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Month: January 2025

AFC Notes: Dolphins, Flowers, Bills, Luck

June 25th, 2014 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent offensive lineman Andre Gurode, who has plenty of experience at center and guard and played for the Raiders last season, has reached out to the Dolphins to see if they have any interest in signing him in the wake of Mike Pouncey‘s labrum surgery, says Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. However, as of Tuesday evening, the club has yet to return his call. While Miami doesn’t necessarily need to add any veteran free agents for camp, the team has been making “brief preliminary inquiries” on potential options, according to Jackson. Our Dallas Robinson took a closer look at a few of the Dolphins’ possible targets earlier this week.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • In a conversation with Ricky Henne of Chargers.com, Brandon Flowers spoke about signing with the Chargers and the impact he hopes to have on the team and on rookie cornerback Jason Verrett. According to Flowers, his former Virginia Tech teammate Eddie Royal gave him a hard sell on the team, the city, and the fans.
  • It has been said that the Bills need a new stadium to remain in Western New York, but governor Andrew Cuomo isn’t sure about that, writes Robert J. McCarthy of the Buffalo News. “The state would do its part; the county would do its part, but only if you really need a new stadium, which, frankly, I am not convinced of,” Cuomo said. “It would be more a function of what the new buyer and the NFL say is the condition to keep it here. We have to see how it develops down the road.”
  • In a conversation at NFL.com, Gregg Rosenthal, Chris Wesseling, and Kevin Patra debate which NFL player would earn the most money as a free agent on the open market right now, and two of the three scribes opt for Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.
  • Executive vice president Bryan Wiedmeier has signed a contract extension with the Browns, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Chargers Sign Brandon Flowers

June 25th, 2014 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 3:30pm: The Chargers have waived cornerback Brandon Jones in order to clear a spot on the roster for Flowers, the team announced today (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 6:24pm: Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link) has the exact breakdown of Flowers’ deal. The veteran gets $1.5MM to sign, $1.5MM in base salary, and up to $2MM in incentives. In order to earn that full $2MM in incentives, Flowers needs to play in 92.5% of the Chargers defensive snaps and the team must advance to the AFC Championship (link).

5:53pm: Flowers’ deal can earn him up to $5MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The cornerback will now have the opportunity to prove himself this season and cash in next offseason at the age of 29.

4:01pm: The Chargers have reached an agreement on a contract with free agent cornerback Brandon Flowers, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). According to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link), it’ll be a one-year pact for Flowers in San Diego.NFL: Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles

After being cut by the Chiefs earlier in the month, Flowers paid a free agent visit to the Chargers last week, and later met with the 49ers as well, according to Garafolo (Twitter link). By joining the Chargers, Flowers will remain in the AFC West and face his old team twice in the 2014 season, and will also be signing with the team that topped last week’s PFR poll asking where the cornerback would land.

Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) suggest 2013 was a down year for Flowers as he struggled to fit in new Kansas City defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s scheme, ranking as just the 87th-best CB in the league among 110 qualified players. However, PFF rated Flowers as a top-seven corner in both 2011 and 2012, and the former Chief is still only 28 years old. That makes him an intriguing option for a Chargers team whose corners all had even worse PFF grades than Flowers in ’13.

By signing a one-year contract with San Diego, Flowers will have the opportunity to show that 2013 was an aberration, and will be eligible to hit the open market again at age 29. Considering the kind of deals we saw this year’s group of top cornerbacks sign in free agency, a bounce-back year from the former Virginia Tech standout could result in another nice payday next March. It would also go a long way toward solidifying a Chargers secondary that also added first-round cornerback Jason Verrett.

The Vikings, Ravens, Falcons, and Lions were among the other clubs who reportedly had some level of interest in Flowers, who received inquiries from about 10 teams when he first became available. However, if those teams – and others – are still on the lookout for veteran cornerback help, they’ll have to turn to a group of free agents that looks significantly less appealing without Flowers heading it up. Chris Houston, Terrell Thomas, and Drayton Florence are among the players still available, as our list of FAs shows.

The Chargers filled the 90th and final spot on their roster last week by claiming Chas Alecxih off waivers, so they’ll have to make a corresponding move in order to officially add Flowers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2014 NFL Roster Counts

June 25th, 2014 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

On Tuesday, I took a look at the teams around the NFL who currently have open roster spots, most or all of which figure to be filled in time for the beginning of training camps next month. Since then, a handful of roster moves have been made around the league, with the Falcons creating a third available roster slot, while the Seahawks briefly opening up a spot on their 90-man roster before filling it again.

