Broncos Claim Kevin Hogan Off Waivers
The Broncos have claimed quarterback Kevin Hogan off waivers, as Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. Hogan was dropped from the Redskins’ roster on Saturday as they made moves towards a 53-man roster.
The Redskins moved down 17 spots in the sixth round to acquire Hogan from the Browns back in April. The 25-year-old (26 in October) was unable to join the Redskins’ QB room as a backup to Alex Smith, but it sounds like he’ll be stationed behind Case Keenum in Denver.
The move could have serious implications for the Broncos as they weigh their options under center. Former Mr. Irrelevant Chad Kelly appears to have cemented his spot on the roster, so the arrival of Hogan could lead to a trade of former first-rounder Paxton Lynch. Lynch was a hot commodity in 2016, but the Broncos may have to settle for a late draft pick if they trade him now.
Redskins Form Initial Roster
The Redskins moved their roster to 53 players on Saturday by making the following transactions:
Released:
- RB Kapri Bibbs
- DL Phil Taylor, Sr.
- WR Brian Quick
- C Demetrius Rhaney
Waived:
- S Quin Blanding
- T Kendall Calhoun
- T T.J. Clemmings
- WR Simmie Cobbs, Jr.
- LB Vontae Diggs
- LB Jerod Fernandez
- WR Shay Fields
- TE Matt Flanagan
- QB Kevin Hogan
- TE J.P. Holtz
- TE Garrett Hudson
- CB Prince Charles Iworah
- QB Connor Jessop
- G Kyle Kalis
- WR Darvin Kidsey
- T John Kling
- S Kenny Ladler
- LB Cassanova McKinzy
- LB Dadi Nicolas
- T Timon Parris
- DL Ondre Pipkins
- LB Pete Robertson
- DL Dante Sawyer
- RB De’Veon Smith
- S Fish Smithson
- LB Martrell Spaight
- CB Ranthony Texada
- DL JoJo Wicker
- WR Daniel Williams III
- G Isaiah Williams
Placed on PUP:
- DL Stacy McGee
Placed on NFI:
Redskins Release WR Brian Quick
Brian Quick is out of a job. ESPN’s John Keim reports (via Twitter) that the Redskins have cut the veteran wideout. ESPN’s Adam Caplan adds (via Twitter) that the 29-year-old was set to earn a $30K roster bonus for being on the opening-day roster.
The 2012 second-round pick had spent the first five years of his career with the Rams before signing with Washington last offseason. During his lone season with the Redskins, Quick hauled in six receptions for 76 yards in 11 games (one start). However, he isn’t far removed from his best NFL season in 2016, when he compiled 41 receptions for 564 yards and three touchdowns.
With Quick off the roster, Trey Quinn and Maurice Harris have likely solidified their roster spots behind Josh Doctson, Jamison Crowder, and Paul Richardson.
Jets’ $30MM-AAV Kirk Cousins Offer Raised Vikings’ Price
The best offer Kirk Cousins received this offseason indeed came from the Jets. Reports of a three-year, $90MM fully guaranteed Jets proposal turned out to be accurate. Cousins confirmed as much (video link via Vikings.com) in a multi-part series chronicling his unique free agency foray.
Cousins, however, hoped the Jets’ offer would convince the Vikings to raise their price to move closer to the ballpark New York established.
At free agency’s outset, the Vikings offered Cousins $25MM per year. Minnesota increasing its offer to $28MM AAV for three years cinched up the deal, although Cousins confirmed his two finalists were the Vikings and Jets. The Cardinals finished in third place.
Cousins said in January he was interested in signing with a team he could elevate to a Super Bowl. The Vikings are certainly closer to that realm than the Jets, who appear to have been Cousins’ contingency plan.
The twice-franchise-tagged quarterback said at that point during the process he wanted to sign a fully guaranteed, multiyear contract. But if that didn’t materialize, Cousins wanted to continue to play on one-year deals, as he had with Washington. Cousins collected more than $44MM in 2016-17 via the franchise tag.
