Would Pats Consider Dwight Freeney?
Now that defensive end Rob Ninkovich has officially retired, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com wonders if the Patriots might consider signing free agent edge defender Dwight Freeney. Freeney, 37, is arguably the best pass rusher left on the market, and New England doesn’t have a true edge bender on its roster (Trey Flowers earned the highest pass-rushing grade from Pro Football Focus last season with a 76.8 mark). As Reiss notes, the Patriots brought Freeney in for a visit prior to the 2013 campaign, but oddly didn’t discuss a potential deal. Freeney indicated last month that he intends to continue his career in 2017.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/17
A roundup of today’s minor transactions:
- The Cardinals signed cornerback Jarell Carter and waived/injured linebacker Alani Fua (knee) and cornerback Ronald Zamort (knee). Zamort appeared to be ahead of Brandon Williams on the Cardinals’ depth chart at the time of his season-ending ACL tear.
- The Bengals waived kicker Jonathan Brown, which means the team’s kicking competition is down to Jake Elliott and Randy Bullock. To fill his roster spot, the Bengals signed safety Cedric Thompson.
- The Colts claimed former Denver tight end Henry Krieger-Coble on waivers. To make room, the Colts waived tight end Colin Jeter.
- The Eagles signed cornerback Tay Glover-Wright to a one-year contract, per a club announcement. Glover-Wright is an undrafted free agent with Utah State with just two games of NFL experience on his resume.
- Wide receiver K.J. Maye, who played in college at Minnesota, has been signed to the Patriots‘ 90-man roster.
- The 49ers announced that they’ve claimed wide receiver Tim Patrick off waivers from Baltimore and waived/injured fellow wideout B.J. Johnson.
- The Chiefs have signed free agent wide receivers Corey Washington and Rob Wheelwright, and waived wide receiver Antwan Goodley and tight end Emanuel Byrd.
- The Saints have signed former South Carolina linebacker Jonathan Walton, tweets Nick Underhill of the Advocate.
Rob Ninkovich To Retire
Longtime Patriots stalwart Rob Ninkovich, 33, is expected to announce his retirement this afternoon, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Just last week, we heard that Ninkovich, who was entering a contract season, would not play for anyone other than New England. Now, it seems, he will play for no one at all.
Ninkovich was selected by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2006 draft and spent several years with the Dolphins, but his career did not blossom until he signed with the Pats in 2009. Since 2010, he has posted at least four sacks per season as a versatile defensive end/linebacker, including three consecutive eight-sack seasons from 2012-14.
All in all, Ninkovich piled up 423 tackles and 46 sacks during his tenure with the Patriots. He appeared in 17 playoff games, including 16 starts, and was a key member of two Super Bowl-winning teams. A classic overachiever, Ninkovich was also a team leader, serving as a captain in 2013 and 2015.
As Reiss observes, Ninkovich appeared in only 44.3% of the team’s defensive snaps in the 2016 regular season, though that was due in large part to the fact that he served a four-game suspension to open the season after testing positive for a banned substance. But in the Pats’ most critical games at the end of the year, Ninkovich’s snap count spiked, underscoring his importance to the club. The last game of his career, of course, will be a Super Bowl triumph.
The team was counting on another solid season from the Purdue product in 2017. The Pats will turn first to Kony Ealy — who was acquired in a trade with the Panthers this offseason — to replace Ninkovich’s production. Michael Lombardi of The Ringer tweets that Deatrich Wise, Jr., whom New England selected in the fourth round of this year’s draft, is also a player to watch. The Patriots will need someone like Wise or fellow rookie Derek Rivers to step up in a big way, as Doug Kyed of NESN.com writes, because New England’s pass rush without Ninkovich looks rather thin.
Opinion: Austin Carr Could Benefit From Andrew Hawkins' Retirement
- Undrafted rookie Austin Carr could benefit from Andrew Hawkins‘ retirement more than any other Patriots receiver, observes Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. The Pats are still loaded at receiver, where they’ll primarily rely on Julian Edelman, Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola, but Hawkins’ exit leaves Carr as the next man up, writes Reiss. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Carr was the Big Ten receiver of the year last year, when he piled up 90 catches, 1,247 yards and 12 touchdowns at Northwestern.
Patriots Sign Tony Washington
- The Texans have claimed wide receiver Devin Street off waivers from the Jets. Houston’s already the fourth team this year for Street, who had brief stints with the Patriots and Jets after the Colts cut him in May. The three-year veteran has just 10 catches in 35 games.
