2014 September - Pro Football Rumors

Falcons Looking For Veteran Safety

September 29th, 2014 at 8:17pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons are starting to look into veteran safeties, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Strong safety William Moore suffered what is thought to be a significant shoulder injury during Sunday’s 41-28 loss to the Vikings, so it makes sense that Atlanta would look into depth at the position. As McClure wrote earlier today, some Falcons players are bracing for the worst news on Moore.

“William is a big part of our defense and he sets the tone for us back there,” rookie safety Dez Southward said. “I don’t know anything about his situation. I hope that he comes back. But he is the heart and soul of this defense. Guys love him and listen to him. So, I’m wishing the best for him. But at the same time, I know that if he’s not able to play, others, including myself, have to be ready to go.”

If and when Atlanta surveys the open market for safety options, they could dial Champ Bailey‘s representatives. The veteran cornerback, who was cut by the Saints on August 30th, recently made it known that he would be willing to play safety (or nickel) in order to land an NFL job. The once dominant Bailey no longer possesses the necessary speed to play cornerback at a high level but he might be able to make an impact at the safety position.

NFC West Notes: Harbaugh, Sanders, Miller

September 29th, 2014 at 7:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Why should Joe Namath have all the fun? Last night, Deion Sanders took an opportunity to spark a controversy with his former team. Without giving specific details, NFL Network analyst said he is hearing the 49ers players no longer want to play for coach Jim Harbaugh, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. “They want him out,” Sanders said Sunday night after a recap of the 49ers’ 26-21 victory over the Eagles. “They’re not on the same page.” Maiocco notes that Sanders is particularly close to wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who is in the final year of his original six-year contract. More on Deion and other items from the NFC West..

Sanders took to Twitter earlier today to deny that Crabtree was his source. “To many that this may concern @KingCrab15 is not my source. My sources [sic] wears uniforms,suits and ties. #Truth“
Meanwhile, Harbaugh didn’t mince words in his response, as Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com tweets. “Personally I think that’s a bunch of crap,” said the coach.
Seahawks tight end Zach Miller underwent an ankle procedure last week, multiple sources told Ross Jones of FOXSports.com. Miller is expected to be sidelined with the injury an extended period of time but he can’t be placed on the IR-DTR since that spot was already taken by cornerback Jeremy Lane. Miller should be out five to six weeks, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (on Twitter) hears. Meanwhile, Chris Mortensen of ESPN (on Twitter) hears he’ll miss just two games after the bye.
Rather than cutting linebacker Heath Farwell after he tore both groin muscles in the preseason, the Seahawks opted to keep him on injured reserve so that he could collect a decent salary and contribute as an unofficial coach, writes Gregg Bell of The News Tribune. “Yeah, that’s something I’ve never heard of a team doing,” Farwell said. “It’s pretty cool that they care about me that much, that they want me to be around here. It means a lot to me, it really does. I’ve been in this league for 10 years. I’ve talked to many guys, been around this league for a long time. And I’ve never heard of a team doing this for a player.”

Panthers To Sign Chris Ogbonnaya

September 29th, 2014 at 5:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have agreed to sign Chris Ogbonnaya, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Carolina’s backfield looked rather deep just weeks ago but they’ve been hammered with injuries early on this year.

DeAngelo Williams is currently listed as doubtful for this week’s game against the Bears after suffering a foot injury in Sunday’s 38-10 loss against the Ravens. Stewart’s status is also in question after he suffered a sprained knee against the Steelers in Week 3. Veteran Mike Tolbert is on the short-term injured reserve with a fractured leg and Fozzy Whittaker is dealing with a quad injury. Faced with the reality of having two undrafted free agents man their backfield, the Panthers turned to Ogbonnaya.

Ogbonnaya got some significant run with the Browns from 2011 through 2013. Last season, he hauled in 48 receptions (75 targets) for 343 yards while registering 240 yards off of 49 rushing attempts. The 28-year-old running back/fullback didn’t make the cut in Cleveland this offseason, however, as the Browns chose to roll with tailbacks Ben Tate, Terrance West, and Isaiah Crowell.

To make room for Ogbonnaya on 53-man roster, the Panthers waived running back Tauren Poole, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). Poole was on the roster for two days and fumbled on his first NFL career carry.

Minor Moves: Monday

September 29th, 2014 at 5:39pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll keep tabs on Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day….

