2014 September - Pro Football Rumors

NFLPA Conducting Separate Rice Investigation

September 24th, 2014 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

As commissioner Roger Goodell discussed at his New York press conference last Friday, the NFL has hired former FBI director Robert Mueller to lead an investigation into the handling of the Ray Rice incident and subsequent suspension(s). However, that won’t be the only investigation being conducted into the matter. The NFLPA announced today that the union has retained former federal prosecutor Richard Craig Smith to complete its own investigation into the “due process, discipline, facts and conduct” by the NFL and Ravens that resulted in Rice’s indefinite suspension.

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to the separate investigations into the situation, as well as Rice’s appeal. According to the NFLPA’s statement, Smith’s investigation will “run parallel” to Rice’s appeal, which would typically be due for a hearing soon. However, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the NFL and NFLPA have either already agreed or will soon agree to postpone the appeal hearing beyond the September 30 deadline.

That delay on the appeal hearing should allow time for both investigations into the Rice situation to play out, and it shouldn’t have an adverse affect on the running back — even if he were to win an appeal soon, it’s extremely unlikely that he’ll be returning to an NFL field this season.

As for the NFLPA’s investigation, the union has requested the cooperation of both the NFL and the Ravens as Smith looks into the matter. Smith is part of the law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, which also worked with the union on the Dolphins’ bullying scandal and on the Saints’ “bountygate,” tweets Darren Rovell of ESPN.com.

Texans Sign Ryan Pickett; Louis Nix To IR

September 24th, 2014 at 10:44am CST by Luke Adams

The Texans have replaced one defensive lineman with another, putting rookie Louis Nix on injured reserve and signing veteran free agent Ryan Pickett to take his place on the roster, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). A report yesterday had indicated that Pickett recently worked out for the club.

Pickett, who turns 35 next month, has spent the majority of the last decade in Green Bay, where he started 113 of the 119 games he played for the Packers between 2006 and 2013, including all 16 last season. Back in July, we heard that the veteran defensive tackle was looking to continue his career and that his preference would be to continue with the Packers, but Green Bay had apparently decided to move on, electing not so sign Pickett even after B.J. Raji went down for the season.

As McClain points out (via Twitter), Nix underwent a knee scope during the preseason and never got fully healthy, so he was inactive for the Texans’ first three games. With the third-round pick heading to the injured reserve list, Pickett will push for playing time at the nose tackle spot in Houston. So far, Jerrell Powe has taken most snaps at the position, but has graded as just the 62nd-best defensive tackle out of 73 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Poll: Which Team Will Stay Unbeaten Longest?

September 24th, 2014 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

Through three weeks, only three NFL teams remain unbeaten, and they aren’t necessarily the ones we would have predicted entering the 2014 season. The 3-0 Bengals are the AFC’s only team without a loss, while the Cardinals and Eagles sit atop the NFC at 3-0 themselves.

Although all three teams have looked impressive in their victories, most observers likely wouldn’t consider the unbeaten squads to be the class of the NFL at this point. The Cardinals have won their first three games in spite of backup Drew Stanton taking over for the injured Carson Palmer, while two of the Eagles’ three victories required significant second-half comebacks. The Bengals have looked the strongest of the three squads so far, though their schedule has yet to feature a 2013 playoff team.

The Bengals and Cardinals have byes in Week 4, so each team’s loss column will remain unblemished for at least one more week, but it won’t be easy keeping those winning streaks going starting in Week 5. Cincinnati faces a four-week stretch of games against the Patriots, Panthers, Colts, and Ravens, while the Cardinals will head to Denver to play the Broncos before facing the Redskins, Raiders, and Eagles. As for the Eagles, starting in Week 4, they’ll play in San Francisco before hosting the Rams and Giants in advance of their Week 7 bye.

What do you think? Which of these teams will stay unbeaten the longest? And is it because that club is the strongest of the bunch, or is it just a case of favorable scheduling?

Vikings Place Cassel, Fusco On IR

September 24th, 2014 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

Quarterback Matt Cassel and guard Brandon Fusco both received new deals from the Vikings this offseason, with Cassel inking a two-year pact to avoid free agency while Fusco agreed to a four-year extension. However, just three weeks into the 2014 season, both players are done for the year. The team announced today in a press release that it has placed Cassel and Fusco on season-ending injured reserve.

Taking Cassel’s and Fusco’s spots on the roster are a pair of practice squad players, in tight end Chase Ford and offensive lineman Austin Wentworth. Their promotions opened up two new spots on the practice squad, which have been filled by quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson and tight end Ryan Otten.

