2015 September - Pro Football Rumors

Packers’ Bryan Bulaga Out 4-6 Weeks

September 19th, 2015 at 6:28pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

SATURDAY, 7:28pm: Bulaga should return in four to six weeks, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reports (via Twitter).

SATURDAY, 3:43pm: Bulaga’s recovery timetable will increase now that the sixth-year tackle underwent surgery for a torn meniscus, according to Albert Breer and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). A more severe injury than a mere MCL sprain, Bulaga is now expected to miss at least six weeks.

The Packers’ bye is in Week 7, so they could have him back after five missed games in Week 8, but this is obviously a much bigger setback. In the meantime, backup Don Barclay will start. The fourth-year undrafted talent started 14 games for Green Bay at right guard in 2013.

THURSDAY, 7:26pm: Packers starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga left Thursday’s practice with a knee injury, but ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reports that it’s not as serious as initially feared. Bulaga sustained a sprained MCL, according to Demovsky (Twitter link). Bulaga had the same injury last year and only missed one game. His status for this week’s game against defending NFC champion Seattle is currently unknown.

Just weeks after losing Pro Bowl wide receiver Jordy Nelson to a season-ending ACL tear, seeing Bulaga – a fellow offensive stalwart – suffer a similar injury would’ve been a cruel twist of fate for the Packers. Bulaga has been an outstanding member of Green Bay’s line since the team used a first-round pick on him in 2010, although injuries have been an issue throughout his career. The 26-year-old started a career-high 15 games last season and subsequently signed a five-year deal worth upward of $33MM to remain with the Packers.

Cowboys Notes: Murray, Jones, Michael

September 19th, 2015 at 6:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

After rushing for an NFL-best 1,845 yards in 2014, running back DeMarco Murray left the Cowboys in free agency and signed a five-year, $42MM deal with NFC East rival Philadelphia. Sunday will be Murray’s first matchup against Dallas, which chose him in the third round of the 2011 draft and helped him develop into an elite running back. And, if not for the Eagles’ decision to pursue Murray after trading LeSean McCoy and losing to Indianapolis for Frank Gore‘s services, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones believes Murray might have continued his career in Dallas.

“I still think today we could have gotten him if Philly had not jumped in,” Jones said, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. “I don’t think he would have gone to Oakland or Jacksonville, but they came in at the last second and got [the price] up there.”

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/19/15

September 19th, 2015 at 5:20pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Here are Saturday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL. The news comes courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle:

Carolina Panthers

Signed: T Pierce Burton (Twitter link)
Cut: WR Damiere Byrd

Miami Dolphins

Cut: WR Deon Long (Twitter link)

New England Patriots

Signed: OG Chris Barker (Twitter link)
Signed: DT Khyri Thornton
Cut: CB Dax Swanson

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/19/15

September 19th, 2015 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest minor moves from across the NFL:

The Patriots released wide receiver Jonathan Krause, who was on injured reserve, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Krause went undrafted out of Vanderbilt and has spent time with both the Cleveland and New England organizations.
The Eagles reached an injury settlement with defensive end Brian Mihalik, per Wilson (Twitter link). Mihalik, formerly of Boston College, was a seventh-round pick of the Eagles in this year’s draft.
The Raiders signed safety Tevin McDonald from their practice squad, according to their website. McDonald is an undrafted rookie from Eastern Washington.
Washington cut defensive end Frank Kearse and signed linebacker Terrance Plummer from its practice squad, per Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Kearse amassed career highs in games (15), tackles (12) and sacks (three) as a member of Washington’s defense in 2014. He appeared in 16 games from 2011-13 with the Panthers and Cowboys. Plummer is an undrafted rookie from Central Florida.
The Bears cut defensive back Demontre Hurst and promoted defensive lineman Brandon Dunn from their practice squad, according to ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson (Twitter link). Hurst totaled 39 tackles and an interception as an undrafted rookie last year, and added a tackle in the Bears’ loss to Green Bay last week. Dunn, also in his second year, spent most of last season on the Bears’ practice squad. He appeared in three games and made one tackle.

