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49ers Cut Dion Jordan, Kevin White

September 5th, 2020 at 8:31pm CST by Zachary Links

On Saturday, the 49ers put a pair of former first-round notables on the curb. Defensive end Dion Jordan and Kevin White were dropped from the roster as a part of the club’s 20+ cuts on Saturday. 

Jordan’s NFL career has taken some odd turns, to say the least. After being selected No. 3 overall by the Dolphins, Jordan did little to justify his pre-draft hype. After some underwhelming seasons, missed seasons, and a number of suspensions, Jordan found his way to the Seahawks in 2017. In 2018, he showed some promise as a rotational piece, and he parlayed that into a one-year deal with the Raiders. He hooked on with the Niners in early August, but he didn’t get to stay for long.

White, a former No. 7 overall pick of the Bears, came out of West Virginia with tons of hype. Over the last five years, injuries have limited him to just 14 games. The Niners have been decimated by injuries at wide receiver, but they still didn’t see enough out of White’s ~1 week audition to keep him. For his career, White has 25 catches for 285 yards and zero touchdowns.

Here’s the full rundown of the 49ers’ cuts:

Texans Sign QB Deshaun Watson To Four-Year Extension

September 5th, 2020 at 6:56pm CST by Ben Levine

The Texans have locked up quarterback Deshaun Watson through 2025. Mark Berman of FOX 26 News reports (via Twitter) that the Pro Bowler has signed a four-year extension that’s worth $39MM annually. The deal also includes a $27MM signing bonus. The deal will be tacked on to the two remaining years of Watson’s current contract. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the deal is worth a total of $177.54MM with nearly $111MM in guaranteed money.

Watson’s contract comes almost exactly two months after Patrick Mahomes signed his monster extension with the Chiefs. Mahomes still paces the position with an AAV of $45MM, but Watson’s $39MM AAV now ranks second above the likes of Russell Wilson ($35MM), Ben Roethlisberger ($34MM), Aaron Rodgers ($33.5MM), and Jared Goff ($33.5MM).

Of course, it’s not particularly surprising that Watson was able to garner such a deal. Since being selected with the 12th-overall pick in the 2017 draft, the Clemson product has emerged as one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the NFL. Despite tearing his ACL during his rookie campaign, Watson has managed to appear in 31 of the Texans’ 32 regular season games. Over that span, the 24-year-old has completed 67.8-percent of his passes for an average of 4008.5 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 10.5 interceptions per season. He’s also continued to be dynamic running the ball, as he’s averaged 482 rushing yards and six scores per season between 2018 and 2019.

Perhaps most importantly, Watson has led the Texans to a 21-10 regular-season record over the past two seasons. Following a disappointing playoff loss to the Colts in 2018, the quarterback earned his first career postseason victory by beating the Bills in the 2019 Wild Card Round. He lost to the eventual champs in the second round, but he still tossed two touchdowns and scored another on the ground.

We learned earlier this week that the Texans were pushing to extend Watson prior to the start of the season, although negotiations were described as “not close.” Watson had made it clear that he wasn’t seeking a deal that was similar in length to Mahomes’ contract. One report indicated that the quarterback wanted a three-year deal, and there were rumblings that he was seeking around $40MM per year.

With Watson signing his new deal, we can now turn our extension-focused eyes to a pair of other signal callers. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson should both be in line for lucrative deals, especially following the recent quarterback extensions.

Bills, Tre’Davious White Agree To $70MM Deal

September 5th, 2020 at 6:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills and Tre’Davious White have struck agreement on a four-year contract extension, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The pact is worth $69MM and could potentially reach a round $70MM by way of Pro Bowl incentives. Most importantly, the deal includes $55MM in guaranteed cash for the star cornerback, though it’s not immediately clear if that’s fully guaranteed at signing.