Cassel, who suffered a broken foot in the Vikings’ Week 3 loss to the Saints, will be replaced under center by rookie Teddy Bridgewater, while Christian Ponder transitions from the league’s most notable No. 3 signal-caller to Bridgewater’s backup. Although Cassel is under contract for two years, it’s extremely difficult to imagine him returning to a starting role in Minnesota at any point, unless Bridgewater struggles mightily during his rookie year. With Ponder facing free agency in 2015, perhaps the club decides to bring Cassel back as its No. 2 option in 2015, but given his $4.15MM base salary, he may have played his last game in Minnesota.

The Vikings have yet to use their IR spot with the designation to return, so the fact that neither Cassel nor Fusco – who sustained a shoulder injury – received that designation seems to suggest the team doesn’t believe either player will be healthy enough to return this season.

Extra Points: Pitta, Ravens, 49ers, Tedford

September 23rd, 2014 at 10:09pm CST by Zachary Links

To the surprise of some, Redskins lineman Chris Baker won’t be suspended for his hit on Eagles quarterback Nick Foles on Sunday, writes Mark Maske of the Washington Post. “Baker didn’t do anything wrong with that hit,” NFL’s executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said. “When you look at the rule, he didn’t do anything illegal. People can say it’s a cheap shot and you can talk about whether it might fall under unsportsmanlike conduct. But when you know the rule and you look at the play, he didn’t hit him in the head. He didn’t hit him in the neck. We looked at it. I looked at it very closely. He’s not going to be fined for that.” Here’s more from around the NFL..

Dennis Pitta‘s hip surgery was “successful,” a Ravens source tells Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The tight end’s season is over after his unfortunate injury on Sunday.
Multiple teams called to set up tryouts when Deonte Thompson cleared waivers but he was already in the process of re-signing with the Ravens, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
Former 49ers linebacker Shayne Skov was in Tampa today where the Buccaneers are eying him for their practice squad, tweets Matt Barrows of CSNBayArea.com.
Buccaneers offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford is taking an indefinite leave due to his medical situation, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Tedford underwent a coronary angioplasty prior to the season and had two stents placed in an artery near his heart.

Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday

September 23rd, 2014 at 10:05pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re tracking Tuesday’s minor 53-man roster transactions around the NFL in a separate post, but we’ll use this spot to keep tabs on Tuesday’s practice squad moves. Here’s the latest:

The Texans have signed punter Chris Boswell to their practice squad, according to James Palmer of CSNHouston.com (on Twitter).
The Packers have signed offensive lineman Josh Walker to the practice squad, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The team released center Josh Allen to make room on the roster.
The Chargers signed D.J. Adams and former University of Oregon tight end David Paulson to the practice squad, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
The Saints signed fullback/tight end Orson Charles to their practice squad, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
The Bears have re-signed Josh Bellamy to their practice squad, tweets Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
The Browns signed wide reciever Lee Doss to their practice squad, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. The move fills the vacancy left by Charles Johnson leaving the Browns’ taxi squad for the Vikings.
Brandon Smith had a successful tryout for the Jets and they’re expected to sign him to their practice squad, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).

Earlier updates:

Defensive back Josh Victorian has filled the final opening on the Lions‘ practice squad, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
The Redskins have finalized the addition of center Tevita Stevens to their practice squad, and also announced that offensive lineman Braxston Cave has been cut (Twitter link). That leaves the club with nine players on its taxi squad still.
The Panthers have filled the final opening on their practice squad by bringing aboard wide receiver Willie Snead, according to David Newton of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Snead was cut by the Browns at the end of the preseason.
After working out for the club earlier today, tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi has signed with the Ravens‘ practice squad, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Ogbuehi takes the spot vacated by Phillip Supernaw, who has been promoted to the team’s active roster.
Offensive lineman Reid Fragel, who was on Indianapolis’ practice squad earlier this season, has signed with the Falcons‘ taxi squad, replacing tackle Terren Jones on the unit, per a team release.
As part of the flurry of transactions they made today, the Jaguars added fullback Eric Kettani to their practice squad, filling the 10th and final spot, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
The Colts have removed defensive end Nnamdi Obukwelu from their practice squad with an injury settlement, the club announced today in a press release. Linebacker Trevardo Williams takes Obukwelu’s place on the squad.
With outside linebacker Cordarro Law set to join the Chargers‘ 53-man roster, another outside linebacker – rookie Colton Underwood – will take Law’s spot on San Diego’s practice squad, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Workout Notes: Cox, Beauharnais, Stanzi

September 23rd, 2014 at 8:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles didn’t bring in any offensive linemen for workouts today or Monday, a league source tells Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News (on Twitter). Plenty of teams are busy auditioning players, however. We did a roundup of workout news earlier today and we have a whole ‘nother batch right here..

