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Month: December 2024

AFC Notes: Steelers, Bell, Broncos, Fins

July 28th, 2016 at 8:59pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell plans to appeal his four-game suspension for a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy “sometime in August,” he told reporters Thursday (via Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com). Bell added that the league notified him of his suspension in March after he missed a drug test. Although appealing the suspension will disrupt Bell’s rehab from the torn MCL and PCL he suffered last season, the 24-year-old is confident he’ll be ready for Week 1 if he’s eligible to play. And Bell expects his appeal to be victorious. “I’m gonna win the appeal,” he said, per Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. “(People) have no idea what happened.” 

More from the AFC:

  • Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders provided an update on his contract situation Thursday, revealing that extension negotiations between his agent and the club are going “back and forth,” according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. Sanders, 29, is set to earn $5.6MM in 2016, which is the third and final year of the somewhat modest accord he signed as a free agent in 2014. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder has since totaled 177 receptions, 2,539 yards and 15 touchdowns in 31 regular-season games, thus setting himself up for a significant raise. Sanders insisted Thursday that money isn’t his top priority, however. “I said it from Day One — I’m not trying to break the bank. I want to be here. But I also want a fair deal, and I want a fair deal for the production I’ve been putting out, so we’ll see how it goes,” said Sanders, who hauled in 16 passes for 230 yards during the Broncos’ three playoff wins – including Super Bowl 50 – last winter.
  • Aside from offensive line, receiver and defensive end, depth is likely to pose a major problem for the Dolphins this year, opines Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Miami, which went 6-10 in 2015 and finished last in the AFC East, is light at defensive tackle, cornerback, linebacker and tight end, writes Kelly, who also doesn’t see enough game-changing talent on the roster in general.
  • In case you missed it, the Chiefs and contract-year defensive tackle Dontari Poe aren’t making progress on a new deal.

Seahawks’ Chris Clemons To Retire

July 28th, 2016 at 8:30pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Seahawks defensive end Chris Clemons has informed the team he plans to retire, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Chris Clemons DE (vertical)

Clemons, 34, saw action with five different teams during his 12-year NFL career, but his most productive seasons came in Seattle. After going undrafted out of Georgia in 2003 and then combining for 20 sacks in stints with the Redskins, Raiders and Eagles over the first five years of his career, Clemons joined the Seahawks in 2010 and went on to collect 38 sacks in a four-season span. Clemons totaled at least 11 sacks in each individual season from 2010-12, also forcing seven fumbles during that period.

The Seahawks, with whom Clemons missed only two of a possible 64 regular-season games, released him at the conclusion of their Super Bowl-winning 2013-14 campaign. He subsequently became a member of the Jaguars, with whom he tallied 11 sacks and five forced fumbles in all 32 regular-season games from 2014-15. Most of Clemons’ production (eight sacks, four forced fumbles) in Jacksonville came in 2014. His play fell off so significantly last season that Pro Football Focus ranked him dead last among 110 qualifying edge defenders.

Clemons’ struggles in 2015 caused the Jaguars to release him in March. He then rejoined the Seahawks on a one-year, $1.5MM contract in April, but Clemons has decided nearly four months later to walk away from the sport. In 163 career regular-season games (85 starts), Clemons amassed 276 tackles, 69 sacks and 18 forced fumbles. PFR wishes him the best in his retirement.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Talks Between Chiefs, Dontari Poe

July 28th, 2016 at 7:38pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Extension talks between the Chiefs and contract-year defensive tackle Dontari Poe “haven’t really gone anywhere,” reports CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, who doubts that the two sides will reach an agreement by the start of the regular season (Twitter link). Poe is currently slated to play 2016, his fifth-year option season, on a $6.15MM salary. The Chiefs exercised that option in April 2015.

Dontari Poe

There seemed to be more optimism about an extension for Poe during the winter, with general manager John Dorsey saying in February, “We’ve talked, we’ve talked more than once. I have great affection for Dontari Poe. I think he represents everything we want to do, culturally. I think he’s a good football player. We will continue this process. Right now, I’m concentrating on other things. But eventually, we’ll get to that.”

