Free Agent CB Lardarius Webb Retires
One of the longest-tenured defenders in Ravens history, Lardarius Webb announced his retirement Saturday. The free agent defensive back did not play last season but was an integral Baltimore contributor for most of the 2010s.
The Ravens released Webb at the start of the 2018 offseason, doing so after making the same transaction in March 2017. But unlike in 2017, the team did not re-sign him. Webb worked out for multiple teams, the Titans and Saints, last year but did not end up catching on anywhere. The 33-year-old defender will retire after a nine-year career — spent entirely in Baltimore.
Only Ed Reed and Chris McAlister started more games as Ravens secondary members than Webb, who was an 86-game starter between 2009-17. The former third-round pick served as a key part of the many successful Raven defenses during the team’s run of playoff berths to start John Harbaugh‘s tenure, becoming a full-time starting cornerback by the 2011 season.
Months prior to the Ravens’ Super Bowl championship 2012 season, they extended Webb on a five-year, $50MM deal. Although an injury ended his 2012 slate after six games, Webb returned as a full-timer and retained that status through the 2016 season.
The Nicholls State alum concluded his career with 15 interceptions and 409 solo tackles (fourth in Ravens history) in 127 career games.
Titans Sign RB Akeem Hunt, Three Others
The Titans overhauled the bottom of their roster this morning, according to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com. The team added four players: running back Akeem Hunt, defensive end Eric Cotton, receiver DeAngelo Yancey and linebacker Ukeme Eligwe. The Titans also activated Jurrell Casey from the Physically Unable to Perform list.
To make room on the roster, the team made a series of roster moves: receiver Jalen Tolliver was waived, while linebacker Riley Bullough and offensive lineman Cody Conway were waived/injured. Wide receiver Cameron Batson and linebacker D’Andre Walker, a fifth-rounder out of Georgia, was placed on injured reserve.
Hunt is the most notable name among the additions, as the 26-year-old has appeared in 30 games during his four-year career. Hunt’s last stint in the NFL came in 2017, when he appeared in a career-high 15 games for the Chiefs. The running back finished that season with 23 rushing yards on eight attempts, and he added another 31 yards on four receptions. He also had 25 kick returns and five special teams tackles.
Yancey, a 2017 fifth-round pick out of Purdue, hasn’t seen the field for a regular season game. He’s had stints with the Packers, Jets, and Titans. Eligwe, a 2017 fifth-rounder out of Georgia Southern, has 12 career tackles in 24 games with the Giants and Chiefs. Cotton, a former undrafted free agent out of Stanford, had a previous stint with the Packers.
Casey suffered a knee injury towards the end of last season that ended up shelving him for training camp. The four-time Pro Bowler recently passed his physical, and he’ll immediately take his starting gig on the defensive line.
Lions Sign QB Josh Johnson
The Lions worked out a pair of quarterbacks this morning, and they’ll be adding one to the roster. Detroit has signed veteran Josh Johnson, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).
The Lions’ current backup Tom Savage left Thursday’s preseason game after his head hit the turf, necessitating this move. Savage has a history of concussion issues, so there’s a chance he’ll be sidelined for a while. While the Lions are rostering David Fales, the team wanted another healthy quarterback to play behind Matthew Stafford. We learned yesterday that the Lions were auditioning both Johnson and Landry Jones.
The 33-year-old Johnson has spent time with 12 different NFL teams during his career. He made an appearance late last season with the Redskins, appearing in four games with three starts. He completed 52 of his 91 pass attempts for 590 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also ran for 120 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
Johnson recently turned down a contract from the Ravens as he apparently felt he wasn’t going to be anything more than a short-term camp arm. It sounds like the situation is different in Detroit, where Johnson could stick around for the regular season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/19
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Chase Middleton
- Waived: DB Hamp Cheevers
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DT Brandin Bryant, OT Travis Vornkahl
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OT Adam Bisnowaty
- Placed on IR: TE Austin Fort
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Brandon Barnes
- Waived: CB Isaiah Langley
Houston Texans
- Waived/injured: DE Ira Lewis
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Quadree Henderson, LB Davis Tull
- Waived/injured: WR Marcus Simms (concussion)
Eagles Trade OT Ryan Bates To Bills For DE Eli Harold
We’ve got a minor trade on our hands. The Eagles are sending offensive tackle Ryan Bates to the Bills for defensive end Eli Harold, the team announced on Twitter. 
