Texans To Sign Marcus Gilchrist
The Texans have agreed to sign free agent safety Marcus Gilchrist to a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links).
Gilchrist, 28, worked out for Houston earlier this month, and the club evidently liked what it saw from the former Jet as he continues to work his way back from a torn patellar tendon. Previous reports had indicated Gilchrist was progressing in his recovery, and he’ll now give the Texans depth at a position where the team was sorely lacking.
Given his level of experience (91 appearances, 69 starts), Gilchrist figures to be tossed into the Texans’ starting lineup immediately. He’ll likely displace Corey Moore, who has only eight career starts under his belt, in replacing Quintin Demps, who signed with the Bears in the spring.
Gilchrist had been a beacon of health until suffering the patellar tendon injury last December, as he’d started 61 consecutive games without an absence. In 2016, he picked off two passes in 13 games en route a passable 53rd-place ranking among Pro Football Focus’ 90 qualified safeties.
Jaguars OL Branden Albert Retires
Branden Albert is retiring from the NFL. The Jaguars announced that the veteran tackle is walking away from the game. 
Albert, 32, was acquired by the Jaguars in a trade with the Dolphins back in March. Things did not get off on the right foot for Albert and Jacksonville as the veteran immediately pushed for a new contract. When the Jaguars refused to guarantee a portion of the two years left on his deal, Albert skipped voluntary OTAs and had minimal contact with the team.
Although he showed for the mandatory minicamp in June, he has changed course here in late July. It’s not immediately clear whether his contract played a role in his decision.
“After nine seasons playing in the National Football League, I have decided to retire from the game that has given me so much,” said Albert. “I would like to thank Mr. Khan and the Jaguars organization, Mr. Ross, Joe Philbin, Dennis Hickey and the Dolphins organization and Mr. Hunt, Carl Peterson, Herm Edwards and the Chiefs organization for providing me with the opportunity of a lifetime….I wish Coach Marrone and my Jacksonville teammates the best of luck on their journey this season. During my short stint in Jacksonville, I quickly realized that they are working incredibly hard to turn the corner and I truly believe that they will find success in the coming years.”
Without Albert, the Jaguars will likely start second round pick Cam Robinson at left tackle. Tyler Shatley, Patrick Omameh, and free agent addition Earl Watford could be among those competing for the left guard spot that was originally supposed to be covered by Robinson.
The loss of Albert could be devastating for a Jaguars offense that is looking to right the ship and get a quality year out of quarterback Blake Bortles. On the plus side, Jacksonville now has some extra cap room to work with in the event that a quality left tackle pops up on the free agent market in August.
Latest On Chargers’ Mike Williams
We have been hearing conflicting information on the status of Chargers rookie Mike Williams for the last few weeks. The wide receiver refuted talk that he could be out for the season, but head coach Anthony Lynn now admits that Williams’ could be out all year long. 
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“I’m hopeful that it’s not [a season-ending injury], but who knows? It could be,” Lynn said (via Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times).
On Sunday, the Chargers announced that Williams will be out for all of training camp, which at minimum is a bad sign for his early season availability. At one point, the word was that Williams may require season-ending surgery on his herniated disc but the Bolts, for now, are hoping to avoid such a drastic measure.
Losing Williams for the entire season would sting, but the Chargers could hypothetically withstand the loss with Keenan Allen, Travis Benjamin, Tyrell Williams, and Dontrelle Inman in the fold. However, if Allen gets injured again – he’s missed 23 games in the last two years – the Bolts will be left paper thin at wide receiver.
Cardinals Sign CB Tramon Williams
Late Sunday night, the Cardinals added a cornerback to the mix. Tramon Williams has been signed to a one-year deal, per a club announcement. Williams joins the team just hours after cornerback Ronald Zamort suffered a season-ending ACL tear. 
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Interestingly, Zamort was practicing with the first team last week as Justin Bethel recovered from a minor knee injury, so it seems like the relatively unknown second-year player from Western Michigan leapfrogged Brandon Williams on the depth chart. With that in mind, Bethel and Tramon Williams may be the frontrunners for the right to start opposite of Patrick Peterson.
