2015 October - Pro Football Rumors

Ravens’ Matt Elam Suspended One Game

October 31st, 2015 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY, 8:56am: Elam has been shifted from the injured reserve to the reserve-suspended list for this week, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).

FRIDAY, 3:52pm: Safety Matt Elam has been suspended one game for violating the NFL’s policy on substances of abuse, the Ravens announced today (via Twitter). Elam has been on Baltimore’s injured reserve list all season, so he’ll serve his suspension immediately, and it won’t affect him next year, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).

“We have been aware of this situation for a while,” the Ravens said in a statement (via Twitter). “Matt has been in our building rehabbing his injury on a regular basis, and he will continue to do so.”

Elam, 24, started 26 regular season contests at safety for the Ravens during his first two NFL seasons. However, having led the team in missed tackles and struggled mightily in coverage, he was bumped from Baltimore’s lineup in favor of Will Hill down the stretch in 2014. Elam entered 2015 looking to redeem himself, but suffered a complete biceps tear in training camp, ending his season.

While Elam won’t miss any games due to his one-game suspension, he’ll miss out on a pay check, reducing his 2015 salary by 1/17th (about $60K).

NFL Mailbags: Panthers, Coples, Titans

October 31st, 2015 at 8:48am CST by Ben Levine

Every Saturday, several ESPN.com NFL writers answer questions from their readers. We’ve compiled some of the more notable answers below, with a cameo from Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com…

There are a variety of reasons why the Panthers won’t pursue a receiver via trade, writes ESPN.com’s David Newton. While acquiring a player like Steve Smith or Calvin Johnson would help this season, the writer believes the players would be too expensive and would only provide a temporary fix. Furthermore, he notes the Seahawks’ recent success without a top wideout, and he believes the Panthers’ hot start is an indication that they could follow the same route.
Considering the linebacker’s lack of playing time, it wouldn’t shock ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini if the Jets listened to trade offers for Quinton Coples. The Jets probably won’t keep the former first-rounder and his $7.75MM salary next season, but it’s uncertain if any team would be willing to take on that contract.
The lack of a fifth receiver on the Titans depth chart is because the squad values their tight ends, writes Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com. While the team could reasonably replace any of their five tight ends with a wideout, the writer believes backups Craig Stevens, Phillip Supernaw, and Chase Coffman are all safe.

Extra Points: Trades, FAs, Texans, Browns

October 30th, 2015 at 9:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The NFL doesn’t see that level of trade activity that does MLB or the NBA, but there are still a fair number of deals each year. Still, most of the trades (at least, those made in-season) are fairly minor in nature. However, in something of a thought exercise, Greg Garber of ESPN.com takes a look at five potential deals, involving star players such as J.J. Watt, Calvin Johnson, and Joe Thomas. Needless to say, it’s highly unlikely that any of these trades will come to pass, but it’s interesting to entertain, nonetheless. On a related note, I recently examined several AFC candidates to be traded before the November 3 deadline, and I’ll go over the NFC later this weekend.

Here’s a look around the NFL as we close out Friday night:

In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Field Yates takes an early look at the top 10 free-agents-to-be for 2016, with Broncos pass rusher Von Miller topping his list. Considering Denver locked up Demaryius Thomas to a new contract earlier this year, Miller looks like a very strong bet to get the franchise tag this winter. However, if he signs a long-term deal with the Broncos or another team, Miller could become the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player, says Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (video link).
The Texans brokered a one-week injury settlement of nearly $19K for tight end Mike McFarland, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle writes. McFarland was removed from injured reserve following a bizarre incident where he was the victim of an extortion plot. Interestingly, Wilson writes that McFarland’s exit is related to that situation. McFarland joined the Texans as a UDFA this season out of South Florida. However, he began his career at USF as a four-star recruit.
The Browns worked out former Patriots defensive lineman Joe Vellano today, according to Wilson (Twitter link). Vellano, who turned 27 today, appeared in all 16 games for New England back in 2013, but saw action in just five contests last year. Cleveland has a few defensive lineman who are dinged up, but the club is likely just updating its emergency list.
The Titans will discuss re-adding receiver Rico Richardson to the active roster, reports Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com (Twitter link). Richardson was released and moved to the practice squad on Monday.

Luke Adams and Zach Links contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/30/15

October 30th, 2015 at 9:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here are the day’s minor moves:

In what is becoming a familiar transaction, the Saints have waived receiver T.J. Graham, head coach Sean Payton confirmed to Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com (Twitter link). After being cut from Jets camp at the end of the summer, Graham joined New Orleans on October 20, was waived a week later, re-added to the roster, and has now been cut again. Ross Ventrone and Josh Johnson send their regards.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Patriots, James, Jackson

October 30th, 2015 at 8:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jets–Patriots rivalry may have hit a new high (or perhaps, low) as Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports that NFL officials swept New York’s locker room and questioned three New England employees during Sunday’s game — all at the behest of the Jets. A source tells Howe that the Jets were concerned that Gillette Stadium’s operations and radio frequencies were not up to par (for the record, the Jets have denied making any such requests).

