2016 January - Pro Football Rumors

Month: January 2025

AFC Notes: Jets, Rice, Chiefs, J. Harrison

January 22nd, 2016 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jets may undergo some changes at the running back position this offseason, with their top three backs all eligible for free agency. The team appears to be doing its homework in preparation for possible changes, and GM Mike Maccagnan acknowledged today during a WFAN appearance that Ray Rice is one veteran back whose name has come up, but it doesn’t sound like Rice will be a Jet anytime soon, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com details.

“You know, we’ve talked about that at various points in time,” Maccagnan said. “But I’d probably say that would be one … I’d have to sit down and talk with Todd [Bowles] and Woody [Johnson], but I don’t foresee that at this point in time.”

Here’s more from around the AFC:

Chiefs general manager John Dorsey fully expects running back Jamaal Charles to remain on the team’s roster for 2016, as Adam Teicher of ESPN.com notes. “I love him to death, love how dirty tough he is,” Dorsey said of Charles, who is recovering from a torn ACL. “Yeah, he’s a Chief.”
Dorsey also said this week that he’s had “various discussions” with the representatives for Eric Berry, and will continue to talk to Berry’s reps (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star). The longtime Chiefs safety is eligible for free agency this winter.
After being eliminated from the playoffs last weekend by the Broncos, Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison isn’t ready to make a decision on whether or not he’ll continue his playing career, as he tells Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “If you were to ask me something like that right after a loss, nobody wants to go out with a loss,” Harrison said. “It’s going to be an immediate, ‘Yeah, I’m coming back,’ not taking into account everything else. Right now, I’m not ready to make that decision.”
The Dolphins have been tight-lipped about what they plan to do with former first-round pick Dion Jordan, whose substance abuse suspension is expected to run through at least April 27, writes Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. It’s hard to imagine Jordan playing another game for the team, even if he’s reinstated this spring.

49ers To Fire DC Eric Mangini

January 22nd, 2016 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Having reportedly offered their defensive coordinator job this week to Mike Vrabel, the 49ers seemed intent on moving on from incumbent DC Eric Mangini. Alex Marvez of FOX Sports confirms that today, reporting (via Twitter) that the 49ers have fired Mangini.

It’s been a busy day for the Niners, who have reportedly made decisions on their new offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator as well. We also learned this morning that the club is considering its own linebackers coach, Jason Tarver, along with Ravens linebackers coach Don Martindale, for the defensive coordinator position.

A report a few days ago from Marvez suggested that there was a “strong possibility” that Mangini, San Francisco’s defensive coordinator for just one season, would remain with the team. However, as Kelly and the 49ers interviewed other candidates this week and reportedly offered Vrabel the DC job, it became increasingly unlikely that Mangini would be back in any capacity.

Whoever ends up becoming the 49ers’ new defensive coordinator, replacing Mangini, will be faced with a unique challenge. In Philadelphia, Kelly’s Eagles ranked at the bottom of the NFL in terms of time of possession in each of the last three seasons due to their fast-paced offense, which forced the defense to spend plenty of time on the field.

Mangini’s 49ers unit, meanwhile, lost several key contributors prior to the 2015 season and ranked 29th in the NFL in yards allowed per game (387.4), finishing outside the top 25 against both the run and the pass.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

49ers To Hire Curtis Modkins As OC

January 22nd, 2016 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after word broke that Bills assistant head coach Anthony Lynn was withdrawing his name from consideration for the 49ers’ offensive coordinator position, San Francisco has apparently found its man for the job. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Niners are hiring Lions running backs coach Curtis Modkins to be their offensive coordinator.

With Lynn no longer in the running for the job, Modkins and former Eagles quarterbacks coach Ryan Day were the only two known candidates for Chip Kelly and the Niners. According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Day is now set to become the new quarterbacks coach in San Francisco.

While Day has worked with Kelly previously, Modkins and the new 49ers head coach don’t appear to have overlapped at all during their coaching careers. Before becoming the Lions’ running backs coach in 2013, Modkins served as the Bills’ offensive coordinator and running backs coach. He also worked for the Cardinals and Chiefs as their respective running backs coaches after making the leap from the NCAA ranks in 2008.

Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert each made eight starts for the 49ers in 2015, and the team’s offense struggled to get much going under either quarterback. For the season, San Francisco finished 31st in the NFL with just 303.8 yards per game. The running game, with ranked 21st, was slightly more effective than the passing game (29th), but it wasn’t a productive year for Geep Chryst‘s unit. Chryst was let go by the team earlier this week.