T. Williams, 34, spent the first nine years of his career with the Packers before joining the Browns last season. He has been remarkably durable over his ten NFL seasons, missing only five games in total. The traditional stats, the advanced stats, and the naked eye test all indicate that he’s not as sharp as he was in his prime with Green Bay, but he could still be a difference maker for a Cardinals team in need of cornerback depth.
The Cardinals also met with cornerback Brandon Flowers in July, but they might not have room for him after adding Williams.
Ravens Interested In RG3, Colin Kaepernick
On Sunday, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti confirmed that the team has interest in Colin Kaepernick. He also said the club is looking into auditioning Robert Griffin III. 
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“We’re very sensitive to it, and we’re monitoring it and we’re still, as [general manager Ozzie Newsome] says, we’re scrimmaging it,” Bisciotti said. “We’re trying to figure what’s the right tact. Pray for us.”
Naturally, the decision of whether to sign Kaepernick involves considerations that go beyond just football. Team president Dick Cass said that the team is reaching out to fans and sponsors as they think about inking the polarizing athlete (Twitter links via Jeff Zrebiec). Cass says that the organization has spoken directly with Kaepernick, so their interest certainly seems legitimate.
The Ravens aren’t certain about whether they want to kick the tires on Griffin and they will first evaluate the health of Joe Flacco and backup Ryan Mallett before moving forward (Twitter link). Of course, it doesn’t cost anything to work a player out, so one has to wonder how real the Ravens’ interest is in Griffin. It’s possible that Baltimore is looking to first light a fire under Mallett before giving serious consideration to an outside arm.
Malik McDowell Could Miss 2017 Season
Seahawks rookie defensive tackle Malik McDowell could potentially miss the season after being involved in an ATV accident, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). McDowell suffered a concussion and facial injuries in the mishap, per Mike Garafolo and James Palmer of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Seattle released a statement today indicating McDowell is currently undergoing care in Michigan. McDowell himself, meanwhile, tweeted that his injuries are not career- or life-threatening, and added that he expects to rejoin the the Seahawks soon.
Given that he’s unable to practice, McDowell has been placed on the reserve/did not report list, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. To fill McDowell’s roster spot, the Seahawks have signed fellow defensive tackle Rodney Coe, per Condotta.
McDowell, a Michigan State product, was the Seahawks’ first selection in the draft and the No. 35 overall pick. Originally holding the No. 25 selection, Seattle traded down three times — acquiring a bevy of extra draft capital in the process — before picking up McDowell at the top of the second round.
A defensive tackle for the Spartans, McDowell had been expected to also play defensive end for the Seahawks. While Seattle is well-stocked along the defensive line, the club was surely hoping to see what it had its rookie interior defender in 2017. If McDowell is forced to miss his rookie campaign, defensive linemen such as Jarran Reed, Ahtyba Rubin, Dion Jordan, and Marcus Smith could see more playing time.
Lions Extend Glover Quin Through 2019
The Lions have signed safety Glover Quin to a two-year extension that will keep him in Detroit through the 2019 season, the club announced today. The new deal is worth $13MM and contains $9.5MM in guarantees, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Quin, 31, indicated a desire for a new contract in May, and the Lions reportedly began discussing an extension with Quin’s representatives the following month. Set to enter the final season of a five-year, $23.5MM pact he signed prior to the 2013 campaign, Quin had been scheduled to earn a $4MM base salary and a $1MM roster bonus while carrying a cap charge of ~$7.828MM. Quin’s annual salary of $4.7MM ranked just 27th among NFL safeties.
“I would love to be here in Detroit, and if I sign an extension, I’d probably finish my career here — that’d be huge for me,” Quin said in May. “But I can’t control that. I don’t know if it’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen. My job is like I’ve always said since I got in the league, is I’m a player. So I just play, and I’ll let the coaches coach, the managers manage, and the trainers train.”
Quin has been a remarkably durable player throughout his eight-year NFL career, as his only missed game came during his rookie season in 2009. Last season, Quin played all 1,027 of the Lions’ defensive snaps while posting 68 tackles, two interceptions, and ranked an impressive 23rd in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 90 qualified safeties.
