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)
Chargers To Sign DT Sylvester Williams
Sylvester Williams will head back to an AFC West team. The former Broncos first-round pick agreed to terms with the Chargers, according to his agency (Twitter link). Williams worked out for the Chargers this week, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
While the 2013 No. 28 overall selection has not quite lived up to that billing, he has continued to receive calls from defensive tackle-seeking teams. Williams has played for the Titans, Lions and Dolphins since leaving Denver. The Saints rostered him briefly this summer.
Williams worked out for the Bears this week, according to Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter), but the Chargers ended up adding him. The Chargers worked out defensive lineman Adolphus Washington, ex-Raider starter Justin Ellis and P.J. Johnson but are going with Williams.
The 30-year-old lineman started four games for the Lions last season and 11 for the 2017 Titans. In Denver, Williams started 48 games and was a first-stringer in two Super Bowls.
Both starting defensive tackles, Brandon Mebane and Justin Jones, missed Sunday’s game due to injuries — two of many maladies to affect the Chargers’ starting lineup this season. The Bolts now have seven defensive tackles on their 53-man roster, including two rookies and recently signed T.Y. McGill. It’s possible the Williams move will precede another at this position.
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
Chargers Work Out DL Adolphus Washington
The Chargers are working out defensive lineman Adolphus Washington, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. This likely will be the first of a few workouts after the Chargers’ defensive line has been depleted by injuries in recent weeks.
A 2016 third-round selection by Buffalo, Washington started 21 games for the Bills over his first two professional seasons. A combination of injuries and the emergence of other players eventually led him out of the lineup before he was released in September of last year. He has since had stints in the Cowboys, Bengals and Dolphins organizations but only saw time on the field for Cincinnati.
Washington has played both on the interior and edge of the defensive line, giving his next team so added flexibility. On his career, he has amassed 62 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 11 tackles for loss in 35 games. Obviously, though, the bulk of those numbers came when he was a starter with the Bills from 2016-17.
Los Angeles started a recently signed free agent, T.Y. McGill, on Sunday against the Titans. So if Washington ends up signing, he could very well see extended time while the team awaits for the return of the original starters.
Chargers Lose Forrest Lamp For Season
Chargers starting guard Forrest Lamp suffered a broken ankle and will miss the remainder of the season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Lamp’s injury marks another hit to an already depleted offensive line.
Lamp was expected to play a depth role this season, but after a season-ending injury to Mike Pouncey, the Chargers opted to shift starting guard Dan Feeney to center and to start Lamp at left guard. On Sunday, in his second start, Lamp went down and had to be carted off the field after he broke his ankle. The team decided to shift Feeney back to left guard and brought Scott Quessenberry off the bench to play center for the remainder of their 23-20 loss to the Titans.
Los Angeles selected Lamp in the second round out of Western Kentucky in 2017 to solidify its offensive line. Considered one of the safest offensive line prospects in the draft, he has yet to live up to that billing.
Lamp’s first season failed to get underway before he tore his ACL and missed the entirety of the year. After another knee procedure in 2018, he entered his second season as a backup. While Lamp remained healthy for the entirety of last season, he only appeared in two games, listed as a healthy scratch in the other 14.
On the heels of a 12-4 season, the Chargers were a popular pick to push the Chiefs in the AFC West. However, a host of injuries and close losses have piled up, leaving the team with a 2-5 record. Just along their offensive line, the Bolts have lost Pouncey and Lamp and have yet to see Russell Okung make his 2019 debut.
Okung To Miss At Least One More Week
- Russell Okung is definitely on the mend, but he’ll need at least another week to recuperate. The Chargers’ left tackle, who started the year on the NFI list because of blood clots, returned to practice earlier this week. But the Chargers didn’t make a transaction today, which means they’ll wait at least one more game to activate Okung, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Los Angeles’ offensive line has been struggling and the team is just 2-4, so they could definitely use their reliable starter back as soon as possible.
