4 Potential Landing Spots For Trent Williams
Trent Williams wants out of Washington. Fed up with both his contract and the Redskins’ handling of a tumor on his head, Williams demanded a trade or release in early June. He didn’t report to training camp last week, and there’s reportedly “no end in sight” to his holdout. On Wednesday, a report indicated the Redskins have begun having trade discussions regarding Williams.
The 31-year-old Williams is due $23.5MM in base salary over the next two seasons, but given that he wants a new deal from Washington, any club that acquires Williams will likely need to increase that figure. Williams’ $13.2MM average annual value currently ranks seventh among left tackles behind Taylor Lewan, Nate Solder, Jake Matthews, Joe Staley, Donovan Smith, and Russell Okung.
Which NFL teams are in a position to land Williams and fortify the left side of their offensive line? Here are four ideas:
Cleveland Browns
Cleveland’s offensive line had some bright spots in 2018, especially at right guard and center, where Joel Bitonio and J.C. Tretter each ranked among the top-four at their position in ESPN’s pass block win rate. But the Browns are now counting on former failed No. 2 overall selection Greg Robinson for a full season’s worth of play, and they’re replacing Kevin Zeitler (who was traded to the Giants) with last year’s second-round pick in Austin Corbett, who played only 14 offensive snaps in his rookie campaign.
Robinson wasn’t a total disaster in his eight starts for the Browns, but among the 106 offensive tackles who saw at least 33% playtime in 2018, Robinson ranked only 60th in Pro Football Focus’ pass-blocking efficiency metric, which measures pressure allowed on a per-snap basis. Cleveland has already gone all-in on the upcoming season by acquiring Odell Beckham Jr., Sheldon Richardson, and Olivier Vernon, so why not send a draft choice to Washington in exchange for Williams and upgrade one of the few remaining weak areas on the Browns roster?
Houston Texans
Despite using two of their first three 2019 draft picks on offensive tackles, the Texans still have arguably the second-worst offensive line in the NFL (hello, Dolphins). Rookies Tytus Howard and Max Scharping can both play tackle, while free agent addition Matt Kalil and holdover Julien Davenport can also hold down the blindside with varying results.
As Aaron Reiss of The Athletic indicates, it’s unclear how Houston plans to deploy its offensive linemen. Howard and Scharping could both see time at guard, leaving left tackle to Kalil if he’s healthy. No matter the combination used by the Texans, Williams would be an upgrade at left tackle. Houston picked up second- and third-round picks from Seattle in 2017 in exchange for tackle Duane Brown, and the team could send a similar package to Washington for Williams.
New England Patriots
In his Wednesday report indicating the Redskins are discussing possible Williams trades, Jeff Howe of The Athletic relayed there’s “a feeling around the league the Patriots would be involved due to depth issues at the position.” Having allowed 2018 starter Trent Brown to walk in free agency, New England is now counting on Isaiah Wynn, one of the club’s two first-round picks from a season ago, to fill on at left tackle.
Wynn comes with an excellent pedigree, and Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia always brings out the best in his available talent. But Wynn can also play guard, so if New England acquires Williams, it would be able to slide Wynn inside and allow Williams to play left tackle. Perhaps an offer of pending free agent left guard Joe Thuney and a second-round pick would entice the Redskins.
New York Jets
If not the Patriots, how about another AFC East club? Like the Browns and Texans, the Jets are building around a quarterback still on his rookie contract. Sam Darnold won’t count for more than $10MM on New York’s salary cap in any of the next three seasons, so the team should add talent while it can. Having already surrounded Darnold with playmakers like Le’Veon Bell and Jamison Crowder, the Jets could now work to fortify their offensive line, something they started to do earlier today by bringing former Panthers center Ryan Kalil out of retirement.
In New York, Williams would supplant Kelvin Beachum, who has consistently been solid but not spectacular throughout his career. Beachum, in turn, could either compete with Brandon Shell for playing time at right tackle or be released. It’s also possible that another team on this list would have interest in Beachum, who is owed $8MM in 2019, the final year of his contract.
Patriots OT Marcus Cannon Restructures Contract
Patriots offensive tackle Marcus Cannon has agreed to a restructured contract, as originally reported by Michael Silver of NFL.com.
Cannon, who is signed through 2021, had been scheduled to collect a $5.5MM salary and up to $500K in per-game roster bonuses in 2019. Instead, he’ll now earn a $1MM base salary, a $3.5MM signing bonus, and up to $1.5MM in per-game roster bonuses, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Per Silver, New England also added incentives to Cannon’s deal that could raise its remaining value to more than $24MM.
Because Cannon’s new $3.5MM signing bonus will be prorated through the rest of his contract, the right tackle’s 2019 cap charge will decrease from $7.456MM to $4.935MM, a savings of roughly $2.5MM. Cannon can still make $6MM for the 2019 campaign, but he’ll need to be active for all 16 regular season games in order to do so (as a result of his new per-game roster bonus figure).
Cannon, 31, became a full-time starter for the Patriots in 2016 and inked a five-year, $32.5MM extension that fall. He’s been a high-quality right tackle ever since, although injuries have forced him to miss 12 games over the past two seasons.
Redskins Discussing Trent Williams Trade
The Redskins are having trade discussions regarding tackle Trent Williams, according to a source who spoke with Jeff Howe of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’s unclear as to what they’re seeking in a trade, but there’s a feeling around the league the Patriots would be involved, Howe hears. 
