Buccaneers Waive Roberto Aguayo
It looks like the Buccaneers’ kicking competition has already been decided. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports (via Twitter) that the team has waived kicker Roberto Aguayo. Assuming he isn’t claimed, the organization will owe the player $428K (via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter).
The Buccaneers (in)famously traded up in the second-round of the 2016 draft to select the Florida State product, surrendering a third- and fourth-rounder to make the pick. Aguayo struggled mightily during his rookie campaign, connecting on a league-worst 71-percent of his field goals.
Those struggles continued during the team’s first preseason game on Friday night. Aguayo did connect on one field goal, but he also missed a 47-yard attempt and an extra point. After the game, coach Dirk Koetter sounded like his patience was wearing thin.
“You know, I keep saying it, I can’t say it anymore. If you’re a kicker, you’ve got to make your kicks,” Koetter said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com).
Aguayo is only 23-years-old, so there’s still a chance that he could develop into a competent kicker. As NFL.com’s Albert Breer pointed out (via Twitter), former second-rounder Mike Nugent struggled mightily before ultimately finding his own in Cincinnati.
As Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times cleverly noted on Twitter, the Buccaneers are now all but assuring that they’ll have a new primary kicker for the sixth straight season. The team will be turning to veteran Nick Folk, who joined the organization back in March. The veteran spent the past seven years with the Jets, and he set a franchise record with a 81.3 career field goal percentage (he also ranks second in franchise history in total points).
While the 32-year-old struggled earlier in his career, he’s been rather consistent over the past few years, connecting on at least 80-percent of his field goals over the past four seasons. Folk is also extremely reliable on extra point attempts, as the veteran has only missed a pair of his 337 career attempts.
Latest On Aaron Donald, Trumaine Johnson
The Rams have made a substantial extension offer to Aaron Donald, Les Snead said (via Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com).
Donald remains a camp holdout, and the most recent news coming out of Los Angeles hasn’t moved the needle much on a re-up for the dominant interior defender. Dialogue between the Rams and Donald is ongoing, however, Snead said.
“We want Aaron here and we want to make him a Ram for a long time,” Sean McVay said, via La Canfora, “and in the little bit of time I’ve spent with him it doesn’t take long to see what kind of a special player he is, based on the tape, and what kind of person he is and how much he loves the game of football and his teammates. That’s why we want to get it figured out.”
The 26-year-old defender is due just $3.225MM this season. That number rises to $6.892MM in 2018 because of the fifth-year option. But Donald, a two-time All-Pro, has obviously proven he’s worth top-market money. Ndamukong Suh‘s six-year, $114MM — negotiated while Suh was a UFA — remains the standard for interior defenders. Von Miller‘s six-year, $114.6MM deal represents the high for all defensive players.
La Canfora added the Rams are open to making a trade as well. Shedding Trumaine Johnson‘s $16.742MM franchise tag salary would be an avenue to clear cap space — the Rams hold just $3.78MM at present — and La Canfora reports the Steelers are among the teams inquiring about a possible deal for the sixth-year corner. While that wouldn’t exactly be in Pittsburgh’s draft-centric nature, and La Canfora doubts L.A. would pull the trigger after the Gaines deal, Johnson has proven himself to be an upper-echelon corner. The Steelers return their cornerback trio from last season in Ross Cockrell, 2016 first-rounder Artie Burns and William Gay
Rams Eyeing Sammy Watkins Extension
The Rams received the highest-ceiling talent in Friday’s seminal trades, and Les Snead wants Sammy Watkins to stick around in Los Angeles long-term.
The sixth-year GM said he “definitely” wants to sign Watkins to an extension, telling Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, “he’s 24, so you don’t just do (this trade) for the now.”
Snead said the Rams were eyeing Watkins from the time the Bills decided not to pick up his fifth-year option in the spring. With Los Angeles now armed with multiple slot options in Tavon Austin and Cooper Kupp, and featuring newly acquired No. 2 wideout in Robert Woods, Sean McVay coveted a field-stretching presence for his first Rams offense, La Canfora writes.
“It probably started a little bit in the spring as you’re talking to people and trying to improve your roster,” Snead said. “We started flirting with Buffalo and Sammy probably around the time when they didn’t put the fifth-year option on him and we didn’t put the fifth-year option on Greg (Robinson).
“And over time I had a conversation with Buffalo and then when Brandon Beane got the GM job we rekindled that a little bit during the summer and it came to fruition this week.”
The Rams traded a second-round pick and E.J. Gaines for Watkins, so the former No. 4 overall pick bolting after one season would not net the team a particularly good return on its investment.
Snead acknowledged Watkins’ medical history was a key discussion point before pulling the trigger on the trade with the Bills. But the Rams eventually signed off on it. Watkins missed eight games with a severe foot injury last season.