In San Francisco, Kelly will continue to call offensive plays, as he did in Philadelphia, while Modkins and his staff will “set [the] stage” during those game-day play calls during the week, tweets Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group.

In addition to bringing in a new offensive coordinator, Kelly and the 49ers are also set to name a new special teams coordinator, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, who reports that Derius Swinton is expected to take over the role. Swinton has been a part of John Fox‘s staffs for the last few years, serving as a special teams assistant in Denver before joining the Bears last year as Chicago’s assistant special teams coach.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

49ers Rumors: Lynn, Flaherty, Kaepernick

January 22nd, 2016 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The 49ers are the only team in the NFL that is still without both an offensive and defensive coordinator, and for the second time in the last two days, it sounds like a strong candidate for one of those positions will no longer be in the mix. According to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Bills assistant head coach and running backs coach Anthony Lynn has withdrawn from consideration for San Francisco’s OC job.

While there had been no indication that the Niners preferred Lynn to other candidates for the position, such as Ryan Day or Curtis Modkins, the Bills assistant has certainly been the hotter name this winter, having interviewed for a pair of head coaching openings earlier in the month. Marvez’s report comes on the heels of Thursday’s news that Mike Vrabel had declined the 49ers’ offer to become their defensive coordinator.

As the Niners continue their search for offensive and defensive coordinators, having crossed a pair of names off their lists, let’s round up a few more items out of San Francisco….

According to Marvez (via Twitter), the 49ers have made one coaching addition today, hiring former Giants offensive line coach Pat Flaherty for the same position in San Francisco. We heard several hours ago that the Niners were also considering Bob Bostad for that job.
Although he’s typically not very transparent, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke seemed to make it pretty clear this week that Colin Kaepernick remains in the club’s plans for 2016, writes Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Pressed on whether the team was ready to lock in Kaepernick’s $11.9MM base salary for next season, Baalke replied, “We signed the contract for a reason. We’re not worried about the financial part of it at this point. What we’re worried about is getting him healthy and ready to compete.”
This morning, we learned that 49ers linebackers coach Jason Tarver and Ravens linebackers coach Don Martindale are among the candidates receiving consideration for San Francisco’s defensive coordinator job.

Bills Notes: Cap, M. Williams, Staff, Harvin

January 22nd, 2016 at 1:48pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Bills prepare for the offseason, GM Doug Whaley cautioned today in an appearance on WGR 550 that re-signing potential free agents won’t be easy, since the team is already over the cap for 2016 (Twitter link via Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News). VP Jim Overdorf, who handles the cap and player contracts, wlil have to “work his magic” this spring, Whaley added (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).

The NFL has yet to set its cap number for 2016, and the Bills will certainly lower the number currently on their books by releasing or trading players in the coming weeks and months, but according to Over the Cap’s data, based on a $150MM projected cap for ’16, Buffalo is indeed more than $3MM over the cap, with the second-most cap commitments in the NFL. So the team will have some work ahead of it.

Here’s more out of Buffalo:

One player who is expected to be cut, and whose release would create some breathing room under the cap, is defensive end Mario Williams. As Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News notes (via Twitter), a Rex Ryan quote today about his defense being built for “all 11” players rather than just for one is another sign that Williams is likely on his way out.
Ryan clarified today that, after this month’s staff changes, Dennis Thurman will continue to be the team’s defensive coordinator, while the head coach will still call defensive plays on game day (Twitter links via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW).
Following up on a comment he made earlier this week, Ryan said his brother Rob Ryan turned down an NFL defensive coordinator job and a college DC job to join the Bills’ staff (Twitter link via Rodak).
The Bills will “seriously look into” drafting a wide receiver this spring, Whaley said today, though he did acknowledge that’s probably true of every position (Twitter link via Rodak).
Whaley also said that the Bills would love to have Percy Harvin back in 2016 (Twitter link via WGR 550). Harvin’s contract with the team voids during the offseason, so he’ll become a free agent.

Seahawks GM: Marshawn Lynch May Retire

January 22nd, 2016 at 12:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Marshawn Lynch‘s future in Seattle is up in the air after an injury-plagued 2015 season, with Lynch owed a sizable salary and Thomas Rawls having emerged as a viable alternative. Appearing today on 710 ESPN Seattle, Seahawks general manager John Schneider was asked about Lynch’s future and said that he’s under the impression the veteran back is “leaning towards retirement” (Twitter links via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times).

