Category: 2020 Training Camp

Washington moves LB Reuben Foster to Injured Reserve list

Washington is holding onto LB Reuben Foster, but moving him to the injured reserve list, where he can be brought back after eight weeks.

For all of those people who were worried about the Washington Football Team cutting linebacker Reuben Foster on Saturday, you can rest easy at the moment — he is being placed on the injured reserve to start the season.

This of course means that he will be forced to sit out the first half of the season without practicing with the team, though he can still be involved in team meetings. If Washington decides that he is healthy enough to play after Week 8, they can designate him for return.

Throughout camp, Foster took a big step by being on the field in the first place, but he was not close to looking like his old self, thanks to a knee injury that has some lingering effects still. If he can’t make it back in time to return during this season, there is always still a chance that Washington keeps him around in the future.

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Antonio Gibson is a low-risk, high-reward player who could help win your fantasy league

With the rookie Antonio Gibson now slotting into the RB1 spot in Washington, he is a low-risk, high-reward player who could pay dividends.

With the news about Washington releasing running back Adrian Peterson on Friday aside, the ramifications are potentially big when it comes to Antonio Gibson and your fantasy team. The rookie was already flying under the radar as a sleeper in some deeper leagues, with many hoping that his usage rate in Scott Turner’s offense was going to grow as time went on. But now that he is the de facto No. 1 back in Washington, things could get a bit interesting.

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This is where we have to work to calibrate our expectations. Any starting running back in the NFL is worthy of being rostered in fantasy football, but just because Gibson is the RB1 in Washington doesn’t mean that he is someone you’ll be starting each and every week. However, he is absolutely someone that you should be picking up off of your waiver wire if he’s available, and there is a high-ceiling for what he can do if all goes right.

We also need to be ready for the possibility that Gibson is a bit underwhelming, considering the high expectations that are now on him to perform. As a rookie running back who only has 33 career carries out of the backfield, there’s definitely a big chance that he gets overwhelmed in his rookie season and struggles to make much of a difference. Of course, we hope the opposite is true, but it’s smart to prepare for either.

What it boils down to, for fantasy purposes at least, is taking advantage of a low-risk, high-reward player that could potentially pay dividends for you down the road. If you are able to grab Gibson off of the waiver wire, or if you haven’t drafted yet and you add him to your team in the middle-to-late rounds, how much will it hurt you if he busts in his rookie season?

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Report: Washington plans to keep QB Alex Smith on 53-man roster

It appears that Alex Smith will be a part of the Washington roster going forward, which is another incredible step in his road to recovery.

One of the biggest questions for the Washington Football Team heading into this weekend’s roster cut-down is surrounding quarterback Alex Smith, who has incredibly battled his way back from a gruesome leg injury that threatened both his career and his life over the past year.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Washington’s plan is to keep Smith on the 53-man roster, rather than sending him to the injured reserve for at least 8 weeks, which would be the other option. It was unexpected that the team would cut Smith, especially after all that he’s been through with his recovery thus far.

Keeping Smith on the 53-man roster complicates things a bit for Washington, as they will be struggling to decide on the last few roster spots between the offensive line, linebacker, and cornerback.

For Smith, though, this is a great achievement and one of many that he’s had over the past year. If he can step foot on the field at any point this season, that Comeback Player of the Year award is his for the taking.

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Report: Saints’ Sheldon Rankins pops up in trade talks

Sheldon Rankins has seen his name in trade talks per Albert Breer.

The Saints and rest of the NFL have to cut down their rosters to 53 players by Saturday afternoon. The way each club gets there is up to them. Cutting players is the most likely choice by many, but trade talks can certainly heat up and one interesting member of the Saints saw his name pop up in such conversations less than 24 hours before that deadline.

According to Albert Breer from the MMQB, Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins has seen his name raised in trade talks prior to that deadline. Rainkins, New Orleans’ first-round pick at the 2016 NFL Draft, played in 10 games last season, notching two sacks and 10 tackles. 4

However, the 26-year-old has battled injuries since joining the Saints. Most recently, he’s suffered from Achilles issues. In 2020, Rankins is playing on the fifth-year option from his rookie deal. Per Spotrac, that fifth-year option pays him $7.7 million this season.

