Trade Notes: Falcons, Bengals, Browns, Broncos, Jets, Redskins, Giants, Eagles, Bills, Packers
Teams continue to ask about Austin Hooper, whose 526 receiving yards sit 11th in the NFL entering Week 8. However, the Falcons have spurned suitors who’ve called about the emerging tight end, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Hooper is in a contract year, but the Falcons believe they have a chance to re-sign him. The Falcons, though, are the team doing the contacting regarding Vic Beasley. Atlanta is shopping its former All-Pro defensive end, who is playing out a $12.8MM fifth-year option. Pass rushers are obviously valuable, but with Beasley’s play having fallen off since that 2016 breakthrough, the return might not be what the Falcons seek.
Here is the latest from the trade market:
- The Redskins continue to respond with hard nos when asked about Trent Williams, but Breer adds Josh Norman‘s name has been floated around. With Norman having not lived up to the $15MM-AAV contract he signed in 2016, it would be hard to imagine the Redskins getting much value for the eighth-year cornerback.
- A cornerback performing better continues to look likelier to stay put. Chris Harris does not expect to be traded, and Troy Renck of Denver7 notes the Broncos are not as motivated to deal their four-time Pro Bowler as they were to ship out Emmanuel Sanders. A second-round pick would likely be necessary here, per Breer. Considering the Broncos’ issues finding corners as of late, dealing Harris would create a massive offseason need in Denver.
- The Bengals are 0-7, and A.J. Green continues to come up in trade rumors. But the old-school organization isn’t budging. Mike Brown has not signed off on a firesale, Breer adds, instead preferring to provide first-year HC Zac Taylor with a foundation. That project is not going well so far, with the veteran-laden team performing poorly. Cincinnati’s potential trade chips also include franchise sack leaders Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap. Neither appears to be a departure candidate. Tyler Eifert is a name Breer mentions could be dealt, but the tight end obviously has a significant injury history that would limit a return.
- As for the expensive New York corners, Janoris Jenkins has generated more interest than Trumaine Johnson. The Giants have shopped Jenkins around some, per Breer, while Ralph Vacchiano of SNY notes it would require “a miracle” for a team to take Johnson’s salary off the Jets‘ payroll. Jenkins is signed through 2020, with $5.37MM remaining in 2019 salary.
- In addition to the Saints exploring receiver additions, the Bills, Eagles and Packers are as well, Breer notes. This could heat up the Robby Anderson market, but Breer adds Browns wideout Rashard Higgins has been discussed in advance of Tuesday’s deadline. The backup is in a contract year. However, Higgins has battled knee issues and has only played in one 2019 game.
- With Mark Andrews having outproduced Hayden Hurst, the Ravens have received calls on their 2018 top pick. As of now, however, Hurst is not believed to be available, per Breer.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/23/19
Here are today’s minor transactions:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Released: WR Damion Willis
Denver Broncos
- Claimed: DL Jonathan Harris (from Bears)
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: RB Paul Perkins
Houston Texas
- Promoted: WR Steven Mitchell Jr.
New England Patriots
- Signed: DB Justin Bethel
- Released: DB Jordan Richard, TE Eric Tomlinson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Stephone Anthony, CB Johnson Bademosi
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: DT Hassan Ridgeway
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: G Jordan Roos
Browns Plan To Acquire OT Before Trade Deadline
Browns general manager John Dorsey is targeting a number of offensive tackles to ensure the team acquires an upgrade before the trade deadline, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. Cleveland’s offensive line woes have been well documented this season, but they are far from the only team seeking upgrades via trade.
Washington tackle Trent Williams remains the obvious best candidate available. Except, while he continues to hold out with no progress toward a new contract, Washington reportedly has no interest in trading him. In the report, Robinson quotes one source who said “Dorsey has been trying to get Williams for basically six weeks.”
While Williams remains Dorsey’s top target, Robinson reports that multiple league sources have said Dorsey has been “reaching out to a swath of teams about acquiring offensive line help before the deadline.” The report goes on to mention that on top of Washington, he has contacted two other NFC East teams: the Giants and Eagles.
