NFC East Notes: Williams, Cowboys, Giants
Trent Williams continues to hold out from Redskins camp, but the team is standing firm on the trade front. Despite acquiring Donald Penn, the Redskins have told teams they have no plans to trade Williams, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Teams continue to inquire about the 10th-year left tackle’s availability, but thus far, Washington has resisted. Williams, 31, is upset with the organization because of his contract and its handling of a health scare of his. Some around the league believe the Patriots will make a play for the seven-time Pro Bowler, but nothing is moving on this front yet. This may be an attempt for Washington to drive up the price, but for now, Williams remains a Redskins employee.
As for Washington’s left tackle situation, Penn and 2018 third-rounder Geron Christian are battling for the spot, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. Ereck Flowers is back at guard but may be behind fourth-round rookie Wes Martin.
Here is the latest from the NFC East:
- Deandre Baker will miss time for the Giants because of a knee sprain, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes (video link). However, the first-round pick’s ACL did not sustain damage, and the Giants appear to expect him back soon. Baker will likely be asked to start in his first season, with Big Blue’s cornerback corps rather thin.
- The Cowboys gave fourth-round pick Tony Pollard just four carries in their preseason opener, but Jerry Jones may be using that to send a message to holdout Ezekiel Elliott. “He looks confident out there. We know he’s inordinately understanding what it is he does and what he can do,” Jones said, via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. “We’ve seen him do it. We know he’s capable, if he really needs to, carry the whole load.” Pollard gained 16 yards against the 49ers. While Dak Prescott‘s negotiations have been talking points in the past two days, not much has emerged on the Elliott front. Jones said (via Jon Machota of The Athletic, on Twitter) nothing has changed regarding Dallas’ extension candidates.
- Third-year Cowboys defensive end Taco Charlton addressed his current situation, which may not involve a full-time starting role. The 2017 first-round pick has just four career sacks and said he was not asked to rush quarterbacks as much as he did as a rookie. He mentioned discussing his NFL future with his agent recently (via Machota, subscription required). “We know my value and everything like that, so everything is good,” Charlton said. “I’m here right now working hard with this team. I will show up every day to work hard, healthy, hurt, whatever may be. Shoulder hurt, I still show up every day to work hard.” The Cowboys have DeMarcus Lawrence recovering from surgery, Robert Quinn out two games with a suspension and Randy Gregory once again banned. The defending NFC East champs will need Charlton, especially early.
- On another NFC East defensive line, the Eagles saw their 2017 first-round pick return to 11-on-11 drills. Derek Barnett participated in team work for the first time in camp, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia notes. Barnett spent the offseason recovering from a shoulder injury that sent him to IR in October. The Eagles traded Michael Bennett and lost Chris Long to retirement, pointing to a big role for Barnett.
- The Giants lost another wide receiver for the season. Recent addition Amba Etta-Tawo tore one of his Achilles’ tendons, per NJ.com’s Matt Lombardo. In his second camp with the Giants, the Syracuse alum has yet to play in a regular-season game. Big Blue is down Sterling Shepard and Corey Coleman and will be without Golden Tate for the season’s first four games.
Latest On Tom Brady, Patriots
The full breakdown of Tom Brady‘s latest Patriots contract is not yet available, but one piece of language in the deal points to the sides needing to readdress this issue in several months.
The two additional years on Brady’s deal are void years, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This is a tactic teams use to create additional cap space, and it ended up proving the Pats more than $5MM in additional 2019 funds. It essentially means Brady’s new contract amounts to a 2019 pay raise — an $8MM bump. After that, one of the longest unions in NFL history becomes less clear.
Brady and the Patriots have expressed flexibility to talk contract again next year, and Michael Giardi of NFL.com tweets the future Hall of Fame passer is “perfectly content” playing on a year-to-year basis. But the sides will need to do so to ensure the New England icon plays another season with the Patriots. Brady has repeatedly said he would like to play into his mid-40s, and Robert Kraft said during Super Bowl LIII week he would be “quite surprised” if Brady wasn’t the Patriots’ starting quarterback for “quite a while.”
