2016 April - Pro Football Rumors

Falcons Have Talked To Dominique Easley

April 21st, 2016 at 5:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said he’s spoken with free agent defensive tackle Dominique Easley, but no signing appears imminent, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Quinn coached Easley at Florida, so the connection makes some sense on the surface. Easley, of course, was somewhat surprisingly waived by New England last week.

Easley, 24, was selected 29th overall in the 2014 draft by the Patriots, despite the fact that he was recovering from a torn ACL at the time. Although he made it back to the field for his rookie season, he was limited to just 11 games, and played in only 11 more in 2015, having been plagued by hip, knee, and ankle issues.

Before he landed on injured reserve in December of 2015, Easley picked up 15 tackles and two sacks in his sophomore NFL season, and received a solid Pro Football Focus grade. Given his decent play when he was healthy, his first-round pedigree, and the fact that he still had guaranteed money remaining on his contract, Easley’s release came as bit of shock, despite his injury woes.

However, later reports indicated that injuries weren’t the only factor that led to Easley’s release. Injury protocols, an outstanding lawsuits, and a penchant for aggressive dogs were all listed as reasons for the split, and locker room issues could have also come into play. Sources said Easley is “unreliable and immature,” and an unnamed former teammate referred to him as a “locker room cancer.” Said one source to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe:“I think he rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. He comes across as an entitled kid. He reneges on everything. He thinks he’s invincible.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Panthers Rumors: Norman, Draft, Tackles

April 21st, 2016 at 4:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, Panthers GM Dave Gettleman spoke to reporters about Josh Norman and other issues concerning the team. Here are the highlights:

Gettleman says no doors have been shut on a Norman return, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. However, one has to imagine that a multi-year deal between the two sides is now something of a longshot. Even if the Panthers wanted to jump back into the mix, they‘d be vying with at least ten other NFL teams.
Gettleman says the Norman decision will not impact the Panthers’ draft strategy (via Panthers on Twitter). “We’re going to take the best player available,” the GM said.
Gettleman praised the professionalism of Norman and his agent throughout the process (Twitter link via Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer).
Gettleman says he sees four or five first-round offensive tackles in the draft (Twitter link via Person).
When asked about his surprising decision on Norman, Gettleman said, “You might say Dave’s cavalier about this and yada, yada, yada. But bottom line we don’t play until Sept. 8,” (Twitter link via Person).
Gettleman says having the option of a fifth-year option on a first round pick makes it hard to consider trading out of the first round (link via Newton).

Draft Rumors: Jackson, Buckner, Chargers

April 21st, 2016 at 3:02pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL GMs have yet to get the results of combine drug tests, but there are already rumors swirling about failed tests for prospects, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. Among the rumors is that a likely first-round pick has flunked his test.

While we wait to see if a top prospect has hurt his stock, let’s take a look at the latest NFL Draft rumors:

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) is becoming more and more convinced that William Jackson III will be the second cornerback to come off the board in the draft, following Jalen Ramsey. Reading between the lines, that could indicate a drop on draft boards for Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III.
Deforest Buckner told Justin Hopkins of 247 Sports (Twitter link) that he is hearing from the Chargers, Cowboys, Jaguars, and Titans “pretty regularly.” The Chargers, Cowboys, and Jaguars all had previously reported workouts with Buckner, but the addition of the Titans is new.
Clemson inside linebacker B.J. Goodson is visiting the Colts and Giants this week, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Goodson, who has also visited with the Jets, has had 15 total visits and private workouts. Goodson had 108 tackles last season with 14 tackles for losses and 5.5 sacks.
Louisiana Tech Kenneth Dixon spent Wednesday with the Texans, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He has also had pre-draft visits with the Ravens and Patriots, Rapoport adds. As previously reported, Dixon also met with San Francisco.
Northwestern fullback Dan Vitale is drawing the most interest from the Buccaneers, Patriots, and Bears, freelance reporter Jenna Laine tweets. Vitale has drawn interest because of his ability to play fullback, H-back, and tight end.

Broncos Rumors: Kaepernick, Hoyer, Miller

April 21st, 2016 at 1:33pm CST by Zachary Links

Trade talks between the Broncos and the 49ers regarding Colin Kaepernick are “dormant,” GM John Elway told reporters (Twitter link via James Palmer of NFL.com). However, he added that there is an offer on the table.

Here’s the latest out of Denver:

The Broncos are interested in signing Brian Hoyer, but they’re not in a rush to get a deal done, as Michael David Smith of PFT writes. “We had a good visit but he’s got another trip lined up. It’s a possibility. He’s a good football player. We wanted to have him in, meet him and get to know him a little bit. But nothing to report there,” Elway said.
The Broncos (and the Jets) remain interested in Hoyer, but both teams have a few balls in the air, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Each side will take a few days to think things over, so we shouldn’t expect Hoyer to sign with anyone today.
Elway said the status of negotiations with Von Miller is “not nearly as bad” as it has has been portrayed in the media lately (Twitter link via Lindsay Jones of USA Today)
When asked about Miller holding out, Elway said “This is all voluntary. If Von chooses to be here, then great. You always hope that everybody is here,” (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post).
Elway said there have been contract proposals exchanged with Miller, and now that draft meetings are winding down, the two sides will have more time to talk (Twitter link via Jones).

