Patriots’ Marqise Lee To Opt Out
Patriots wide receiver Marqise Lee will opt out of the 2020 season, according to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). Lee is now the seventh Pats player to make this decision, leaving lots of holes to fill in New England. 
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker]
“We just feel like it wasn’t smart for us to go out and play this year,” said Lee, who became a first-time father earlier this year.
Lee joined the Patriots in April on a one-year deal for the veteran minimum. The 28-year-old (29 in November) was expected to support a wide receiver group led by Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, and N’Keal Harry. It was a low-risk and potentially high-reward pickup for the Patriots. Lee totaled 1,551 receiving yards between 2016-17 as the Jaguars’ top receiver. He parlayed that performance into a four-year, $38MM deal, but he was derailed by a knee injury in 2018, plus ankle and shoulder trouble last year.
The April signing of Lee allowed the Patriots to focus on other positions in the draft. They went defense with their first three picks before snagging two tight ends (Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene) in the third round. They didn’t use any of their choices on wide receiver, and that’s good news for their incumbents. Damiere Byrd, special teams ace Matthew Slater, Jakobi Meyers, Gunner Olszewski, and Quincy Adeboyejo are among those jostling for roster spots and WR snaps.
Here’s the full rundown of the Patriots’ opt out list, via PFR’s tracker:
- RB Brandon Bolden (story)
- T Marcus Cannon (story)
- S Patrick Chung (story)
- LB Dont’a Hightower (story)
- WR Marqise Lee
- OL Najee Toran
- FB Danny Vitale (story)
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/20
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: DB Jeff Hector
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: K/P Tristan Vizcaino
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: WR Tony Brown, LB Jermaine Grace, DE George Obinna, DT Justin Zimmer
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: FB Jordan Jones, OL Cole Madson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: WR Aleva Hifo
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: WR Jaydon Mickens
Raiders Expected To Sign Jeremy Hill
3:49pm: This deal looks like it will come together. The Raiders indeed plan to sign Hill, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, though an agreement will be contingent on the former second-round pick passing a physical and a COVID-19 test.
3:40pm: The Raiders are looking to add to their running back group. They are hosting Jeremy Hill on a visit Friday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Hill, who has not played since the 2018 season, last popped up on the radar when he visited the Titans in November 2019. Under the current pandemic-reshaped landscape, teams are only allowed to bring in players for visits if they are seriously considering signing them. Hill may have a chance to continue his career in Las Vegas.
The former Bengals and Patriots running back would join a Raiders group that houses Josh Jacobs, Jalen Richard, Rod Smith and Devontae Booker. The latter, however, resides on Las Vegas’ reserve/COVID-19 list. The Raiders placed Booker, a 2020 addition, on the list Thursday.
Still just 27, Hill is attempting to come back after suffering another serious injury. He suffered an ACL tear in Week 1 of the 2018 season. His 2017 season in Cincinnati ended in an IR stay due to an ankle malady.
The LSU product rushed for a career-high 1,124 yards as a rookie in 2014 and scored a career-best 12 touchdowns in 2015. He rushed for nine TDs in 2016. Since, Hill has not delivered much in the way of notable work. He played in only seven 2017 games, after Joe Mixon‘s Cincinnati arrival, and has not averaged more than four yards per carry in a season since his rookie year. But the Raiders are planning to offer the veteran another chance despite a near-two-year hiatus.
Broncos To Release TE Jeff Heuerman
The Broncos are removing one of the players from a crowded tight end competition early. They are taking the most experienced of these performers out of the mix, with Mike Klis of 9News tweeting the team will release Jeff Heuerman.
A Bronco since their 2015 Super Bowl championship season, Heuerman was drafted during the Gary Kubiak regime. He stayed on through Vic Fangio‘s first season, but the Broncos made multiple additions to their tight end room this offseason. That will end a five-plus-year stay for the former third-round pick.
Denver signed Nick Vannett in free agency and drafted former Drew Lock Mizzou teammate Albert Okwuegbunam in Round 4. They join 2019 first-round pick Noah Fant, Jake Butt, Troy Fumagalli and Austin Fort on the Broncos’ roster.
