HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

West Notes: Woodley, P. Lynch, Cards, Raiders

May 6th, 2016 at 9:54pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent linebacker Lamarr Woodley offered scathing reviews of two of his former defensive coordinators, the Cardinals’ James Bettcher and ex-Raiders assistant Jason Tarver (now with San Francisco), on the latest edition of his podcast (per Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic).

“In Oakland, we had a dumb defensive coordinator and in Arizona, we had a dumb defensive coordinator,” he said.

Woodley didn’t mention either Bettcher or Tarver by name, but given that he only spent one year with both teams, it’s clear he was referring to them.

He continued, “They thought we were like Madden players. They’d draw something up and on paper it looked good, but the players still have to go out there and run it. Those guys didn’t really listen to their players. They wanted to do it their way and their way only.”

Woodley also ripped into Bettcher for his game plan in the Cardinals’ 49-15 loss to Carolina in the NFC championship.

“It wasn’t because we had bad players. No, our defensive coordinator he didn’t have the common sense to talk to his players to make the adjustments. Because he just wanted to do things his way those are the results we got, bottom line,” he said.

Woodley didn’t play in the title round (or any Cardinals game beyond Nov. 22) because he was on injured reserve. The 31-year-old appeared in just 16 contests over the previous two seasons with the Raiders and Cardinals, combining for 15 tackles and a sack. Woodley was a far more productive player from 2007-13 in Pittsburgh, with which he piled up 58 sacks.

And now the latest from the AFC West:

  • Quarterback Mark Sanchez might not be at the Broncos’ helm for long if first-rounder Paxton Lynch forces the team’s hand, which is something general manager John Elway believes the ex-Memphis standout is capable of doing. “We think he’s going to be ready quicker than a lot of people think,” Elway told Denver Sports 760 (link via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). On why the Broncos decided to trade up in the first round for the 6-foot-7 Lynch, Elway said, “He’s a young guy with tremendous athletic ability, he’s got the strong arm, can make all the throws, he’s smart, and he’s a guy that can fit into this offense real well.”
  • While Elway sees the Lynch era approaching, Troy Renck of the Denver Post cautions that patience is in order. As Renck writes, Lynch hasn’t played in a pro-style offense since his freshman year at Memphis – which is the last time he was even in a huddle – and his play calls there were far less complicated than they will be in Denver. Moreover, the Broncos would be unwise to rush Lynch into the lineup to serve as a game manager, Renck opines. The club should instead wait until the 22-year-old is truly ready and let him take advantage of his strengths, namely his big arm and elusiveness.
  • Raiders defensive end Mario Edwards has been given medical clearance to resume his career, he announced Friday on Instagram (via Marc Sessler of NFL.com). A serious neck injury brought a premature end to Edwards’ rookie campaign after he had started in 10 of 14 appearances and tallied three forced fumbles and two sacks. For his work last season, the second-rounder from Florida State ranked an impressive 32nd out of 110 qualifying edge defenders at Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Bears Add Eight UDFAs

May 6th, 2016 at 8:53pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Bears have submitted eight undrafted free agent signings to the NFL office, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Here’s the list:

  • TE Ben Braunecker (Harvard)
  • OL Dan Buchholz (Duquesne)
  • CB Taveze Calhoun (Mississippi State)
  • LB Don Cherry (Villanova)
  • LB Roy Robertson-Harris (UTEP)
  • WR/KR Derek Keaton (Georgia Southern) [$3k signing bonus, Biggs tweets]
  • OL John Kling (Buffalo)
  • TE Joe Sommers (Wisconsin-Oshkosh) [$7,521 signing bonus, tweets Biggs]

Extra Points: Bradford, Jets, Giants, Falcons, Lions

May 6th, 2016 at 8:30pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Given quarterback Sam Bradford‘s unhappiness in Philadelphia, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk examined the seemingly far-fetched possibility of the 28-year-old retiring – at least temporarily. Bradford would have to surrender the $11MM signing bonus he received from the Eagles earlier this offseason if he were to walk away, but he would offset that loss somewhat by avoiding any fines or forfeitures that would accompany a potential holdout.

The appeal of retiring from Bradford’s point of view is that he could wait for another team’s starting quarterback to suffer an injury, whether it be this year or in 2017, thus leading that club to approach the Eagles about a trade. It would be similar to the situation Carson Palmer found himself in five years ago as a disgruntled member of the Bengals. Early in the 2011 season, the Raiders lost starter Jason Campbell to an injury and then made a trade with the Bengals to bring Palmer out of his short-lived retirement.

