Newsstand News & Rumors

WR Elijah Moore Asks Jets For Trade

October 21st, 2022 at 9:40am CST by Sam Robinson

OCTOBER 21: While reaffirming the Jets’ no-trade stance here, Saleh said the second-year wide receiver will not be active for Sunday’s game against the Broncos. Saleh said this situation reached a boiling point, with Cimini noting Moore and LaFleur engaged in a heated argument (Twitter link). Although Moore is back at the Jets’ facility, he will not practice Friday.

OCTOBER 20: A year after drafting Elijah Moore in the second round, the Jets have run into an issue with the talented young wideout. Moore is not happy with his role in Mike LaFleur‘s offense and wants out.

Moore has asked the Jets to trade him, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). This comes after Moore made some cryptic comments on social media recently. The Jets excused Moore from practice Thursday, calling it a personal day. There appears more to the nature of Moore’s absence now. Moore’s behavior Thursday displeased Jets brass, according to ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini (on Twitter).

The Jets do not plan to honor Moore’s request, Rapoport adds, but the resurgent team suddenly has an aerial-attack problem. Moore’s targets have dipped since Zach Wilson retook the quarterbacking reins. Joe Flacco targeted Moore 21 times during the Jets’ first three games; Wilson has thrown his way eight. The former Ole Miss wideout has caught just one pass over the past two weeks, though the Jets have not attempted as many passes in the games Wilson has started.

Addressing Moore’s lack of targets Thursday, Wilson called Moore “a great player” and noted (via Cimini, on Twitter) there were not a lot of opportunities last week — a Jets runaway upset win but one in which Moore caught zero passes. After the Jets’ 27-10 win over the Packers, Moore tweeted, “Just know I don’t understand either.” Wilson completed just 10 passes. Moore deleted the tweet, and Robert Saleh spoke with the disgruntled receiver about it.

“We’re all entitled to mistakes,” Saleh said during an appearance on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York (via Cimini). “I know where his heart is. I know how he is when he walks in the building. I know how hard he works. I know how good a teammate he’s been. You know, sometimes mistakes happen, but I know where his heart is. That’s the important thing.”

Moore’s request comes nearly two months after Denzel Mims requested to be moved. The Jets discussed Mims with other teams but ultimately held onto the 2020 second-round pick. Mims does not have much of a role in New York’s offense. Moore does. He has played 83% of the Jets’ offensive snaps this season.

Last year, Moore looked like a long-term receiver in Gang Green’s attack. As the Jets cycled through quarterbacks, Moore caught 43 passes for 538 yards and five touchdowns. He compiled those numbers despite missing six games, seeing his season halted by a quadriceps injury.

The Jets reconvened for their offseason program with more firepower at this position, having drafted Garrett Wilson 10th overall. This came after they were connected to just about every contract-seeking wideout — from Tyreek Hill to Amari Cooper to Deebo Samuel to D.K. Metcalf to A.J. Brown — this offseason. Wilson joined Moore, Corey Davis and the re-signed Braxton Berrios as Gang Green’s top targets. Thus far this season, Moore’s 203 receiving yards are just fifth on the team. Davis leads the way with 351, while Wilson has accumulated 290. The team also has a better rushing attack than it did last season, with second-round pick Breece Hall becoming a central figure for the Jets’ offense.

For now, it appears Moore will need to hope his targets increase in the coming weeks. He is short on options. The Jets have the 5-foot-10 pass catcher under contract through 2024.

Panthers Trade Christian McCaffrey To 49ers

October 20th, 2022 at 10:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rumored to be on the trade block for the past several days, Christian McCaffrey is on the move. The 49ers will acquire the former All-Pro Panthers running back, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

The 49ers are sending over a major haul for the sixth-year back. Carolina will acquire San Francisco’s second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023 and a fifth-round 2024 selection, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Bills and Rams were also rumored to be in on McCaffrey, and this compensation package certainly indicates interest was there. The trade is now official.

