NFL Workout Updates: 9/18/18
Here’s the latest from the NFL workout circuit on a busy Tuesday. All links to NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted.
Arizona Cardinals
- LB Kennan Gilchrist, Hayes Pullard (Twitter link via Sirius XM’s Adam Caplan)
Atlanta Falcons
- CB Taveze Calhoun, CB Taurean Nixon, CB Malik Reaves (link)
Buffalo Bills
- DT Michael Bennett, DT Quinton Dial, QB Tyler Ferguson, CB Michael Hunter, OL Austin Pasztor, WR Hunter Sharp, WR Brandon Shippen, OL Jylan Ware (link)
Carolina Panthers
- T Isaiah Battle, TE Blake Bell, TE Billy Brown, TE Kyle Carter, T Roubbens Joseph, T Michael Ola, QB Dalton Sturm, T Darrell Williams (link)
Cleveland Browns
- WR Bennie Fowler, WR Dontrelle Inman, LB Azeem Victor (link)
Dallas Cowboys
- CB Jeremy Boykins, WR Chad Hansen, LB Ufomba Kamalu, WR Justice Liggins, DE Cameron Malveaux, WR Francis Owusu, T William Poehls, DT Christian Ringo, DT Adolphus Washington (link)
Detroit Lions
- DT Darius Kilgo (via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, on Twitter)
Houston Texans
- RB Matthew Dayes, DE Anthony Lanier, RB Jeremy McNichols, CB Herb Waters, CB D.J. White, WR Isaac Whitney (link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- T Gerhard de Beer, T Christian DiLauro, T Antonio Garcia, WR Francis Owusu, WR Brandon Reilly, WR Travis Rudolph (link)
Kansas City Chiefs
- TE Jerell Adams, TE Nick Keizer, TE David Wells, , (via Caplan, on Twitter)
Los Angeles Chargers
- G Spencer Drango, T Jamar McGloster (via Caplan, on Twitter)
Los Angeles Rams
- G Ian Silberman, T David Steinmetz, T Darrell Williams (link)
New England Patriots
- QB Kyle Allen, RB Andre Ellington, RB Charcandrick West (via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, on Twitter)
New Orleans Saints
- LB Jonathan Freeny, LB Josh Keyes, LB Darnell Sankey, LB Martrell Spaight (via Caplan, on Twitter)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- CB De’Vante Bausby, DE Hunter Dimick, DT Sealver Siliga, LB Emmanuel Smith, CB Herb Waters, LB Antwione Williams (via Caplan, on Twitter)
Tennessee Titans
- CB Makinton Dorleant, DT Darius Kilgo, DT Dee Liner, DT Jamie Meder, S Josh Robinson, CB Henre’ Toliver (link)
Washington Redskins
- G Kofi Amichia, G Jamil Douglas, T Chris Durant, C Jake Eldrenkamp, T Justin Evans, G Kaleb Johnson (link)
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/18/18
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad updates.
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Nigel Harris
- Cut: LB B.J. Bello
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DB Taveze Calhoun
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Michael Hunter, WR Hunter Sharp
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DT Adolphus Washington
- Cut: DT Aziz Shittu
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Isaac Whitney
- Cut: WR Malachi Dupre
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB Jeremy McNichols
- Cut: QB Phillip Walker
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE David Wells
Los Angeles Rams
- Cut: TE Temarrick Hemingway, QB Luis Perez
- Signed: T Darrell Williams
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Jace Billingsley
- Placed on practice squad IR: WR Riley McCarron
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Lavon Coleman
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Darius Kilgo, WR Cameron Batson, TE Anthony Firkser
- Cut: TE Jerome Cunningham
Brady, McDaniels Realized Pats Needed Weapon
- The Patriots did this because they are “desperate” for another playmaker on offense, Robinson notes. Both Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels have become “acutely aware” the team lacks a viable deep threat, Robinson writes. New England has made 28 transactions at wide receiver since the start of this league year, the headliner being a trade of Brandin Cooks to the Rams for a first-round pick — which became a player (offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn) who can’t contribute until at least 2019. The Jaguars muzzled the Pats’ attack for much of the teams’ AFC championship game rematch Sunday.
