2014 September - Pro Football Rumors

Cowboys Notes: McClain, Sam, Scandrick

September 5th, 2014 at 11:59am CST by Zachary Links

Ready or not, Rolando McClain will be starting at middle linebacker for the Cowboys this Sunday, writes Schuyler Dixon of The Associated Press. “I expect him to be really a heck of a linebacker for us,” said Rod Marinelli, who replaced Monte Kiffin as defensive coordinator. “I think he has great range. He’s got length. He’s smart. He’s a really physical player. So we just have to get him going and see how it works out from there.” Here’s today’s news out of Dallas..

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says the team signed Michael Sam because of what he did in St. Louis and because defensive end is a position of need for the Cowboys, tweets Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Many have openly wondered if Jones signed Sam to the practice squad for the attention that he will bring. However, the reigning SEC defensive player of the year did make some noteworthy plays in preseason for the Rams.
Jones went on to say that he hasn’t heard anything about a potential return for Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick, but he would welcome it (link). Still, Jones says that he’s not counting on it. The NFL and the NFLPA are reportedly close to ratifying a new drug policy that could retroactively affect suspensions for the likes of Scandrick and Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker.
Meanwhile, Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram (on Twitter) hears from the team that the Cowboys believe Scandrick would be ready to go and could play on Sunday if the suspension is lifted.

Rams Sign Mike Remmers

September 5th, 2014 at 10:55am CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here..

The Rams signed tackle/guard Mike Remmers to their practice squad, agent Brett Tessler tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Vikings let Remmers go on Wednesday to make room for Ahmad Dixon. To make room for Remmers, the Rams have released offensive tackle Sean Hooey, tweets Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.

Rams Work Out Larry Dean

September 5th, 2014 at 10:26am CST by Zachary Links

Linebacker Larry Dean auditioned for the Rams yesterday, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. The Vikings cut Dean loose last Sunday as they set their 53-man roster.

One might think that the Rams are looking to get a read on the Vikings before they face off on Sunday. However, the source expected the earliest the Rams might sign Dean would be next week. The workout went well, according to the source, and the Rams like Dean’s ability to be a difference maker on special teams.

A key contributor on kick and punt coverage, the 26-year-old racked up 48 career special-teams tackles during his three seasons in Minnesota. Last season, he forced and recovered the first fumbles of his career in 2013. Special teams skills are always appreciated, but he hasn’t been given a chance to play a lot of traditional defense. Dean appeared in just 12 snaps on defense in 2013. Dean had $400K of his contract guaranteed for this season so he still got to keep a nice chunk of change when the Vikings let him go.

West Notes: Sherman, Miller, Harvin, 49ers

September 5th, 2014 at 9:54am CST by Zachary Links

The Packers didn’t throw the ball in Richard Sherman‘s direction last night and, after the game, the Seahawks star cornerback had a few quick words with Aaron Rodgers, writes Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead. “You avoided me, didn’t you?” Sherman appeared to ask. Pausing for a second, Rodgers responded, “Yup.” Here’s more out of the AFC and NFC West..

After Broncos linebacker Von Miller commented that J.J. Watt is still underpaid in his new deal with the Texans, former agent Joel Corry (on Twitter) believes that Miller will target more than $18MM per year when his contract talks begin. Watt netted a six-year extension worth $100MM with $51.876MM in guaranteed money but its hard to say what Denver will be willing to give Miller when considering his off-field trouble.
The Seahawks expected big things from Percy Harvin after acquiring him from the Vikings for a first-round pick and signing him to a six-year, $67MM extension. However, his hip problem limited him to playing in just two games before last year’s Super Bowl. Now, between that Super Bowl performance and last night’s romp over the Packers, Seattle is starting to get what they paid for, writes Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com.
The 49ers tried out punter Chase Tenpenny, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Tenpenny was waived by the Chargers in late August.