The Rams indeed made a push for CMC, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Los Angeles has made a host of splashy in-season trades in recent years, moves that have helped produce Super Bowl berths, but the team stood down here. The 49ers now have McCaffrey signed through 2025. Despite this Thursday-night transaction, Rapoport notes McCaffrey is expected to play against the Chiefs on Sunday (Twitter link) in a presumably limited role.

The Panthers sought a first-round pick and change for McCaffrey this offseason and wanted a first-round equivalent now, as the two finalists (the 49ers and Rams) did not have 2023 first-rounders (video link). Carolina had opened the door to accepting a picks package headlined by Day 2 choices; that pivot led to a considerable boost in the franchise’s draft arsenal.

Although the Bills called to check on McCaffrey’s availability this offseason and were still interested as he hit the block, Rapoport adds they were not involved in these sweepstakes at the end (Twitter link). While the Bills will move forward with their Devin Singletary–James Cook backfield stable, the 49ers will add one of this era’s top dual-threat backs to theirs.

McCaffrey, 26, will join a 49ers running back cadre currently headed by Jeff Wilson. Starter Elijah Mitchell remains on IR with an MCL sprain but is expected to return around midseason. Like McCaffrey, Mitchell has battled injuries as a pro. Wilson (470 scrimmage yards, two touchdowns this season) has stayed healthy during Mitchell’s hiatus. While Wilson should still have a role, McCaffrey will obviously move into position as San Francisco’s top back for the stretch run.

Because the Panthers restructured McCaffrey’s contract this offseason, the 49ers only owe him $690K for the season’s remainder. However, CMC’s four-year, $64MM deal — still the running back benchmark 2 1/2 years after its finalization — includes base salaries of $11.8MM in 2023 and ’24 and $12MM in 2025. Considering the picks the 49ers are parting with, it does not seem like they view McCaffrey as a one-year rental. That said, only $1MM in injury guarantees remain on the deal, giving San Francisco some flexibility.

McCaffrey’s dominance at Stanford provided the onramp for him to become a rare modern-era top-10 running back draftee, and after a modest rookie year, he broke through with one of this period’s top running back seasons. Despite Cam Newton going down early in the 2019 season, McCaffrey made a run at Chris Johnson‘s single-season scrimmage yards record. He did not get there, but the 2,392-yard, 19-touchdown campaign — on top of a 1,965-yard 2018 season — led to the record-setting extension.

Of course, the 49ers are taking a gamble based on what McCaffrey’s 2020s have produced. A high ankle sprain early in the 2020 season began McCaffrey’s slide toward the “injury prone” label for which he has become known. In addition to injuries to both ankles over the past two years, McCaffrey has run into shoulder and hamstring maladies. In total, the former No. 8 overall pick missed 23 games from 2020-21.

The Panthers are cashing out here, with McCaffrey — chosen during Dave Gettleman‘s GM run — having played in all six games this season. CMC’s 670 scrimmage yards — 104 against the 49ers in Week 5 — rank fourth in the NFL through six games. Carolina also traded Robbie Anderson and is rumored to be willing to ship out eighth-year veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline.

The 49ers are giving up far more than they did for Emmanuel Sanders at the 2019 deadline; the veteran wideout cost third- and fourth-round picks. But McCaffrey provides a much higher ceiling and had much of the Matt Rhule era to conserve his body. McCaffrey gives the 49ers a fourth All-Pro on offense, joining George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams.

The 49ers are sacrificing much of their 2023 draft, as they do not have a 2023 first-rounder (sent to the Dolphins for the Trey Lance draft slot). But the NFC West squad still has two third-rounders in 2023, due to Washington’s Martin Mayhew GM hire and Miami’s Mike McDaniel HC move. However, this is a bit of a zag for the team. The 49ers gave Jerick McKinnon a top-five (at the time) running back deal in 2018; he missed the next two seasons. After McKinnon and Tevin Coleman‘s contracts came off their books in 2021, the 49ers have rolled with low-cost backfields. It does not get more expensive than McCaffrey at this position.

