Month: November 2024

Patriots Notes: Vollmer, Fleming, Stork

Sebastian Vollmer approached the Patriots about a contract extension in November, and they declined, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. Of course, Vollmer’s injury problems were part of the reason why the Pats were reluctant to commit to him on a new multi-year deal. Over the weekend, the Pats learned that the offensive tackle is headed to IR with an undisclosed ailment, so they’re probably glad that they do not have him under contract beyond the 2016 season.

Here’s more on the Pats:

  • The Patriots could begin the season with just three offensive tackles and stash Cameron Fleming on the practice squad, Doug Kyed of NESN.com tweets. Center Bryan Stork and guard Joe Thuney can serve as emergency options if the team needs help at tackle, Kyed notes. For a full view of the Patriots’ depth chart, check out their page on Roster Resource.
  • Meanwhile, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe doesn’t see Stork making the 53-man roster. He reasons that Stork appears to be losing the center battle with Andrews and he hasn’t been as consistent from a performance or injury standpoint as Josh Kline or Ted Karras. However, if Jonathan Cooper‘s foot injury lands him on IR-DTR, that could save Stork’s spot.
  • Offseason pickups running back Donald Brown, tight end Clay Harbor, wide receiver Keshawn Martin, and defensive tackles Terrance Knighton and Markus Kuhn are fighting for their jobs, Howe writes. Some of these players have significant signing bonuses, meaning that the Pats will have effectively wasted that money if they don’t make the team.
  • Could the Patriots make a play for the recently-waived Karlos Williams? The Pats are one of ten teams that we feel could have interest.

Impact Rookies: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The old adage that defense wins championships may or may not be true, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a title-winning team that didn’t build heavily through the draft. Rookie classes, naturally, are evaluated on the perceived upside of the NFL newcomers, but which rookies are ready to contribute right out of the gate? And, how do they fit in with their new team schematically?

To help us forecast the immediate future of these NFL neophytes, we enlisted the help of draft guru Dave-Te Thomas who has served as a scouting personnel consultant to NFL teams for multiple decades.

First Round – Vernon Hargreaves III, CB (Florida, No. 11 overall)

Hargreaves shows above average body control and does a nice job of keeping his feet on the move. He shows good agility and balance, but needs to redirect and change direction skills better when challenging the receivers running deep routes along the perimeter. Still, he shows explosion out of his plant and is a quick twitch type who shows good alertness vs. plays in front of him. When beaten, he has that sudden burst to recover. His quickness in transition prevents smaller receivers from getting good position working underneath vs. him. Vernon Hargreaves (Vertical)

Hargreaves is a mentally tough athlete and solid hitter who could play inside at safety, if needed. Still, his primary position with the Bucs will be cornerback. He will hustle and run down a ball carrier from across the field and seems to enjoy the contact in run force. He plays at full speed and few players in the game of foot-ball can match his quickness. He competes for the ball with no regard for his body.

With his exceptional speed. Hargreaves has no problem maintaining inside position when challenging a receiver in man coverage, especially when working along the sidelines. He has the speed, closing burst and ball reaction skills to stay tight with any opponent, whether they are quick and fast or tall and physical. He needs to improve his strength base, so not to get backed off by the bigger receivers at the next level, but has the frame to add the power needed.

Hargreaves will be a starter right off the bat for the Bucs and anyone who doubts his ability clearly wasn’t watching Saturday night’s preseason contest against the Jaguars. Hargreaves picked off opposing quarterback Chad Henne twice, helping Tampa Bay to a 27-21 victory.

Click here to continue reading about the Bucs’ rookie class..

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The Beat: Troy Renck On The Broncos

With the season fast approaching, we’re chatting with beat writers from around the league to gain insight on each team’s offseason and how those moves will impact the season ahead.

Now, we continue the series by discussing the Broncos with Troy Renck of Denver7. You can follow Troy on Twitter @TroyRenck (Note: The conversation took place on Friday, prior to the Broncos’ Saturday’s preseason game against the 49ers).

Zach Links: Is Ronnie Hillman in danger of not making the team? Are you surprised by him being on the roster bubble? Ronnie Hillman

Troy Renck: Yes, Hillman is in real danger of not making the cut. He is competing against Kapri Bibbs who has kick return ability and it is hard to see both players making it. Bibbs is a more versatile special teams guy than Hillman is and they are really intrigued by Devontae Booker’s potential.

Zach Links: At what point did you realize that Hillman could be a roster casualty?

