Four Teams Wanted Wendell Smallwood
Of all the players to hit the waiver wire over the weekend, Wendell Smallwood was the most popular. Before the former Eagles running back was ultimately grabbed by the Redskins, the Colts, Jaguars, and Bengals all placed claims on him, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter).
The Redskins quietly boast a deep running back group with redshirt rookie Derrius Guice, future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson, pass-catching specialist Chris Thompson, Byron Marshall, and Smallwood. Fun fact: No Eagles RB had more rushing yards over the last three years than Smallwood.
He would have been a logical fit for the Colts, Jags, and Bengals as well. For the Bengals, Smallwood would have provided depth behind Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard in the wake of Rodney Anderson’s season-ending torn ACL. The Colts, meanwhile, only just got Jordan Wilkins back on the practice field and they still await Jonathan Williams‘ return. And the Jaguars, who just had to place Alfred Blue on IR, likely preferred Smallwood to Tyler Ervin and Devine Ozigbo, the two RBs they picked up on Sunday.
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC East
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC East teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, and Redskins are noted below.
Additionally, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads today. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
New York Giants
- Claimed:
- WR Cody Core
- OL Eric Smith
- Waived:
- WR Alonzo Russell
- OL Brian Mihalik
- Signed to practice squad:
- DL Freedom Akinmoladun
- OL Evan Brown
- LB Jake Carlock
- TE C.J. Conrad
- RB Jon Hilliman
- DT Chris Slayton
- LB Josiah Tauaefa
- WR Reggie White Jr.
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE Alex Ellis
- WR Marcus Green
- DT Bruce Hector
- QB Kyle Lauletta
- G Sua Opeta
- TE Josh Perkins
- RB Boston Scott
- LB Alex Singleton
- WR Greg Ward
Washington Redskins
- Claimed:
- Waived:
- Placed on IR:
- LB Jordan Brailford
- RB Shaun Wilson
- Signed to practice squad:
- CB Adonis Alexander
- DE Ryan Bee
- WR Jehu Chesson
- TE J.P. Holtz
- T Timon Parris
- S Jeremy Reaves
- RB Craig Reynolds
- WR Cam Sims
- LB Darrell Williams
Redskins Get Down To 53
And here it is, the 32nd and final team’s roster cuts. Their most notable release was the previously announced cutting of former first-round pick Josh Doctson. Of the stuff that’s new, not much is shocking. A couple of years ago, 2017 fourth-round running back Samaje Perine was hyped up as a potential future starter. The Oklahoma product, who had 603 rushing yards as a rookie, was cut today.
Veteran receiver Brian Quick, who had 564 yards with the Rams in 2016, was let go as well. Washington also parted ways with cornerback Adonis Alexander, a Virginia Tech product who they drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 Supplemental Draft.
Here are the rest of the moves:
Waived:
- LB Andrew Ankrah
- DL Ryan Bee
- LB B.J. Blunt
- DL Jonathan Bonner
- WR Jehu Chesson
- DL Khairi Clark
- LB Marquis Flowers
- G Jerald Foster
- T Blake Hance
- CB Deion Harris
- TE J.P. Holtz
- LB Gary Johnson
- G Zac Kerin
- WR Darvin Kidsy Jr.
- CB Ashton Lampkin
- DL Austin Maloata
- QB Jalan McClendon
- S JoJo McIntosh
- TE Donald Parham Jr.
- T Timon Parris
- S Jeremy Reaves
- RB Craig Reynolds
- T Corey Robinson
- WR Cam Sims
- LB Marcus Smith II
- G Hugh Thornton
- CB D.J. White
- DL JoJo Wicker
- LB Darrell Williams
Waived/injured:
Redskins To Release Josh Doctson
The Redskins will release wide receiver Josh Doctson after failing to broker a suitable trade, according to Mike Jones of USA Today (on Twitter). Doctson, a former first-round pick, has yet to prove himself at the NFL level, so the lack of overall interest is not shocking.
Doctson has been a rumored trade candidate for some time. The Redskins have shopped him to at least a couple of different teams, but they couldn’t pawn off the 26-year-old or his $3.19MM cap charge.