The McCaffrey family has some familiarity with the 49ers and the Shanahans as well. Christian McCaffrey’s father, Ed, is better known for his Broncos days, but the former possession receiver was on the 1994 49ers’ Super Bowl-winning team. Ed McCaffrey played for Kyle Shanahan‘s father, Mike — George Seifert‘s offensive coordinator on that dominant squad — before following the elder Shanahan to Denver in 1995. Ed played nine years for Mike Shanahan in Denver. Kyle Shanahan and Christian McCaffrey each spent time around the Mike Shanahan-era Broncos, though the latter was obviously a child at the time.

With three 2023 picks plus the 2024 fifth-rounder, the Panthers are collecting a somewhat surprising package for a running back. Although David Johnson brought the Cardinals DeAndre Hopkins — in a widely panned 2020 deal that featured a second-round pick going to the Texans as well — no back had brought more than merely a third-round pick since the 2013 Trent Richardson Browns-Colts swap. This trade will boost a transitioning Panthers team come April.

Carolina, which was without some ammo in this year’s draft due to trades for Sam Darnold and C.J. Henderson, sent its 2023 third-rounder to New England in order to trade up for Matt Corral. The Panthers, however, do have their own first- and second-rounders next year. With the picks the 49ers are sending, the NFC South club will have six picks in the first four rounds next year. In the meantime, the Panthers have offseason pickup D’Onta Foreman and 2021 draftee Chuba Hubbard to pick up the pieces in their backfield.

Jim Irsay: Removal Of Dan Snyder As Commanders Owner In Play

October 18th, 2022 at 10:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the investigations into Commanders owner Dan Snyder persist, some of his peers may be testing the waters about removing him from his post. Colts owner Jim Irsay floated that possibility at the owners’ meetings Tuesday.

Irsay said there is merit to removing Snyder as the Washington owner and added “there potentially could be” 24 votes from ownership ranks to oust the embattled leader, via the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala (Twitter links). No NFL owner has ever been removed from his post via vote.

Irsay added no vote is likely to take place at this week’s meetings but added that such a historic measure could occur once Mary Jo White’s written report from this latest NFL investigation — one centered around Washington’s alleged workplace misconduct and financial improprieties — emerges.

“I believe there is merit to removing him as owner of the [Commanders],” Irsay said. “There’s consideration that he should be removed. … I just think that once owners talk among each other, they’ll arrive to the right decision. My belief is that — unfortunately — that’s the road we probably need to go down. And we just need to finish the investigation. But it’s gravely concerning to me the things that have occurred there over the last 20 years.”

Irsay saying a Snyder removal is in play certainly suggests he is not alone in voicing support to boot the Commanders leader from his 23-year post — a tenure that has both reduced Washington’s competitive standing and brought numerous scandals. Snyder, as he has done for years, is not considering selling the team. A Commanders statement, via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter), following Irsay’s comments indicated as such.

Snyder is being investigated by the league and the House Oversight Committee. These investigations follow a previous NFL probe, which wrapped during the 2021 offseason and led to Snyder being fined $10MM and receiving what amounted to a de facto suspension. Snyder pushed back on the notion he was barred from day-to-day responsibilities with his franchise, and a recent report indicated he is back at work without restrictions.

The prospect of owners warming up to a Snyder removal vote has surfaced in a few recent reports, bringing this seminal topic to the forefront. Irsay’s remarks, however, run counter to Jerry Jones‘ take on this matter. The Cowboys owner does not appear to view a Snyder ouster as a front-burner issue.

“No, I don’t think that’ll be something discussed today,” Jones said, via USA Today’s Jori Epstein (on Twitter). “That’s more a media thing than it is an internal thing. … No, I don’t think that’ll be a highlighted item at all.”

Jones’ comments come after a bombshell ESPN report indicated Snyder was gathering dirt on a handful of NFL owners. That report also noted Snyder had “lost Jerry” regarding support. Contrary to that report, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds (video link) Jones still supports Snyder. Jones carries a great deal of weight among owners, so he certainly represents a vital ally for an owner who has lost support of select other owners.

