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Devon Kennard

Cardinals Restructure LB Devon Kennard’s Contract

By | at March 9, 2022 3:59 pm

For the second time in five months, the Cardinals are re-working the contract of edge rusher Devon Kennard. The team and player have agreed to a reconfigured deal, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (Twitter link). 

Kennard signed a three-year, $20MM deal with his hometown Cardinals in 2020, after he had spent four years with the Giants and two with the Lions. He’s been a rotational rusher in Arizona, playing 40% of defensive snaps in 2020, then 28% last season. The former fifth round pick has registered 43 tackles and three sacks over that span.

Kennard re-worked his deal this past November to create some breathing room for the Cardinals down the stretch. Now he has done so once more as a way of ensuring he stays in the desert, and to lower his scheduled cap hit of just over $9MM. The Cards are currently set to be essentially right at the cap ceiling.

The team’s top priority in the pass-rush department, of course, is retaining Chandler Jones. Owner Michael Bidwill has made it clear he wants the four-time Pro Bowler to sign a new deal instead of hitting free agency next week, where he would have a very lucrative market. With Kennard in place, though, an important member of the position group will be remaining for at least the short term, regardless of what else the team is able to do this offseason.

0 comments Arizona Cardinals Transactions

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/4/22-1/5/22

By | at January 5, 2022 11:32 pm

Here are Tuesday and Wednesday’s activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Jared Cook, LB Damon Lloyd (remains on IR)

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

3 comments Akeem Davis-Gaither Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens COVID-19 Carolina Panthers Chicago Bears Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Chargers Minnesota Vikings New Orleans Saints New York Giants New York Jets Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tennessee Titans Transactions Washington Commanders

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/29/21

By | at December 29, 2021 3:19 pm

Several key players returned to practice Wednesday. Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Rico Bussey

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

1 comment Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills COVID-19 Carolina Panthers Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Rams Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots New Orleans Saints New York Giants New York Jets Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers Seattle Seahawks Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tennessee Titans Transactions Washington Commanders

Cardinals, Devon Kennard Rework Deal

By | at November 16, 2021 8:34 am

The Cardinals converted $2.6MM of outside linebacker Devon Kennard‘s base salary into a bonus, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The move will carve out an additional $1.725MM in cap space for Arizona this year while kicking an equal amount on to their 2022 books. 

[RELATED: Cardinals Place Edmonds On IR]

Before the adjustment, the Cardinals had just ~$700K in cap room, according to Over The Cap. Now, they have a little extra space to make depth signings in the second half of the year.

The Lions cut Kennard in March of 2020, a surprise move given his 14 sacks across 2018 and 2019. The Cardinals gladly picked him up, signing him to a three-year, $20MM deal with $12MM in guarantees. He recorded just three sacks in 2020 and has yet to notch a sack this year, but Pro Football Focus has him ranked as one of the league’s best edge defenders, tied for 12th with Vikings standout Danielle Hunter.

The Cardinals fell to 8-2 on the year after Sunday’s loss to the Panthers, but they’re still atop the NFC West and tied for the NFC’s best record with the Packers. They’ll look to get back in the win column on Sunday when they face the Seahawks in Seattle.

1 comment Arizona Cardinals Transactions

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/11/20

By | at November 11, 2020 4:28 pm

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DL Tyrone Crawford
  • Claimed off waivers from Colts: DL Ron’Dell Carter

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

7 comments Arizona Cardinals Baltimore Ravens COVID-19 Carolina Panthers Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Indianapolis Colts Kansas City Chiefs Miami Dolphins New York Giants New York Jets Transactions

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/2/20

By | at November 2, 2020 5:51 pm

Today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

Tennessee Titans

2 comments Arizona Cardinals Carolina Panthers Los Angeles Chargers New Orleans Saints Tennessee Titans Transactions

Cardinals Have Two Positive COVID-19 Tests

By | at November 1, 2020 6:22 pm

UPDATE, 11/2/20 3:45pm: Cardinals linebacker Devon Kennard was one of the two players to test positive, he announced in a tweet Monday. “I learned that like many others, I have tested positive for Covid 19. Thankfully, I feel completely normal so far. Please keep my family & I in your prayers as we navigate this. I look forward to being back on the field w/my teammates as soon as I am cleared & it’s safe to do so!,” he said. All of us here at the Rumors family of course wish Kennard a full and speedy recovery. The starter will be sidelined for at least this week’s game against the Dolphins.

