The Rams had been discussing a long-term deal with Richard Quinn throughout the spring, and because there was no hard deadline for the talks to end, St. Louis management pushed to continue negotiations even as Week 1 came and went, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. The Rams and the 24-year-old Quinn eventually agreed to a four-year extension worth more than $66MM. For his part, Quinn weighed the potential benefits of reaching free agency against the security of guaranteed money. “You have got to take everything into account,” Quinn told Wagoner in a separate piece. “Maybe I have another monstrous year, maybe I have a mediocre year so like I said I am definitely blessed and honored for the Rams to even offer that to me…” Quinn becomes the fourth 2011 first-rounder to sign an extension, joining Patrick Peterson, Tyron Smith, and J.J. Watt. Here’s more from the NFC.
- Marcus Lattimore, who is currently on the reserve/NFI list, could be the 49ers’ No. 3 running back during the second half of the season, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Following LaMichael James‘ release, rookie Bruce Ellington, who played receiver in college, is acting as San Francisco’s third RB behind Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde.
- In his latest mailbag at ESPN.com, Michael Rothstein passes along several observations, chief among them being that Richie Incognito is not an option for the Lions. Additionally, Rothstein registers his surprise that Detroit did not add secondary depth during the week, especially following the season-ending injury to slot corner Bill Bentley. The Lions have auditioned several DBs in recent weeks.
- The Eagles have added a replay specialist to their staff, reports Jason Wolf of the News Journal. Former ACC official Frank Kosman will assist Philadelphia, who won 50% of its challenges last season, in all aspects of replay. It’s a unique move by the Birds, and one I’d expect other teams to emulate.
- Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines the development of Eagles teammates Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks, each of whom was selected in the 2012 draft. Both Cox, a defensive lineman, and Kendricks, a linebacker, have had to adjust to the 3-4 scheme that was implemented in Philadelphia last season.