Chiefs Trade CB Mark Fields To Vikings
Mark Fields is heading to Minnesota. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the cornerback has been traded by the Chiefs to the Vikings. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin tweets that Kansas City has received a 2021 seventh-rounder.
The undrafted free agent cornerback considered signing with Minnesota after the draft, tweets Cronin. The Vikings had been seeking some extra depth at outside and slot cornerback, and Fields possesses the flexibility to fill in at either spot.
For the Chiefs, the team had relatively high hopes for the cornerback following a productive training camp. However, Fields struggled on game day, and he had three penalties (two pass interference and a face mark) during Kansas City’s preseason finale.
Bills Release RB LeSean McCoy
A surprise cut out of Buffalo. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Bills have released veteran running back LeSean McCoy.
There had been rumblings of a potential divorce for several months. McCoy was entering the final year of his five-year, $40MM deal, and cutting the veteran would save the organization more than $6MM. While the organization had been touting McCoy as their 2019 starter throughout the offseason, some pundits wondered if the front office was simply trying to generate trade interest.
However, back in January, GM Brandon Beane made it clear that the running back was staying put.
“LeSean will come back in 2019 and we’ll go from there,” the GM said.
Despite their faith in McCoy, the organization still brought in a pair of inexpensive vets in Frank Gore and T.J. Yeldon. Third-round rookie Devin Singletary has also emerged as an intriguing piece during the preseason. Considering the financial discrepancy between McCoy and the other three running backs, the team decided to move on from their four-year starter.
While McCoy was productive during his first three years in Buffalo, he struggled in 2018. The 31-year-old finished the campaign with a career-low 3.2 yards per carry, compiling 514 yards and three touchdowns on 161 carries. He also hauled in 34 receptions for 238 yards.
McCoy still offers serious burst and cutting ability, even at his advanced age, so there’s reason to believe that he can get back to his old form in 2019. Several teams will surely kick the tires on the veteran, so he shouldn’t be a free agent for long.
Bills Cut CB Captain Munnerlyn
Captain Munnerlyn‘s stint with the Bills only lasted several weeks. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the veteran cornerback has been released.
With Buffalo eyeing some reinforcement in their secondary, the team brought in Munnerlyn in early August. The cornerback was familiar with head coach Sean McDermott’s defense, making him a logical fill-in for injured cornerback E.J. Gaines. Instead, it sounds like the organization decided to opt for younger options at the position.
A consistent starter between Carolina and Minnesota from 2011-14, Munnerlyn has taken on a backup role in recent campaigns. In 2018, he appeared in all 16 games, starting five, and registered one interception and nine passes defensed. In his 10-year career, Munnerlyn has logged 12 interceptions, five of which he has returned for scores.
Munnerlyn isn’t the only veteran defender to lose his job. Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic tweets that veteran defensive end Sam Acho has also been cut. The 30-year-old joined the team earlier this month. Acho spent the past four years in Chicago, including a 2018 campaign where he was limited to only four games.
The Bills also let go of two intriguing offensive players: running back Marcus Murphy (via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic on Twitter) and quarterback Tyree Jackson.
Seahawks Release DB DeShawn Shead
The Seahawks are cutting a longtime familiar face. Seattle has released veteran defensive back DeShawn Shead, according to Brady Henderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Shead originally signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent back in 2012. He spent the next six seasons with the team, and made a big impact. Shead started 21 games between 2015 and 2016, and was one of the few remaining members of the team that won Super Bowl XLVIII for the Seahawks. He became a starter toward the end of the 2015 campaign, and started 15 games in 2016. Unfortunately he suffered a torn ACL in the 2016 playoffs, which derailed his career.
He only appeared in two games in 2017 as he worked his way back from the injury, and was then cut after the season. He signed with Detroit, and appeared in 12 games for the Lions last season, making one start. He was placed on injured reserve in December, then signed back with the Seahawks in July.
As Henderson points out, the Seahawks had been mostly using him as a safety this season in an attempt to have him make the team. The Portland State product ended up coming up short, and will now re-enter the open market at the age of 30.
Texans, Jets Eyeing RB Trades
With less than 20 hours until teams must have 53-man rosters finalized, two franchises are seeking backfield help. Both the Texans and Jets are looking for running backs via trade, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
The Texans may feature the league’s thinnest backfield, having lost three-year starter Lamar Miller for the season. They acquired Duke Johnson from the Browns, but the career passing-down back has maxed out at 104 carries in an NFL season — and that came in 2015. Last season, Johnson took just 40 handoffs in 16 games.
Houston has a host of rookies vying to make the final cut, along with special-teamer Taiwan Jones. No one besides Johnson on the Texans’ roster has carried the ball more than 20 times in a season, and it looks like this backfield will add an outside hire soon — either via trade or the waiver wire. The Texans cut Josh Ferguson on Friday.
Elijah McGuire did not make the Jets’ roster, but Gang Green still employs Le’Veon Bell, Ty Montgomery, Bilal Powell and Trenton Cannon. Their need does not look to be on the same level as the Texans’.
Cowboys To Release S George Iloka
Connected to safeties for well over a year now, the Cowboys are set to again go with their Xavier Woods–Jeff Heath tandem. The team will release George Iloka, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic (on Twitter).