- Gordon’s contract being non-guaranteed breaks the Patriots’ payments down into $46K increments, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes. The Pats can cut Gordon free of any dead-money charges. A second-round RFA tender in 2019 would cost about $3MM, but Volin argues the team might be better served to give Gordon an original-round tender since the Patriots would still receive a second-round pick in return from a team that signs Gordon to an offer sheet (because he was a second-round pick). The low-end tender should be worth approximately $2MM in 2019.
- The Patriots did this because they are “desperate” for another playmaker on offense, Robinson notes. Both Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels have become “acutely aware” the team lacks a viable deep threat, Robinson writes. New England has made 28 transactions at wide receiver since the start of this league year, the headliner being a trade of Brandin Cooks to the Rams for a first-round pick — which became a player (offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn) who can’t contribute until at least 2019. The Jaguars muzzled the Pats’ attack for much of the teams’ AFC championship game rematch Sunday.
- The 49ers did not bid what the Patriots did for Gordon, Kyle Shanahan said, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (on Twitter). John Lynch confirmed the 49ers’ interest in Gordon, but the Browns — as they have with many trades in recent years — chose a Patriots offer instead.
- Gordon is not believed to be doing especially well financially, per Cabot, who reports the wideout who is making $790K this season “owes people money.” Gordon’s involved in a child-support battle with the mother of his 3-year-old daughter and has not received much NFL money since the 2013 season. Cabot wondered if this turn of events was a way for Gordon to get to free agency early, but after the subsequent trade to the Patriots, he’s still attached to that 2012 rookie contract. She argued, prior to the trade, for the Browns to exercise more patience here unless a much better offer came along. But they cut the cord for a fifth-round pick.
- Gordon’s contract being non-guaranteed breaks the Patriots’ payments down into $46K increments, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes. The Pats can cut Gordon free of any dead-money charges. A second-round RFA tender in 2019 would cost about $3MM, but Volin argues the team might be better served to give Gordon an original-round tender since the Patriots would still receive a second-round pick in return from a team that signs Gordon to an offer sheet (because he was a second-round pick). The low-end tender should be worth approximately $2MM in 2019.
Patriots To Acquire Josh Gordon
It’s a done deal. Josh Gordon is headed to the Patriots, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Pats will send a fifth-round pick to the Browns for the former All-Pro.
Gordon is expected to play for the Patriots on Sunday night against the Lions, Schefter reports (via Twitter). The Patriots will receive a 2019 seventh-round pick from the Browns if Gordon is unable to play 10 games with New England this season, per Schefter (on Twitter).
The Patriots will waive former Gordon Browns teammate Corey Coleman to make room, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
This trade was initially supposed to be for a sixth-round pick, but with New England not having a 2019 sixth, Schefter adds Cleveland will receive a fifth for Gordon. The Browns wanted to send Gordon to the NFC, and Schefter tweets they discussed the seventh-year wideout with the Cowboys, Redskins and 49ers before the Patriots stepped up. The Gordon market was vast but not flush with strong offers, with Albert Breer of SI.com tweeting a sixth-rounder was set to get this deal done before the Pats agreed to part with a fifth.
The 27-year-old wide receiver recently underwent a hamstring MRI, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the scan came out fine. That would put him on track to play for his new team on Sunday night.
This ends a six-plus-year saga for Gordon in Cleveland. He’s leaving a team that’s won one game since the start of the 2016 season and heading to this era’s most successful franchise. Gordon could be controlled on his 2012 rookie contract through the 2019 season. He’s set to be a restricted free agent after 2018.
“John (Dorsey) got the best he could,” Hue Jackson said Monday (via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com).
