Bills Sign DB Akeem King, DT Niles Scott
The Bills have signed defensive back Akeem King, per a club announcement. King will help bolster the team’s cornerback depth following E.J. Gaines‘ decision to opt out of the 2020 season.
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker]
King has spent the last two seasons with the Seahawks. Last year, he suited up in 13 games, including three starts, plus a fair amount of time on special teams. With good size and bulk for the cornerback position, King could be called upon to guard larger tight ends. If he makes the roster – and it seems likely that he will, given the loss of Gaines – he’ll slot somewhere alongside Tre’Davious White, Josh Norman, Taron Johnson, and Levi Wallace on the CB depth chart.
In addition to King, the Bills have also signed defensive tackle Niles Scott. Scott suited up in six games for the Bengals in 2018 but was off the field last year due to a foot injury.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/20
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: P Ryan Allen, C Austin Capps, OT Scottie Dill, TE Caleb Repp, LB Jordan Williams
Baltimore Ravens
- Released: DT Daylon Mack, P Dom Maggio
New York Giants
- Released: RB Jon Hilliman, LB Chris Peace, S Rashaan Gaulden and CB Shakial Taylor, QB Case Cookus, FB George Aston, LB Oluwole Betiku, LB Dana Levine
New Orleans Saints
- Released: WR Krishawn Hogan, CB Deatrick Nichols, RB Ricky Ortiz
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: QB J.T. Barrett, RB Ralph Webb, WR Quadree Henderson, OL Christian Montano, LB Christian Kuntz, LB Dewayne Hendrix, S Tyree Kinnel, DE Josiah Coatney
Lions Geronimo Allison Opts Out
Lions wide receiver Geronimo Allison is opting out of the 2020 season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). As shown in PFR’s tracker, Allison is the second Lions player to exercise his right to skip the season, following defensive tackle John Atkins. 
[RELATED: Lions Place Stafford, Golladay On Reserve/COVID-19 List]
Allison joined the Lions in March on a one-year deal for the veteran minimum. He showed promise with the Packers – particularly in the first quarter of 2018 when he recorded 19 catches for 289 yards and a touchdown. Last year, he was expected to take on a larger role. Instead, the 6’3″, 202-pound target struggled in the slot. He finished out with 34 catches for just 287 yards and two scores, despite playing in all 16 games.
With the Lions, he was expected to support Danny Amendola, Kenny Golladay, and Marvin Jones. Now, the Lions will need some outside help, especially since Golladay is on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Placement on the list does not necessarily mean that Golladay tested positive for the coronavirus, but he may have come into contact someone who has tested positive. Either way, he won’t be able to return until he clears the league’s testing protocol.
The full rundown of the league’s 30+ opt out players can be found on PFR’s 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker.
Patriots’ Matt LaCosse Opts Out
Matt LaCosse has decided not to play in 2020, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. With that, the tight end becomes the eighth Patriots player to opt out.
LaCosse was supposed to provide veteran help at the position while guiding Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene in their rookie seasons. Instead, the Pats are left with the third-rounders, plus Ryan Izzo and a handful of other options at tight end. LaCosse’s contract will toll into 2021, when he’ll be set to return and earn $1MM in base salary.
The Patriots are now heading into the season without inside linebacker Dont’a Hightower, safety Patrick Chung, right tackle Marcus Cannon, and new wide receiver Marqise Lee. Running back Brandon Bolden, fullback Danny Vitale, offensive lineman Najee Toran, and LaCosse round out the eight opt-outs, and the list could grow larger from here. The official deadline is still TBD, but it’s at least a few days away.
After joining the Patriots last year, LaCosse recorded 13 catches for 131 yards and one touchdown. For his career, LaCosse has notched 40 grabs for 403 yards and two scores for the Pats, Giants, and Broncos.
Colts Place T.Y. Hilton On NFI List; Release 7 Players
The Colts announced a slew of roster moves on Sunday. The most notable of the bunch: Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton has been moved to the active/non-football injury list. . 
[RELATED: Former Colts RB Matt Jones Drawing NFL Interest]
Hilton suffered a mild hamstring injury while working out on his own earlier this summer, as Mike Wells of ESPN.com tweets. Per the rules of the Active/NFI list, Hilton can return to the roster at any point. The real decision for these players comes at the final roster cutdown date. A player on the NFI list does not count towards the 53-man roster max, but he also cannot play in the first eight games of the season. Given that this is a mild hamstring pull, Hilton probably will not be on the NFI list to start the season.
Meanwhile, the Colts have released running back Darius Jackson. Wide receiver Rodney Adams, defensive end Jegs Jegede, tackle Cedrick Lang, cornerback Picasso Nelson., tackle Travis Vornkahl, and linebacker Brandon Wellington were waived. Because Jackson was released outright, he’ll be free to hook on with any club immediately. The other six players will be subject to the waiver wire – if they are not claimed within the 24-hour window, they will be full-fledged free agents.
There’s one year left on Hilton’s deal, set to count for $14.5MM against the salary cap. Colts GM Chris Ballard, ideally, would like to nudge that number down with a reworked deal. We haven’t heard much on that front lately, but an extension still seems possible. That deal, Hilton says, will be his last in the NFL, regardless of length.
