Rishard Matthews Retires From NFL
This is the end of the line for longtime NFL wide receiver Rishard Matthews. On Monday, the veteran announced his retirement from football. 
“It was cool being a professional football player and getting to play a kids game for work,” Matthews wrote on Instagram. “I will always be a fan of the best sport in the world but for me that kids game no longer exist [sic].”
Matthews, a Dolphins seventh-round pick in 2012, spent four years with Miami before moving on to the Titans. After making some noise with the Fins in 2015, he enjoyed a breakout campaign with the Titans in ’16, leading the team in receptions (65), yards (945) and receiving touchdowns. He once again paced Tennessee the following campaign before being released in 2018.
Matthews leave the game with 230 receptions for 3,160 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Titans Sign RB Akeem Hunt, Three Others
The Titans overhauled the bottom of their roster this morning, according to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com. The team added four players: running back Akeem Hunt, defensive end Eric Cotton, receiver DeAngelo Yancey and linebacker Ukeme Eligwe. The Titans also activated Jurrell Casey from the Physically Unable to Perform list.
To make room on the roster, the team made a series of roster moves: receiver Jalen Tolliver was waived, while linebacker Riley Bullough and offensive lineman Cody Conway were waived/injured. Wide receiver Cameron Batson and linebacker D’Andre Walker, a fifth-rounder out of Georgia, was placed on injured reserve.
Hunt is the most notable name among the additions, as the 26-year-old has appeared in 30 games during his four-year career. Hunt’s last stint in the NFL came in 2017, when he appeared in a career-high 15 games for the Chiefs. The running back finished that season with 23 rushing yards on eight attempts, and he added another 31 yards on four receptions. He also had 25 kick returns and five special teams tackles.
Yancey, a 2017 fifth-round pick out of Purdue, hasn’t seen the field for a regular season game. He’s had stints with the Packers, Jets, and Titans. Eligwe, a 2017 fifth-rounder out of Georgia Southern, has 12 career tackles in 24 games with the Giants and Chiefs. Cotton, a former undrafted free agent out of Stanford, had a previous stint with the Packers.
Casey suffered a knee injury towards the end of last season that ended up shelving him for training camp. The four-time Pro Bowler recently passed his physical, and he’ll immediately take his starting gig on the defensive line.
Titans Workout DE Ryan Delaire
The Titans are sniffing around the free agent pass-rushing market. The team brought in edge rusher Ryan Delaire for a workout, a source told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Delaire originally signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent back in 2015. After a brief stint on the Redskins’ practice squad, he was signed to the Panthers’ active roster. He appeared in nine games for Carolina as a rookie, racking up 2.5 sacks in a reserve role. The Panthers thought highly enough of him to make him one of their players activated from injured reserve in 2016, and he played in six games before going down with another injury.
He couldn’t get completely healthy, and was waived with a failed physical designation in 2017. After sitting out the entire 2017 season, he signed with the Colts last year. He was quickly cut and signed to the 49ers’ practice squad. He was briefly called up to the active roster and appeared in two games for San Francisco, failing to record any statistics. If Tennessee signs him it’ll just be as depth.
Jalen Ramsey Eyeing Hometown Titans
- Jalen Ramsey is under Jaguars control through the 2020 season, thanks to the fifth-year option the team exercised this spring. But the contract-seeking cornerback has not exactly been pleased with the franchise as of late, considering his 2018 team-imposed suspension and the high-end corner still attached to his rookie contract. When asked by Titans tackle Taylor Lewan and former Titans linebacker Will Compton (during the duo’s “Bussin’ with the Boys podcast, via the Florida Times-Union) about where he would like to play if he left Jacksonville, Ramsey responded by saying he would like to go to the Titans or the Raiders. Ramsey is a Nashville-area native and said he would be attracted to Las Vegas. The standout corner, set to play for $3.6MM this season, continues to stir the pot.
More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/19
We’ve already posted one round of minor transactions, but NFL clubs keep making moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: LB Matthew Thomas
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed off waivers: TE Donnie Ernsberger
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: TE Daniel Helm
Minnesota Vikings
- Claimed off waivers: G Tyler Catalina
- Waived: G Tiano Pupungatoa
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: TE Jake Powell
- Waived: QB J.T. Barrett
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Nyqwan Murray
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Chris Nelson, DE Jordan Williams
- Waived: DB Jonathan Crawford, LB Gimel President
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Garrett Sickels
- Waived: RB Elijah Wellman
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/19
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB Nicholas Grigsby
Buffalo Bills
- Released from injured reserve: OL Jeremiah Sirles
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: LB Justin Phillips
- Waived: G Larry Allen Jr.