An effort to move Rankins could come about because of other contractual circumstances surrounding the team. On Friday, the Saints were reportedly preparing contract restructures in an effort to sign free agent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney. In addition, it has recently been reported that running back Alvin Kamara is looking to get a new contract from the team.

 

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Report: Washington involves LB Ryan Anderson in trade talks

As the final roster-cut is less than a day away, Washington is reportedly involving LB Ryan Anderson in trade talks.

With less than a day until the Washington Football Team is forced to cut down their roster to 53 players, a report has surfaced that LB Ryan Anderson is being raised in trade talks, according to Albert Breer.

Anderson has played well in training camp thus far, but his position on the Washington defense is an interesting one, as his position is unknown thanks to the switch from a 3-4 to 4-3 scheme. In the old 3-4 scheme, Anderson played as an outside linebacker, but in a 4-3 scheme, he doesn’t fit perfectly into a DE edge rusher role.

Nonetheless, Anderson has played well thus far, and Washington would likely be able to at the very least get a decent mid-round draft pick for him in return if they were to find a trade suitor. Stay tuned.

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Report: 3 teams have inquired about RB Adrian Peterson after release from Washington

After Peterson was released in Washington on Friday, a few teams have come forward to inquire about adding him to the roster.

With Adrian Peterson now open to join other teams after his release in Washington on Friday morning, reports are coming out that there are three teams who have inquired about picking him up for the 2020 season, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

We posited earlier on Friday that there were a number of teams who might be interested in bringing in Peterson, who is a veteran back that still has a lot to give to the game, it seems. Before the surprise release for Washington, AP was expected to be the starting RB for the 2020 season, leading a backfield of Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic, Bryce Love, and Peyton Barber. Washington’s decision to go with the young players reportedly didn’t have anything to do with Peterson’s skill level, but rather a desire to see what they have with the younger generation.

We will keep things posted as more news about a potential landing spot for AP comes to light.

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3 potential landing spots for Adrian Peterson going forward

Now that he has been released by Washington, Adrian Peterson may have a few different suitors in the NFL going forward.

It’s clear that the Washington Football Team doesn’t have a desire to keep running back Adrian Peterson around for the future, but the veteran made it known on Friday morning after his release that he still believes he has a lot to give to whoever wants him.

So who might want him? That could be a tough question, considering that after his long stint with the Minnesota Vikings, Peterson has bounced around the league a little bit and struggled to find a home. Still, what he did over the past two years in Washington could prove that he is of a lot of value for a team who could use a boost in the running game, particularly on first and second down.

What makes the most sense is for a playoff-contending team to snatch him up and add his veteran presence to the locker room, while also making use of his remaining talent on the field. Here are our three best candidates to fill that role.

New England Patriots

Nobody is quite sure what to expect from the Patriots this season, as it will be their first without Tom Brady in almost two decades. With Cam Newton at the helm, though, there is still a great chance that they can be dynamic on offense, though they are lacking weapons in both the running and passing game. As a strong, early-down runner who can bring some leadership to the locker room, Peterson could immediately come and help Bill Belichick carry on his legacy without Brady.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Is this a joke answer, or could it actually come to fruition? I think it’s a little bit of both, but considering the number of veteran signings they’ve made this offseason, it could very well happen. Of course, the team just signed Leonard Fournette this past week, so a crowded backfield may not be able to support AP coming in as well, but the Bucs definitely fit the criteria of a team with Super Bowl aspirations who could benefit from some experience and leadership in the locker room.

Chicago Bears

The injury to David Montgomery this offseason definitely hurt the Bears, so they stand out a potential suitor for AP as well. However, the team had the opportunity to sign Fournette this past week, and Matt Nagy said that they like their RB room, and they plan to go with what they have. On the flip-side, there may be no team who better knows the pain that Peterson can bring in the running game than the Chicago Bears, thanks to his many years with the Vikings. Might that change their minds? It’s possible.

