HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Draft Notes: Miller, Philon, McCarthy

January 13th, 2015 at 7:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s the latest NFL Draft news from Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports on Twitter, unless noted otherwise..

  • Auburn announced that offensive tackle Patrick Miller will enter the draft (link). Miller’s decision comes as quite a surprise and there has been little buzz about him as a 2015 prospect.
  • Arkansas defensive tackle Darius Philon officially declared that he’ll be entering the 2015 draft (link). The 6-foot-2, 272-pound standout totaled 46 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 13 games for the Razorbacks in 2014. The redshirt sophomore is draft eligible because he has completed three years at Arkansas.
  • UCLA defensive lineman Ellis McCarthy is expected to forego his final season of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft (link). McCarthy made a major leap forward in 2014 and he credits his weight loss for that improvement. “Getting the weight off was the biggest thing,” said McCarthy, according to Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times. “It got my knees feeling better and improved my speed and quickness. It has paid off, but I still need to make progress.”
  • UCF cornerback Jacoby Glenn is expected to forego his remaining college eligibility and enter the NFL Draft (link). Glenn finished the regular season ranked No. 3 in the nation in interceptions (7) and passes defended (18). He was also named the co-defensive player of the year for the American Athletic Conference.

Minor Moves: Williams, Wade, Cleary

January 13th, 2015 at 7:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves..

  • The Cowboys confirmed that Ryan Williams has been signed to a two-year contract extension, according to Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Williams signed with Dallas last offseason, but never stepped foot on the field. The former member of the Cardinals has not been on the gridiron for in-game action since 2012.
  • The Giants signed defensive back Trevin Wade, a former member of the Browns and Saints, to a reserves/futures deal, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Wade, an Arizona product, has 15 career NFL games to his credit.
  • The Eastern Athletics agency (via Twitter) announced that client Emmett Cleary has signed a futures deal with the Giants. The tackle previously spent time with the Bengals.

Jets Hire Mike Maccagnan As GM

January 13th, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Rory Parks

TUESDAY, 6:00pm: The Jets announced (via Twitter) that Maccagnan has been named as the team’s new GM.

SUNDAY, 9:48am: The Jets are expected to name former Texans college scouting director Mike Maccagnan as their next GM, writes Kevin Patra of NFL.com, citing colleague Ian Rapoport. Maccagnan has been meeting with owner Woody Johnson over the past three days.

As Patra writes, Maccagnan is viewed as a very good talent evaluator, though the drafts in which he participated while with Houston yielded some mixed results. As PFR’s Zach Links wrote last week, the consensus among front office executives around the league is that Maccagnan is not ready to be an NFL general manager, but clearly the Jets feel differently. Charley Casserly, who served as a GM for Washington and the Texans in his career, has been Johnson’s most influential consultant in the hiring process, and he doubtlessly endorsed Maccagnan’s candidacy. Casserly and Maccagnan have developed a strong relationship over the past several decades, as Casserly hired Maccagnan while with Washington and Houston.

Maccagnan’s first task will be to find a new head coach to replace the recently-fired Rex Ryan, who was named as the Bills head coach this morning. As PFR’s Luke Adams wrote several days ago, Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has emerged as the favorite for the position, but Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will receive strong consideration and the team remains “intrigued” by Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak.

Maccagnan will also be tasked with finding the team’s quarterback of the future. Geno Smith has disappointed and Michael Vick is nearing the end of his career, but the Jets do hold the sixth overall pick in the 2015 draft, which may net them a chance to select one of the year’s top two quarterback prospects, Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston.

Broncos Notes: Manning, Elway, Fox

January 13th, 2015 at 5:49pm CST by Zachary Links

What a difference a few days can make. The Broncos, who were viewed as one of the elite teams in the NFL, are in a state of flux. After being bounced by the Colts, coach John Fox is out and Peyton Manning sounds non-committal about returning to Denver next season. Meanwhile, the Broncos are having some reservations about No. 18 as well, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The Broncos are worried about Manning’s quadriceps and, perhaps more importantly, his declining arm strength. Manning is owed $19MM for 2015 and some in the organization are wondering if that price tag is worth it for them. More out of Denver..

  • Broncos executive vice president and GM John Elway said that Jack Del Rio and Adam Gase are both candidates for the head coaching vacancy, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post (on Twitter). However, no interviews are scheduled just yet.
  • Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is a popular man. The Broncos have now requested permission to interview him for their head coaching vacancy, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • Elway’s comments made it clear that he has faith in Manning, Renck tweets. He wants him back, wants him involved in the process to get back to contention, and believes that he can play another year in the NFL.
  • However, Elway went on to say that Manning will take the next four to five weeks to think about what he wants to do next, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports (on Twitter).
  • When asked about his friction with Fox, Elway said, “We disagreed on how to get to the next level,” according to Pelissero (via Twitter).

Cowboys Sign Eight Players To Futures Deals

January 13th, 2015 at 5:07pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of their season-ending loss to the Packers on Sunday, the Cowboys have moved quickly to lock up their coaches without contracts, and they’re doing the same for their practice squad players. Per Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com, the ‘Boys have re-signed seven players who finished the season on their taxi squad, plus Troy Davis, who was on the squad’s IR list. Here’s the full list of signees:

Of the players who finished the season on Dallas’ practice squad, only defensive tackle Davon Coleman and cornerback Micah Pellerin have yet to sign new deals.

