2016 June - Pro Football Rumors

James Jones Would “Love” To Join 49ers

June 1st, 2016 at 3:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Wide receiver James Jones is still without employment here in the month of June, but he has an idea of where he would like to wind up. In an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Jones suggested that he wants to get a phone call from the 49ers.

“I’m right here in San Francisco, in the Niners’ backyard,” Jones said (via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com). “You know what I mean? I’d love to stay here at home and play for the Niners – don’t have to move my family or any of that stuff. My kids get to stay in school. But, at the same time, I’m just ready to play. I’ll play wherever. I’m just ready to get it on.”

Jones, now 32, has indicated that he’d like to play for awhile longer, though the Packers have reportedly moved on. The wide receiver says he has heard from some teams that have told him they like him, but he has yet to receive a contract offer. That comes as a surprise to Jones after he ranked fourth in the league with 17.8 yards per reception in 2015.

The veteran says that he wants to play somewhere where he can win, but he also understands that beggars can’t be choosers. Ultimately, Jones’ goal is to “play 12 years” in the league. Last year marked Jones’ ninth season in the NFL.

Jones led the Packers in 2015 with 890 receiving yards off of 50 receptions. He also led Green Bay’s wide receivers with eight touchdowns. That was a different stat line than 2014, a year in which he corralled a career-high 73 receptions for just 666 yards and six touchdowns for the Raiders.

Recently, we ranked Jones as one of the top ten best available offensive free agents.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eagles Notes: Bradford, Wentz, Daniel

June 1st, 2016 at 2:06pm CST by Zachary Links

When Sam Bradford signed a two-year, ~$36MM deal in March, he didn’t envision that his starting job would be in jeopardy. On Wednesday, Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich noted that while Bradford is currently regarded as the team’s top quarterback, nothing is guaranteed for him.

“I said there’s order, and the order is Sam’s No. 1, Chase [Daniel] is No. 2, and Carson [Wentz] is No. 3,” Reich said (link via Zach Berman of The Inquirer). “But you compete every day at practice. That’s the same – Jason Peters is the No. 1 left tackle, and so on and so forth –and it’s the same at every position. I would never change that. Sam’s No. 1. Chase is No. 2. Carson is No. 3. And you compete every day.”

Here’s more on the Eagles and their strange QB situation:

Recently, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie indicated to Jenny Vrentas of The MMQB that the team’s current quarterback structure was planned to be this way. “Having a lot of assets at the most important position in the NFL is a good strategic move for now. And it can only benefit us,” Lurie said. “Because in the NFL, it’s the one position you can’t just go get. And so when you have an opportunity, you’ve gotta take your shot, and you’ve gotta be bold. Otherwise, if you say to yourself, you know, it is probably a 50-50 shot that maybe the quarterback will be really good, you can’t let that deter you. So that’s how I look at it: You either have a really good QB and you compete for the Super Bowl, or you don’t and you are probably not competing for the Super Bowl. And that’s simple.”
ESPN.com’s Phil Sheridan calls shenanigans on this notion, arguing that the Eagles simply signed Bradford and Daniel when they held the No. 13 overall pick. At the time, they didn’t know that they would be able to trade up to No. 2, but when the opportunity presented itself, they went ahead and pulled the trigger anyway.
Earlier this week, one Eagles beat reporter observed that Wentz seems to be picking up the new playbook faster than Bradford.

Cowboys DT Maliek Collins Has Broken Foot

June 1st, 2016 at 12:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys announced that rookie defensive tackle Maliek Collins has suffered a broken right foot. Collins has already had surgery on the injured foot and is expected to be sidelined for 10-12 weeks.

The Cowboys are now a little thin on the defensive line without the third-round pick, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter) hears that the Cowboys won’t add anyone immediately to fill the void. For now, they’ll only look in-house for solutions.

