Patriots Trade TE A.J. Derby To Broncos
The Broncos acquired tight end A.J. Derby from the Patriots, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). New England will receive a 2017 fifth-round pick in the swap. Denver has confirmed the deal via press release. 
[RELATED: Patriots Acquire LB Kyle Van Noy From Lions]
Tight end has been a weak spot for Denver this season. Derby, who is technically still a rookie, could see playing time right away for the Broncos.
“A.J. is a young tight end who can help us immediately,” said Executive Vice President of Football Operations/General Manager John Elway. “He has tremendous upside and will fit in well on our team.”
So far this year, Derby has only been on the field for 36 snaps. That’s understandable considering that he is playing behind both Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett. In the preseason, Derby caught 15 passes for 189 yards and one score.
Derby was a sixth-round pick by New England in the 2015 draft. Unfortunately, he had to be placed on IR last year and missed his entire rookie season. The 6’5″, 225 pound tight end had 22 catches, 303 receiving yards, and three touchdowns in his final year at Arkansas. Prior to that, Derby was a quarterback for the Razorbacks.
Of course, this marks the Patriots’ second trade of the day. Earlier this afternoon, the Pats sent a draft pick to the Lions in exchange for linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
Lions Trade LB Kyle Van Noy To Patriots
The Lions have traded linebacker Kyle Van Noy to the Patriots, according to Field Yates and James Walker of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will send Van Noy and a seventh-round pick to New England in exchange for a sixth-round pick (link).
Van Noy was believed to be on the chopping block in Detroit after the draft. The Lions kept him on the roster, but they have opted to move him for a modest return mid-season. Van Noy, the Lions‘ second-round pick in 2014, had half of his rookie season wiped out by a stint on injured reserve. Since then, he has not been 100% healthy and his surgically-repaired hip has continued to hamper him. Still, the BYU product started all seven of the Lions’ games this season, totaling 23 tackles and one pass defended.
After the trade, the Patriots are now deeper than ever at linebacker. Behind starters Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins, and Elandon Roberts, the Pats have linebacker/defensive end Ninkovich, Shea McClellin, Barkevious Mingo, and now Van Noy. There’s also Jonathan Freeny who could be brought back from IR late in the season.
The Lions are left somewhat thin at linebacker, but that could change when/if linebacker Jon Bostic is brought back from IR. Detroit should also get DeAndre Levy back soon.
This isn’t the first time that Lions GM Bob Quinn has worked out a trade with his former employers in New England. Earlier this year, the Lions acquired Bostic in a swap with the Patriots.
After beating the Redskins on Sunday, the Lions now stand at 4-3 as they prepare for the Texans on Sunday. The Patriots, meanwhile, are 6-1 with the rival Bills on the docket.
Shamiel Gary Tries Out For Patriots
- The Patriots auditioned safety Shamiel Gary, per Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). The ex-Dolphin was with the Patriots for a brief period in 2014.
Patriots Cut Anthony Johnson
- The Patriots have cut defensive lineman Anthony Johnson, according to Rand Getlin (on Twitter). The former Dolphin and Redskin has shuffled in and out of the New England organization since signing with the club in May. Johnson took part in four of the Patriots’ first seven games and made one start.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/24/16
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Arturo Uzdavinis (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: CB Leon McFadden (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN)
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Dez Stewart (Twitter link via Wilson)
New England Patriots
- Cut: S Vinnie Sunseri (Twitter link via Doug Kyed of NESN)
New York Jets
- Signed: DL Brandin Bryant
49ers Make Joe Staley Available For Trade
The 49ers have made left tackle Joe Staley available via trade, sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. San Francisco wants a first-round pick in order to part with the five-time Pro Bowler. 
[RELATED: Chip Kelly Denies Interest In NCAA Jobs]
While there are a number of teams that could have interest in a left tackle like Staley, it remains to be seen whether any of those clubs are willing to meet SF’s asking price. Florio writes that Staley has been “tied” to the Vikings, Giants, Cardinals, Seahawks, and Patriots. A Pats deal would only be feasible if the Niners are willing to lower the price tag, however.
Word of Staley being on the trade block comes after news that several teams are showing interest in Browns left tackle Joe Thomas. In terms of interested clubs, there’s predictably a big overlap on that Venn diagram. However, the Browns are reportedly seeking a second-round pick for Thomas and that could hurt the Staley market.
