NFC East Notes: Williams, Gettleman, Hill
The NFL and NFLPA will conduct a joint investigation into claims made by Washington’s LT Trent Williams, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Williams has been one of the best left tackles in football since entering the league in 2010. After solidifying the blindside in Washington for nearly a decade, Williams had been holding out for all of the 2019 season.
The team refused to move Williams before the trade deadline, but the tackle finally reported to the team on Tuesday. However, he has since failed his physical and publicly accused the team of failing to recognize the severity of a cancerous growth on his head this past summer. The team has since denied Williams’ claims of wrongdoing and called for a third-party evaluation. According to Rapoport, the collective bargaining agreement calls for a joint investigation amidst such accusations.
Here’s more from around the NFC East:
- Giants general manager Dave Gettleman needs to answer for his trade deadline decisions, according to Darryl Slater of NJ.com. Since the second day of training camp in late July, Gettleman has not answered questions from any reporters. Even more concerning, a Giants spokesperson said he is not currently scheduled to address the media again this season, per Slater. Currently at 2-6, many were surprised to see the team give up draft assets for impending free agent Leonard Williams. Moreover, the team recouped no draft capital for any of their veteran players. Slater maintains it is “part of the job” for Gettleman to take questions from the media regardless of how popular his decisions are.
- Cowboys rookie second-round pick Trysten Hill has become a problem, according to Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News. Per Watkins report, the defensive tackle has recently been sent home after arriving late to practice and fell asleep in the middle of a speech by Hall of Fame basketball player Isiah Thomas. Dallas has not been publicly critical of Hill, but Watkins notes that even after losing starting defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford for the season, Hill remains outside the rotation.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/31/19
Today’s practice squad updates:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: CB D.J. White
Green Bay Packers
- Released: WR Keon Hatcher
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: S Doug Middleton
New York Giants
- Signed: P Sean Smith
More Minor NFL Transactions: 10/30/19
Today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Greg Mabin
- Placed on injured reserve: DT Ryan Glasgow
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed off waivers (Giants): LB Tae Davis
Denver Broncos
- Promoted from practice squad: QB Brett Rypien
Detroit Lions
- Signed off Cowboys’ practice squad: CB Michael Jackson
- Waived: RB Paul Perkins
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun
- Placed on injured reserve: DE J.J. Watt (story)
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Tevaughn Campbell
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed off waivers (Saints): CB Ken Crawley
- Signed: TE Clive Walford
- Waived: WR Isaiah Ford
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Jordan Leggett
- Placed on injured reserve: LB Jack Cichy
Washington Redskins
- Placed on injured reserve: LB Cassanova McKinzy
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/30/19
The latest NFL practice squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Del’Shawn Phillips
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB Anthony Chesley, DT Eddie Vanderdoes
- Cut: DT Javier Edwards
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Keishawn Bierria
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: P Jack Fox
New England Patriots
- Released: OT Aaron Monteiro
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Leo Koloamatangi
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
New York Giants
- Cut: LB Jake Carlock
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Bruce Hector, TE Scott Orndorf
- Released: CB Ajene Harris
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DE Bryan Mone
Giants Rework Rhett Ellison’s Deal
The Giants had to do some cap adjusting before acquiring Leonard Williams from the Jets. This week, they got it done by converting $1.88MM of tight end Rhett Ellison‘s base salary into a signing bonus,, a source tells ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). That bit of cap trickery
That bit of cap trickery gave the Giants an additional $938K in space, giving them just enough to accommodate the arrival of Williams. Still, their cap situation remains tight. Before bringing the defensive lineman over from New Jersey’s other team, the Giants had roughly $2MM in cap room. The Jets picked up the tab on $4MM of Williams’ $7.5MM in remaining salary, so the Giants had to make way for about $3.5MM in salary.
By tweaking Ellison’s contract and releasing linebacker Tae Davis, the Giants got the job done, but their work isn’t finished.
Ellison, 31, has 13 catches for 108 yards and one touchdown through eight games. The bulk of the tight end targets have gone to youngster Evan Engram, who has 38 grabs for 419 yards and three scores this year.
Kamrin Moore Cleared Of DV Charges
Former Giants safety Kamrin Moore has been cleared of domestic violence charges by a grand jury, according to a statement from agent Eugene Lee (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 
“We have continually asserted Kamrin’s innocence from the outset of this ordeal and believed that it was only a matter of time before he would be vindicated of these fabricated charges through the course of due process. I’m thankful for our legal team,” Lee said. “Kamrin now looks forward to resuming his NFL career.”
Moore was arrested in mid-July on assault charges after a woman claimed that Moore knocked her unconscious and stepped on her neck. Police were not called to Moore’s home, but the Giants acted swiftly by suspending Moore. He was later placed on the commissioner’s exempt list and the Giants dropped him from the roster in late August.
