DeAndre Washington

Chiefs Trade RB DeAndre Washington To Dolphins

The Chiefs have agreed to trade running back DeAndre Washington to the Dolphins, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In exchange, Miami will send draft pick compensation to Kansas City.

[RELATED: Dolphins Trade Isaiah Ford To Patriots]

The Dolphins have been on the lookout for backfield help in recent weeks, as evidenced by their pursuit of Le’Veon Bell. Bell ultimately landed with the Chiefs, leaving the Dolphins to settle for one of his backups.

It’s not the ideal consolation prize, but Washington did flash ability as a rookie with the Raiders, when he averaged more than five yards per carry. And, last season, he gained 162 yards as he started in the Raiders’ final two games.

The 27-year-old will join an RB group that currently includes Myles Gaskin, Matt Breida, and Jordan Howard. Meanwhile, the Dolphins won’t have to do much roster juggling to accommodate him after sending wide receiver Isaiah Ford to the Patriots earlier today.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/8/20

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Matt Moore, DeAndre Washington Land On Chiefs’ Practice Squad

After agreeing to re-sign with the Chiefs late in the offseason, Matt Moore learned he did not make their active roster. But he is not leaving Kansas City.

The defending Super Bowl champions are carrying Moore on their expanded practice squad. Moore joins Josh McCown as veteran quarterbacks who agreed to join practice squads Sunday. Teams are now permitted to carry up to six veterans of unlimited service time on their taxi squads, and the Chiefs will also use one of their slots for quarterback insurance.

Moore, signed after he’d left the game and begun working as a scout and a high school assistant coach, started two games in relief of Patrick Mahomes last year. He won one of those, against the Vikings, and that game ended up helping the Chiefs clinch the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Moore, 36, will play an emergency role behind Mahomes and Chad Henne. The Chiefs are carrying two QBs — Moore and former XFL passer Jordan Ta’amu — on their P-squad.

Former Raiders backup running back DeAndre Washington also rejoined the Chiefs after being released. The Chiefs signed the veteran back this offseason but gave holdovers Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson roster spots over him, despite Washington having played with Mahomes at Texas Tech.

Here is Kansas City’s full squad:

Chiefs Release RB DeAndre Washington

Running back DeAndre Washington won’t end up seeing the field as a Chief. Kansas City has informed him he’ll be released, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Washington signed with the team on a one-year deal back in April. The former Raider had figured to mix in behind rookie starter Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but Andy Reid is clearly comfortable with Darrel Williams and second-year pro Darwin Thompson as the backups.

Washington had previously seemed like a good bet to make the roster after Damien Williams opted out of the season due to COVID-19. He received the most significant run of his career with the Raiders last year, getting 108 carries thanks to an injury to Josh Jacobs.

He became the starter for the last two weeks, carrying the ball 40 times for 162 yards. He finished the season with 387 yards and two touchdowns, adding 36 receptions for 292 yards. The Texas Tech product should catch on soon with a team in need of a running back who can catch the ball out of the backfield.

Chiefs To Sign RB DeAndre Washington

A four-year Raiders backup will change sides within the AFC West. The Chiefs have agreed to terms with DeAndre Washington, according to Yahoo.com’s Terez Paylor (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal.

Washington served as the backup to Latavius Murray, Marshawn Lynch, Doug Martin and Josh Jacobs during his career and, due to the lack of tread on his tires as a pro, serves as an interesting addition for the Chiefs.

The former fifth-round pick has amassed just 370 NFL touches; he topped out at 108 carries last season. He will join a Chiefs team that has Damien Williams, Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson under contract. This will also reunite Washington with his former college quarterback, with the ex-Red Raider having entered the NFL one year earlier than Patrick Mahomes.

The 5-foot-8 back recently turned 27 and has not posted a yards-per-carry average north of 4.0 since his rookie season, when both he and Jalen Richard surpassed 5.0 per tote. Last season, however, he gained 162 yards in starting the Raiders’ final two games. In his final season with Mahomes, Washington rushed for 1,492 yards (6.4 per carry) and totaled 16 touchdowns.

Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock opted to extend Richard, pointing to a Washington exit. Richard doubles as one of the few Reggie McKenzie-era players making the trip to Las Vegas. The Raiders, of course, are likely to have Jacobs as their backfield centerpiece for years.

Raiders To Let DeAndre Washington Test Market

It’s possible that DeAndre Washington will return to the Raiders, but not before he chats with some other teams, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic hears. 

Last week, the Raiders re-upped Jalen Richard on a two-year, $7MM deal with $4.6MM guaranteed that could pay up to $8MM through performance bonuses. That deal doesn’t necessarily push Washington out of the picture, but the Raiders’ feeling is that it might be hard to keep both ‘backs, Tafur hears.