Staley, 32, is signed through the 2019 season. This season, he has a $5.4MM base salary but that climbs to $8.25MM in 2017. In the final two years of the deal, Staley’s base drops back down to $4.8MM in each season.
So far this season, Pro Football Focus has Staley rated as the 14th best tackle in the league with an overall grade of 81.8. Staley’s pass blocking grade is rather pedestrian, but his run blocking score of 84.6 is the third-best in the NFL, putting him ahead of notables like the Broncos’ Russell Okung and suspended Eagles tackle Lane Johnson.
Joe Thomas Trade Again On Table
Joe Thomas has not made it known he wants out of Cleveland, but as the 0-7 Browns have predictably floundered in another rebuilding year, the left tackle doesn’t seem to have a place on the team. And trade winds are blowing again around the perennial first-team All-Pro.
Several teams are interested in the 10th-year edge protector, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports, and all would give Thomas a chance to play in the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Florio reports the Patriots, Cardinals, Giants, Seahawks and Vikings have varying degrees of interest in a potential Thomas deal. But the Browns likely will keep him through Week 8, with the deadline a day after their clash with the Jets. The team owes its longest-tenured player $488K in Week 8; Thomas is under contract through 2018.
The Browns are eyeing a second-round pick for the six-time All-Pro lineman, a source tells Florio. That would be a worse haul than what they could have received last year, when the Broncos submitted a proposal including 2015 first-rounder Shane Ray and a second-round pick. Thomas will turn 32 in December, so his days of being a top-tier blocker are winding down. But he’d certainly be an upgrade on numerous teams’ left tackle situations.
Florio adds the chances the Browns move Thomas are lower than they were a year ago, and teams’ cap space in taking on Thomas’ contract will be an issue. The 6-foot-6 blocker does not have any guaranteed money left on his deal and will make $10MM in 2017 and ’18. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap points out (Twitter link), teams would only need to possess around $4.9MM in 2016 cap space to trade for Thomas. The Giants and Patriots are safely under that mark, while the Seahawks (at $5.931MM) are to a lesser degree. Both the Vikings (league-low $426K in cap space) and Cardinals ($2.171MM) aren’t.
If the Browns get to the point they’re willing to take what they can get for Thomas, Florio notes the Patriots would be interested in being his landing spot. The Pats and Browns already made a deal that sent the Browns’ 2013 first-round pick, Barkevious Mingo, to New England earlier this year. New England placed Sebastian Vollmer on the PUP list due to nagging hip problems that are expected to keep him out all season.
Minnesota’s line has not performed well and placed both starting tackles, Matt Kalil and Andre Smith, on IR. However, the Vikings traded their first-round pick next year for Sam Bradford and recently added Jake Long. Mike Zimmer, in criticizing his offensive line, said (via Florio) the team doesn’t plan to make any more additions up front.
It’s been reported on multiple occasions Thomas will not ask for a trade. But with the Browns having already parted with several veterans, not playing for anything in the short term and showing with their most recent draft moves how much they covet draft picks, a deal would make sense either this season or before the 2017 draft.
Patriots Audition Reshard Cliett
- The Patriots worked out linebacker Reshard Cliett today, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). As Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes, New England’s recent run of auditioning linebackers is due to the club’s injury situation. Jamie Collins missed Sunday’s game against the Bengals, his backup Elandon Roberts is dealing with an injury of his own, and Jonathan Freeny is already on injured reserve. Shea McClellin and Rob Ninkovich, each of whom has been playing on the line, could be options at linebacker, as could recent trade acquisition Barkevious Mingo.
- The Jets worked out wide receiver Dres Anderson today, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link). Anderson, who was recently cut from the 49ers’ practice squad, tried out for the Patriots yesterdayy.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/20/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DT, T.J. Barnes, CB Tyler Patmon (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
New England Patriots
- Signed: LB Trevor Reilly
- Cut: WR Shaq Evans
Patriots Try Out Two
- The Patriots worked out receiver Dres Anderson and linebacker Trevor Reilly on Wednesday, tweets Doug Kyed of NESN. Anderson went undrafted from Utah last year and spent some time with the 49ers, though he didn’t see any regular-season action. Reilly suited up 29 times and made 10 tackles with the Jets over the previous two seasons.