During an expansive video, Cousins is seen Googling offensive coordinators — Jeremy Bates (Jets), Bill Musgrave (Broncos), Mike McCoy (Cardinals) and John DeFilippo (Vikings) are shown during this sequence — from his in-laws’ house. Cousins added that he was interested in returning to the Redskins, although this came after news of the Alex Smith trade emerged. Nothing to that point indicated the parties were interested in working together any longer, particularly after two failed July negotiations.
Unable to reach any family members by phone, Cousins broke the news of his intentions to sign with the Vikings, pre-Minneapolis visit, to a AAA employee who’d expressed interest in his financial pursuits.
Being the leverage team in the Cousins talks led to the Jets trading up to No. 3 and moving into a spot that turned out to be high enough to draft Sam Darnold, a possible Day 1 starter. Darnold’s at least in position to be Gang Green’s quarterback longer than the now-30-year-old Cousins probably would have.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/18
Here are today’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Waived: LB Bo Bower
New York Jets
- Signed: QB John Wolford
- Waived/injured: WR Lucky Whitehead
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Jaboree Williams
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: FB Daniel Marx
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Donteea Dye, RB Devine Redding
Washington Redskins
- Signed: QB Connor Jessop, DL JoJo Wicker
- Waived: CB Darius Hillary, WR Allenzae Staggers
- Waived from injured reserve: RB Martez Carter, OL Cameron Jefferson, FB Elijah Wellman
Peterson 'Stone-Cold Lock' For Redskins' Roster
Adrian Peterson spent several months in free agency before landing with Washington recently. Although the Redskins did not fare especially well in a loss to the Broncos on Friday night, their 33-year-old running back showed he still has something left. Peterson is now a “stone-cold lock” to make the Redskins’ roster, Rich Tandler of NBC Sports Washington writes. While the future Hall of Fame back was brought in because of injuries to Derrius Guice, Samaje Perine and Byron Marshall, Tandler views Peterson as having usurped Marshall for a spot on Washington’s 53-man roster. Peterson amassed 56 yards on 11 carries in his Redskins debut. Tandler expects Washington to retain four running backs but doesn’t rule out the prospect of five surviving the post-preseason cuts.
Here’s more out of the nation’s capital and the latest from some of the Redskins’ rivals.
- Thanks to Jonathan Allen‘s return and the arrival of his former Alabama teammate, Da’Ron Payne, Washington is deeper on the defensive line than it was last season. But Tandler expects one of the Redskins’ cogs up front to begin the season on the PUP list. Stacy McGee underwent groin surgery earlier this summer and was not expected to be ready for Week 1. A spot on the Reserve/PUP list will shelve McGee for six regular-season weeks.
- Former Redskins starter Matt Jones looks to have played himself out of consideration for an Eagles backup job, with Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com handicapping the race for Philadelphia’s No. 4 running back job as a head-to-head battle between third-year player Wendell Smallwood and rookie UDFA Josh Adams. Shorr-Parks views Donnel Pumphrey, a 2017 fourth-rounder who missed all of last season, as third behind Smallwood — whom the Eagles are still intrigued by — and Adams in this race for work behind Jay Ajayi, Darren Sproles and Corey Clement. An Adams cut will likely result in another team claiming him, since the Eagles had to give him one of the largest UDFA guarantees any team authorized in this year’s post-draft signing period.
Bills LB Keenan Robinson Retires
Bills linebacker Keenan Robinson has retired from the NFL. On Thursday, Robinson came to the conclusion that he no longer has what it takes to play in the NFL and said goodbye to his teammates, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The Bills subsequently placed him on the reserve/retired list. 
Robinson appeared in 58 games for the Giants and Redskins from 2012-2017. He was a 13-game starter in 2013, but his playing time has been reduced ever since and he missed ten games last year due to a quad injury.
As an experienced player with special teams abilities, Robinson had a real chance to make the Bills’ final cut when he joined the club in late July. After competing with fellow veteran linebackers Ramon Humber, Julian Stanford, and Deon Lacey for about a month, however, Robinson felt that he had lost a step.