[RELATED: Bills Release Andre Roberts, Trim Roster To 53]

The deal has been in the works for a while. Previously, White was set to earn $1.8MM in base pay this year before playing out his $10.2MM fifth-year option in 2021. As one of the league’s premier defenders, White was understandably anxious to lock in his payday. Last year, White led the NFL with six interceptions, giving him a dozen picks over the last three years in total.

White’s $17.25MM/year average positions him as the highest-paid cornerback in the league, edging out Byron Jones‘ $16.5MM average annual salary. It’s a big investment, but it’s well worth it for a truly elite cornerback who only just turned 25 in January.

Bills fans may never get over losing out on Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 draft, but White is quite the consolation prize. The No. 27 overall pick has allowed only five touchdowns since entering the league and his 60.6 passer rating ranks as the second-highest of any player over the last three seasons, per Pro Football Focus. After briefly considering an opt out, White is ready to lead the charge for the Bills in 2020 – and beyond.

Saints Cut Margus Hunt, Drop Roster To 53

September 5th, 2020 at 4:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is how the Saints moved their roster down to 53 players Saturday:

Waived:

Released:

Waived/injured:

  • RB Saquan Hamilton

Placed on reserve/PUP:

Placed on IR:

Placed on reserve/suspended list:

The Saints made some notable cuts on their defensive line, dropping Edwards and Hunt. The former played with New Orleans last season, while the latter was an offseason addition. The Colts cut Hunt earlier this year, doing so after previously extending him. However, New Orleans does have Malcom Brown back and re-signed David Onyemata in March. The Saints are pursuing Jadeveon Clowney as well.
Alonso suffered a torn ACL in the playoffs last year. He will miss at least six games. The Saints signed Fowler over the summer. The former Broncos auxiliary receiver worked out with Drew Brees and Emmanuel Sanders during the pandemic-induced NFL hiatus.
Stevens, like most of the players cut Saturday, profiles as a practice squad candidate. The Saints became involved in a strange controversy over the seventh-round pick, whom the Panthers coveted. It will be interesting to see if Carolina submits a waiver claim on Stevens.

Bills Release Andre Roberts, Trim Roster To 53

September 5th, 2020 at 4:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the roster decisions the Bills made to move to the mandated 53-man regular-season limit.

Waived:

Released:

Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform:

The Bills signed Roberts to a two-year deal in 2019, doing so after he earned All-Pro recognition for his kick-return work on the 2018 Jets. Roberts has 10 years’ experience and two Pro Bowls on his resume. The second of those two Pro Bowl nods came last season with the Bills. Buffalo enters the season with its best chance to win the AFC East in maybe 20 years, so cutting an accomplished player is certainly surprising.

Foster made a splash as a rookie in 2018, but the Bills have overhauled their receiver group since. John Brown and Cole Beasley led the way last year, and the team traded for Stefon Diggs and drafted two wideouts — fourth-rounder Gabriel Davis and sixth-rounder Isaiah Hodgins — this year. Foster will nonetheless be an interest name on waivers.

Buffalo traded for Andre Smith earlier this week. The third-year linebacker could well be brought back on the team’s 16-player practice squad. Teams can begin assembling their P-squads Sunday.

Colts Place DE Kemoko Turay On PUP List, Cut Roster To 53

September 5th, 2020 at 4:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the players the Colts cut to slash their roster down to 53 players Saturday:

Waived:

Released:

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Turay’s PUP placement will shelve him for at least the season’s first six games. It is a concerning sign for the former second-round pick, who suffered a broken ankle last October. The Colts were counting on him to play a key edge-rushing role, potentially as the counterpart to starter Justin Houston. The team has not been connected to Jadeveon Clowney since March and also avoided investments in other available pass rushers this offseason.

Kelly spent time on Indianapolis’ practice squad last year and could well end up there again. The Colts recently signed Hunt, a former Seahawks backup/spot starter, and added Grimble this offseason. Both Grimble and his ex-Steelers teammate, Roosevelt Nix, failed to make the Colts’ roster. However, despite the players’ extensive experience, each could be placed on Indianapolis’ 16-man practice squad this year. Teams are permitted to carry six practice squad players with unlimited experience.