While Collins will be missed, the Cowboys do have backup Terrell McClain on hand to support interior line starters Tyrone Crawford and Cedric Thornton. Also, defensive linemen Jack Crawford and David Irving have experience at both tackle and end. Of course, defensive end is where the Cowboys are thin thanks to the four-game suspensions handed to Randy Gregory and Demarcus Lawrence.

Collins, a Nebraska product, was taken with the No 67 overall pick in this year’s draft. In his sophomore year, Collins turned heads when he recorded 45 tackles, including 14 tackles for a loss, and 4.5 sacks. Last year, however, Collins took a step back in terms of production, recording only 29 tackles, seven for loss, and 2.5 sacks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Talks Between Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick

June 1st, 2016 at 11:22am CST by Zachary Links

Jets wide receivers Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall reportedly skipped OTAs last week in a show of solidarity with Ryan Fitzpatrick, but as ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes, neither player has gone on record to confirm the reason for their absence. Whether it was Fitzpatrick-related or not, Cimini writes, their decision to stay home (or, in the case of Decker, go on vacation) changed the tenor of the quarterback’s negotiations, increasing tensions between the two sides.

Here’s the latest on the Jets:

Despite the chatter over the past week, the Jets and Fitzpatrick are not any closer to a deal than they were previously, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. He adds that the salary stalemate continues and could carry on for a while. Fitzpatrick is reportedly content to wait out the Jets and take this standoff into training camp.
If Fitzpatrick goes elsewhere, he’ll be taking true market value, a league source with experience negotiating contracts tells Mike Florio of PFT. “If a player ‘takes less’ to go somewhere else, he is really only being paid what the actual market will bear,” the source said. I would argue that this is not exactly the case as the free agency market in early March is drastically different than the market in June. At this stage of the offseason, most teams have addressed their needs and spent the majority of their available money.
Fitzpatrick is not ready to accept the Jets’ three-year contract offer which includes $12MM in year one but offers little in the way of guarantees after that point. Brian Costello of the New York Post opines that a compromise could be reached by just chopping off the final two years of the deal, making it a one-year, fully guaranteed $12MM pact instead.
On Wednesday morning, defensive end Stephen Bowen announced his retirement from the NFL. Bowen spent 2015 with the Jets.

Stephen Bowen Announces Retirement

June 1st, 2016 at 10:55am CST by Zachary Links

Defensive end Stephen Bowen has decided to call it a career, according to a press release from the Redskins. Bowen, who spent ten years in the NFL, played for the Jets in 2015 but he is better known for his time in D.C. and Dallas.

For his career, Bowen appeared in 128 career regular season games with 57 starts, accruing 175 career tackles, 12.5 sacks, nine passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He spent four seasons with the Redskins from 2011-14 and served as a team captain on the Redskins’ 2012 NFC East championship squad. Bowen will perhaps be best remembered for 2011, his first season with Washington. In that campaign, Bowen started all 16 games and recorded 6.0 sacks, roughly half of his career total.

Bowen first entered the NFL in 2006 as a UDFA when he signed with the Cowboys. He appeared in 63 regular season games plus three postseason contests for Dallas, but he did not truly shine until his first season in the nation’s capital. Last year, the New York native and Hofstra product returned home with the Jets and saw time in 15 games.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Bills, Seantrel Henderson

June 1st, 2016 at 9:09am CST by Zachary Links

JUNE 1st, 9:09am: The Bills announced that Henderson is “expected” to rejoin the team on Thursday.

MAY 31st, 5:25pm: The Bills are worried that Henderson won’t be able to play this season after undergoing a pair of surgeries, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Longer term, there’s concern that Henderson’s condition will prevent him from maintaining the weight and strength necessary to last in the NFL.

MAY 30th, 2:59pm: Henderson is now cleared to practice and will be in town on Tuesday, his agent tells Dunne (Twitter link).

2:18pm: Henderson’s agent says that the Bills right tackle plans on flying into town this week and being ready for the 2016 season, Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News tweets.