“We definitely discussed it,” Snead said, “and I think it’s probably one of the reasons they didn’t put the fifth-year option on him. But when we dove into it we felt comfort taking the risk and making this move and going forward.”
With a quality season, Watkins will be a coveted commodity come 2018 if he makes it to free agency. The former Clemson star has two 975-plus-yard receiving campaigns to his credit but is coming off his worst season. It’s possible Watkins will want to wait to sign a deal in hopes of re-establishing top-market value or near that level with a good season, but the Rams could preempt that with a quality offer beforehand.
Dolphins To Place Ryan Tannehill On IR
The Dolphins placed sixth-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill on IR Friday night. He will undergo season-ending ACL surgery, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports, emphasizing there is “no chance” the 29-year-old passer returns this season.
Injured last week during practice, Tannehill will now undergo the surgery the Dolphins debated late last season. He opted to traverse a non-surgical course, but this latest setback will send Tannehill to the operating table.
Salguero reports Tannehill made this decision tonight after speaking to Adam Gase. Tannehill again considered other, less invasive treatment options but will undergo surgery next week. Salguero notes he is expected to be ready for training camp next summer. The precise type of surgery isn’t yet known, but Salguero reports this operation will definitely be a reconstructive procedure.
The Dolphins — and their bid to make a second straight playoff appearance for the first time since the 2000-01 seasons — are now in Jay Cutler‘s hands. The 34-year-old passer signed a $10MM deal which is fully guaranteed, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter), coming out of retirement in this emergency circumstance.
Tannehill completed a career-high 67 percent of his passes in Gase’s system last season, and although his season was cut short after 13 games, the former first-round pick piloted the Fins to an 8-5 record while healthy. Matt Moore guided the Dolphins into the playoffs before the Steelers ousted them in Round 1.
Tannehill will turn 30 next July. He’s under contract through 2020, although no money is guaranteed in 2019 or ’20.
Latest On Ezekiel Elliott Suspension
The Ezekiel Elliott suspension will reside as one of most memorable Friday news-dump sequences in the NFL’s history with this tactic, and the result has Jerry Jones “furious,” according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Cowboys owner and recent Hall of Fame inductee said as recently as late last week the domestic violence issue that now stands to drastically alter Elliott’s season was not an issue. Jones previously categorized the accusations against Elliott as being without merit, and while the running back will appeal the suspension, as of now the Cowboys’ top offensive weapon will be shelved until late October. This stands to give the defending NFC East champions a tougher road to defending that title.
Here’s more on the second-year running back’s suspension.
- An NFL source relayed to Schefter this process took as long as it did because the NFLPA was responsible for a lengthy delay in delivering information requested in mid-December. Schefter reports (Facebook link) the NFL did not receive said information until mid-May.
- Elliott’s ban was based on two components: the accusation of repeated domestic violence in July 2016 and the incident in March involving the running back removing a woman’s top on a parade float, Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets. The running back’s alleged involvement in a DJ breaking his nose at a club last month was not considered, Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
- While the above NFL source accused the NFLPA of delaying this investigation considerably, union executive director DeMaurice Smith wonders independently why this took so long. “I just have a hard time understanding how come an investigation takes a year, results in a 165-page report and takes so long and so many person hours,” Smith said, via Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. “As a homicide prosecutor and violent crimes prosecutor, I had to try a violent offender or a murderer 100 days after arrest or the person goes free. I know there’s a couple of prosecutors that are working with the league on these personal conduct issues but I gotta tell ya there’s a whole group of prosecutors and law enforcement folks laughing at them going, ‘Why does it take so long?‘”
Ravens’ Alex Lewis Done For Season
Ravens offensive lineman Alex Lewis suffered a shoulder injury that will require surgery, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) has learned. The operation will rule him out for the 2017 season. 
Lewis is no stranger to injury as a high ankle sprain cost him a good chunk of the 2016 season. This year, he was slated to return as the team’s starting left guard. For a team that has been decimated by injuries all summer, this is a crushing blow.
The Ravens have lost three key interior linemen in recent months. Center John Urschel opted to retire this summer while rookie guard Nico Siragusa was shut down with a torn ACL.
The advanced numbers at Pro Football Focus painted Lewis as a below-average guard last year, ranking him 61st out of 75 qualified players. The loss still stings, however, since the team is already pretty shallow on the O-Line. The Ravens will likely look into signing a guard to replace Lewis, but they could alternatively add a center and slide Ryan Jensen over to guard. Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) suggests that moving tackle James Hurst to the interior could also be an option. The Ravens also have fifth-round rookie guard Jermaine Eluemunor on the roster, but he may be too green for the first unit.
Jaguars Release Branden Albert
The Jaguars’ Branden Albert saga is officially over. The team announced on Friday that he has been released. 
