Breer’s Latest: Dak, Rams, Kap, Prospects
The Dak Prescott hype train will continue into the regular season after Tony Romo‘s latest injury will put the former Mississippi State talent in command of the Cowboys. But how closely the fourth-rounder’s electric preseason will correlate with what happens beginning next week have NFL personnel split.
“He isn’t as good as his preseason performances. Teams haven’t schemed for him yet,” a league scout assigned to Mississippi State told Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. “When they do, you’ll see his accuracy get exposed. [Dallas] will need to focus on quick, short, underneath throws, that’ll mask some of the downfield accuracy issues.”
The scout notes the Cowboys have enough talent around Prescott to keep him from being exposed but expects defenses to throw exotic blitzes at the rookie to gauge his readiness.
“He’s more accurate than I thought he would be; strong arm and a good athlete, good poise for a young guy. They’re so good up front, and should be able to run the ball behind Zeke [Elliott] and [Alfred] Morris. Those backs are good, so they can take pressure off him,” a Dolphins coach told Breer, before adding the August numbers would matter “very little” because “everyone is vanilla right now.”
Here’s more from Breer, beginning with the Rams’ behind-the-scenes approach after they were dealt a blow similar to what the Vikings endured earlier this week.
- Sam Bradford‘s preseason ACL tear in 2014 induced the Rams to inquire about trades for other quarterbacks. GM Les Snead did not confirm which passers the team pursued, but Breer reports the Rams made an effort to deal for Kirk Cousins and “seriously discussed” Jimmy Garoppolo with the Patriots. Snead discovered the price was too high on those passers before making a successful waiver claim for current starter Case Keenum.
- The offseason intrigue surrounding the pairing of Colin Kaepernick‘s athleticism with Chip Kelly‘s system dissipated considerably this summer. Unable to work out with the team for most of the offseason due to rehab efforts, Kaepernick, as a pro scouting director noticed, was running the 49ers‘ offense much slower than either Blaine Gabbert or Jeff Driskel in the 49ers’ game against the Packers. “When Kap was in the game, [the offense] slowed down—significantly,” the anonymous director said, via Breer. “I mean, it slowed down by 10 seconds [per play]. And that indicates he’s not comfortable getting them to the line, operating the offense the way they want him to do it. And it indicates the time he missed is costing him.”
- The next Notre Dame lineman to land in the first round could be left tackle Mike McGlinchey, who will take over for Ronnie Stanley. Moving from right to left tackle in advance of his redshirt-junior season, McGlinchey could follow in the footsteps of Stanley and Zack Martin. “He’s a beast!” said one area scout assigned to the Irish. “I haven’t watched film of him yet, but off the practice view alone, he’s a first- or second-round pick. He’s not as athletic as [Stanley], but he’s more physical.” McGlinchey will begin his second year as a starter for the Fighting Irish, doing so after helping Notre Dame runners average 5.63 yards per carry in 2015 — eighth-best in Division I-FBS last season.
Redskins Sign Cullen Jenkins
WEDNESDAY, 5:56pm: As expected, Jenkins will earn the veteran minimum, which in the 35-year-old 13th-year veteran’s cas
e will be $985K, Master Tefatsion of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter). Jenkins, who twice earned more than $6MM in a season earlier in his career, played for $1.4MM last season with the Giants.
MONDAY, 11:24am: Cullen Jenkins‘ tour of the NFC East continues. The Redskins have agreed to sign the veteran defensive end to a one-year deal, according to a source who spoke with Mike Jones of the Washington Post (on Twitter).
Jenkins worked out for the Redskins today and it didn’t take long for a deal to materialize. Jenkins will now join Stephen Paea, Ricky Jean-Francois, James Gayle, and Corey Crawford on the Redskins depth chart behind presumptive starters Chris Baker and Kendall Reyes. Jenkins will probably still have to prove himself to Redskins coaches in order to make the upcoming 53-man cut.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Redskins Down To 75
The Redskins are now down to a 75-man roster. Minutes ago, the Redskins announced that they have placed tight end Derek Carrier on the PUP list and running back Keith Marshall on the reserve/injured list. The team also waived/injured wide receiver Reggie Diggs.
Those three moves were the final ones necessary for the team to comply with the Tuesday afternoon deadline. Earlier in the day, the Redskins released two notable defensive veterans in defensive end Stephen Paea and linebacker Perry Riley Jr. The Redskins’ current inside linebacker situation has Will Compton and Mason Foster as the starters with Martrell Spaight and Su’a Cravens among the backups. On the D-Line, the team’s recent signing of Cullen Jenkins made Paea expendable.
Redskins Cut Paea, Riley Jr.
The Redskins have cut both inside linebacker Perry Riley Jr. and defensive end Stephen Paea, a source tells Mike Jones of the Washington Post (on Twitter). The Redskins will save a substantial amount of money against the cap by cutting both players. 
Riley was slated to make a little more than $5MM in the coming year while Paea was to make $3.3MM plus bonuses. By getting rid of the duo, the Redskins will save upwards of $5MM in total, though most of that comes from the $4MM saved by dropping Riley.