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Upset about release, Peterson says Washington ‘has promise’ that he wished to be a part of

Though the record doesn’t show it, AP knows that Washington has a bright future, and he’s upset he won’t be a part of it anymore.

Some may look at the news that Adrian Peterson was released by the Washington Football Team on Friday morning and find it a blessing in disguise for the 35-year-old veteran running back who was going to have to split carries a number of ways this season.

For Peterson himself, though, it’s still going to take some time for that news to process in his head. But for now, he can’t help but admit that he’s a bit upset by the release.

“It just sucks because I feel this team really has some promise and I won’t be a part of it,” Peterson said, via ESPN’s John Keim. 

Promise is why Peterson wanted to stick around, and promise might be the reason he was released in the first place. Deciding to rid of the player who was slotted to be the RB1 in the first game of the season in early September is definitely a shock to all, but it was a decision that was driven by the fact that Washington feels confident in what they have in Antonio Gibson, and J.D. McKissic, and Bryce Love, and Peyton Barber. We’ve yet to see any of them actually perform on the field in Washington’s new system, but what they’ve done so far in training camp has the team at least confident enough that they’ll be able to have a lasting impact.

“I noticed that my role would be reduced,” Peterson said. “We got Gibson and J.D. and though we were all learning the same things, there are guys they selected during the draft and have in mind that they want to use for certain positions.”

Depending on where AP goes, he definitely could be better off down the road, where he could potentially play a meaningful role on a playoff-contending team, rather than leading a bunch of young players in Washington. For now, though, we can agree that this sucks a little bit. AP was an incredible player and an extraordinary teammate, and he will be missed in Washington.

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Does Clinton-Dix cut put Earl Thomas in play? Stephen Jones ‘wouldn’t rule anything out’

The release of a veteran safety leaves Dallas thin at the position while a 7-time Pro Bowler who wants to be a Cowboy sits unemployed.

The news came as a surprise to many in Cowboys Nation. HaHa Clinton-Dix, the former Packers/McCarthy-era safety who was expected to bring veteran leadership to the back end of the Dallas defense, was unceremoniously cut just ten days before the season opener.

But arguably, the bigger surprise for some came when that roster move wasn’t immediately followed up by an announcement that the club was in talks with Earl Thomas to take over that newly-vacated locker. While Cowboys ownership says they will “look at all avenues” at the safety position, the release of Clinton-Dix does create a sense that the team may be woefully thin in the secondary.

Speaking on Dallas radio with 105.3 The Fan, Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones gave no indication that signing Thomas is on the front office’s weekend to-do list. But he didn’t slam the door on the idea, either.

“We’re certainly going to look at all avenues as we move forward here and I wouldn’t rule anything out,” Jones said, according to the team website. “We’re just down there working with [vice president of player personnel] Will [McClay] and our pro scouting department as well as our coaches in trying to figure out what our next steps might be here.”

The most logical next step has seemed to be Thomas, the seven-time Pro Bowl safety who has been widely linked to his hometown Cowboys for close to two years. The longtime Seahawk was released by the Baltimore Ravens after just one season and has been unemployed for nearly two weeks.

Now with the sudden thinning of the herd at safety in Dallas just as a promising season is about to begin, the calls to slap a star on Thomas’s helmet have never been louder.

Other league insiders, though, started downplaying any potential move to sign Thomas within minutes of the news that Clinton-Dix had been dismissed.

The Cowboys profess to be pleased with their defensive backs under new coordinator Mike Nolan and position coaches Al Harris and Maurice Linguist. Darian Thompson reportedly had an exceptional training camp and looks to have earned the starting nod opposite Xavier Woods in the wake of Clinton-Dix’s release.

But Woods has been dinged up, causing even more uncertainty barely a week before the team’s opener against the Rams. The coaching staff has been preaching positional flexibility to its players; that model may be tested early as cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and newcomer Reggie Robinson may find themselves fulfilling safety duties out of necessity and leaving the corner slots to Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, and highly-touted rookie Trevon Diggs.