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers: DE Markus Jones
- Waived/injured: CB Javien Hamilton
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: RB Devante Mays
- Waived/injured: RB Taj McGowan
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: P Stone Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed off waivers: WR Brandon Reilly
- Waived/non-football injury: CB Alexander Myres
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: WR Daniel Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Claimed off waivers: T William Poehls
- Signed: WR Matt Eaton, TE Scott Orndoff
- Waived: TE Donnie Ernsberger, T Riley Mayfield
- Waived/injured: S Orion Stewart
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Tanner McEvoy, WR Papi White
- Waived: WR Joe Parker
- Placed on injured reserve: WR Cameron Batson
AFC South Notes: Henry, Lewan, Jags, Texans
Mystery still surrounds the extent of Titans running back Derrick Henry‘s leg injury, but as of now, there is no official timetable for when to expect the bruising back to return to the field, Titans online’s Jim Wyatt tweets.
The big back has missed a few days of training camp with the injury and was seen in a walking boot. Many do not expect the injury to be a serious one, but it does have an ominous feel to it after the team announced him as day-to-day on Saturday.
After taking over down the stretch in 2018, the former Alabama running back was expected to enter 2019 as the unquestioned workhorse. We will see if those plans are affected by the latest injury, but Tennessee has the likes of Dion Lewis waiting in the wings.
Here’s more from around the AFC South:
- Titans offensive lineman Taylor Lewan‘s four-game suspension will cost him $3.4MM in base salary, Paul Kuharsky writes. In addition to the base salary, the Titans also be able recoup part of his signing bonus. Lewan was suspension earlier this week for violated the league’s PED policy.
- Since Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue has held out of camp for four days, he’s currently facing a fine of $160,000, ESPN’s Michael DiRocco tweets. That brings his total fine to $248,650 due to him missing mandatory minicamp. The fourth-year defensive end is expected to report back to the team in early August as he looks for a long-term deal.
- Texans head coach Bill O’Brien confirmed Lamar Miller is the team’s lead back but the other spots behind him are wide open, ESPN’s Sarah Barshop tweets. Behind Miller, Houston boasts a large collection of unproven backs looking to make an impact, led by D’Onta Foreman.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/19
Today’s minor transactions:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: RB A.J. Ouellette
- Waived: OT Ka’John Armstrong
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Moral Stephens
- Waived: P Justin Vogel
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers from Bengals: RB Darrin Hall
- Waived: OG Larry Williams
Houston Texans
- Waived: S A.J. Hendy
- Waived/injured: WR Isaac Whitney
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Amba Etta-Tawo
Philadelphia Eagles:
- Waived: DT Anthony Rush
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DL Jordan Thompson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Jawuan Johnson
Tennesse Titans
- Signed: DB Jonathan Crawford
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/19
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived/injured: WR Quincy Adeboyejo
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LS Dan Godsil
- Waived: WR Kermit Whitfield
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: S Fish Smithson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T.J. Green
- Waived/injured: DL Kenny Bigelow, WR Chad Hansen
New York Jets
- Waived: DL Fred Jones
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: CB Alex Brown
- Waived/injured: OL Erik Magnuson
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: S Damon Webb
Washington Redskins
- Signed: RB Shaun Wilson
- Waived: T Brian Wallace
Titans, Kevin Byard Agree To Extension
Kevin Byard is now the highest-paid safety in NFL history. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that the Titans and Byard have agreed to a five-year, $70.5MM deal that includes $31MM in guaranteed money (Twitter link).
The $14.1MM AAV edges out the $14MM/year pacts signed by Landon Collins and Tyrann Mathieu earlier this year, but no one is faulting Tennessee for throwing a lot of money at Byard. A product of Middle Tennessee State, Byard wasn’t invited to the combine in 2016, and at least one prominent NFL talent evaluator gave him a sixth- to seventh-round grade. Now, however, he is widely regarded as one of the best safeties in the game, and he has been paid accordingly.
The Titans went against the grain by selecting Byard with the first pick in the third round of the 2016 draft, and he became a starter midway though his rookie campaign. He hasn’t looked back, as he earned a First Team All-Pro bid in his second professional season — which featured a league-leading eight interceptions — and was excellent again in 2018. Though he did not make it back to the Pro Bowl last year, the advanced metrics were still quite fond of his work and lauded him for his coverage as well as his run defense. He added another four picks, two sacks, and 90 tackles to his resume.
Byard was set to become a free agent at the end of the season, and he would have headlined a fairly weak FA safety class. In theory, the Titans could have put the franchise tag on him if they did not agree with Byard’s asking price, but they (probably rightly) elected to avoid the drama and take care of business.
Interestingly, Byard has the same agent (David Mulugheta) as Collins and Earl Thomas, who signed a hefty deal of his own back in March. Mulugheta has been instrumental in helping to rekindle a formerly stagnant safety market, and perhaps other safeties who have struggled to find jobs/market value contracts may be inclined to give him a call.
Our own Dallas Robinson profiled Byard as an extension candidate just two weeks ago, and he hit the nail on the head in terms of predicted AAV and guaranteed money.