2016 April - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Josh Gordon

April 9th, 2016 at 8:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Browns receiver Josh Gordon applied for reinstatement from his yearlong suspension on January 20, and though the NFL policy states that the league is to issue a decision within 60 days, no such announcement has been made. A source tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that “it’s status quo” when it comes to Gordon, and a league spokesman said there’s no update on Gordon’s status.

[RELATED: Browns release Donte Whitner]

The NFL’s substance abuse policy is a little vague on the 60-day parameter, leading a league spokesman to tell Cabot “there is no requirement that a reinstatement decision be made in 60 days. We endeavor to develop the necessary information to make a decision in that time frame, but the actual decisions are made when appropriate.”

For the record, Appendix B of the policy (available here) states “all individuals involved in the process will take steps to enable the Commissioner to render a decision within 60 days of the receipt of the application” — the language certainly doesn’t seem to require an ironclad deadline, but it’s clear that 60 days is the recommended guideline.

One league source speculated to Cabot that it’s possible that Gordon hasn’t done enough to prove his sobriety to the NFL — that, it seems, is just speculation, as there’s been no indication or report that Gordon has failed any further tests. Roger Goodell said last month that he expected to discuss Gordon’s case with his team in the near future, while Browns head coach Hue Jackson has maintained that there is a roster spot for Gordon in Cleveland.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Draft Notes: S. Davis, J. Smith, K. Joseph

April 9th, 2016 at 7:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Maryland corner Sean Davis is attracting a ton of interest around the league, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who writes that Davis has met or will meet with 16 clubs, including the Texans, Cowboys, Saints, Cardinals, Dolphins, Lions, Browns, Colts, Seahawks, Ravens, Washington, Raiders, 49ers, Steelers, Bengals, Bills, and Titans. Wilson also confirms previous reports that Davis has met with the Patriots and Ravens.

Let’s dive into the latest draft news…

Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith has started running again, which is a good sign as he recovers from his ACL injury, tweets Gil Brandt of NFL.com. Smith, once a surefire top-15 pick, but with some clubs now reportedly worried about possible nerve damage, Smith could be in danger of tumbling down the board.
Like Smith, West Virginia safety Karl Joseph is also recovering from a torn ACL, and he won’t be able to run before the draft, per Brandt (Twitter link). But Joseph, who suffered his injury in early October, should be ready to go by training camp.
In a piece for the Houston Chronicle, Wilson reports that Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah was the highest-rated prospect to participate in the Texans‘ local prospect workout on Saturday morning. University of Houston linebacker Elandon Roberts was also in attendance, and has also met with the Steelers, per Wilson. The lengthy list of attendees is available via the link.
Georgia Southern safety Antonio Glover met with the Lions and Titans after his Wednesday pro day, and was scheduled to fly to Indianapolis to meet with the Colts, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
The Browns and Bears have spent a “significant amount of time” with Utah State linebacker Nick Vigil, who will also take a meeting with the Falcons, per Pauline. Vigil’s teammate, defensive tackle David Moala, met with the Browns and Chiefs.

Extra Points: Paul, 49ers, Texans, Playoffs

April 9th, 2016 at 4:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here’s the latest from around the league.

Niles Paul relayed some information from a recent medical visit, noting Dr. Robert Anderson told the Washington tight end his ankle injury that caused him to miss the entire 2015 season was “the worst he’d ever seen,” via Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Although Paul said he’s only scheduled to see Andrews one more time, Jay Gruden said the backup tight end could be held out until training camp to be safe. The statuses of Paul and Derek Carrier, the latter of whom could miss regular-season time due to a knee injury suffered late last season, likely led Washington to sign Vernon Davis. Paul signed a three-year, $6MM deal to stay in Washington last March but has recovered. There is $666K worth of dead money left on the deal, making the sixth-year veteran easy to move on from in the event he can’t sufficiently recover.
The 49ers plan to work out Myles Jack this weekend, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The UCLA linebacker visited the Jaguars, Falcons and Ravens this week. San Francisco plans to observe a Mackensie Alexander workout today as well.
Former Colts and Patriots receiver Austin Collie told the CFL team he played for last season, the British Columbia Lions, he intends to retire, the Salt Lake Tribune’s Jay Drew reports. The 30-year-old receiver joined the Western Canada-stationed franchise last year and caught 43 passes for 439 yards. He finished with 1,908 yards and 16 touchdowns in five NFL seasons from 2009-13. The concussion-plagued receiver plans to work with a Provo, Utah-based company that focuses on concussion research and rehabilitation.
Authorities searched defensive end prospect Shawn Oakman‘s home in connection with a sexual assault investigation, USA Today’s A.J. Perez reports. A projected middle-round pick after setting Baylor’s single-season sack record as a junior in 2014, Oakman is cooperating with the investigation. This allegation could further damage Oakman’s stock after his senior season began with a suspension and didn’t end with the kind of numbers — at least from a sack standpoint, with Oakman only collecting 4.5 in 2015 — that his prior campaign produced.
The NFL hasn’t contacted the NFLPA regarding a potential expansion of the playoffs, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. “Until there’s a written proposal from the league that’s when we know they’re at least serious about it and then we can start bargaining over that working-condition change,” NFLPA boss Eric Winston told Florio. “That’s a working-condition change that has to be bargained. It’s not something that the owners can unilaterally implement.” The NFL expanded its playoff brackets twice in a 12-year span, moving from four to five teams per conference in 1978 and five to six in 1990, but has thus far held on off moving to the anticipated seven-team fields.
Rice wideout Dennis Parks, Houston offensive tackle Damien Parris and defensive lineman Melvin Holland, and Midwestern State defensive back Marqui Christian attended the Texans‘ local prospect showcase today (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).