NFC Links: Sam, Bradford, Suh, Bailey

September 4th, 2014 at 10:08pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s look at the latest news from the NFC…

After Michael Sam failed to land with a team via waivers after being cut by the Rams, the NFL discreetly contact clubs around the league and asked them to evaluate him as a practice squad candidate, reported Peter King on NBC’s pregame coverage earlier tonight. Sam eventually joined the Cowboys’ PS.
In the wake of his second ACL tear in as many seasons, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford says he hasn’t yet coped with the future of his NFL career. “I haven’t even thought that far ahead,” Bradford told reporters, including Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “It’s still pretty hard to comprehend right now. I think it will be good once I have the surgery because the rehab process will give me something to focus on and something to put my attention towards.”
Ndamukong Suh was complementary of J.J. Watt following the latter’s extension with the Texans, but wouldn’t comment on what Watt’s deal would mean for him, Suh. “I have no clue,” Suh said, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free-Press. “It’s not up to me. Talk to my agent.” The defensive tackle is entering the final year of his contract with the Lions, during which he will count a league-high $22.413MM against the cap.
Lions head coach Jim Caldwell was coy about his team’s interest in adding Champ Bailey following the veteran’s workout today, but Detroit corner Rashean Mathis hopes Bailey will be joining him in the secondary, writes Birkett in a separate piece. “You can substitute for a lot of things, but knowledge is not one of them,” said Mathis. “[Bailey] knows the game, he knows football. When you have that much playing experience, the coaches know you know just as much as them when it comes to on-the-field stuff.”
In a piece for TheMMQB.com, former Packers employee Andrew Brandt details the contrasting personalities of two of his former colleagues — Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson, and Seahawks GM (and former Packers personnel man) John Schneider.

AFC Notes: Gordon, Leshoure, Brown, Reed

September 4th, 2014 at 8:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Amid reports that Josh Gordon‘s suspension could possibly be reduced pending a new drug policy agreement, the Browns receiver has found new employment that has nothing to do with the NFL. According to Josina Anderson of ESPN (via TwitLonger), Gordon has accepted a position with the Sarchione Auto Group in northeast Ohio. He’ll act as both an on-floor salesman and as head of the group’s local outreach projects. While it’s nice to hear that the troubled 23-year-old has found some form of structure, I’m sure Gordon is hoping he can return to the field before 2015. Let’s look at some more news from the AFC.

The Lions released 2011 second-rounder Mikel Leshoure over the weekend, but the 24-year-old running back could soon find a new team, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free-Press reports (on Twitter) that Leshoure has scheduled a visit with the Colts. Given Trent Richardson‘s 2013 struggles and Ahmad Bradshaw‘s injury history, Indianapolis would do well to add a player with Leshoure’s pedigree.
After the league announced Andre Brown‘s eight-game suspension today, our Luke Adams wondered if the Texans had known the ban was coming, and if that knowledge precipitated the running back’s release earlier this month. According to Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Houston was aware of Brown’s impending suspension — in fact, the Texans thought he might be suspended for even longer than a half-season.
Texans linebacker Brooks Reed, entering the final year of his contract, worked out with teammate J.J. Watt during the offseason, and he’s hoping the extra effort will lead to a new deal with the club, writes John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. “Yeah, I better get 20 sacks,” said Reed, laughing. “It’s my last year, and I expect — as do my coaches — to improve on the years I’ve had here. I put a lot into the offseason. I trained very hard. Hopefully, it’ll work out for the best.”
Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap breaks down the full details of Alex Smith‘s contract extension with the Chiefs.
The Raiders have reached a $1.25MM settlement with 90 cheerleaders who argued that the team violated labor laws by refusing to pay minimum wage and failing to pay for business expenses, according to Robin Abcarian of the Los Angeles Times.

