Chargers Consider Dontrelle Inman Trade
The Chargers have had trade talks about wide receiver Dontrelle Inman, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). As Pelissero notes, several teams are looking to deal wide receivers as the 53-man deadline approaches. 
[RELATED: Seahawks WR Jermaine Kearse Also On Market]
Inman has been with the Bolts for the last three seasons following a post-college stint in the CFL. The 28-year-old has a breakout campaign in 2016, with career-highs in receptions (58), receiving yards (810), and touchdowns (four). Despite that performance, it appears he has slipped in the Chargers’ pecking order.
Per the terms of his second-round tender, Inman is set to earn a non-guaranteed $2.797MM base salary for the coming season. If the Chargers do not find a taker for Inman and would rather use his roster spot on someone else, they could release him without financial penalty.
Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, and Travis Benjamin figure to see the most looks out of Los Angeles’ wide receivers this year. Inman, Isaiah Burse, Geremy Davis, and UDFA Artavis Scott are jostling for supporting roles while first-round rookie Mike Williams looks to recover from his back injury.
Jermaine Kearse of the Seahawks is also among the wide receivers on the trade block.
Seahawks Working To Trade Jermaine Kearse
The Seahawks are trying to trade wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, sources tell ESPN.com’s Dianna Russini (on Twitter). Kearse is set to enter the second season of his three-year deal with Seattle. 
The Seahawks gave Kearse a three-year pact worth $13.5MM with $6.3MM guaranteed last offseason. Following a slight dip in production, the Seahawks apparently see him as expendable.
The Seahawks have a bit of a logjam at receiver thanks to the addition of third-round pick Amara Darboh. Currently, Kearse fits in as the No. 5 or No. 6 wide receiver, but that would leave players like seventh-round rookie David Moore, last year’s seventh-round pick Kenny Lawler, and UDFA Darreus Rogers off the roster.
In 2015, Kearse started 16 games for the first time and amassed a career-high 685 yards and five touchdowns. On the surface, his 2016 production was similar enough with 41 grabs for 510 yards and one score. However, he reeled in only 46% of his targets versus 72% in the year prior.
The Seahawks will have Doug Baldwin, Paul Richardson, Tyler Lockett, and Kasen Williams as their top four receivers to start the year, though a shoulder injury could keep Richardson off the field in Week 1 against the Packers.
Vontaze Burfict’s Suspension Reduced
Vontaze Burfict‘s suspension has been reduced to three games, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. The Bengals linebacker was slated for a five-game ban before his appeal hearing. 
Burfict found himself in hot water for his hit on Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman earlier in the preseason. The linebacker tackled Sherman roughly four or five yards from the line of scrimmage and nailed him in the head/neck area. Sherman did not have the ball, nor was he the targeted receiver on the play. Whether intentional or not, the hit provoked the ire of the league office because it came in well above the jersey numbers.
“I hit harder than most of the other linebackers,” Burfict explained earlier this week (via Jim Owczarski of The Enquirer). “He kind of crunched up. I lowered my target, hit him straight in the chest. I talked to him the next series to see if he was alright and he said yeah, that’s a legal hit. You’ve got to keep your head on a swivel when you come across the middle and everybody knows that.”
Of course, Burfict has run afoul of league safety rules before. Over his five-year career, Burfict has racked up nearly $800K in fines and been flagged 16 times for unnecessary roughness, personal fouls or roughing the passer.
Burfict’s 2016 season was also shortened by a suspension. He finished out the year with 101 tackles and two sacks across eleven games.
The Bengals will be without Burfict for games against the Ravens, Texans, and Packers, but they’ll now have him in uniform for contests against the Browns and Bills.
Steelers To Sign CB Joe Haden
The Steelers are expected to sign cornerback Joe Haden to a three-year, $27MM deal that includes $7MM in 2017, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That $7MM figure also represents the contract’s guarantee, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Haden will stay in the AFC North and land with Pittsburgh despite receiving larger offers from other clubs, tweets Schefter, who adds that Haden wanted to be a Steeler. A number of other teams, including the Dolphins, Eagles, Saints, Chiefs, Cowboys, and 49ers also expressed interest in Haden, but the Pittsburgh had been considered the favorite to ink the former Browns cornerback.
The Steelers ranked 12th in DVOA against the pass a season ago, but the club’s secondary was still missing a clear-cut No. 1 cornerback. It’s not clear that Haden fits that definition anymore, as he graded as the No. 88 corner among 110 qualifiers in 2016, per Pro Football Focus. Injuries were likely a factor in his decreased production, but health isn’t a guarantee for Haden, who’s missed 14 games over the past two seasons.
