Falcons Trade Mohamed Sanu To Patriots
The Falcons have traded Mohamed Sanu to the Patriots in exchange for a second-round pick, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The deal gives the 7-0 Patriots even more offensive firepower and brings them a wide receiver that they’ve long coveted.
The Patriots were one of several teams looking to trade for Sanu during the draft. The Falcons brushed those clubs off, but things changed after their 37-10 loss to the Rams dropped them to 1-6 on the year. With days to go before the trade deadline, the Falcons jumped at the chance to build for 2020 and beyond.
Sanu missed out on a New Jersey homecoming when the Patriots steamrolled the Jets on Monday night, but he will get to reunite friends in New England, including former Rutgers teammates Jason McCourty and Devin McCourty. He also figures to pad the stat sheet. So far this year, Sanu has 33 catches for 313 yards and one touchdown. It stands to reason that with nine games to go on New England’s slate, he could top last year’s career high of 838 yards and find pay dirt many times over.
Speaking of pay – Sanu has two years to go on his current deal. The Pats will have him at a $7.65MM cap figure this year and a $7.9MM number in 2020, though they could theoretically release him without fiscal penalty next year.
With Sanu, the Patriots boast one of the scariest receiver groups in the NFL and enough weapons to (almost) make Tom Brady forget that Rob Gronkowski isn’t around anymore. The WR depth chart, at present:
- Julian Edelman
- Mohamed Sanu
- Josh Gordon
- Phillip Dorsett
- N’Keal Harry (may return in Week 9)
- Jakobi Meyers
- Gunner Olszewski
Meanwhile, the Falcons figure to continue their fire sale between now and next Tuesday’s deadline. They’d like to move defensive end Vic Beasley and they figure to field offers for the likes of edge rusher De’Vondre Campbell and tight end Austin Hooper.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/21/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: LB Joe Giles-Harris
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: WR Davion Davis
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed off Texans practice squad: DT Albert Huggins
Ravens Release Justin Bethel
On Monday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh announced the release of cornerback Justin Bethel. He also called him “the best special teams player in the NFL.”
Bethel didn’t lose his job for performance reasons. Instead, Harbaugh admitted that the Ravens were releasing the veteran in order to potentially pick up a fourth-round compensatory pick.
It’s complicated. Or, as Harbaugh put it, it’s a “funky” rule that will give the Ravens some extra firepower in the draft after defensive lineman Brent Urban, who left the Ravens for the Titans in the offseason, was cut by Tennessee last week.
Because Urban did not last on the Titans’ roster until Week 10, the Ravens lost their shot at a fourth-round compensatory pick. By dropping Bethel, they resumed their place in the queue.
Bethel will now seek work elsewhere, after notching a team-high six tackles for Baltimore.
Eagles Cut DT Akeem Spence
Well, that didn’t last long. On Monday, the Eagles release defensive tackle Akeem Spence, less than six weeks after signing him. To take his place, the club inked fellow DT Anthony Rush off of the Raiders’ practice squad. 
[RELATED: Eagles Release Orlando Scandrick]
Spence spent training camp with the Dolphins but didn’t make the final cut, leading him to the Eagles. He saw a season-high 54 snaps in Sunday’s ugly loss to the Cowboys – those proved to be his last in Philly. At least, for now. He’s now on the open market, along with cornerback Orlando Scandrick.
Enter Rush, a 6’5″, 350-pound defensive lineman out of UAB. In his two post-JUCO years, Rush tallied 77 tackles, 20 for loss, two sacks, and a pick-six. He’ll look to impress coaches this week and make the active roster for Sunday’s game against the Bills.
Texans Lose Phillip Gaines For Season
Texans cornerback Phillip Gaines is set to undergo season-ending ankle surgery, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. Per a source, Gaines will be placed on Injured Reserve after suffering a severe high-ankle sprain in yesterday’s loss to the Colts. The recovery is expected to take five months.
Gaines has been a rotational player since entering the league in 2014. Entering the sixth year of his career, Gaines had yet to start less than three games in a season, but never more than six. Houston had begun using him more prominently as the season went on, starting the team’s previous two games before leaving the game yesterday.
While Gaines was not signed to be a starter, he was called into action once Bradley Roby and Johnathan Joseph went down with injuries. Now down another member of their secondary, the Texans decided to trade a third-round pick in the upcoming draft for Raiders cornerback Gareon Conley earlier today. It appears likely that Conley will step into Gaines’ place in the lineup.
Eagles To Release Orlando Scandrick
The Eagles are releasing cornerback Orlando Scandrick, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The move comes one day after Scandrick saw limited time against his old friends in Dallas.