Vikings, Xavier Rhodes Agree To Extension
The Vikings and cornerback Xavier Rhodes have agreed to terms on a five-year, $70MM extension, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Rhodes was already slated to earn a little over $8MM this season under his fifth-year option, so in total, he is now under contract for six years (through 2022) and $78MM. As Schefter reports, the deal includes a whopping $41MM in guaranteed money, and also comes with a $12MM signing bonus, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
This is not surprising news, as reports from multiple sources this morning indicated that the two sides expected to finalize a deal today, and we heard yesterday that a lucrative extension was imminent. Schefter adds (via Twitter) that Rhodes will receive $42MM over the first three years of the contract, and he now ranks as the league’s third-highest-paid corner in terms of average annual value (behind only Trumaine Johnson, who is playing out the 2017 season under the franchise tag, and Josh Norman).
Rhodes, whom the Vikings selected in the first round of the 2013 draft, turned in the best season of his career in 2016, which earned him his first Pro Bowl nod. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics were fairly kind to his overall effort, as Rhodes graded out as the 29th-best corner in the league out of 111 qualified players, but PFF really loved his performance against the run, where he graded as the top CB in football. Whatever issues he had in coverage he helped to make up for with his five interceptions, one of which he returned 100 yards for a score.
Since he became a full-time starter in 2014, Rhodes has also been pretty durable. He started all 16 regular-season contests in 2014 and 2015, and after missing the first two weeks of 2016 with a knee injury, he started and finished the remaining 14 games.
As Rapoport tweets, Minnesota will pursue a long-term deal with linebacker Anthony Barr next offseason.
Mike Williams To Miss Training Camp
We learned on Friday that Chargers rookie wideout Mike Williams would begin training camp on the PUP list, but the team announced today that he will miss all of training camp.
The Chargers’ press release, passed along by ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), says Williams met with team doctors yesterday and will continue with the doctors’ plan to rehab and strengthen his back. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, Williams has progressed past the “rest” phase of his recovery and will move on the rehab phase.
Needless to say, the fact that Williams will miss the entirety of his first training camp is a disappointing development for Los Angeles. Theoretically, he could still be ready for Week 1 of the regular season, but that is now very much in doubt, and even if he is able to play, it is fair to question how effective he would be without the benefit of training camp.
Earlier this month, it was believed that Williams may need season-ending surgery, but while surgery apparently was an option at one point, Williams improved enough since then to take surgery off the table for the time being. Luckily for the Chargers, they should have enough wide receiver depth to overcome Williams’ unavailability. The team boasts Keenan Allen, Travis Benjamin, Tyrell Williams, and Dontrelle Inman, giving the club ample weapons to withstand Williams’ recovery period.
Jon Gruden Wants To Become Head Coach Again?
Former NFL head coach and current ESPN personality Jon Gruden recently gave a lengthy interview to Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com, and in that interview, he said he was preparing to return to the sidelines as a head coach.
Gruden said, “I’ve met with several people – I won’t deny that. People – just about every year I talk about coming back to coach. I’m not in here every day at 4:30 or 4:00 in the morning watching pinball. You know? I’m preparing myself to come back. I am. Every day. I’m preparing to come back.”
Indeed, Gruden is connected to some head coaching vacancy or another seemingly every offseason. This past year, he was reportedly the “focal point” of the Rams’ search for a new HC, and the Colts also reportedly made overtures to him. He said in December, however, that he has “no intention” of coaching, which of course seems to conflict with what he told PewterReport several days ago.
But as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes, preparing to come back, which is what Gruden told PewterReport he was doing, and wanting to come back are two very different things. It could be that he is preparing for a new gig in case the right opportunity should fall in his lap, but that does not necessarily mean he will actively pursue such an opportunity. Indeed, although the Colts have their warts, it is difficult to imagine a better head coaching situation opening up in the near future, and if Gruden did not want that job, it seems as if he really is content doing television work. As Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times writes, Gruden has expressed an interest in returning before, but that interest was always framed in a context of still enjoying his work as a TV analyst.
Gruden served as the Raiders’ head coach from 1998-2001 and the Buccaneers’ head coach from 2002-2008. He has compiled a 100-85 career record (including a 5-4 postseason mark), and he led the Bucs to their only Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XXXVII, knocking off Oakland in the process.