Moore entered the league as a sixth-round draft pick of the Saints in 2018. He didn’t stick there, but he did find a spot with the Giants after being waived. Last year, he appeared in two games for the G-Men.
New York Notes: Bell, Jets, Williams, Giants
On what turned out to be a slow deadline day, the Jets’ negotiations involving Jamal Adams turned out to be the top story. But more came out of New York this week. Here is the latest on the Jets and Giants, beginning with a key Jet that was not dealt:
- Douglas says he did not shop Le’Veon Bell, but the first-year Jets GM did admit that he listened to offers for both stars (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post). The Jets were rumored to be shopping Anderson, and Adam Schefter of ESPN said during a Tuesday TV appearance the team was asking for a second-round for the contract-year wideout. Both Bell and Anderson are set to finish the season with the Jets.
- The Jets‘ trade talks with the Giants started weeks ago, Douglas says (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the Daily News). Remarkably, they managed to keep the rumors away from the New York tabloids before they pulled the trigger on the historic deal that sent Leonard Williams to the G-Men.
- The Giants will obviously try to lock up Williams beyond his current deal, but no one can really agree on his value, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY writes. Some have speculated that Williams could land ~$100MM based on his age and potential. Others, meanwhile, think he’s looking at something closer to a deal worth $10-$12MM on an average annual basis. When and if a deal gets done, it could very well land in the middle, Vacchiano hears from execs, with a five-year, $75MM deal with about $20MM guaranteed.
- Moving back to non-trade business, the Jets worked out a few notable veterans on Tuesday. Cornerbacks Trevor Williams and E.J. Gaines auditioned for Gang Green, with Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio noting (via Twitter) linebacker Ramik Wilson did as well. Williams has been with both the Cardinals and Chargers this year, while the Bills released Gaines via August injury settlement. A member of the Rams’ 2018 NFC champion squad, Wilson spent time with the Jaguars and Cards this year.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/28/19
Here are today’s workout updates:
Atlanta Falcons
- K Elliott Fry, K Younghoe Koo
Chicago Bears
- DE Alex Barrett, DE Quinton Bell, OT Dino Boyd, DE Eli Harold
Houston Texans
- DB Anthony Chesley, DT Eddie Vanderdoes
Jacksonville Jaguars
- DL Willie Henry, DT Stacy McGee, DT Jamie Meder, DT Adolphus Washington
New York Giants
- WR Alex Bachman
Latest On Leonard Williams Trade
- The conditional 2021 fifth-rounder the Giants dealt to the Jets for Leonard Williams would become a fourth-rounder if the G-Men extend Williams before free agency, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News notes. While the Giants may have a wink-wink agreement in place with Williams, in order to sign him after the start of the 2020 league year to preserve that fourth-round pick, that’s far from certain — especially for a player who has struggled in recent years.
With the Giants both buying and hoping to sell at this year’s deadline, after making their first trade with the Jets, here’s the latest from the NFC East with barely 24 hours remaining for 2019 trade talks:
- The conditional 2021 fifth-rounder the Giants dealt to the Jets for Leonard Williams would become a fourth-rounder if the G-Men extend Williams before free agency, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News notes. While the Giants may have a wink-wink agreement in place with Williams, in order to sign him after the start of the 2020 league year to preserve that fourth-round pick, that’s far from certain — especially for a player who has struggled in recent years.
- While the Giants acquired Williams, they are also looking unload Janoris Jenkins and Alec Ogletree.
Giants Shopping Janoris Jenkins, Alec Ogletree
The Giants might not be done dealing. Even after trading for Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams, the Giants are shopping cornerback Janoris Jenkins and linebacker Alec Ogletree, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The Giants may also be open to trading tackle Nate Solder, RapSheet says, though we’ve heard conflicting word on that front over the last few days. 
Rumors have swirled about Jenkins’ status with the team for some time now and the club may finally be ready to part ways with him. For his part, Jackrabbit has been frustrated by the constant talk coupled with a lack of communication from the front office about his future. Through eight games, Jenkins has 35 total stops and an eye-popping four interceptions, showing that he’s still among the best corners in the NFL. Tomorrow, he’ll turn 31 years old, and he’ll be celebrating with a new group of friends if the Giants can find a suitable deal.
Ogletree, 28, entered the league as a first-round pick of the Rams. He didn’t impress in terms of the advanced metrics, but that wasn’t a turnoff for Dave Gettleman‘s front office. In March of 2018, they gave up some later-round draft capital to acquire Ogletree and his contract, which runs through 2021. Ogletree has started in all 19 of his games for the G-Men since then and has made some big plays, including five interceptions in 2018, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
The Browns could be one potential destination for Solder and many other contenders in need of tackles could also come calling. However, the Giants are reportedly nervous about switching up Daniel Jones‘ front line and may opt to keep him well protected for the rest of 2019.