Doctson has started 26 games over the past two years for Washington, but this has only resulted in 79 total catches for 1,034 yards and eight touchdowns. Last year, he placed 96th out of 107 qualifying wideouts in yards per route run last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
The organization declined the receiver’s fifth-year option this past offseason. Had the Redskins picked up his option, Docston would have been due $10.162MM for the 2020 campaign.
Even without Doctson, the Redskins have a good deal of offensive options, including tight end Jordan Reed (if healthy), running backs Chris Thompson, Adrian Peterson, and Derrius Guice, and receivers Paul Richardson, Trey Quinn, and Terry McLaurin.
Redskins Shopping WR Josh Doctson
Back in July, Redskins wideout Josh Doctson insinuated that he’d be playing elsewhere in 2020. Well, it sounds like that the divorce may be happening sooner than later.
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Redskins have shopped Doctson to “a couple different teams” as the 26-year-old sits “firmly on the roster bubble.” While trade talks could merely be due diligence, the team would presumably rather trade Docton than be left with a $3.19MM cap charge.
Doctson has only show brief glimpses of intrigue since Washington selected him in the first round of the 2016 draft. Doctson has started 26 games over the past two years, but this has only resulted in 79 receptions for 1,034 yards and eight touchdowns. Efficiency has continued to plague the receiver, as he ranked 96th out of 107 qualifying wideouts in yards per route run last season, per Pro Football Focus.
The organization declined the receiver’s fifth-year option this past offseason. Had the Redskins picked up his option, Docston would have been due $10.162MM for the 2020 campaign. There was an opportunity for the receiver to improve his value considering the Redskins’ lack of depth at the position. With tight end Jordan Reed and running backs Chris Thompson, Adrian Peterson, and Derrius Guice vying for targets, the wideout corps of Paul Richardson, Trey Quinn, and rookie Terry McLaurin are left to scrounge for leftover targets.
Colts, Texans, Browns Lead NFL In Cap Space
On Tuesday morning, the NFL released a report of every team’s cap space. The total number accounts for the top-51 cap numbers on every team’s roster. Therefore, these numbers will naturally change before next week as teams set their 53-man rosters (although the 52nd- and 53rd-ranked cap numbers (and beyond) for each team will hardly change anything).
It’s also worth noting that there have been a handful of extensions, trades, signings, and cuts since this report was released. However, there weren’t any significant moves that would drastically alter these rankings.
Why are these numbers important at this time of year? Well, rosters will be trimmed on Saturday, meaning an influx of players will hit the open market. While we can’t imagine any roster casualties earning a lucrative contract from a new team, these numbers can help illustrate the monetary advantage one organization has over another. These numbers are also useful in regards to any potential trades or extensions.
With help from TheMMQB.com’s Albert Breer on Twitter, we’ve listed the league’s cap space totals (as of Tuesday morning) below:
- Indianapolis Colts: $56.6MM
- Houston Texans: $37.0MM
- Cleveland Browns: $34.6MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $26.1MM
- Tennessee Titans: $26.0MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $25.5MM
- Buffalo Bills: $23.3MM
- Miami Dolphins: $22.1MM
- Chicago Bears: $22.1MM
- Washington Redskins: $21.7MM
- Detroit Lions: $21.5MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $21MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $19.7MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $19.5MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $18.6MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $18.2MM
- Oakland Raiders: $17.3MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $16.4MM
- Green Bay Packers: $15.2MM
- New York Jets: $14.9MM
- New England Patriots: $14.1MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $13.4MM
- New Orleans Saints $7.5MM
- Carolina Panthers $5.9MM
- Los Angeles Rams $5.6MM
- New York Giants $5.5MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers $4.9MM
- Minnesota Vikings $4.7MM
- Arizona Cardinals $4.7MM
- Denver Broncos $4.4MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers $4.3MM
- Atlanta Falcons $3.4MM
Redskins: Trent Williams Won’t Be Traded
The Redskins won’t part ways with Trent Williams. At least, that’s what GM Bruce Allen continues to say. 
“It’ll be with us,” Allen said when asked where he believes Williams will play in 2019 (Twitter link via NBC 4 Sports).
Williams is reportedly ready to play, though not willing to play for the Redskins. Given his Pro Bowl resume and the dearth of tackles league-wide, nearly every team in the league would have at least some interest in adding the disgruntled veteran to the roster. Still, the Redskins remain dug in.
“I think Trent’s going to play football, yes,” Allen said. “We had a surprising retirement this week in the NFL and I don’t see Trent retiring.”