The Saints used the void tactic in Drew Brees‘ most recent contract adjustment and incurred more 2020 dead money in doing so. Both the Patriots and Saints are annually committed to Super Bowl runs, so it is not surprising to see the franchises make moves to better their situations this year. Whether the Patriots make another move to further bolster their 2019 team remains to be seen.
They have been connected to Trent Williams, with Jeff Howe of The Athletic noting (subscription required) the team has explored a deal for the Washington left tackle. The Pats’ 2018 first-round pick and projected left tackle starter, Isaiah Wynn has not yet participated in a full camp practice. Wynn tore an Achilles’ tendon during training camp last year. And the subject of a Rob Gronkowski unretirement has continually surfaced in recent weeks. That would be another obvious place where the Pats’ new money could go.
Trent Williams Unconcerned About Fines, Still Wants Trade
As of right now, it doesn’t appear that LT Trent Williams has any intention of returning to the Redskins, though Washington still wants its seven-time Pro Bowler back. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (citing Les Carpenter of the Washington Post), the Redskins hope that the $40K of daily fines that Williams is accumulating by staying away from the team will convince the 31-year-old to change his mind and end his holdout.
But a source tells Florio that “Williams doesn’t care” about being fined. Williams believes that the Redskins will never be able to collect the fines if he never plays for them again, as there will be no game checks from which the fines could be deducted. Plus, while Washington could also go after Williams for the $1.62MM of unearned signing bonus that has yet to be paid out, the team would lose that right if it trades Williams.
Williams still wants a trade, and he is apparently going to continue forcing the issue until he gets it. Head coach Jay Gruden said he seriously doubts that the Redskins are currently looking to deal Williams, though he concedes that he doesn’t know how to convince Williams to come back (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Gruden said, “I do not have an understanding of what it would take to get [him] back. If I did, he’d be back here.”
We heard at the end of last month that if the Redskins were to trade Williams, it would not happen until closer to the start of the regular season. The team could also cut him, but at the moment, it looks like Washington will continue to let Williams sit without taking any action, including opening talks about a new contract.
We recently looked at four potential partners for the Redskins if they do ultimately choose to trade their former first-round pick.
4 Potential Landing Spots For Trent Williams
Trent Williams wants out of Washington. Fed up with both his contract and the Redskins’ handling of a tumor on his head, Williams demanded a trade or release in early June. He didn’t report to training camp last week, and there’s reportedly “no end in sight” to his holdout. On Wednesday, a report indicated the Redskins have begun having trade discussions regarding Williams.
The 31-year-old Williams is due $23.5MM in base salary over the next two seasons, but given that he wants a new deal from Washington, any club that acquires Williams will likely need to increase that figure. Williams’ $13.2MM average annual value currently ranks seventh among left tackles behind Taylor Lewan, Nate Solder, Jake Matthews, Joe Staley, Donovan Smith, and Russell Okung.
Which NFL teams are in a position to land Williams and fortify the left side of their offensive line? Here are four ideas:
Cleveland Browns
Cleveland’s offensive line had some bright spots in 2018, especially at right guard and center, where Joel Bitonio and J.C. Tretter each ranked among the top-four at their position in ESPN’s pass block win rate. But the Browns are now counting on former failed No. 2 overall selection Greg Robinson for a full season’s worth of play, and they’re replacing Kevin Zeitler (who was traded to the Giants) with last year’s second-round pick in Austin Corbett, who played only 14 offensive snaps in his rookie campaign.
Robinson wasn’t a total disaster in his eight starts for the Browns, but among the 106 offensive tackles who saw at least 33% playtime in 2018, Robinson ranked only 60th in Pro Football Focus’ pass-blocking efficiency metric, which measures pressure allowed on a per-snap basis. Cleveland has already gone all-in on the upcoming season by acquiring Odell Beckham Jr., Sheldon Richardson, and Olivier Vernon, so why not send a draft choice to Washington in exchange for Williams and upgrade one of the few remaining weak areas on the Browns roster?