Still, given Irsay’s comments, last week’s report appears to have moved the needle among ownership. Whether a Snyder vote happens in the near future or not, these past several days have brought the most smoke regarding his potential exit.

Ravens To Sign WR DeSean Jackson

October 18th, 2022 at 3:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

DeSean Jackson‘s Ravens visit has produced an agreement. The 14-year veteran wide receiver is signing with the team, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). It is a practice squad agreement, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com notes.

Although Jackson said this offseason he was pondering retirement, he re-emerged recently indicating he was still on the market. The Ravens will be the deep threat’s sixth NFL team. At 35, Jackson will also become the NFL’s oldest active wideout.

The Ravens have No. 1 wideout Rashod Bateman recovering from a foot sprain, and while Devin Duvernay has shown strides as an auxiliary target this season, no other Baltimore receiver has totaled more than 80 yards through six games. Jackson will be expected to fill some of the void created by the trade of Marquise Brown.

Despite his age and recent injury trouble, Jackson has remained a target for teams. The Rams cut him last season, but teams pursued the veteran; that process led Jackson to Las Vegas. The former Pro Bowler made an impact for the playoff-bound Raiders, doing so after helping the Rams early in the season.

Albeit on only 20 receptions, Jackson averaged a career-high 22.7 yards per catch last season. He posted 100-yard games for both of his 2021 teams — a Week 3 explosion against the Bucs as a Ram and a Thanksgiving assist to the Raiders, helping Las Vegas to a last-second win over Dallas — and showed more durability than he had during his second Philadelphia stint by playing in 16 games and the Raiders’ wild-card tilt.

Jackson missed 24 games during his second Eagles stay, but the Rams still took a flier on him. The Ravens will follow suit and will have one of the most impactful deep targets in NFL history prepared to help their cause. Jackson’s three Pro Bowls all came during his first stint with the Eagles, which ended after the 2013 season, but he has five 1,000-yard seasons and four years as the NFL’s top yards-per-catch player. For his career, Jackson has 11,110 receiving yards — 36th all time.

This move follows the Ravens’ in-season pickup of Jason Pierre-Paul. JPP, who was signed to the Ravens’ active roster without a practice squad bridge period, cleared the 50-snap barrier in his first game as a Raven. D-Jax’s recent injury and usage history suggests OC Greg Roman will not deploy him as a full-timer alongside Bateman, but his addition figures to open up the field for he and Mark Andrews going forward.

Raiders WR Davante Adams Charged In Connection With Shoving Incident

October 16th, 2022 at 10:26am CST by Sam Robinson

OCTOBER 16: The NFL will not make a decision with respect to a possible suspension for Adams until the legal process has concluded, as Rapoport writes. Adams will be disciplined under the league’s personal conduct policy — which includes an NFL investigation and a decision by Judge Sue L. Robinson– as opposed to game-day rules. That is presumably because the incident took place after the game was over and did not involve another player.

OCTOBER 12: Momentum may be moving toward a Davante Adams suspension. Kansas City police charged Adams in connection with his postgame shove of a photographer, according to KCTV5’s Shain Bergen (on Twitter).

Initially reported as a misdemeanor assault charge, Adams is actually facing a city ordinance violation, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This checks in a bit below misdemeanor assault. It carries a $250-$1K fine and/or up to 180 days in jail.

The NFL is reviewing this matter. While the Raiders’ Week 6 bye gives the league a bit more time, a decision should be expected before Las Vegas resumes its season. A suspension and/or a fine are considered to be in play after Adams shoved the photographer to the ground following the Raiders’ one-point loss Monday night.

This certainly qualifies as one of the more unusual developments in recent NFL history. The photographer Adams shoved filed charges against the 29-year-old pass catcher not long after the incident. Adams apologized shortly after the encounter, but this matter is not going away. The All-Pro wideout is due in court Nov. 10.