Scandrick was with the Eagles in camp until he was dropped just prior to cutdown weekend. He returned to the roster in late September when the Eagles needed a cornerback to help fill in for Ronald Darby and Avonte Maddox.
During his ten-year/nine-season run with the Cowboys, Scandrick started the bulk of his games. Last year, he split his time between the first- and second-string with the Chiefs. This year, in three games with the Eagles, he was deployed more as a role player, though he did get to shine against the Jets as he notched two sacks, forced two fumbles, and took one of them to the house for a touchdown.
The 32-year-old could hold appeal for other clubs, but this may also be the end of the line for him.
Texans Acquire Gareon Conley From Raiders
Eight days away from this year’s trade deadline, two AFC teams have struck a deal. The Raiders agreed to send cornerback Gareon Conley to the Texans in exchange for a third-round pick, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic (on Twitter).
Conley has started every Raiders game this season and will head to a Texans team dealing with injuries at corner. The 2017 first-round pick is signed through the 2020 season and can be controlled through 2021 via fifth-year option. The Ohio State product has started 20 games over the past two seasons, shaking off an injury-marred rookie slate.
And just like the Broncos did when they traded Demaryius Thomas to the Texans last season, the Raiders will see Conley again soon. The Raiders will be in Houston for a Week 8 Texans matchup Sunday.
This marks yet another high 2020 pick the Texans have surrendered, with the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain reporting (via Twitter) it’s a 2020 third. The Texans owned the Seahawks’ 2020 third-rounder from the Jadeveon Clowney deal and will send that selection to the Raiders. The Texans traded their 2020 first-rounder in the Laremy Tunsil deal and are likely to send a third-rounder to the Browns for Duke Johnson. Overall, Houston has traded five 2020 or ’21 Day 1 or Day 2 picks since August.
This would stand to leave Houston with only its second-rounder on Days 1-2 of next year’s draft, further committing the current GM-less team to a hopeful deep 2019 playoff run.
This marks an interesting deal between two teams contending in the AFC. Although the Raiders did not fare well in Green Bay on Sunday, they remain 3-3. They have struggled in pass defense this season, with Aaron Rodgers‘ historic day being the most recent such reminder. Oakland also added two corners in this year’s draft — second-rounder Trayvon Mullen and fourth-rounder Isaiah Johnson — and signed Nevin Lawson. Lamarcus Joyner has also worked in the slot as a Raider. Johnson is expected to make his debut soon, and this transaction figures to mean more Mullen snaps going forward.
The Texans have lost Bradley Roby, also an Ohio State-produced first-rounder, and on Sunday saw veteran Johnathan Joseph carted off the field Sunday. They drafted Lonnie Johnson in Round 2, but he has graded as Pro Football Focus’ second-worst cornerback this season. The Texans also placed Phillip Gaines on IR on Monday. The 4-3 team will add Conley to the mix, and he should be set to contribute immediately. PFF has Conley slotted as this year’s No. 82 overall corner. He has four career interceptions, one of which coming this season.
Conley, 24, represents yet another Reggie McKenzie-era first-rounder the Jon Gruden regime has jettisoned. Gruden shipped out Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper in trades last season and has now dealt away McKenzie’s final first-round pick as Raiders GM. Karl Joseph is the last remaining McKenzie first-rounder on the Raiders’ roster.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/20/19
This one actually came on the wire yesterday, but we’re passing it along now.
Houston Texans:
- Signed: QB Alex McGough
- Released: TE Keenen Brown
McGough had been on the active roster, but was released this past week. After clearing waivers, he was quickly re-added to the taxi squad. The FIU product was given a weekly salary that equals his full minimum NFL active roster salary when re-signing to the practice squad, a source told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chroncile (Twitter link). McGough was drafted by the Seahawks in the seventh-round last year, and spent time with the Jags this offseason.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/19/19
Today’s minor moves will be posted here:
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted from practice squad: DB Jake Gervase
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/19/19
A couple of practice squad moves to report as we await kickoffs tomorrow:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: RB Samaje Perine
- Released: OT Dino Boyd
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Paul Perkins
- Waived: RB Wes Hills
A couple of somewhat notable running backs latched back on today in Perine and Perkins. They’d been waived by the Bengals and Lions respectively in the past couple of days. Perkins was a fifth-round pick of the Giants back in 2016, while Perine was taken in the fourth-round by the Redskins in 2017. Both players received plenty of buzz in their rookie years, but fizzled out quickly. Perkins went to UCLA, while Perine is an Oklahoma product.