Coach Notes: Jets, Bowles, Austin, Lynn

January 13th, 2015 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Jets continue to search for Rex Ryan‘s replacement, the team’s focus seems to be shifting from Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. According to Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 in Arizona (Twitter link), he’s hearing that things could be “heating up” between the Jets and Bowles, with the Cards DC reaching out to potential staff members. Bowles still has a second interview lined up with the Falcons tomorrow, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Jets make him an offer before that meeting.

A few more coaching-related updates, as the carousel turns:

  • If the Jets decide not to wait for Quinn, it appears he’ll still have interest from other clubs, including the Falcons, Bears, and 49ers, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). According to Cole, it doesn’t appear is if Quinn is leaning a certain direction at this point.
  • Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has finished his visit with the Bears and remains on track to meet with the Falcons later this week, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). La Canfora adds that Austin is still “very much in the mix” for the Atlanta job.
  • Jets running backs coach Anthony Lynn has a busy schedule these days. Per ESPN’s Josina Anderson (Twitter link), Lynn is scheduled to interview for the Browns‘ offensive coordinator job next Tuesday. The Jaguars have also received permission to speak to Lynn about their OC opening, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
  • Under new offensive coordinator Greg Roman, the Bills are on the lookout for an offensive line coach. Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports (via Twitter) that Buffalo has asked for permission to interview 49ers offensive line coach Mike Solari, while Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that the Bills have been granted permission to interview Washington OL coach Chris Foerster.

DC Rod Marinelli, Cowboys Reach Agreement

January 13th, 2015 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

4:50pm: A league source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link via Todd Archer) that Marinelli has agreed to a three-year deal with the Cowboys.

4:11pm: The Cowboys and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli have reached an agreement on a new contract that will keep the former Lions head coach in Dallas, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Word of Marinelli’s new deal comes on the heels of a report that head coach Jason Garrett is nearing agreement on a five-year pact to stick with the Cowboys.

The numbers for Marinelli’s defensive unit in 2014 may not look impressive on the surface — the club allowed 355.1 yards per game, which ranked 19th in the NFL, and placed 22nd in defensive DVOA, per Football Outsiders. However, coming into the season, there was a perception that Dallas’ defense would be historically bad, so the fact that it was only slightly below average despite a handful of injuries and a lack of star talent is a credit to Marinelli.

Prior to becoming the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator for the 2014 season, Marinelli was the team’s defensive line coach in 2013, and served as a defensive assistant on the Bears’ staff from 2010 to 2012.

Rams Notes: FAs, Stadium, Los Angeles

January 13th, 2015 at 4:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The threat of possible 2016 relocation to Los Angeles is looming over the Rams, but general manager Les Snead doesn’t expect that to have a real impact on the team’s pursuit of free agents this winter, as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.

“What you’re finding is, I think as you guys know, money’s No. 1 and it’s usually who’s coaching there next,” Snead said. “We’ve gotten to this era of free agency where especially with the window of early negotiation, players aren’t taking visits any more.”

While it’s not entirely true that free agent visits are a relic of the past, Snead is probably right that a player’s salary and the team’s head coach are more important factors for players looking for a new club than the city is. If the possibility of a move to Los Angeles becomes more realistic over the next couple months, we can look forward to finding out this March whether or not that’s indeed the case.

Here’s more on the Rams:

  • Speaking of the Rams’ potential relocation, if the team does head to Los Angeles, the USC Coliseum looks like the best bet to be the franchise’s temporary home until a new stadium is constructed, according to Eloy Yndigoyen of the Daily Trojan (hat tip to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
  • Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com takes a look at possible relocation from the perspective of St. Louis officials, speaking with Dave Peacock, one of the executives spearheading the city’s stadium plan. Peacock admits that the future of the Rams may be out of his and the city’s hands to a certain extent, but that his group intends to move forward with the St. Louis stadium plan in hopes of either working something out with the Rams, or with the NFL for another team.
  • The Rams aren’t likely to go out and spend significant money on high-priced veterans in free agency, but the team is at a point where it can use free agency to add complementary veterans to its young core, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.

Bills, DC Jim Schwartz Part Ways

January 13th, 2015 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, after a Monday report indicated that Rex Ryan would be bringing Dennis Thurman to Buffalo as his defensive coordinator, the Bills have formally parted ways with incumbent DC Jim Schwartz, releasing him from his contract, the team announced today in a press release.

“I have the utmost respect for Jim and what he has been able to accomplish throughout his career and I know he feels the same about me,” Ryan said in a statement. “Jim’s defenses are always tough and ranked near the top of the league standings. I wanted to give Jim the opportunity to pursue other opportunities and so we have terminated his contract. He did a terrific job with the Bills defense this past year and our plan is for our defense to continue to play well and be a dominating force.”

As PFR’s Dallas Robinson noted in his story on the Bills’ expected hiring of Thurman, the move is a little surprising, since Schwartz did a great job with Buffalo’s defense in 2014 — the unit finished second in the NFL in DVOA. But Ryan and Schwartz have different defensive philosophies and wouldn’t have been a natural pairing.

The former Lions head coach will now have the opportunity to pursue other DC openings, so we’ll have to see if teams whose searches appear to be winding down, such as Washington or the Giants, decide to give Schwartz a call.

Panthers Sign Nine To Futures Contracts

January 13th, 2015 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

With their season now officially over, the Panthers have begun to take care of 2015 business by signing the majority of their practice squad to reserve/futures contracts. Per a team release, nine of the 10 players that finished the season on Carolina’s taxi squad have now been locked up to new deals. And according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter), wide receiver Stephen Hill, the one player who hasn’t signed, is expected to do so tomorrow.

Here’s the list of players the Panthers signed today:

The Panthers previously signed guard Tyronne Green and tight end Mike McNeill to reserve/futures deals.

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