If Lynch is seriously considering retirement, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time we’ve heard that. A quick glance through PFR’s archives on the Seahawks running back turns up at least two separate stories from 2014 that explore the possibility of retirement. Lynch was also believed to be mulling retiring before signing a new deal with the team last March.

Of course, there are some key differences between Lynch’s situation now and then. During his first four years in Seattle, all Pro Bowl seasons, Lynch never ran for less than 1,200 yards or 11 touchdowns. In 2015, he was limited to 417 yards and three TDs in his seven games, and was barely used in Seattle’s playoff loss last weekend, as the team quickly fell behind 31-0.

Lynch is currently set to earn a base salary of $9MM in 2016, with an overall cap hit of $11.5MM. That’s a significant price to pay for a running back who turns 30 this spring, and who is coming off health issues. Rawls, as an undrafted rookie, averaged an eye-popping 5.6 yards per carry this season, en route to a team-leading 830 rushing yards, so if Seattle decides to move on from Lynch – or vice versa – the team will have a player capable of stepping into the starting role.

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes (via Twitter), Lynch would owe the Seahawks $5MM in signing bonus money if he retires this offseason, so it may be in his best interest to force the club to cut him instead. Releasing Lynch would create at least $6.5MM in cap savings for Seattle, or even more than that if the team were to designate him as a post-June 1.

If past contract negotiations are any indication, Lynch is unlikely to make a quick decision, and the Seahawks won’t be under any real pressure to make a call on the running back until March, so I expect it’ll be some time before we get any resolution one way or the other on this situation.

While Lynch’s future with the Seahawks is up in the air, Schneider said today that tight end Jimmy Graham will definitely be back with the team next season, per Condotta.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

107 Early Entrants For 2016 NFL Draft

January 22nd, 2016 at 11:38am CST by Luke Adams

A total of 96 underclassmen who met the NFL’s three-year eligibility rule and formally applied to enter the 2016 draft have been granted special eligibility, the league announced today in a press release. In addition to those 96, another 11 players who have graduated with college football eligibility remaining have also entered this year’s draft class.

This year’s total of 107 early entrants is a new record — in 2014, 98 underclassmen were granted special eligibility and four more were eligible after graduating early, for a total of 102. However, since the NFL doesn’t count players graduating early as underclassmen, 2014 will still officially hold the record, with 98 underclassmen to this year’s 96.

Here’s the full list of underclassmen eligible for the 2016 draft, in alphabetical order:

Bralon Addison, WR (Oregon)
Dominique Alexander, LB (Oklahoma)
Mackensie Alexander, DB (Clemson)
Eli Apple, DB (Ohio State)
Demarcus Ayers, WR (Houston)
Peyton Barber, RB (Auburn)
Vonn Bell, DB (Ohio State)
Caleb Benenoch, T (UCLA)
Andrew Billings, DT (Baylor)
Dariusz Bladek, G (Bethune-Cookman)
Joey Bosa, DE (Ohio State)
Tyler Boyd, WR (Pittsburgh)
Daniel Braverman, WR (Western Michigan)
Beniquez Brown, LB (Mississippi State)
Artie Burns, DB (Miami)
Kenny Clark, DT (UCLA)
Corey Coleman, WR (Baylor)
Trenton Coles, DB (Duquesne)
Alex Collins, RB (Arkansas)
Maliek Collins, DT (Nebraska)
Jack Conklin, T (Michigan State)
Pharoh Cooper, WR (South Carolina)
Kamalei Correa, DE (Boise State)
Su’a Cravens, LB (Southern California)
Elijah Daniel, DT (Murray State)
Terrell Davis, LB (British Columbia)
Kevin Dodd, DE (Clemson)
Thomas Duarte, TE (UCLA)
Ezekiel Elliott, RB (Ohio State)
Leonard Floyd, LB (Georgia)
Kendall Fuller, DB (Virginia Tech)
Will Fuller, WR (Notre Dame)
Jared Goff, QB (California)
T.J. Green, DB (Clemson)
David Grinnage, TE (North Carolina State)
Christian Hackenberg, QB (Penn State)
Vernon Hargreaves, DB (Florida)
Jerald Hawkins, T (Louisiana State)
Derrick Henry, RB (Alabama)
Hunter Henry, TE (Arkansas)
Willie Henry, DT (Michigan)
Rashard Higgins, WR (Colorado State)
Austin Hooper, TE (Stanford)
Jordan Howard, RB (Indiana)
Xavien Howard, DB (Baylor)
Germain Ifedi, T (Texas A&M)
Myles Jack, LB (UCLA)
Cardale Jones, QB (Ohio State)
Cayleb Jones, WR (Arizona)
Chris Jones, DT (Mississippi State)
Jayron Kearse, DB (Clemson)
Denver Kirkland, T (Arkansas)
Darius Latham, DT (Indiana)
Kenny Lawler, WR (California)
Shaq Lawson, DE (Clemson)
Darron Lee, LB (Ohio State)
Roger Lewis, WR (Bowling Green)
Steve Longa, LB (Rutgers)
Paxton Lynch, QB (Memphis)
Jalin Marshall, WR (Ohio State)
Alex McCalister, DE (Florida)
Brett McMakin, LB (Northern Iowa)
Keanu Neal, DB (Florida)
Yannick Ngakoue, DE (Maryland)
Robert Nkemdiche, DT (Mississippi)
Marquez North, WR (Tennessee)
Emmanuel Ogbah, DE (Oklahoma State)
Paul Perkins, RB (UCLA)
Joe Powell, DB (Globe Tech)
C.J. Prosise, RB (Notre Dame)
Jalen Ramsey, DB (Florida State)
Alex Redmond, G (UCLA)
Hassan Ridgeway, DT (Texas)
A’Shawn Robinson, DT (Alabama)
Demarcus Robinson, WR (Florida)
Rashard Robinson, DB (Louisiana State)
Aldrick Rosas, K (Southern Oregon)
Zack Sanchez, DB (Oklahoma)
Isaac Seumalo, G (Oregon State)
Wendell Smallwood, RB (West Virginia)
Jaylon Smith, LB (Notre Dame)
Tyrell Smith, T (Massachusetts)
Ronnie Stanley, T (Notre Dame)
Kelvin Taylor, RB (Florida)
Ron Thompson, DE (Syracuse)
Laquon Treadwell, WR (Mississippi)
Laremy Tunsil, T (Mississippi)
Quinn van Gylswyk, K (British Columbia)
Nick Vigil, LB (Utah State)
Cleveland Wallace, DB (San Jose State)
Dwayne Washington, RB (Washington)
Stephen Weatherly, LB (Vanderbilt)
De’Runnya Wilson, WR (Mississippi State)
Daryl Worley, DB (West Virginia)
Scooby Wright, LB (Arizona)
Avery Young, T (Auburn)

Here’s the list of players who fulfilled their degree requirements early and also became eligible to be drafted in 2016:

Roberto Aguayo, K (Florida State)
Travis Blanks, LB (Clemson)
Zac Brooks, RB (Clemson)
Eric Enderson, P (Delaware)
Austin Johnson, DT (Penn State)
Keith Marshall, RB (Georgia)
Tyvis Powell, DB (Ohio State)
Noah Spence, DE (Eastern Kentucky)
Michael Thomas, WR (Ohio State)
Corey Tindal, DB (Marshall)
Vincent Valentine, DT (Nebraska)

Coach Updates: Henderson, Falcons, Browns

January 22nd, 2016 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

Cowboys secondary coach Jerome Henderson is interviewing for a position on the Falcons‘ coaching staff, but not for the defensive coordinator job — Richard Smith is staying in that role, Atlanta confirmed today (via Twitter).

Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, who first reported that Henderson was interviewing for the DC role in Atlanta, tweets that his Cowboys contacts believed that was the case. Henderson has suggested he wouldn’t leave Dallas for a job that wasn’t a promotion, so there’s some confusion about what exactly his role with the Falcons would be.

According to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, the Falcons may view Henderson as a potential defensive pass-game coordinator, a position currently held by Raheem Morris. Morris also has an assistant head coach title, which could give Atlanta the flexibility to bring Henderson aboard and move Morris to another role without technically demoting him.

As we wait to see whether Henderson decides to leave Dallas for the Falcons, here are some other coaching updates from around the NFL:

Former Giants defensive line coach Robert Nunn, who recently interviewed with the Titans, is being hired by the Browns as their defensive line coach, reports Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
Marvez passes along another Browns-related coaching update, tweeting that the Packers have hired tight ends coach Brian Angelichio away from Cleveland for the same position on Green Bay’s staff.
The Giants are expected to hire Packers assistant offensive line coach Mike Solari as their new offensive line coach, a source tells Newsday’s Tom Rock. We learned on Thursday that Solari was a “strong candidate” to join Ben McAdoo‘s staff.
The 49ers are looking at Titans offensive line coach Bob Bostad for the same job in San Francisco, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. As we heard on Wednesday, the Niners are also considering Pat Flaherty for that position.
The Saints have hired former Giants defensive backs coach and Rams defensive coordinator Peter Guinta as a senior defensive assistant, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Guinta has been out of the NFL since being let go by the Giants last January.