The police report indicates the photographer, Ryan Zebley, sustained whiplash and a possible minor concussion as a result of Adams’ shove. Upon filing these charges, Zebley indicated he went to a Kansas City-area hospital as a result of this unusual postgame incident. The video evidence available should allow for an expedited NFL investigation, and should the result end with an Adams ban, it would certainly mark a notable chapter in the Raiders-Chiefs rivalry.

Las Vegas’ post-bye schedule starts with games against the Texans, Saints, Jaguars and Colts. The team also lost Darren Waller to a hamstring injury against the Chiefs, leaving the Pro Bowl tight end uncertain for Week 7. Being without Adams to start that stretch would obviously further limit the Raiders’ offense, which has a reduced margin for error thanks to Monday’s one-point loss that dropped the team to 1-4. Adams is in the first season of a five-year, $140MM contract. Although he caught two touchdown passes against the Chiefs, Adams’ Raiders tenure is off to a rocky start because of this issue.

Owners Not Expected To Address Dan Snyder’s Ownership Status At Meetings

October 13th, 2022 at 4:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the NFL and House Oversight Committee’s separate investigations into Dan Snyder and his franchise’s workplace conduct persist, the subject of the longtime Washington owner’s potential ouster continues to come up.

A “growing consensus” exists in some ownership circles that removing Snyder from his post would be the best course of action for the NFL, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. This consensus has certainly formed among NFL followers and many fans of Snyder’s franchise, but the embattled leader’s fellow owners are the only figures who count here. Twenty-four votes are necessary for this monumental step to take place.

This follows a Washington Post report that indicated some owners are warming to the idea of forcing Snyder to sell his franchise, but reaching the 24-vote threshold is another matter entirely. But that historic prospect has moved closer to the NFL radar than it was a year ago, Florio adds. And, as this once-unthinkable scenario gains steam, Snyder is going on the offensive.

Many owners would like to see Snyder out, according to ESPN.com’s Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham and Tisha Thompson, but the 57-year-old Commanders owner is believed to have hired firms to investigate other owners and Roger Goodell for the purposes of gathering dirt — in the event a vote becomes a genuine possibility.

Snyder has authorized investigations of “at least six” owners, per ESPN.com, including Jerry Jones, who has been a longtime defender of his fellow NFC East owner. Furthermore, Snyder has reached out to Jones for support in recent weeks — in an effort to prevent the owners from removing him — only the Cowboys owner has distanced himself from his peer. Snyder has “lost Jerry,” an executive told ESPN.com, and this explosive report indicates the Dallas owner has said he is not sure he can protect Snyder any longer. Investigations of this sort are not new for Snyder, who was believed to have conducted shadow investigations on former employees.

As of now, the owners are not planning to formally discuss the Snyder matter. The next round of owners’ meetings — set for next week in New York — does not have a Snyder item on the docket, Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press reports (on Twitter). While that obviously does not stop owners from addressing the Snyder situation privately, they are not preparing any votes yet. Part of the reason no vote is imminent: removing one owner opens the door to a future in which this drastic step could be taken against another, Armando Salguero of Outkick notes.

Counting Snyder scandals is difficult at this point. The one that produced the current circumstances came in 2021, when an NFL investigation into Washington’s workplace culture led to Snyder being fined $10MM and ceding day-to-day control of his franchise to his wife Tanya. Despite last year’s development being aimed at leading Snyder away from the team — a de facto suspension — Snyder denied he was suspended and has been around the team at points during his ensuing controversies.

The NFL changed course on a plan to have that investigation produce a written report, leading to the Oversight Committee’s probe and the biggest set of problems to hit Snyder during his ownership tenure. Snyder recently attempted to again shift blame to former team president Bruce Allen, via an attorney letter to Committee chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney, according to the Washington Post’s Liz Clarke, Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala. The Committee deemed Snyder’s previous attempts to paint Allen as the architect of a toxic workplace culture, partially by citing Allen’s emails that ended up leading to Jon Gruden‘s Raiders exit, as scapegoating.