Heuerman did not quite live up to expectations, with injuries limiting the Ohio State product. Heuerman missed his entire rookie season. The Broncos re-signed him to a two-year deal in 2018, but he ended that year on IR. The 27-year-old tight end was set to make $3MM this season. With this cut, the Broncos will save $3.875MM.
For his career, Heuerman has 63 receptions for 678 yards and five touchdowns. He started 11 games last season and played a career-high 52% of Denver’s snaps in 2018, before going down with lung and rib injuries. But Fant’s role is expected to grow in 2020, and the Vannett and Okwuegbunam additions likely leave room for either zero or one of the non-Fant holdovers on this year’s roster.
Jaguars’ Al Woods Opts Out
Jaguars defensive tackle Al Woods has opted out of playing in 2020, per an announcement released from the team. Woods had at least another week to make the call, but he didn’t need time to think it over. 
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker]
“While I was excited to join the Jaguars, I have made the tough decision, given the current status of COVID-19, to opt out for the 2020 season,” Woods said. “The health and safety of my family has always been the most important thing in my life. I love the game of football and will be rooting hard for my teammates this season, and I look forward to re-joining the Jaguars in 2021.”
Woods joined the Jaguars on a one-year, $1.5MM deal earlier this offseason. His contract will toll, meaning that he’ll play under the same terms in 2021.
Woods, 33, is coming off of one of his best seasons ever. In his tenth pro season, he appeared in 14 games for the Seahawks (including five starts) and played the second-most defensive snaps (450) of his NFL tenure. He was especially sharp against the run – Pro Football Focus ranked him 12th among interior defenders in run defense grade.
Saints, Nigel Bradham Agree To Deal
Nigel Bradham will land with a different NFC contender. The longtime Eagles linebacker reached an agreement on a one-year deal with the Saints, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The Eagles cut Bradham earlier this year. The ninth-year ‘backer will resurface in New Orleans, joining former Philadelphia teammate Malcolm Jenkins.
New Orleans houses a surefire three-down player in Demario Davis, who has been one of the best off-ball linebackers in recent years. Picked a round later in 2012 (in Round 4), Bradham was the Eagles’ steadiest linebacker since he signed with Philly in 2016. The former Bills draftee will add experience to a Saints second-level corps that has ex-Bradham Bills teammate Kiko Alonso recovering from an ACL tear.
Bradham, 31 in September, played at least 900 defensive snaps from 2016-18 but logged 717 last year. He battled an ankle injury in 2019. He graded as a top-35 linebacker, per Pro Football Focus, in three of his four seasons in Philly — including the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl slate.
New Orleans lost A.J. Klein in free agency but used a third-round pick on Wisconsin’s Zack Baun, who worked as both an off-ball defender and a pass rusher for the Big Ten program.
The three-time reigning NFC South champions have been active on the market this offseason, with Bradham following Jenkins, Emmanuel Sanders and Jameis Winston to Louisiana. With Drew Brees on a year-to-year plan regarding retirement, maximizing his final snaps makes sense for a team that has endured some brutal endings to its past three seasons.
Buccaneers To Sign LeSean McCoy
The Buccaneers are making a big move at running back. They will bring in LeSean McCoy, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That works out to $1.05MM for a 12th-year player.
Bruce Arians confirmed the team was interested in Devonta Freeman earlier this offseason but said the ex-Falcon’s price tag was too high. The Bucs went in a different direction, signing the former All-Pro to work with Ronald Jones and third-round pick Ke’Shawn Vaughn. With the pandemic nixing the onsite work and the preseason, it makes sense for the Bucs to bring in a veteran Jones complement while Vaughn develops.
McCoy said recently he had spoken to multiple teams and wanted to land with a contender. Considering the Bucs’ new profile after their Tom Brady signing, they certainly qualify. One of the other teams McCoy spoke with was indeed the Eagles, per Rapoport (on Twitter). The Eagles were interested in a reunion, but given McCoy’s league-minimum Bucs pact, it is unclear if an offer came.