While Rex Ryan apparently has not reached out to Henderson, the Bills medical staff has been in the loop, according to the tackle’s agent (link). Since leaving the team in 2015, Henderson has had two surgeries to help correct his stomach issues.

12:33pm: The football status of tackle Seantrel Henderson remains a mystery for both the Bills front office and his teammates. The team’s onetime starter has not spoken with coach Rex Ryan in quite some time and now his teammates also say that they have lost touch with him, as Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News writes.

Henderson started all 16 games in his rookie season in Buffalo, and had started 10 games for the team in 2015 before he was sidelined with Crohn’s disease. One report in March indicated that Henderson was starting to get back to full health and was putting weight back on his 6’7″ frame. However, it’s not clear if Henderson is looking to play football in 2016 or at any point in the future.

One source indicated to Dunne that Henderson had stomach surgery “a few months ago” in relation to his Crohn’s disease. However, when asked to handicap the odds of Henderson playing for the Bills next season, one teammate responded, “Nobody knows.” Another team source questioned Henderson’s work ethic, pointing to past problems with marijuana. The Bills were able to draft Henderson in the seventh round of the 2014 draft in part because of his multiple failed drug tests at the University of Miami. He also reportedly tested positive for marijuana at the scouting combine.

With Henderson away from the team, the Bills are currently using Jordan Mills as their first-team right tackle in practice with the hope that 2014 second-rounder Cyrus Kouandjio can put it all together and win the starting job.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dwight Freeney To Visit Falcons

June 1st, 2016 at 8:49am CST by Zachary Links

JUNE 1st, 8:49am: Freeney’s visit to the Falcons is today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

MAY 25th, 3:40pm: The Falcons confirmed that Freeney will be visiting with them next week.

1:47pm: Dwight Freeney will likely visit the Falcons next week, according to ESPN.com’s Jim Trotter (Twitter/Vine link). Freeney visited the Bengals today and took a physical with the team, but it does not sound like the two sides have struck an accord.

Freeney, 36, is rated as Pro Football Rumors’ fourth-best defensive free agent still on the board. Despite his age, Freeney was remarkably effective in his 11-game campaign last year. The Cardinals inked Freeney to a veteran’s minimum deal midway through the season and they were rewarded with eight sacks and three forced fumbles. Freeney may not be the elite player that he once was, but he has proven that he is still a force to be reckoned with on passing downs.

The Falcons are not necessarily hard up for edge rushers, but Freeney could be a fit for Dan Quinn‘s aggressive defensive scheme. The Falcons are currently slated to start Vic Beasley and Derrick Shelby at defensive end with support from Adrian Clayborn and Tyson Jackson.

In 2015, the advanced stats at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Freeney as (tied) for the 51st best edge rusher in the NFL out of 110 qualified players. In total, Freeney saw 276 pass snaps and just 41 run snaps last year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Arian Foster

June 1st, 2016 at 8:33am CST by Zachary Links

Arian Foster is now pushing back his timetable for signing with a team. The sense is that Arian Foster will not work out for teams until late July, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The running back probably would pass a physical now, but those extra six weeks or so will help to make sure that he is in football condition, Schefter adds.

When Foster does work out for teams, the Dolphins will very likely be among the stops on his NFL tour. The Patriots, depending on who you ask, also have some early interest in the 29-year-old (30 in August). The Redskins reportedly have interest in adding a running back to the mix, though they’re more interested in Pierre Thomas than they are in the former Texans standout.

Ranked as our No. 3 available offensive free agent at this stage of the offseason, Foster racked up 6,472 rushing yards during his seven years as a Texan, and earned three consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 2010 to 2012, averaging about 1,900 all purpose yards and 16 touchdowns in those seasons. However, injuries have slowed Foster down in recent years. In 2015, Foster played in just four games and ran for 163 yards off of 63 carries.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.