Most teams’ starting quarterback situations are set right now, and the Eagles haven’t shown a willingness to move Bradford in the wake of trading up to No. 2 in the draft for Carson Wentz and signing Chase Daniel, so Florio opines that retirement could be his most sensible option.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • There was potential for a New York-New York trade in the first round of last week’s draft, according to the New York Daily News’ Gary Myers, who reports that the Jets offered their first- (20th overall) and second-rounders to the Giants for No. 10. The Jets had their sights set on Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, but the Giants didn’t want to move down and risk losing out on Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple. Had the Giants accepted the Jets’ offer, they would have either taken TCU wideout Josh Doctson or the best cornerback available (likely Houston’s William Jackson III) at No. 20, per Myers. Doctson ultimately went 22nd to Washington and Jackson landed with the Bengals two picks later. Meanwhile, instead of nabbing Tunsil, the Jets kept their top two picks and used them on Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee and Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg.
  • The Falcons are currently mulling whether to sign free agent cornerback Leon Hall, who visited them this week, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Hall would add depth to a Falcons defensive backfield in need of it, especially given the four-game suspension the league handed Jalen Collins, as McClure writes. The ex-Michigan standout’s entire NFL career has thus far been spent in Cincinnati, where he totaled 26 interceptions from 2007-15, though it doesn’t appear he’ll return to the Bengals. Aside from the Falcons, Hall has also visited the Giants, Cardinals and Cowboys this offseason, but his age (31) and injury history (he has torn both Achilles) are seemingly working against him in landing a contract.
  • With the draft in the books, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com took a look at six Lions veterans whose jobs could now be in jeopardy. Meinke points to quarterback Dan Orlovsky, center Travis Swanson, offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas, linebacker Kyle Van Noy, defensive tackle Gabe Wright and long snapper Don Muhlbach as players who aren’t locks to remain in the Motor City.

Draft Pick Signings: Eagles, Packers, Bears, Colts

May 6th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Checking in on the latest rookie signings from around the NFL…

  • Two offensive linemen – third-rounder Isaac Seumalo and fifth-rounder Halapoulivaati Vaitai – have agreed to deals with the Eagles, the team tweeted. Seumalo went 79th in the draft after playing various positions, mostly center, along Oregon State’s O-line. Vaitai, the 164th pick, made 30 starts at tackle (primarily on the right side) during his TCU tenure.
  • The Colts have signed fourth-round linebacker Antonio Morrison, the 125th overall choice, according to a team press release. Morrison was a four-year starter at Florida.
  • Packers general manager Ted Thompson announced the signings of four draftees — fourth-rounders Blake Martinez (linebacker, Stanford) and Dean Lowry (defensive end, Northwestern), fifth-rounder Trevor Davis (receiver, California) and sixth-rounder Kyle Murphy (offensive tackle, Stanford). Those four were Green Bay’s final picks of this year’s draft. The team still has to lock up its top three selections, including first-round defensive lineman Kenny Clark.
  • The Bears inked fourth-round defensive back Deiondre’ Hall to a four-year deal worth $2.85MM, including a $510,982 signing bonus, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Hall, the 127th pick, piled up 13 interceptions during his four years at Northern Iowa.
  • The Vikings have signed fourth-round offensive lineman Willie Beavers and fifth-round linebacker Kentrell Brothers, per a team press release. Beavers was a stalwart at left tackle for Western Michigan before the Vikings grabbed him with the 121st choice, while Brothers – the 160th selection – was a prolific defensive playmaker at Missouri.
  • The Steelers announced the signing of sixth-round linebacker Travis Feeney, a former University of Washington standout and the 220th overall pick.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/6/16

May 6th, 2016 at 7:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the NFL:

  • The Ravens have waived wide receiver Chuck Jacobs and running back Terrence Magee, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Magee is the only one of the pair who has appeared in an NFL game, having amassed two carries in three contests with the Ravens last season.
  • The Jets waived offensive tackle Sean Hickey, per a team announcement (on Twitter). Hickey signed a futures deal with the Jets in January after spending time with the Saints and Patriots last season.