These minor transactions figure to be frequent over the next several weeks and months, so we’ve created this page to keep tabs on teams’ roster counts around the NFL throughout the year. This tracker, which can be found anytime under the “PFR Features” sidebar on the right-hand side of our site, will be maintained and updated throughout the offseason and the regular season, as the roster limit declines from 90 players to 75 and eventually to 53.

If you have any corrections, please contact us. Here are 2014’s NFL roster counts:

Updated 1-5-14 (8:07am CT)

  • Baltimore Ravens (53)
  • Carolina Panthers (53)
  • Dallas Cowboys (53)
  • Denver Broncos (53)
  • Green Bay Packers (53)
  • Indianapolis Colts (53)

    • New England Patriots (53)

  • Seattle Seahawks (53)

North Notes: Vikings, Houston, Bears, Browns

June 25th, 2014 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Teddy Bridgewater made waves when he suggested after the draft that he hadn’t wanted to land with the Browns, but the Vikings quarterback says now that those remarks were misinterpreted, writes Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

“I think it was misinterpreted,” he said. “What I was saying was I had a strong feeling about the Minnesota Vikings. I was able to meet with them five or six times in the pre-draft visits. I just had a pretty solid feeling about the Minnesota Vikings, but, you know, I try to put the pre-draft stuff behind and try to just focus on my career with the Minnesota Vikings.”

Let’s round up a few more of the latest items from out of the NFL’s two North divisions:

  • Dan Pompei of Sports on Earth examines the Vikings‘ offseason, which included the drafting of a potential franchise quarterback in Bridgewater.
  • Veteran cornerback Chris Houston, who was cut by the Lions earlier this month, tells Ryan Autullo of the Austin American-Statesman that the decision was mutual. It’s hard to believe that Houston would’ve encouraged Detroit to release him, but he’ll at least have the opportunity to work his way back to full health without having to worry about winning a roster spot. The free agent corner hopes to be medically cleared by August or September.
  • In his latest mailbag for the Chicago Tribune, Brad Biggs fields readers’ questions on the Bears‘ offensive line, Devin Hester‘s departure, and the club’s depth at wide receiver and tight end.
  • New executive chief of staff Bill Kuharich will play the role of an experienced sounding board for GM Ray Farmer in the Browns‘ front office, writes Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com.

NFC West Notes: Peterson, Seahawks, 49ers

June 25th, 2014 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

The league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, which features fifth-year options for first-round picks, is ensuring that 2011 first-rounders will have a hard time securing contract extensions this year, writes Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. As Somers notes, agent Joel Segal has discussed a new deal for Patrick Peterson with the Cardinals, but the two sides haven’t made significant progress. With two years still remaining on their rookie contracts thanks to those 2015 options, Peterson and his fellow 2011 first-rounders have little leverage at the moment, as teams aren’t feeling the pressure to offer anything but discounted deals.

Here’s more from around the NFC West:

  • The Seahawks have signed former University of Washington receiver Kevin Smith to fill the last spot on their 90-man roster, reports Adam Jude of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). Smith has bounced around among several teams over the last few weeks, having spent time with the Cardinals and Jaguars as well. He was cut by Jacksonville last week.
  • Bill Williamson of ESPN.com wasn’t surprised to hear the 49ers had Brandon Flowers in for a visit but he also wasn’t surprised that they couldn’t do enough to drag him away from the Chargers. Williamson thinks San Francisco will be fine going into the season with its current group of cornerbacks, but if another established CB becomes available, the team will investigate.
  • Former 49ers coach Mike Singletary wants Vernon Davis to talk it out with San Francisco brass, writes Cam Inman of the Mercury News. “I think one of the most important things for Vernon is to make sure that right now with all of the things that are out there – the negative media, however it is – the most important thing in any holdout is the communication,” Singletary said Tuesday on NFL Network’s Total Access.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Extension Candidate: Jermaine Gresham

June 25th, 2014 at 10:17am CST by Luke Adams

A former first-round pick, Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham has earned spots in two Pro Bowls during the first four years of his NFL career, accumulating 218 total receptions for 2,262 yards and 19 touchdowns in 59 career overall contests. In many instances, those kind of impressive results would have the player’s team working hard to ensure he remains under contract beyond the 2014 season, the final year of his rookie deal.Jermaine Gresham

In Cincinnati though, the Bengals’ interest in a long-term commitment to Gresham remains unclear. The team has a pair of more pressing extension candidates to worry about this summer, with quarterback Andy Dalton and standout linebacker Vontaze Burfict both eligible for new deals. Still, when head coach Marvin Lewis spoke about a Dalton extension on SiriusXM NFL Radio earlier this month, he pointed out that getting something done with the signal-caller would allow the club to focus on locking up other players — although he didn’t mention Gresham by name, Lewis identified “our tight end” as one of those extension candidates.

