2015 September - Pro Football Rumors

Cardinals Sign Joseph Fauria

September 10th, 2015 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

1:05pm: The Cardinals have officially signed Fauria and moved Momah to their IR, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.

8:59am: Several days after he was let go by the Lions, Joseph Fauria has found a new NFL home, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the tight end has agreed to a deal with the Cardinals. Fauria paid a visit to the team yesterday.

For the Cardinals, the addition of Fauria comes on the heels of news that tight end Ifeanyi Momah suffered a torn meniscus and will undergo surgery, which will land him on the injured reserve list. When Arizona makes the Fauria signing official, placing Momah on the IR figures to be the corresponding move for the club.

Fauria, undrafted out of UCLA in 2013, has compiled 24 catches for 281 yards and eight touchdowns during his career. Last year, a late-season ankle injury landed the 25-year-old on the injured reserve. This year, he became expendable in Detroit when the Lions picked up Tim Wright in a preseason trade with the Buccaneers, pushing Fauria further down a depth chart that also features Eric Ebron and Brandon Pettigrew.

In Arizona, Fauria will compete for a playing time at tight end with Darren Fells, Jermaine Gresham, and Troy Niklas.

Pro Football Rumors’ 2015 NFL Predictions

September 10th, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2015 NFL season gets underway tonight, 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, which clubs will win their respective conferences, the Super Bowl champion, and the winners of the league’s major awards.

Despite Jordy Nelson‘s season-ending injury, the Packers are a popular choice among our writers, as three of us are forecasting a Super Bowl win for Green Bay. However, Andrew Luck received more votes for the regular season MVP than Aaron Rodgers did, with five of us predicting the Colts QB will earn the hardware. Elsewhere, many of us are bullish on J.J. Watt to win Defensive Player of the Year and Chip Kelly to win Coach of the Year.

Click on the link below to see forecasts from Luke Adams, Connor Byrne, Rob DiRe, Ben Levine, Zach Links, Rory Parks, Dallas Robinson, and Sam Robinson. And please head to the comments section to chime in with your own prognostications for the 2015 NFL season!

Pro Football Rumors’ 2015 Writer Predictions

Panthers, Luke Kuechly Nearing Extension

September 10th, 2015 at 11:28am CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 11:28am: The Panthers and Kuechly are expected to have an agreement in place within the next 24 hours, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

WEDNESDAY, 9:00pm: The Panthers and linebacker Luke Kuechly are closing in on an extension, according to Rand Getlin of NFL Network (on Twitter). The two sides have reportedly been in serious discussions for about a month now.

Kuechly, 24, has established himself as one of the NFL’s best defenders since entering the league in 2012. The Boston College product has started all 48 regular season contests during his three-year career, averaging 167 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and 10 passes defended per season. The former ninth overall pick has received his fair share of accolades, winning the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year and the 2012 Defensive Rookie of the Year. He’s also been named to a pair of Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams.

For the Panthers, there’s no real rush to get something finalized with Kuechly, since he remains under contract through the 2016 season. However, his cap hit for ’16 is $11.058MM, the value of his fifth-year option. By hammering out an extension, Carolina can reduce that figure.

Kuechly’s floor was likely set in August, when Bobby Wagner signed a new four-year, $43MM contract with the Seahawks. Wagner’s deal made him the highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL, surpassing Lawrence Timmons‘ $9.56MM annual salary, and Kuechly figures to set a new standard when he signs, since he has been even more productive than Wagner. A new-money, per-year salary in the ballpark of $12MM doesn’t seem out of reach for the Panthers linebacker.

Vikings Extend Jarius Wright

September 10th, 2015 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

The Vikings have signed wide receiver Jarius Wright to a contract extension, the team announced today in a press release. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), it’s a four-year extension worth $14.8MM, with $7MM in guaranteed money.