Paea started just one game for Washington in 2015 after getting 40 starts in his previous three years in Chicago. While his part-time role limited his overall numbers (19 tackles, 2.5 sacks), Paea was solid during his time on the field, ranking as Pro Football Focus‘ 45th interior defensive lineman, out of 128 qualified players. The Redskins decided that they would rather eat most of the money owed to him for the coming season, however.
There wasn’t a place for Riley this year as the Redskins are slated to have Will Compton will start at inside linebacker next to Mason Foster. Riley could have been an effective sub, but not at his rate.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Redskins Claim Vinston Painter
- The Redskins announced that they’ve claimed offensive lineman Vinston Painter off waivers from the Dolphins.
Keith Marshall Out 3 Weeks
- The Redskins will also lose a rookie for a short period of time, as seventh-round running back Keith Marshall will likely be out for three weeks, according to coach Jay Gruden (Twitter link via Mike Jones of the Washington Post). However, Gruden added that Marshall could be placed on injured reserve, which would likely allow Washington to stash Marshall until 2017.
Redskins To Work Out Cullen Jenkins
The Redskins are on the lookout for some veteran help on the defensive line. Cullen Jenkins is on his way to the Washington D.C. area to work out for the Redskins, according to Chris Cooley of ESPN 980 (on Twitter). 
Jenkins, 35, spent the first seven years of his career with the Packers before hooking on with the Eagles (2011, 2012) and the Giants (2013-2015). You may also know Jenkins as the victim of a Damontre Moore outburst in New York when Moore did not receive a free pair of Beats by Dre headphones in the Giants locker room.
Last season, the defensive end started in 14 games for the Giants and appeared in all 16 contests. He tallied 26 tackles and 3.0 sacks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bryan Stork Trade Rescinded
Bryan Stork won’t be joining the Redskins after all. The center failed his physical with his new team, meaning that the trade between the Redskins and the Patriots has been rescinded, as Chris Cooley of ESPN 980 tweets. Stork’s rights will revert back to the Patriots while the Redskins get the conditional seventh-round pick back. 
For those of you keeping score at home, here’s the finally tally of Stork’s travels over the last week. On Wednesday, Stork was supposedly on the verge of being released by the Patriots. However, the Redskins got word that Stork was about to be released and, rather than fight it out with other teams on the open market, they worked out a trade with the Patriots. Hours later, it was learned that Stork was thinking about quitting football altogether. The Redskins got Stork to change his mind, but it turns out he’s not healthy enough to play right now anyway.
Had Stork actually joined Washington, he would have likely slotted in as the No. 2 center to Kory Lichtensteiger. In fact, there were some rumblings that the Redskins were hoping that Stork could push Lichtensteiger for the starting job. Now, Washington will have to look for interior line help elsewhere.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bryan Stork To Report To Redskins
SUNDAY, 10:05am: In the clearest sign yet that Stork will report to the Redskins, Stork himself tweeted that he is looking forward to making great memories in Washington, and he added a “Hail to the Redskins” hashtag at the end of his tweet.
SATURDAY, 11:25am: While most reports indicate that Stork will indeed report, Redskins coach Jay Gruden didn’t necessarily sound convinced following his team’s preseason win last night.
As Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com notes, Gruden said the lineman will “supposedly” report to the Redskins today, although he notes that Stork still has to make a “final decision.”
THURSDAY, 8:55pm: Stork has informed the Redskins that he will report to team headquarters this weekend, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post.
12:28pm: It sounds like Bryan Stork will suit up for the Redskins after all. The newly-acquired center was leaning towards retirement, but he is now expected to be in town and ready to go this weekend, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
For those of you who weren’t following Storkgate on Wednesday, here is a quick recap. On Wednesday morning, Stork was supposedly on the verge of being released by the Patriots. Later on in the day, the Redskins got word that Stork was about to be cut loose they decided to work out a trade with the Patriots rather than duke it out with other interested teams. Hours later, we learned that Stork was thinking about quitting football altogether.
Had Stork opted to retire, he would have been forced to give up half of his $477K signing bonus (~$238K), in addition to losing his 2016 salary of $600K. His retirement also would have left the Redskins in a bad spot with their offensive line. Washington hoping that Stork will serve as a backup to Kory Lichtensteiger, or maybe even push him for the starting job.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Redskins Cut 10 UDFAs
In preparation for the first of the two roster-cutdown deadlines, this one moving teams from 90 to 75 players, the Redskins waived 10 today, via Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk.
Here’s who Washington cut today:
- T Al Bond
- T Cody Booth
- LB Shiro Davis
- LB Ejiro Ederaine
- CB Jeremy Harris
- LB Willie Jefferson
- RB Kelsey Young
- WR Valdez Showers
- WR Dez Stewart
- WR Jarvis Turner
UDFAs from over the past two years comprise this class. Jefferson, though, made his NFL debut in 2013 with the Texans and played in six games that year. Harris played in seven games in 2014-15, suiting up for six with the ’14 Jaguars and one with Washington last year.