2015 September - Pro Football Rumors

DJax To Miss 3-4 Weeks With Injury

September 14th, 2015 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Washington wide receiver DeSean Jackson is expected to miss 3-4 weeks of action with a hamstring injury, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Of course, nothing is set in stone yet as far as recovery time goes and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) has a slightly more optimistic timetable, saying that Jackson will miss “at least a game or two and potentially more.”

Jackson, 29 in December, hooked on with Washington in 2014 after he was released by the rival Eagles. In his first season in D.C., Jackson caught 56 passes for 1,169 yards and six touchdowns. The three-time Pro Bowler has missed nine regular season games over the course of his career.

Dolphins Waive LaMike James

September 14th, 2015 at 12:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins will waive running back LaMike James (née LaMichael James), coach Joe Philbin told reporters, including Greg Likens of 940WINZ (via Twitter). In a related move, tight end Jake Stoneburner has been brought up from the taxi squad.

James, 26 in October, entered the league in 2012 as a second-round pick by the 49ers. Despite his draft pedigree, the Oregon product was never able to produce in San Francisco, and was virtually buried behind Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter on the team’s depth chart. James played in just 14 games during his first two seasons, contributing mostly on special teams — he racked up only 39 rush attempts and five receptions during that span. When he found himself behind Gore and rookie Carlos Hyde on the Niners’ depth chart last year, James requested and was granted his release. One has to wonder if James’ release could have been triggered in part by his reported scuffle with teammate Jarvis Landry last week.

The Dolphins signed James to their practice squad in September and eventually promoted him to their active roster, but he didn’t see much action in Miami either — the Oregon product had just three carries in 2014. James had been eligible for restricted free agency, but was non-tendered by Miami and re-signed at a lesser rate in March. Now, he’ll be looking for work elsewhere.

Antonio Cromartie May Have ACL/MCL Tear

September 14th, 2015 at 11:55am CST by Zachary Links

11:55am: Great news for the Jets, who announced (via Twitter) that Cromartie’s MRI came back negative. He has a sprained knee and is week-to-week. He has not been ruled out for Monday night.

9:37am: It sounds like the Jets are fearing the worst when it comes to cornerback Antonio Cromartie‘s injury. The veteran will undergo an MRI today to determine the severity of his knee injury and a source tells Mike Florio of PFT that the team is bracing for a diagnosis involving an injury to the ACL and/or MCL.

The Jets brought Cromartie back to New York this offseason shortly after inking Darrelle Revis, reforming the secondary tandem that they had from 2010 through 2012. While Cromartie was not all that sharp towards the end of his Jets tenure, he was a pretty strong compliment to Revis while they played together and the Jets were hoping for a redux after Cromartie enjoyed a bounceback season with the Cardinals. Now, they are hoping that the 31-year-old is not done for the season after just one game.

Cromartie made no secret of the fact that he wanted to sign with the Jets this offseason. His Cardinals teammate Patrick Peterson even complained over the offseason that all Cromartie talked about was “freaking New York.” The Cards maintained interest all along in bringing Cromartie back to Arizona, and the Cowboys were also mentioned at one point as a possible destination, but the Jets ultimately won out.

Cromartie had a pretty atrocious year for the Jets in 2013, finishing with an overall grade of -11.4 (per Pro Football Focus, subscription required), placing him in the bottom ten of all qualified cornerbacks. However, he had something of a resurgence in Arizona, finishing with a much less harsh -0.2 overall grade, putting him 45th out of 108 cornerbacks. That uptick was largely credited to Todd Bowles and both men are clearly excited to continue that partnership in New York.

Washington To Cut Forbath, Sign Hopkins

September 14th, 2015 at 11:14am CST by Zachary Links

Washington plans to release kicker Kai Forbath and sign former Saints and Bills kicker Dustin Hopkins, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Forbath missed a 46-yard field goal against the Dolphins on Sunday and while that’s hardly considered to be a chip shot, one has to imagine that played a role in his release today. Heading into the season, Forbath owned a solid 88% completion percentage on field goals for his career. The 28-year-old inked a new deal to remain with Washington this offseason, but as we all know, kickers typically don’t have the best job security.

Hopkins inked a three-year futures deal with the Saints back in January and while the deal could have kept him there through 2017, his stay ended on September 5th when the team made their cuts to get down to a 53-man roster.

Wilkerson Cuts Off Talks With Jets

September 14th, 2015 at 10:20am CST by Zachary Links

With no agreement on a long-term extension, Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson will now play out the final year of his deal rather than continuing negotiations, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Last week, it was reported that the two sides were very far apart on terms for a new pact.

Wilkerson, 26 in October, skipped voluntary workouts and organized team activities because of stalled contract talks with the Jets. He would later admit that he was a “little frustrated” with the way negotiations were going, but he attended mandatory minicamp and training camp.