Before releasing him earlier today, Cleveland offered to reduce Haden’s pay from $11MM to $7MM, per Rapoport (Twitter link), and Haden will now earn that same total with the Steelers. Haden’s deal contained offset language, so the Browns are not on the hook for the $4MM in guaranteed base salary it owes to the 28-year-old cornerback.
Pittsburgh now boasts a relatively deep defensive backfield, as Haden joins a unit that also includes Ross Cockrell, Artie Burns, William Gay, Senquez Golson, Cameron Sutton, and Coty Sensabaugh.
Steelers To Host CB Joe Haden Tonight
The Steelers are already considered the frontrunners for cornerback Joe Haden, and they’ll meet with the free agent himself tonight, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Pittsburgh isn’t the only NFL club eyeing Haden, who was released by the Browns this morning, as the Chiefs, Saints, Eagles, 49ers, and Dolphins are also interested in adding the 28-year-old. Cleveland is already paying Haden a guaranteed $4MM for the 2017 season, meaning any that signs the veteran defensive back will only be responsible for the minimum. However, given the level of interest that Haden has already generated, it’s possible that he could garner a hefty deal. He’s reportedly open to both single-season and multi-year pacts.
The Steelers are currently slated to start Ross Cockrell and Artie Burns at cornerback, with William Gay, Senquez Golson, Cameron Sutton, Coty Sensabaugh, and others vying for time as depth options. That group is without a clear-cut No. 1 cornerback, although it’s not apparent that Haden fits that definition anymore, as he graded as the No. 88 corner among 110 qualifiers in 2016, per Pro Football Focus. And if Pittsburgh is looking for reliability, it may not get it with Haden, who’s missed 14 games over the past two seasons.
Technically, Haden can’t speak or meet with any other clubs until he’s officially released by the Browns at 4pm ET today.
Chiefs Acquire Cameron Erving
The Browns have traded offensive lineman Cameron Erving to the Chiefs for a fifth-round pick in 2018, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Cleveland placed Erving on the block after he lost the starting right tackle job to second-year man Shon Coleman.
Erving goes down as a failed first-round pick for the Browns, who selected the former Florida State standout 19th overall in 2015. He was unable to establish himself either at tackle or along the interior of the line in Cleveland, which tried Erving at both guard and center. To his credit, the 25-year-old Erving has been durable to this point, having appeared in 29 of a possible 32 regular-season games. He started in all 13 of his appearances last season, though Pro Football Focus ranked him among the game’s worst centers.
For the Chiefs, who acquired another recent high pick – 2016 second-round linebacker Reggie Ragland – in a deal with the Bills earlier this week, Erving represents a talented reclamation project. If he breaks out over the next two seasons, the Chiefs will have the ability to control Erving through 2019 by way of a fifth-year option.
In the near term, playing time looks as if it will be difficult to come by for Erving in Kansas City. The Chiefs have five set starters along the line in tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, guards Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Bryan Witzmann and center Mitch Morse, though injuries during the season should create opportunities for the team to plug in Erving.
Packers To Sign Ahmad Brooks
The Packers have agreed to a one-year, $3.5MM deal with linebacker Ahmad Brooks, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). The pact could be worth up to $5MM. Brooks visited with the Pack shortly after the 49ers released him Aug. 25.
Green Bay will be the third NFL destination for Brooks, who spent the first two years of his career in Cincinnati before joining San Francisco in 2009. He became one of the most accomplished pass rushers in 49ers history during his eight-year tenure in San Fran, where he racked up 51.5 sacks and never finished with fewer than five in an individual season. Brooks was also quite durable as a member of the 49ers, with whom he appeared in at least 13 games in each year.
Most recently, Brooks totaled six sacks during a 16-game, 15-start slate last season, indicating that the 33-year-old still has plenty to offer. While Pro Football Focus wasn’t enamored of Brooks’ work, ranking him just 87th in performance among 110 qualified edge rushers, he still figures to help a Green Bay defense that lost prolific rusher Julius Peppers to Carolina in free agency. Brooks’ presence on the outside could lead the Packers to move Clay Matthews inside, where he’d potentially be an upgrade over Jake Ryan and/or Blake Martinez in nickel packages, as PFR’s Dallas Robinson noted this week. Regardless, Brooks adds a third proven edge rusher behind the Matthews-Nick Perry duo, giving the Packers a trio that combined for 22 sacks in 2016.
Johnny Manziel Auditioned For CFL Team
Former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel worked out for the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Buffalo last week, according to Farhan Lalji and Dave Naylor of TSN.
