NFL - NEWS & NOTES

The Texans can’t trade pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney until he signs his franchise tender. Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Saturday night “the ball’s in his court.”

Clowney recently fired his agent, so maybe the ball will start rolling.

The question is: Where?

The Texans seem intent on moving Clowney, but no team can sign him to an extension until after the regular season ends, complicating things.

The Dolphins are “very interested” in a trade for Clowney, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. The Texans presumably would want Laremy Tunsil, and a report three days ago said the Dolphins were telling other teams the offensive tackle isn’t going anywhere.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL, Clowney already has met in person with Dolphins coach Brian Flores and members of the front office.

Clowney prefers to play for the Seahawks or the Eagles, per Wilson, and as an unsigned player, Clowney could chose to continue holding out rather than go to a team not of his liking.

So stay tuned to the continuing saga of Jadeveon Clowney.

(PFT)

 

The Jets came into this week hoping to improve their cornerback group and they made a move intended to do that on Wednesday.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the team has traded a sixth-round pick to the Colts in exchange for Nate Hairston. Jets assistant General Manager Rex Hogan worked for the Colts the last two years, which may have helped pave the way for the deal.

Hairston was a 2017 fifth-round pick in Indy and started 11 of the 27 games he played over the last two seasons. He has 65 tackles, two sacks and an interception over those appearances.

Trumaine Johnson entered camp as the top cornerback for the Jets, but he’s been laid up by a hamstring injury. Darryl Roberts, Brian Poole, Kyron Brown, Parry Nickerson, Arthur Maulet, Alex Brown and Tevaughn Campbell are also on hand.

(PFT)

 

Expanded playoffs “likely focus” over 18-game season



Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said recently that the NFL is looking at ways to make the preseason better for its fans and most would point to cutting the number of preseason games as the place to start.

It appears that point of view is taking hold. Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports that people familiar with the league’s thinking are “increasingly convinced” the preseason will be shortened in the near future.

Losing those games would cost teams revenue, which has led to a concurrent discussion about expanding the regular season. That notion has been met with strong resistance from the NFLPA and Maske reports that the league is shifting gears in response.

Maske reports that expanded playoffs will be the “likely focus” of future talks about cutting preseason games. He adds that the league believes they could act to cut the playoffs and increase the playoffs on its own, but that current consideration of a move is being done within “the context of bargaining between the owners and the NFLPA” on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The potential change would give each league seven playoff teams while eliminating one of the two byes currently handed out. It’s expected that one of the six first round games would be played on Monday night.

With questions still to be answered about how much of a revenue boost that would provide along with Maske’s note that some owners aren’t ready to move on from a longer regular season, there’s more to work out as the push for a shorter preseason and talks on a new CBA go on.

(PFT)

 

i think he goes to Philly as the Texans called the Eagles about him. Knowing Howie Roseman, he has the cap room and WRs or RBs the Texans need to get a deal done.

 

Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens is in charge of his offense.

But he’s going to let offensive coordinator Todd Monken call some plays tonight, and has secretly let him do so throughout the preseason.

Via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Kitchens said on his radio show that Monken has had the lead role at times in the preseason already.

“I haven’t really fully decided, but I know Todd will call some of them,” Kitchens said. “Some of it depends on what we do at the quarterback situation initially, but he’ll definitely get the opportunity. He called some of the other games but we just didn’t advertise it. Just didn’t feel the need to. In case it went bad, I didn’t want him suffering the consequences from it. . . .

“But we’ll do something. I always want to continue to let guys develop in this system, more importantly, just in case. You know, you never know.”

Kitchens is going to call the plays during the regular season, and his relationship with Monken required some defending early in camp. They say everything is smooth now, and letting Monken call preseason plays is at least a goodwill gesture.

Hue Jackson allowed Kitchens to do the same in the past, and Kitchens said he viewed it as valuable experience (which showed when Jackson was fired and he took over).

“I was going to prepare just like it was my role and I was hoping someone else would see it because I’d never gotten the opportunity anywhere else,” Kitchens said. “I was glad for the opportunity, and I was definitely treating it as an interview for other teams — not necessarily here.”

