Patriots Sign TE Matt Lengel
The Patriots have signed tight end Matt Lengel off of the Bengals’ practice squad, as Jim McBride of The Boston Globe tweets. 
Lengal was part of the Bengals’ final round of cuts before they reached a 53-man roster. Soon after, he hooked on with their practice squad for the 2016 season. Now, he has an opportunity to see some NFL action with the Patriots.
Lengel, an Eastern Kentucky product, can give the Patriots a big receiving target at 6’7″. He went undrafted in 2015, an expected outcome after tearing the same ACL in both 2012 and 2013. Lengel will slot behind Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett on the Patriots’ depth chart. Barring injury, we probably won’t see much of him on the field.
The Patriots are on their bye week. Lengel will have extra time to learn the playbook between now and their next game on Nov. 13 against the Seahawks.
Collins: I Didn’t Ask For “Von Miller Money”
After the Patriots shipped Jamie Collins to the Browns, it was widely reported that the team’s unsuccessful contract talks helped to spur the deal. According to one report, Collins’ camp once told the Patriots that they were seeking “Von Miller money.” In a chat with reporters today, Collins denied setting his asking price that high. 
“I’m not Von Miller. Let’s be smart,” Collins said (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com).
Collins also denied rumblings of an $11MM/year contract offer from the Pats (Twitter link). However, as noted yesterday, it sounds like a matter of semantics. The Patriots apparently floated that number in talks, but never formally put such an offer on the table.
The details of Collins’ talks with the Patriots are largely irrelevant now, but it does give us insight into where his team may kick things off in negotiations. The Browns obviously want to lock Collins up for future seasons and they now know that they won’t have to work his reps down from a ludicrously high six-year, $114.5MM starting point. Yesterday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com heard that Collins does want to top Luke Kuechly‘s $12.36MM/year average, which is a more realistic target. Kuechly signed his deal with the Panthers prior to the 2015 season and the cap/market increase may allow Collins to leapfrog him, depending on how he performs for the rest of the season.
Collins also said he feels he’s auditioning for the 31 other teams, considering he’s out of contract after this season. At the same time, he said that he “wasn’t worried” about joining the winless Browns and is putting his focus on thriving with his new team.
Practice Squad Updates: 11/1/16
Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Zaviar Gooden, TE Brian Leonhardt
- Cut: T Martin Wallace
Baltimore Ravens
- Cut: RB Stephen Houston
Chicago Bears
- Cut: OT Arturo Uzdavinis
Cleveland Browns
- Cut: WR Mitch Mathews
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Terrance Smith
New England Patriots
- Signed: OG Chase Farris, TE Austin Traylor
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Lamar Louis
- Cut: DL Royce LaFrance
New York Jets
- Signed: OT Jesse Davis, WR Myles White
- Cut: C Kyle Friend, LB Reshard Cliett
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: LB James Burgess
- Cut: WR Kevin Norwood
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: S Vinnie Sunseri
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR George Farmer
- Cut: QB Joel Stave, FB Julian Howsare
Chiefs Sign RB Bishop Sankey
The Chiefs have signed running back Bishop Sankey off of the Patriots’ practice squad, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
The signing of Sankey could be a sign that Jamaal Charles‘ knee issues are rather serious. Kansas City is also awaiting word on Spencer Ware as he goes through concussion protocol. And, just a couple of weeks ago, KC shipped Knile Davis to the Packers (he was released yesterday). That left the Chiefs with Charcandrick West as their only healthy running back, necessitating today’s move.
Sankey was once viewed as the Titans’ top running back but he was dropped before the 53-man deadline this year. Sankey, 24, appeared in all 16 games for the Titans as a rookie but amassed only 569 yards off of 152 carries. Last season, Sankey’s role was reduced even further has he had only 47 rushing attempts for 193 yards in 13 games.
The Patriots recently gave a $52,700 raise to Sankey, but that was not enough to keep him from jumping at a 53-man roster opportunity.
Jamie Collins Looking To Top Kuechly’s Salary?
