NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Really liked that signing last year (under the assumption he was healthy), but I certainly didn't think he was a "favorite" to re-sign with Dallas. With money going to Dak, Coop, possibly Robert Quinn, it was going to be tough bringing back a guy who was no better than a 4th option on offense (Zeke, Coop, Gallup) for significantly more than the $5 mil he made in 2019.

 

Always was a Calif. boy.

Much merriment in Buffalo. The Bills are your AFCE favorites now.

 

With the added bonus the Chargers are on the Pats’ sched this year

 

I still do a double take every time I see the name, thinking of the boxer.

Randall "Tex" Cobb went 42-7-1 including wins over Leon Spinks and Earnie Shavers, but as a boxer is best known for his loss to Larry Holmes. The ref truly should have stopped the fight - it came just two weeks after the tragic Mancini vs Kim bout - but he didn't.

Cobb never threw in the towel either, continuing to stand in there and take a pounding from Holmes all the way to the final bell. It was surreal to watch, and the sight drove Howard Cosell to declare that he would never again announce a boxing match.

 

I’d take that action. There’s only one Bill that wins in Buffalo.

 

Since we do the mock GM thing here each year, I'm finding myself fascinated by the bigger picture of the Hayden Hurst trade.

He wasn't bad but not working out quite as planned for Baltimore. So they trade him plus a fourth rounder to Atlanta for a 2nd and a 5th, then trade the 5th to Jacksonville like milliseconds later.

Net for them = a fourth round pick and a player they were ready to unload become a second round pick and Calais Campbell.



On the other side, the Falcons had already traded receiver Mohamed Sanu to the Patriots in mid 2019 for a second rounder. The new CBA brought in the cap at a lower level than expected, so they would not have been able to keep Sanu now anyway. And there is zero chance they could have won the bidding war to keep tight end Austin Hooper. So they trade the 2nd they got from New England (I have read that one was that pick they traded, not their own second rounder) for Hooper's replacement.

Net for them = a receiver and a tight end that they had zero chance of keeping for 2020 become a replacement for the tight end, a fourth round pick now, plus a potential third or fourth round comp pick in 2021.



I'd say this is a perfect example of a win-win trade.

 

The Dolphins are continuing to build out their defense on Tuesday.

Agent Drew Rosenhaus told PFT that his client Emmanuel Ogbah has agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal with the Dolphins. Ogbah gets $7.5 million fully guaranteed.

The defensive end joins linebacker Kyle Van Noy, cornerback Byron Jones, safety Clayton Fejedelem and pass rusher Shaq Lawson as new additions to the defense in Miami.

Ogbah was traded from the Browns to the Chiefs last April, but he missed the final weeks of the regular season and the team’s run to a Super Bowl title after tearing his pectoral. He had 32 tackles, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 10 games.

In addition to the defensive moves, the Dolphins have also agreed to a deal with guard Ereck Flowers as they reshape their team ahead of head coach Brian Flores’ second season in Miami.

NBC

 

The loss to Larry Holmes was brutal. He just jabbed Cobb's face in for 15 rounds. It really was hard to watch. There was never a second of that fight where you thought Tex had a chance....I remember it well. Yeah, Howard was done with boxing after that display.

Although, I think it could be argued that Tex Cobb is best remembered for his performance in the movie Raising Arizona....

Leonard Smalls

 

Looks like the Panthers are going to sign, Bridgewater now.

 

Knowing they are signing Bridgewater.....why would any team now trade for Cam? Just wait for him to be released.

 

I still can’t wrap my head around the thought that Tom Brady is comfortable with his last play in a Pats uni being a loss-sealing pick 6 in a home playoff game.

 

Cory Littleton agrees to deal with Raiders

The Raiders have snagged their second free agent linebacker in as many days.

Former Ram Cory Littleton has agreed to a deal with the team. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports it is a three-year deal worth up to $36 million with a base value of $11.75 million per year. There was a report earlier this week that the Raiders were planning to make a push for Littleton.

The Raiders reached an agreement with former Bear Nick Kwiatkoski on Monday in the first move they made to refurbish their linebacker group.

Littleton joined the Rams after going undrafted in 2016 and moved from special teamer to a starting linebacker over his four years with the team. He started every game the last two seasons and wrapped up his time in L.A. with 134 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 2019.

NBC

 

Feeling the same way, was confident he was coming back. Tough week around here.

 

The first thing I mentioned when taking on the Raiders in the GMO was, wow this team really needs some help at linebacker....IMO they did a great job addressing it. That's a couple big signings and much needed additions to the Vegas roster.

 

Especially after they lost cut, Whitehead.

 

Jordan Howard close to deal with Dolphins...

The Dolphins have been very active this week, and another recognizable name may be going to Miami soon.

Free agent running back Jordan Howard is closing in on a deal with the Dolphins, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The 25-year-old Howard was a fifth-round pick of the Bears in 2016 and had an excellent rookie year, topping 1,000 yards and making the Pro Bowl. But he wasn’t quite as effective the next two years, and the Bears traded him to the Eagles for a 2020 sixth-round pick. He ran for 525 yards in his season in Philadelphia.

Miami has been as aggressive as any team in free agency, showing that after beginning the rebuilding effort last year, they’re eager to take a big step forward this year.

NBC

 

Written within minutes of notable fake accounts on Twitter saying the same thing. Gotta love "Sources" this time of year. It's all just crap thrown on the wall, and then pointing to the ones that managed to luck into hitting the target...

 

Jerick McKinnon restructures contract to remain with 49ers

Running back Jerick McKinnon said in February that he was “willing to do whatever” in order to remain with the 49ers in 2020 and he proved it this week.

Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com reports that McKinnon will remain with the team after agreeing to restructure his contract with the team. The terms of the reworked deal aren’t known, but McKinnon was set to make a salary of $6.5 million before this change.

McKinnon signed a four-year deal with the 49ers before the 2018 season, but has yet to play a game with the team. He tore his ACL just before the 2018 season started and went back on injured reserve last August after having another knee surgery.

Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida and Jeff Wilson are also on hand at running back for the Niners.

NBC