Monken has experience calling plays from his days in Tampa Bay.

(PFT)

 

The Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills have agreed to the following trade:

Browns receive:

G Wyatt Teller

2021 7th round pick

Bills receive:

2020 5th round pick

2020 6th round pick

Teller is 6-4, 315 and in his second NFL season out of Virginia Tech. Originally drafted by Buffalo in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, Teller started the Bills' final seven regular season games last year. He is a native of Bealeton, Va.

 

Bills trade Wyatt Teller to Browns

The Bills traded offensive guard Wyatt Teller to the Browns, the team announced Thursday. They also sent a seventh-round choice in 2021.

In return, Cleveland will send Buffalo fifth- and sixth-round choices in 2020.

The Bills made Teller a fifth-round choice in 2018. He started the final seven games of his rookie season at left guard.

The Bills listed Teller as the second-team right guard.

Buffalo has depth at the position after adding Spencer Long, Quinton Spain and Jon Feliciano in free agency and using a second-round selection on Cody Ford.

Teller becomes the top candidate to start at right guard for the Browns, supplanting Eric Kush.

(PFT)

 

Great minds...

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...cludes-jadeveon-clowney-and-first-round-pick/

Dolphins turned down huge trade offer for Clowney and a first rd pick. They wanted Tunsil and more picks in returned. Miami said no dice.

 

If the Dolphins offered up Kenyan Drake, a first and a future third, they could probably land Clowney.

But I don't think Grier is really that interested in taking on Clowneys contract demands.

 

that's a lot Tim. More than I think the Eagles will offer for him.

 

Which is basically why I think that could get him in a Dolphins uniform.

The market for Jadeveon doesn't appear to be as hot as what pundits have been pushing for the last 3 months.

My guess is that potential suitors have a pretty good gauge on what it will take to sign Clowney long term and the price tag is just too much.

Without the potential for a long term deal that doesn't hamstring a roster, a lot of GMs will simply pass on taking a shot.

 

i still think Howie Roseman of the Eagles wants him. They have the cap space and extra roster players to spare. it's a question of which ones do the Texans want and if they can strike a deal ? asking for Tunsil was a bold step but way too much.

 

How much wiggle room will the Eagles really have with the cap once they sign Clowney to a deal that will probably push towards $20mil?

I don't think there is an easy way for Philly to make something happen with Jadeveon and it could be the kind of signing that proves to be detrimental in the long term, specifically when it comes to future roster building.

 

The only way the Texans get a legitimate return for Clowney is if he can agree to a long-term deal with that team. Otherwise, he's being traded as a one year rental, and no one wants to give up crazy assets for that. I think that teams will want a premier edge guy still in his youth, but the fact that most rosters are otherwise complete and thus don't have a ton of cap flexibility complicates things, quite a bit. Definitely limits where he could end up.

 

Philly would never take him on as anything other than a one year rental. It would probably be a hell of a year, but unless no other team wants him long-term, you would think the Texans can get more in trade for him.

 

And Clowney would likely balk at any deal that wouldn't include a multi-year deal with decent guaranteed cash.

The Texans can't trade him until he signs the tag and Jadeveon doesn't look to be signing without a deal already in place.

He likely plays this season out in Houston if they tagged him as a DE, so the Texans have put themselves in a hole over what equates to just under $2mil.

 

And to clarify, that would be based on a 'wink and a nod' kind of agreement, as he would have no choice other than to play out this season prior to 'negotiating' a new deal.

 

If he has a nice season then the agreement that they winked on will be crap before the paper has a chance to dry.

 

they have $18 mil. CBSSpostline said they can cover it. IF they include Aghulor in the deal, that takes off $9 mil off their cap, so they can easily afford him. They have to trade or cut 1-2 players to have more cap room for the season, or trade 2 players. Texans need a RB and the Eagles have tons to spare. If they acquire him, $3 mil or less won't be enough. I think if a trade happens, Aghulor and a RB is dealt back to them to offset the cost and cap hit. My 2 cents on it.