Redskins’ Bruce Allen On The Hot Seat?
The Redskins organization has seen plenty of turnover in recent years, but one consistent has been Bruce Allen. Could the team president suddenly be on the hot seat? Mike Garafolo of NFL Network seems to think so. Appearing on Good Morning Football, Garafolo said that everything is up for evaluation in Washington this offseason, and that includes Allen’s role with the organization (Twitter link).
The reporter adds that the team has hit “rock bottom right now,” and owner Dan Snyder understands that something drastic needs to happen. Further, Garafolo opined that “for the first time, i’m really feeling like they are evaluating Bruce Allen’s role with the team going forward.” For what it’s worth, Garafolo also added the caveat that Allen’s job could be safe should the Redskins and rookie Dwayne Haskins show up down the stretch.
George Allen had coached the Redskins to their first Super Bowl appearance back in the 1970s, making his son Bruce a popular pick when he was hired as the organization’s general manager in late 2009. The executive has seen a number of title changes during his tenure with the Redskins, including his promotion to team president in 2014. Allen had previously served as general manager of the Buccaneers.
While Allen has continually had the trust of Snyder, he’s struggled to field a competitive team. The Redskins are 44-79 during his time with the organization, and the Redskins only has a single playoff appearance during that span. The front office is now searching for the third head coach of Allen’s tenure after he fired Jay Gruden earlier this season (Bill Callahan is currently serving as the interim head coach). Mike Shanhan had served as head coach/executive vice president from 2010 to 2013.
Ryan Kerrigan To Miss 1st Career Game
- Long out of playoff contention, the Redskins are playing only for evaluation and draft position at this point. A player the team does not need to evaluate, though, will miss his first NFL game. Ryan Kerrigan‘s 139-game streak will come to an end because of a concussion, Bill Callahan said Friday. Washington’s top edge rusher has posted double-digit sacks in each of the past three seasons but will have a tougher time running that streak to four with this news. The ninth-year outside linebacker is sitting on 4.5 sacks after 11 games.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/26/19
Today’s minor transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: DE Austin Larkin
Washington Redskins
- Waived: DE Ryan Bee
Redskins To Place Vernon Davis On IR
Out since September because of a concussion, Vernon Davis will head to IR. The Redskins will place the 14th-year veteran tight end on their injured list, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets.
Washington will promote defensive lineman Ryan Bee from its practice squad, per NBC Sports Washington’s J.P. Finlay (on Twitter). Defensive line starter Daron Payne is doubtful to face the Lions.
For Davis, it’s fair to wonder if this is the end of his NFL run. The 2006 first-round pick signed with the Redskins in 2016 and enjoyed two productive seasons while helping the team as Jordan Reed insurance and an overqualified No. 2 tight end. Davis’ three-year, $15MM deal expires at season’s end. This contract marks Davis’ second with Washington, following a one-year pact that covered the 2016 season.
In 2016 and ’17, Davis combined for 1,231 yards and five touchdowns while working with Kirk Cousins. He started 30 games during that span, often joining Reed in the Redskins’ lineup. The 35-year-old tight end began this season with a spectacular touchdown against the Eagles but did not surpass 30 yards in a game since that 59-yard Week 1 showing. Reed has missed the entire season, and with Davis’ contract up, Washington may be set to start over at this position.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/21/19
Today’s practice squad updates:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DE Dewayne Hendrix
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: S A.J. Howard
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: RB John Kelly
New England Patriots
- Signed: DE Tashawn Bower
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Ryan Crozier
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: C J.C. Hassenauer
- Released: TE Kevin Rader
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Chris Odom, DL Jojo Wicker
NFL Workout Updates: 11/19/19
Today’s updates from the workout circuit:
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
- RBs Matthew Dayes
Cincinnati Bengals
Denver Broncos
- S Corrion Ballard, DT Daryle Banfield, DE Tashawn Bower, LB Tre’ Crawford, CB Davante Davis, DL Willie Henry, S P.J. Locke, S Tray Matthews, DB Picasso Nelson, LB Gimel President, DE Wyatt Ray, S Tyree Robinson, S Kahani Smith, LB Pita Taumoepenu, NT Jay-Tee Tiuli, S Isaiah Wharton
Dallas Cowboys
- OLs Marcus Henry, Storm Norton
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
- DE Terrence Fede, DE/OLB Nate Orchard
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
- LBs Curtis Akins, Devante Bond, Andrew Dowell, LB Alvin Jones
Washington Redskins
- LB Obum Gwacham, DE Eli Harold
Redskins Waive OLB Noah Spence
The Redskins waived Noah Spence on Tuesday, becoming the second NFC team to cut the fourth-year pass rusher this year. Washington promoted linebacker Carroll Phillips from its practice squad.
An in-season signing, Spence played seven games with Washington. He recorded one sack and three tackles in a backup role. The former second-round pick did not make the Buccaneers’ active roster this season. Unless Spence is claimed, he will again become a free agent.
Phillips played in 10 games with the Jaguars and Colts over the past two seasons. The former UDFA out of Illinois has made five career tackles. Despite making his NFL debut a year later, the 27-year-old Phillips is two years older than Spence.
Only one Washington edge defender — Ryan Kerrigan — has posted more than 2.5 sacks this season. The team’s premier sack artist has four in 10 games.
Latest On Colin Kaepernick Workout
Free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick completed one of the most unique workouts in NFL history this afternoon. The NFL offered to stage a workout for the quarterback earlier this week. However, Kaepernick’s team became weary of the league’s intentions when his representatives were refused in their requests to open the event to the public. In a last minute decision, Kaepernick’s representation moved the event from the Falcons facility to a public location on their own.