2014 Pro Football Rumors Writer Predictions

September 4th, 2014 at 6:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The 2014 NFL season gets underway in about one hour, and the writers at Pro Football Rumors have weighed in with projections for the upcoming year. We’ve predicted which teams will earn playoff berths, the participants in the each conference’s Championship game and the Super Bowl, and the winners of the league’s major awards. The Saints and Drew Brees are favorite picks of PFR this year — seven of us have New Orleans reaching at least the NFC title game, while four writers see Brees earning MVP honors.

Click on the link below to see forecasts from Luke Adams, Rob DiRe, Matt Feminis, David Kipke, Ben Levine, Zach Links, Rory Parks, and Dallas Robinson. And feel free to add your 2014 NFL prognostications in the comments section!

2014 Pro Football Rumors Writer Predictions

Practice Squad Updates: Thursday

September 4th, 2014 at 6:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are the latest practice squad additions and cuts from around the NFL, with the most recent moves added to the top of the list throughout the day. To check out the full practice squad rosters for all 32 teams in the league, be sure to check out our updated master list.

After being cut by the Patriots earlier today in a bit of roster shuffling, defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles has decided to stay with New England by joining its practice squad, according to Jordan Raanan of the Newark Star-Ledger (Twitter link).

Earlier Updates:

We heard yesterday that quarterback Ryan Griffin had cleared waivers and been added to the Saints‘ practice squad, but we didn’t hear until today which player he’d be replacing. According to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Griffin will be taking linebacker Todd Davis‘ spot.
The Dolphins have cut linebacker David Hinds from their practice squad, replacing him with linebacker Terrell Manning, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter links).
The Ravens have re-signed linebacker Josh Bynes to their practice squad, removing defensive tackle A.J. Pataiali’i from the unit to make room, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

Minor Moves: Thursday

September 4th, 2014 at 5:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

We’ll keep track of the day’s minor transactions here, with the latest moves being added to the top of the page:

The Miami-New England waiver wire saga continues, as the Dolphins have claimed defensive tackle Bruce Gaston from the Patriots, who waived him yesterday, according to Field Yates of ESPN (via Twitter). Gaston, 22, was a 2014 undrafted free agent out of Purdue. In order to clear a roster spot, the Dolphins waived defensive back Brandian Ross, who started 13 games for the Raiders last season, tweets Yates.
Jake Stoneburner, a second-year tight end out of Ohio State, has been removed from the Packers’ injured reserve list with an injury settlement, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter link).

Extra Points: HGH, Thompson, Raiders

September 4th, 2014 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Reports today, including one from ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen, have suggested that talks between the NFL and the NFLPA have intensified, as the two sides attempt to implement HGH testing and revamp the league’s current drug policy. However, NFLPA president Eric Winston has issued a statement cautioning that there’s still work to be done.

“Players who have been to any collective bargaining negotiation understand that we never describe them as ‘very close,'” Winston said. “We look at every issue we can to improve the rights and benefits of players. This process takes time, it takes creativity and it is never easy. We want to get a new agreement in place but we understand the responsibility we have to the players and to the game. It is critical that we get this right.”

Here’s more from around the NFL:

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Ted Thompson’s new contract with the Packers should keep him with the team well into his mid-60s. Rapoport reports that the deal, which was signed in July, is a three-year pact that runs through 2018.
Meanwhile, Peter King takes an in-depth look at Thompson in a piece for TheMMQB.com, which includes the Packers GM discussing the team’s signing of Julius Peppers.
Although a report on Wednesday suggested that the City of Oakland is closing in on an agreement for a new stadium for the Raiders, San Antonio is “still in conversations” to move the Raiders to Texas, city manager Sheryl Sculley tells Josh Baugh and Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.
During the 48-hour window between when the Saints cut him and re-signed him, Robert Meachem received inquiries from other teams, but he says he knew the call from New Orleans was coming, tweets Sean Fazende of FOX 8 Sports.
Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com explains why the 49ers saw $8MM in cap space disappear this week, as the cap calculations for the 2014 season started taking into account teams’ full rosters rather than just their top 51 highest-paid players.