Bills Sign Stephen Hauschka To Extension
Stephen Hauschka isn’t going anywhere. On Wednesday, the Bills announced a brand new two-year extension for their kicker. 
Prior to the deal, Hauschka was due to hit free agency after earning $2.25MM in salary and bonuses in 2019. Now, he’s under club control through 2021 and has clear assurance that he’ll beat out Chase McLaughlin for the Bills’ kicking job.
Hauschka spent the bulk of his career with the Seahawks and had stops with the Ravens and Broncos before landing with the Bills in 2017. Since then, he’s nailed 83.6% of his field goals, though last year (78.6%) was a bit rocky.
For his career, Hauschka has converted on 86.4% of his FG tries, including a pair of 93%+ showings in Seattle. His 2018 percentage was a career low, but his new deal may give him the confidence to turn things around.
Colts Trade Nate Hairston To Jets
The Colts have agreed to trade cornerback Nate Hairston to the Jets, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). In exchange, the Jets will send a 2020 sixth-round pick to Indianapolis. 
The Jets had two sixth-round picks thanks to the Darron Lee trade, but the Colts will receive the lower of the two in the swap, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets.
The Jets’ need for cornerback help has been well-documented and they’ve addressed that need somewhat by acquiring Harrison. He’s not a star player, but he does have eleven starts to his credit over the past two years. He’s also under contract through 2020, giving Gang Green an opportunity to keep him in the fold beyond this season.
Harrison, by all accounts, had a solid camp, but the Colts’ logjam at cornerback allowed them to deal from a surplus. They’ll pick up a late-round draft choice for the 25-year-old and the Jets will plug him into their depth chart as a versatile cornerback/safety option.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/27/19
It was a busy day in the NFL as teams made early cuts in advance of the 53-man deadline. We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived/Injured: T Dieugot Joseph
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Jacob Ohnesorge
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: S Anthony Fish Smithson
Detroit Lions
- Released: QB David Fales
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on IR: FB John Lovett
New England Patriots
- Waived/Injured: WR Maurice Harris
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Hayes Pullard, S Jason Thompson
- Waived: LB Asantay Brown, S Tre Sullivan
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed: CB Jhavonte Dean
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Chris Campbell, RB Brandon Wilds, WR Nick Williams
- Waived: OL Willie Beavers, OL Dillon Day
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Nyqwan Murray, WR Kahlil Lewis
- Waived: WR Amara Darboh
- Placed on IR: DL Nazair Jones, CB Kalan Reed
Lions Release RB Zach Zenner
The Lions have released veteran running back Zach Zenner, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). By releasing Zenner, the Lions will save the bulk of his scheduled one-year, $805K salary, though they’ll be in the hole for the $250K guarantee on his deal. 
Zenner enjoyed the best season of his career in 2016 when he ran for 334 yards and four touchdowns off of 88 carries. He also added 18 catches for 196 yards. All of those numbers stand as career highs for the former UDFA out of South Dakota State.
Last year, Zenner played a much smaller role with 55 carries for 265 yards and three touchdowns. However, his yards per carry average of 4.8 yards per tote was strong and represents a career high (albeit, one with a limited sample size).
The Lions will use Kerryon Johnson as their main running back with C.J. Anderson and Ty Johnson in support. Running backs Mark Thompson and Justin Stockton are also on the roster, for now.
Before he re-upped with Detroit earlier this year, the Vikings expressed interest in the Eagan, Minn., native, so that’s one potential landing spot to watch.
49ers Cut Former Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith
The 49ers are releasing linebacker Malcolm Smith, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). After two seasons with the Niners, he is now free to sign with any team. 
The one-time Super Bowl MVP took a pay cut in the offseason after two injury plagued seasons with the 49ers. Smith isn’t the same player that he once was, but he could hold appeal for teams in need of experience in the front seven.
Smith joined the Niners prior to the 2017 season, but his first year was washed out by a torn pectoral muscle. Then, in 2018, he registered just 35 tackles and one pass defensed in 12 games (five starts). His Pro Football Focus grade of 63.4 was an improvement over his 2015 and 2016 showings with the Raiders, but that placed him as the 53rd best linebacker in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Smith cut saves the Niners just $1.34MM against $4.2MM in dead money.