[RELATED: Jaguars Sign Jeron Johnson, Cut James Sample]
The Jaguars acquired Albert via trade from the Dolphins earlier this year. The tackle stayed away from the team for much of the offseason as he tried to talk the Jags into revising his contract. When the Jaguars refused to play ball, Albert took his and went home. Days later, Albert flip-flopped and asked to rejoin the team, but the Jaguars responded by placing him on the reserve/retired list, keeping him off the roster.
If Albert is still serious about playing football, he can now sign with any team of his choosing. He might not be able to deliver the kind of Pro Bowl caliber football that he used to, but he would still hold interest for teams with needs on the offensive line.
In 2016, Albert missed one-quarter of the season due to injury and registered a career-worst 42.2 overall score on Pro Football Focus. He’s been well above average in other seasons, however, including his 2013 and 2015 campaigns which resulted in Pro Bowl nods.
Albert was scheduled to earn a non-guaranteed base salary of $8.875MM this season. If he wants to continue playing, he might have to do it at a lower price point. At the same time, he should be able to get some amount of guaranteed cash for the 2017 season.
Ezekiel Elliott To Appeal Suspension
Ezekiel Elliott is not going down without a fight. The Cowboys running back says he will appeal his six-game suspension. 
[RELATED: NFL Hands Elliott Six-Game Ban]
Elliott’s representatives released the following statement on Friday afternoon:
We just learned of the NFL’s decision to suspend Mr. Elliott for six games for allegedly engaging in ‘physical force’ against the accuser. Mr. Elliott and his team of representatives are extremely disappointed with the NFL’s decision.
Our offices have been engaged in this matter since last July and have worked hand in hand with the Columbus Prosecutor’s office as well as the NFL with their respective investigations. Accordingly, we are fully aware of the full body of evidence that exists in connection with this matter.
The NFL’s findings are replete with factual inaccuracies and erroneous conclusions and it ‘cherry picks’ so called evidence to support its conclusion while ignoring other critical evidence.
For example, both the Columbus Prosecutor’s office as well as the NFL investigators expressly concluded and conveyed to our office (and others) that the accuser was lying about an alleged July 22, 2016 incident whereby she accused Mr. Elliott of pulling her out of her car and assaulting her. An allegation that was ultimately undermined by her own friend’s affidavit which stated that no such assault occurred. The affidavit also outlined the accuser’s plan to orchestrate a story to police to in order to corroborate her false allegation of assault. In addition, the NFL’s own medical experts concluded that many of her injuries predated the week in question and likely occurred during a period of time when Mr. Elliott was not in contact with the accuser. During the upcoming weeks and through the appeal a slew of additional credible and controverting evidence will come to light.
Elliott’s battle may not stop at the league office. The running back is willing to take his appeal through the legal system, if necessary, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) hears.
If Elliott does not have the suspension overturned or reduced, he will be out of action until the team’s Week 8 tilt against the Redskins on October 29th.
Redskins’ Trent Murphy Done For Year
The Redskins received some bad news on Friday morning. Outside linebacker Trent Murphy suffered a season-ending torn ACL, according to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). He also has a torn MCL, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter), meaning that his rehab process will become more complicated. 
Washington was already preparing for life without Murphy through the first month of the season thanks to his four-game ban for performance-enhancing drugs. Now they’ll have to get by without the 26-year-old for the entire season.
Losing Murphy is a tough blow for the Redskins, but on the plus side, Junior Galette has looked productive and largely healthy throughout training camp. Galette has not seen live action since 2014, but he had 10.0 sacks and 45 tackles in that campaign. Galette can slide into Murphy’s previous supersub role while Ryan Kerrigan and rookie Ryan Anderson project to start at the top OLB spots.
Murphy is coming off of the most productive season of his career as he notched 46 tackles and a career-high 9.0 sacks.
Rams To Keep Tavon Austin
In theory, the Rams’ blockbuster trade for Sammy Watkins could have enabled them to flip wide receiver Tavon Austin to another team in a separate trade. Apparently, that’s not in the cards. The Rams are not shopping Austin, multiple sources tell Mike Florio of PFT, and they do not intend to. The belief in L.A. is that they will be better off with as many offensive weapons as possible. 
Austin has yet to live up to his status as a former No. 8 overall pick in the draft, but he could thrive as opposing defenses focus their game plans on Watkins. At least, that’s what the Rams are hoping for as he plays out the four-year, $42MM extension inked just before the start of the 2016 season.
In 2016, Austin had 58 catches for 509 yards, averaging out to just 8.8 yards per grab. He has only one season – his rookie campaign – in which he averaged double digits per catch.
The Rams have Watkins, Robert Woods, and Austin as their top three receivers heading into the season. With that trio plus athletic rookie tight end Gerald Everett, Jared Goff will have lots of weapons to work with.