11/1/20 6:22pm: We’ve got a new team to unfortunately be hit with COVID-19 positives, this time in the desert. The Cardinals had two players test positive for the virus over the weekend, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets.

Luckily for Arizona they were on a bye this week, so it hasn’t disrupted them too much so far. Garafolo notes that they just kept the facility closed today for a deep cleaning, and that they’re slated to practice tomorrow. There are enhanced practice protocols for any team with positive tests, and presumably the Cardinals will be following those moving forward.

We don’t have word yet on who the players are, but we’ll be sure to pass that along whenever it’s reported. The Cardinals, who have gotten off to an impressive 5-2 start, are set to host the Dolphins in Week 9.

2 comments Arizona Cardinals COVID-19

Cardinals To Sign LB Devon Kennard

By | at March 18, 2020 4:04 pm

The Cardinals have a deal in place with linebacker Devon Kennard, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Kennard, who was just let go by the Lions, will ink a three-year, $20MM deal with Arizona, which includes $12MM in guarantees, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (on Twitter).

The Lions flip-flopped on Kennard’s release briefly yesterday, pausing to scan the league for trade possibilities. Unable to find a deal, they released him outright, which opened the door for the Cardinals.

Kennard has been a solid producer over the last two seasons in Detroit. In 31 games (30 starts), Kennard recorded 104 tackles, 29 quarterback hits, 18 tackles for loss, and 14 sacks. The Cardinals will hope he maintains that level of production in Phoenix.

One cause for concern, which likely played into why Detroit was unable to find a trading partner for the edge rusher, is more advanced analytical tools were not fond of Kennard’s abilities as a pass rusher. In fact, while he has graded as a solid defender against the run in every season since 2015, his pass rush grade has never been considered average during the same time.

 

 

5 comments Arizona Cardinals Transactions

Lions Release LB Devon Kennard

By | at March 17, 2020 6:50 pm

6:50pm: These trade efforts evidently failed. The Lions have released Kennard, according to a team announcement.

12:05pm: Hold the phone, because the Lions are on the phone. The club is discussing potential trades involving Kennard, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

11:51am: The Lions are releasing linebacker Devon Kennard, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. It’s not quite a Tom Brady-leaving-the-Patriots-level shocker, but it’s a surprise nonetheless. Kennard is coming off of back-to-back seasons with seven sacks, but the Lions have opted to move on from him.

Kennard came to the Lions in 2018 on a three-year, $18.75MM free agent deal. Since then, he’s tallied those aforementioned 14 sacks with 104 total stops, three fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble with near-perfect attendance. Previous to joining the Lions, Kennard started in 35 games for the Giants and posted four sacks as a non-rush linebacker in his walk year.

The Lions have signed another hybrid-type player, and linebacker-edge defender Jamie Collins now has a contract that eclipses Kennard’s. It is possible the longtime Patriot will move in on Kennard’s role. The Lions also gave an eight-figure-per-year deal to offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai. The Lions will save nearly $6MM by moving on from Kennard.

7 comments Detroit Lions Transactions

Lions Agree To Deal With LB Devon Kennard

By | at March 13, 2018 11:08 am

The Lions have agreed to a deal with free-agent outside linebacker Devon Kennard, according to Peter Schrager of Fox Sports (on Twitter). Schrager opines that Kennard’s versatility will make him a good fit in the scheme of new Lions head coach Matt Patricia.

Kennard’s deal will be worth three years, $18.75MM, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter). There was undoubtedly a need at outside linebacker for the Lions, with Tahir Whitehead and Paul Worrilow set to hit unrestricted free agency. They already know their front seven will take a hit next season, as defensive tackle Haloti Ngata agreed to a deal with the Eagles on Tuesday.

In four seasons with the Giants, who took Kennard in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, he’s started 35 games, including a career-high 11 starts last season. The 26-year-old managed to rack up four sacks last season despite playing as a non-rush backer. It was the second time in his career that he’s collected at least four sacks.

Kennard had said last month that he believed he would fit well within new Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher‘s 3-4 scheme. It was also reported before the season that the Giants were interested in signing Kennard to a long-term deal. But they’re now under a new regime with general manager Dave Gettleman.

4 comments Detroit Lions Newsstand Transactions
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