Vikings Cut CB Bene Benwikere
The Vikings have released cornerback Bene Benwikere and wide receiver Jordan Taylor, according to a team announcement. By releasing both players, the club has made at least a little headway in advance of Saturday’s 53-man deadline. 
Benwikere exits just as cornerback Mike Hughes returns from the PUP list. Previously, the former Panther had at least some shot of making the final cut.
Taylor, meanwhile, leaves after roughly five months with the Vikings. Prior to that, he spent four years with the Broncos. Taylor didn’t make as much noise as he wanted to this preseason – his exhibition stat line will cease after three receptions for 24 yards.
Even without Taylor, it’s still a crowded field for receivers looking to make the cut behind top targets Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, and Chad Beebe. Laquon Treadwell, Dillon Mitchell, Olabisi Johnson, Brandon Zylstra, Jeff Badet, Davion Davis, and Alexander Hollins are all fighting for two – or perhaps three – places on the Week 1 roster.
Dolphins Cut Jordan Mills, Clive Walford
The 53-man roster deadline isn’t until Saturday, but the Dolphins are getting ahead of the game. On Tuesday, the Dolphins released tackle Jordan Mills and tight end Clive Walford with injury settlements. The club also cut defensive tackle Akeem Spence and waived/injured linebacker Chase Allen. 
Mills, a free agent acquisition, was disappointing in minicamp and was leapfrogged at right tackle by Jesse Davis. The Dolphins gave him a shot at redemption in training camp, but he was unable to regain his footing.
Walford was most recently with the Jets, but New York decided to non-tender him earlier this month, leading him to the Fins. He had two stints with the Jets and one stint with the Colts in 2018, appearing in only a single game. Walford showed some promise during his first two years in the league, hauling in 61 receptions for 688 yards and six scores across the 2015-16 seasons with the Raiders.
Cardinals To Release DL Terrell McClain
Terrell McClain‘s bid to be part of the 2019 Cardinals did not last past the preseason. The Cards will release the veteran defensive lineman, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
A journeyman who spent 2018 with the Falcons, McClain signed with the Cardinals in May. The team, however, signed Clinton McDonald recently and traded for Bruce Hector last week. McClain joins Andre Branch in Cardinals front-seven pieces released in the past two days. Arizona also parted ways with former first-round lineman Robert Nkemdiche this summer.
The Cardinals used a third-round pick on defensive end Zach Allen and a seventh-rounder on end Michael Dogbe but return starters Rodney Gunter and Corey Peters. McClain, 31, was expected to be part of Arizona’s rotation up front. Hector and McDonald look to be new solution efforts for the Cardinals, who have added several depth pieces to their roster this offseason.
McClain played in 12 games for the Falcons last season but is better known for his three-year run with the Cowboys. He started 15 games for the 2016 Cowboys, who claimed the NFC’s No. 1 seed, before migrating to Washington for a 12-game stretch with the Redskins in 2017. The Cardinals would have been the former third-round pick’s seventh team.
Browns To Cut WR Jaelen Strong
Jaelen Strong‘s Browns tenure looks like it will be limited to one offseason. The wideout tweeted a farewell message to Cleveland, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot confirmed (via Twitter) the former third-round pick will be cut.
Despite the Browns losing Breshad Perriman in free agency, they have a deep receiver corps. Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway and Rashard Higgins headline the group. Cleveland, though, will be shorthanded — from a depth standpoint — in September. A suspension will cost Callaway four games.
Strong has not played in a regular-season game since 2017. He tore an ACL in December of 2017, but he’d caught just three passes leading up to that. The former Arizona State standout caught 14 passes in each of his first two seasons, with the Texans, before being cut in September of 2017.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Buffalo Bills
- Claimed off waivers from Cardinals: LB/DE Jeff Holland
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: C Kirk Barron
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: CB Jhavonte Dean
Detroit Lions
- Signed: QB Luis Perez, RB Justin Stockton
- Waived: WR Deontez Alexander
Houston Texans
- Placed on IR: RB Lamar Miller, T David Steinmetz
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Micah Abernathy, S Jacob Thieneman
- Waived: S Matthias Farley
Miami Dolphins
- Released: OL Will Holden
New England Patriots
- Waived: RB Robert Martin
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: TE Garrett Griffin
New York Jets
- Signed: S Santos Ramirez
- Waived: CB Dee Delaney
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DB Jordan Holland
- Placed on IR: CB Tim Harris Jr.