Poe, who went 11th overall out of Memphis in the 2012 draft, has appeared in 62 of a possible 64 regular-season games with the Chiefs and notched 174 tackles and 11.5 sacks. Thirty-nine of those tackles and only 1.5 of those sacks came last year for Poe, who led Chiefs defensive linemen in snaps (752) and whose overall performance ranked a solid 39th among 132 qualifying interior defenders at Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The lion’s share of the 6-foot-3, 346-pounder’s impact in 2015 came versus the run, against which the Chiefs’ defense finished eighth in yards allowed, 11th in DVOA, and a more middling 16th in yards per carry surrendered.

If the Chiefs and the soon-to-be 26-year-old Poe aren’t able to reach an agreement on a deal by next offseason, the franchise tag would become a realistic option, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap (Twitter link). Kansas City has gone that route before, notes Fitzgerald, with the latest example coming when it tagged safety Eric Berry before free agency this year. Berry still hasn’t signed his franchise tender, though, and could skip all of training camp and the preseason in protest of the Chiefs not signing him to a multiyear pact by the July 15 deadline. With both Poe and Berry unsigned past this season, there’s a chance Kansas City will have to choose between tagging one or the other next winter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Three Teams In Lead For Nick Foles?

July 28th, 2016 at 7:14pm CST by Zachary Links

7:14pm: There are approximately 10 teams, including the Vikings, doing their due diligence on Foles, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). Foles is “laying low” and could take a few days to make a decision, per Wolfson, who adds that a deal isn’t close.

1:47pm: Foles is eyeing a one or two-year deal, according to Cole (video link).

10:10am: Despite reports to the contrary, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (on Twitter) hears that the Bills aren’t among the teams interested in signing Foles.

7:53am: Nick Foles became a free agent on Wednesday and his market emerged pretty quickly. Foles is likely to sign with the Vikings, Bills, or Cowboys, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) hears. Cole adds that the Jets also expressed interest in Foles, though it’s not immediately clear if there is still room for the veteran after Ryan Fitzpatrick re-signed with the club on Wednesday night. "<strong

The Vikings currently have veteran Shaun Hill and rising sophomore Taylor Heinicke behind starter Teddy Bridgewater. Hill, 36, offers plenty of experience, but Minnesota may prefer Foles as their veteran backup. Alternatively, they could add Foles and likely sneak Heinicke, a UDFA out of Old Dominion, on to the practice squad.

The Bills drafted Cardale Jones this year as a backup for starter Tyrod Taylor and although E.J. Manuel has been bumped from the No. 1 role, the team has been high on him as an understudy.

“I’m not done with EJ Manuel, either (as a backup to Taylor),” coach Rex Ryan said in February. “I think EJ’s got the talent, the size and all that stuff. Sometimes, guys just take a little bit longer to develop, so we’ll see how that goes.”

The Cowboys surprised some observers this offseason when they did not address add a veteran backup quarterback, opting instead to stick with Kellen Moore, draft Dak Prescott out of Mississippi State, and add 2015 UDFA Jameill Showers. Last year, Dallas rolled out Moore, Matt Cassel, and Brandon Weeden while Tony Romo was sidelined and they had a 1-11 record to show for it. Of the four teams mentioned by Cole, the Cowboys arguably make the most sense for Foles.

The Broncos, meanwhile, have no interest in adding Foles, coach Gary Kubiak said in a radio interview (Twitter link via James Palmer of NFL.com).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC South Notes: Saints, Brees, Falcons, Bucs

July 28th, 2016 at 6:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

While extension talks between the Saints and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees haven’t yielded progress yet, the contract-year quarterback said Thursday that he harbors no ill will toward general manager Mickey Loomis (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “Just to clarify, nothing is adversarial. I have a great relationship with Mickey Loomis and have for my entire time here,” stated Brees. “We’ll see how this shakes out over the next month and a half.”

Brees reiterated Thursday that the start of the regular season is his deadline for contract negotiations, so the two sides won’t talk again until the end of the campaign if they don’t reach an agreement by Week 1. To place the franchise tag on Brees next offseason would cost the Saints $43.2MM, so that probably won’t be an option. The only choice, then, would be a multiyear deal, and Brees, 37, believes he’s capable of lasting for a while longer. “I don’t see any reason why I can’t play at the highest level for the next five years minimum,” commented Brees, who threw for 4,870 yards and 32 touchdowns against 11 interceptions in 2015.