Bates is a rookie undrafted free agent who grew up in Philly and played his college ball at Penn State. Unfortunately, he won’t be making a regular season homecoming. It’s rare for rookie undrafted free agents to get traded, but the Bills apparently see something they like in Bates. Heading into last season, many analysts saw him as a draftable player.
The Eagles have a pretty deep group of tackles, so Bates was unlikely to make the team anyway. In return for letting him go, the Eagles will now get to take a look at some possible pass-rushing depth. Harold was originally drafted in the third round by the 49ers back in 2015, and was traded to the Lions just before the start of last season.
After spending last year in Detroit, he signed a one-year pact with Buffalo earlier this offseason. He started 24 games for the 49ers between 2016 and 2017, and he had four sacks in a rotational role with the Lions last year. All told, he has nine career sacks in 61 games and 25 starts. It’s unlikely he’ll make too big of an impact for Philly, and he’ll be battling for a roster spot these next few weeks.
Broncos TE Austin Fort Done For Season
Broncos’ undrafted free agent tight end Austin Fort suffered a torn ACL in Thursday night’s preseason game against the Seahawks, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Of course, it’s a season ending injury, so Fort will have to wait until at least 2020 to make his true NFL debut. 
[RELATED: Lions’ Kearse Breaks Leg, Suffers Ankle Damage]
Prior to the injury, Fort was impressing in training camp and was pushing hard for playing time on the roster. The Wyoming product was even getting time as a first-stringer in practice due to injuries.
Fort suffered the ACL tear after catching a beautiful 29-yard pass from fellow rookie Drew Lock. He went down quickly without contact and doctors confirmed the team’s worst fears soon after.
Fort’s injury leaves the Broncos thin at tight end. As it stands, Troy Fumagalli and Moral Stephens are the only healthy tight ends behind Jeff Heuerman and Noah Fant. Heuerman, meanwhile, is dealing with a shoulder issue.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/8/19
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Joe Walker
- Waived/injured: DB Josh Simmons
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on injured reserve: DT Niles Scott
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: TE Marcus Lucas
- Waived/injured: T Derrick Puni
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: DB Ibraheim Campbell
- Waived/injured: LB Kendall Donnerson
- Released: RB Corey Grant
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DE Hunter Dimick
- Placed on injured reserve: CB Keith Reaser
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: CB Terrence Alexander
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: RB Kerwynn Williams
- Waived: RB Matthew Dayes
New York Giants
- Placed on injured reserve: LB Mark McLaurin
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Trevon Mathis
- Waived/injured: RB Ralph Webb
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: Jeremiah Valoaga
- Waived: WR Chris Thompson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Xavier Turner
- Waived/injured: CB Davante Davis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: OL Salesi Uhatafe
- Placed on injured reserve: S D’Cota Dixon
Chiefs To Sign CB Morris Clairborne
The Chiefs have agreed to sign free agent cornerback Morris Claiborne, according to Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Claiborne will receive a one-year deal worth $1.5MM, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The pact contains playtime incentives, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, and Paylor indicates (via Twitter) those incentives could be worth up $1.5MM. In total, Claiborne’s deal will have a maximum value around $3MM.
Kansas City is bringing in Claiborne with the knowledge that he’ll be unavailable for the first quarter of the regular season. Claiborne was hit with a four-game suspension earlier this month after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
Claiborne, 29, has a concerning injury history, as he played in only 47 of a possible 80 games during the first five years of his career. But he managed to stay healthy during his past two years on the Jets roster, appearing in 30 games and playing nearly 2,000 defensive snaps since 2017. Last season, Claiborne posted two interceptions and ranked as a top-25 corner in Football Outsiders’ success rate.
The Chiefs lost more than 1,900 cornerback snaps during the offseason via the departure of free agents Steven Nelson and Orlando Scandrick. When he returns from suspension, Clairborne should become an immediate starter alongside Kendall Fuller and Bashaud Breeland.
Despite his recent track record, Claiborne drew limited over the offseason, perhaps because teams were aware of his impending suspension. Claiborne met with the Cardinals in April, and worked out for the Vikings near the end of July.
Claiborne averaged $6MM annually on his two consecutive one-year pacts with the Jets, so he’ll be taking a step pay cut to join the Chiefs. PFR ranked Claiborne as the fourth-best available defensive free agent in mid-May, and three players listed above him — Ndamukong Suh, Tre Boston, and Shane Ray — have all since found new homes.