Manziel won’t be heading north of the border, however, as the audition reportedly didn’t go well, as the Tiger-Cats don’t believe Manziel is in the correct game shape nor mental state. “Too many red flags,” one source told the TSN scribes. While that should perhaps come as no surprise given Manziel’s history of off-field incidents, he’d apparently been generating real NFL interest this year, and had talked to several clubs as of July.
However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk offers a slightly different account of Manziel’s workout: per Florio, the Tiger-Cats are still “extremely” interested in signing Manziel, and adds that there’s “much more” to the story. Hamilton has a “positive attitude” towards Manziel, meaning a deal could still come together.
Hamilton still holds Manziel’s CFL rights, meaning it would have the exclusive ability to sign him to a contract. If Manziel decides he’s ready to join the CFL, the Tiger-Cats would be allowed 10 days to either ink him to a contract or trade his rights to another club. New Hamilton head coach June Jones is reportedly the driving force behind the team’s Manziel interest, according to TSN.
Manziel is still only 24 years old, but he hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2015 campaign. In eight career starts for the Browns, the former first-round choice completed 57% of his passes for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Browns Release CB Joe Haden
The Browns have released veteran cornerback Joe Haden, the club announced today. Cleveland had been “aggressively” shopping Haden as of yesterday, but evidently wasn’t able to find a taker.
Cleveland’s efforts to trade Haden didn’t start only recently, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who indicates the team had been marketing Haden for more than year. But the 28-year-old Haden’s contract likely proved a hindrance, as he’s due $11.1MM in 2017 base salary, a figure that includes $4MM in guarantees. That guarantee didn’t kick in until February, tweets Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, so the Browns could have parted ways with Haden before that time and saved that total. However, the club presumably was willing to take the risk of eating that $4MM in the hopes of finding a trade partner.
An acquiring team would have also taken on Haden’s base salaries over the next two seasons: $11.1MM in 2018 and $10.4MM in 2019, though none of that money would have been guaranteed. Haden’s signing bonus proration will now accelerate onto the Browns’ salary cap over the next two campaigns, meaning the club will take on $7.2MM in dead money in 2017 and $3.6MM in 2018. Cleveland attempted to convince Haden to accept a pay cut before releasing him, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link), but Haden declined.
Haden’s performance probably wasn’t overly appealing to potential suitors, either, as he’d struggled with both injuries and ineffectiveness over the past several seasons. He missed 14 games from 2015-16, and ranked as just the No. 88 cornerback among 110 qualifiers last year, per Pro Football Focus. Among the 84 qualified cornerbacks in Football Outsiders’ data, Haden finished only 64th in yards allowed per pass (8.2).
The Browns will move forward with free agent acquisition Jason McCourty and 2016 waiver claim Briean Boddy-Calhoun as their starting corners, with Jamar Taylor in the slot. Fourth-round rookie Howard Wilson is also available for depth, while Haden’s release likely opened up a roster spot for a corner such as Trey Caldwell or Marcus Burley to earn space on the squad. Cleveland, which owns the NFL’s No. 1 waiver priority, may also be active in poaching players from other teams during roster cutdowns this weekend.
Haden, for his part, shouldn’t have any trouble finding a new team in relatively short order, and the Saints and Chiefs are among the clubs expected to have “strong interest” in him, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). New Orleans has inquired on Haden before, making a play for him prior to the 2016 trade deadline, but Cleveland’s asking price was reportedly too steep. The Cowboys, too, are eyeing Haden, but aren’t likely to get into a bidding war, per Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star Telegram (Twitter link). Haden’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told Schefter there is “tons of interest” in his client, and predicted Haden will have a new contract by Thursday (Twitter link).
Broncos Have Discussed T.J. Ward Trade
The trade market is heating up. The Broncos have received calls on safety T.J. Ward and have had trade conversations about him, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link) reports Denver is actually initiating the trade talks on Ward (instead of waiting for other teams to contact them).
[RELATED: Click Here For The Latest Broncos Rumors]
It’s not immediately clear which teams have called on Ward, but it stands to reason that multiple contenders have expressed interest. Ward, 30, holds appeal as a two-time Pro Bowler on an expiring contract, though his $5.7MM cap number is a bit on the high side. Ward graded out as just the No. 50 safety among 90 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, so he may not be the elite player he once was.
Back in May, Ward expressed interest in finishing his career in Denver and the two sides reportedly had preliminary talks about an extension. We haven’t heard much on that front over the last three months, so those conversations appear to be on the back burner.
Other notable players reportedly on the trade block include Jets running back Matt Forte, Browns cornerback Joe Haden, and Browns offensive lineman Cameron Erving. A significant trade also went down on Tuesday morning as the Niners shipped tight end Vance McDonald to the Steelers.