Giants GM On Draft, JPP, Cruz, Right Tackle

April 21st, 2016 at 11:35am CST by Zachary Links

Moments ago, Giants GM Jerry Reese told reporters that the team had a “medical meeting” Wednesday night to discuss draft prospects with medical concerns, as ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano writes.

“If our doctors say the risk is too high, we won’t take them,” the GM explained.

Here’s more from Reese’s presser:

Reese said that the Giants are “open to moving up [and] open to moving back” in the NFL Draft, as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post tweets.
Reese says he expects Jason Pierre-Paul to be able to play better this year as he gets used to condition of his hand, Graziano tweets.
When asked about the safety position, the GM said, “We’ll see,” (Twitter link via Graziano). The team is hoping a young guy steps up to fill the role.
When asked about the Giants’ running backs, Reese said, “I think we have five guys that can play in this league,” (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News). The Giants have Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, Shane Vereen, Orleans Darkwa, and Bobby Rainey at running back.
When asked about free-agent Josh Norman, Reese gave his standard non-answer, as Vacchiano tweets. “We investigate everything,” the GM said.
When questioned about the Giants’ right tackle situation, Reese said: “Sometimes the answer is on your roster” (link via Vacchiano). The Giants currently have Marshall Newhouse and Bobby Hart at right tackle with Ereck Flowers at left tackle.
Reese says that anything Victor Cruz gives them is a “bonus,” Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger tweets. He added that the plan is to ‘take it easy with him.’
When asked about how much he pays attention to the ages of players in the draft, Reese said, “We’re conscious of players’ ages, but how many play more than four, five years?” (Twitter link via Graziano).

Josh Norman Rumors: Thursday

April 21st, 2016 at 9:56am CST by Zachary Links

9:56am: The Steelers are not pursuing Norman, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets.

9:09am: Schefter (on Twitter) adds the Jets and Titans to the list of teams that have called on Norman. However, the Jets are only doing their due diligence and cannot afford him, Manish Mehta of the Daily News tweets.

8:51am: Josh Norman‘s representatives heard from as many as ten teams on Wednesday, including the Steelers, Buccaneers, Dolphins, and 49ers, a source tells Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) adds the Rams and Bears to the list of teams that have reached out to the top cornerback. The 49ers, Steelers, Dolphins, and Washington have expressed the most interest in Norman so far, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears.

Norman’s camp is all about exceeding an average of $14MM per year while still shooting for $15MM/year, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. Interestingly, he says that his camp does not seem as caught up in total guaranteed money. Last offseason, Darrelle Revis inked a five-year, $70MM deal with a whopping $39MM fully guaranteed. Norman, apparently, would like to edge that AAV while understanding that he won’t approach that gaudy guarantee.

Yesterday, the Panthers shocked the football world when they rescinded the franchise tag from Norman, making him an unrestricted free agent in the later stages of the NFL offseason. The Panthers gave Norman’s agent permission to pursue a trade at his request, a league source Person, but the Panthers decided to cut him loose when that path did not bear fruit. Apparently, the specter of a holdout that gone into training camp and the preseason was not appealing for Carolina.

Norman, 28, enjoyed a career-year in 2015 as he was named to the All Pro first team and selected for his first Pro Bowl. After producing career highs in both interceptions (four) and passes defensed (18).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns’ Sashi Brown On RGIII, Draft

April 21st, 2016 at 9:53am CST by Zachary Links

Minutes ago, Browns executive Sashi Brown addressed reporters and covered a wide range of topics, including the team’s quarterback position. Here are the highlights:

Many have assumed that Robert Griffin III is the Browns‘ de facto starting quarterback, but exec Sashi Brown says that’s not the case, as Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer tweets. “Robert is not even our starting quarterback. He’s got to earn the spot,” Brown said. If RGIII does not have the job locked up, that means the door could be open for Connor Shaw, Austin Davis, and Josh McCown.
There has been speculation that the Browns could trade down again, but Brown said that the team “really” likes the No. 8 spot, as Jeff Schudel of The News-Herald tweets. Brown mentioned the possibility of taking a defensive end, cornerback, or linebacker but did not mention wide receiver.
Moving back up from No. 8 is “possible” but “not likely,” says Brown (Twitter link via Albert Breer of NFL.com).
Brown says that he was “tempted to stay on the clock” at No. 2 but the team could not pass up the extra picks (Twitter link via Cabot).
Some believe that the Browns only wanted Jared Goff at No. 2, but Brown says that’s not the case (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal). Brown seems to imply that the team would have been comfortable taking Carson Wentz at No. 2, but there’s no way for us to know if that’s really the case.
The Browns did not consider a move up to No. 1, per Brown (Twitter link via Cabot).
While the team sees good quarterbacks in the second tier of this year’s class, Brown believes it is hard to find a franchise QB anywhere (Twitter link via Ulrich).
Brown would like to have some young talent at wide receiver (Twitter link via Ulrich). The team talked to some free agent WRs, but they did not wind up signing them.