There’s reportedly no end in sight to Williams’ holdout with the Redskins, so it only makes sense for the club to see what’s out there. They also just added veteran Donald Penn to the mix, so there’s a safety net in place in case they can’t smooth things out with Williams.
Williams has two years to go on his contract with $24MM in total remaining. He also hasn’t played a full season since 2013 and has missed 13 games over the last three years, but he is still an elite LT when on the field.
With depth issues at tackle, the Patriots would be a natural landing spot for Williams. It also helps that the Patriots carved out additional cap space by restructuring Marcus Cannon‘s contract on Wednesday. Still, even after the adjustment, the Pats only have $7.49MM in cap room and would have to fit Williams’ $11MM base pay under the cap.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/30/19
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: OLB/DE Markus Jones
Buffalo Bills
- Retired: OL Isaac Asiata
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DT Frederick Jones
- Waived: WR Brandon Reilly
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Roger Lewis, OG Ian Silberman
- Waived: LB Drew Lewis, OG William Poehls
New England Patriots
- Signed: OT Martez Ivey
- Waived/Injured: OL Cole Croston
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Ryan Anderson, CB Dee Delaney
- Waived: LB Jeff Allison, OL Toa Lobendahn
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: TE Troy Niklas
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/19
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: TE Kyle Carter
- Waived: LB Juwan Foggie
New England Patriots
- Placed on reserve/retired list: OL J.J. Dielman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: QB Vincent Testaverde
- Placed on IR: S Orion Stewart
- Waived/injured: TE Troy Niklas
Contract Details: Sproles, Kendricks, Hawks
A look at the details on recent deals from around the NFL:
- Darren Sproles, RB (Eagles): One year, $1.33MM. $600K fully guaranteed, including a $300K signing bonus. $650K in performance bonuses, classified as NLTBE incentives, exist in Sproles’ contract for a Pro Bowl appearance and unspecified yardage totals, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio tweets.
- Lance Kendricks, TE (Patriots): One year, $1.02MM. Kendricks’ $50K signing bonus represents this deal’s only guarantees. If he makes the team, he will earn a $930K veteran minimum base salary. Kendricks, who can also earn $40K worth of per-game roster bonuses, will count $735K toward New England’s cap, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets.
- Earl Mitchell, DT (Seahawks): One year, $930K. $90K signing bonus. Mitchell will carry a $735K cap number, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com notes.
Patriots Notes: Etling, Allen, Judge
Here’s a look at the Patriots:
- Quarterback Danny Etling is now wide receiver Danny Etling, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. Already, there is excitement about what Etling can do as a multi-threat talent. “We always knew Danny could play different positions. I always used to joke with him and call him Taysom Hill,” receiver Phillip Dorsett said. Etling also took practice repetitions on special teams this week, which is another area in which Hill contributes to the Saints.
- As the Patriots near the end of August, NESN’s Doug Kyed and Zack Cox looked ahead at the team’s roster projection. The duo sees Etling missing the cut, despite his versatility. Both writes also see punter Ryan Allen losing the battle to cheaper alternative Jake Bailey.
- More from Reiss, who notes that Joe Judge is in a unique position as the NFL’s only special-teams coordinator/wide receivers coach. Because he can’t be in two places at the same time, Judge has been relying on Patriots Hall of Famer Troy Brown as a WR assistant on a temporary basis that could theoretically become a full-time job.
Caserio Speaks On Offseason Drama
Patriots exec Nick Caserio addressed the media today for the first time since the Texans’ ill-fated attempt to make him their general manager. Caserio dodged most of the questions, but while he outwardly expressed commitment to the Patriots, the press “session did nothing to kill the belief that Caserio isn’t happy with the way things played out,” writes Tom Curran of NBC Sports. “I love being here, and right now we’re focused on trying to get the team ready for this season. I’m happy to be here and I love what I do on a day-to-day basis,” Caserio said when asked if he was disappointed with the way things played out.
If he really is unhappy, fortunately he won’t have to wait too long. Caserio’s contract with the Patriots expires after the 2020 draft, and the Texans are widely expected to make another run at him then. Asked whether he wants to run a team some day, he did his best Bill Belichick impression. “I’m not really focused on the hypotheticals. I’m focused on today. Honestly, I’m focused on trying to be the best version of myself each and every day,” he said. It sounds like the Caserio/Patriots partnership is just waiting to end.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/19
A batch of minor transactions on a busy day across the league:
Atlanta Falcons:
- Signed: LB Richie Brown
- Waived: OT Lanard Bonner
- Placed on IR: DL Michael Bennett
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Nick Williams
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Corey Grant
Houston Texans
- Claimed off waivers from Saints: WR Chad Hansen
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Drew Lewis
- Waived: LB Tre Thomas
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on IR: DE Tashawn Bower (Achilles)
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL J.J. Dielman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed off waivers from 49ers: CB Alex Brown
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Dillon Day
- Released: DL Cedric Thornton
Patriots Interested In Mike Daniels; Brian Schwenke Placed On Reserve/Retired List
- Before the Packers cut Mike Daniels earlier today, they discussed potential trades with the Browns, Patriots, and Chiefs, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (video link). Garafolo suggests those teams will continue to pursue Daniels, but at least seven clubs have already been in contact with him.
- The Patriots have placed veteran O-lineman Brian Schwenke on the reserve/retired list, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Schwenke was taking first-team reps at left guard in the spring, but it sounds as if his career could be over.