Earlier updates:

In order to make room for Phillips, San Diego cut wide receiver Tyrell Williams, per Gehlken (on Twitter). Williams, who will traverse the waivers process, had a standout preseason as a rookie. This cut leaves the Chargers thinner at receiver. Gehlken estimates only four dressing Sunday, with Dontrelle Inman residing as the Bolts’ only backup.
The Chargers added Adrian Phillips from their practice squad, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Michael Gehlken (on Twitter). They will make a corresponding move later today, per Gehlken. An undrafted rookie safety in 2014, Phillips suited up for three games last year for the Chargers.
The Jaguars moved cornerback Peyton Thompson to their active roster and cut wideout Bryan Walters to make room, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union reports (on Twitter). A fourth-year veteran, Thompson played two games for the Jags last season after spending 2012 in Atlanta and 2013 with Washington. Walters, 28, played one game in Jacksonville last season while playing the previous two with the Seahawks. He booked a start for the 2013 Super Bowl champion Seahawks after starting his career in San Diego two years prior.
The Panthers also swapped out a wide receiver for another position in cutting Damiere Byrd, an undrafted rookie from South Carolina, from their practice squad to make room for offensive tackle Pierce Burton on their 10-man unit, David Newton of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The Falcons released Burton from their practice squad last week.
Rookie UDFA wide receiver Javess Blue received an injury settlement from the Packers, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Due to the settlement, Blue cannot re-sign with Green Bay for at least six weeks.
The Vikings reached an injury settlement with 2015 sixth-round offensive lineman Tyrus Thompson, per Wilson (on Twitter). The 23-year-old from Oklahoma took first-team reps with the Vikings at right guard this summer before the team moved tackle Mike Harris inside, where he starts now.

Extra Points: Goodell, Raiders, Mariota, Vaccaro

September 19th, 2015 at 3:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Roger Goodell‘s said he’s open to changing his role in the disciplinary process, the status quo won’t change for a while. Steelers owner Art Rooney II said any changes will be negotiated in the next collective bargaining agreement, which is up for renewal in 2021, and owners are in no rush to pursue what would be a complex fix, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today.

“Look, I think more than likely we’re not talking months here. We’re most likely talking years,” Rooney told Pelissero. “I think there’s probably still a fair amount of time before both sides are willing to really roll up their sleeves and get something done.”

The NFLPA, however, responded to Rooney’s assertions of both sides having “informal discussions” on amending the personal conduct policy by saying the league has been unwilling to comply with the association’s requests to collectively bargain on the issue that’s become one of the key components of the modern NFL.

Should the two sides somehow agree to an extension on the CBA with new language on player discipline, that extension would be for a couple of years, Rooney told USA Today.

Here are some additional items affecting the league in Week 2.

Following his stadium proposal that was widely panned, developer Floyd Kephart won’t be taking part in future proposals involving a new Raiders stadium in Oakland, according to the Bay Area News Group. Kephart’s exclusive negotiating agreement was not renewed by the city of Oakland, and CSNBayArea.com notes this should facilitate more direct dialogue between Oakland and the Raiders, who dismissed the financial basis for Kephart’s Coliseum City project.
Aldon Smith should see work in the Raiders’ base packages soon after playing only on passing downs in Week 1, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Smith played mostly at right defensive end in his 29 snaps last week, and Bair expects that to increase against the Ravens. With Jack Del Rio-led defenses reluctant to blitz, the onus will be on Smith and Khalil Mack to lead a four-man pressure package.
With the Browns set to host the Titans on Sunday, Mike Pettine admits a personal interest in Marcus Mariota‘s career, according to the Northeast Ohio Media Group’s Tom Reed. The second-year Cleveland coach believes many around the league are secretly rooting against Mariota and his former coach at Oregon, Chip Kelly, to fail and preserve the superiority of pro-style systems. “(Mariota) is the kind of guy you root for from a personal standpoint,” Pettine said. “But I think the football purists who want it to be a true pro-style game are not going to cheer for a guy like him because that would only encourage teams to blow this up and bring in college coordinators.”
The Saints want to expand Kenny Vaccaro‘s role to include covering slot receivers, Nick Underhill of TheAdvocate.com writes. Vaccaro played 156 downs in slot coverage in 2013 and 108 last season, per Underhill, and was utilized as an in-the-box player when New Orleans opted for single-high safety looks.”