49ers Rumors: Baalke, Kelly, Kaepernick, Davis

April 21st, 2016 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s the latest out of San Francisco:

Despite reports to the contrary, 49ers GM Trent Baalke insists that he is on good terms with head coach Chip Kelly, as Cam Inman of The Mercury News writes. “I can tell you emphatically that is total B.S,” Baalke said. “That’s all I can say. We’ve had absolutely a wonderful start to this relationship. There’s really nothing else to say. He’s coaching ball. And we’re up there in the draft room going to work. It couldn’t be better.” Baalke will be presiding over his seventh draft with the 49ers next week. Kelly, hired this offseason, is his fourth coach in San Francisco.
The 49ers have yet to sit down with Colin Kaepernick to discuss a potential trade, as Inman writes. “I have not talked to him personally. Face-to face, no,” Baalke said Wednesday in a media session. “He’s been in Aspen or Vail or one of those Colorado areas rehabbing. So, no. I plan to sit down as soon as this thing (the draft) is over with, just like I am with a lot of these players. I haven’t seen 85 percent of these guys.” However, the GM has talked with Kaepernick over the phone. Meanwhile, a source tells Inman that while Kaepernick is not thrilled with the team’s front office, he has no issues with Kelly.
49ers right tackle Anthony Davis has yet to apply for reinstatement but Baalke says that even if he did, it would not impact the 49ers’ draft strategy (via Inman).

Latest On Josh Norman

April 20th, 2016 at 9:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Some might say that the Panthers put Josh Norman in a bad spot by not rescinding his franchise tender earlier in the offseason. However, as Mike Florio of PFT notes, the Panthers could have put the cornerback in a much worse spot by pulling the tag after the draft. As of today, there are still several teams with the cap room necessary to sign Norman and a clear need for a game-changing cornerback like him. If the Panthers waited a couple of weeks to pull the tender, Norman probably would have been left in limbo without any strong fits.

Here’s more on Norman and the Panthers:

Eight or nine teams have contacted Norman’s representatives since the Panthers rescinded the franchise tag, a league source tells Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer (on Twitter).
Norman wanted Patrick Peterson/Darrelle Revis money while the Panthers were only willing to sign him to Byron Maxwell money, which would put him at about $11MM per year, Person tweets.
Of course, it’s not often that franchise tags are rescinded. The most “recent” cases of the franchise tag being pulled were Leroy Hill in 2009 (Seahawks) and Corey Simon (Eagles) in 2005, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets.
The Jaguars are a natural fit for Norman because they need a strong No. 1 cover corner and have the resources to pay him, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union writes. The Jaguars are $52.5MM under the cap, more than every team except San Francisco.
In addition to the Jaguars, the Titans, Bears, Giants….and Panthers are among the teams that make the most sense for Norman, Nate Davis of USA Today opines. The Panthers, Davis writes, probably give Norman his best shot at both winning and cashing in since the team has ~$30MM in cap room.
During Super Bowl week in February, Norman made no secret of his affinity for the 49ers, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. “They’re tremendous, and one of the greatest teams we have among the 32,” Norman said. “Their championships in the Super Bowls are epic. They’ve had all-time greats. They’re right up there with the Packers and Dallas Cowboys in how they do things.”

Bills Rumors: Draft, Taylor, Whaley

April 20th, 2016 at 8:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Before today’s big trade went down between the Eagles and the Browns for the No. 2 pick, Cleveland ostensibly fielded calls from several clubs with interest in moving up. Only the Browns know the full list of suitors, but we can rule out one team. Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic (Twitter link) asked a Bills source if the team was ever in talks with the Browns for the No. 2 pick, to which the team source succinctly replied, “Hell no.”

Here’s latest out of Buffalo:

The Bills have yet to call other teams about possible draft trades, GM Doug Whaley says (Twitter link via Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News). Whaley added that calls will be made next week.
Whaley says trading down would be “more intriguing” than trading up, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. The Bills currently hold the No. 19 pick in the first round.
The Bills GM says there’s a “very, very good” chance that the team will be taking a quarterback at some point in the draft, as Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets.
For what it’s worth, it sounds like Whaley did not take the public comments made by Tyrod Taylor‘s agent to heart, as Carucci tweets. “He’s doing what he’s getting paid to do. If he was my agent, I’d hope he’d do the same,” Whaley said. Whaley added that he has yet to receive trade interest in Taylor (link).
When asked if a first-round selection at QB would compete for the starting job, Whaley said no and reaffirmed that Taylor is the unquestioned starter (via Rodak).
TCU wide receiver Kolby Listenbee made his final pre-draft visit today with the Bills, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.