesday morning when he publicly hinted at a potential return to football. Things turned emotional during Gronk’s promotional presser, and he gave some further insight into his decision to retire and what might draw him back to the NFL. 
Here’s a look at some of the highlights, via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss.
On his physical condition:
“Physically, I could play right now.”
On why he retired:
“I want to be clear to my fans. I needed to recover. I was not in a good place. Football was bringing me down, and I didn’t like it. I was losing that joy in life.”
On when he knew he would retire:
“I got done with [Super Bowl LIII] and I could barely walk. I slept five minutes that night. I couldn’t even think. I was in tears in my bed after a Super Bowl victory. It didn’t make that much sense to me. And then, for four weeks, I couldn’t even sleep for more than 20 minutes a night. I was like, ‘Damn, this sucks.’ It didn’t feel good. It was one of the biggest, deepest thigh bruises I’ve ever gotten.”
On the thought process behind his retirement:
“It’s a purpose to have passion in my life, to have joy in my life. And then to inspire optimal health within myself, I need to do that in order to get to a peak and then I can bring it to other people. Because I know [in] the NFL, players are dealing with that kind of stuff, they’re dealing with pain. I was. And I needed to walk away because I needed to do what was best for myself.”
Rob Gronkowski Leaves Door Open For Return
When Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski retired from the NFL this year, few believed that he would stay off the field. Now, Gronk personally admits that a return to football could be in his future. 
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At a press conference to promote his new partnership with a CBD company, Gronk said that he’ll play football again if he’s feeling better and recovered from his injuries at some point (Twitter link via Doug Kyed of NESN). That could be the case in six months, or two years, he says, though he can’t envision an NFL return in the next week or month.
Gronkowski went on to say that he “didn’t retire from life” and could consider suiting up again if he finds that he has that fire “week-in and week-out,” (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). At the same time, Gronk suggested that he would be alright with never stepping on the gridiron again.
“Physically, I could do it. But mentally, it’s not there. … If I’m just enjoying my life… maybe never,” Gronk said.
With enough cash to support generations of Gronkowskis and opportunities to make money elsewhere, the game’s most talented tight end has plenty of options. Still, he’s not ready to rule out a second act with the Patriots.