On a related note – the Redskins’ refusal to part with Williams may keep them out of the Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes.
Texans Discussing Jadeveon Clowney Trade With Five Teams
Trade talks involving Texans pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney are rapidly heating up. The Texans have spoken with at least five teams about the former No. 1 overall pick so far: the Jets and Redskins are in communications with Houston brass, in addition to the previously reported talks with the Seahawks, Eagles, and Dolphins. 
[RELATED: Jadeveon Clowney Willing To Miss Regular Season Games]
The Dolphins believe they are the favorites to land Clowney, and that makes sense given that GM Chris Grier and head coach Brian Flores have met with him in recent weeks. At the same time, Clowney is said to prefer the Seahawks and Eagles. Of course, Clowney is not a free agent, but he effectively holds the cards – he has yet to sign his franchise tender and is reportedly willing to miss regular season games until he gets his way.
The Redskins would also make some sense as an interested party, but they’re not in the mix for him at this time, per Wilson. They remain unwilling to trade Trent Williams, and that’s a big barrier when considering the Texans’ need for offensive line help.
The Clowney/Texans beef started sizzling again this week, sometime around when Clowney fired former agent Bus Cook. On that front, Wilson hears that Clowney is willing to represent himself, at least for now.
Jordan Reed Expected Back For Season Opener
Cowboys Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Jones participated in his first practice of the offseason today after being activated from the physically unable to perform list. While the 26-year-old will be a welcome addition to the secondary, head coach Jason Garrett said the team will bring Jones along slowly.
“He’s going to slowly get back into it and just kind of see where he is,” Garrett said (via ESPN’s Todd Archer). “He’s been working really well on the side. It’s time for him to get going again, so he’ll be out there for part of practice.”
Meanwhile, offensive guard Zack Martin and offensive tackle Tyron Smith are not expected to practice this week, but the duo should be good to go for the regular season opener. The same goes for wideout Amari Cooper, who has been dealing with a heel injury.
Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFC…
- Packers starting linebacker Oren Burks isn’t expected to miss an extended amount of time due to a pec injury, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). The 24-year-old won’t require surgery and should be back this season, and there’s even optimism that he’ll be able to avoid the injured reserve. The 2018 third-rounder had 23 tackles during his rookie campaign.
- Redskins coach Jay Gruden said he expects tight end Jordan Reed to be available for the season opener at Philadelphia (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s John Keim). Reed entered the concussion protocol after a hit in Thursday’s preseason win at Atlanta. “We’re quite confident that Jordan will be fine,” Gruden said. That’s good news for a team whose passing game revolves largely around Reed.
- The Vikings have removed cornerback Mike Hughes from the PUP list, according to a team announcement. That’s big news for Minnesota, especially with supporting cornerback Holton Hill suspended for the first half of the season. The 2018 first-round pick appeared in six games (two starts) before tearing his ACL in October. He ultimately finished his rookie campaign having compiled 22 tackles, three passes defended, a pick-six, and a forced fumble.
- The Cowboys worked out a pair of tight ends today in Tyrone Swoopes and Zach Conque, according to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas News (via Twitter). Swoopes spent the first two seasons of his career in Seattle, appearing in two games. The 24-year-old was let go by the team earlier this month. Conque, 25, has had stints with the Texans, Jets, Jaguars, and Colts since 2017. While the team’s depth chart at tight end is pretty much set, both Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz have dealt with recent injuries.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Redskins’ Trent Williams Ready To Play
Redskins left tackle Trent Williams is healthy and ready to play, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Of course, Williams is looking to suit up for a different team, so the stalemate continues. 
On Monday, head coach Jay Gruden reiterated that he still “very strongly” believes Williams won’t be traded. However, at this juncture, it’s hard to see a scenario in which Williams plays for the Redskins this year, so it’s hard to imagine the club passing on help in other areas or draft capital.
Earlier this month, the Redskins signed Donald Penn to help fill in for Williams up front. They’ve also discussed deals with other teams – for instance, the Dolphins have inquired on Williams and may still have interest. The Patriots, however, do not seem to be in the mix, despite being loosely connected to the veteran throughout the offseason.
The Redskins will face the Ravens on Thursday night in the final game of their preseason schedule. Then, on Sept. 8, they get the season started against the Eagles in Philadelphia.