Reports: RB Crowell tears Achilles, Raiders re-sign Martin

Reports: RB Crowell tears Achilles, Raiders re-sign Martin

Oakland Raiders running back Isaiah Crowell suffered a torn Achilles tendon on Tuesday and is out for the season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday.

Crowell, who signed a one-year contract valued up to $2.5 million in late March, will have surgery next week, Schefter said. He became available when the New York Jets released him after signing free agent running back Le’Veon Bell to a four-year contract.

The 26-year-old spent his first four seasons with Cleveland before signing with the Jets before the 2018 season. Last year, he gained 837 total yards and scored six touchdowns in 13 games (six starts).

The injury has prompted the Raiders to re-sign free agent RB Doug Martin, NFL Network reported Wednesday.

The Raiders had let Martin, their leading rusher last season, walk away with Crowell in the fold. Martin, 30, appeared in all 16 games (nine starts) in 2018 and had 839 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns.

The Raiders were counting on Crowell to play a prominent role following the retirement of Marshawn Lynch. Aside from Martin, their depth chart now includes rookie Josh Jacobs — the No. 24 pick in the draft from Alabama – along with Jalen Richard, DeAndre Washington and Chris Warren.

–Field Level Media

NFL puts dates on International Series games

NFL puts dates on International Series games

Five International Series games on the 2019 NFL schedule were assigned dates on Wednesday, including a primetime AFC West rivalry game in Mexico pitting the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers at Azteca Stadium.

The matchups for all five games, four of which are scheduled to be played in London, were announced by the NFL on Jan. 21.

The Chiefs-Chargers game is the final date on the International Series schedule, which opens Oct. 6 with the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders in a 1 p.m. ET game at Tottenham Stadium.

NFC South division foes are at Tottenham the following Sunday, when the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers square off in a 9:30 a.m. ET game (Oct. 13).

Play shifts to Wembley Stadium on Oct. 27 as the Cincinnati Bengals and NFC champion Los Angeles Rams meet (1 p.m. ET), and AFC South opponents — Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars — play Nov. 3 in a 9:30 a.m. ET contest.

The Rams were scheduled to play the Chiefs at Azteca Stadium last season, but that “Monday Night Football” game was moved to Los Angeles due to field conditions.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the Super Bowl in February that NFL officials are confident the game will be played in Mexico City this year.

–Field Level Media

QB Haskins not attending NFL draft

QB Haskins not attending NFL draft

Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins’ name was notably absent when the league listed the 23 players who will attend the NFL Draft in Nashville later this month.

Haskins has not commented on his decision to forego the festivities, but the revelation follows speculation this week that his draft stock is slipping.

Peter King wrote in Monday’s “Football Morning in America” column that the former Buckeyes star “could plummet” and might be the fourth quarterback off the board after Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray of Oklahoma, Missouri’s Drew Lock and Duke’s Daniel Jones.

Murray, Lock and Jones will be in attendance when the draft kicks off on April 25. So will Ohio State pass rusher Nick Bosa, a potential No. 1 overall pick along with Murray.

Haskins completed 70 percent of his passes for 4,831 yards with 50 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 14 starts last season.

It’s not uncommon for top players to skip the green room and attend draft parties at home with friends and family. The last two No. 1 overall selections — Baker Mayfield in 2018 and Myles Garrett in 2017 — opted not to attend the draft.

–Field Level Media

Report: Vikings to add QB Mannion

Report: Vikings to add QB Mannion

The Minnesota Vikings will be signing unrestricted free agent Sean Mannion as a backup to Kirk Cousins, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Sunday, citing a source.

Mannion spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Rams, who moved on from Mannion in the offseason when they signed former Jacksonville Jaguars starter Blake Bortles as an experienced backup to Jared Goff.

Mannion appeared in 10 games with the Rams, with one start in 2017 — a season-ending loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Mannion, a 2015 third-round pick out of Oregon State, completed 33 of 53 passes for 258 yards, with one interception and no touchdowns, in his career with the Rams.

The Vikings let Trevor Siemian go via free agency — he signed with the Jets — and also have quarterback Kyle Sloter on their roster. Sloter, 25, has yet to appear in an NFL game.