Patriots Sign Eight UDFAs, Cut Joey Iosefa

May 6th, 2016 at 6:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Patriots have officially confirmed six previously reported contract agreements with their 2016 draftees, and announced that they’ve locked up two more members of their draft class. Having now signed third-round defensive tackle Vincent Valentine and sixth-round linebacker Elandon Roberts, New England has now secured all of its draft picks except for third-round quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

The Patriots have also cut running back Joey Iosefa from their roster, so he’ll become a free agent if and when he passes through waivers. Iosefa spent time on the Pats’ practice squad last season and was promoted when the backfield was hit hard by injuries. He had 15 carries on the year, with 14 of them (for 51 yards) coming in Week 15 against the Titans.

Finally, the Patriots filled out their 90-man roster by adding eight undrafted free agents to the mix. The club signed the following UDFAs:

Bernard Pierce, Jace Davis Receive Suspensions

May 6th, 2016 at 6:16pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

6:16pm: Free agent wideout Jace Davis has also received a suspension, reports Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). The league has given Davis a harsher punishment than it handed Pierce, suspending him for four weeks. The Broncos waived Davis in February after a DUI arrest, per Zac Jackson of PFT. Davis, 24, hasn’t recorded any stats during his NFL career.

5:52pm: The NFL has suspended free agent running back Bernard Pierce for the first two weeks of the 2016 season, reports Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). No reason has been given yet for Pierce’s suspension. It’s worth noting, though, that he has dealt with substance abuse issues in the past, having been arrested on a DUI charge last offseason.

Pierce appeared in seven games with the Jaguars in 2015 and totaled just six carries for 11 yards. The 24-year-old spent the first three seasons of his career with the Ravens after they used a 2012 third-round pick on him, and he showed significant promise as a rookie. That year, the ex-Temple Owl averaged 4.9 yards per rush on 108 attempts. Pierce added a combined 802 rushing yards the next two seasons in Baltimore, but on a meager 3.3 yards per carry. As a free agent, he hasn’t publicly drawn interest from any NFL teams this offseason.

Chiefs Sign Six Draft Picks, Seven UDFAs

May 6th, 2016 at 5:39pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Chiefs have officially locked up the majority of their nine-player draft class, having signed six selections to contracts, the team announced. Along with the previously reported Chris Jones (second-round pick), the Chiefs inked the followers players to deals:

The Chiefs traded out of the first round this year, making third-round defensive back Keivarae Russell their most significant unsigned draft pick as of now. The team also officially signed seven undrafted free agents, including three cornerbacks:

Additionally, Kansas City waived Lithuanian-born linebacker Tautvydas Kieras, per a team announcement (Twitter link).

Cowboys Cut Five Players, Add 13 UDFAs

May 6th, 2016 at 5:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cowboys announced today that they’ve added 13 rookie free agents to their roster, but in order to squeeze all those players in under the 90-man roster limit, a handful of cuts were required. As Todd Archer of ESPN.com details, five players were waived by the team, including a pair with a failed physical designation. The following five veterans were cut:

With enough roster space to accommodate their full UDFA class, the Cowboys subsequently signed the following 13 players:

Cardinals Sign Robert Nkemdiche, Two Other Draftees

May 6th, 2016 at 5:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cardinals have officially signed three draft picks, locking up first-round defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche and a pair of fifth-rounders – Midwestern State safety Marqui Christian and Harvard offensive tackle Cole Toner – the team announced (Twitter link).

Nkemdiche is obviously the most notable player of the trio, having earned a first-team all-SEC selection and second-team Robert NkemdicheAll-America honors at Ole Miss last season. The 21-year-old is one of two major pass-rushing additions the Cardinals have made this offseason, joining trade acquisition Chandler Jones. Nkemdiche’s draft stock fell because of past off-field transgressions, enabling the Cardinals to snag him at No. 29. If those issues are behind him, Nkemdiche should help boost a Cardinals defense that finished just 20th in the NFL in sacks last season.

Nkemdiche’s four-year rookie deal will be worth upward of $8.6MM, including more than $4.45MM in guarantees, according to data from Over the Cap. As a first-rounder, his contract will also include a fifth-year option, though its worth won’t be known until 2019.

With Nkemdiche, Christian and Toner now under contract, the Cardinals have nearly half of their draft class signed. Four remaining draftees – including third-round cornerback Brandon Williams – still have to ink deals.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Load More Posts