Dolphins Cut Kalen Ballage
The Dolphins are set to release running back Kalen Ballage, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Ballage had lots of hype as a rookie in 2018, but the former fourth-round pick managed just 135 yards off of 74 carries last year. 
[RELATED: Dolphins’ Vince Biegel Tears Achilles]
Ballage, a taller-than-average RB at 6’3″, averaged 4.4 yards per carry while at Arizona State. As a rookie, he showed promise as a supporting cast member behind Kenyan Drake and veteran Frank Gore. In an admittedly small sample size of 36 carries, Ballage averaged 5.3 yards per attempt. Unfortunately, he regressed in 2019 and failed to make significant strides as a receiver.
Now, the league’s 31 other teams will have an opportunity to claim Ballage off of the waiver wire. If he is not picked up in the next 24 hours, the 24-year-old will be free to sign with any club of his choosing.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/20
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Cam Phillips, WR Darrell Stewart
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: DB Maurice Smith
- Released: K Tristan Vizcaino
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed (from Bengals): WR Damion Willis
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: TE Dominique Dafney
- Released: RB Bruce Anderson III
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed (from 49ers): RB Salvon Ahmed
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB David Reese
- Waived: S Brian Cole
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: DT Jalen Dalton
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DB Tino Ellis
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Brandon Williams
Philadephia Eagles
- Waived: LB Dante Olson
- Placed on IR: TE Josh Perkins
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: LB Khaylan Kearse-Thomas, RB Cameron Scarlett
Giants’ Xavier McKinney Suffers Broken Foot
Giants rookie safety Xavier McKinney fractured the fifth metatarsal on his left foot, per a club announcement. The second-round pick out of Alabama will undergo surgery on Wednesday afternoon and he’s likely to miss at least a couple months of action. 
McKinney was expected to be a contributor in the Giants’ secondary, serving as the understudy to Julian Love at free safety. Instead, he’ll likely start the year on injured reserve before, hopefully, rejoining the club down the stretch.
Like Landon Collins in 2016, the Giants used an early second-round pick to draft McKinney out of Alabama. The standout Crimson Tide safety was on the first-round radar, starting for the past two seasons and registering 95 tackles, three sacks and three interceptions in 2019. He represents a key long-term piece alongside contract-year safety Jabrill Peppers.
This represents another major blow to a Giants secondary already without 2019 first-round pick DeAndre Baker, who currently resides on the commissioner’s exempt list. The Giants ranked 31st in pass-defense DVOA last season and did not make a concerted effort to upgrade their edge rush. These setbacks will make it difficult for the team to excel in this department, even considering the team’s pricey James Bradberry addition.
Several experienced veteran safeties are on the market, though the Giants do not profile as the kind of team who would win an Earl Thomas pursuit at this juncture. In addition to the recently released All-Pro, Eric Reid, Tony Jefferson, Reshad Jones and Clayton Geathers are available. The Giants did not re-sign 36-year-old Antoine Bethea, who started 16 games for them last season.
The Giants also lost linebacker David Mayo, who will go under the knife following a meniscus tear in his left knee. Luckily, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says Mayo will just need a meniscus trim rather than a full repair, so he should be able to return in about three weeks (Twitter link). The sixth-year defender started a career-high 13 games for the Giants last season, making 82 tackles.
Titans To Sign Jeremy McNichols
The Titans have agreed to sign running back Jeremy McNichols, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Even though McNichols is a late addition, he figures to get a real chance to make the cut as one of Derrick Henry‘s backups.
[RELATED: Titans Sign Siemian]
McNichols, 24, entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Bucs in 2017. He didn’t stay in Tampa for long and wound up touring a wide chunk of the NFL. In the last few years, McNichols has signed deals with the 49ers, Colts, Broncos, Titans, and Jaguars. The Jaguars wound up giving McNichols his first live action last year, but the Titans were impressed with the speedster’s work in the preseason.
The Titans have been keeping their eyes peeled for pickups throughout the month, including recent workouts with quarterbacks Trevor Siemian and DeShone Kizer. They’ve since inked Siemian to replace seventh-round rookie Cole McDonald on the depth chart behind Ryan Tannehill and Logan Woodside.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/20
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: P Johnny Townsend, WR DeAndrew White
Buffalo Bills
- Released from IR: DT Niles Scott
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Alex Wesley
- Released: WR Trevor Davis
- Waived/injured: TE Darion Clark
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: C Frederick Mauigoa, DT Kahlil McKenzie
- Waived: G Clay Cordasco, WR Damion Willis
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed (from Dolphins): DE Curtis Weaver
- Placed on IR: S Grant Delpit
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DE Sharif Finch
- Waived: DE Ade Aruna
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Daniel Bituli, LB Derrick Moncrief
- Waived: LB Bryan London, QB Josh Love
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: LB Trent Harris
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DB Kemon Hall
New York Jets
- Signed: RB Pete Guerriero
- Waived: DB Anthony Cioffi
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Tyrone Swoopes
- Waived: WR Robert Davis
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: RB Salvon Ahmed
Cardinals, Budda Baker Agree To Record-Breaking Extension
Budda Baker is now the highest-paid safety in NFL history. On Tuesday, the Cardinals agreed to a four-year, $59MM extension with their young standout defender (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). 