- The Patriots have signed receiver Tony Washington, who’s joining his third team since hooking on with the Colts as an undrafted free agent from Appalachian State in 2014. Washington logged six appearances with the Jaguars over the previous two seasons and caught one pass.
Patriots Sign Caleb Kidder
- The Jets have cut wide receiver Devin Street, per Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram (on Twitter). New York will use Street’s old roster spot on Lucky Whitehead, whom it claimed off waivers from Dallas on Wednesday. A three-year veteran, Street was teammates with Whitehead when the two were on the Cowboys in 2015. Street was a member of the Colts last season, when he totaled five appearances and one catch. Indianapolis cut Street after the season, and both the Patriots and Jets have since waived him after short stints.
- The Patriots have added defensive end Caleb Kidder, an undrafted rookie from Montana. Kidder previously had a brief stint with Minnesota, which cut him last week.
Andrew Hawkins Retires From NFL
Andrew Hawkins is walking away from football. The wide receiver announced that he will retire rather than continuing with the Patriots this offseason (Twitter link). 
Hawkins signed a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal with New England this offseason, but he was facing long odds of making the final cut. Brandin Cooks, Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, and Malcolm Mitchell are already locks to make the roster and the Patriots also have to have a sixth WR spot saved for special-teams ace Matt Slater. Hawkins reportedly passed up more lucrative opportunities with other clubs because New England was his top choice, but he’s opting not to circle back to those teams. Hawkins’ retirement leaves the Patriots with 88 players on their 90-man roster.
Until signing with the Pats, the 31-year-old had spent his entire career in the AFC North. After playing for the Bengals from 2011-2013, he hooked on with the Browns as a free agent prior to the 2014 season. Hawkins was initially a focal part of the offense in Cleveland, racking up 63 catches for 824 yards and two scores in his first season there. After that, however, his role shrank. In 2016, he recorded 33 catches for 324 yards and three scores.
Hawkins recently finished his MBA and he has always been comfortable being on camera. There will be plenty for Hawkins to do now that his playing career is through and he won’t necessarily be confined to football.
Cardinals To Meet With CB Brandon Flowers
Former Chargers and Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers is visiting the Cardinals on Wednesday, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Flowers has also been talking with the Patriots, Schefter adds. 
Flowers was released by the Chargers just prior to the start of free agency. The Steelers expressed some interest in Flowers that week, but this is the first time that we’ve heard of other teams reaching out.
Flowers parlayed a strong 2014 season into a lucrative four-year deal with the Chargers before the 2015 season. He was unable to repeat that success in his first year with San Diego and his 2016 season was marred by concussion issues. Assuming that he is clear of any symptoms of brain trauma, he could be a valuable addition for teams in need of secondary help.
The Cardinals are presently without an established option to start at right cornerback opposite star Patrick Peterson. Justin Bethel and Brandon Williams have been battling it out for the job, but it’s possible that Bruce Arians is underwhelmed by what he’s seen so far this summer.
The Patriots have a lethal 1-2 combo of Malcolm Butler and Stephon Gilmore at cornerback, but they’re always on the lookout for additional depth. Eric Rowe, Justin Coleman, Cyrus Jones, and Jonathan Jones are among the other cornerbacks on the 90-man roster.
Rob Ninkovich Says He Will Not Play For Anyone Other Than Patriots
- Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich is entering his contract year, but at this point, he does not foresee himself playing for anyone other than New England, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. Ninkovich was drafted by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2006 draft and spent several years with the Dolphins, but his career did not blossom until he signed with the Pats in 2009. Since 2010, he has posted at least four sacks per season as a versatile defensive end/linebacker, including three consecutive eight-sack seasons from 2012-14. He is so grateful for his time in New England that, when asked if he could envision himself playing for another club, he said, “I wouldn’t do that.”
Dion Lewis Could Be On Roster Bubble
- Patriots running back Dion Lewis may have to fight for a roster spot this summer, Mike Giardi of CSNNE.com points out, but colleague Tom Curran says it would be a mistake for the team to cut him if he’s healthy (video link). Fellow back Brandon Bolden should be in greater jeopardy, as he offers little offensively, opines Curran. Lewis has provided solid production as both a runner and pass catcher when on the field during his two-year New England stint, having averaged 4.6 yards per carry on 113 attempts and totaled 53 receptions, but he hasn’t appeared much. A torn ACL in 2015 and the subsequent recovery process kept Lewis out of action for nine games in each of the previous two regular seasons. Releasing Lewis would save the Pats all but $200K of his $1.49MM cap hit, and they’d still have a capable group of backs with Mike Gillislee, James White and Rex Burkhead leading the way.