Nevertheless, per Howe, the three Pats employees were interrogated throughout the third quarter, forced to hand over their phones and radios, and required to submit to a photograph. According to Howe, the Patriots were informed that none of the checks revealed anything improper, and that the club had done nothing wrong.

Let’s take a look at more out the AFC East, including fallout from last night’s contest…

The Dolphins‘ offensive line took a hit on Thursday night when Ja’Wuan James left the game with a toe injury, and it appears the team will have to get by without its starting right tackle for a few games. Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post (Twitter link) hears from a source that James is expected to miss four to six weeks.
During Thursday night’s game, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) noted that the Patriots are coming “dangerously close” to running out of offensive lineman, and wondered if that could be a position they target before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
One Patriots offensive lineman who did go down in last night’s game — guard Tre’ Jackson — should be able to return at some point in the near future, as a source tells Howe in a separate piece that the MRI on Jackson’s left knee came back negative. He’s considered day-to-day, and though he does have 10 days to get healthy, Jackson’s history of knee issues is a concern, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com details.
The Patriots, always on the lookout for useful tight ends, brought in veteran free agents Steve Maneri and Bear Pascoe for workouts this week, tweets Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Per Reiss, the team is keeping its emergency lists fresh, so it doesn’t sound like either tight end will be signed by New England anytime soon.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Breer’s Latest: Lions, Manning, Hardy, Brady

October 30th, 2015 at 6:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As he does each week, Albert Breer of NFL.com spoke with several executives and scouts around the league, delving into some of the pertinent topics in the NFL heading into Week 8. Let’s dive in…

The Lions made several changes to their coaching staff this week, including firing their offensive coordinator, but there could be more staff alterations on the horizon, per Breer. Martha Ford, the owner of the club, didn’t play a role in hiring head coach Jim Caldwell, so his status going forward remains unclear. Additionally, if the rest of the coaching staff is terminated after the conclusion of the season, it’s likely that the front office, including GM Martin Mayhew, would be fired as well, adds Breer.
Peyton Manning is in the middle of the worst season of his career, and some personnel men feel the veteran Broncos quarterback’s play might stagnate even more as the weather gets colder. “I thought it was pretty clear he’s not the same guy, and he’ll probably never be the same guy,” one AFC scout told Breer. “Now, it’s a matter of whether they can function the offense well enough with him. And with that defense, they can,” added the scout, noting the importance of Denver’s run game as an aid to Manning.
The uproar surrounding Greg Hardy‘s recent behavior is nothing new — as evidenced by his run-ins with the law that caused him to miss nearly all of the 2014 season — and Breer writes that concerns about Hardy’s off-the-field behavior date back to his college days at Ole Miss. Once he entered the league in 2010, Panthers teammates would often have to ensure that Hardy simply made it to practice. As one source noted about the Cowboys defensive end: “You never know what you’re gonna get.”
Following the NFL’s filing of a brief to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the Tom Brady appeal decision, the court announced that the hearing would take place on February 1 — the Monday of Super Bowl week. The NFLPA, unsurprisingly, finds the decision “alarming” (in the words of union spokesman George Atallah), while the league indicated it would comply with the schedule handed down by the court.
Noting the gap in appeal between NFL and NCAA head coaching jobs isn’t what it once was, Breer puts together a preliminary list of NFL candidates who might be interested in moving to the college ranks, including the Colts‘ Rob Chudzinski, Bengals OC Hue Jackson, and Bills OC Greg Roman.

NFC Notes: Niners, Kaepernick, Saints

October 30th, 2015 at 5:20pm CST by Luke Adams

When asked about a report that he got into an altercation with left tackle Joe Staley, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis offered up a denial, as Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle writes.

“I don’t recall that,” Davis said “I don’t know where that’s coming from. It’s funny to me. He’s been like a brother to me… We’ve had arguments in the past. My first year, I remember, I came here and we got into it. We got into right then and seconds later we were hanging out, laughing and drinking sodas together.”

While Davis claims the incident didn’t happen, several reporters have suggested that a skirmish between Staley and Davis arose after the tight end called out quarterback Colin Kaepernick in a players-only meeting. Here’s more on the Niners, along with a few other NFC teams:

49ers CEO Jed York and GM Trent Baalke should step up right now and squash the rumblings about Kaepernick’s future with the organization, Tim Kawakami of The Mercury News writes. Kawakami feels that the front office can put the QB’s mind at ease by saying that the Niners still plan on building around him, but the team yet to do so. The franchise also allowed speculation to run rampant over ex-coach Jim Harbaugh, whom some might say was San Francisco’s best coach in decades.
In his latest piece for TheMMQB.com, former Packers executive Andrew Brandt examines a pair of NFC East defensive ends, writing that the Cowboys will be negotiating against themselves if they try to extend Greg Hardy, and suggesting that Jason Pierre-Paul‘s fireworks accident will likely end up costing him about $7-10MM in salary this season.
When the Saints traded defensive lineman Akiem Hicks to New England for tight end Michael Hoomanawanui earlier this season, many pundits didn’t like the deal for New Orleans. However, as Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes, Hoomanawanui has seen more playing time than Hicks on his new team, and has allowed the Saints to bring a new wrinkle to their offense, with multiple three-tight-end sets.
The Saints tried out defensive back Brandon Dixon on Thursday, according to a source who spoke with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFL Investigating Jeremiah Ratliff Incident