–Field Level Media

Raiders’ Gruden: Carr is ‘going to be our QB’

Raiders’ Gruden: Carr is ‘going to be our QB’

Amid rumors and speculation that the Oakland Raiders could be looking to move on from Derek Carr, head coach Jon Gruden said Monday that Carr’s status is set for 2019.

“Yeah. He’s going to be our quarterback,” Gruden said in an interview with NFL Network from the league meetings in Phoenix. “I’m not going to address all the rumors. I could care less about the rumors.

“He threw for 4,100 yards. Threw for almost 70 percent (completion rate) in a very dire, tough circumstance. So I’ve got a lot of confidence in Carr; what he can do with Antonio Brown, with Tyrell Williams, with Trent Brown coming in here to help our offensive line.”

Gruden also confirmed the team will conduct private workouts with top quarterback prospects Kyler Murray of Oklahoma and Dwayne Haskins of Ohio State, as The MMQB reported earlier Monday. But he noted that those workouts are simply part of the team’s due diligence.

“We’re going to meet with a lot of guys at every position,” Gruden said. “We’re not going to look past anybody at any position. We have the fourth pick in this draft and we’re going to make sure we get it right.”

Unlike pre-draft visits — for which each NFL team can host up to 30 players at its facility — private workouts must be conducted on the player’s campus or near his hometown. To this point, neither Murray nor Haskins has been reported to be scheduled for a visit with the Raiders.

Like Gruden, general manager Mike Mayock has been similarly supportive of Carr, but he has also been open about his responsibility to look into all avenues available to improve the team. Speculation has swirled since before the NFL Scouting Combine that the Raiders have interest in Murray, who many expect to be chosen first overall by the Arizona Cardinals.

Haskins, once considered the likely first quarterback off the board, has been connected to the Raiders and the New York Giants (picking sixth), though a recent ESPN report said the Giants are less interested in the New Jersey native than many believe.

Missouri’s Drew Lock impressed at his pro day last week and has garnered some top-10 buzz, with some projecting him to go off the board ahead of Haskins. Gruden and his staff coached Lock at the Senior Bowl in late January.

Carr, who turns 28 on Thursday, is coming off a career high in passing yards (4,049) but a career low in touchdowns (19). He remains under contract for four more seasons, but the team could trade him this offseason and save $15 million of his $22.5 million cap figure.

If the Raiders chose to draft a top quarterback and move on from Carr next offseason, they could save $16.5 million of his $21.5 million cap figure for 2020.

Oakland also two other first-round picks in April’s draft, at Nos. 24 and 27.

–Field Level Media

Raiders' Gruden: Carr is 'going to be our QB'

Raiders’ Gruden: Carr is ‘going to be our QB’

Amid rumors and speculation that the Oakland Raiders could be looking to move on from Derek Carr, head coach Jon Gruden said Monday that Carr’s status is set for 2019.

“Yeah. He’s going to be our quarterback,” Gruden said in an interview with NFL Network from the league meetings in Phoenix. “I’m not going to address all the rumors. I could care less about the rumors.

“He threw for 4,100 yards. Threw for almost 70 percent (completion rate) in a very dire, tough circumstance. So I’ve got a lot of confidence in Carr; what he can do with Antonio Brown, with Tyrell Williams, with Trent Brown coming in here to help our offensive line.”

Gruden also confirmed the team will conduct private workouts with top quarterback prospects Kyler Murray of Oklahoma and Dwayne Haskins of Ohio State, as The MMQB reported earlier Monday. But he noted that those workouts are simply part of the team’s due diligence.

“We’re going to meet with a lot of guys at every position,” Gruden said. “We’re not going to look past anybody at any position. We have the fourth pick in this draft and we’re going to make sure we get it right.”

Unlike pre-draft visits — for which each NFL team can host up to 30 players at its facility — private workouts must be conducted on the player’s campus or near his hometown. To this point, neither Murray nor Haskins has been reported to be scheduled for a visit with the Raiders.

Like Gruden, general manager Mike Mayock has been similarly supportive of Carr, but he has also been open about his responsibility to look into all avenues available to improve the team. Speculation has swirled since before the NFL Scouting Combine that the Raiders have interest in Murray, who many expect to be chosen first overall by the Arizona Cardinals.