The Colts placed Mario Harvey on injured reserve, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
Defensive end Chase Vaughn has been cut from the Broncos‘ injured reserve list, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
The Panthers have waived running back Tauren Poole, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). Carolina is still short-handed at the position, but is expected to explore adding a more veteran back this week.
To make room for Chris Owusu, whose signing is noted below, the Jets are waiving cornerback LeQuan Lewis, per Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). As Cimini notes, Lewis committed two penalties on special teams in Sunday’s game.
The Chargers have swapped one defender for another on their practice squad, re-signing safety Adrian Phillips and cutting defensive lineman Chas Alecxih, the team announced today in a press release.
Defensive end Frank Alexander (Panthers), safety Jakar Hamilton (Cowboys), wideout Ace Sanders (Jaguars), and safety Reshad Jones (Dolphins) have all been reinstated from their suspensions, tweets Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange. Their respective teams won’t have to make corresponding moves immediately, since all four clubs will have roster exemptions that last until next Monday (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

The Eagles‘ beat-up offensive line will receive a little help this week, as Lane Johnson has been activated after serving his four-game suspension (Twitter link). To make room on the 53-man roster, the club has waived offensive lineman Kevin Graf.
After adding T.J. Graham to the roster earlier today, the Jets will sign another wideout, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who reports that former Buccaneer Chris Owusu is set to join the club (Twitter links).
The Colts have waived wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers on the heels of his arrest for DUI, according to a team release. Head coach Chuck Pagano confirmed to reporters, including Mike Chappell of RTV6 (Twitter link), that Rogers was cut for conduct detrimental to the team. Indianapolis also promoted safety Dewey McDonald from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, and moved Robert Mathis from the reserve/suspended list to the reserve/non-football injury list.
With a short week ahead of them and Teddy Bridgewater recovering from an ankle injury, the Vikings have added another quarterback to their practice quad, signing Chandler Harnish and cutting wideout Donte Foster (Twitter link).
Wide receiver Tommy Streeter has signed to the Jaguars‘ practice squad, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. Jacksonville currently has a full 10-man unit, so someone will have to be dropped – or promoted – to make room for Streeter.
The Redskins have signed outside linebacker Gabe Miller to fill the final opening on their practice squad, per agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link).

Jags Cut Winston Guy, Promote Craig Loston

September 29th, 2014 at 4:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jaguars have parted ways with the player that entered the season as one of their starting safeties, announcing today in a press release that Winston Guy has been placed on waivers. The team has signed safety Craig Loston off its practice squad to fill Guy’s spot on the 53-man roster.

Guy, 24, appeared in 14 games for the Jaguars last season and started two. The former Seattle sixth-round pick broke camp as a starter in Jacksonville’s secondary, but was lit up during the first three games of the season and was benched in advance of Week 4. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), only one of 77 qualified safeties has been worse so far this season than Guy, who has allowed a QB rating of 149.1 on passes thrown into his coverage.

While Loston will provide depth in the secondary with Guy no longer in the mix, he’s unlikely to play a major role. Josh Evans and Jonathan Cyprien appear poised to move forward as the team’s two starting safeties.

With Loston no longer on the practice squad, it clears room for the team to add wideout Tommy Streeter, whose signing to the taxi squad had previously been reported.

LaRon Landry Suspended For Four Games

September 29th, 2014 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Colts safety LaRon Landry has been suspended for four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, the NFL and the team announced today in a press release. Landry will be eligible to return to the team following its October 26 contest against the Steelers.

Under the NFL’s new drug policy, first-time violators for steroids, stimulants, HGH, and other banned substances are subject to suspensions of four games without pay. If Landry were to fail a second test, he’d be facing a ban of 10 games, while a third violation would result in a banishment for a minimum of two years.

In Landry’s absence, Sergio Brown appears to be the likeliest candidate to assume a more significant role in Indianapolis’ secondary. The team also promoted safety Dewey McDonald to the 53-man roster from the practice squad earlier today, which now makes sense as a depth move.

The Colts will have an open roster spot to fill with Landry headed to the reserve/suspended list for the next four weeks.

Redskins Sign Jamarca Sanford, Richard Crawford

September 29th, 2014 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

3:09pm: The Redskins have formally confirmed the signings of Sanford and Crawford, and also announced (via Twitter) the addition of tackle Terren Jones to their practice squad.

12:39pm: According to Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan (via Twitter), the Redskins will also be signing cornerback Richard Crawford, who has previously spent time with the team but was cut a month ago.

12:23pm: The Redskins have filled one of the two openings on their 53-man roster by agreeing to a deal with free agent safety Jamarca Sanford, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). The team has yet to officially confirm the move, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s announced soon along with another signing, to get back up to 53 players.