Houston Texans
Despite using two of their first three 2019 draft picks on offensive tackles, the Texans still have arguably the second-worst offensive line in the NFL (hello, Dolphins). Rookies Tytus Howard and Max Scharping can both play tackle, while free agent addition Matt Kalil and holdover Julien Davenport can also hold down the blindside with varying results.
As Aaron Reiss of The Athletic indicates, it’s unclear how Houston plans to deploy its offensive linemen. Howard and Scharping could both see time at guard, leaving left tackle to Kalil if he’s healthy. No matter the combination used by the Texans, Williams would be an upgrade at left tackle. Houston picked up second- and third-round picks from Seattle in 2017 in exchange for tackle Duane Brown, and the team could send a similar package to Washington for Williams.
New England Patriots
In his Wednesday report indicating the Redskins are discussing possible Williams trades, Jeff Howe of The Athletic relayed there’s “a feeling around the league the Patriots would be involved due to depth issues at the position.” Having allowed 2018 starter Trent Brown to walk in free agency, New England is now counting on Isaiah Wynn, one of the club’s two first-round picks from a season ago, to fill on at left tackle.
Wynn comes with an excellent pedigree, and Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia always brings out the best in his available talent. But Wynn can also play guard, so if New England acquires Williams, it would be able to slide Wynn inside and allow Williams to play left tackle. Perhaps an offer of pending free agent left guard Joe Thuney and a second-round pick would entice the Redskins.
New York Jets
If not the Patriots, how about another AFC East club? Like the Browns and Texans, the Jets are building around a quarterback still on his rookie contract. Sam Darnold won’t count for more than $10MM on New York’s salary cap in any of the next three seasons, so the team should add talent while it can. Having already surrounded Darnold with playmakers like Le’Veon Bell and Jamison Crowder, the Jets could now work to fortify their offensive line, something they started to do earlier today by bringing former Panthers center Ryan Kalil out of retirement.
In New York, Williams would supplant Kelvin Beachum, who has consistently been solid but not spectacular throughout his career. Beachum, in turn, could either compete with Brandon Shell for playing time at right tackle or be released. It’s also possible that another team on this list would have interest in Beachum, who is owed $8MM in 2019, the final year of his contract.
Redskins Discussing Trent Williams Trade
The Redskins are having trade discussions regarding tackle Trent Williams, according to a source who spoke with Jeff Howe of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’s unclear as to what they’re seeking in a trade, but there’s a feeling around the league the Patriots would be involved, Howe hears. 
There’s reportedly no end in sight to Williams’ holdout with the Redskins, so it only makes sense for the club to see what’s out there. They also just added veteran Donald Penn to the mix, so there’s a safety net in place in case they can’t smooth things out with Williams.
Williams has two years to go on his contract with $24MM in total remaining. He also hasn’t played a full season since 2013 and has missed 13 games over the last three years, but he is still an elite LT when on the field.
With depth issues at tackle, the Patriots would be a natural landing spot for Williams. It also helps that the Patriots carved out additional cap space by restructuring Marcus Cannon‘s contract on Wednesday. Still, even after the adjustment, the Pats only have $7.49MM in cap room and would have to fit Williams’ $11MM base pay under the cap.
“No End In Sight” To Trent Williams Holdout
Redskins left tackle Trent Williams is holding out of training camp due to several issues. One, he remains frustrated with Washington’s medical staff because he believes it was not attentive enough to a lump on his head that turned out to be a pre-cancerous growth (Williams ultimately was diagnosed by his own doctors after the 2018 season and had multiple surgeries to have the growth removed).
Second, he wants a new contract, though his current deal still has two years and $24MM remaining. Obviously, the medical issue appears to be spilled milk at this point, but Washington could assuage Williams’ lingering frustrations and get him back in camp if it were to address his contract in some way (extension, pay raise, etc.).
However, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link) says that the situation between player and team has not changed at all, so there is no end in sight to Williams’ holdout. Until something happens on the contract front, RapSheet does not expect Williams to report. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports goes one step further, reiterating his previous report that the relationship between Williams and the Redskins is “totally fractured” and that Williams has indicated he has no intention of playing for Washington again (Twitter link).
Washington is not exactly favored to take home the NFC East crown this year, but not having Williams would be hugely detrimental to the club’s chances of contending. Williams hasn’t played a full season since 2013 and has missed 13 games over the last three years, but he is still an elite LT when on the field. If the Redskins turn to their QB-of-the-future, Dwayne Haskins, at some point this year, they would love to have Williams protecting his blindside.
We also heard earlier this week that a trade or release could be in the cards if the two sides cannot find some common ground.
Trent Williams Does Not Report To Training Camp
Redskins LT Trent Williams did not report for training camp today, as John Keim of ESPN.com writes. This was the expected outcome after a report on Monday indicated that Williams would stay away from the team.
We kept hearing that Williams did not like how the Redskins handled his “medical situation,” and Keim says that Williams had a growth removed from his head this offseason and was upset with how many years it took for Washington to address the situation. However, a team source said the Redskins did make appointments for him over the years, but Williams did not keep the appointments.
Williams is also angling for a new contract, and Keim says it’s uncertain whether the club is willing to extend the former first-rounder’s deal — which has two years left — or guarantee some of the remaining money on the deal. The ESPN scribe also suggests that Washington could cut or trade Williams, though a trade likely wouldn’t happen until just before the season.
For what it’s worth, Redskins head coach Jay Gruden is optimistic that Williams will be back soon. Gruden said, “We expect him here shortly. Right now, there are some things he has to work out individually, personally, with his agent … whatever that may be. Love Trent, love what he’s done for this franchise and this team.”
Redskins’ Trent Williams Won’t Report
Redskins left tackle Trent Williams is not expected to report to training camp with the rest of his teammates this week, sources tell Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Williams did not report for minicamp in June, so this does not come as a total surprise.
Williams is dissatisfied with the Redskins’ handling of his medical situation, but he’s also seeking a new contract that pays him as a top player at his position. He continues to be a top performer, though he still has two years to go on his deal and his recently injury trouble may be a concern to the team.
The Redskins extended Williams in 2015 with a five-year, $66MM deal that made him the NFL’s highest-paid tackle. From a AAV standpoint, his contract has not been significantly diminished by recent tackle deals. The 31-year-old still sits seventh among tackles at $13.2MM per year, and $24MM remains on the contract. However, the contract the Raiders gave Trent Brown did change the marketplace a bit. The $16.5MM-AAV pact for a non-Pro Bowler was eye-opening, but the Raiders had plenty of cap space and spent it wildly this offseason.
Redskins president Bruce Allen addressed the situation but declined to go into detail. The longtime Washington executive did say he has spoken with Williams a few times this year.
“I know what Trent told me so I know what the truth is,” Allen said earlier this year. “I’ll leave my conversation with Trent between the two of us. Trent has been a valuable player for us and that’s why we signed him to the contract he has.”
NFC East Rumors: Wentz, Eagles, Redskins
More details have emerged on Carson Wentz‘s contract. The deal, which stands to tether the quarterback to the Eagles through 2024, contains a $16.4MM signing bonus and a 2020 team option, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This $30MM option will serve as a bonus and thus be spread in $5MM installments through the duration of the deal (for cap purposes), Joel Corry of CBS Sports notes. But Wentz will receive all of that cash in 2020, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia notes. The Eagles must exercise that option by the 10th day of the 2020 league year, Yates tweets. Interestingly, if the Eagles decline the option, Wentz’s 2020 base salary morphs from $1.383MM to $31.383MM. As could be expected based on the franchise’s sizable commitment to its starting passer, the parties have already agreed that option will be picked up, Zangaro adds. As far as the 26-year-old quarterback’s new base salaries, they are as follows: $720K in 2019, $1.383MM in 2020, $3.9MM (2021), $18.5MM (2022), $18MM (2023) and $21MM (2024), per Yates.