Wilkerson is set to earn $6.969MM this season, and the Jets could opt to franchise tag him in 2016. The Jets added even more leverage to the talks when they used the No. 6 overall pick in the draft to select USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams, regarded by some as the best talent in this year’s class. However, the pendulum might have swung back the other way a bit when Sheldon Richardson was suspended for four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

As a 3-4 defensive end in a blitz-heavy scheme, Wilkerson isn’t in a position to put up large numbers in the traditional statistical categories, only notching 24 sacks in his four seasons, including a robust 10.5 in 2013. Still, advanced metric sites like Pro Football Focus (subscription required) have rated Wilkerson extremely highly, listing him as the second-best 3-4 defensive end in 2012 and third best in 2014. J.J. Watt was first both of those years, and Richardson was ranked second this past season. Accordingly, he was named a Pro Football Focus All-Pro in both of those seasons.

Over the summer, PFR’s Rob DiRe looked at Wilkerson as an extension candidate.

Extra Points: Smith, Preseason, Patriots, Steelers

September 13th, 2015 at 9:39pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders signing of Aldon Smith isn’t an indication that the linebacker will avoid punishment for his arrest in August, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. According to the writer, the NFL is currently “reviewing Smith’s case under the substance-abuse policy,” with the DUI charge being the main focus.

While he could be considered a repeat offender, Florio notes that the vandalism and hit-and-run charges “won’t create any significant problems” since they don’t involve violence against another person.

The issue surrounding Smith could be the potential violation of his treatment plan stemming from his previous substance-abuse punishment. If the linebacker is in Stage 3 of the program, Florio says he could be subject to a one-year suspension.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the league…

Florio reports that the NFL is currently reviewing how revenue would be lost by reducing the preseason by “as many” as two games. If the schedule is cut down, the NFL would look to recover their lost money via an extended regular season or expanded playoffs.
ESPN’s Field Yates passes along a pair of roster bonuses that were earned today (via Twitter): Colts linebacker Robert Mathis ($1MM) and Rams wideout Kenny Britt ($500K).
The Patriots asked for the league to reinstate their two suspended staffers, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport says that Troy Vincent, the league’s Executive VP of Football Operations, has formally requested to meet with the duo prior to any decision. Equipment staffer John Jastremski and locker room attendant Jim McNally were suspended indefinitely in May following the release of the Wells Report.
The Steelers released a statement regarding tight end coach James Daniel‘s interaction with Patriots fans following his team’s opening-night loss. “We have conducted an internal inquiry into the alleged incident involving Assistant Coach James Daniel at the Patriots stadium Thursday night. After interviews with Coach Daniel as well as other personnel who witnessed the alleged encounter, we find no corroboration that Coach Daniel was involved in any physical altercation with a fan,” the organization said (via Conor Orr of NFL.com). “Coach Daniel has worked as an assistant coach for the Steelers for the past 12 seasons. We have a high level of confidence in his character and are confident that any further investigation of this incident will reveal he was not part of any assault or misconduct involving a Patriots fan.”

NFC Notes: Jones, Chancellor, Bears

September 13th, 2015 at 8:35pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFC…

The Giants had talked with several teams about trading receiver James Jones prior to the veteran’s release, reports ESPN’s Ed Werder (via Twitter). The team was reportedtly eyeing conditional draft picks. The Packers were among the teams that spoke with New York, but they decided to wait for Jones’ release.
Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett didn’t want to attribute his team’s loss on Sunday to the absence of safety Kam Chancellor, who continues to hold out for a new contract. “Whenever you lose everyone is going to turn around saying this and that, Kam Chancellor this,” Bennett said (via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times on Twitter), “but we were still in the game. Regardless of what the situation was we had more opportunities during the game.”
Despite dropping Sunday’s game to the Packers, several members of the Bears still took shots at their former coaching staff following the contest. “The mentality of this offense, which I’m proud of, is nobody had that stupid look on their face [when down 31-16] like before,” running back Matt Forte said (via Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times on Twitter). “Before when something would happen, kind of saying that the game is lost already when there’s time left. We kept fighting.”
Offensive lineman Matt Slauson echoed that sentiment (via Potash). “Had this been the past, we would have packed it in,” he said. “That just goes to show the mentality this staff is instilling in us.” The guard noted that it was nice “to have a coordinator that actually trusts us to run, because we have the best back in the game.”

Terrell Suggs Tears Achilles, Out For Year

September 13th, 2015 at 6:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Terrell Suggs was carted off the field during the Ravens loss to the Broncos this evening, and the team announced (via Twitter) that the veteran linebacker has torn his left Achilles and will miss the rest of the season.