Less than a week away from the trade deadline, Dorsey seems primed to wait until the deadline to see if Washington changes course on Williams’ availability. If not, Giants starting offensive tackle Nate Solder or Eagles swing tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai seem like legitimate fallback options, per Robinson.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/22/19
Here is Tuesday’s summary from the workout circuit:
Atlanta Falcons
- DE Quinton Bell, DE/OLB Nate Orchard, DE/OLB Shane Ray (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio)
Chicago Bears
- DL Jay Bromley, DL Stacy McGee (Twitter link via Caplan)
Houston Texans
- LS Andrew DePaola, LS Wes Farnsworth, CB E.J. Gaines, DE Dewayne Hendrix, RB Darius Jackson, DE Austin Larkin, WR J.J. Nelson, LS Matt Overton, WR Eli Rogers, RB Austin Walter (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- LB Keishawn Bierria, LB Ukeme Eligwe, LB Nicholas Grigsby, LB Donald Payne, LB Christian Sam (Twitter link via Wilson)
Los Angeles Chargers
- WR Jalen Guyton (per Wilson, on Twitter)
New England Patriots
- WR Malik Henry, OL Aaron Monteiro (via Wilson, on Twitter)
New York Giants
- DE Wes Horton (per Caplan, on Twitter)
Philadelphia Eagles
- DL Willie Henry (Twitter link via Caplan)
Seattle Seahawks
- LB Tashawn Bower (visit), WR Penny Hart, WR J’Mon Moore, WR Bobo Wilson (Twitter links via Caplan and Wilson)
Eagles Interested In Chris Harris
- Cornerback dominoes have fallen as well, with the Rams, Ravens and Texans making plays for key cogs. The Eagles‘ shaky pass defense features a notable need at corner, and the team has contacted the Broncos about Chris Harris, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. The Eagles were ready to send first- and second-round picks to the Jaguars for Jalen Ramsey. Harris is five years older and in a contract year, but it will likely take a Day 2 pick to pry him from Denver. The Texans tried to acquire the 30-year-old standout as well but evidently were not amenable to the Broncos’ asking price.
Eagles Meet With Datone Jones
The Eagles’ search for defensive help continues this week. Next up – a workout with free agent defensive lineman Datone Jones (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
Jones spent the offseason with the Jaguars, but was dropped before final cuts. The Colts and Raiders also took recent looks at Jones, but did not sign him. The 29-year-old is looking to get back into the NFL mix – he saw time in just eight NFL games between 2017 and 2018, a far cry from his usage early on with the Packers.
From 2013-2016, Jones made 59 appearances (seven starts) for Green Bay. He notched ten sacks in that span, though the 2013 first-round pick didn’t finish out strong on his rookie deal.
On Monday, the Eagles cut defensive tackle Akeem Spence, just one day after he saw the highest snap percentage of the season against the Cowboys. Anthony Rush, formerly of the Raiders’ taxi squad, took his place.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/21/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: LB Joe Giles-Harris
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: WR Davion Davis
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed off Texans practice squad: DT Albert Huggins
2019 NFL Cap Space, By Team
With eight days to go before the 2019 trade deadline, here’s a look at the cap space possessed by each team, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter):
1. Colts: $43.5M
2. Browns: $32.9M
3. Dolphins: $28M
4. Bills: $24.7M
5. Cowboys: $24M
6. Titans: $23.7
7. Chiefs: $23.1M
8. Raiders: $22.4M
9. Eagles: $22.2M
10. Texans: $21.6M
11. Lions: $18.9M
12. Bears: $17M
13. 49ers: $14.4M
14. Panthers: $14.2M
15. Bengals: $13.6M
16. Redskins: $13.5M
17. Jaguars: $10.3M
18. Broncos: $10M
19. Packers: $9.5M
20. Seahawks: $7.8M
21. Buccaneers: $6.5M
22. Jets: $6.1M
23. Rams: $4.6M
24. Cardinals: $4.1M
25. Chargers: $4.1M
26. Steelers: $3.4M
27. Patriots: $2.5M
28. Giants: $2.2M
29. Ravens: $2.1M
30. Saints: $1.9M
31. Falcons: $1.7M
32. Vikings: $623K
Eagles Cut DT Akeem Spence
Well, that didn’t last long. On Monday, the Eagles release defensive tackle Akeem Spence, less than six weeks after signing him. To take his place, the club inked fellow DT Anthony Rush off of the Raiders’ practice squad. 
[RELATED: Eagles Release Orlando Scandrick]
Spence spent training camp with the Dolphins but didn’t make the final cut, leading him to the Eagles. He saw a season-high 54 snaps in Sunday’s ugly loss to the Cowboys – those proved to be his last in Philly. At least, for now. He’s now on the open market, along with cornerback Orlando Scandrick.
Enter Rush, a 6’5″, 350-pound defensive lineman out of UAB. In his two post-JUCO years, Rush tallied 77 tackles, 20 for loss, two sacks, and a pick-six. He’ll look to impress coaches this week and make the active roster for Sunday’s game against the Bills.
Eagles To Release Orlando Scandrick
The Eagles are releasing cornerback Orlando Scandrick, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The move comes one day after Scandrick saw limited time against his old friends in Dallas.
Scandrick was with the Eagles in camp until he was dropped just prior to cutdown weekend. He returned to the roster in late September when the Eagles needed a cornerback to help fill in for Ronald Darby and Avonte Maddox.
During his ten-year/nine-season run with the Cowboys, Scandrick started the bulk of his games. Last year, he split his time between the first- and second-string with the Chiefs. This year, in three games with the Eagles, he was deployed more as a role player, though he did get to shine against the Jets as he notched two sacks, forced two fumbles, and took one of them to the house for a touchdown.
The 32-year-old could hold appeal for other clubs, but this may also be the end of the line for him.