The Commanders denied the accuracy of ESPN’s report, one that also invited questions about team president Jason Wright‘s true authority to go about repairing the team’s culture. The Commanders’ statement (via The Athletic’s Ben Standig, on Twitter) called the report a “two-year misinformation campaign to coerce the sale of the team.” Snyder will not accept being forced to sell, according to the report. The Snyder situation may look a bit different after recent NBA developments. After a lengthy investigation into Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury owner Robert Sarver led to his suspension; Sarver has begun the process of selling his teams.

Washington, which made five Super Bowl appearances during a 20-year span from 1972-1991, has seen its status within the NFL nosedive under Snyder. The team has three 10-win seasons since Snyder’s 1999 purchase and has yet to secure back-to-back playoff berths during this period.

Panthers Fire Matt Rhule; Steve Wilks Named Interim HC

October 10th, 2022 at 9:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

In a move which comes as little surprise at this point, the Panthers have fired head coach Matt Rhule, the team announced on Monday. Defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach Steve Wilks will replace him on an interim basis.

Talk of Rhule being on the hot seat began at the onset of the 2022 season, his third with the team. It was at that point that he was able to make significant strides at both Temple and Baylor, leading to expectations that he would be able to do the same along a similar timeline in the NFL. Instead, the team has started the season 1-4, dropping his overall coaching record to 11-27.

Offensive struggles have been at the heart of Carolina’s performances under Rhule. The team has ranked no higher than 24th in the league in scoring during his tenure, something which some hoped would turn around this season with the acquisition of quarterback Baker Mayfield and a return to health from running back Christian McCaffrey. The unit has underperformed in 2022, however.

That led to increased speculation that a mid-season firing could take place. Owner David Tepper had insisted on remaining patient with the 47-year-old, though, as recently as late September. Two losses since have been marked by further underwhelming performances, and reports of tension between Rhule and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. The fact that Mayfield played part of yesterday’s game against the 49ers on an injured left foot did little to help his or Rhule’s job security.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Rhule had the option to leave Carolina in favor of a return to the college ranks, but chose to stay. Now, he will likely be among the top candidates to fill a number of openings which currently exist at high-profile programs. ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds (via Twitter) that Rhule is still owed more than $40MM on the seven-year, $62MM contract he signed upon arrival in Charlotte.

With Rhule gone, the Panthers will move forward with Wilks heading the staff. A presence on Carolina’s sidelines from 2012-17, the 53-year-old spent the following season as head coach of the Cardinals. His tenure there lasted only one year, however, after the team went 3-13. The nature of his dismissal from Arizona led to Wilks joining Brian Flores’ ongoing racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and several clubs.

He spent 2019 as the Browns’ defensive coordinator, then one year removed from coaching. In 2021, Wilks was the DC at Missouri, before returning to the Panthers for this campaign. He will now have the remainder of the 2022 season to try and orchestrate a turnaround, while auditioning for the full-time role of head coach. On that point, Rapoport adds that Wilks will be given “serious consideration” for a permanent posting (video link).

The performance of Wilks and the rest of the team will now be worth watching over the coming months. Regardless of their ability to turn the season around, the Rhule era has officially ended after less than three seasons.

Broncos CB Ronald Darby Out For Season

October 7th, 2022 at 12:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The fallout from the Broncos’ ugly Week 5 loss continues. After leaving the Colts matchup early, Ronald Darby will not be back for his team this season. The veteran cornerback suffered an ACL tear, Nathaniel Hackett confirmed Friday.

This news comes hours after word of Garett Bolles‘ broken leg. The Broncos are closing the door on their left tackle playing again this season as well. Bolles will not come back from the lower-leg fracture he sustained late in Thursday night’s game. Considering the injuries the team has already encountered, this is becoming quite the toll for a squad amid a rocky start.

