Patriots To Sign K Nick Folk
Hours after cutting Mike Nugent, the Patriots have a deal with a new kicker. Nick Folk and the Pats agreed to terms, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He has not kicked in an NFL game since 2017.
Folk worked out for the Patriots earlier this month, but they opted to sign Nugent instead. The unbeaten squad will turn to Folk, whose 2019 work has consisted of games with the Alliance of American Football.
Most known for his work with the Jets, with whom the 34-year-old played from 2010-16, the 34-year-old kicker also played for the Cowboys and Buccaneers. He will become the third Patriots kicker this season, following Nugent and Stephen Gostkowski.
Folk kicked in four Bucs games in 2017. In his last full season, with the ’16 Jets, Folk made 27 of 31 field goals and 24 of 26 extra points. Nugent kicked in four Pats games but went 5-for-8 on field goal tries, missing an extra point as well.
Raiders To Re-Sign LB Brandon Marshall
Brandon Marshall agreed to a second Raiders contract, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweeting the veteran linebacker is headed back to Oakland. The Raiders released Marshall after their preseason slate concluded.
The current Raiders linebacking corps is not as deep as the one Marshall was part of during training camp. Vontaze Burfict is out for the season. Justin Phillips is also out for the year, leaving the Raiders with just four off-ball linebackers healthy going into Week 9.
Marshall’s lone episode on Hard Knocks featured his release, and the longtime Broncos linebacker was told a reunion was possible once he healed up. The 30-year-old defender battled a knee injury during the early part of camp but participated in a Texans workout in September.
Following Super Bowl 50 and Danny Trevathan‘s exit, the Broncos gave Marshall an $8MM-AAV deal. Injuries intervened, however, and led to Denver releasing its five-year starter earlier this year. The eighth-year veteran will attempt to stick around with the Raiders this time.
Jaguars To Place Marqise Lee On IR
The Jaguars are placing wide receiver Marqise Lee on injured reserve, as Mark Long of The Associated Press tweets. The Jaguars were gearing up for Lee’s return, but his shoulder injury will sideline him for at least the next eight weeks. 
It has been a frustrating couple of years for Lee, who missed the entire 2018 season with a torn ACL. Before all of that, in 2016 and 2017, he totaled 119 receptions for 1,553 receiving yards. Until his ankle – and ultimately his shoulder – did him in this year, Lee managed just three catches for 18 yards across six games.
It’s a real bummer for the Jaguars, who advanced to 4-4 with their recent win over the Bengals. The AFC South is up for grabs, but they’ll have to fight for it without Lee grabbing at passes from Gardner Minshew (or Nick Foles).
This could very well end Lee’s Jacksonville tenure. Since signing a four-year, $34MM deal, he has not been the same player. The Jags have added wideouts D.J. Chark and Chris Conley to their mix in that span. Both have become more reliable contributors. It would cost the Jags $3.5MM in dead money next year to release Lee while saving the franchise more than $5MM in cap space.
In a related move, the Jags have promoted undrafted rookie cornerback Tae Hayes from the practice squad.
Patriots To Release K Mike Nugent
The Patriots are cutting kicker Mike Nugent, sources tell The MMQB’s Albert Breer (on Twitter). Nugent’s replacement is TBD, but we know this much: The Pats will be moving on to their third kicker of the 2019 season.
The Patriots worked out other kickers before signing Nugent this year, including Giorgio Tavecchio, Nick Folk, Greg Joseph, and Austin MacGinnis. They could circle back to those names, or bring in a new group of kickers, as they look to sort out the situation.
Nugent went 5-of-8 on field goals during his short Patriots run, but it was his two misses against the Browns that cost him his job. The Patriots still won and advanced to 8-0, but head coach Bill Belichick decided he was through with Nugent anyway.
The Pats’ search for a new kicker, in theory, could lead them to Matt Bryant. The veteran, who was cut loose by the Falcons on Tuesday, could give them an experienced option in crunch time.
Dolphins To Place Xavien Howard On IR
There could be more big names changing teams today before the trade deadline. Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard won’t be one of them, however. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Trade For Rams’ Aqib Talib]
Howard is headed to injured reserve after suffering a knee injury on Monday night, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The good news: it’s not an ACL or MCL tear, but the Dolphins are choosing to exercise caution with the young star.
The Dolphins inked Howard to a five-year, $72.25MM extension in May, so they’re keeping their eyes on the prize. Of course, this year’s prize is the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft. Beyond that, the Dolphins view Howard as a major franchise cornerstone.
In related news, the Dolphins have released tight end Nick O’Leary, hours after his ill-time drop led to a Monday night loss against the Steelers. His release leaves the ‘Fins with Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe as the team’s only TEs.
Before the injury, the Dolphins were receiving calls of trade interest on Howard. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether they would have considered moving him and, now, we may never now.