AFC Notes: Kaepernick, Chargers, Ferguson, Fins

April 9th, 2016 at 3:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos‘ precise pursuit of Colin Kaepernick doesn’t have an expiration date, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports, with the employment of Mark Sanchez going on a month and some other trade targets — like Mike Glennon, Brian Hoyer and Josh McCown — populating No. 2 spots on various depth charts.

Both Hoyer and McCown figure to be much easier to land than Kaepernick.

Sanchez has already assimilated quickly with his new team in taking a cast of receivers to Mission Viejo, Calif., for informal workouts, just as he did with the Jets and Eagles in recent years. Sanchez’s workouts were more star-studded than Peyton Manning‘s last Duke summit, with both Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders showing up. Of course, Thomas was skipping official and Manning-suggested workouts last year due to being franchise-tagged. But Sanchez assembling both starters, along with a cadre of contributors, is somewhat impressive still.

At some point during the spring, though, the Broncos and 49ers would need to decide if this will work since Kaepernick will have to learn a new system regardless of where he plays this season. The 28-year-old passer didn’t have a good year in 2015, and the longer this drags out, the harder it will be to take command of a new offense, whether it’s in San Francisco or Denver.

The Chargers are meeting with another citizens initiative Monday to potentially help streamline their proposal for a downtown stadium, Lori Weisberg of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. This group’s measure would call for a 15.5% hotel tax hike — as opposed to the other initiative’s 16.5% bump — but also bars public funds from being used to finance this long-sought-after venture.
D’Brickashaw Ferguson composed a letter thanking Jets fans for their support during his 10-year career. The 32-year-old tackle does not sound like he’ll be backtracking on this decision.
The Dolphins are interested in Boise State offensive lineman Rees Odhiambo as a second- or third-day selection, James Walker of ESPN.com tweets. Odhiambo projects as a guard, a position at which the Dolphins are the weakest up front. Odhiambo has also been connected to the Colts, Buccaneers, Vikings and Seahawks in the form of pre-draft visits and workouts.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/9/16

April 9th, 2016 at 1:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are Saturday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, which we’ll keep updated throughout the day:

The Saints are bringing in a fourth quarterback in signing second-year passer Griffin Neal, Concordia College coach Terry Horan relays (via Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com). It’s a three-year rookie contract for Neal, per Horan. A product of Division III Concordia, Neal attended Tulane’s pro day held at the Saints’ facility last month despite not being a draft-eligible prospect, and the Saints offered him a tryout for Friday, Terrell reports. After spending 2015 playing with a semi-pro team in Germany, Neal will enter a crowded competition behind Drew Brees, with Luke McCown and Garrett Grayson residing as New Orleans’ backups.
The Jets have re-signed offensive tackle Ben Ijalana, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News on Twitter. ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini tweets that it’s a one-year deal. The contract was apparently agreed upon prior to D’Brickashaw Ferguson‘s retirement announcement. Ijalana has played in seven NFL games since being selected in the second round of the 2011 draft.

Extra Points: Manziel, Bills, Newsome

April 9th, 2016 at 12:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFL…

Broncos star linebacker Von Miller wouldn’t mind if his team added his former college teammate, embattled quarterback Johnny Manziel. “If I had to make my decision on it, he would already be with the Broncos. But we’ve got guys in the front office that make those decisions, and they’ve put us in the championship with those decisions,” Miller said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com).
Linebacker Danny Lansanah is set to visit the Bills, tweets Josh Reed of WIVB. The 30-year-old spent the past three year with the Buccaneers, and he finished last season with 55 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble.
Jonathan Newsome avoided a felony conviction stemming from his marijuana arrest, writes Stephen Holder of IndyStar.com. The former Colts linebacker was instead sentenced to supervised probation.
Newsome may get another chance in the NFL, but ESPN.com’s Mike Wells doesn’t believe it will be with the Colts. The 25-year-old was released by the team in February following an arrest for marijuana possession.

