HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Bears Re-Sign Eben Britton

September 9th, 2014 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

3:20pm: The Bears have confirmed they’ve re-signed Britton, cutting wide receiver and special-teamer Micheal Spurlock to make room on the roster (Twitter link).

2:07pm: After some Week 1 injuries to their offensive line, the Bears are expected to bring back veteran offensive lineman Eben Britton, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). The team had originally released Britton during its cutdown to 53 players at the end of August.

Britton, who spent the first four season of his NFL career with the Jaguars, saw 239 offensive snaps for the Bears in 2013, primarily at right guard. While the sample size was limited, Britton recorded a respectable +4.1 grade according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required). The club re-signed the 26-year-old back in April, but he was unable to earn a spot on the Week 1 roster.

The Bears are in need of some veteran line depth after a Week 1 contest in which both center Roberto Garza and guard Matt Slauson suffered ankle injuries. It’s not clear yet how much time either player will miss, but the recoveries could take multiple weeks in both cases.

Chiefs Announce Series Of Roster Moves

September 9th, 2014 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chiefs officially finalized a series of roster moves today, according to a team release. Besides confirming the signing of defensive lineman Kevin Vickerson, and the additions of wideout Armon Binns and tight end Adam Schiltz to their practice squad, which had been previously reported, the Chiefs also announced the following moves:

Added to 53-man roster:

Removed from 53-man roster:

Signed to practice squad:

Removed from practice squad:

Pegulas Reach Agreement To Buy Bills

September 9th, 2014 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

2:46pm: The Pegulas’ winning bid was worth $1.4 billion, a record figure for an NFL franchise, tweets Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal, adding that there were a total of five bidders for the team.

1:48pm: The Bills have officially announced that an agreement has been reached with the Pegulas, who will be the next owners of the franchise. That parties will submit the agreement for approval in advance of the NFL’s owner meetings in New York a month from now.

8:42am: A tentative agreement between the Bills and Terry and Kim Pegula as been reached, according to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News, who reports (via Twitter) that an official announcement on the sale of the franchise should come later today. We heard last night that the Pegulas, who also own the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, were closing in on a purchase of the Bills after the deadline for binding bids had passed.

While there were reports that other suitors were in the mix, the only bidders for the Bills confirmed publicly were the Pegulas, Jon Bon Jovi’s Toronto-based group, and Donald Trump. Trump was never viewed as a viable candidate for approval by the NFL’s 31 other owners, and Bon Jovi’s group – which included the Rogers family and Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment chairman Larry Tanenbaum – was plagued by issues throughout the process. The Toronto group faced skepticism about its intentions for keeping the Bills in Western New York, and had difficulty getting its bid up to a suitable figure with Bon Jovi acting as the potential controlling owner (meaning he had to have at least a 30% stake in the club).

It’s not clear yet what the amount of the Pegulas’ final bid was, though Graham indicated last night that it looked like it would be a “record sale” for the NFL. Reports on the round of initial bidding pegged the offers from the various suitors anywhere from about $800MM to as high as $1.3 billion, but there was plenty of conflicting information, and the final bids may have been even higher.

In any case, John Kryk of the Toronto Sun indicated last night that Morgan Stanley, the investment bank heading the sale of the Bills, would consider more than just a dollar figure when evaluating the prospective owners. Whereas there were many question marks surrounding the other bidders, the Pegulas were viewed as the most likely candidates to close the deal immediately and to receive approval from the NFL.

Although an official announcement on an agreement between the Pegulas and Bills may come soon, the Sabres owners won’t officially take over control of Buffalo’s NFL team until the league’s owners formally vote on the issue. That’s expected to happen at the NFL’s in-season meetings in October. Before the sale process reaches that point, the agreement will also require initial approval from the league, which should happen at some point this week.

Eagles Rumors: Barbre, Winston, Smith

September 9th, 2014 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams

After a slow start against the Jaguars on Sunday, the Eagles eventually fought back with 34 unanswered points for a comfortable 34-17 win over Jacksonville, but Philadelphia paid a steep price for the win. Two offensive linemen, Evan Mathis and Allen Barbre, left the game with injuries, and are expected to miss significant time. Here’s the latest on one of those two injured linemen, along with more out of Philadelphia:

  • Barbre is expected to undergo surgery on his injured ankle that could end his 2014 season, a league source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). Barbre, who signed a contract extension with the Eagles this summer, was expected to step in to replace the suspended Lane Johnson for September, but now Philadelphia will have to find another replacement at that spot for the next three weeks.
  • With holes to fill on that offensive line, the Eagles are taking a look at veteran tackle Eric Winston and guard Wade Smith, who are visiting the team today, tweets Caplan. According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter), Winston has already left Philadelphia without a deal, though that doesn’t necessarily preclude an agreement at a later date.
  • In addition to kicking the tires on some offensive linemen, the Eagles are also expected to host some linebackers for tryouts, says Caplan (via Twitter). According to the ESPN.com scribe (via Twitter), inside linebacker Najee Goode sustained a pectoral injury during Sunday’s game.