“CeeDee Lamb might be Randy Moss, and Zeke might run for 2,000 yards, but they’re going to give up 50 points [a game] unless these guys can play,” said Good Morning Football host Kyle Brandt on Friday while looking at a listing of the current Cowboys secondary.

The team lists just three true safeties with the Clinton-Dix release. The oldest of them is 26. Of the ten listed cornerbacks, the average age is 24.7. The DB group as a whole is young and green.

“I would just call this out now,” Brandt continued. “On Monday, most of the country is not going to work. Good for them. Today and tomorrow, you know who’s not working? Earl Thomas. This is a different conversation now. If you didn’t want to get in the Jamal Adams business, that’s fine. It would have been very expensive and a whole different deal. Earl Thomas can maybe help you immediately. It goes from being a luxury of a good player to a necessity that, ‘I don’t know if we have enough talent on our back end to go toe-for-toe with some of these teams, starting with the Rams.’ If you know Earl is super-super-thirsty to play in Dallas, make him an offer. Low-ball him. See how much he wants to play in Dallas. I was okay on the thing before; now they need it. That is a striking fullscreen about America’s Team. ‘That’s the best we got?’ That makes me really worried.”

Despite whatever personality issues sent Thomas packing from both Seattle and Baltimore within the last 17 months, he’s a veteran player who could conceivably provide leadership on the field, and certainly still has the physical tools to contribute.

But Jones played it close to the vest when specifically asked about the former Legion of Boom star.

“As I always say, we’re always in the market 365 days a year to improve this football team, and that’s what we’ll we’ll continue to do,” Jones said.

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What does Adrian Peterson’s release mean for your fantasy football team?

With Antonio Gibson now assuming the starting RB role in Washington, there are some major fantasy football implications to be had.

While the Washington Football Team is working to make their actual roster on the field work after the surprise release of veteran RB Adrian Peterson, there are a number of fantasy football managers around the world who may be wondering something similar.

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With the NFL season just a week from being kicked off, many teams have already been drafted, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if you rostered Peterson with hopes of him being the starting RB in Washington. So now that he’s gone, what do you do? Here are some tips.

Pick up Antonio Gibson Immediately

If you can do so, you need to be rushing to your waiver wire and looking to pick up rookie Antonio Gibson immediately if he is available, which may not be the case. Gibson has already been one of the young players picking up ‘sleeper buzz’ this season, so there’s a good chance that he is already rostered by someone who just won the lottery on Friday morning, but you at least need to check.

Even as the RB2 in Washington, many expected Gibson to have a nice rookie season where he could help win you a couple of games. Now that he is stepping into the starting role, though, his value just went through the roof. When you consider that the release of AP was primarily to give these young players more of a chance, namely Gibson, it’s exciting to think of the possibilities that he will have in Scott Turner’s offense. We could be dealing with a young superstar on our hands, and you’ll want to do everything you can to get a piece of it.

Hold on to Adrian Peterson

Just because AP is no longer a member of the Washington Football Team doesn’t mean his value has plummeted. In fact, depending on where he ends up landing, it could potentially help him down the road if he goes to a contending team that has an easier path to scoring points than Washington typically does.

I would hang onto AP for the time being and watch to see what happens. We saw two years ago in Washington that he doesn’t need much ramp-up time to get going, and he can definitely go to a new system and start to provide an impact right away.

Be open to fliers in Washington

This move seemingly caused all of the other backs in Washington to take a step forward in the value chart. While players like Bryce Love, J.D. McKissic, or Peyton Barber were unlikely to be rostered a couple of days ago, you can now look at potentially adding and stashing them for future use. If it were me, I would try to pick up McKissic first, and maybe Love if he is unavailable. We haven’t yet seen enough from Barber to make me think that he is going to have a legitimate impact on the offense in Washington, but it’s something to keep your eye on.

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