Troy Renck: As soon as they drafted Booker. Hillman went out into free agency and, unfortunately for him, he played his worst football in the playoffs. That was everyone’s last view of him and when he found a tepid market, he came back to Denver on a cheap deal. In my opinion, they re-signed Hillman to protect themselves in the draft so that they didn’t have to reach for a running back. Luckily for them, they got Booker.

Zach Links: What does Vance Walker’s absence mean for the Broncos? How might they look to fill the void?

Troy Renck: It hurts. He was already the guy filling in for Malik [Jackson] and he’s a really good run stuffer and a versatile guy. They signed Jared Crick and they’re hopeful that he can be an every down guy. It also puts the onus on Darius Kilgo. They need him to step up and provide real depth. Overall, it’s an area of concern for sure.

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Saints’ Brandon Coleman On Roster Bubble?

Wide receiver Brandon Coleman isn’t assured of a spot on the Saints roster, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes. Coleman, who spent his rookie season on New Orleans’ practice squad, appeared in all 16 games in 2015, posting 30 receptions for 454 yards and two touchdowns. But following the Saints’ most recent preseason game, head coach Sean Payton wasn’t very complementary of Coleman’s performance.Keenan Lewis (Vertical)

[RELATED: Saints Release Keenan Lewis]

“I thought it was just OK,” said Payton. “And honestly, it’s been kind of pedestrian from him throughout camp. There’s certain things you see and you see and you see and you see, and then all of a sudden they reveal themselves in a game. And you know what, I’m not surprised. And I think he can be better, and I know I’ve seen better.

“So he’s gonna have to pick it up. I think he will. I think he’ll compete. But I don’t like how he’s catching the ball on the first play that comes out of his hands. Too many times the ball’s separating from him.”

The Saints selected Ohio State’s Michael Thomas in the second round of this year’s draft, and he figures to take over for Marques Colston as the club’s big slot. And with Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead locked in on the outside, Coleman is the fourth option on the depth chart, at best. New Orleans has spent all offseason trying to find a veteran to add to that group, as they’ve agreed to terms with both Vincent Brown and Hakeem Nicks, but neither lasted on the roster.

Payton also didn’t have kind words for return man Marcus Murphy, who has fumbled in each of the Saints’ first two preseason contests. “It just can’t happen. We’ll find another returner,” said Payton, who added that undrafted rookie free agent Tommylee Lewis will be given the chance to usurp Murphy’s role. Murphy, 24, was New Orleans’ primary returner in 2015, averaging just under 10 yards per punt return and 25 yards on kickoffs.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC West Notes: Lynch, Hillman, Childress

The quarterback battle rages on in Denver, as Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak hasn’t yet named a starter for the club’s third preseason game, tweets James Palmer of NFL.com. And while Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian have been viewed as the only competitors for the No. 1 job, Paxton Lynch is still a candidate for the starting role. “He’s always been in the mix,” Kubiak told the media, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk“I just told you guys that he’s behind the other two from a knowledge standpoint, but we’ve been out there competing every day. Everybody is in competition to play.”

Let’s take a look at more out the Mile High City and the rest of the AFC West:

  • Kubiak said last week that running back Ronnie Hillman is in a “hell of a battle” with Devontae Booker and Kapri Bibbs and intimated that Hillman might not make the Broncos‘ roster, and Mike Klis of 9NEWS has taken that sentiment a step further, writing that it’d be a “surprise” if Hillman is with Denver come Week 1. Denver has already handed Hillman $600K through a signing bonus and workout bonuses, but Hillman’s $1.4MM base salary is non-guaranteed, and it doesn’t appear the Broncos are likely to pay it.
  • The Broncos may need to scour the free agent market for an addition at offensive guard, according to Klis. Darron Weems looked like he was going to be the club’s starter on the right side, but he suffered a concussion during Saturday’s preseason game. Ty Sambrailo is also dealing with an injury of his own, while rookie Connor McGovern isn’t ready to play immediately. One option for Denver might be Ravens lineman Ryan Jensen, per Klis, though it’s unclear whether the 9NEWS scribe is reporting or simply speculating.
  • Veteran wide receiver James Jones is likely to make the Chargers‘ final roster thanks to his ability to play both in the slot and outside, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. San Diego is dealing with several minor injuries among its receiving corps, so the club might be forced to keep more pass-catchers on its roster than it normally would. The only downside with Jones is that he doesn’t play on special teams, which could force to keep another receiver active on gamedays simply to play teams.
  • Brad Childress was ready to retire after last season, but the longtime NFL coach had a change of heart after being promoted to Chiefs co-offensive coordinator, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Childress was also a candidate to join former Kansas City coach Doug Pederson as the Eagles’ play-caller, but Andy Reid bumped Childress up to OC, where he’ll team with Matt Nagy and run the Chiefs’ offense.

