TE Niles Paul Announces Retirement
Recently released by the 49ers, Niles Paul will no longer pursue a ninth NFL season. The free agent tight end announced his retirement on Tuesday via Instagram.
Paul signed with the 49ers in July but was quickly cut. Citing the toll football has taken on his body, the 29-year-old pass catcher will move on from the league.
“I was quickly reminded how taxing this game can be after only spending a week in camp,” Paul wrote. “Now it’s time to start listening to my body. There is no doubt in my mind that I’m still able to compete and make a 53 man roster somewhere but I’m not sure my body can handle it anymore.”
Mostly known for his lengthy run with the Redskins, Paul finished his career with 78 receptions for 954 yards and two touchdowns. The former Nebraska wide receiver spent seven seasons in Washington, being converted to tight end early in his career. He ended up playing more games (82) as a Redskins tight end than anyone this decade.
By far Paul’s best season came in 2014, when he caught 39 passes for 507 yards. That earned him a three-year Redskins deal. However, injuries followed in the years to come. Paul missed all of 2015 and returned to Washington’s IR list in November 2016. While Paul spent all of 2017 on the Redskins’ active roster, he suffered a concussion that season. The Jaguars placed Paul on IR in 2018 before releasing him.
Redskins' QB Battle Between McCoy, Keenum?
- Although Colt McCoy spent the offseason rehabbing a broken leg, he emerged as the Redskins‘ starting quarterback on their first depth chart. It is not certain he will take the snaps in Week 1, but J.P. Finlay of NBC Sports Washington indicates camp work thus far has revealed this competition has become a two-man battle between McCoy and Case Keenum. It should be expected Dwayne Haskins takes over at some point this season, but Finlay notes the first-round pick has not looked ready yet. Haskins sits as Washington’s QB3 on the first depth chart.
Trent Williams Unconcerned About Fines, Still Wants Trade
As of right now, it doesn’t appear that LT Trent Williams has any intention of returning to the Redskins, though Washington still wants its seven-time Pro Bowler back. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (citing Les Carpenter of the Washington Post), the Redskins hope that the $40K of daily fines that Williams is accumulating by staying away from the team will convince the 31-year-old to change his mind and end his holdout.
But a source tells Florio that “Williams doesn’t care” about being fined. Williams believes that the Redskins will never be able to collect the fines if he never plays for them again, as there will be no game checks from which the fines could be deducted. Plus, while Washington could also go after Williams for the $1.62MM of unearned signing bonus that has yet to be paid out, the team would lose that right if it trades Williams.
Williams still wants a trade, and he is apparently going to continue forcing the issue until he gets it. Head coach Jay Gruden said he seriously doubts that the Redskins are currently looking to deal Williams, though he concedes that he doesn’t know how to convince Williams to come back (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Gruden said, “I do not have an understanding of what it would take to get [him] back. If I did, he’d be back here.”
We heard at the end of last month that if the Redskins were to trade Williams, it would not happen until closer to the start of the regular season. The team could also cut him, but at the moment, it looks like Washington will continue to let Williams sit without taking any action, including opening talks about a new contract.
We recently looked at four potential partners for the Redskins if they do ultimately choose to trade their former first-round pick.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/19
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Hayes Pullard, WR Isaac Zico, OL Parker Ehinger, OL Patrick Lawrence
- Waived: OL Tariq Cole, RB Xavier Turner
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: S Ronald Martin, CB Hamp Cheevers
- Waived: CB Rashard Causey, LS Kyle Vasey
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Mik’Quan Deane
- Waived/injured: WR Blake Jackson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: OL Jamar McGloster
- Claimed off waivers from Cowboys: OL Larry Allen Jr.
- Waived/injured: LB Tre’von Johnson, OL Cole Toner
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Nick DeLuca
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Alex Ellis
- Waived: LB Joey Alfieri, Godwin Igwebuike
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DB D.J. White
- Waived: LS Andrew East
More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/19
We’ve already posted one round of minor transactions, but NFL clubs keep making moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: LB Matthew Thomas
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed off waivers: TE Donnie Ernsberger
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: TE Daniel Helm
Minnesota Vikings
- Claimed off waivers: G Tyler Catalina
- Waived: G Tiano Pupungatoa
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: TE Jake Powell
- Waived: QB J.T. Barrett
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Nyqwan Murray
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Chris Nelson, DE Jordan Williams
- Waived: DB Jonathan Crawford, LB Gimel President
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Garrett Sickels
- Waived: RB Elijah Wellman
4 Potential Landing Spots For Trent Williams
Trent Williams wants out of Washington. Fed up with both his contract and the Redskins’ handling of a tumor on his head, Williams demanded a trade or release in early June. He didn’t report to training camp last week, and there’s reportedly “no end in sight” to his holdout. On Wednesday, a report indicated the Redskins have begun having trade discussions regarding Williams.
The 31-year-old Williams is due $23.5MM in base salary over the next two seasons, but given that he wants a new deal from Washington, any club that acquires Williams will likely need to increase that figure. Williams’ $13.2MM average annual value currently ranks seventh among left tackles behind Taylor Lewan, Nate Solder, Jake Matthews, Joe Staley, Donovan Smith, and Russell Okung.
Which NFL teams are in a position to land Williams and fortify the left side of their offensive line? Here are four ideas:
Cleveland Browns
Cleveland’s offensive line had some bright spots in 2018, especially at right guard and center, where Joel Bitonio and J.C. Tretter each ranked among the top-four at their position in ESPN’s pass block win rate. But the Browns are now counting on former failed No. 2 overall selection Greg Robinson for a full season’s worth of play, and they’re replacing Kevin Zeitler (who was traded to the Giants) with last year’s second-round pick in Austin Corbett, who played only 14 offensive snaps in his rookie campaign.