Part of Denver’s 2021 secondary overhaul, Darby joined the team as a midlevel free agent. The former Bills, Eagles and Washington corner signed a three-year, $30MM deal with the Broncos in March 2021. He joined Kyle Fuller and Pat Surtain II as new corner investments in Denver last year. Darby and Surtain have operated as the Broncos’ starting outside corners this season. The former will soon join Justin Simmons and Randy Gregory as Denver defensive starters on IR. While the latter two will be back, Darby being shut down will test the Broncos’ Surtain-fronted cornerback corps.

Injuries have been a problem for Darby throughout his career. Most notably, he suffered an ACL tear during his second Eagles season (2018). Darby’s Eagles tenure started off on the wrong foot as well; he dislocated an ankle in September 2017. While Darby re-emerged to be part of Philadelphia’s Super Bowl-winning defense, his 2018 ACL tear affected his free agency value. He settled for a one-year, $6.5MM accord in 2019 and then signed a one-year, $3MM deal with Washington in 2020. Darby, who did not miss a game in 2020, scored $19.5MM guaranteed from the Broncos last year.

Darby, 28, will end his second Broncos season with 18 combined games missed. He battled hamstring trouble last season but started the 11 games he played. The former Bills second-rounder was faring well to start this season, helping a stout Broncos defense minimize opposing offenses (while Denver’s offense scuffles through a rough acclimation period). But this injury will cloud Darby’s future with the team.

The Broncos can save $10MM by releasing Darby in 2023, when he is set to count $13MM toward their cap. The team will likely get an extensive look at rookie Damarri Mathis, who replaced Darby against the Colts. A fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh, Mathis moved into position as the Broncos’ top backup corner after third-year player Michael Ojemudia suffered a preseason injury. Ojemudia, who missed most of 2021 with a hamstring ailment, remains on IR.

As of Friday, the following Broncos starters are on IR or have missed multiple games: Darby, Bolles, safety Justin Simmons, running back Javonte Williams, outside linebacker Randy Gregory and right guard Quinn Meinerz. Both members of Denver’s would-be right tackle competition — Tom Compton, Billy Turner — have not played yet this season, either. Hackett said Josey Jewell, who missed time earlier this season, is now week-to-week with a knee injury as well. Thursday’s round of setbacks will make the Broncos’ uphill battle steeper.

Buccaneers WR Cole Beasley To Retire

October 5th, 2022 at 11:19am CST by Sam Robinson

Cole Beasley played in two Buccaneers games since joining their practice squad in September, but the veteran wide receiver is changing course. The productive slot receiver plans to retire immediately, per Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).

This abrupt retirement will end an 11-year career spent with the Cowboys, Bills and Bucs. Beasley, 33, spent the offseason looking for a new team and sent Tom Brady Instagram DMs about joining the Bucs. So it is obviously surprising to see him call it quits soon after arriving in Tampa. Beasley being separated from his Texas-stationed family led to this retirement call, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com tweets.

Other teams besides the Bucs expressed interest in Beasley. The Commanders, Giants and Panthers pursued Beasley since his Bills release, but the Bucs — dealing with a wide receiver shortage at the time — won out. Beasley caught four passes for 17 yards during his two-game Bucs cameo. The team’s receiver situation has improved as well, which likely would have meant less time for Beasley going forward. Mike Evans re-emerged after his one-game suspension, and injured wideouts Chris Godwin and Julio Jones played against the Chiefs on Sunday night.

Beasley will certainly be better remembered for his time in Dallas and Buffalo. The Cowboys put the SMU product to work as their primary slot receiver for most of the 2010s, with Beasley being the team’s top receiving constant outside of Dez Bryant during that period. The Cowboys extended Beasley on a four-year, $13.6MM deal in March 2015 and saw him produce career-best (at the time) numbers a year later to help Dak Prescott earn Offensive Rookie of the Year acclaim during a 13-3 season. Beasley caught 75 passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns that year.

