Minor NFL Transactions: 8/15/17
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived from injured reserve: RB/WR B.J. Daniels
Carolina Panthers
- Waived from injured reserve: S Dean Marlowe
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: CB Dejaun Butler, CB John Green, TE M.J. McFarland, WR Corey Washington
- Waived: OL Ruben Carter, WR Javontee Herndon, LB Lucas Wacha
- Waived/injured: TE Connor Hamlett
Detroit Lions
- Placed on injured reserve: DE Kerry Hyder, RB Mike James
- Waived: G Matt Rotheram
- Waived from injured reserve: WR Ryan Spadola
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: DL Shaneil Jenkins
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Justice Liggins
- Waived/injured: RB Dalton Crossan
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed LB Kyle Coleman
- Waived/injured: LB Mike Moore
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: T Sean Hickey, WR Rashad Lawrence
- Waived: T Kwayde Miller
- Waived/injured: WR Francis Owusu
- Waived from injured reserve: WR Jordan Westerkamp
Eagles Release RB Ryan Mathews
The Eagles are finally cutting Ryan Mathews. The running back was released on Tuesday morning after receiving medical clearance, the team announced.
[RELATED: Why Ronald Darby’s Contract Appealed To Eagles]
The Eagles decided to move on from Mathews months ago, but they have been waiting for him to first get the green light on his injured neck from team doctors. Had the Eagles released Mathews before getting medical clearance, they would have had to pay him $1.15MM in injury protection. Instead, he’ll count against the cap for just $1MM in dead money while saving the club $4MM.
“We want to thank Ryan for his contributions to the Philadelphia Eagles over the past two seasons,” the team said in a statement. “We spoke today and had a productive conversation about his future and the direction of our team going forward. First and foremost, we are glad that Ryan is healthy and has been cleared to return to football activities, but given the current state of our running back position, we feel like it is best for both sides to go in a different direction. We wish him all the best as he continues his career.”
Mathews‘ season ended in December when he suffered the painful neck injury. Even with that injury plus the MCL sprain he was dealing with, he still managed to turn in a decent season. In 13 games, he had 661 yards off of 155 carries for an average of 4.3 yards per attempt. He also had eight rushing touchdowns plus 13 catches for 115 yards.
With Mathews out of the picture, the Eagles plan to use Blount, Darren Sproles, and Wendell Smallwood as their top backs. Fourth-round pick Donnel Pumphrey and Byron Marshall are also pushing to make the 53-man cut.
Eagles Not Ruling Out Matthews UFA Return
Although the Eagles dealt Jordan Matthews rather than make him part of their large recent group of extension signees, Howie Roseman said the trade wouldn’t preclude the team from re-signing Matthews as a free agent, Eliot Shorr-Parks tweets. Whether Matthews would consider a return to Philadelphia after this is another story. The Bills wideout is one of many notable receivers entering contract years. He joins fellow Friday traded pass-catcher Sammy Watkins, along with DeAndre Hopkins and fellow 2014 draftees Jarvis Landry, Davante Adams, Allen Robinson, Donte Moncrief as a prospective UFA.
Wentz Addressed Issues With Matthews Trade To Roseman
- Carson Wentz did not appear to be pleased by the Eagles trading Matthews to the Bills. The second-year quarterback met with Howie Roseman just before news of the trade broke. “I spoke with Howie shortly before it was news. He told me is was already done,” Wentz said, per Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. “He obviously knew how I felt with Jordan being one of my best friends. On the personal side it’s tough. He knew that, he was prepared for that and I told him that.” Matthews has been Philadelphia’s most reliable receiver over the past two seasons, leading Philly wideouts in receiving yards by comfortable margins in each. Shorr-Parks adds in a separate piece the Eagles will regret this trade. Of the players the Eagles are projected to start now, only Nelson Agholor is controlled past 2017. Shorr-Parks notes Jeffery’s injury history, Torrey Smith‘s rough 2016 season and the uncertainty surrounding Agholor don’t provide much certainty for this corps.
- The draft choice the Eagles will receive in the Matthews/Ronald Darby swap is not a conditional third-rounder, as it was initially reported on the NFL transaction wire. The Eagles will send the Bills their third-round pick in 2018, Jeff McLane of Philly.com tweets.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
- Ryan Tannehill‘s season is officially over. The Dolphins placed the quarterback on IR and signed linebacker Junior Sylvestre. Tannehill, who will have knee surgery next week, is expected to be ready for the 2018 season. Sylvestre spent time with the Ryan Grigson-era Colts for two years but was cut after Indianapolis’ 2016 training camp. He signed with the Bills earlier this year but was cut after a month.