The former first-round pick has played his entire career in Baltimore, making six Pro Bowls and winning the defensive player of the year award. The 32-year-old has only missed 11 games during his 12-year career, including eight in 2012 when he tore his right Achilles.

Suggs finished last season with 69 tackles and 12 sacks, the second-highest total of his career. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) rated him as the second-most valuable defender last season for the Ravens, and he also ranked as the league’s second-best 3-4 outside linebacker.

Tom Pelissero of USA Today notes (via Twitter) that it took Suggs about five months to recover the last time he suffered a torn Achilles. If Suggs follows that same timeline, he’d be ready by mid-February.

La Canfora On Pagano, Colts

September 13th, 2015 at 6:35pm CST by Rory Parks

6:35pm: Following the Colts loss to the Bills this afternoon, owner Jim Irsay denied reports of a rift between Pagano and Grigson.

“That can’t be farther [from] the truth,” Irsay said (via Mike Wells of ESPN.com). “Ryan and Chuck work hard together. They have a great relationship. I’ve seen coaches and general managers work together since I was 11 years old. I know the dynamic that needs to be there for them to work together. They have a great relationship.”

Irsay was also adamant that Pagano has a voice in regard to personnel decisions.

“That report is completely false,” he said. “I can guarantee you that — completely false. There is not one shred to truth to it at all. Honestly, these guys have a great relationship.”

However, Pagano was less defensive when he was asked if Pagano could be coaching for his job.

“Whenever these guys are in coaching – players and everything — everyone has to win,” said Irsay. “That’s a given. I don’t look at it as he’s coaching for his job or anything like that. I really don’t see the dynamic being anything different than any other year in the past to be honest with you. I don’t see it that way at all.”

12:43pm: It has been known for some time that there is a rift between Colts head coach Chuck Pagano and certain members of the team’s front office, most notably GM Ryan Grigson. As ESPN’s Dianna Marie Russini tweeted today, there is so much pressure on Pagano that he is essentially a lame duck coach, unless he takes his team to the Super Bowl. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports echoes Russini’s sentiments, writing that it is a foregone conclusion that Pagano will leave Indianapolis next year.

Per La Canfora, Pagano was insulted by the one-year extension that owner Jim Irsay offered after last season, which included a salary virtually identical to what the coach is making in 2015. Irsay, in turn, was insulted by Pagano’s dismissive response to the offer.

But the situation was worsening long before that particular exchange. Pagano has had no say in the team’s personnel decisions, either at the player or coaching level. For instance, Grigson installed Pep Hamilton as the Colts’ offensive coordinator when Pagano had been pushing Rob Chudzinski for the job. As La Canfora writes, “Given [the] differences of opinion on staff matters, personnel issues, a growing inter-personal strain and the minimal attempt made to extend Pagano, it’s created a culture where any coach would feel as if his future is elsewhere.”

Even if Pagano were to win the Super Bowl this season–and the Colts are a legitimate championship contender–La Canfora believes he will still end up elsewhere in 2016. It’s not as if the differences between coach and brass will magically evaporate, and if Pagano brings the Lombardi to Indianapolis, his leverage will be at an all-time high. Indeed, considering the success he’s enjoyed in his first head coaching stint, that leverage is pretty high already, and according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, Colts players are wondering how Pagano can possibly be coaching for his job this year (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

Much like the aftermath of the Jim Harbaugh-49ers relationship, there will be no shortage of opportunities for Pagano in 2016, and there will likely be no shortage of viable candidates interested in the Colts’ head coaching job. But now, more than ever, it appears as though Pagano and Indianapolis are headed for a parting of the ways.

Falcons Owner on Quinn, Front Office, Ryan

September 13th, 2015 at 5:55pm CST by Ben Levine

The Falcons had a busy offseason, replacing head coach Mike Smith (the winningest coach in franchise history) with Dan Quinn, the former Seahawks defensive coordinator.

On the field, the team will be hoping that the additions of Brooks Reed and Justin Durant can elevate the defense. On offense, they’ll be eyeing a new group of running backs, as the organization moved on from veterans Steven Jackson and Jacquizz Rodgers.

Regardless, it was a very busy offseason in Atlanta. Owner Arthur Blank discussed his team’s moves with D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and we’ve compiled some of the notable quotes below…

On the Falcons 2015 offseason:

Well, I think it’s been a great offseason. I think we started with hiring (of Quinn) who I think is going to be an outstanding coach for us. I love what Dan has brought to the team in terms of leadership and energy and positive thinking. I couldn’t be happier with the coach and the coaching staff.

I couldn’t be happier as I look at the changes. It’s not easy in this league to make changes, both defensively and offensively in the same year. I think you’ve seen a little more success of one side of the ball than the other, not quite the (same) consistency. But I’m very happy with where we are.