More from the NFC South:

  • After failing to add an edge rusher through either free agency or the draft and losing Hau’oli Kikaha to a torn ACL, the Saints are left to hope at least one of Kasim Edebali, Obum Gwacham or Davis Tull emerges as a viable complement to Cameron Jordan, writes Larry Holder of NOLA.com. The 26-year-old Edebali is the most proven of the three in terms of sack production, having tallied five last season, though his overall play earned him a 103rd-place ranking among 110 qualifying edge defenders at Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Gwacham impressively picked up 2.5 sacks in just 97 snaps as a sixth-round rookie. Tull, meanwhile, didn’t get into a game last year after the Saints selected him in the fifth round of the draft. The Saints’ woeful defense finished a bottom-of-the-barrel 25th in the NFL in sacks last season (31), and nearly a third came from Jordan (10).
  • The Falcons, who have three roster spots available, worked out some receivers Thursday and could sign one, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). McClure didn’t specify which wideouts tried out with the Falcons, though the free agent list isn’t exactly rife with appealing options at this point. Notably, the Falcons auditioned ex-Chargers practice squad member Donatella Luckett last month. The top of Atlanta’s receiver depth chart is all set with Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Justin Hardy in place, but there are questions about the unit otherwise.
  • One reason the Falcons are looking for depth at receiver is because they released Devin Hester on Tuesday. General manager Thomas Dimitroff spoke about cutting the all-time great return man Thursday, saying, “He passed his (pre-camp) physical. It was a football decision for us in the end” (via Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution). Hester, 33, underwent toe surgery in January and missed all but five games last season because of the issue. He also failed to register a reception after pulling in 38 in 2014.
  • The Buccaneers auditioned free agent offensive tackle Caylin Hauptmann on Thursday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Hauptmann, 25, has garnered just one NFL appearance, which came back in 2013 as a member of the Seahawks. He has also spent time with the Browns and Patriots organizations.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Fitz, Pats, Cooper, Fins

July 28th, 2016 at 5:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s new deal with the Jets is actually a two-year accord, not a one-year pact, reports Albert Breer of TheMMQB (Twitter links). However, the second year is voidable and in place solely for cap purposes, Breer notes. Instead of a $12MM hit for 2016, Fitzpatrick will occupy $7MM in cap space this year and $5MM in 2017. Most of the $12MM coming to him is via signing bonus ($10MM), while the rest ($2MM) is Fitzpatrick’s base salary. The 33-year-old’s contract also includes a total of $3MM in incentives tied to playing time and team success – namely a playoff berth, AFC title game bid and Super Bowl trip – per Breer.

More on New York and two of its division rivals:

  • Fitzpatrick opted to take a one-year deal from the Jets instead of their three-year offer because he didn’t want to risk the team relegating him to a reserve role during the tail end of the contract, he said Thursday (via Connor Hughes of NJ Advance Media). “That was a deal that basically said, ‘We want you here, and then we want you to say here as the backup,'” Fitzpatrick stated. “That’s not how I view myself. I’d much rather pass up on some of that guaranteed money and just sign a one-year deal and bet on myself and see what happens.” New York has three younger options on its roster in Geno Smith, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty, all of whom were second- to fourth-round picks between 2013 and this year. Given that Smith has struggled in the league and is set to become a free agent after the season, he wouldn’t have been a threat to Fitzpatrick had he inked a multiyear deal. The same might not have been true regarding Hackenberg or Petty, though. A second-round pick this year, Hackenberg seems like the best bet on the Jets’ roster to take over as their starter next season if Fitzpatrick is no longer on the team.
  • The Patriots have a decision to make on guard Jonathan Cooper by Friday, when his $1,713,954 roster bonus is due, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Cooper, who came to New England from Arizona in the teams’ March trade centering on Chandler Jones, has disappointed since going seventh overall in the 2013 draft. After a broken fibula cost Cooper his rookie season, he went on to start just 11 games for the Cardinals over the past two years. The 26-year-old is currently New England’s projected starter at right guard, as Roster Resource indicates.
  • The Dolphins are “pretty comfortable” with their current cornerback situation, a source told Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. However, that shouldn’t necessarily be the case, opines Salguero, who wonders if the Dolphins are in trouble at the position. With second-round rookie Xavien Howard currently on the sidelines after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in June, the Dolphins are down to Tony Lippett as the starter opposite veteran Byron Maxwell. Lippett didn’t garner much playing time as a fifth-round rookie last year, though, and was a receiver at Michigan State. As for Howard, the Dolphins “expect him, at worst, to be back by the first regular-season game,” head coach Adam Gase said. But that scenario would mean missing all of camp and the preseason, thus putting the first-year man behind the 8-ball immediately.
  • Armando Salguero shared more of his thoughts on the state of the Dolphins earlier Thursday with PFR’s Zach Links.