Texans Acquire RB Duke Johnson
The Texans have acquired running back Duke Johnson from the Browns, Cleveland announced today. Houston will send a conditional 2020 fourth-round pick to Cleveland, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. If Johnson is active for 10 games with the Texans, the Browns will receive a 2020 third-rounder, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Johnson, of course, has been on the trade block ever since the Browns signed former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt earlier this offseason. Hunt won’t be available until the second half of the 2019 season as a result of a suspension, but Johnson nevertheless formally requested a trade in April. At various points, Cleveland has indicated it would keep Johnson on its roster, but after the 25-year-old back fired his agent and hired Drew Rosenhaus, he finally got his wish.
Houston was on the hunt for depth at running back after waiving former third-round pick D’Onta Foreman earlier this week. With Foreman out of the picture, the Texans were planning to use Josh Ferguson and Buddy Howell (who have 30 career carries between them, all Ferguson’s) as Lamar Miller‘s backups.
[RELATED: Full List of 2019 NFL Trades]
Johnson handled 104 rushing attempts during his rookie campaign in Cleveland, but that figure represents a high-water mark. Playing behind Browns starter Nick Chubb in 2018, Johnson managed only 40 attempts, but did post 47 catches and was one of the NFL’s most efficient receiving backs, per Football Outsiders. Since entering the league in 2015, Johnson leads all running backs with 2,170 receiving yards, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link), so he figures to see a good deal of work on third downs and other passing situations.
With Johnson out of the picture, the Browns will rely on unproven options Dontrell Hilliard and D’Ernest Johnson to backup Chubb until Hunt’s suspension is completed. But by dealing Johnson, Cleveland has further added to its stockpile of 2020 draft picks. General manager John Dorsey & Co. now boast 10 picks in 2020, including extra fourth-, sixth-, and seventh-rounders, tweets Pelissero.
The Texans will add Johnson on a highly team-friendly contract. The former third-round pick is due a base salary of just $1.8MM for the 2019 campaign, while he can also collect up to $400K in per-game roster bonuses. Houston will essentially hold club options on Johnson in both 2020 ($3.6MM) and 2021 ($4.65MM), and won’t incur any dead money if it cuts Johnson over the next two years. Cleveland, meanwhile, will immediately take on $750K in dead cap charges by dealing Johnson, with another $1.5MM hitting the club’s books in 2020.
Johnson is only the second running back to be traded this offseason. Jordan Howard was dealt from the Bears to the Eagles in March in a swap that saw Chicago receive just a sixth-round pick that can become a fifth-round pick based on Howard’s performance.
Dolphins Sign DT Robert Nkemdiche
The Dolphins announced that they’ve signed free agent defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche to a one-year deal and placed him on the active/physically unable to perform list. The pact is worth $1.19MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Nkemdiche, who was selected 29th overall by the Cardinals in 2016, was cut by Arizona in late July. He was quickly linked to the Dolphins, who were reportedly making “preliminary due diligence inquiry calls” on the former first-round pick. Miami left tackle Laremy Tunsil, a teammate of Nkemdiche at Ole Miss, was a “big advocate” for signing the interior defender, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com.
In the midst of a rebuilding phase, the Dolphins can afford to take a chance on Nkemdiche, a player that clearly boasts talent but comes with question marks. Effort issues dogged Nkemdiche during his time in Arizona, and he reportedly showed up to training camp out of shape. Additionally, he’s facing a possible suspension due to a June arrest.
Still recovering from a December torn ACL, Nkemdiche won’t be able to practice with the Dolphins until he’s removed from the active/PUP list. It’s possible that he’ll be placed on the reserve/PUP list once the regular season begins, which would force him to miss the first six weeks of the year. When he is healthy, Nkemdiche will compete with first-round pick Christian Wilkins, Davon Godchaux, Akeem Spence, Vincent Taylor, and others for playing time on Miami’s defensive line.
Nkemdiche, who won’t turn 25 years old until September, appeared in only 27 out of a possible 48 games during his three-year run with the Cardinals, with injuries reducing his chances at playing time. Last season, he played in 10 games (six starts) before tearing his ACL, posting 4.5 sacks on 426 snaps. Among the 130 defensive tackles with at least 20% playtime in 2018, Nkemdiche ranked a lowly 114th in Pro Football Focus’ grades.