Redskins Shopping TE Derek Carrier
The Redskins have discussed tight end Derek Carrier with multiple teams interested in trading for him, sources tell John Keim of ESPN.com.
[RELATED: Redskins Shopping RB Matt Jones]
Washington currently has a surplus of tight ends, as Jordan Reed, Vernon Davis, Niles Paul, rookie Jeremy Sprinkle, and Carrier are all vying for roster spots. While Carrier has been a productive camp and is viewed in a positive light by Redskins management, the club simply has too many bodies at the position, and only plans to keep four tight ends on the roster, per Keim.
The Redskins originally acquired Carrier from the 49ers prior to the 2015 season in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick. His stint in Washington has mostly been marred by injury, as a torn ACL prematurely ended his 2015 campaign and delayed the start of his 2016 season. All told, the 27-year-old Carrier has managed 19 receptions in 20 games in the nation’s capital.
Carrier has one year left on his contract, and will become an unrestricted free agent next spring. An acquiring club would take Carrier’s 2017 cap charge of roughly $1MM.
Stafford Extension Decreases Likelihood Of Cousins Re-Signing
The record-setting contract extension the Lions awarded quarterback Matthew Stafford on Monday will raise Redskins signal-caller Kirk Cousins‘ asking price and make it even more difficult for the team to re-sign him at season’s end, Mike Jones of the Washington Post points out. With Cousins scheduled to hit free agency next winter, the Redskins could place the franchise tag on him for a third straight year if there’s no deal in place prior to free agency, but that would mean guaranteeing him upward of $34MM. Jones expects the Redskins to apply the transition tag for a lesser cost – $28MM – and ultimately lose Cousins to a team willing to give him a massive long-term deal. The Redskins wouldn’t be entitled to any compensation in that scenario.
Redskins’ Phil Taylor Done For Year
Redskins nose tackle Phil Taylor will miss the 2017 season because of a quad injury suffered on Sunday, a source tells ESPN.com’s John Keim (Twitter link). An MRI on Monday confirmed the team’s worst fears. 
Taylor has not seen the field since 2014 and was hoping to revive his career in D.C. Knee injuries plagued Taylor for much of his time as an NFL player, leaving him unable to fulfill the promise he had as a first-round pick in 2011. His quad injury may prove to be a career-ender, unless he wants to try and return to football as a 30-year-old who is more than three years removed from live action.
In 2013, Taylor started for Cleveland and his performance against the run placed him a solid 26th among 69 qualified defensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. He then played just 133 snaps in 2014 before being sidelined with a knee injury.
The Redskins project to start Stacy McGee in the middle with Joey Mbu and A.J. Francis as backups.
Redskins Continue To Shop RB Matt Jones
No surprise here, but the Redskins are still shopping Matt Jones as the 53-man deadline approaches, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Redskins have been looking to move Jones for much of the offseason. 
Jones was once the Redskins’ No. 1 running back, but he has been bypassed by Robert Kelley. He is further buried on the depth chart behind rookie Samaje Perine figures to see a good percentage of the carries and pass-catching specialist Chris Thompson. Jones is still a talented runner, but his tendency to put the ball on the ground has left him on the outs in Washington.
In June, Jones’ agent asked the Redskins to release him. Weeks later, he changed representation and hired Drew Rosenhaus. Rosenhaus presumably would like to see Jones released so that he can hook on elsewhere, but it should only be a matter of time before that happens anyway. Teams are mandated to trim their rosters from the current 90-man max down to 53 by Saturday afternoon.
Giants, Others Tried To Claim Kony Ealy
The Jets scooped up Kony Ealy after he was waived by the Patriots, but they weren’t the only team that wanted to claim him. The Giants, Redskins, Cowboys, Buccaneers, Lions, and Cardinals also put in claims on the veteran, Jane Slater of NFL Network and Kimberley A. Martin of The Buffalo News report (Twitter links). 
The Jets aren’t playing for much in 2017 and Ealy has just one year left on his deal, so one has to wonder if they could entertain trades for him. Clearly, there is a market for his services, even though he struggled in offseason practices with the Patriots.
For now, the 25-year-old profiles as a reserve behind the likes of Leonard Williams, Sheldon Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Steve McLendon. The defensive line is the Jets’ strongest unit, but it stands to reason that Ealy could make the cut when rosters go from 90 to 53 on September 2.
Prior to the trade that sent him to the Patriots this spring, Ealy had played his entire three-year career with the Panthers. The former second-round pick has started a combined 15 games over the past two years with identical stat lines in each campaign: 32 tackles and five sacks. He also added a total of five forced fumbles during that span.