- Trent Williams remains at odds with the Redskins, with issues related to his contract and the team’s handling of his offseason medical issue coming between the parties. The nine-year veteran tackle underwent another procedure this week. This was, however, believed to be a minor cleanup related to the growth on his head, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
- The Redskins’ running back group is deeper than it was last season, with Derrius Guice set to debut and Bryce Love arriving via fourth-round pick. While it’s not certain how much Love will be able to contribute as a rookie, due to his December ACL tear, the new cogs joining Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson may spell trouble for Samaje Perine. The third-year player, though, may have a chance to stick around as a fullback. “We tried him there a couple of times a couple of years ago,” Jay Gruden said, via J.P. Finlay of NBC Sports Washington. “I’m sure that he could probably do it. That’s an option, but he’s also a tailback in his mind and he wants the ball. Push comes to shove, if we need to have a fullback and he’s the only one here, then he surely could do it because he’s got the power to do it.” However, Gruden added Elijah Wellman and J.P. Holtz are more natural fits for this job, putting Perine’s roster spot in peril.
- Washington made some adjustments to its staff this week. Cole Spencer and David Whittington will transition from college scouts to national scouting roles. Spencer previously served as the Redskins’ southeast area scout, which is notable due to the number of Alabama players on this roster. Northeast area scout Matt Evans will take over in Spencer’s former role in the southeast. Spencer has been with the Redskins for 10 years, while Whittington and Evans sport 11 and six years, respectively, with the organization. Additionally, the Redskins plucked a Pro Football Focus staffer, Connor Barringer, to become their football strategy analyst. It appears the team is beefing up its analytics commitment.
Latest On Redskins, Trent Williams
For the first time in 10 years, the Redskins’ left tackle spot features uncertainty. Trent Williams has not been with the team for OTAs and minicamp and is reported to be unhappy with the organization, to the point he wants to leave.
While the 10th-year blocker’s dissatisfaction with the Redskins regarding their handling of his most recent medical situation — having a growth removed from his head — may not be the driving force of his absence.
Williams may be upset with the team over the recent medical developments, but J.P. Finlay of NBC Sports Washington notes the seven-time Pro Bowler’s holdout stems from his contract. This was the initial view of Williams’ minicamp absence, and the medical component in this situation may have made it worse.
The Redskins extended Williams in 2015. The five-year, $66MM deal made him the NFL’s highest-paid tackle. From a AAV standpoint, his contract has not been significantly diminished by recent tackle deals. The soon-to-be 31-year-old lineman still sits seventh among tackles at $13.2MM per year, and $24MM remains on the contract. However, the contract the Raiders gave Trent Brown did change the marketplace a bit. The $16.5MM-AAV pact for a non-Pro Bowler was eye-opening, but the Raiders had plenty of cap space and spent it wildly this offseason.
Redskins president Bruce Allen addressed the situation but declined to go into detail. The longtime Washington executive did say he has spoken with Williams a few times this year.
“I know what Trent told me so I know what the truth is,” Allen said, via Finlay. “I’ll leave my conversation with Trent between the two of us. Trent has been a valuable player for us and that’s why we signed him to the contract he has.”
An argument against a new contract would be Williams’ injury trouble in recent years. He missed three games last season and six in 2017 and has not played 16 games since the 2014 season. A four-game substance-abuse suspension interrupted his 2016 slate. But the Redskins did not address their tackle situation much this offseason. They signed Ereck Flowers, who has been moved to guard, and did not draft a tackle. They did attempt to claim 2018 Browns starter Desmond Harrison, but the Cardinals beat them to it.