Defensive back Derek Cox and linebacker Steve Beauharnais are among the busiest free agents in the NFL, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Cox tried out for the Saints while Beauharnais worked out for the Buccaneers, a source tells Yates.
The Lions worked out defensive backs Chance Casey, T.J. Heath, Aaron Hester, and Kendall James, and wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
The Giants worked out quarterback Ricky Stanzi, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). The Giants also worked out safeties Bacarri Rambo, Corey Lynch and Jerron McMillian and wide receiver Juron Criner, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).
The Packers took a look at linebacker Nate Askew, running back Stephen Houston, running back Cameron White, and tackle Michael Philipp, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Guard Josh Walker was also part of today’s tryouts and he wound up getting signed to Green Bay’s practice squad.
Nose tackle Ryan Pickett tried out for the Texans, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. The veteran started 16 games for Green Bay last season.

Minor Moves: Tuesday

September 23rd, 2014 at 7:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams around the NFL are shuffling players on and off their 53-man rosters today, and we’ll track all those minor, back-of-the-roster transactions right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

The Chargers waived/injured cornerback Marcus Cromartie, according to Eric Williams of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
The Titans have agreed to terms on a contract with tight end Chase Coffman, waiving wideout T.J. Graham to create space on the roster, tweets Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
With Dennis Pitta out for the year and heading to injured reserve, the Ravens have promoted tight end Phillip Supernaw from the practice squad to their active roster, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).

Earlier updates:

Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union has the full details on the Jaguars‘ transactions (via Twitter). In addition to the two previously-reported signings – noted below – the team also added tight end Nic Jacobs, who had been on the Saints’ practice squad. To make room for the three incoming players, the club cut tight end Marcel Jensen and wideout Kerry Taylor, and waived-injured safety Chris Prosinski.
Having cut linebacker Keith Smith from their 53-man roster yesterday, the Cowboys have an open spot, and will use it to bring back defensive end Lavar Edwards, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. Smith had been added to the roster in Edwards’ place for this past Sunday’s game due to the absence of injured linebacker Justin Durant.
Defensive tackle Deandre Coleman has been signed off the Jaguars‘ practice squad by the Dolphins, according to a tweet from Miami’s official account. The Dolphins cut safety Brandian Ross in a corresponding move.
Linebacker Jeremiah George, who had been on the Jets‘ practice squad, tweeted today that he’s now a Jaguar. The move has yet to be announced by the club, but it appears George will be added to Jacksonville’s 53-man roster. Having also reportedly agreed to a deal with Sherrod Martin, the Jags will have to remove two players from their active roster to finalize the signings.

Bucs Sign Louis Murphy, Waive Chris Owusu

September 23rd, 2014 at 5:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bucs have re-signed wide receiver Louis Murphy and released wide receiver Chris Owusu, according to Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune (on Twitter). Murphy worked out for Tampa Bay yesterday.

Murphy was a fourth-round pick of the Raiders, where he enjoyed some success. Murphy is known for his blazing speed, but he’s never been able to put it all together at the NFL level. He also spent some time with the Giants and Panthers, before joining the Buccaneers in March. The Bucs cut the former University of Florida star roughly three weeks ago, so we hope he didn’t bother packing up his stuff.

Owusu, 24, has spent parts of the last three seasons with the Buccaneers, seeing action in 17 games, hauling in 16 catches for 158 receiving yards and a touchdown. In the season opener against the Panthers, he caught two passes for 20 yards and a touchdown, the first of his NFL career. He also had a 45 yard kickoff return in Week 2 against the Rams.

In addition to signing Murphy and dropping Owusu, the Bucs announced that they have cut defensive end Adrian Robinson, linebacker Ka’Lial Glaud, and safety Kimario McFadden from their practice squad.

Chargers Sign Shaun Draughn, Kevin Reddick

September 23rd, 2014 at 5:03pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers announced that they have signed running back Shaun Draughn and inside linebacker Kevin Reddick to their 53-man roster, tweets Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego.

San Diego coach Mike McCoy made no secret of the fact that the club would look to sign a running back in the wake of Danny Woodhead‘s season-ending injury. In Draughn, the Chargers have added a veteran running back with four seasons of NFL experience. The 26-year-old (27 in December) enjoyed his best season with the Chiefs in 2012, rushing for 233 yards off of 59 carries with 24 catches for 158 yards. Draughn also found paydirt twice in 2012 – his only NFL touchdowns.

It was a quick turnaround for Reddick, who was dropped from the Rams’ practice squad just last week. The 24-year-old, who was in camp with the Saints over the offseason and had a tryout for the Pats, appeared in all 16 of New Orleans’ game last season. Working primarily on special teams, Reddick had 13 tackles and one forced fumble. Kavell Conner is expected to have an increased role on defense in the wake of Manti Te’o‘s foot injury, so Reddick will presumably help fill the gap on special teams.

To make room on the roster, the Bolts have released defensive end Lawrence Guy, tweets Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego.