Surf’s up: Rookie Bosa ends holdout
NFL NOTES: Teams start to make tough tweaks to rosters as season fast approaching
The surfer dude finally is on board. The San Diego Chargers signed rookie defensive end Joey Bosa to a contract on Monday afternoon, ending a summer-long standoff.
“We look forward to having Joey join us and getting him prepared as quickly as possible for the 2016 season,” Chargers GM Tom Telesco said in a statement.
A couple of reported minuscule compromises on the Chargers’ part apparently were enough to compel the top edge rusher in this year’s rookie class to sign.
Bosa had boycotted training camp (after attending all May and June practices) because he refused to cave to the Chargers’ insistence that the contract include (1) offsets that would force Bosa to pay back a portion of his guaranteed money should the Chargers ever cut him and he signs with another team, and (2) a partial deferment of the 2016 portion of his signing bonus to next March.
Bosa’s agent had said his client would agree to one or the other, not both. It appears Bosa did agree to both, but the Chargers sweetened two parts of the deal.
First, according to ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio, the Chargers made it easier for Bosa to earn US$6.5 million in annual training-camp bonuses. Now he’ll get them so long as he’s on the active training-camp roster, including the non-football-injury and non-football-illness lists. Not all NFL rookies get that.
Secondly, Florio reported that while Bosa still will have to punt some of the 2016 portion of his US$17-million signing bonus to early next year, he’ll get more than 85 per cent up front; he’ll receive the other 15 per cent later next year.
Overall, the Chargers are paying the No. 3 overall draft pick US$25.8 million over four years, according to NFL Network.
Bosa, who looked and even spoke like a surfer dude coming out of Ohio State, joined the Chargers on Monday. It’s probably too soon for him to play in Thursday’s pre-season finale vs. San Francisco.
Can coaches get him ready in time for the regular-season opener at Kansas City on Sept. 11? Probably. Bosa is an edge rusher. Not to over-simplify what he does, but Bosa can probably stand at end on pass-rushing downs and race after the quarterback without much more playbook study or repping.
Getting the boot
Carolina and Cleveland swapped punters and draft picks. The Browns’ Andy Lee and a 2017 seventh-round pick are off to the Panthers for Kasey Redfern and a 2018 fourth-rounder. Lee is a three-time Pro Bowl selection.
Video went viral on the weekend of Lee inexcusably failing to try to tackle a returner who took one of his punts and scored.
Whether or not that factored into Cleveland’s decision, Browns management is determined to cut or trade players of any redeeming value, in the hope of stockpiling 100 draft picks over the next two years. Or so it seems.
Trade rescinded
Centre Bryan Stork failed his physical with the Washington Redskins, so last week’s trade is voided, reports said. Stork becomes property again of the New England Patriots, and the Redskins get their conditional 2017 draft pick back. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick did not say what the team would do with Stork.
Trim-down Tuesday
Teams have until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to hack their rosters from 90 to 75 players, the first of two cutdowns this week. Young players that teams already have pencilled in for the practice squad typically survive until the final cut — Saturday at 4 p.m. ET — because that leaves such players unclaimed for only 20 hours, rather than for nearly five days, before teams can begin filling their 10-man practice squad.
That means some of the bigger names are being released early this week, such as New England NT Terrance Knighton. Virtually every team will cut a similar player, which always jolts the locker-room. For instance Cleveland dumped linebacker Paul Kruger on Monday.
“It was a shock,” veteran Browns cornerback Joe Haden said. “This business, it never surprises you. You always have one or two every year that you kind of scratch your head, or it is a dude that you thought was to be part of the change. But it’s a business. It’s a tough business.”
In explaining why the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday released receivers Rueben Randle and Chris Givens, head coach Doug Pederson said something common at this time of year: “These are two veteran guys that could potentially get picked up on another roster. So doing it now (rather) than later is an advantage for them to get picked up.”
Wentz update
Rookie Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz had a CT scan on the ribs he injured in Philly’s pre-season opener. Pederson said Wentz’s 10th rib “is completely healed” but the 11th “still shows about 60 per cent” of something Pederson didn’t elaborate on. Wentz probably won’t play on Thursday, will continue to do what he can at practices and will remain day-to-day, Pederson said.