Redskins Could Look To Trade TE
- The Redskins could potentially trade a tight end before the regular season gets underway, opines John Keim of ESPN.com. Rookie fifth-round pick Jeremy Sprinkle looks poised to serve as Washington’s third tight end behind Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis, meaning the club’s final slot at the position will be filled by either Derek Carrier or Niles Paul. The one who doesn’t earn a roster spot could be dealt for either a reserve offensive lineman or a draft choice, per Keim, who adds that both Carrier and Paul would “hold value” to other NFL teams.
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Redskins’ Hall To Start Year On PUP List
The Redskins will start the year without the services of DeAngelo Hall. The safety says he’ll be on the PUP list to begin the season. 
“Dr. [James] Andrews doesn’t think I’m quite ready. I’m gonna take his advice,” Hall told JP Finlay of CSNWashington.com (Twitter link).
Hall, 33, suffered a torn ACL in Week 3 of the 2016 season and is still working to get back to full strength. After taking a pay cut in June, his spot on the roster is likely still secure. The veteran will be taking in a $2.3MM base salary rather than the $4.25MM non-guaranteed base salary he was originally slated to receive.
Hall appeared in just 17 of 48 possible regular season games over the past three seasons. The Redskins expect that he’ll be ready to go when eligible to come off of the PUP list this fall, but if not, they do have some safety nets in place. The versatile Su’a Cravens is expected to play at safety more than at linebacker and the team also added free agent D.J. Swearinger as a free agent. Fourth round pick Montae Nicholson will also be competing for time and could see significant reps if he is not too raw.
Redskins, Steelers Swap Dashaun Phillips, Lucas Crowley
Washington has traded cornerback Dashaun Phillips to Pittsburgh for center Lucas Crowley, James Palmer of NFL Network tweets. The Redskins would have cut Phillips had they not found a taker for him, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (on Twitter), as the 26-year-old was on the outside of the team’s cornerback battle.
Phillips spent the first two years of his career in Washington, where he totaled 11 appearances and eight tackles. He picked up the first two starts of his career last season and ended up amassing 207 snaps (147 on defense, 60 on special teams) in five games. Phillips will now vie for a role in a Pittsburgh corner corps that features Artie Burns, William Gay, Coty Sensabaugh and Ross Cockrell as its most established members.
Crowley, an undrafted rookie, is already on his third team since May. The former North Carolina Tar Heel originally signed with the Cardinals, who cut him July 22, and then latched on with the Steelers just two weeks ago. While he hardly seems like a lock to make the Redskins, it could help Crowley’s cause that starting center Spencer Long underwent minor knee surgery this week. Washington’s top option behind Long is another rookie, sixth-round pick Chase Roullier.
Terrell McClain Not Impressing For Redskins
- The Redskins spent heavily on their defensive line this spring, signing both Terrell McClain and Stacy McGee to multi-year pacts. Thus far, McGee has been far more impressive in camp, but neither player has a lock on a starting job, as Mike Jones of the Washington Post writes. McClain, in fact, has performed so poorly that there’s been some noise he could be released, although that’s unlikely given the $7.25MM dead money hit that would come with the cut. Still, first-round rookie Jonathan Allen and others (such as Matt Ioannidis and Anthony Lanier) could be better bets for playing time.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/18/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
- Giants UDFA wide receiver Keeon Johnson broke his foot during Thursday’s practice and needed surgery, a source tells Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). He has been waived with an injury designation, and Raanan expects he’ll land on IR.
- In related moves, the Giants signed wideouts Ed Eagan and Canaan Severin and waived wide receiver Kevin Snead with an injury designation. Eagan entered the league as a Cowboys UDFA last year but ended up joining the Browns midway through camp. He spent last season bouncing on and off the Bills’ practice squad. Severin spent his would-be rookie year on the Steelers’ IR list; Pittsburgh cut him earlier this week.
- The Cardinals announced they’ve signed inside linebacker Ryan Langford and released wide receiver Marquis Bundy. Langford and Bundy were teammates at the University of New Mexico. Bundy was promoted to Arizona’s active roster late last season after spending most of it on the practice squad. The Texans cut Langford after training camp last year.
- A former Saints fifth-round draft choice in 2015, outside linebacker Davis Tull will sign with the Rams, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Tull spent his rookie season on the Saints’ IR list and vacillated between free agency and the Falcons’ practice squad last season. The Tennessee-Chattanooga product was a Division I-FCS All-American in 2014.
- The Dolphins waived rookie seventh-round pick, wide receiver Isaiah Ford, with an injury designation. Ford had been rehabbing after a knee surgery. The Virginia Tech product is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with the Hokies. Ford will revert to Miami’s IR if unclaimed on waivers.
- The Packers reached an injury settlement with tight end Beau Sandland, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets. Green Bay signed Sandland to a reserve/futures deal in January but waived him earlier this week.
- The Redskins also reached one with wideout Kendal Thompson, a former Utah quarterback who spent last season on Washington’s practice squad.