Yesterday, the Patriots shocked the football world when they shipped linebacker Jamie Collins to the Browns for a future draft pick. While there has been speculation about Collins’ work ethic and possible friction with Bill Belichick, the deal was also driven by the Pats’ realization that they won’t be able to re-sign him to a team-friendly deal this offseason. The Patriots didn’t formally offer Collins a new deal (despite reports to the contrary), but they floated the idea of an $11MM/year contract, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter). 
After trading for the pending free agent, the Browns are obviously looking to lock Collins up for the long term. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that Collins is looking to eclipse the $12.36MM/year that Luke Kuechly is making on his current deal with the Panthers. Collins’ camp views him as a hybrid player and will push for a deal that would put him in the top four amongst all linebackers in terms of AAV. Collins reportedly told the Patriots that he wanted “Von Miller money” at one point during talks, so it sounds like his demands have come back down to earth a little bit.
Meanwhile, former Pats assistant Mike Lombardi discussed the Collins deal on the latest edition of The Bill Simmons Podcast (audio link). During the interview, Lombardi shed some light on why New England was willing to bail on the talented linebacker in the middle of the season:
“The one thing you have to do, Donnie Walsh said this to me in 1990s, or the late 80s, ‘You’ve got to know what you’re trading before you make a trade.’ And that’s the one caveat that Belichick knows; he knows what he’s trading. He’s trading a guy who is very talented, but very moody, very inconsistent with his effort, and so for him to pay that player that type of money sends a message to the locker room that, look, I tolerate this and I reward this. He’s never doing that. And when Belichick, every message he sends in terms of a contract is a message to the locker room.”
Patriots Audition Six
- The Patriots worked out punter Brandon Fields, kicker Matt Wile, long snappers Tyler Ott and John DePalma, and wide receivers Wendall Williams and Bralon Addison, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Pats LB Jonathan Freeny Won’t Return From IR
Patriots linebacker Jonathan Freeny was placed on injured reserve two weeks ago, and he won’t be healthy enough to be designated to return, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). Per the NFL’s IR rules, Freeny could have come back after eight weeks and helped out New England during the stretch run, but his shoulder injury will keep him out for the rest of the year.
[RELATED: Jamie Collins Turned Down $11MM/Year]
The Patriots could conceivably be in the market for linebacker depth after making the surprising decision to trade Jamie Collins to the Browns, but Freeny won’t be part of any cavalry that comes along. New England already made a move to acquire a linebacker last week, picking up former second-round pick Kyle Van Noy from the Lions by swapping late-round picks. Meanwhile, rookie Elandon Roberts and Barkevious Mingo figure to form a duo to replace Collins’ production, as Doug Kyed of NESN reported earlier today.
Freeny, who agreed to a two-year extension before the season began, played in five games (four starts) before getting injured. The 26-year-old had managed six tackles and a forced fumble, and was also a factor on special teams.
Reaction To The Jamie Collins Trade
The NFL’s official transaction wire lists the Patriots’ return for linebacker Jamie Collins as a conditional 2018 fourth-round pick, not a 2017 third-round compensatory pick as originally reported, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). That could because the deal is stipulated on Cleveland actually receiving a third-round comp pick — if it doesn’t, the Patriots would receive a fourth-round selection, tweets Tony Grossi of ESPN.com.
Here’s where things get tricky: the Patriots must relinquish their highest fourth-round pick in 2017 as part of their Deflategate punishment. So, as Field Yates of ESPN.com explains (Twitter link), the two sides may have worked out an agreement that allow New England to get a fourth-rounder for now, but have that pick turn into a third-rounder — in either 2017 or 2018 — depending on future events. Confused? You’re not alone, but reports should flow in soon that will elucidate the situation.
Let’s take a look at some of the reaction and fallout from today’s shocking trade, from both the Patriots’ and Browns’ point-of-view…
New England Patriots
- The Patriots could have received a third-round compensatory pick by simply letting Collins walk in free agency, but that would have meant waiting until 2018 to recoup the selection, as Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap tweets. Additionally, New England would have had to “tip toe” in 2017 free agency, making sure that it didn’t sign any high-priced outsiders that would cancel out the Collins comp pick.
- Former Patriots/Browns executive Michael Lombardi also offered his take on the trade (all Twitter links), stating that he wasn’t surprised by the deal given that Collins had been freelancing on defense, specifically pointing to two plays against Buffalo on Sunday. Moving Collins, says Lombardi, also serves as something of a wake-up call to the rest of the defense.