Of course, while Lewis has some input on roster decisions, it’ll be the front office, led by general manager Mike Brown, that ultimately has the final say on whether Gresham remains in Cincinnati for the long term. And there have been a few signals that extending the tight end’s contract may not be in the club’s plans. For one, just three years after selecting Gresham 21st overall in the draft, the Bengals picked a tight end again at No. 21 a year ago, snatching up Tyler Eifert out of Notre Dame. Eifert didn’t immediately usurp Gresham as the No. 1 option at the position, but the Bengals took advantage of his presence by implementing a two-tight-end offense, and the rookie certainly cut into Gresham’s targets. After seeing 92 passes thrown his way in 2012, Gresham was targeted just 63 times last season, with Eifert earning 56 targets of his own.

While the Bengals’ decision to draft Eifert a year ago may have been largely a product of the team wanting to run an offense with two pass-catching tight ends, Cincinnati also had reason to want an insurance policy for Gresham. Even though he was coming off consecutive Pro Bowl seasons, Gresham actually ranked dead last among 62 qualified tight ends in ’12, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required), which docked him for his poor run blocking and an inability to avoid penalties. In both 2012 and 2013, no other tight end was called for more penalties than Gresham, who also tied for the most fumbles (five) among tight ends during those two seasons.

Just as one can’t overlook Gresham’s propensity to make mistakes though, his playmaking ability shouldn’t be underrated — the 26-year-old typically ranks among the tight end leaders when it comes to yards after catch and missed tackles. After Cincinnati lost Andrew Hawkins in free agency this offseason, the team will be relying more than ever on its tight ends to help carry the receiving load alongside A.J. Green and Marvin Jones, so even with Dalton potentially looking Eifert’s way more often, Gresham could be primed for a productive contract year.

Ultimately, I think the Bengals will wait to open extension talks with Gresham, whose place on the roster going forward looks significantly more precarious than it did a year ago. As ESPN.com’s Coley Harvey observed recently in a mailbag, Gresham’s relationship with fans in Cincinnati has been rocky, and the young tight end may ultimately command more on the open market than the Bengals are willing to pay. I do expect the team to make some effort to re-up Gresham before he reaches unrestricted free agency, but Dalton and Burfict will be the priorities, and if Eifert continues to emerge in his second year, there won’t be as much urgency for the Bengals to negotiate with Gresham.

If and when the two sides do engage in contract discussions, Brandon Pettigrew‘s new contract with the Lions may serve as a logical point of comparison. Pettigrew’s career per-year averages of about 57 receptions and 566 receiving yards are essentially identical to Gresham’s (55 and 566), and Pettigrew will also cede targets to a young first-round tight end (Eric Ebron) going forward. The Lions locked up Pettigrew this spring for four years and $16MM, with $5.2MM in guaranteed money. If the Bengals can get Gresham for a little cheaper than that, I think the club will be interested in working out an extension. If Gresham is aiming to top Pettigrew’s deal, he’s more likely to do it on the open market than in Cincinnati.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jaguars Links: Roster, Harris, Marks, Lewis

June 25th, 2014 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

The Jaguars saw a former offensive line mainstay find a new team yesterday, when Uche Nwaneri confirmed that he had reached an agreement to join the Cowboys. Jacksonville also finalized a signing of its own, however, announcing that second-round wideout Allen Robinson had inked his rookie deal. Eight of nine Jags draftees are now under contract, with only fellow second-round receiver Marqise Lee still unsigned. As we wait for Lee to make it official with his new NFL club, let’s check in on a few links from out of Jacksonville….

  • Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union projects what the Jaguars‘ 53-man roster will look like. Jacksonville has some interesting battles brewing, including at tight end, wide receiver, and in the secondary, and O’Halloran places his bets for all of them.
  • Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com looks at cornerback Mike Harris as he tries to make the Jaguars‘ roster. After Alan Ball (86 games) and Will Blackmon (58 games), no Jaguars cornerback has appeared in more career games than Harris (31). Still, the Florida State product isn’t the kind of long and physical corner that coach Gus Bradley prefers.
  • Sen’Derrick Marks‘ contract with the Jaguars currently ranks as the most team-friendly deal on the roster, in the estimation of Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap. On the other end of the spectrum, tight end Marcedes Lewis repeats as Fitzgerald’s pick for the worst contract on Jacksonville’s roster.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Offseason In Review: Cleveland Browns

June 24th, 2014 at 10:26pm CST by Zachary Links

Notable signings:

Notable losses:

Extensions and restructures:

Trades:

  • Acquired a first-round pick (No. 9), a 2015 first-round pick, and a 2015 fourth-round pick from the Bills in exchange for a first-round pick (No. 4).
  • Acquired a first-round pick (No. 8) from the Vikings in exchange for a first-round pick (No. 9) and a fifth-round pick (No. 145).
  • Acquired a first-round pick (No. 22) from the Eagles in exchange for a first-round pick (No. 26) and a third-round pick (No. 83).
  • Acquired a third-round pick (No. 94) from the 49ers in exchange for a fourth-round pick (No. 106) and a sixth-round pick (No. 180).
  • Acquired a 2015 sixth-round pick from the Ravens in exchange for a seventh-round pick (No. 218).

Draft picks:

  • Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State (1.8)
  • Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M (1.22): Signed
  • Joel Bitonio, OT, Nevada (2.35): Signed
  • Chris Kirksey, LB, Iowa (3.71): Signed
  • Terrance West, RB, Towson (3.94): Signed
  • Pierre Desir, CB, Lindenwood (4.127): Signed

Other:

Ask your non-football watching mom to name a player out of this year’s NFL draft and, odds are, she won’t come up with Jadeveon Clowney, Greg Robinson, Blake Bortles, or Sammy Watkins. Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel was the 22nd player taken in the May draft, but you wouldn’t know it based on the way it was covered. In Manziel, the Browns potentially got their quarterback of the future. They also opened themselves up to a media circus and questions regarding inflatable swans and top 40 rappers.NFL: Cleveland Browns-Minicamp

Can Manziel break the Browns’ prodigious streak of disappointing quarterbacks? Owner Jimmy Haslam and at least one homeless gentleman in Cleveland seem to think so. Johnny Football can scramble like few others can, has good instincts at times, and can also air it out when needed. On the flip side, Manziel is under 6’0″, has questionable accuracy, and some get the sense that he’s more into partying than football. How it all works out for the Browns is anyone’s guess. In the short-term, Manziel is working on beating out incumbent Brian Hoyer for the starting job. If it were up to fan referendum, Manziel would win in a landslide, but coach Mike Pettine has spoken highly of Hoyer.

While everyone fawns and/or frets over Manziel, Browns top pick Justin Gilbert is enjoying the solitude. More people should be talking about Gilbert though. The former Oklahoma State cornerback was clearly the best at his position in this year’s class, in our humble opinion, which is why the Browns shuffled from No. 4 to No. 9 back up to No. 8 to land him. With Gilbert in the fold, the Browns have a worthy sidekick for Joe Haden who has established himself as one of the very best (maybe the best) cornerbacks in the NFL. Gilbert’s coverage still needs some work, but he already has NFL-grade ball skills and should make an immediate impact this season.

Speaking of Haden, the Browns locked up their star CB for the long haul with a five year, $67.5MM deal that will keep him in Cleveland through 2019. The pact, which includes $22.678MM guaranteed, won’t have Haden resting on his laurels. “This contract makes me want to play like the best cornerback in the league,” Haden told reporters after the deal was announced. The deal certainly pays Haden like he’s the best CB in the league. While the $13.6MM average annual value on the extension itself is a little less than what Seattle’s Richard Sherman got ($14MM per year), Haden’s new pact includes a $14MM signing bonus, $22MM in fully guaranteed money, and another $23MM that’s guaranteed for injury only, all numbers that exceed what Sherman received.

Elsewhere in the secondary, the Browns signed hard-hitting veteran safety Donte Whitner. The four-year, $28MM deal makes Whitner a top ten safety in terms of salary and gives the Browns a fill-in for the departed T.J. Ward. The 28-year-old is coming off of back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons and figures to bring the boom, even though he has decided against dropping the “W” from his surname.

Whoever is under center for the Browns in 2014 will have the pleasure of working with All-Pro center Alex Mack. That seemed to be anything but a certainty for much of the offseason. Tons of teams showed interest and the Jaguars made an aggressive pitch for him by coming up with a five-year, $42MM offer sheet to try and bring him down south. Ultimately, however, the Browns matched the offer sheet and avoided having to fill a massive, massive hole on their offensive line. Mack will earn $10MM this year, $8MM in 2015, and he can earn $8MM in 2016 if he doesn’t opt out. Mack, 28, has ranked among the top 10 centers according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) in each one of his five seasons since entering the league in 2009. In 2013, he placed fourth overall, grading well above-average as both a pass blocker and a run blocker. Keeping Mack wasn’t cheap, but it’s well worth it for the Browns, especially if they plan on rolling with a rookie QB.