Robinson wasn’t a total disaster in his eight starts for the Browns, but among the 106 offensive tackles who saw at least 33% playtime in 2018, Robinson ranked only 60th in Pro Football Focus’ pass-blocking efficiency metric, which measures pressure allowed on a per-snap basis. Cleveland has already gone all-in on the upcoming season by acquiring Odell Beckham Jr., Sheldon Richardson, and Olivier Vernon, so why not send a draft choice to Washington in exchange for Williams and upgrade one of the few remaining weak areas on the Browns roster?
Houston Texans
Despite using two of their first three 2019 draft picks on offensive tackles, the Texans still have arguably the second-worst offensive line in the NFL (hello, Dolphins). Rookies Tytus Howard and Max Scharping can both play tackle, while free agent addition Matt Kalil and holdover Julien Davenport can also hold down the blindside with varying results.
As Aaron Reiss of The Athletic indicates, it’s unclear how Houston plans to deploy its offensive linemen. Howard and Scharping could both see time at guard, leaving left tackle to Kalil if he’s healthy. No matter the combination used by the Texans, Williams would be an upgrade at left tackle. Houston picked up second- and third-round picks from Seattle in 2017 in exchange for tackle Duane Brown, and the team could send a similar package to Washington for Williams.
New England Patriots
In his Wednesday report indicating the Redskins are discussing possible Williams trades, Jeff Howe of The Athletic relayed there’s “a feeling around the league the Patriots would be involved due to depth issues at the position.” Having allowed 2018 starter Trent Brown to walk in free agency, New England is now counting on Isaiah Wynn, one of the club’s two first-round picks from a season ago, to fill on at left tackle.
Wynn comes with an excellent pedigree, and Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia always brings out the best in his available talent. But Wynn can also play guard, so if New England acquires Williams, it would be able to slide Wynn inside and allow Williams to play left tackle. Perhaps an offer of pending free agent left guard Joe Thuney and a second-round pick would entice the Redskins.
New York Jets
If not the Patriots, how about another AFC East club? Like the Browns and Texans, the Jets are building around a quarterback still on his rookie contract. Sam Darnold won’t count for more than $10MM on New York’s salary cap in any of the next three seasons, so the team should add talent while it can. Having already surrounded Darnold with playmakers like Le’Veon Bell and Jamison Crowder, the Jets could now work to fortify their offensive line, something they started to do earlier today by bringing former Panthers center Ryan Kalil out of retirement.
In New York, Williams would supplant Kelvin Beachum, who has consistently been solid but not spectacular throughout his career. Beachum, in turn, could either compete with Brandon Shell for playing time at right tackle or be released. It’s also possible that another team on this list would have interest in Beachum, who is owed $8MM in 2019, the final year of his contract.
Redskins Sign G Hugh Thornton
The Redskins announced that they’ve signed free agent guard Hugh Thornton, who hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2016 campaign. Washington also formally announced the previously-reported signing of offensive tackle Donald Penn, and waived center Casey Dunn and guard Tyler Catalina.
Thornton, now 28, was a third-round draft pick of the Colts in 2013. Over his first three seasons in the NFL, Thornton was a contributor, starting 37 total games and earning mostly positive grades — especially in the run game — from Pro Football Focus.
After spending the 2016 season on injured reserve, Thornton inked a one-year deal with the Falcons in May 2017, but announced his retirement just two months later. He ended that retirement earlier this year to play for the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football.
Ereck Flowers, who’d been filling in as Washington’s left tackle until Penn arrived, is penciled in as the club’s starting left guard. Despite Flowers’ run of failure in the NFL, it’s difficult to envision Thornton overtaking him for a starting job, but he could add depth to the Redskins’ line.
Redskins Discussing Trent Williams Trade
The Redskins are having trade discussions regarding tackle Trent Williams, according to a source who spoke with Jeff Howe of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’s unclear as to what they’re seeking in a trade, but there’s a feeling around the league the Patriots would be involved, Howe hears. 
There’s reportedly no end in sight to Williams’ holdout with the Redskins, so it only makes sense for the club to see what’s out there. They also just added veteran Donald Penn to the mix, so there’s a safety net in place in case they can’t smooth things out with Williams.
Williams has two years to go on his contract with $24MM in total remaining. He also hasn’t played a full season since 2013 and has missed 13 games over the last three years, but he is still an elite LT when on the field.
With depth issues at tackle, the Patriots would be a natural landing spot for Williams. It also helps that the Patriots carved out additional cap space by restructuring Marcus Cannon‘s contract on Wednesday. Still, even after the adjustment, the Pats only have $7.49MM in cap room and would have to fit Williams’ $11MM base pay under the cap.
Redskins To Sign Donald Penn
The Redskins have made a major upgrade on the offensive line. The team is set to sign veteran tackle Donald Penn to a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: “No End In Sight” To Trent Williams Holdout]
Penn will provide the Redskins with serious insurance against Trent Williams‘ very serious holdout. His presence also means that the team won’t have to rely heavily Ereck Flowers, a former draft bust of the rival Giants who was originally signed to play on the interior.
The Redskins expressed interest in Penn during his 2014 free agency and, many years later, they finally got their man. Penn is a proven commodity, though he was shelved by injury for much of the 2018 season. Prior to that, he started in 174 of 176 possible games dating back to 2007.
This might not be the end of the team’s offensive line shuffling. The Redskins could still use some depth, particularly at guard, and the club could explore trading Williams now that they have a proper fill-in.
Trey Quinn To Be Slot Receiver
- Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said receiver Trey Quinn has the slot-receiver role locked up, ESPN’s John Keim tweets. This was long expected as Quinn has received rave reviews and the lack of depth at the spot on the roster.