NFC Draft Notes: 49ers, Rams, Lions, Saints

April 9th, 2016 at 12:02pm CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at some AFC-centric draft notes earlier today, so now we’ll switch focus to the NFC…

Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander is visiting with the 49ers today and will visit with the Rams on Monday, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that the Rams have “serious interest” in the prospect.
Unless Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley or Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III fall to the Lions, ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein could envision the team selecting Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson. Depending on which players are available at the 16th pick, the writer could also see general manager Bob Quinn considering a move back in the draft.
Meanwhile, if Hargreaves falls to the Saints at the 12th pick, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett said the defensive back would certainly be under consideration. The writer also list defensive backs William Jackson III (Houston), Eli Apple (Ohio State) and Mackensie Alexander (Clemson) as potential options.
Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweeted the names of several prospects who will be attending the Buccaneers local day: Jacksonville University’s Logan Williamson, Purdue cornerback Frankie Williams, Buffalo corner Marqus Baker, Purdue cornerback Anthony Brown, and Jacksonville State wideout Ruben Gonzalez.

AFC Draft Notes: Bills, Ravens, Browns, Texans

April 9th, 2016 at 11:36am CST by Ben Levine

With the NFL draft starting in less than three weeks, let’s check out some assorted prospect notes from the AFC…

Following reports that the Bills are “enamored” by Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW.com believes the signal caller would be a good fit for the organization. In fact, if the Bills really do feel strongly about Jones, the writer suggests not waiting until the third round to select him.
Unless the Ravens are convinced Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott can be a 1,200-yard rusher, Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com writers that it would be a mistake to select the back with the sixth overall pick. Brown cites the team’s holes on defense, as well as the team’s depth at running back.
The Browns will be hosting several local prospects prior to the draft, including Harvard offensive lineman Adam Redmond. “For a guy like me, that’s huge,” Redmond told Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com. “I’m not getting written about. I’m not on draft blogs or anything like that, which is fine. But I need to take advantage of every opportunity. I think that is what separates those high-ranked guys and guys like me. I might only get one shot, so I need to take advantage of that.”
The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson tweeted the list the attendees at the Texans local prospect day, including University of Houston punter Logan Piper, defensive back Adrian McDonald, and running backs Kenneth Farrow and Ryan Jackson.

Reactions to D’Brickashaw Ferguson’s Retirement

April 9th, 2016 at 9:49am CST by Ben Levine

Following D’Brickashaw Ferguson‘s surprising retirement announcement yesterday, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes that the former fourth-overall pick deserves to be applauded for his contribution to the Jets. The 32-year-old never missed a game during his ten-year career, and the writer believes he’ll eventually be honored in the organization’s Ring of Honor.

As we previously learned, the Jets asked Ferguson to take a sizable pay cut for the next season, but Cimini doesn’t believe Ferguson’s decision can entirely be attributed to money. The offensive tackle showed signs of decline last season, and instead of being “the guy who hangs on,” Ferguson simply decided to hang it up.

Let’s check out some more notes regarding Ferguson’s surprise retirement…

Despite the announcement, the retirement isn’t yet official. Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole tweets that the two sides were still working to finalize the paperwork.
There have been rumblings that the Jets were among four teams to inquire on the Titans‘ first-overall pick in this year’s draft, but Cimini believes it’d take too much for the team to move up from the 20th pick. The writer opines that a deal involving this year’s first, two future picks, and Muhammad Wilkerson could get it done, but he’s uncertain whether he’d want to “mortgage the future” for Laremy Tunsil.
Cimini focused on several offensive line prospects the Jets could pursue in this year’s draft, including Ohio State’s Taylor Decker, Texas A&M’s Germain Ifedi, and Indiana’s Jason Spriggs.
In regards to veterans, Cimini points to Broncos lineman Ryan Clady, who is reportedly on the trade block. Potential free agent targets include Will Beatty and Jake Long.

Packers Waive Nate Palmer

April 9th, 2016 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY, 8:55am: The move is official, according to the team’s website.

FRIDAY, 4:07pm: The Packers have parted ways with a player who started 10 games for them last season, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who tweets that the team has cut inside linebacker Nate Palmer. Because he has less than four years of service time, Palmer will have to pass through waivers before he becomes a free agent.

Palmer, a sixth-round pick in 2013, saw a little playing time during his rookie season before spending the entire 2014 campaign on the injured reserve list. In 2015, he earned a starting job at inside linebacker, but ultimately ceded playing time to rookie Jake Ryan before the year was over. In 16 games (10 starts) last season, Palmer compiled 64 tackles, a sacks, and a pair of passes defended.

In spite of their willingness to let go of Palmer, the Packers aren’t particularly deep at inside linebacker, having frequently used Clay Matthews there, rather than at his natural outside linebacker spot, in recent years. Although Ryan, Sam Barrington, Joe Thomas Jr., and others will be in the mix for playing time at ILB for the Packers, the team figures to address the position at some point in the draft.

By cutting Palmer, Green Bay will reduce his cap number from about $700K to just $25K in dead money.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.