Eagles Interested In Extending Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz, Vinny Curry

January 22nd, 2016 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

NFL teams are now free to extend the rookie contracts of players selected in the 2013 draft, and the Eagles are interested in locking up a couple of their top ’13 draftees, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. Shorr-Parks reports that Philadelphia has prioritized getting new contracts done with offensive tackle Lane Johnson and tight end Zach Ertz.

In addition to Johnson and Ertz, defensive end Vinny Curry is also a top priority for the Eagles. Having been selected in the second round of the 2012 draft, Curry’s rookie contract is expiring this winter, and doesn’t feature a fifth-year option, so he’ll hit the open market in March if he and the Eagles can’t reach a new deal by then. According to Shorr-Parks, the Eagles have already made a contract offer to Curry in the hopes of getting something done. If he reaches the open market, the defensive end could draw interest from the Giants, among other teams, say Shorr-Parks.

Although Philadelphia is expected to make extension offers soon to Johnson and Ertz, getting something done with Johnson shouldn’t be an urgent item on the team’s to-do list. As a 2013 first-rounder, Johnson has a fifth-year option for 2017 on his rookie deal, so assuming the Eagles exercise that option, the offensive lineman will remain under team control for at least two more seasons.

The same can’t be said for Ertz though, who was a second-round pick. He’ll become eligible for unrestricted free agency a year from now if he and the Eagles don’t work something out. The 25-year-old tight end is coming off a career year, having caught 75 passes for 853 yards in 2015.

As for Curry, his overall numbers took a hit in 2015 — after recording nine sacks and four forced fumbles in 2014, he had 3.5 and zero, respectively, this past season. Still, Pro Football Focus graded him 10th among interior defensive linemen as a pass-rusher, so he was putting pressure on quarterbacks even if he wasn’t bringing them down.

PFF also ranked Johnson 24th among offensive tackles, out of 81 qualified players at the position. The former fourth overall pick could become the Eagles’ full-time left tackle if and when the team decides to move on from Jason Peters, so locking up Johnson sooner rather than later, while not absolutely necessary, could save the club some money down the road. He has primarily played right tackle up until this point of his career.

With Chip Kelly out of the picture in Philadelphia, decisions on contract extensions and signings will be made by some combination of Howie Roseman, Tom Donahoe, Jeffrey Lurie, Doug Pederson, and the club’s new head of player personnel, who has yet to be hired.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

49ers Considering Tarver, Martindale For DC

January 22nd, 2016 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

After being turned down by Texans linebackers coach Mike Vrabel, the 49ers have moved onto other defensive coordinator candidates, including one internal option. According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link), San Francisco is considering its own linebackers coach, Jason Tarver, along with Ravens linebackers coach Don Martindale, for the DC position.

Both Tarver and Martindale have previous experience in defensive coordinator roles, with Tarver having served as the DC across the bay for the Raiders from 2012 to 2014. Martindale, meanwhile, worked as the Broncos’ defensive coordinator in 2010.

Neither Tarver nor Martindale appear to have any previous overlap with Chip Kelly, so the new 49ers head coach isn’t simply targeting coaches with whom he has worked before. With the two linebackers coach entering the mix for the Niners’ DC job, it looks increasingly unlikely that Eric Mangini will be retained.

A report a few days ago suggested that there was a “strong possibility” that Mangini, San Francisco’s incumbent defensive coordinator, would remain with the team. There may still a chance of that happening, particularly if Mangini is open to a demotion, but I think if he were going to keep his DC job, the club would’ve made that decision by now.

The defensive coordinator position under Kelly is viewed as a unique challenge, since his fast-paced offense means the defense will typically spend plenty of time on the field. From 2013 to 2015, Kelly’s Eagles ranked dead last in the NFL in time of possession each season. However, the Niners head coach downplayed those concerns this week, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes.

“We get into the time of possession question and we’ve been in games where it was identical play snaps for us and our opponent,” Kelly said. “It was identical yardage for us and our opponent. It was identical first downs for us and our opponent. We won the game by seven, but they had the ball for 10 more minutes than we did.

“So all I learned is that they stand around better than we stand around. It’s still plays run. I’ve also never met a defense player that says, ‘Coach, I want you to possess the ball for the entire game so I don’t have to play.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Load More Posts