NFL Notes: Bears, Redskins, Titans

Bears

• The Athletic’s Adam Jahns lists Bears WR Cordarrelle Patterson ($4.5 million), WR Taylor Gabriel ($4.5 million), TE Ben Braunecker ($1.5 million) and TE Adam Shaheen ($1.27 million) as potential cuts for cap savings in 2020. 
• Conversely, Jahns says Chicago is locked into keeping Bears OTs Charles Leno and Bobby Massie, TE Trey Burton and CB Buster Skrine because their contracts make it hard to cut them. 
• Per Jahns, Chicago could also create as much as $12.5 million in cap space with extensions for WR Allen Robinson, LB Leonard Floyd and CB Prince Amukamara. 

Redskins

New Redskins HC Ron Rivera is still optimistic Washington will have LT Trent Williams back in 2020 after the veteran sat out the entire 2019 season in a dispute with the team. However, Rivera said he still needs to get Williams in the building and evaluate him medically. 

“We got to get Trent in, we got to sit him down, see where he is, see how he is, healthwise too. We have not really had the contact we need to have to know,” Rivera said via NBC Sports’ JP Finlay.

Rivera also said during an interview with The Team 98 that he wants to see rookie QB Dwayne Haskins starting “taking the leadership mantle.”

“I want to see him start taking the leadership mantle,” Rivera said. “It’s one the things I said in my first press conference. You know he’s got the skill set. He’s shown he’s got the ability.”

However, Rivera still expects Alex Smith to figure into the quarterback competition. 

“I also don’t want to forget Alex Smith,” Rivera said. “Here’s a guy that’s doing everything he can to come back, and if Alex can come back and be the player that he was we have a good situation; we have competition at that position.”

Titans

Titans RB Derrick Henry clinched the NFL’s rushing title in the final game of the season, continuing a trend of dominating in the back half of the schedule that he started with his breakout in 2018. Just like his running style, it takes Henry a little bit of time to get going, but once he picks up steam he’s a load to stop. Henry averaged 72.6 yards per game in the first half of the season and nearly double that with 137 yards per game in the second. 

“I can’t figure it out,” Henry said via Pro Football Talk. “I hope it keeps rolling like that. I’d definitely like to start that momentum earlier, but as long as I finish strong I’ll be happy with that. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

• According to ESPN’s Turron Davenport, the Titans met with Utah DE Bradlee Anae at the Senior Bowl. 
• Davenport also tells NFLTR that Titans GM Jon Robinson met with Utah State QB Jordan Love at the Senior Bowl.