- The Panthers signed defensive lineman Connor Wujciak, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Wujciak was an Eagles UDFA signing on in 2016, but an injury wiped out his would-be rookie season. The Chiefs worked out Wujciak last week. Panthers defensive tackle Vernon Butler will miss some time, Ron Rivera revealed Friday — via David Newton of ESPN.com — opening the door for an extra defensive line opportunity. Rivera said Butler’s target date for a return is Week 1. The Panthers waived defensive tackle Drew Iddings with an injury designation to open a roster spot, Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer reports (on Twitter).
- Carolina also brought back offensive lineman Brian Folkerts, Person reports. The Panthers made room by cutting offensive lineman Tyrus Thompson, who had spent time with them since last season (Twitter links). A three-year backup blocker who played in 16 games for the 2014 Panthers, Folkerts last played for the 2015 Rams. Los Angeles cut him when paring its roster down to 75 players last summer.
- Cornerback Jumal Rolle signed with the Bills and will replace Charles James, whom the team released, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW reports (on Twitter). Both players have at least two years’ experience and both previously played for the Texans. The 27-year-old Rolle was a Houston UDFA in 2014 and has played in 18 games. Rolle also intercepted three passes as a rookie before becoming mostly a special teams player in the time since. James played in 21 games with Houston between the 2015-16 seasons; Buffalo claimed him on waivers in May.
- The Broncos relocated defensive lineman Billy Winn to IR after his ACL tear diagnosis emerged Friday. They signed linebacker Nelson Adams, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.
- Linebacker Reshard Cliett negotiated an injury settlement with the Chiefs, becoming a free agent after being removed from Kansas City’s IR list, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).
- The Giants waived linebacker Jimmy Herman, whom they signed Friday. James Kratch of NJ.com tweets Herman was given a “left squad” designation.
- The Saints and linebacker Sae Tautu agreed on an injury settlement to trigger Tautu’s release from New Orleans’ IR, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com tweets.
- Rookie wide receiver Keevan Lucas signed a three-year contract with the Eagles, the team announced. Philadelphia waived linebacker Steven Daniels to make room. A Tulsa product, Lucas declared early but was not signed by a team after the draft.
- Washington signed wide receiver Jamari Staples and waived/injured left tackle Kevin Bowen, per John Keim of ESPN.com. The Chiefs waived Staples in June after initially signing him in May. The Redskins also placed Trent Murphy on IR. Murphy tore his ACL in Washington’s preseason opener Thursday night.
Ronald Darby's Contract Appealed To Eagles
The Bills reshaped their team and 2018 draft with two trades on Friday afternoon. Buffalo unloaded Sammy Watkins to the Rams for E.J. Gaines and a second-round pick. The Bills then shipped Ronald Darby to the Eagles for Jordan Matthews and a third-rounder. Here’s the latest fallout from these deals.
- Eagles GM Howie Roseman said the team didn’t shop Matthews but acknowledged the fourth-year wideout being in trade rumors since March accelerated the actual trade. Roseman, per Zach Berman of Philly.com (on Twitter) said when trade rumors are out there, “people call.” Roseman added Darby — a 2015 second-round pick — having two years left on his rookie contract cemented the deal for the Eagles. “The big factor for us was we weren’t getting a free agent back, too,” Roseman said (via Berman, on Twitter). “We wouldn’t have done the trade if a player had one year left.”
- ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano picked up a vibe while visiting Eagles camp the team was worried about their cornerbacks, and he notes the team is high on 2015 first-round wideout Nelson Agholor as a late-blooming talent. Although, he added the caveat of Agholor’s camp emergence could partially be due to Philly’s substandard corner situation. Graziano adds the Bills were worried about being too young at corner as well. Buffalo has overhauled its cornerback corps this offseason, cutting Nickell Robey-Coleman, letting Stephon Gilmore defect to New England and now trading Darby. The Bills added Shareece Wright, Tre’Davious White, Leonard Johnson and now Gaines. Darby is the latest Bills corner to join the Eagles, following Leodis McKelvin and Ron Brooks. Graziano notes Darby is a higher-ceiling talent than anyone the Eagles previously had.
- Graziano added Jordan Matthews not receiving a contract extension so many of his teammates did recently was a bad sign for his future in Philly. Berman points out (via Twitter) Alshon Jeffery is the receiver the Eagles will try to keep long-term. Jeffery signed a one-year deal with Philadelphia in March. A Matthews re-up may have gotten in the way of that for an Eagles team that’s seen the aforementioned extensions tie up its 2018 cap for the time being. The Eagles as of now are projected to have just $1MM in 2018 space.
- LeSean McCoy weighed in on the deal and praised his outgoing teammate while tabbing Matthews — his teammate in Philly for a year — as an inferior receiver to Watkins. “If you compare the two, it’s obvious you can agree who is better,” the Bills running back said, via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. McCoy added (via Rodak) he can relate to Watkins being traded for a player who he’s “probably better than” from the Eagles-Bills 2015 swap of McCoy and Kiko Alonso.