Cardinals Cut Joseph Fauria

September 19th, 2015 at 1:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

After signing him less than 10 days ago, the Cardinals cut Joseph Fauria to make room for practice-squadder Kerwynn Williams‘ promotion, ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss reports (on Twitter).

This move comes after Andre Ellington‘s injury created a void at running back. Williams, a seventh-round pick by the Colts in 2013, played five games for the Cards last season. Chris Johnson will start, with David Johnson spelling him, notes Kevin Patra of NFL.com.

A former undrafted free agent out of UCLA and known for his seven-touchdown rookie season in 2013, the 25-year-old Fauria did not play in Arizona’s Week 1 contest.

The Lions waived Fauria, who saw injuries restrict him to just six catches and one score last season, when they trimmed their roster down to 53 players two weeks ago.

AFC Rumors: Jets, Ravens, Workouts

September 19th, 2015 at 1:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite signing a four-year, $16MM extension last October, Jeremy Kerley played just one snap for the Jets in Week 1 and doesn’t appear to have a role in Chan Gailey‘s offense. Gailey prefers receivers play different positions. Kerley’s skill set is mostly limited to slot work, putting his future with the team in doubt, according to Dom Cosentino of NJ.com. Kerley, who established career highs with 56 catches for 827 yards in 2012, missed time this summer with an Achilles injury and a concussion, leading to being phased out of the offense thus far. “We started molding [the offense] around other things, and we are where we are,” Gailey told media. Eric Decker played 43 snaps in the slot last week.

Here are some other items emerging from other AFC locales.

With Eugene Monroe set to miss tomorrow’s Ravens-Raiders game due to a concussion sustained in the first half of Week 1, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com posits the Ravens are not receiving good value from Monroe after he signed a five-year, $37.5MM deal last season. Monroe’s latest absence will mark the sixth time the Baltimore left tackle’s missed a game since signing that extension, and after quality seasons prior to last, Monroe graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 63rd-ranked tackle last year.
The Colts worked out cornerback Brandon Dixon, Bill Bentley and Robert McClain, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter) the latter of the trio having 17 career starts to his credit. The Patriots cut the 27-year-old McClain earlier this month after signing the ex-Falcon this offseason. A former Division II All-American and twin brother of Saints cornerback Brian Dixon, Brandon Dixon played 14 games last season for the Buccaneers. Bentley, a 2012 third-rounder, started eight games for the Lions in 2012-13 but ended up on injured reserve last season after playing in just one game.
The Browns worked out linebacker Jayson DiManche, and defensive ends Cam Johnson and Nordly Capi, Wilson tweets. DiManche played in 28 games for the Bengals the past two seasons, with Johnson suiting up in 13 for the 49ers and Colts in the past three.
In addition to trying out Bernard Pollard on Friday, the Raiders also brought in free safeties Durrell Eskridge and Ryan Murphy for auditions, notes Wilson (on Twitter).

No Talks This Week For Chancellor, Seahawks

September 19th, 2015 at 10:27am CST by Luke Adams

With the Seahawks prepared to face the Packers in Green Bay in a rematch of last year’s championship game, safety Kam Chancellor still appears no closer to joining the team. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, there has been no contact between the Seahawks and Chancellor’s agent since September 8, several days before the regular season got underway.

As Florio points out, it isn’t really a surprise that the two sides haven’t spoken recently, since the Seahawks have maintained that they aren’t interested in negotiating with the safety, who still has three years remaining on his contract. Entering into discussions with Chancellor would mean contradicting that stance.

Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter links) observes that it could be a big weekend for Chancellor and the Seahawks, since the Pro Bowler would lose a significant chunk of leverage if Seattle is able to pick up a road win against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. While I’m sure Chancellor isn’t rooting for his team to lose, he’s in an unusual position, since his best chance of winning the contract standoff will come if the Seahawks struggle without him.

Once Chancellor misses tomorrow’s game, the cost of his holdout will increase to north of $2MM.

NFC Notes: J. Jones, Long, Cruz, Workouts

September 19th, 2015 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

Week 1 couldn’t have gone much better for Packers wide receiver James Jones, who re-signed with Green Bay less than two weeks ago and caught a pair of touchdown balls from Aaron Rodgers during his first game back with the team.