Jaguars Sign Adam Gotsis
The Jaguars have signed Adam Gotsis, per a club announcement. The defensive end spent the last four years with the Broncos and spent much of the offseason rehabbing from ACL surgery.
[RELATED: Jaguars DT Al Woods Opts Out]
Gotsis just recently got clearance to start running and had to wait a while before he could take an in-person exam with team doctors. Still, he was confident that a deal would come together before the start of the season.
“I’m thinking in a hopeful way that come July, August some teams are like, ‘Well shoot, we need to bring in a D-lineman that can pick up a playbook and has played a lot of snaps and is a smart guy that can just pick up the system in a week,’” Gotsis said in June. “Whereas some of these rookies, in OTAs and stuff is where they really get the chance to get their feet wet with a lot of the NFL vets and then all of a sudden it’s training camp, and they really haven’t had any time working against pro guys. In a way, I think it might be an advantage to me as well in that I can come back healthy and rehabbed.”
Gotsis made 12 starts in 2018 and registered three sacks, but he looked out of place in Vic Fangio‘s defense last year. Then, the ACL tear shut him down for the final stretch of the season. With 28 career starts under his belt, he’ll look to reassert himself as a rotational player in Jacksonville. If he makes the final cut, he’ll spell Josh Allen and (theoretically) Yannick Ngakoue as a reserve. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be ready to go for Week 1.
Bills’ E.J. Gaines Opts Out Of 2020 Season
E.J. Gaines has opted out of the 2020 season, according to Bills GM Brandon Beane (Twitter link via Kim Jones of NFL.com). Gaines was set to play on his third Buffalo contract after rejoining the team in March. Now, the cornerback will have to wait until 2021 to make his return.
[RELATED: Bills Host DB Akeem King On Visit]
Gaines first hooked on with the Bills in 2017 and showed serious promise. He finished out as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 12 ranked cornerback and placed ninth in Football Outsiders’ success rate, despite being limited to just eleven games. He moved on to the Bills and, once again, he was bitten by the injury bug, seeing time in just six games in 2018. Gaines went back to Buffalo in 2019, only to reach an injury settlement with the team in August. Gaines has been in the league since 2014, but he’s appeared in just 43 games across four seasons.
This year, the 28-year-old was set to backstop Josh Norman and Tre’Davious White. Now, the Bills could use another CB, hence their recent meeting with former Seahawks defensive back Akeem King.
Upwards of 30 players have chosen to opt out of the 2020 season, as shown in PFR’s tracker. Meanwhile, the deadline date remains TBD.
Cowboys To Release Kai Forbath
A veteran of six NFL teams, Kai Forbath will return to free agency. The Cowboys cut their incumbent kicker, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This will clear a path for free agent addition Greg Zuerlein.
Given Zuerlein’s pedigree, it was not expected he would have to battle Forbath throughout training camp for the job. The Cowboys gave the longtime Rams kicker a three-year, $7.5MM deal.
Brett Maher‘s struggles prompted the Cowboys to change kickers last season. They added Forbath in December. Interestingly, they re-signed him in March but gave him a one-year contract worth the league minimum. The Cowboys will incur barely $130K in dead money by cutting the soon-to-be 33-year-old kicker.
Forbath has played for three teams — the Cowboys, Patriots and Jaguars — since the 2018 season. Forbath was one of several kickers the Pats used after Stephen Gostkowski‘s injury, though he only kicked in one game with New England. Forbath went 11-for-11 on field goals last season, including a 10-for-10 stretch with the Cowboys. Forbath, who made 15 of 15 field goals for the Vikings in 2016, should be on the radar for future kicking gigs.
Although he also kicked for the Vikings and Saints, the eight-year veteran is most known for his work in Washington. He began his career as Washington’s kicker in 2012 and held that job for nearly four seasons.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/20
Teams continue to move their rosters toward 80 players, which will be the maximum by the time full practices begin. Here are the latest minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: DT Daylon Mack, P Dom Maggio
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived: LS Joe Fortunato
- Waived/injured: LB Azur Kamara
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: DT P.J. Johnson, T Koda Martin, WR Andre Patton, TE Jared Rice, S Roderic Teamer, TE Andrew Vollert
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: LB Daniel Bituli, RB James Gilbert, DE Greg Reaves, DT Sam Renner
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LS Rex Sunahara
New York Giants
- Claimed off waivers (from Browns): WR Tony Brown
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: LB Nasir Player, WR Spencer Schnell
Giants, Nick Gates Agree To Extension
The Giants have agreed to a two-year extension with offensive lineman Nick Gates, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The new deal carries a base value of $6.825MM with the potential to reach $10.325MM via incentives and bonuses.
It’s a nice pay bump for the former undrafted free agent, especially considering that he spent his would-be 2018 rookie season on IR. Last year, Gates turned in a perfect attendance card including three starts.
This year, Gates figures to reprise his role as a backup tackle. The Giants will be counting on him a little bit more than anticipated – starting tackle Nate Solder has exercised his right to opt out of the 2020 season, leaving the Giants with first-round pick Andrew Thomas and third-rounder Matt Peart as their projected starting tackles.
At Nebraska, Gates made 25 consecutive starts at left tackle. With the Giants, he’s moved between right guard and right tackle, and he’ll likely bounce between the interior and exterior line once again this year. The Giants have retooled their offensive line, but they see Gates as a keeper and, potentially, a future cog.