Haskins, once considered the likely first quarterback off the board, has been connected to the Raiders and the New York Giants (picking sixth), though a recent ESPN report said the Giants are less interested in the New Jersey native than many believe.

Missouri’s Drew Lock impressed at his pro day last week and has garnered some top-10 buzz, with some projecting him to go off the board ahead of Haskins. Gruden and his staff coached Lock at the Senior Bowl in late January.

Carr, who turns 28 on Thursday, is coming off a career high in passing yards (4,049) but a career low in touchdowns (19). He remains under contract for four more seasons, but the team could trade him this offseason and save $15 million of his $22.5 million cap figure.

If the Raiders chose to draft a top quarterback and move on from Carr next offseason, they could save $16.5 million of his $21.5 million cap figure for 2020.

Oakland also two other first-round picks in April’s draft, at Nos. 24 and 27.

–Field Level Media

Eagles add veteran S Sendejo

Eagles add veteran S Sendejo

The Philadelphia Eagles agreed to a one-year deal with veteran strong safety Andrew Sendejo, the team announced Monday.

Sendejo spent the past eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He became a free agent earlier this month when the Vikings declined the $5.5 million 2019 option on his contract.

Sendejo, 31, only played in five games last season due to a groin injury. He had 27 tackles.

Sendejo intercepted six passes and recovered three fumbles in 93 games (58 starts) for the Vikings. He also played in two games for the Dallas Cowboys in 2010.

The Eagles figure to use Sendejo as the third safety in the defense with Malcolm Jenkins set as the starting strong safety.

–Field Level Media

Report: Saints restructure Brees’ contract, create $11M in cap space

Report: Saints restructure Brees’ contract, create $11M in cap space

The New Orleans Saints restructured quarterback Drew Brees’ contract in order to clear up $10.8 million in cap space for this season, NFL Network reported Thursday.

Brees will make $22.7 million in 2019, and the $10.8 million will get deferred to count against the team’s cap in 2020 to the tune of $21.3 million overall, whether the future Hall of Famer is on the team or not.

But it’s a win-now move for the Saints, who are reportedly trying to resign backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and make a play for free agent tight end Jared Cook.

–Field Level Media

Reports: Cowboys bring back WR Austin, sign DL Covington

Reports: Cowboys bring back WR Austin, sign DL Covington

The Cowboys and Tavon Austin have agreed on a one-year deal to keep the speedy wide receiver in Dallas, according to reports.

Austin played in just seven games due to injury last season, catching eight passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns. He could be in line for more targets now that Cole Beasley left the Cowboys for Buffalo.

Austin also ran the ball six times for 55 yards.

Austin has 14 career touchdowns in six NFL seasons, the first five of which came with the Rams.

The Cowboys also signed free agent defensive lineman Christian Covington to a one-year deal to bolster a line that will be without Randy Gregory and David Irving next season. Covington posted 7.5 sacks in 50 games with the Houston Texans over the past four seasons.

–Field Level Media

Report: Big loss has Dolphins' players wanting out

Report: Big loss has Dolphins’ players wanting out

Whether the Miami Dolphins lost their season opener by 49 points because they had a bad week, or because the front office is resigned to losing as part of a rebuilding phase, multiple players reportedly want out — now.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, citing “a league source with knowledge of the situation,” reported Sunday that some players wasted little time after their 59-10 blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens in ordering their agents to get them traded elsewhere.

Suspicions have arisen that the Dolphins could be willing to lose so they get higher draft picks.

The speculation intensified on Aug. 31 when the Dolphins traded away tackle Laremy Tunsil, a first-round draft pick in 2016, and six-year veteran wide receiver Kenny Stills, to the Houston Texans, reportedly to receive first-round picks in 2020 and 2021, and a second rounder in 2021.

Miami’s talks with Houston were believed to have begun with the Dolphins asking about star edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney. But the Texans instead dealt Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks.

Brian Flores, the Dolphins’ first-year coach, has repeatedly said the franchise is not tanking — in effect, trying to lose to improve their draft selection — though such admissions are rare.

The Dolphins finished 7-9 last year, but were projected to be one of the league’s worst teams in 2019 by most NFL experts even before Sunday’s stinker and the ensuing mutiny reports.

–Field Level Media