South Notes: Colts, Saints, Newton, Titans

September 9th, 2014 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

With Robert Mathis now sidelined for the season with a torn Achilles, the Colts will have to turn to other players to jump-start their pass rush, and head coach Chuck Pagano says the team will consider all its options. However, as Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star writes, the Colts are in a tough spot when it comes to adding outside help. The free agent list is very thin when it comes to pass rushers, and Indianapolis would prefer not to give up future draft picks to acquire a player via trade. In Holder’s view, the club may have to rely on its in-house options to attempt to fill Mathis’ shoes.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two South divisions:

  • ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett passes along a report from colleague Field Yates, who says the Saints auditioned a handful of players on Monday, including running backs Michael Ford, Edwin Baker, and Tauren Poole, and tight ends Michael Egnew and David Paulson (Twitter link).
  • There wasn’t necessarily any urgency for the Panthers to restructure Charles Johnson‘s contract, but the team did so anyway, clearing more than $5MM from its 2014 cap. David Newton of ESPN.com wonders if the move might be a precursor to locking up Cam Newton to a contract extension sooner rather than later.
  • Tight end Michael Flacco, whose brother Joe Flacco quarterbacks the Ravens, is working out for the Titans today, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).

Ray Rice Links: Tuesday

September 9th, 2014 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Footage of Ray Rice knocking his then-fiancée unconscious in an Atlantic City casino was revealed by TMZ on Monday, prompting the Ravens and the NFL to finally institute a harsher punishment on the running back, who was released by Baltimore and indefinitely suspended by the league. In the aftermath of the new video and the increased penalties for Rice, the NFL and the Ravens are facing increased scrutiny about just how much they knew about the case, and whether or not they’d actually seen that elevator footage before the public did on Monday.

Here are the latest links and developments related to Rice, the NFL’s role in the incident, and the running back’s future (or lack thereof) in the NFL:

  • A report from TMZ this morning revealed that the NFL never approached the Revel Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City about acquiring the elevator security footage, with sources from the casino suggesting that the Revel would have “gladly complied” if such a request had been made.
  • In a statement today, the NFL didn’t deny that allegation, indicating that the request for the video of the incident was only submitted to the police. “As we said yesterday: We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including the video from inside the elevator,” the NFL’s statement reads, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “That video was not made available to us.”
  • Sources tell Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that Rice’s description to the Ravens of what happened in the elevator was consistent with what the footage showed, but that the brutality of it still “stunned” the team’s ownership. While that may be true of Rice’s account of the events to Ravens management, any notion that Rice was entirely honest to his teammates about what happened in that elevator is “totally inaccurate,” tweets Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report.
  • Appearing on CBS This Morning, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he’d be “shocked” if another team signed Rice, adding that he doesn’t believe the running back will play another game in the NFL. Kraft also praised commissioner Roger Goodell for his handling of the situation, noting that Goodell hadn’t seen the elevator footage before yesterday.
  • Janay Rice, Ray’s now-wife, released a statement via Instagram in which she blamed the media for causing her family pain and taking away her husband’s job. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun has the full details.
  • In the view of Mike Florio, the NFL needs to hire an independent third-party investigator to look into the Ravens’ and the league’s investigations of the Rice incident to find out exactly who knew what, and when. “At this point,” Florio writes, “the only way to [get the truth] is to retain someone with no stake in the outcome to find out precisely how the team and the league got to this point.”

Bucs Re-Sign Larry English, Cut Steven Means

September 9th, 2014 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers have done a little Tuesday roster shuffling, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, who tweets that the team has re-signed defensive end Larry English, waiving defensive end Steven Means to open up a roster spot. According to Smith (via Twitter), the club also filled one of the two openings on its practice squad by adding cornerback C.J. Wilson.

English, a former first-rounder who was drafted with the 16th overall pick in 2009, appeared in 52 games for the Chargers during his five years with the team, struggling with injuries in recent years and never establishing himself as a consistent performer. He started five of nine games for San Diego in 2013, recording 2.5 sacks, before a pectoral injury sidelined him for the season. After signing with Tampa Bay in mid-August, English was cut just a couple weeks later as the club reduced its roster to 53 players.

A fifth-round pick in 2013, Means played a limited role for the Bucs in his rookie season, and saw the field for just four defensive snaps during the team’s Week 1 lost to Carolina, despite receiving some offseason praise from new head coach Lovie Smith. Since Means received a signing bonus of only about $192K on his rookie contract, Tampa Bay will carry a small amount of dead money on its cap this year and next, after cutting him.

Terry Pegula Closing In On Buying Bills

September 8th, 2014 at 11:24pm CST by David Kipke

Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula is on the verge of purchasing the Bills, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link), who hears from a source that the sale process is “moving quick” now that binding bids have been submitted. The Buffalo News’ Tim Graham (via Twitter) also reports that a decision should happen soon, perhaps even overnight, and that it sounds like it will be a “record” sale. A league source tells Graham that he’d be “shocked” if anyone besides the Pegulas ended up buying the team (Twitter link).