AFC North Notes: Steelers, Browns, Gordon

July 28th, 2016 at 4:35pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Superstar wide receiver Antonio Brown reported to Steelers training camp Thursday and is both hopeful and confident that the team will address his contract before the regular season, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Brown – who has combined for 375 catches and 31 touchdowns the last three seasons – is woefully underpaid relative to his production (he’s due $14.96MM through 2017), though the Steelers don’t typically negotiate new deals with non-quarterbacks who have more than one year left on their contracts. “It has been the position of the organization and it has always been like that,” general manager Kevin Colbert said last summer in regards to the team’s policy. Based on Schefter’s report, the Steelers might make an exception after Brown tied for the league lead in receptions (136), finished second in yards (1,834) and found the end zone 10 times last season.

More news on Pittsburgh and one of its division rivals:

  • Speaking of Colbert, the Steelers awarded him an additional role as their vice president Thursday, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). Colbert, 59, joined the Steelers as their director of football operations in 2000 and held that position until they promoted him to GM in 2010.
  • Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown and head coach Hue Jackson addressed the return of newly reinstated receiver Josh Gordon on Thursday (via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com). “He in earnest wants to make the most of this opportunity, and he knows his situation and so we’re going to get around him, give him that opportunity,” Brown stated regarding Gordon, whom the league suspended for 29 of the Browns’ previous 48 regular-season games – including the entire 2015 campaign – because of substance abuse violations. Gordon will also sit out the first four games of this year. However, the highly talented 25-year-old has a clean slate with Jackson, who’s in his first season with the Browns. “I don’t have a lot of history with Josh that way,” said Jackson. “But his history is preceding him, and I think he knows that and I think the only way to deal with a player in these situations is to kind of hit the restart button for him and he has to go do it.”
  • The Browns have no plans to cut linebacker Armonty Bryant in the wake of his misdemeanor drug conviction, Brown said Thursday, as Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer tweets. An additional suspension could be coming for him, however. Bryant will already miss the first four games of the season because of a suspension.
  • In case you missed it, Cleveland defensive tackle Desmond Bryant will officially miss the entire season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/16

July 28th, 2016 at 3:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Broncos have waived tight end Manasseh Garner with a non-football illness designation and signed free agent tight end John Phillips to take his place, writes Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post. Primarily a blocker, Phillips has 95 appearances (32 starts), 45 catches and four touchdowns on his six-year resume with Dallas and San Diego.
  • The Bengals announced that they have signed safety Jimmy Wilson. Wilson, who turns 30 on Saturday, appeared in 13 games with San Diego last season before the team released him in December. Earlier this year, he hooked on with KC, but that stint was short lived. Since entering the league as a seventh-rounder in 2011, Wilson has played in 73 regular-season games, logged 28 starts, and amassed five interceptions.
  • The Lions announced the signing of linebacker Dominique Tovell as well as the release of wide receiver Damian Copeland and linebacker Jerry Franklin.
  • The Jets announced that they have cut rookie punter Tom Hackett. With Hackett out of the picture, fellow rookie Lachlan Edwards has presumably won the team’s punting job.
  • The Falcons announced the signing of defensive end Efe Obada. In a related move, Atlanta waived wide receiver Daje Johnson.

Desmond Bryant To Miss 2016 Season

July 28th, 2016 at 2:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

JULY 28th: The Browns officially announced that Bryant has been ruled out for the season. To fill his roster spot, Cleveland signed tight end David Reeves.

JULY 13th: The Browns announced that Bryant will be forced to miss the 2016 season due to his pectoral injury.