Steelers Trim Roster Down

September 5th, 2020 at 4:06pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The entire AFC North is now finished as the Steelers became the latest team to trim their roster to 53 players. Here are all the moves, we’ll recap the most notable ones at the bottom:

Lynch is probably the most well known of these names. The former Broncos first-round bust signed with the Steelers last year as insurance after multiple quarterback injuries. He’s running out of chances. Switzer has mostly contributed as a returner with Pittsburgh and Dallas, although he did have 36 catches with the Steelers in 2018.

Smallwood was one of the Eagles’ main running backs in 2018, but didn’t get too many touches with Washington last year. He’ll likely pop up somewhere else soon. Brooks Jr. was the Steelers’ sixth-round pick in this past draft, so he’s likely ticketed for the practice squad if he clears waivers.

McCullers has been with the Steelers the past six years so his is a significant departure even though the nose tackle only played 12 percent of the defensive snaps last season.

 

Giants Cut Jon Halapio, Slash Roster To 53

September 5th, 2020 at 3:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants revealed the moves they made to pare their roster down to 53 players. Here are the cuts Big Blue made Saturday:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

The two quarterback cuts will leave Daniel Jones and Colt McCoy as the Giants’ only two quarterbacks to start their post-Eli Manning era, though Rush certainly would profile as a practice squad candidate. He played for new OC Jason Garrett in Dallas for three seasons.
Connelly’s cut is somewhat surprising, given the linebacker’s three starts last season. But an injury cut short his rookie season. The Giants can place 16 players on their practice squad this season. If Connelly clears waivers, it is likely he will be part of that group.
The Giants re-signed Halapio days ago. He has been Big Blue’s starting center in each of their past two Week 1 games, and the former Patriots draft pick started 15 games in 2019. The Giants did not tender Halapio as an RFA this offseason and kept Nick Gates, whom they extended this year, and Spencer Pulley on the roster over him.

Ravens Cut Roster To 53

September 5th, 2020 at 3:46pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Ravens became the latest team to get down to 53, cutting a slew of players on Saturday via a team announcement. With the moves, Baltimore ended a 16-year streak of keeping at least one undrafted rookie on the roster, another sign of the impact COVID-19 and the reduced offseason had on roster decisions.

Here are the 23 guys who were let go:

Barner played a somewhat prominent role on a couple of Eagles teams and won Super Bowl LII with the team. Since leaving Philly he’s bounced between New England, Carolina, and Atlanta. Ehinger started a game at guard for Baltimore last year, but couldn’t crack the roster this time around.

Richards was a full-time starter with the Falcons in 2018, and appeared in nine games with Baltimore last year, scoring a touchdown on a fumble recovery. Townsend was the Raiders’ punter in 2018, and just signed with the Ravens a couple of weeks ago. He probably never had too good a chance of beating out Sam Koch, who has been with the Ravens since 2006. Huntley had a very solid college career at Utah, but wasn’t viewed by too many as a legitimate pro passer.

Falcons Release Laquon Treadwell, Slash Roster To 53

September 5th, 2020 at 3:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the players the Falcons cut to trim their roster to the 53-man regular-season limit:

Waived:

Released:

Atlanta added Treadwell last year but did not see a considerable impact from the former first-round pick. The Vikings cut Treadwell ahead of the 2019 regular season, following the formerly coveted prospects struggles to claim a consistent role in Minnesota.

Wilcox re-signed with the Falcons a month ago. He has played for five teams but has not seen regular-season action since the 2018 season. The former Cowboys started suffered a season-ending injury last summer.

The cuts of Benkert and Lauletta leave two quarterbacks — Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub — on Atlanta’s roster. With Ryan being one of the most durable passers in the NFL, the Falcons can take advantage of an extra roster spot by keeping just two QBs.

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