Rams Trade Aqib Talib To Dolphins
The Rams are making a move at the deadline. Los Angeles is shipping cornerback Aqib Talib off to Miami, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Schefter reports that the Rams are sending a fifth-round pick to get the Dolphins to take on Talib. The Rams will get a future seventh-rounder back, per Albert Breer of SI.com (on Twitter). This is a straight up salary dump, and not a move Miami is making for the player. We heard just a couple of days ago that the Rams were open to moving Talib, so this isn’t too surprising. Los Angeles is reportedly looking to free up money in order to extend the recently acquired Jalen Ramsey.
It makes perfect sense for the Dolphins too as they continue to stockpile draft picks, and they have plenty of cap space. Talib is currently on injured reserve, so he won’t be eligible to play until Week 15 anyway. It’s quite possible, if not likely, that Talib never ends up playing a snap for the rebuilding Dolphins. The Rams picked up $4.2MM in cap space by making the trade, tweets Jason Fitzgerald of Overthecap.com. It’s the latest in a growing trend of NBA-style salary dump trades to non-contending teams. Prior to a few years ago, these moves were virtually unheard of in the NFL.
Talib is 33 now, and he didn’t look his best before going on IR with a rib issue. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and it’ll be very interesting to see what his market looks like. He’s obviously getting up there in age, but he should still receive some interest due to his pedigree. The former Buccaneer, Patriot, and Bronco made five straight Pro Bowls from 2013-17.
Falcons Cut Matt Bryant, Sign Younghoe Koo
Matt Bryant‘s second stint as the Falcons’ kicker is over. The Falcons have released the longtime veteran, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Atlanta worked out kickers Younghoe Koo and Elliott Fry yesterday, foreshadowing this move. Shortly after we heard Bryant was getting released, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that the team is indeed signing Koo. Bryant spent ten years as the Falcons’ kicker from 2009-18, then was cut after last season. He spent all summer as a free agent, then was re-signed right before the start of the season when Giorgio Tavecchio and Blair Walsh struggled during the preseason.
Bryant is 44 and has been one of the league’s most recognizable kickers for the better part of two decades. After originally spending some time in the AFL and NFL Europe in the early 2000’s, he was finally able to latch on with the Giants. Bryant has already missed five field goals and an extra point this season, and this is likely the end of the road for him. In Atlanta’s Week 6 loss to the Cardinals, he missed a crucial extra point late in the game as the Falcons ended up losing by a single point.
Koo started the 2017 season off as the Chargers’ kicker, but was quickly released after missing a few clutch kicks. He has bounced around soon, including a stint in the AAF, and was on the Patriots’ practice squad earlier this season. Koo, the South Korean native who played his college ball at Georgia Southern, is definitely talented and a worthwhile flyer for a rebuilding Falcons team.
Chargers Fire OC Ken Whisenhunt
Ken Whisenhunt‘s second stint with the Chargers has come to an end. The team announced tonight that they have fired their offensive coordinator.
“This is not an easy decision and definitely not one that I take lightly,” said head coach Anthony Lynn. “You win as a team, and you lose as a team. It’s never about just one person. At the end of the day, however, I simply felt a change was needed at this time. I want to thank Ken for his years of service to the Chargers organization and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
The Chargers hired Whisenhunt as their offensive coordinator back in 2016. This was the coach’s second stint with the organization, as he previously served as offensive coordinator between his tenures as the Cardinals and Titans head coach. The Chargers offense saw a bit of a renaissance upon Whisenhunt’s hiring, as the team finished fourth in yards during the 2017 campaign and sixth in points during the 2018 campaign.
However, the offense has struggled a bit in 2019, as the team ranks towards the bottom-half of the league in yards (17th), points (23rd), and giveaways (20th). This could partly be attributed to the inconsistent running game, especially following Melvin Gordon‘s return; the Chargers are currently bottom-10 in most rushing categories. The team hasn’t scored more than 20 points since their late-September win over the Dolphins, and they narrowly avoided a four-game losing streak this past weekend.
Ravens, Willie Snead Agree To Extension
The Ravens will sign Willie Snead to a one-year, $6MM extension, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The sum of the pact is fully-guaranteed, so it represents a solid payday for the wide receiver.
The 2014 undrafted free agent out of Ball State bounced between the Browns and Panthers before landing with the Saints. The wideout turned into one of Drew Brees‘ top targets, compiling 141 receptions, 1,879 yards, and seven touchdowns between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. However, he fell off a bit during his final season in New Orleans, and the Ravens landed Snead as a restricted free agent in 2018.
The 27-year-old was dependable during his first year in Baltimore, hauling in 62 receptions for 651 yards. In seven games this season, Snead has 15 catches for 223 yards and two touchdowns.
Snead was set to his unrestricted free agency this summer. The wideout would have joined a relatively deep free agent pool that includes the likes of Amari Cooper, A.J. Green, Emmanuel Sanders, Robby Anderson, and Nelson Agholor. As Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweets, this transaction could also clear up some cap space for a trade addition.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/28/19
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: QB Danny Etling, CB D.J. White
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released from IR via injury settlement: RB Alfred Blue
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed: CB Xavier Crawford (from Texans)
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: QB Cody Kessler
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: DT Bruce Hector