In an interview with Jenny Vrentas of TheMMQB.com, Jones discussed the Raiders‘ and Giants‘ decisions to release him earlier this year, suggesting that Oakland simply wanted to “go younger,” while New York let him go out of respect, since he wouldn’t have been a big part of the Giants’ offense. Jones has no hard feelings toward either organization, but being cut twice in the span of a few months figures to motivate him this season.

“I’m extremely, extremely motivated, more than I have ever been, right now,” Jones said. “Not only to show the teams that released me that I have a lot of football left, but to show myself, that you still have a lot to give and you have a lot of football left. That’s my main motivation right now, to show people that I can still play this game at a very high level and still can help a ball club win.”

So far, so good for Jones and the Packers. Here’s more from around the NFC:

Field Yates of ESPN.com provides a few more details on Jake Long‘s one-year contract with the Falcons, tweeting that while there’s a base value of $1.17MM, the deal has a strong “play-and-pay structure.” Long can earn up to $400K in per-game roster bonuses and another $1MM in incentives.
Victor Cruz, who is continuing to deal with lingering calf problems, will miss the Giants‘ Week 2 game, but thinks he’ll be back on the field for the team within the next couple weeks, as Bart Hubbuch and Kyle Schnitzer of the New York Post write. The Giants, who have yet to use their IR-DTR slot, obviously felt confident heading into the season that Cruz wouldn’t be sidelined for a significant chunk of time, since it doesn’t seem as if the club ever seriously considered using that designation on the veteran wideout.
In addition to their workouts which we passed along yesterday, the Eagles also auditioned offensive lineman Austin Reiter and running back Dreamius Smith this week, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
According to Wilson (via Twitter), offensive lineman Pierce Burton had a workout for the Panthers this week. Burton was initially waived by the Falcons during their cutdown to 53 players, then was cut from Atlanta’s practice squad earlier this week.

East Rumors: Eli, Eagles, Jets, Brady

September 18th, 2015 at 9:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite the incredible durability he’s shown in his 12-year career, Eli Manning is unlikely to play out the four-year contract extension he signed with the Giants last week, Bryce Johnston of OverTheCap writes. Manning’s estimated contract value, a tool used by OverTheCap, produced a slightly lower figure than his 2004 draft class peers Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers, younger than the 34-year-old Manning by 14 and 11 months, respectively. Cam Newton tops this value-based chart.

Here’s what’s going on across the Eastern divisions on Friday night.

Third-year Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis‘ aggressiveness puts Philadelphia’s cornerbacks in difficult spots, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The pressure-centric schemes often place Eagles corners in one-on-one spots, and that didn’t go well for Byron Maxwell against Julio Jones in Week 1. With Chip Kelly bringing in Maxwell for $63MM to play this kind of coverage while Cary Williams, who ended up replacing Maxwell in Seattle, and Bradley Fletcher weren’t asked back. McLane opines Maxwell must acclimate to this scheme far better to justify his $10.5MM-per-year salary.
Kelly’s attempt to maximize the Eagles’ play count may be affecting his defense, writes Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News. With the Eagles trailing only the Broncos and Patriots in number of offensive plays run since Kelly assumed command in Philadelphia in 2013, Kelly’s teams are just 5-4 in December and ranked last (26 minutes, 40 seconds) in average time of possession in 2014.
Despite assuming the Jets‘ starting quarterback job via unrelated locker room violence, Ryan Fitzpatrick is taking his commitment to new heights in constantly texting Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall videos, notes and quizzes to form a chemistry with the wideouts, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports. “It’s energizing,” Marshall told Mehta. “It’s something I’ve been waiting for for the past five or six years … to play with a quarterback who approaches the game that way.” Fitzpatrick connected with both for scores in the Jets’ Week 1 win.
Geno Smith hasn’t taken snaps in team drills yet, just 7-on-7 scout-team work the past two days in practice, per Mehta (on Twitter). Unseating Fitzpatrick could be a task for Smith after two uneven seasons.
According to SI.com’s Greg Bedard in an interview with Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News, Tom Brady looks more drained for this point in the year after spending the offseason consumed by Deflategate. Bedard adds, however, that he doesn’t sense the 16-year veteran carrying added motivation like he did after last season’s proclamations of his demise following the Patriots‘ blowout loss to the Chiefs.