Wright, 25, has been with the Vikings since the team selected him in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. In 2014, he established new career highs in games started (seven), receptions (42), and receiving yards (588), and was also a threat to run the ball, racking up 71 rushing yards on five attempts. He had been set to earn $1.542MM in 2015, the final year of his rookie contract.

“Jarius has been a key member of our offense since we drafted him in 2012 and we felt it was necessary to secure his future with our organization,” GM Rick Spielman said in a statement. “His commitment to this team, hard work and leadership in the WR room are several of the intangibles that he brings to our club on a daily basis and we’re excited for his future with the Vikings. With the help of WR coach George Stewart, Jarius has greatly improved since coming to Minnesota. This extension stays true to our philosophy of drafting young talent, developing them in our system and rewarding their success.”

Wright heads into the season as Minnesota’s third receiver behind Charles Johnson and Mike Wallace, and his new deal is similar to the ones signed by a couple other slot wideouts recently — Cole Beasley of the Cowboys and Jeremy Kerley of the Jets each inked four-year pacts worth between $3.4MM and $3.5MM annually, so Wright did a little better with his $3.7MM annual average.

Vikings Place John Sullivan On IR-DTR

September 10th, 2015 at 10:13am CST by Luke Adams

The Vikings have lost another starting offensive lineman for at least half the season. According to a press release from the team, the Vikes have placed center John Sullivan on the injured reserve list with the designation to return. Sullivan, who underwent a lumbar microdiscectomy on Wednesday, won’t be eligible to return to the field for eight weeks.

Sullivan, a former sixth-round pick, has been a mainstay on the Vikings’ offensive line since 2009, starting all but three regular season games at center for the team over the last six years. It’s the second major hit Minnesota’s line has taken in recent weeks, as the team also placed starting right tackle Phil Loadholt on season-ending IR after Loadholt suffered a torn Achilles during the preseason.

With Sullivan out, Joe Berger appears to be the next man up at center for the Vikings. The veteran lineman signed a new two-year contract with Minnesota in March after starting nine games at right guard in 2014 for the club.

Here’s the full list of how teams around the league have used their IR-DTR spots so far.

Lions Restructure Golden Tate’s Contract

September 10th, 2015 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Lions have created some breathing room under the cap by restructuring Golden Tate‘s contract, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). The simple restructure was completed several days ago in order for the team to be cap-compliant when the season began, tweets Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap.

As Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, the Lions converted $3.005MM of Tate’s $3.75MM salary for 2015 into a signing bonus, which will now be prorated over the remaining four years of his deal. The move reduces Tate’s base salary for this season to the minimum $745K, and creates about $2.25MM in cap room.

As Over the Cap’s data shows, the Lions are among the NFL teams closest to going over the cap in 2015, so reworking Tate’s deal gives the team a little flexibility to get through the season. The move will also increase Tate’s cap numbers by about $751K for each year from 2016 through 2018 — his cap hit will jump to over $7MM in ’16, $8.35MM in ’17, and $9.35MM in ’18.

Latest On Aldon Smith

September 9th, 2015 at 9:34pm CST by Zachary Links

At least four NFL teams have interest in signing ex-49ers linebacker Aldon Smith, but everything is in a holding pattern at the moment, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The NFL has yet to make a decision on a possible punishment for Smith and, as a result, teams are wary of signing him. If Smith were to sign with a club and then receive a year-long suspension, that would be a PR embarrassment for both the team and the league.

Smith, 25, was arrested by Santa Clara police on hit and run, DUI, and vandalism charges, though when he was released from jail in August, the outside linebacker disputed the fact that he had been driving under the influence. The incident was the latest in a series of off-field run-ins for Smith, who has had DUI arrests in the past, and missed nearly half the 49ers’ games over the last two seasons after entering a rehabilitation facility in 2013 and serving a nine-game suspension in 2014.

When he’s healthy and on the field, Smith can be one of the league’s most effective pass rushers, as he exhibited during his first two years in the NFL. As a part-time player in his rookie season, Smith recorded 14 sacks, and he piled up another 19.5 as a starter in 2012, en route to a spot on the All-Pro first team. However, his off-field issues have limited his production since then.