JULY 12th: The Browns appear to have lost one of their best defensive players for the duration of the 2016 season, as defensive lineman Desmond Bryant underwent surgery today to correct a torn pectoral muscle, according to Anthony Lima of CBS Cleveland/92.3 The Fan (Twitter link). Given that he’s facing a five-to-six month recovery, Bryant is likely to miss the entire 2016 campaign.Desmond Bryant (Vertical)

[RELATED: Reviewing the Cleveland Browns’ offseason]

Bryant, 30, had been expected to start at defensive end under new coordinator Ray Horton, but his absence will now open the door for younger players to see more snaps. Xavier Cooper, who appeared in 14 games last season but started none, is a candidate for an increased role, as are John Hughes and rookie pass-rusher Carl Nassib. The Browns had hoped that Nassib would add weight this summer in order to slide inside on passing downs, but with Bryant out of the picture, Nassib could see more snaps on the outside immediately.

Cleveland’s defense couldn’t afford any more losses, as the club had already ranked 29th in defensive DVOA in 2015 before losing starters Tashaun Gipson, Donte Whitner, Karlos Dansby, and Craig Robertson over the past few months. Bryant, for his part, was likely the best player remaining on the defense outside of cornerback Joe Haden, as he led the Browns in sacks last season with six. Pro Football Focus assigned Bryant a middle-of-the-pack rank among interior defenders, though he did grade much better as a pass-rusher than against the run.

Bryant is signed through the 2017 season, but the Browns can easily get out of his contract once he gets healthy. Bryant is due a $7MM base salary in 2017, and will only have $1MM remaining in signing bonus proration. Therefore, if Cleveland doesn’t think Bryant is going to be worth his salary next season, it can release Bryant and save $6MM against the salary cap.

For a majority of clubs in the NFL, the loss of a starter would spur a search of veteran free agents still left on the board, but that isn’t a calculation for the Browns. In the midst of a full-scale rebuild, Cleveland has no incentive to replace Bryant with an experienced player, both because the club is better served letting its young options see more playing time, and because adding a veteran won’t help the club’s long-term development (even if it would make the team a bit better in the present).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC West Notes: 49ers, Ramsey, Davis

July 28th, 2016 at 1:48pm CST by Zachary Links

49ers defensive lineman Kaleb Ramsey retired from football today, as Cam Inman of The Mercury News writes. Ramsey, a draft pick of the 49ers in 2014, was sidelined for all of his rookie year with an Achilles injury. In 2015, he was on San Francisco’s practice squad and was also hit with a four-game suspension for a PED violation.

“The 49ers took a chance on drafting me and made my NFL dreams come true,” Ramsey said in a statement. “Unfortunately, my career has been cut short, as I have made the decision to step away from the game to concentrate on other priorities in my life.”

As shown on Roster Resource, Ramsey would have faced an uphill battle to make the Niners’ roster given the number of defensive linemen they have under contract.

Here’s more out of the NFC West:

  • Safety Tyrann Mathieu took to Twitter earlier this week and seemed to express frustration at the state of his contract talks with the Cardinals (sic). “Money mean nothing, I want my respect,” Mathieu tweeted. Recently, Cardinals GM Steve Keim expressed optimism about getting a deal done with the player formerly known as Honey Badger.
  • Anthony Davis has been taking jabs at the 49ers for the better part of a year now, but agent Drew Rosenhaus says all of the animosity is in the rear view mirror. “I do believe that he has patched things up with the organization,” Rosenhaus told PFT’s Mike Florio. “He has been in contact with the organization and I also believe with the coaching staff and they’ve rebuilt that relationship. So whatever damage took place in my estimation has been repaired.” Davis submitted the necessary paperwork to come out of retirement earlier this week. One report indicated that the Niners are “wary” of getting involved with the mercurial offensive lineman again.
  • Rams running back Tre Mason has been at the center of five different incidents involving cops in the past four months, according to TMZ Sports. The report also states that Mason’s family is concerned about his well being. Mason was arrested in March for resisting arrest, possession of cannabis, and reckless driving. Fisher told reporters in June that the Rams had to prepare as if the running back would not be with the club after that incident, but a recent report indicated that a decision had not been made on whether Mason would be involved in training camp. Mason could be facing a suspension from the league office for his episode earlier this year.
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