As we noted earlier tonight, bids to purchase the team had been received from Pegula, Donald Trump, and Jon Bon Jovi‘s Toronto-based group. While it’s not clear if any other suitors submitted final bids before today’s deadline, Pegula has long appeared to be the frontrunner, despite attempts to drum up interest from other parties. With one sports franchise already in Buffalo, the Sabres owner is extremely unlikely to attempt to move the Bills, which was a concern with some of the other potential bidders, including Bon Jovi’s Toronto-based group.

The Ralph Wilson trust running the Bills were reported to be looking for several criteria with their selection of a new owner, as opposed to just accepting the highest bid, according to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun. Kryk mentions the “certainty of NFL approval” and the ability to close the deal immediately were the two critical factors that differentiated Pegula from the other suitors. Trump’s previous involvement with the USFL, and the inevitable speculation about Bon Jovi’s group moving the team to Canada clearly made Pegula the candidate with the smoothest sale process.

Assuming Pegula’s bid is declared the winner, he would likely be officially approved as the Bills’ owner during the league’s in-season meetings in October.

Chiefs Sign Kevin Vickerson

September 8th, 2014 at 11:08pm CST by Luke Adams

After losing two key defenders to season-ending injuries in their Week 1 game, the Chiefs have moved quickly to start fortifying their defense. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), the team has agreed to sign defensive lineman Kevin Vickerson to a one-year deal.

Vickerson, 31, had spent the last four seasons with the Broncos, starting 41 of the 47 games he played for the team, including all all 11 contests he appeared in last year. A solid but unspectacular contributor on the line, Vickerson has typically performed better against the run than as a pass-rusher, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required).

A roster casualty during Denver’s cutdown to 53 players, Vickerson hit the free agent market at the end of the preseason, and visited the Bengals last week to audition for the team. While it appeared that the former seventh-round pick would ultimately sign with Cincinnati, the Chiefs were probably the more desperate team this week, following the Achilles injuries suffered by Derrick Johnson and Mike DeVito.

With Johnson and DeVito both likely headed to IR, Kansas City shouldn’t have to cut anyone to create room on the roster for Vickerson.

Poll: Which Week 1 Overachiever Is For Real?

September 8th, 2014 at 10:42pm CST by David Kipke

Although Ray Rice‘s release and suspension currently dominates headlines, the first weekend of the NFL season had several intriguing matchups, including some that left many in the football community scratching their heads.

The Lions just lowered the boom on Eli Manning‘s Giants in this season’s first Monday Night Football matchup. The Giants’ secondary had no answer for Calvin Johnson, and eventually fell 35-14 as their offense stagnated, picking up less than 2.5 yards per carry on the ground. Should the Bears and Packers be worried about Detroit? Or is this Giants team just destined to become the NFC East’s doormat this year?

Many thought that the Falcons were one of football’s unluckiest teams last season. Injuries prevented the team’s offensive playmaking core of Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Steven Jackson from ever taking the field together. Atlanta was a popular bounce-back candidate heading into this season, and the team’ supporters were vindicated early by the Falcons’ 37-34 victory over the Saints this past weekend. Are the Falcons a serious playoff contender? Or were they overachieving?

The Patriots just went to the AFC Title Game last season without injured stars Sebastian Vollmer, Jerod Mayo, Vince Wilfork, and Rob Gronkowski. The team would additionally lose Pro Bowl cornerback Aqib Talib to a leg injury in the second quarter of that game against the Broncos. On top of returning all of those impact starters, Bill Belichick‘s squad was strengthened when Darrelle Revis was brought in to fill the the vacated cornerback position after Talib signed with the Broncos in free agency. These new-look Patriots flopped big-time this weekend in the form of a 33-20 loss to the Dolphins. Are the Dolphins for real? Or did they just catch the high-octane Patriots machine before it was firing on all cylinders?

The Bills made some of the biggest waves of the offseason when they traded up on draft night to select Sammy Watkins fourth overall. The win-now move was a clear signal to Bills fans that Doug Marrone intends to contend in his second season at the helm of the team. Although the Watkins move drew some criticism in the spring, the Bills silenced some of those critics by leaving Chicago with a 23-20 victory. The Bears, a popular playoff projection candidate, came into the game with the league’s scariest receiving duo in Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall and a revived pass rush led by Jared Allen. Are Marrone’s Bills going to make noise in the AFC East this season? Or are they going to fall back down to earth next weekend against the Dolphins?

The Titans’ lead was never in doubt on Sunday as the team cruised to a 26-10 victory over the Chiefs in Kansas City this weekend. The Chiefs’ infamous Wild Card meltdown to the Colts last season left confirmed what many skeptics already suspected of Andy Reid‘s squad: that they had vastly overachieved in 2013 thanks largely to the easiest schedule in the NFL. The Titans were expected to rock the boat in a weak AFC South this year, but this commanding victory on the road against a reigning playoff team raised some eyebrows. Are Jake Locker and the Titans going to keep up their winning form? Or did they just take advantage of a highly overrated Chiefs’ team?

Will we see one or more of these teams in the postseason? Do you think any other surprise winners from Week 1 are legit? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Load More Posts