We wish Robinson the best in retirement.
Redskins Want Adrian Peterson To Play Friday
Adrian Peterson just signed with the Redskins on Tuesday, but head coach Jay Gruden wants to get the veteran back on the field for Friday’s preseason game against the Broncos, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes. While Gruden didn’t fully commit to Peterson seeing the field, he did say Washington will attempt to get Peterson “up to speed” before Friday. The Redskins are dealing with multiple injuries at the running back position, so Peterson will compete to handle early-down work that would have gone to second-round rookie Derrius Guice, who tore his ACL earlier in the preseason.
Adrian Peterson’s Redskins Deal Is For League Minimum
Adrian Peterson has earned a boatload of money over the years, but his 2018 season won’t be all that lucrative. Peterson’s one-year deal with the Redskins is for the veteran’s minimum of $1.015MM, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Per the terms of the CBA, that deal will count for just $630K against the cap. 
Peterson’s deal also comes without guarantees, so he’ll have to make the Week 1 roster in order to earn his salary. With three weeks to go before the regular season, that’s not exactly a sure thing either. The Redskins say Peterson was not signed as a reaction to lead rusher Derrius Guice‘s injury, but rather because of recent injuries to Samaje Perine and Byron Marshall. If both players are ready in time for the season opener and Peterson does not impress, there might not be a place for him in D.C.
In addition to Perine and Marshall, the Redskins also have lead rusher Robert Kelley, pass-catching specialist Chris Thompson, and Kapri Bibbs under contract.
Reactions To Adrian Peterson Signing
We learned earlier today the Redskins were signing running back Adrian Peterson, and the team officially announced the transaction this evening. The future Hall of Famer struggled to gain much interest from NFL teams this offseason, so he’s naturally looking forward to returning to the field.
“I’m excited,” Peterson told Jake Kring-Schreifels of Redskins.com. “It’s been a long offseason but I’ve been keeping my body in shape and [I’m] ready for this opportunity. So when this opportunity presented itself, I was just excited.”
The 33-year-old also acknowledged it was difficult waiting around for a team to sign him, as the veteran had failed to generate any reported interest after being released by the Cardinals.
“I would be lying to you if I said [the offseason] wasn’t tough, because you’re human,” Peterson said. “I’ve seen guys come through that door and guys go through this process. I had a great appreciation for it. But me knowing what I had left in the tank, that was the only thing bothering me. But I knew in due time the opportunity would present itself.”
Let’s take a look at some more notes following Peterson’s signing…
- ESPN.com’s John Keim writes that rookie Derrius Guice‘s injury wasn’t what led to Peterson’s signing. Rather, it was recent injuries to Samaje Perine and Byron Marshall that necessitated the move. Head coach Jay Gruden had previously stated that he wasn’t searching for a starting running back following Guice’s season-ending injury, and Keim believes the Peterson signing was simply the team’s attempt to be “proactive and aggressive when it comes to replacing injured players.” Of course, on the flip side, Keim also opines that the team wouldn’t have signed a player of Peterson’s caliber if they weren’t going to give him a crack at the starting gig.
- Peterson is best when running in a gap scheme, allowing him to draw lineman to the middle before running to the outside. However, Mark Bullock of the Washinton Post opines that Peterson won’t be as successful when operating in the Redskins’ scheme, which relies on inside and outside zone running plays. Quarterback Alex Smith is also expected to function out of the shotgun formation, and Peterson hasn’t been as successful with these plays. Factor in Peterson’s lack of production in the passing game, and Bullock believes the running back may not be the best fit for Washington.
- Even with Peterson joining the Redskins, Rob Kelley is expected to sit atop the running depth chart, writes Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. Gruden has only indicated that third-down back Chris Thompson will have a definitive role, meaning Kelley, Peterson, or any of the other healthy backs could end up playing a major role in the running game. For what it’s worth, Kelley is ready for the competition. “There’s competition whether you think it or not,” Kelley said. “I just make sure I go out there and I make a few plays that the catch the coaches’ eyes and stuff like that and put myself in a great position.”