Although the Chiefs made McCoy a healthy scratch in Super Bowl LIV, he showed flashes during the regular season. Shady averaged 4.6 yards per carry, bouncing back from a 3.2-YPC season in an undermanned Bills offense in 2018, and scored five touchdowns during his one-year Andy Reid reunion.
After collecting his first Super Bowl ring, the six-time Pro Bowler will join another team with Super Bowl aspirations. The Bucs have now added future Hall of Famers Brady and Rob Gronkowski to their offense, and McCoy will have a chance to work on his Canton credentials in Tampa.
The former Eagles and Bills standout wants to become the league’s 17th 12,000-yard rusher. Sitting on 11,071, the 32-year-old runner will likely need at least two seasons to get there. Every retired back who has eclipsed 12,000 is in the Hall of Fame. Rushers who ended their careers between 11,000 and 12,000 — Fred Taylor, Steven Jackson and Corey Dillon — have not been inducted, however.
Falcons To Sign CB Darqueze Dennard
4:01pm: The Falcons are moving quickly. They will sign the former Bengals corner, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. This will be Dennard’s second free agency agreement this year, following his nixed Jaguars pact.
3:48pm: With the coronavirus testing portion of training camps underway, the ice surrounding the remaining high-profile free agents is beginning to thaw. The Falcons conducted a visit with cornerback Darqueze Dennard recently, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Dennard has been a free agent since his three-year, $13.5MM Jaguars deal fell through in late March. The Jags and Dennard agreed to terms during the legal tampering period, but the pact did not end up being finalized.
The Falcons have seen some turnover at cornerback this offseason. They cut longtime No. 1 corner Desmond Trufant and used their first-round pick on Clemson’s A.J. Terrell. The team could still use some help here, however. A six-year Bengal contributor, Dennard resides as one of the better free agent defenders available.
The Bengals re-signed Dennard on a one-year deal in 2019. He did not debut last season until late October, with a knee injury taking longer than expected to heal. But the former first-round pick started five Bengals games last year, moving his career total to 24. He has worked largely as a slot defender as a pro. Pro Football Focus graded Dennard as its No. 21 overall corner last season, during which he played 495 snaps.
The Falcons lost slot defender Brian Poole in free agency last year and did not see a strong performance from their secondary in 2019. Second-round pick Isaiah Oliver has yet to justify the team’s investment; Atlanta graded 25th in pass defense DVOA last season. Dennard, a Georgia native, provides more experience than any current Falcons corner. Ahead of the COVID-19-altered season, that figures to be critical.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/30/20
Here are Thursday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon.
Chicago Bears
- Reverted to reserve/NFI list (after being waived/injured): CB Tre Roberson
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers (from Chiefs): FB John Lovett
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: QB Brian Lewerke
New York Giants
- Placed on reserve/retired list: T Nate Wozniak
New York Jets
- Waived: DL Domenique Davis
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: T Leonard Wester
- Waived: DL Alex Barrett
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: S Deiondre’ Hall, TE Jordan Leggett
Washington Football Team
- Claimed off waivers (from Dolphins): CB Ryan Lewis
Steelers To Sign S Curtis Riley
The Steelers will add to their secondary. They are signing former Giants starter Curtis Riley, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Riley spent 2019 with the Raiders, starting three games, but his most notable NFL work came with the Giants. He started 16 games for Big Blue in 2018. Riley, 28, began his career with the Titans in 2016.
This addition is likely for depth purposes. The Steelers return starters Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds. They also have 2018 fifth-round pick Marcus Allen on their roster and drafted Antoine Brooks in this year’s sixth round.
A Fresno State product, Riley played in 16 Raider games last season. Pro Football Focus tabbed 2019 as Riley’s best work, though he played only 275 defensive snaps. Teams will be eyeing increased veteran depth for what will be an unusual season, making Riley a sensible addition. He will become the most experienced member of Pittsburgh’s safety group.