NFL - NEWS & NOTES

The Raiders are going to have problems with their team, too much turnover. Good luck

 

Ah, the best laid plans...

 

WOW - Jason Witten is retiring.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...-espns-monday-night-football-broadcast-booth/

 

That is unexpected.

 

The San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots have agreed on a trade that will send offensive tackle Trent Brown to New England along with an exchange of draft picks, according to a report from Field Yates of ESPN.

The trade, according to Yates, will send Brown and a fifth-round pick (pick 143 overall) to New England in exchange for a third-round pick (95th overall). The deal is pending a physical.

 

Interesting maneuver for both parties.

I think this is a 'win' for both.

 

I'll be damned. Just got extended too... More Cowboys in the booth's.

 

Pats shoring up the line with pass protection specialists in Wynn and Brown

 

Romo's revenge.

 

It's okay. Pearson had to call enthusiastically call us the champs.

 

Byron Maxwell is back with the Seahawks.

Maxwell, a cornerback who has had two prior stints in Seattle, has signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

The 30-year-old Maxwell was drafted by the Seahawks in 2011 and played with them through 2014. He then spent one year with the Eagles, then was traded to the Dolphins, who released him in October. He then re-signed with the Seahawks and played the last seven games of the season with the Seahawks.

Now Maxwell is back, and a at a time when Seattle has cast aside other aging veterans on its once-great defense, an old favorite is coming back for another run. (PFT)

 

Jerry Jones: Jason Witten has made no decisions



Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says Jason Witten has made no final decisions about his future, despite an ESPN report that Witten is planning to retire and work for ESPN.

“He has some things to think about and discuss with his family from a professional perspective,” Jones said. “He also told me he is going to need some more time for consideration, at least through the weekend. He has not made any decisions that are definite at this time. We have no announcement at this time.”

Jones said he and Witten have been in contact regularly this week and that he considers Witten a valuable member of the Cowboys organization.

“I’ve talked to Jason several times this week. I’ve met with him, I met with him as late as just a few hours ago, and we’ve had great discussions. I’ll keep the details of those discussions private forever,” Jones said.

Jones said he’s expecting Witten to come to a decision some time after this weekend. (PFT & Jerry Jones)

 

Just read that. Given other draft needs, hoping to coax him back for one last giddy'up.

 

Report: Antonio Gates wants to keep playing, but Chargers won’t bring him back



Tight end Antonio Gates isn’t ready to call it quits. The question is: Will anyone give him a chance to keep playing?

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Chargers have informed Gates they will not bring him back for 2018.

Gates turns 38 in June and played less than 50 percent of the team’s offensive snaps last season. He took a backseat to Hunter Henry, playing 500 snaps to Henry’s 598, and the Chargers added Virgil Green in free agency.

Gates’ 30 catches and three touchdowns were his fewest since 2003 when he made 24 catches and two touchdowns as a rookie. His 316 yards in 2017 were the fewest in his career.

Gates made eight consecutive Pro Bowls as one of the league’s best tight ends from 2004-11. But he has not played at that level since 2011.

Whenever he decides to call it quits, Gates will rank among the all-time leaders at the position. (PFT)

 

He could almost write his own check (within reason) to stay, I'm guessing. He has been a real fixture and sure-handed when the chips are down. Good footballer and I personally wouldn't mind watching him play another year. Its family first tho...

 

Bruce Arians expected to join CBS



One of the most colorful coaches in recent NFL history (and sometimes that color is blue), has found a new home.

According to Richard Deitsch of The Athletic, former Cardinals coach Bruce Arians is expected to sign with CBS to do games this fall.

He’ll be paired with play-by-play man Greg Gumbel and analyst Trent Green in a three-man booth, giving him an opportunity to ease into his first television job.

 

If by "unexpected" you mean funny.

 

Rams trade Tavon Austin to Cowboys



Tavon Austin‘s days with the Rams have come to an end.

Austin, the receiver/runner/returner who has played his entire five-year career with the Rams, was traded to the Cowboys today.

The Rams traded up to the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft to select Austin, but today all they got for him was a sixth-round draft pick, No. 192 overall, from Dallas.

Although Austin has the speed and elusiveness to make big plays, he hasn’t made enough of those big plays. Last season he managed just 59 carries for 270 yards and 13 catches for 47 yards.

The Cowboys will hope that Austin can make some big plays for them on offense or special teams. (PFT)

 

The Eagles finished the weekend with a small draft class, but a big addition.

Via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia , the Eagles brought veteran running back Darren Sproles back for another year.

Sproles suffered a broken hand and a torn ACL last year, cutting his season short in September, but it was clear they wanted him back.

“It’s been a priority to get Darren back,” Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman said. “I think I got the message when coach would come by my office, maybe once a day, twice a day and say, ‘when are we getting Darren? When are we getting Sproles back?’ I said, ‘I got the message, coach.’ But we all wanted Darren back. We talked after the Super Bowl with Darren that it would be a priority for him to come back. He’s a freak. The things he’s doing in his rehab, it’s amazing.”

None of the five players they picked this weekend happened to be a running back, but that probably wouldn’t have mattered.

He lends depth at the position and return ability, but is also one of the respected leaders there.

 

Need drove Denzel Ward over Bradley Chubb pick



Remember all that stuff we hear every year before the draft about drafting the best available player regardless of need? It all sounds good until it’s time to make the picks.

Case in point: The Browns at No. 4 surprised everyone by taking Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward over N.C. State defensive end Bradley Chubb.

Browns defensive coordinator Gregg Williams explained to Peter King of SI.com the reason for the Ward-over-Chubb selection. “The reason is our need for a press cover cornerback,” Williams said. “Denzel probably plays that position as well as anyone I’ve seen in college football in some time. We probably play the most press of any team in the league. There’s another reason. I’ve got a video of 28 snaps of Myles Garrett pass-rushes last year where he gets within two steps or less of the quarterback when the ball comes out. Basically, we aren’t covering long enough to let him get to the quarterback. Myles and others == especially [defensive end] Emmanuel Ogbah — will get more chances because of Denzel.”

A third reason was the team’s belief in Ogbah, a second-round pick in 2016.

“Ogbah’s a rising star in this league,” Williams said. “He’s got a chance to be Chubb.”

While that all makes sense, it demonstrates the need does indeed have an influence. In this case, it was enough to overcome the reality that Chubb widely was regarded as the better player. So much better that, as PFT explained in the aftermath of round one, the No. 4 pick as of Thursday morning was Chubb. By Thursday night, it had flipped to Ward.

Still unanswered at this point is why the Browns didn’t try to trade down a pick or two or three and still get Ward. Perhaps the Browns didn’t want to get cute and stray too far from No. 4, especially with the Bills likely being the only team willing to make a play for the fourth overall pick at that point. Given the Josh Allen developments from overnight Wednesday (which seem to have been forgotten nearly as quickly as they emerged), maybe the Bills sensed that they didn’t have to go quite that far up to get him.

Regardless, the Browns clearly went with need at No. 4. And it will be both the performance of Ward and Ogbah, coupled with the play of Chubb, that will shed light on whether the Browns made the right call. (PFT)