Here’s the latest on the workout and its aftermath:
- When the venue was changed, the NFL released a public statement on NFL.com that expressed they were “disappointed” with Kaepernick’s choice not to participate in the workout they had organized. They claimed “Twenty-five (25) clubs were present for the workout, and all 32 clubs, their head coaches, general managers, and other personnel executives would have received video footage of the interview and workout.” The league also felt the need to note they “made considerable effort to work cooperatively with Colin’s representatives,” among a list of other points that attempted to counter some narratives that the league had been purposely opaque in their negotiations.
- The league also tweeted out from the league’s official account a thread reiterating some main points from the press release. One key point from the league’s perspective, “Colin moved his workout to a facility an hour from Atlanta Falcons Flowery Branch facility. No one got a heads up until NFL saw the Twitter statement.”
- Former Raiders and Browns head coach Hue Jackson was scheduled to run the workout orchestrated by the NFL. However, while Kaepernick’s team invited Jackson to run the workout at the new venue, Jackson returned to the airport, according to Michael Silver of NFL.com.
- WR Bruce Ellington, WR Brice Butler, WR Jordan Veasy, TE/WR Ari Werts, and Panthers S Eric Reid were on the field with Kaepernick for the workout, according to Kaylee Harung of ABC News. The free-agent receivers were likely hoping to catch the eyes of scouts present to view Kaepernick, while Reid has been one of the most consistent advocated for Kaepernick in the league.
- One claim in the announcement made by Kaepernick’s representatives was that the league required he sign an agreement that included language to limit his ability to bring claims against the league. Of course, given Kaepernick’s previous collusion lawsuit against the league, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk argues the workout was a ploy by the league to put Kaepernick “in legal checkmate.”
- In the end, there were not nearly as many teams present at Kaepernick’s workout as the NFL claimed would have been present for the workout they had planned. The Washington football team, Eagles, 49ers, Chiefs, Jets, Titans, and Lions were the teams present for his workout, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
- The 2-hour workout was streamed on YouTube and consistently maintained roughly 45,000 viewers. On the field, one NFL executive described Kaepernick’s arm talent as “elite” and on the same level as “when he came out of college,” according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
- Teams that had personnel present for the workout noted that the workout consisted of 60 throws and “Basically showed he’s the same guy he was,” according to Albert Breer of MMQB. After the workout, Kaepernick did not hold any formal interviews, but in his closing remarks said he would hold an interview with any team. He also thanked his fans for their support and reiterated, “I’ve been ready. I’m staying ready. And I’ll continue to be ready….The ball’s in their court. We’re ready to go.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/16/19
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted from practice squad: S Josh Jones
- Placed on IR: OL Adam Redmond
Detroit Lions
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Bo Scarbrough
- Waived: RB Paul Perkins
Washington Redskins
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Cam Sims
Trent Williams Discusses NFI, Future
Earlier this month, the Redskins placed offensive lineman Trent Williams on the NFI list, ending his season. This set off a chain of events: Williams blasted the team and said there was no hope of reconciliation, and we later learned that Washington wouldn’t be paying the left tackle any of his 2019 salary.
This obviously isn’t the end of the story. The organization’s decision to place Williams on the NFI and withhold his money will likely have repercussions. Williams previously declined to say whether he’d be filing a grievance through the NFLPA to recoup some of his money, but he also didn’t sound confident about his chances. The veteran’s argument would revolve around the fact that he ended his holdout and reported to the team, but he was unable to wear his helmet because of pain stemming from surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his head. As our own Andrew Ortenberg pointed out, Williams could argue that since Washington’s medical staff failed to advise him to remove the growth on his head earlier, they are at fault.
Regardless, Williams won’t see the field again this season, and in an interview with Rhiannon Walker of The Athletic, the lineman discussed how he’s spending his free time as a boxing manager. While the entire interview into Williams’ passion for boxing is worth a read, we’ve highlighted some of his NFL-related soundbites below.
On owner Dan Snyder’s role regarding Williams’ placement on the NFI list:
“Obviously, no matter what I said or how I felt about him, just speaking out against the organization and kind of putting people on notice about how things are going around there. I don’t think he was particularly happy with that, which led to them putting me on the NFI list prematurely and choosing not to pay me. Of course, he had a leg in that. It is what it is, at this point, it’s over with. I’ll never be a Redskin again, so I don’t have to worry about it.”
On his current focus and his plans for the 2020 season:
“Uh, yeah, pretty much just seeing where I’m going to be at, getting a fresh start, and being able to lace my cleats up and get back on the football field. That’s just what I look forward to. A nice little break, it’s what my body needed, but in my mind, I’m ready to get back.”
On if he has any preferences regarding a new team:
“Haha, nah, cause you know, I’ve got a lot of former coaches around the league that I was very close to in other organizations now. I feel like I can plug and play into another system. But no, I haven’t even, after the Super Bowl you’ll kinda know who needs what and where possible destinations are.”
On his teammates’ reactions to his holdout, public comments about the organization, and placement on the NFI list:
“My teammates have been awesome. Honestly, sometimes I forget what situation I was in just being around those guys in the locker room. They didn’t treat me any different, and everybody was really happy to see me. Actually, coming in was a joy in that sense, because the reception I got was really overwhelming. I was kind of taken aback. I knew they had my back, you know, but it’s different to kind of know it and it’s different to feel it. There, I could feel it.”