As Dallas’ Bryant partnership came to an end following the 2017 season, Beasley remained in place as the team transitioned to its Amari Cooper-fronted attack. Preparing for a Cooper payday, the Cowboys let Beasley walk in 2019. Eager to upgrade Josh Allen‘s receiver situation, the Bills paid up for Beasley (four years, $29MM) and John Brown that year. While the latter topped 1,000 yards in 2019, Beasley played a pivotal role in aiding Allen as well. From 2019-20, Beasley totaled 1,471 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, transitioning to a role as Stefon Diggs‘ sidekick when the Bills swung their blockbuster trade with the Vikings in 2020.

Last season did not bring as much success, and Beasley became a controversial figure as he spoke out regularly against COVID-19 vaccines. Beasley matched his 82 catches from 2020 but checked in at a career-low 8.5 yards per reception. Beasley contracted COVID in December and missed a game, joining many thrust into that position during the pandemic, and the Bills made him a cap casualty ahead of the 2022 league year. The Bills moved on with younger receivers, and Beasley’s retirement further reduces the number of 30-something wideouts left in the NFL. Fellow 2021 Bills contributor Emmanuel Sanders, 35, preceded Beasley by retiring a few weeks ago.

Beasley will wrap his career as one of this era’s top slot targets. For his career, Beasley caught 554 passes for 5,726 yards and 34 touchdowns.

Joey Bosa To Undergo Surgery, Headed To IR

October 2nd, 2022 at 8:50am CST by Sam Robinson

OCTOBER 2: Bosa, who sustained a groin tear, is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes. Schefter adds that Bosa is not likely to return to his elite level of performance this season.

SEPTEMBER 28: After Brandon Staley expressed concern about Joey Bosa‘s groin injury, an IR trip appeared in play. The Chargers are taking that route with their perennial Pro Bowl pass rusher.

Bosa is heading to IR, per Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com (on Twitter). While this will knock the seventh-year defender out for at least four games, a longer absence is likely in store. Bosa will undergo core muscle surgery in Philadelphia, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Chargers do expect him back later this season, with Mike Garafolo of NFL.com suggesting a possible two-month timetable (Twitter link). But this will be a difficult setback for the team’s retooled defense.

The Bolts’ $27MM-per-year sack artist left the team’s Week 3 game early. Left tackle Rashawn Slater joined Bosa in doing so. Slater is expected to miss the rest of the season with a biceps tear. Backup wide receiver Jalen Guyton also sustained a torn ACL during the Chargers’ loss to the Jaguars. These maladies occurred during a game in which Pro Bowlers Corey Linsley, Keenan Allen and J.C. Jackson missed due to injury. Justin Herbert, of course, played through a rib cartilage fracture he suffered in Week 2.

This is a familiar development for the Chargers, who have dealt with extensive injury trouble in several recent seasons. It comes at a critical point on the franchise’s timeline. Herbert is eligible for an extension in January, making the 2022 season perhaps his last on a rookie deal. Given where the quarterback market went this year, a deal that surpasses $50MM on average should be expected. The Chargers aggressively bolstered their roster this offseason, devoting considerable resources — at Staley’s request — to upgrading their defense. Bosa being out undercuts that effort.

The Chargers acquired Khalil Mack to team with Bosa and form one of the top edge-rushing duos in recent memory. Mack has returned from the foot injury that ended his 2021 season early, but he will have to go it alone for a bit. For Bosa, this represents another even-year setback. Bosa, 27, missed four games as a rookie in 2016 (hamstring), was shut down for nine during the 2018 season (foot) and missed four more contests in 2020 (two concussions). Still, Bosa has received four Pro Bowl invites and has four double-digit sack seasons.

Herbert, Mack and Co. will need to steady this suddenly rocky season during Bosa’s absence. Allen, Jackson and Linsley are not on IR and should be expected back soon. Though, Bosa and Slater’s absences make Los Angeles’ lineup less formidable.

Second-year rusher Chris Rumph, a fourth-round pick, was Bosa’s primary replacement against the Jags. The Chargers also have the option of using hybrid linebacker Kyle Van Noy in more of a rushing role. The Patriots often went to this well. Van Noy totaled 21.5 sacks with New England and tallied 17.5 with the Pats and Dolphins from 2019-21.

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