The Cowboys signed Iloka earlier this offseason to compete with Heath, but the incumbent won the position battle. This will mark another late-summer exit for the former Bengals starter. Cincinnati cut Iloka in late August of last year, and the longtime first-stringer landed with Mike Zimmer in Minnesota.
Both the Vikings and Cowboys added Iloka on league-minimum deals. The Cowboys guaranteed the 29-year-old defender $210K. Iloka has started 79 games since being a 2012 Bengals fifth-rounder. Only three came last season with the Vikings. Iloka played 117 defensive snaps in 2018.
Dallas resisted the urge to trade for Earl Thomas in 2018 and to sign the Texas native this year, going with Iloka for depth purposes. This will be Heath’s third season as a full-time starter and Woods’ seconds. The Cowboys still have sixth-round safeties Kavon Frazier and Donovan Wilson, a rookie, on its roster going into Saturday’s cutdown day.
Eagles To Cut DE Eli Harold
Three weeks after acquiring Eli Harold from the Bills, the Eagles will not carry him through to their 53-man roster. The Eagles will release the veteran edge defender, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
The team will also place tight end Richard Rodgers on IR and waive quarterback Cody Kessler. The Eagles only gave up undrafted rookie offensive tackle Ryan Bates for Harold, so it’s not like they had a particularly big investment in him. Harold was originally drafted by San Francisco in the third-round back in 2015, and spent last year with the Lions. He had four sacks with Detroit last year and the Eagles were looking for pass-rushing depth, but they apparently didn’t like what they saw from the 25-year-old. For his career, he has nine career sacks in 61 games and 25 starts
Kessler was drafted by the Browns in 2016, then traded to Jacksonville last offseason. He surprisingly ended up starting four games for the Jaguars last year, but he averaged a pitiful 5.4 yards per attempt. He was trying to make the team in Philly, but the Eagles luring Josh McCown out of retirement all but sealed his fate. Rodgers has made some noise in the past with Green Bay, but he’ll now miss the entire 2019 campaign with a foot injury.
Seahawks Waive Paxton Lynch
The Paxton Lynch experiment in Seattle is over. The Seahawks have waived the former first-round pick quarterback, a source told Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). 
With Lynch being cut, that means that Geno Smith has won the right to carry Russell Wilson‘s clipboard during the regular season. Condotta writes that the Seahawks “may try to keep Lynch on the practice squad.” Lynch drew some positive reviews earlier this preseason, but he melted down in the team’s fourth and final game. He completed just one of seven passes for four yards, which likely sealed his fate if it wasn’t sealed already.
The Broncos drafted the Memphis product 26th overall back in 2016, and he never panned out in Denver. He never got a chance to be the full-time starter, a feat very rare for first-round quarterbacks. During his time with the Broncos he started a total of four games, tossing four touchdowns and four interceptions while averaging only 6.2 yards per attempt.
After spending the entire 2018 season out of football, he signed with the Seahawks in January. Lynch has plenty of athleticism and can make the occasional splashy play, but has never been able to put it all together. There have been questions about his maturity, and he’s running out of chances to show he can deliver on his potential.
Titans Sign C Ben Jones To Extension
The Titans and veteran center Ben Jones agreed to an extension Friday, the team announced. Jones has been the Titans’ starting center since signing with the team in 2016. It’s a two-year deal that will keep Jones in Tennessee through the 2021 season, Paul Kuharsky of Paul Kuharsky.com tweets.
This re-up will pay Jones $13.5MM in new money, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It marks an AAV bump for the eighth-year snapper who was entering the final year of his contract, but with it being on the low end for veteran centers, this marks a team-friendly pact.
The former Texans blocker has played in all 48 regular-season Titans games since signing his initial four-year, $17.5MM deal. He will no longer be entering a walk year, with the Titans viewing the 30-year-old lineman as a key piece going forward.
Tennessee has used a run-oriented offense throughout Jones’ tenure, and the franchise added longtime Rams guard Rodger Saffold this offseason to further bolster its ground attack. Jones joins Saffold and left tackle Taylor Lewan as Titans blockers signed long-term.
A former fourth-round pick out of Georgia, Jones has never missed a game since joining the Texans in 2012. His 112 straight games are the most among active NFL offensive linemen, as are his 80 consecutive starts. Jones graded as the NFL’s No. 12 center last season, per Pro Football Focus, and has been viewed as a consistent blocker for a Titans team that’s ranked third, 15th and sixth in rushing since he switched AFC South sides.
Browns Trade QB David Blough To Lions
The Lions are stockpiling quarterbacks. Detroit is trading for David Blough, acquiring him from the Browns, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
In perhaps the most minor trade on a day full of minor trades, the two teams will swap seventh-round picks in 2022, Schefter notes. Blough is an undrafted rookie from Purdue who had been operating as Cleveland’s fourth-string quarterback in camp. The Lions are in the process of trimming their roster so this will likely change shortly, but as of right now they have five passers on their roster.
Behind starter Matthew Stafford, they currently have Tom Savage, Josh Johnson, and former AAF signal-caller Luis Perez. Perez was just signed a couple of days ago. Savage started the offseason as Stafford’s backup, and the team signed the legendary journeyman Johnson after Savage sustained a concussion in the preseason. Blough was a starter for most of the past four years at Purdue, earning a third-team All-Big Ten selection last year.