10 Teams That Could Claim RB Karlos Williams

After waiving him yesterday, the Bills “fully expect” another NFL club to land running back Karlos Williams, and we’ll find out tomorrow if any other team decided to place a claim (the waiver period is typically 24 hours, but rolls over until Monday on weekends). If no one else is interested, Williams will become a free agent. But given that Williams’ (minimal) signing bonus will accelerate onto Buffalo’s cap –meaning that any acquiring team would only be on the hook for minimum salaries for the next three years — it seems likely that Williams will get claimed.Karlos Williams (Vertical)

Clearly, there are reasons to be concerned about Williams’ future. He’ll be suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season after violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and he’s struggled with his weight throughout the offseason. At one point, Williams was up 261 pounds, and after losing some of that heft, he’d reportedly begun to balloon once again, leaving the Bills to wonder if he was serious about football.

But Williams also flashed dynamic ability during his rookie season, finishing with 613 yards from scrimmage and nine TDs on just 104 touches while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. The 23-year-old also became one of just two players in NFL history to score a touchdown in each of his first six games in the league. All in all, Williams seemingly defines an old adage: high risk, high reward.

Let’s take a look at several teams that could be interested in Williams, listed in order of their waiver priority:

Cleveland Browns — New head coach Hue Jackson is trying to foster a new culture with the Browns, but he’s also shown a willingness to give players a second chance. He’s embraced wide receiver Josh Gordon, who was recently reinstated from a season-long suspension, and he stood by running back Isaiah Crowell after the latter posted a disturbing image online. Crowell and Duke Johnson figure to get most of the run for Cleveland during the upcoming season, but the club should be stockpiling talent during its rebuild, and Williams would be a cheap upgrade.

San Diego Chargers — San Diego had high hopes for its rushing attack after trading up to select Melvin Gordon in the first round of last year’s draft, but offensive line injuries and Gordon’s own poor play led to the Chargers finishing 31st in rushing DVOA. Gordon then had microfracture surgery in January, and while his long-term prognosis is positive, serious knee injuries are always unwelcome news for young running backs. It looks like Gordon is already losing work to Danny Woodhead during the preseason, and if the Chargers think Gordon is in for another sub-par season, they could take a risk on Williams.

Baltimore Ravens — This is only my speculation, but given that he’s on the wrong side of 30, coming off injury, and due a non-guaranteed $3MM base salary, veteran running back Justin Forsett could be a surprise cut as roster cutdowns approach. Such a move would be made much easier if the Ravens were able to acquire a talent like Williams, who could slot in the backfield after his suspension, teaming with Javorius Allen, Terrance West, Kenneth Dixon, and perhaps Lorenzo Taliaferro. Baltimore has taken chances on character risks in the past, though the club was burned by safety Will Hill, with whom they cut ties after he was handed a 10-game suspension.

Philadelphia Eagles — Like the Browns, the Eagles haven’t been afraid to collect players who are considered character risks, as evidenced by their trade for receiver Dorial Green-Beckham last week. Philadelphia is hoping it can turn around the career of DGB, who struggled with both motivation and learning the Titans’ playbook, and they could place a similar bet on Williams. Like DGB, Williams clearly has talent, and the Eagles could use another option alongside Ryan Mathews, Kenjon Barner, Darren Sproles, and Wendell Smallwood. Turron Davenport of USA Today recently looked at how Williams could succeed in the type of outside zone runs employed by the Eagles.

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Minor NFL Transactions: 8/21/16

Here are today’s minor moves:

  • The Colts announced that they’ve signed free agent offensive linemen Eric Herman and Keith Lumpkin, while waiving guard Donovan Williams and waiving/injured tackle Kevin Graf. If Graf clears waivers, he’ll revert to Indy’s injured reserve list.
  • The Patriots have waived safety Cedric Thompson, as his agent David Canter tweets. New England signed Thompson to a futures deal in January.
  • The Buccaneers have reached an injury settlement with safety Elijah Shumate, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). As such, Shumate has been removed from Tampa’s IR injured reserve list.

Earlier updates

  • The Eagles have cut WR T.J. Graham, C Bruce Johnson, RB Cedric O’Neal, and WR Xavier Rush, per the team’s official Twitter account.
  • The Browns have signed WR Josh Boyce, whom New England selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, and waived/injured 2016 UDFA Dennis Parks, as Nate Ulrich of The Akron Beacon Journal reports. Boyce spent most of this year with the Colts before he was waived on August 16. He has nine catches for 121 yards in his professional career.

