September 2 NFL Notes: Cardinals' Jalen Thompson signs extension, Texans sign OJ Howard and more

It’s a three-year contract extension worth just under $40 million with $24.5 million in total guarantees.
The Cardinals picked up Thompson in the 2019 supplemental draft when they selected him in the fifth round.
He’s coming off his best professional season, playing in every game and logging over 1,000 snaps (regular season plus postseason). He posted a career-high 121 tackles in addition to three interceptions and four pass breakups. He earned a 68.2 PFF grade along with a 72.9 coverage grade and a 74.1 tackling grade.
Thompson is the third Cardinals player in recent weeks to sign an extension, joining QB Kyler Murray and LT DJ Humphries.

The Eagles currently do not believe it is a season-ending injury, but the former first-round pick will undergo further testing to determine a timetable.
Dillard has been serving as Philadelphia’s backup left tackle and has been in some trade talks over the last couple of years after Jordan Mailata‘s emergence.
Last season was his best season as a professional, earning a career-best 69.6 PFF grade along with a 71.7 pass-blocking grade and a 65.4 run-blocking grade in 340 snaps played.
Philadelphia declined his fifth-year option this offseason, meaning he’ll be a free agent after this season.

Howard was released by the Buffalo Bills earlier this week when they trimmed their roster down to 53 players.
A Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round pick in 2017, Howard recorded just 14 catches for 135 yards and one touchdown last season in his first year back from a torn Achilles. He earned a career-low 49.0 PFF grade.
He signed with the Bills this offseason but was cut after losing the backup job to Quintin Morris and Tommy Sweeney.
In Houston, Howard will join Pharaoh Brown and Brevin Jordan as tight ends on the active roster.
In a corresponding move, the Texans released veteran receiver Chris Conley.

The Bears, under then-GM Ryan Pace, traded up to select Jenkins in the second round of last year’s draft to be their future left or right tackle.
He missed a large portion of his rookie season after undergoing back surgery but returned to start a couple of games late in the year. Overall, he earned a subpar 47.5 overall grade.
With a new GM and HC, Jenkins found himself in some trade discussions over the last several weeks, but no deal came to fruition.
Chicago moved him inside to right guard for the final two preseason games, and he earned a 72.0 pass blocking grade and 54.9 overall.
GM Ryan Poles came away impressed and it sounds like he’s won that job for the start of the regular season: “I had a good conversation with him, and I told him how proud I was of him. Again, I think it's about building the best five. I think we have a good five with him at guard.”

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