Some in the Browns’ organization believe Gordon slipped in his recovery program, per Cabot, who adds it wasn’t Gordon’s hamstring issue but his rampant off-field issues that finally prompted the Browns to cut the cord. They first announced they were planning to cut Gordon. That understandably generated a trade market for the mercurial talent, and Dorsey will add draft capital as a result. Although if Gordon proves healthy and available for the Pats, he’ll be worth more than a fifth-round pick.
But the Patriots are comfortable enough to make a deal. They are getting a player who delivered one of the greatest receiving seasons in NFL history, albeit way back in 2013, and one of the league’s most notorious suspension risks. Gordon’s missed all but 11 games since the start of the 2014 season.
Gordon will add not only to the extensive Browns-Pats pipeline that’s formed — joining Jamie Collins, Barkevious Mingo, Jason McCourty and Danny Shelton among notable players these franchises have exchanged recently — but represent another Bill Belichick reclamation project. He’ll join Corey Dillon, Randy Moss, Chad Johnson and Albert Haynesworth in that club and represent more risk than each, given his history.
The Patriots, however, could well be facing a closing championship window — with Tom Brady now 41 — and have made 28 wide receiver transactions since the 2018 league year began. They’ve attempted for months to find weapons for Brady; they’ve now landed the most interesting possible piece.
New England is without Julian Edelman until after Week 4 and have been discussing receivers with other teams leading up to their Gordon deal. The former second-round supplemental pick joins a receiving corps headed by Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett.
Belichick will gamble the newest Patriot can stay on the field. Gordon missed all of the 2015 and ’16 seasons due to substance-abuse trouble, incurred a 10-game 2014 ban and did not suit up for the Browns until December 2017 post-reinstatement. Gordon also missed Browns training camp, reportedly checking himself into a rehab facility in fear of another substance-abuse relapse. He also admitted he’d played under the influence since high school, so his future with another organization will be interesting to follow.
Patriots Nearing Deal For Josh Gordon
The Browns-Patriots trade pipeline might be set to produce its biggest deal yet. The Patriots are discussing a deal for Josh Gordon, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter) they are getting close to hammering out an agreement.
Cleveland announced intentions of jettisoning its mercurial pass-catching talent on Saturday, and as many as 10 teams have contacted the Browns about Gordon. The Patriots appear to be one of them. They’ve been discussing wideouts with other teams as well, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).
New England would make sense for Gordon, given its issues at wide receiver and Tom Brady now in his age-41 season. The superstar wideout would be an upgrade for the Pats, who are still two games away from getting Julian Edelman back. Edelman and Gordon obviously do not have similar skill sets, so the two could (on paper) coexist for a team trying to keep its Super Bowl championship window open.
While not all of Bill Belichick‘s gambles have worked out, the additions of Corey Dillon in 2004 and Randy Moss three years later paid off massively for the Patriots. Gordon has encountered far more trouble than either but is not believed to be facing another suspension. He played in Week 1 for the Browns, catching a touchdown pass, but was deactivated on Sunday after apparently injuring his hamstring during a promotional video shoot.
The 49ers and Jets were believed to be interested, John Lynch admitted he inquired about the 27-year-old talent, and rumblings about a Gordon-to-Philadelphia scenario have surfaced. But Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports doesn’t believe the Eagles are in the Gordon hunt (Twitter link).
The Patriots may be willing to make the best offer. New England and Cleveland have agreed to deals on Jamie Collins, Danny Shelton, Jason McCourty and Barkevious Mingo in recent years. A Gordon-to-Foxborough agreement, though, would easily surpass these in terms of headline impact.
Best known for his rampant unavailability and a historically dominant 2013 season, earning him a first-team All-Pro honor prior to his slew of suspension troubles, Gordon going to New England would be fascinating. He’s obviously never played with a quarterback on Brady’s level and has two possible years of team control on his 2012 rookie contract. Gordon will be a restricted free agent after this season.
Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett reside as the Pats’ top available receivers. No player is perhaps further away from being a sure thing than Gordon, his having missed all but 11 games since the start of the 2014 season, but Albert Breer of SI.com notes Gordon could potentially be had for a late-round pick. With so many teams inquiring, it’s conceivable Cleveland could net a mid-round selection for its most talented receiver, but Gordon’s baggage could limit the haul.
Vikings To Add WR Aldrick Robinson
Aldrick Robinson couldn’t quite make the 49ers’ 53-man roster out of camp but will have another opportunity.
The Vikings are signing the eighth-year veteran wide receiver, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report (on Twitter). He’ll join a receiving corps that carried five players going into Monday afternoon.
Although the Vikings were the only known team to work out Robinson, the Patriots and Bills also explored adding him as well, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets.
Set to turn 30 next week, Robinson will be the oldest Vikings wideout. Minnesota rosters third-year man Laquon Treadwell, second-season cog Stacy Coley and rookie Brandon Zylstra behind its starters. If the Vikings aren’t keen on carrying six wideouts, one of the latter duo could be on the chopping block.
Robinson worked out for the Vikings prior to Week 1, and it apparently went well enough the team had him in its wait-and-see queue. The former sixth-round Redskins pick has twice averaged more than 20 yards per catch, with the 2012 and ’13 Redskins, and has followed Kyle Shanahan to three cities — trekking to Atlanta and then San Francisco. With the 2017 49ers, Robinson caught 19 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns.
Treadwell’s four receptions represent the only passes a Vikings receiver not named Stefon Diggs or Adam Thielen has caught this season.
Kenny Britt To Visit Patriots, Could Re-Sign
New England continues to cycle through options at receiver, and now Kenny Britt might be back on the table according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Rapsheet reports that Britt will visit the Patriots and work out for the team on Monday. He writes that “if all goes well and his hamstring is healthy, he could sign in New England.” It would be an interesting development for a player who was just cut by the Patriots back in August.
New England just recently cut Bennie Fowler, so Britt could slide into his spot on the roster while the team awaits the return of Julian Edelman from suspension. Britt’s release a couple of weeks before cutdown day was a surprise, as he was expected to take on a larger role in the Patriots’ depleted receiving corp. Britt signed with the Patriots late last season and was often a gameday inactive, catching two passes for 23 yards across three games.
Britt has proven he can be a productive receiver in the league, but has often clashed with coaching staffs. He didn’t get along well with management in Cleveland, and was released by the Browns just nine games into a four-year $32.5MM contract. Just two seasons ago, he put up 1,002 yards and five touchdowns with the Rams, so maybe he’ll be able to pull of a career resurgence in New England, assuming he re-signs.
Michel, Burkeahd Both Playing Week 2
Inactive lists for the late slate of games are starting to roll in, and are providing answers to some key injury questions. Perhaps the biggest mystery of the week was the status of Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette. We finally have clarity, as Fournette will officially miss Jacksonville’s Week 2 game against the Patriots with his hamstring injury according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link).
- The Patriots’ backfield got some good news as both Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead will suit up per Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). Burkhead was cleared from the concussion protocol while Michel will make his NFL debut after missing most of the offseason with a knee injury.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/15/18
Today’s pair of practice squad moves:
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Riley McCarron
Baltimore Ravens:
- Signed: S Kai Nacua
Patriots Injury Notes: Michel, Cannon
- It looks like Sony Michel could be making his NFL debut this week. The first round pick of the Patriots missed most of the offseason and Week 1 due to a knee ailment, but has “made a lot of progress this week” and “the progress has been encouraging” for his Week 1 prospects according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- Speaking of Patriots injuries, starting left tackle Marcus Cannon is looking unlikely to play and the team has “prepared LaAdrian Waddle this week to start” according to Howe (Twitter link). It’d be a big blow to the Patriots’ offensive line against Jacksonville’s dominant defensive front.