Broncos Sign Henry Melton

After working him out earlier today, the Broncos have agreed to sign defensive tackle Henry Melton, as the veteran posted a picture of himself signing a contract at Denver’s facility. There’s no word on the length or financial terms of the deal.Henry Melton (Featured)

[RELATED: Police still investigating Aqib Talib incident]

Denver had already been reeling from the offseason loss of Malik Jackson, and the man set to replace him, Vance Walker, suffered a torn ACL last week and was subsequently placed on injured reserve. Starting defensive end Derek Wolfe recently rolled his ankle, but apparently not seriously enough to cause any major absence, as he played in last night’s preseason contest against the 49ers. Free agent signee Jared Crick is now set to start opposite Wolfe, but Melton could offer a reserve pass-rushing presence at both end and tackle if signed.

Melton, 29, has settled into more of a rotational role in recent years, and is no longer the dominant interior presence he was during his early career with the Bears. But he still appeared in all 16 games for Tampa Bay last season, playing on roughly half of the Bucs’ defensive snaps. In that time, Melton picked up two sacks, 18 tackles, and recovered two fumbles, but only graded as the league’s No. 101 interior defender among 123 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. The former Texas Longhorn earned an honorable mention on PFR’s May list of the best remaining free agent defenders.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Giants Don’t Rule Out Signing Another Kicker

Although Giants brass last night declined to comment on the domestic violence allegations against kicker Josh Brown or the club’s kicking situation as a whole, head coach Ben McAdoo did speak on the circumstances today. “Never say never,” said McAdoo, when asked about New York adding another kicker, tweets Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.Ben McAdoo

[RELATED: Impact Rookies — New York Giants]

As Schwartz wrote last night, Giants co-owner John Mara told reporters, “I know what you’re going to ask me about. Check with me again next week, but I don’t have anything to say about it.” General manager Jerry Reese declined to comment at all about Brown (“Nope, nothing.”), while McAdoo said, “I’ve said everything I have to say on that situation.” Brown himself also declined to comment.

The NFL suspended Brown one game for a 2015 arrest on a domestic violence charge, but later details painted a much more disturbing picture. Brown’s ex-wife told police that Brown had been physically violent with her over 20 times and that she had previously had a protection order against him. However, the league later issued a statement saying that Brown’s ex-wife, as well as local investigators, had declined to offer further information on the situation, hence the seemingly light suspension.

Tom Obarski, a 2015 undrafted free agent who is the only other kicker on the Giants’ roster, was handed a “golden opportunity” — McAdoo’s words — to stay on the roster, but failed to convert a 28-yard field goal in New York’s preseason game against the Bills last night. Veteran kickers currently available on the free agent market include Josh Scobee, who was released after a two-month offseason stay on the Saints’ roster, and former Texan/Jet Randy Bullock.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Alex Okafor To Play Through Biceps Tear

SUNDAY: Okafor will not undergo surgery and will instead play through the injury, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

SATURDAY: For the second time in his four-year career, Alex Okafor has a choice regarding how he’ll handle a torn biceps tendon. It will decide his season and will impact the Cardinals’ pass-rushing corps.

Okafor is mulling whether or not to undergo surgery after tearing his biceps tendon at a recent practice, Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 reports (on Twitter). Bruce Arians confirmed the news after the Cardinals’ second preseason game on Friday night.

As Jurecki points out, a surgical course of action ends the fourth-year pass-rusher’s season. There remains a chance Okafor could attempt to rest and play through it, if he opts against. Faced with the same decision in September of 2013, Okafor opted for surgery and missed 15 games.

The Cardinals preferred to go with their homegrown pass-rushers despite Dwight Freeney‘s preference to return to Arizona this offseason. Freeney signed with the Falcons, leaving the Cardinals with an Okafor- and Markus Golden-fronted crew of internal options.

Now, the Cardinals have recent mid-round picks Shaquille Riddick and Kareem Martin, as Roster Resource shows, with UDFAs immediately behind them.

Okafor missed the Cardinals’ two playoff games in January after landing on the NFI list with a toe malady. He missed three regular-season games in each of the past two years as well. He showed promise in 2014, registering eight sacks to lead the Cardinals in his first year as a starter. Pro Football Focus graded Okafor as a middle-of-the-pack defender in 2015.

Mike Neal, Calvin Pace and Jason Babin, whom the Cardinals signed in January in the wake of Okafor venturing to IR, are among the veteran 3-4 outside linebacker options available in free agency.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.