Mack will lead an offensive line that will be charged with opening up holes for the speedy Ben Tate. Tate has spent the last few years as Arian Foster‘s understudy in Houston and each time Foster hit the injured list with a bum hamstring, Tate filled in admirably and showed that he can be a starting caliber running back. It was a depressed market for RBs this offseason and the soon-to-be 26-year-old got a deal that could wind up being a one-year, $2.5MM and has a ceiling of just $7MM over two years. Even though Tate has had injury woes of his own, including broken ribs last season, we’re predicting that this deal will be a major win for the Browns.

To upgrade their receiving corps, the Browns plucked promising receiver Andrew Hawkins away from the Bengals. The four-year, $13.6MM deal ($6.8MM guaranteed) is a bit of a gamble and explains why the Bengals didn’t bother to match. The 28-year-old had his best year in 2012, racking up 51 catches for 533 yards and four touchdowns. However, he began 2013 on the IR with a bum ankle and only recorded 12 receptions in the season’s second half. Obviously, Cleveland is expecting bigger things out of him going forward.

Hawkins was supposed to serve as a complement to No. 1 WR Josh Gordon, but a season long suspension for marijuana use threw a wrench into those plans. Gordon was an absolute stud in 2013, hauling in 87 catches for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games. The Browns have added other bodies this offseason, but they haven’t exactly found a Gordon replacement. Miles Austin was once viewed as a top wide receiver, but his hamstring issues kept him off the field for much of last season. Veteran Nate Burleson was also brought aboard, but he’s cut out for a supporting role, not a starring one.

On the other side of the ball, the Browns landed veteran linebacker Karlos Dansby in free agency with a four-year, $24MM deal. Dansby, who turns 33 in the fall, recorded 121 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and a career-high four interceptions, including two for touchdowns for the Cardinals last season. Pro Football Focus had Dansby ranked fifth among inside linebackers last seasons and gave him high marks for his pass coverage. The Browns saw locker room leader D’Qwell Jackson leave for the Colts but in Dansby they found a very suitable replacement. It’s possible that Jackson, who is two years younger than Dansby, will prove to be the better investment over the long haul. In the short term, however, Dansby might represent a decent-sized upgrade.

Some of the Browns’ biggest changes this offseason came off the field. The Browns installed Pettine, a Rex Ryan disciple and defensive guru, to take over for the well-liked Rob Chudzinski. In his first (and only) year as the Bills’ defensive coordinator, Pettine took Buffalo from the 27th ranked defense in the league to a top-five unit according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA. Joining Pettine on staff will be Kyle Shanahan and Jim O’Neil as offensive and defensive coordinators. Then, after hiring Pettine, the Browns underwent a major front office shakeup when they named Ray Farmer as the team’s new General Manager and bounced predecessor Michael Lombardi. CEO Joe Banner also got the heave-ho in the shuffle. Farmer has made his mark on the franchise since taking over, but if you’re inclined to believe that the Manziel pick came from upper management, you have to wonder if he’ll truly have full autonomy in all decisions.

Spotrac and Over The Cap were used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Moves: Falcons, Seahawks, Saints

June 24th, 2014 at 9:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, our own Luke Adams ran down the teams around the league with open roster spots. Already, there are some updates to be made. Here’s are the latest moves from around the NFL..

  • The Falcons announced that they have waived wide receiver Dominique Croom, who spent part of last season on the practice squad. Croom, 6’0″, 190 pounds, was originally signed by the Browns as a college free agent following the 2013 NFL Draft and was signed to Atlanta’s practice squad on November 27, 2013. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter) says he was released with a non-football illness designation. The Falcons now have three open roster spots.
  • Seahawks waived defensive tackle Andru Pulu, per the NFL transaction notice, tweets Brian McIntyre. Pulu received a $15k signing bonus as an undrafted free agent earlier this offseason. Seattle now has one vacant spot on the roster.
  • Saints cornerback A.J. Davis has been reverted to the injured reserve after going unclaimed after being waived-injured, Wilson tweets.

Pigskin Links: Bryant, Fantasy, Blackmon

June 24th, 2014 at 8:16pm CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 1922, the American Professional Football Association took the name of the National Football League (NFL). The APFA launched in 1920 and enjoyed some level of success, but there were much, much bigger things ahead for them under the NFL moniker.

Do you have a great football blog post – written by yourself or someone else – that you want to see featured on Pro Football Rumors? Email me a link at PigskinLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the football blogosphere..

Got a great football blog post that you want to see featured in next week’s Pigskin Links? Send it to Zach.

 

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