With 44 career sacks, Smith stands as the 49ers’ fifth all-time sack leader, despite only playing four seasons and appearing in only 50 games. His 19.5 sacks in 2012 is tied for 12th all-time in a single season in NFL history, and only three behind Michael Strahan’s record 22.5 in 2001.

Cardinals’ Ifeanyi Momah Done For Season

September 9th, 2015 at 9:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals tight end Ifeanyi Momah suffered a torn meniscus and will undergo surgery tomorrow, sources tell Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Momah will subsequently be placed on IR, ending his season before it could start, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

It’s a sad piece of news for Momah, who came from out of nowhere to win one of the Cardinals’ starting tight end jobs this offseason. The converted wide receiver first hooked on with Arizona after a tryout and he made the most of his opportunity. Now, he’ll have to wait another year to try and make his NFL mark.

With Momah out, the Cardinals are probably hoping that Jermaine Gresham can get himself ready for significant usage early in the season. They could also go out-of-house for another tight end. Joseph Fauria is among the notable names now available at the position.

Browns Interested In Montee Ball

September 9th, 2015 at 8:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Broncos running back Montee Ball has spoken to several teams, including the Browns, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter). At this time it’s still uncertain where he’ll land, Cabot adds.

Ball, cut by the Broncos earlier this week, is now a free agent after clearing waivers. A Heisman finalist while at Wisconsin in 2011, Ball was selected by Denver in the 2013 draft, and was expected to be inserted as the starting running back in the Broncos’ high-powered offense. But over the course of two seasons, Ball was never able to secure a role as the No. 1 back, losing the job to Knowshon Moreno in ’13 and C.J. Anderson in ’14. All told, Ball saw less than 200 carries during his time with the Broncos, and totaled less than 800 yards on the ground.

On Monday, we learned that the Falcons are among the clubs with interest in Ball. The 24-year-old could also be a fit for teams like the Titans and Cowboys, but we have yet to hear of reported interest from either one of those clubs.

Workout Notes: 9/9/15

September 9th, 2015 at 8:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Falcons center Joe Hawley is visiting the Buccaneers today, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Hawley could be a fit with Tampa Bay as he has a history with offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter from their time together in Atlanta. Hawley, 27 in October, was on his way to returning from the ACL surgery that ended his 2014 season prematurely when he was cut loose by the Falcons earlier this week.

Here are more of the latest workouts and free agent meetings (All links are from Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle via Twitter, unless noted otherwise)..

The Vikings auditioned defensive backs Ri’Shard Anderson and C.J. Roberts, tight end Brian Leonhardt, and linebacker Jordan Tripp, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Cowboys tried out offensive tackle Charles Brown today, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Current Cowboys tackle Tyron Smith backed up Brown when both players attended USC.
The Titans worked out safety Shaquille Richardson (link).
Keavon Milton visited the Panthers (link). The offensive lineman spent time on the Seahawks’ taxi squad in 2014 before being promoted to the 53-man roster in December.
Former Arena Football League wide receiver Lonnie Outlaw visited the Lions (link).
The Buccaneers worked out linebacker Julian Stanford and linebacker Tyrell Adams (link).
The Giants auditioned safety Shiloh Keo, linebacker Nico Johnson, cornerback Tramain Jacobs, ex-Jets wide receiver Shaq Evans, safety Durell Eskridge, and cornerback Dwight Bentley (link). The Giants also tried out Joe Looney, Nick Moody, Henoc Muamba, Quayshawn Nealy, Xavier Proctor, and Alameda Ta’amu (link).
The Colts tried out offensive lineman Travis Bond, wide receiver Marquez Clark, linebacker Edwin Jackson, and defensive tackle Derrick Lott (link).
The Jaguars tried out Rasheed Bailey, Matt Blanchard, and Cody Fajardo (link).