October 30th, 2015 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

4:56pm: Agent Mark Slough has released the following statement on behalf of Ratliff (TwitLonger link via Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report):

“Jeremiah has no recollection or memory of saying anything that has been reported in the police report. Jeremiah is receiving care in Dallas for a football-related medical condition that arose out of the game on the 18th with Detroit. The primary focus right now is on Jeremiah’s cognitive health. I would also like to reiterate that the reports that Jeremiah showed up at Halas Hall inebriated are utterly and completely false.”

2:47pm: The NFL is investigating the Jeremiah Ratliff situation, according to a league spokesperson (Twitter link via Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com). It’s not clear if Ratliff could face discipline from the NFL as a result of the investigation, but based on the details that surfaced today from a police report, it certainly sounds as if he may have run afoul of the league’s personal conduct policy.

Ratliff reportedly showed up last Wednesday in no condition to practice, prompting the Bears to send him home. After the team made the decision to release him, Ratliff returned to the club’s practice facility, saying at one point that “he felt like killing everybody in the building,” according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune, who cited a report from the Lake Forest Police Department.

Ratliff left Halas Hall and returned again later, at which time he reportedly said, “I am the devil” and said that he “wished [a] staff member’s children would die.” Although no charges were filed against Ratliff, the Bears did call local police, with team officials alerting the Lake Forest P.D. of their belief that the 34-year-old owns multiple firearms, according to Campbell.

Whether or not the NFL decides to fine or suspend Ratliff for the incident, it seems unlikely that the veteran defensive lineman will get an opportunity from another team this season. Having burned bridges in Dallas and now Chicago, the four-time Pro Bowler doesn’t appear to be worth the risk as an in-season addition.

Ratliff previously served a three-game suspension to start the 2015 season for violating the league’s policy and program for substances of abuse.

Dolphins’ Cameron Wake Has Torn Achilles

October 30th, 2015 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

2:28pm: The Dolphins have officially confirmed the diagnosis on Wake, and will place him on the injured reserve list in the coming days (Twitter link via James Walker of ESPN.com).

8:36am: As if their 36-7 loss at the hands of the divisional-rival Patriots on Thursday night wasn’t bad enough, the Dolphins appear to have lost their top pass rusher to a season-ending injury during the game.

After Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald wrote last night that the Dolphins feared a ruptured left Achilles for defensive end Cameron Wake, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com confirms today (via Twitter) that is indeed a torn Achilles for Wake, who will miss the rest of the season.

Wake, 33, got off to a slow start this year, along with most of the rest of the Dolphins, but was a force over the last few weeks, following Dan Campbell’s hiring as interim coach. Despite not being able to finish his third game under Campbell due to his Achilles injury, Wake racked up seven sacks in those three weeks, including one takedown of Tom Brady on Thursday night.

Given his age, his contract, and the serious nature of the injury, there’s a possibility that Wake has played his last down for Miami. The four-time Pro Bowler, who has been with the team since 2009, has one year remaining on his contract, but his cap hit in 2016 will be $9.8MM, so the Dolphins will have to be pretty confident he can make a full recovery and be productive next season in order to bring him back. If the club were to cut him in the offseason, it would create $8.4MM in cap savings.

For now, the Dolphins will have to find a way to fill the pass-rushing void created by Wake’s injury. Derrick Shelby appears likely to slide into the starting lineup for Wake, while the team will also rely more heavily on Olivier Vernon to get to the quarterback.

Jets Activate Stevan Ridley From PUP

October 30th, 2015 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Less than a week after falling to the Patriots, the Jets have activated a former New England running back. The team announced today (via Twitter) that it has moved Stevan Ridley from the physically unable to perform list to the active roster, waiving wide receiver Chris Owusu with an injured designation.

Ridley, 26, compiled 340 yards and two touchdowns on 94 rushing attempts last season for the Patriots before suffering an ACL and MCL injury that sidelined him for the rest of the year. The recovery timetable for that injury stretched into the 2015 preseason and the first several weeks of the regular season, prompting the Jets to put Ridley on the PUP list after signing him back in April.

Chris Ivory has been bothered by a minor hamstring injury, but he’s expected to play this week, and has averaged 100 yards per game in his five contests this season. With Bilal Powell sidelined due to an ankle issue, Ridley will likely split backup duties with Zac Stacy.

While Ridley won’t necessarily be counted on to have a significant role in the Jets’ offense, he has a decent track record, having racked up 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground back in 2012. Fumbling issues reduced his playing time in New England, but the Jets were willing to give him a little guaranteed money – along with $350K in per-game roster bonuses – on his one-year deal, so they’ll certainly use him in the second half of the season.

As for Owusu, he has been bothered by concussion issues throughout his playing career. He’ll revert to the Jets’ injured reserve list, assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers and the team doesn’t work out an injury settlement with him.