Bills Acquire WR Jordan Matthews
The Bills have announced their second major trade of the day, as they’ve acquired wide receiver Jordan Matthews and a 2018 third-round pick from the Eagles in exchange for cornerback Ronald Darby.
[RELATED: Bills Trade Sammy Watkins To Rams]
Matthews, 26, will presumably step into the void left by Sammy Watkins, whom Buffalo shipped to the Rams earlier today. However, Matthews isn’t the outside receiver that is Watkins, as Matthews has spent the majority of his career in the slot. In fact, he’s a relatively similar player to veteran pass-catcher Anquan Boldin, whom the Bills also now employ. Matthews has been a productive offensive weapon through his three-year career, averaging 75 receptions, nearly 900 yards, and six touchdowns per season.
Of course, Matthews’ contract status also plays a role in this trade, and was likely a key factor in the Eagles trading him away. Matthews is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and now that Philadelphia has Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Nelson Agholor, and Mack Hollins in tow, the club had made no effort towards extending Matthews’ contract. Buffalo, on the other hand, should be expected to work towards a multi-year agreement with Matthews, as the franchise tag is too expensive for a slot receiver.
By dealing Matthews, the Eagles have finally acquired a young, experienced cornerback, the defensive item their roster has been craving most. Philadelphia ranked second in DVOA against the pass in 2016, but that was largely due to its excellent pass rush. While the Eagles added Sidney Jones in the second round of the draft, he may not be ready to play immediately as he returns from injury. Before Darby came aboard, Philadelphia’s top defensive back options included a lackluster cast of Patrick Robinson, Ron Brooks, Jalen Mills, and Rasul Douglas.
The Bills are instituting a new defensive scheme under head coach Sean McDermott, so it’s possible Buffalo didn’t view Darby as a fit. But the former second-round pick has been productive through two NFL campaigns, although his Pro Football Focus graded tumbled from 85.9 to 62.7 (68th among corners) in 2016. Darby is eminently affordable, as he’s under team control for two more seasons with base salaries hovering around $1MM each year.
Through each of their trades executed today, the Bills have acquired a vast amount of 2018 draft pick capital. Buffalo already owned two first-round picks next year as a result of the Patrick Mahomes draft day deal, and now has received an additional second- and third-round selection for next season.
Eagles Amend Brandon Graham’s Deal
Although Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham is underpaid relative to his production, he elected not to hold out this year. Now, the Eagles have given him an opportunity to rake in more money on his current deal, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Graham, who’s halfway through the four-year, $26.5MM contract he signed with the Eagles in 2015, will have a chance to earn $1.5MM in incentives over the next two seasons.
On top of his $6.5MM base salary this year, Graham will make $250K if he tallies more than seven but fewer than nine sacks. Exceeding nine sacks would mean an additional $250K for Graham. However, even if Graham totals fewer than nine sacks, he’ll pile up $250K with either a Pro Bowl trip on the original ballot or first- or second-team All-Pro honors.
Graham went second-team All-Pro last season, but it’s worth noting that the 29-year-old has never hit the seven-sack mark in an individual campaign. His personal best (6.5) came in 2015. But getting to seven or eight sacks in 2017 would increase his $6.5MM base salary for 2018 by $250K, while nine to 11 would bump it up by $500K. Twelve or more, which could be especially unrealistic for a player who combined for that many from 2015-16, would give him a $750K raise. A Pro Bowl nod shouldn’t be out of reach, however, and earning a trip this season would up Graham’s ’18 salary by $250K.
A seven-year veteran, Graham is fresh off the first 16-start campaign of his career, and while his traditional numbers were solid in 2016 and in the preceding years, he has stood out more in the eyes of the advanced stats crowd. Graham ranked as Pro Football Focus’ second-best edge defender among 110 qualifiers last year, and the outlet has typically assigned him excellent grades.
Eagles Notes: Graham, Jones
- Safety Corey Graham‘s one-year deal with the Eagles features a guaranteed $1MM base salary, a $400K signing bonus, $200K in per-game bonuses and $200K in incentives, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.
- One of Graham’s teammates, 37-year-old punter Donnie Jones, would like to stay on the Eagles’ roster into his 40s, writes Paul Domowitch of Philly.com. “This is the only place I want to play,’’ said Jones, Philly’s oldest player. “I want to finish my career here. My goal is to play into my 40s. I’m getting closer. We’ll see.’’ Thanks to the three-year extension he signed last November, Jones is under contract through his age-39 season. In 2016, his fourth year as an Eagle, Jones finished 11th in average net yardage (40.7) and, in Football Outsiders’ view, was at the helm of the league’s 14th-best punting game.
Eagles To Play Corey Graham At S
- Corey Graham has experience at both secondary positions, but Jim Schwartz plans to use his former Bills charge at safety despite the Eagles being weaker at corner, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com notes, adding that Malcolm Jenkins could shift into the slot on sub-packages. Graham has played most of his career at corner but moved to safety full-time in 2015.