[RELATED: Cardinals To Sign Dre Kirkpatrick]
Baker’s deal includes a whopping $33.1MM guaranteed and comes out to an annual average of $14.75MM. Before the re-up, Baker was set to earn just $1.396MM in base pay in the walk year of his rookie deal. With that, Baker tops the previous watermark set by Bears safety Eddie Jackson, who signed a four-year, $58.4MM extension with the Bears earlier this year.
The 24-year-old has impressed across three pro seasons, though he has never intercepted a pass as a pro. He has, however, notched 323 tackles, 3.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and 14 passes defensed in total. Last year, he registered 104 solo stops to lead the league. Baker appeared as a slot corner earlier in his career, but he’s clearly found a home as a safety.
With Baker, edge rusher Chandler Jones, cornerback Patrick Peterson, and versatile rookie linebacker Isaiah Simmons, the Cardinals boast one of the league’s most intriguing defenses. They’ll look to put it all together in 2020 and improve on their 5-10-1 mark from last year.
Baker’s deal has surely captured the attention of new Seahawks safety Jamal Adams. Adams has spent years lobbying for a market-setting contract and he’ll surely leapfrog Baker in 2021. For now, Adams has agreed to table the talks.
49ers To Sign TE Erik Swoope
The 49ers have agreed to sign tight end Erik Swoope, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Swoope spent the 2019 season away from football after being dropped by the Raiders last summer.
[RELATED: 49ers To Consider Earl Thomas?]
Swoope, a former basketball standout at the University of Miami, had a noteworthy year with the Colts in 2016. Thanks in part to injury, the 28-year-old has yet to see similar playing time since then or match his average of 19.8 yards per reception (across a limited sample of 15 catches). Injuries have been partly to blame, including a 2017 season that was wiped out by knee surgery.
The 49ers already boast the scariest TE duo in the league in George Kittle and Jordan Reed. Still, Reed has been limited throughout camp and reinforcements wouldn’t be a bad idea given his troubling history with concussions.
In other Niners news, the club has been connected with free agent safety Earl Thomas. There might not be as much competition for the Pro Bowler as expected – the Falcons, Texans, and other possible fits have decided to pass.
Browns’ Grant Delpit Done For Year
Grant Delpit has suffered a season-ending Achilles tear (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). The Browns will place the safety on IR, ending the rookie’s season before it could even begin. 
Delpit was widely viewed as a first-round prospected heading into his junior year at LSU. Then, his stock slipped a bit, allowing the Browns to scoop him up at No. 44 overall. He was expected to be a pillar of the Browns’ young secondary this year, alongside Denzel Ward and former Tigers teammate Greedy Williams. Instead, they’ll have to wait until next year to see what he can do.
Fortunately, the Browns have backup. New addition Andrew Sendejo figures to step into the starting free safety job and join Karl Joseph in deep coverage. Sendejo, a longtime starter for the Vikings, has been first-string for 61 of his career games. Still, he’s entering his age-33 season, and he doesn’t offer the same kind of tantalizing upside as Delpit.
This is just the latest training camp injury for the Browns, following linebacker Mack Wilson‘s knee injury and cornerback Kevin Johnson‘s lacerated liver. On the plus side, Johnson was released from the hospital rather quickly, which could allow for a relatively quick return to action.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/24/20
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: CB Duke Thomas
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on reserve/retired list: CB Ike Brown
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on IR: C Casey Dunn
Denver Broncos
- Placed on IR: LB Justin Strnad (wrist)
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on IR: TE Ian Bunting
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DL Chris Smith
- Waived/injured: LB Nick Usher
Miami Dolphins
- Waived/injured: LB Curtis Weaver
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: ST Johnson Bademosi
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: WR Spencer Schnell
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S Walt Aikens
Eagles Re-Sign CB Trevor Williams
The Eagles are set to re-sign Trevor Williams, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The cornerback has been waiting for a call ever since the end of July, when the Birds dropped him from the roster. 
[RELATED: Eagles, TE Zach Ertz Resume Negotiations]
Despite having 27 career starts on his resume, Williams settled for a reserve/futures deal with the Birds in January. The former UDFA was a Chargers regular from 2016-18, up until last year when they released him from the injured reserve list.
The Penn State product hasn’t been able to stay healthy in recent years. Last season, he saw the field for just two games while with the Cardinals. Now on the verge of his 27th birthday (Sept. 15), he’ll look to make the final cut and get back to his old form. Williams’ best season to date came in 2017, when he started 15 games and notched 13 passes defended with two interceptions.