Chargers Place Travis Benjamin On IR
Yet another key Charger will head to IR. The team placed Travis Benjamin on its injured list Thursday, due to a quadriceps injury. The Bolts signed defensive lineman T.Y. McGill to take Benjamin’s roster spot.
The Chargers and Benjamin agreed to an extension this year. The veteran wide receiver is now signed through the 2020 season. Despite the other injuries the Bolts have suffered at wideout, the 29-year-old Benjamin has only caught six passes for 30 yards in five games.
Benjamin joins Derwin James, Mike Pouncey, Adrian Phillips and Dontrelle Inman on Los Angeles’ IR list. Among the Bolts’ receiving corps, Inman, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams have battled injuries since training camp. The Bolts have also been without Russell Okung and Melvin Gordon for extensive stretches, though the former has returned to practice. All of these absences have obviously weakened the Chargers, whose four losses match their 2018 season-long total.
This is Benjamin’s fourth season as a Charger. His yardage total has decreased each year. That stands to continue, with the veteran now being unable to return until at least mid-December because of this transaction. A former UDFA, McGill played in four games for the 2018 Chargers. He has not played in 2019.
Russell Okung To Return To Practice
A Chargers team again ransacked by injuries received a boost Thursday. After missing the first six games of the season due to a blood clot issue, Russell Okung returned to practice. The veteran left tackle also agreed to an adjusted contract, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
The revised deal will allow the 10th-year blocker to earn all of his $13MM salary this season. His salary would have been reduced otherwise, due to his stay on the Bolts’ NFI list. The Chargers have 21 days to determine if Okung will return to game action this season. If Okung remains on Los Angeles’ NFI list by that point, he will revert to season-ending IR.
Okung, who has hired agent J.I. Hatsell after years of going without representation, reached an agreement with the Chargers to see all of his $13MM (per Rapoport, on Twitter). A portion of Okung’s 2019 salary would not previously have been available under the previous circumstances.
This will provide a boost for the Chargers, who have endured frequent trouble up front this season. Mike Pouncey is now out for the year, joining many key unavailable Bolts.
Los Angeles had been using UDFA Trent Scott at left tackle. Scott suffered an injury as well. While it’s not certain Okung will be back in uniform Sunday, Thursday’s development is obviously good news for the 2-4 Bolts.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/16/19
Today’s practice squad moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Tom Kennedy
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Damarea Crockett, CB Tremon Smith
- Cut: TE Ethan Wolf
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT Kyle Murphy
- Cut: C Marcus Henry
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Derrick Gore
- Cut: RB Detrez Newsome, OT Tyree St. Louis
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DB Jayson Stanley
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Frankie Luvu
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: C Keegan Render
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Deontay Burnett
- Cut: WR Malik Henry
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: C Anthony Fabiano, WR Ishmael Hyman, RB Aca’Cedric Ware
Washington Redskins
- Signed: RB Josh Ferguson
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/15/19
A look at the latest NFL practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: TE Carson Meier
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Denzel Rice
- Released: S A.J. Howard
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Jordan Veasy
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DL Fadol Brown
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Gehrig Dieter
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Stephen Anderson, C Cole Toner
- Placed on practice squad IR: RB Detrez Newsome
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Nsimba Webster
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Davion Davis
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Tyler Gauthier, WR Devin Ross
- Released: K Younghoe Koo, TE Jason Vander Laan
New York Giants
- Signed: RB Jon Hilliman
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: RB James Butler, WR Anthony Ratliff-Williams
- Released: RB Damarea Crockett, DE Quinton Bell
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: RB De’Angelo Henderson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Tony Brooks-James, T Christian DiLauro
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Deontay Burnett
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Brian Allen, S Adrian Colbert, TE Tyrone Swoopes, T Chad Wheeler
- Released: LB Malik Carney, CB Parry Nickerson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: LB Demone Harris, RB Darius Jackson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Nigel Harris
- Released: LB Ukeme Eligwe
Washington Redskins
- Signed: TE Wes Saxton, DB Maurice Smith
- Released: TE Drew Belcher, T Victor Salako