Washington, meanwhile, is still scheduled to reach free agency in March. Serving as the other backup to rookie Josh Jacobs, Washington had 108 carries for 387 yards (3.6 yards per carry) versus Richard’s 39 carries for 145 yards (3.7 ypc, in a smaller sample). Their receiving numbers were somewhat similar, too – Washington had 36 grabs for 292 yards; Richard had 36 catches for 323 yards.

Richard was prioritized over Washington, in part, for his route-running and pass-blocking. Both Richard and Washington stand at 5’8″ and Tafur notes that the Raiders could probably use a larger back in the mix.

Washington, who turns 27 later this month, first joined the Raiders as a fifth-round pick in 2016. As a rookie, he impressed with 5.4 yards per tote on a limited sample size of 87 carries. Since then, he’s been a solid backup for the silver-and-black, but he has yet to replicate that production. Over the course of his four-year rookie deal, he’s earned a total of $2.34MM in base salary.

AFC West Notes: Broncos, Bolts, Washington

Paxton Lynch joins the likes of Ameer Abdullah, Breshad Perriman, Stephone Anthony and Mike Gillislee on a roster bubble, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter), and the Broncos may choose to cut ties with their disappointing 2016 first-rounder. Lynch would prefer to stay in Denver, Mike Klis of 9News tweets, despite his rocky tenure there to date. A fresh start might be best for the former Memphis prodigy, but the Broncos may elect to keep him as their No. 3 quarterback. Chad Kelly‘s performance in Denver’s Thursday-night finale could determine Lynch’s fate, with Troy Renck of Denver7 writing that a strong showing from the 2017 seventh-rounder may convince the Broncos he’s ready to be Case Keenum‘s regular-season backup rather than forcing the Broncos to acquire a veteran to serve in that role. That would seemingly free up a roster spot for Lynch as the third-stringer. It would cost the Broncos $4.9MM to cut Lynch. They already absorbed a $5.5MM dead-money hit upon releasing Menelik Watson.

Here’s the latest from the AFC West, shifting to another quarterback battle.

  • The Chargers are likely to keep just two quarterbacks, which makes sense given Philip Rivers‘ historic durability. Los Angeles’ starter has taken first-string snaps in every game since succeeding Drew Brees in 2006. As a result, Yates adds that either Cardale Jones or Geno Smith is a cut candidate. The Bolts, though, aren’t certain which one will be given his walking papers. Smith is a vested veteran and would head into free agency if released, while Jones would be subject to waivers. Neither is attached to a contract worth more than $1MM.
  • Su’a Cravens will make his Broncos debut Thursday night after missing most of August due to a knee injury, Renck notes. The former Redskins safety/linebacker has a clearer path to the Broncos’ roster, despite missing most of training camp, due to Jamal Carter‘s season-ending injury.
  • With UDFA Phillip Lindsay almost certainly having earned his way onto the team as Denver’s No. 3 running back, De’Angelo Henderson has drawn trade interest. Former Broncos tackle Tyler Polumbus, writing for The Athletic (subscription required) believes that would be the best scenario for the second-year player, noting that Denver will likely keep four backs — Devontae Booker, Royce Freeman, Lindsay and fullback Andy Janovich — on its 53-man roster. This would leave both Henderson, who likely wouldn’t pass through waivers, and seventh-round rookie David Williams, who might, off the team.
  • Although he returned a punt for a touchdown in the preseason, Isaiah McKenzie probably won’t make the Broncos, per Polumbus. The diminutive return man has fumbled several kicks in his short Broncos stay, losing another one during preseason play. Lindsay and the recent addition of Adam Jones look to have forced the second-year player off the roster.
  • The Raiders will likely waive DeAndre Washington and allow recent camp pickup Chris Warren to take his place, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com notes. Washington recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and is an IR candidate, per Gutierrez, who has the Raiders keeping four running backs — Marshawn Lynch, Doug Martin, Jalen Richard and Warren. Washington and Richard served as backups for Lynch and Latavius Murray the past two years. Washington averaged 5.4 yards per carry as a rookie but struggled last season (2.7 YPC).

Draft Signings: Saints, Bell, Raiders

Today’s draft signings:

  • The Saints announced that the signing of second-round safety Vonn Bell, as Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune tweets. With Bell in the fold, fourth-round defensive tackle David Onyemata stands as the team’s only unsigned pick. When describing Bell’s game, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer once remarked, “He has the skill set of a corner. How many safeties can cover a No. 2 receiver?,” (link via NFL.com).
  • The Raiders have announced the signing of fifth-round draft pick DeAndre Washington, a running back from Texas Tech, as Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com writes. Washington was drafted to help give Oakland support behind leading rusher Latavius Murray. In a recent interview with KGMZ-FM in San Francisco, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie had high praise for the tailback. “DeAndre, he’s more than just a third-down back,” McKenzie said, via the team’s website. “He can pound it up in there. The Raider Nation will find out fast just how physical he is.” Oakland has now signed four of its seven draft picks with only three to go: second-round defensive end Jihad Ward, third-round defensive end/outside linebacker Shilique Calhoun, and sixth-round outside linebacker Cory James.