- Collins’ absence could offer leverage to fellow linebacker Dont’a Hightower, who is also set to become a free agent next spring, opines Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). By dealing away Chandler Jones over the summer, and Collins now, the Pats are seemingly signalling that they’ve chosen Hightower for the long term. In the immediate future, expect to see more of sixth-round rookie ‘backer Elandon Roberts, with Barkevious Mingo chipping in on passing downs, says Kyed (Twitter link).
- In dueling opinion pieces, Mike Sando of ESPN Insider and Kyed offer disparate opinions on today’s trade, with Sando arguing that the deal makes sense for New England, while Kyed labels it a “head-scratcher.”
Cleveland Browns
- The acquisition of Collins means the Browns need to ramp up talks with impending free agent receiver Terrelle Pryor, as Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports tweets. With only one franchise tag to deploy, Cleveland can’t risk allowing both players to hit free agency. Luckily, the Browns have already reportedly engaged in negotiation talks with Pryor.
- In a full-length piece, Fitzgerald writes that the deal doesn’t make a ton of sense from Cleveland’s perspective, even though the team has plenty of cap space to use. Additionally, Collins doesn’t necessarily play an impact position, meaning the franchise tag is less useful. If the Browns don’t re-sign Collins, they could reap a comp pick the following year, but that would likely entail sitting out the free agent period once again.
- Cleveland could theoretically turn Joe Thomas into Collins (and more), say Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). If the Browns are able to get a second-round pick for Thomas, they’ve essentially acquired a younger player while trading up in the draft.
Jamie Collins Rejected $11MM/Year From Pats
Before he was traded to the Browns, linebacker Jamie Collins turned down a contract offer of $11MM per year from the Patriots, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). While no other details of the proposal, such as guaranteed money or contract structure, are known, $11MM is far less than the $15MM franchise tag that Collins would have required.
[RELATED: New England Patriots Depth Chart]
At one point, Collins was asking the Patriots for “Von Miller money” — six years, $114.5MM — Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick were never likely to pay that total, nor assign Collins the franchise tag, says Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). As such, negotiations between the club and Collins were predictably going nowhere. Talks had “not progressed,” per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link), while a source tells Volin that New England was “having a lot of trouble” in negotiations (Twitter link).
Both sides appeared ready to “move on,” according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), and today’s trade allows both parties to do just that. “The thinking is, if they don’t want me, go someplace that does,” Bus Cook, Collins’ agent, Rapoport after the deal was completed.
Patriots Trade LB Jamie Collins To Browns
The Patriots are trading linebacker Jamie Collins to the Browns, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). In return, New England will receive a compensatory third-round pick. The deal has been confirmed via press release.
[RELATED: Download The Must-Have Trade Rumors App Today!]
Recently, the Patriots made a team-friendly extension offer to Collins, but they were rebuffed. The Pats likely didn’t think that they could work out a new deal with the pending free agent, leading them to today’s trade. Of course, New England has a number of key players to take care of, including Martellus Bennett, Malcolm Butler (restricted free agent), Dont’a Hightower, and Logan Ryan. Had the Patriots waited for Collins to sign elsewhere in the offseason, their compensatory pick would have come in 2018.
The Browns, meanwhile, have been stockpiling draft picks in unprecedented fashion and they used one of those selections today to acquire one of the league’s top outside linebackers. Through seven games, Collins has 43 tackles, one sack, three passes defensed, and two interceptions. The advanced numbers at Pro Football Focus have Collins ranked as the No. 9 linebacker in the NFL this year with roughly even grades for his run defense and coverage.
Presumably, the Browns are going to try and lock up Collins on a long-term deal. Cleveland can utilize the franchise tag to keep Collins for the 2017 season and he’s probably the team’s best candidate for that designation.
We haven’t heard any trade rumors involving Collins this week and the deal comes as a complete shock. No one anticipated that the Patriots would deal one of their best defenders this week and no one expected the rebuilding Browns to acquire a bonafide star prior to the deadline. There has been lots of talk about Cleveland moving key veterans like Joe Thomas, but it’s possible that the Browns could continue in buyer’s mode for the next 24 hours.