Sanford, 29, spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Vikings, becoming the team’s starting strong safety in 2011. He restructured his contract this past offseason, but even that lower cap hit didn’t allow him to save his job — he was one of the players removed from Minnesota’s roster when teams trimmed their rosters to 53 players, initially being placed on injured reserve and then released with a settlement. Since then, Sanford has tried out for the Jets and Bears.

With the Redskins, Sanford will join a secondary that currently sees Brandon Meriweather and Ryan Clark manning the two starting safety spots.

Bills Name Kyle Orton Starting QB

September 29th, 2014 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Bills head coach Doug Marrone announced today that veteran signal-caller Kyle Orton will take over for E.J. Manuel as the team’s starting quarterback beginning this coming week (Twitter link). According to Marrone, the Bills need more production at the position and believe that Orton gives the club the best opportunity to win immediately (Twitter links).

While Manuel helped lead the Bills to a pair of wins early in the season, he has often struggled to make accurate throws to his receivers, and is completing just 58.0% of his passes. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) rank the second-year quarterback just 35th out of 37 qualified passers, ahead of only Jake Locker and Geno Smith.

Orton signed with the Bills late in the offseason to a contract that suggested the team believed he may have to start at some point. As Brian McIntyre observes (via Twitter), Orton can earn up to $6MM this season if he plays more than 50% of Buffalo’s snaps in 2014.

This will be an interesting situation to keep an eye on, on a number of levels. Orton clearly isn’t a long-term solution for the Bills at quarterback, and if Manuel isn’t either, the team may need to draft a signal-caller in 2015 to develop. However, the club dealt its 2015 first-round pick to Cleveland in the Sammy Watkins trade, so unless the Bills can somehow trade back into the first round, it’s unlikely they’ll have a shot at a future star.

Additionally, the QB change signals that the front office and coaching staff are very aware that the Bills are in win-now mode with a new ownership group taking over. If the move backfires and leads to another losing season in Buffalo, major changes could be coming in the offseason.

NFC South Notes: Panthers, Falcons, Hardy

September 29th, 2014 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we checked in on a few updates out of the NFC East. Now, let’s turn our attention to one of the conference’s other divisions and round up the latest news and rumors from around the NFC South….

With Mike Tolbert on IR-DTR, DeAngelo Williams unlikely to return in Week 5, and Jonathan Stewart also banged up, the Panthers intend to take a look at veteran free agents this week, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer details. “We’re going to have to look at some guys from the outside. And we’ll see,” said head coach Ron Rivera. “Without Jonathan available last week and potentially not available this week we need to have an insurance policy just in case so we’re going to have to take a look.”
Falcons offensive lineman Joe Hawley is undergoing an MRI today to determine the severity of his knee injury, but the team doesn’t feel as if it will be a season-ender, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Still, with Hawley expected to be sidelined for at least the near future, Atlanta will work out free agent lineman Uche Nwaneri this week, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), Greg Hardy is being advised to try to move his court date back and sit out the entire 2014 season rather than resolving his case in November and potentially returning for the home stretch. Cole explains that underperforming or risking injury in the final few weeks could diminish Hardy’s value significantly heading into free agency, though considering he’s likely facing a lengthy suspension once his domestic violence case is resolved, the Panthers defensive end figures to see his stock sliding either way.
Buccaneers rookie wideout Mike Evans is expected to be sidelined for two or three weeks with a groin strain, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap wonders (via Twitter) if the Saints will consider firing or demoting defensive coordinator Rob Ryan after how his unit has performed in September.

Jets Sign T.J. Graham, Cut Jalen Saunders

September 29th, 2014 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Yet another one of the Jets’ 12 draftees from this past May is no longer on the roster. New York has waived fourth-round wideout Jalen Saunders, replacing him on the roster with veteran receiver T.J. Graham, the team announced today (Twitter link).

Saunders, who turns 22 tomorrow, had been returning punts for the club, but after muffing catches in the Jets’ Week 2 and Week 3 games, he was taken off return duties. In his brief stint with the team, Saunders saw just six offensive snaps, and didn’t record a single catch.

As for Graham, the ex-Bill logged 54 total receptions during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, but after being shopped in trade talks this summer, was waived during preseason cutdowns. Although the 25-year-old was claimed off waivers by the Titans, he wasn’t used in Tennessee’s offense, and was cut by the club last week. The Jets were the only club Graham was reported to have auditioned for during his brief stint as a free agent.

Of the 12 players the Jets drafted in 2014, only five are on the team’s current active roster. Saunders becomes the fifth draftee cut by the team, while two others are on season-ending injured reserve.