2016 August - Pro Football Rumors

Marcell Dareus To Check Into Rehab Facility

August 20th, 2016 at 2:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Marcell Dareus will begin a second straight season on a suspension, but this one will shelve the talented defensive tackle for four games. The 26-year-old defender will check into a rehab facility, he announced on Saturday after leaving the sideline prior to the Bills’ second preseason game.

“After careful consideration of recent events within my life, I have made the decision to enter a rehabilitation facility,” Dareus said in a statement released by the Bills, via Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. “I feel this is the best decision for me, my family and my teammates as I move forward in my career. I appreciate the support of my teammates and the Bills organization through this process.”

Expected to play against the Giants today, Dareus did not dress and left the field prior to kickoff, Carucci reports.

The Bills, who expressed disappointment in what they deemed selfish actions when the suspension came down earlier this week, released a statement Saturday supporting the embattled lineman.

“We are fully supportive of Marcell and this decision to take the time he needs to seek treatment,” the statement read.

Buffalo signed Dareus to a six-year, $95MM extension last September but will now see him serve another suspension at a time the Bills are reeling on defense, having lost Reggie Ragland for the season and Shaq Lawson for an undetermined portion of it.

Dareus claimed earlier this week a missed drug test hovered at the root of his four-game ban, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that marijuana usage caused it. The former Alabama defensive tackle served a one-game substance-abuse suspension last season.

This comes barely an hour after the team decided to cut Karlos Williams, who’s also facing a four-game substance-abuse ban.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eagles Seeking Help At Linebacker

August 20th, 2016 at 11:35am CST by Sam Robinson

After losing promising seventh-round rookie Joe Walker to a torn ACL sustained during Thursday night’s second preseason tilt, the Eagles are indeed in the market for veteran linebacking help, Doug Pederson said Saturday (via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer, on Twitter).

With Berman categorizing ex-UDFA Don Cherry as the team’s top backup linebacker, the Eagles could certainly use extra talent here to play behind starters Mychal Kendricks, Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham, the latter of which could be facing a personal-conduct suspension for an off-the-field incident in July.

Nothing has emerged on the Stephen Tulloch front, except that he’s not willing to take a deal too close to the veteran minimum. At least, that’s the word that’s coming out of Miami.

Two weeks ago, the Eagles were said to be in heavy negotiations with the former Lions middle linebacker and longtime Jim Schwartz charge. But those talks evidently did not progress to the 31-year-old middle linebacker’s liking. Tulloch was not interested, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, in taking a low-cost deal with the Dolphins. Philly’s depth problems could force the team to up its ante for a player who’s familiar with Schwartz’s system.

As Roster Resource shows, the Eagles’ competition for second-team slots is comprised of multiple UDFAs — Quentin Gause and Myke Tavarres — along with former Patriots reserve Deontae Skinner and ex-waiver claim Najee Goode. The non-rush linebacker market beyond Tulloch is pretty slim presently, with Danny Lansanah — whom the Dolphins signed then quickly cut earlier this month — residing as one of the better options. Entering what would be his seventh season, O’Brien Schofield also resides on the unemployment line.

Considering the Eagles were already pursuing a veteran linebacker before Walker went down, it looks likely they’ll add one in the coming days. Their cap is projected to be close to saturated in 2017 due to the bevy of extensions the team doled out this year, but Philadelphia currently possesses $6.6MM in cap room — plenty to lure a late defensive replacement.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Saints, Lions, Falcons

August 19th, 2016 at 8:39pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

With the Friday release of Keenan Lewis, the Saints have now severed ties with all but one cornerback who made their roster two years ago, observes Joel Erickson of the New Orleans Advocate. That corner is Brian Dixon, who has begun his career with 32 straight appearances since the Saints signed him as an undrafted free agent from Northwest Missouri State. Of New Orleans’ current group of corners, P.J. Williams stands to benefit the most from Lewis’ exit, writes Erickson, who adds that the 2015 third-round pick has impressed this summer. Williams missed his rookie season with a torn hamstring, but the Florida State product is now set to start opposite Delvin Breaux.

Elsewhere in the NFC…

While the Lions value backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky’s veteran leadership, that might not be enough for the 11th-year man to fend off Jake Rudock for the backup role or – depending on how many signal-callers the team keeps – a roster spot, writes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. Rudock, a sixth-round rookie out of Michigan, has outplayed the 33-year-old Orlovsky through the Lions’ first two preseason matchups. In Detroit’s game Thursday against Cincinnati, Orlovsky tossed his second pick-six of the exhibition season. Overall, in addition to the two interceptions, he has thrown a touchdown while completing 24 of 39 passes for 247 yards. Rudock has hit on 16 of 22 attempts for 162 yards, adding both a score and a pick.
Falcons punter Matt Bosher suffered a chest injury in the team’s game against the Browns on Thursday, so Atlanta will work out free agent Brandon Fields, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Fields might only be a temporary solution if he signs, however, as McClure notes that Bosher is likely to be fine. A Dolphin from 2007-14, Fields played two games last season with the Saints and averaged 41.2 yards (35.1 net) on 10 punts.
In case you missed it, the NFL released a statement Friday explaining why it only suspended Giants kicker Josh Brown for one game after past domestic violence allegations surfaced.

Latest On 49ers’ Offensive Line

August 19th, 2016 at 8:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

49ers offensive lineman Anthony Davis realizes that his best chance to start this year might be at right guard, he told reporters – including Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle – on Thursday.

After serving as the 49ers’ No. 1 right tackle and starting in each of his 71 appearances from 2010-14, Davis took a hiatus from football last season and returned earlier this summer to find second-year man Trent Brown at his position. Given Brown’s size (6-foot-8, 355 pounds), the 6-5, 323-pound Davis recognizes that he’s a better fit at guard than Brown. That’s why Davis went to 49ers coaches and volunteered to line up at guard, where he took some reps in practice Thursday.

“I can play anywhere on the line,” said Davis. “Like I was saying, we want the best five on the field, and Trent is not going to play guard. He’s a giant man and I knew I could adapt to guard. I feel like that would help us.”

Davis’ 49ers-first approach is a change of pace for a player who took shots at general manager Trent Baalke and the organization during the offseason. Regardless, head coach Chip Kelly agrees that Davis has the potential to be a factor at multiple O-line spots.

“Whether it be right tackle, left tackle, center, left guard, right guard, I think when you’ve got someone 6-5, 330 pounds that moves like he moves, I think you could play him any position along the offensive line,” Kelly said earlier this week (via Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee)

It’s worth noting that Brown has neither the pedigree nor anything resembling the experience of Davis – whom the 49ers originally chose 11th overall from Rutgers. Brown went in the seventh round of last year’s draft and picked up a meager 187 offensive snaps as a rookie, yet the ex-Florida Gator could force Davis out of the lineup or to a new position. If anything, Davis expects the latter to be the case.

“I’ll be on the field, sooner or later,” he declared. “I’m pretty good at football.”

If Davis ends up at guard, that would send two of Zane Beadles, first-rounder Joshua Garnett and current right side starter Andrew Tiller to the 49ers’ bench. As of now, Beadles has the lead over Garnett for the starting job on the left.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Saints Release Keenan Lewis

August 19th, 2016 at 7:21pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints have released cornerback Keenan Lewis, Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate was among those to report (on Twitter). If healthy, Lewis figured to play a prominent role in the Saints’ defensive backfield this year, but injuries have hampered him since last season and he’ll now look for work elsewhere.

Lewis, 30, spent the first four seasons of his career in Pittsburgh, which took him in the third round of the 2009 draft, before signing a five-year, $26.3MM deal with his native New Orleans in March 2013. The ex-Oregon State standout started in all 16 of the Saints’ regular-season games in both 2013 and 2014, something he had also done in his final year with the Steelers, before injuries held him to a mere six contests in 2015.

Lewis’ season didn’t begin until October as a result of hip surgery in September, and it ended when the Saints placed him on injured reserve in November after he underwent a sports hernia procedure. Notably, Lewis underwent hip surgery again in December. All told, he made only one 2015 start – his lowest single-season total since 2011 – and went without an interception. Lewis appeared in 64 straight regular-season games the previous four years and picked off seven passes, including a personal-best four in 2013.

Earlier this month, the Saints activated Lewis from the physically unable to perform list, but his hip problems have persisted. While he declared last week that he wouldn’t need to go on IR, it seems fair to say his inability to regain health contributed heavily to the end of his Saints tenure.

“I would like to thank New Orleans and all my fans,” Lewis wrote in an Instagram post Friday (via Amos Morale III of NOLA.com). “It’s been and [sic] awesome journey. I’m glad I had the opportunity to play for the city I grew up in and love.”

Even though Lewis has departed the Saints’ roster, he’ll continue to be an important factor in their books. He’s due to count $6.35MM in dead money in 2016 and $3.6MM in 2017, per Underhill. On the field, his ouster leaves the club with a cornerback group featuring No. 1 man Delvin Breaux, P.J. Williams, Brian Dixon, Damian Swann and recent veteran pickup Cortland Finnegan, among others.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Notes: Harrison, Jets, Revis, Petty, Bills

August 19th, 2016 at 6:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Forget the Olympics or the first presidential debate – could the NFL’s interview with Steelers linebacker James Harrison be the must-watch event of the year? If Harrison has his way, his interview with league investigators over PED claims will be live on TV for all to see.

“If it leads to the hands of that crook, I mean Roger Goodell, he can do whatever he wants,” Harrison said (via Sports Illustrated). “Whatever evidence they might have or reasoning for questioning for me is out of my control, I don’t know. I wouldn’t have a problem with it being filmed live. I’ve been prosecuted and persecuted publicly in the media by them for something I didn’t do, so I don’t see why we couldn’t have the media there and do a live interview.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/19/16

August 19th, 2016 at 5:43pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Friday’s minor moves from around the NFL:

The Broncos have placed defensive end Vance Walker on season-ending injured reserve and signed tight end Manasseh Garner to take his roster spot, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. Walker was set to play an important role for the Broncos this year, but the torn ACL he suffered Monday put an end to that. The Broncos previously waived Garner with a non-football illness designation last month on the heels of an emergency appendectomy. He went undrafted out of Pitt last year.
The Steelers have removed offensive tackle Brian Mihalik from IR with an injury settlement, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Mihalik, undrafted from Boston College in 2015, signed a futures deal with the Steelers in January. He previously spent time on the Eagles’ practice squad.

Dorial Green-Beckham On Titans-Eagles Trade

August 19th, 2016 at 5:27pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Newly minted Eagles receiver Dorial Green-Beckham commented Thursday on the unexpected trade that sent him from Tennessee to Philadelphia on Tuesday, telling Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer he’s “not necessarily sure” why the Titans dealt him. In return for the talented Green-Beckham, its second-round pick a year ago, Tennessee received offensive lineman Dennis Kelly.

The Titans were reportedly disappointed in Green-Beckham’s work ethic and conditioning, but the 23-year-old shot down the idea that he gave anything less than maximum effort with the club. DGB showed up to training camp “in great condition” this summer and did “everything” he needed to do, including put in extra work after practice, he informed Berman. Moreover, Green-Beckham refuted the notion that off-field concerns may have helped cause new Titans general manager Jon Robinson to part with him.

“Totally a whole different person,” he said. “The off-the-field stuff is in the past, has been in the past. That stuff, I’ve never heard anything since then being brought up from anyone. That tells me I’m doing the right things.”

Green-Beckham dealt with multiple legal issues at the University of Missouri, which led then-head coach Gary Pinkel to dismiss him from the team in April 2014. That came on the heels of allegations that Green-Beckham forced his way into a fellow student’s apartment and pushed her down at least four stairs. Police quickly closed the case, citing reluctant witnesses fearing retaliation, after the alleged victim and another woman (Green-Beckham’s then-girlfriend) told a detective they didn’t want to press charges. Prior to that ordeal, Green-Beckham was arrested twice for marijuana-related incidents – the first of which led to a one-game suspension.

When his time at Missouri ended, Green-Beckham transferred to Oklahoma, but he didn’t play a game with the Sooners and left school after the 2014 season to pursue his NFL career. In his first season in the pros, the 6-foot-5, 225-pounder hauled in 32 receptions, four touchdowns and averaged a lofty 17.2 yards per catch in 16 games (five starts). That wasn’t enough for the Titans to keep him around, though, and he’ll now try to make good on his vast potential in Philadelphia.

“I feel like being in this offense, I can catch a lot balls, score a lot of touchdowns,” he said.

Green-Beckham made his first appearance as an Eagle in their preseason game against the Steelers on Thursday, going without a catch while logging some second-half playing time.

Related links:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Le’Veon Bell Has Suspension Reduced

August 19th, 2016 at 4:23pm CST by Zachary Links

4:23pm: Bell spoke Friday in response to the suspension reduction, saying that he never intentionally missed or “failed” any drug tests, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter links). Rather, Bell claims he was unable to make either his test in November or December, and officials couldn’t come to him. Further, Bell added that he missed an April test that was scheduled for 7 a.m and (via Tom Pelissero of USA Today) hasn’t smoked since December 2014.

1:49pm: Steelers’ RB Le’Veon Bell is having his suspension reduced from four to three games, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Bell was handed the suspension in late July after missing a drug test.

The compromise came as the result of a settlement between the NFL and NFLPA, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. As part of the settlement, Bell remains in his current stage of the substance-abuse program (link). Staying in the same stage of the program means Bell’s next suspension would only be four games, not ten.

For his part, Bell has said all along that he would be victorious in his appeal against the NFL.

“I’m gonna win the appeal,” he said a few weeks ago. “(People) have no idea what happened.”

Bell now will be eligible to play Week 4 versus the Chiefs at home on October 2nd. He will still be sidelined for contests against the Redskins, Bengals, and Eagles.

Between Bell’s suspension and injury last season, the tailback appeared in only six games for the Steelers in 2015. Despite Bell’s 10-game absence, the Steelers had the eighth-best yards-per-carry average in the league last season, when DeAngelo Williams amassed 907 yards and 11 touchdowns on 200 carries in his age-32 campaign.

Bell has now put himself in a bad spot as he enters a contract year. Not only is the 24-year-old returning from a torn MCL and PCL, he also has raised some serious concerns about his off-field behavior. This summer, Bell declared in a rap song that he is seeking $15MM/year on his next contract. That now seems like a longshot.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eagles’ Joe Walker To Miss Season

August 19th, 2016 at 4:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Eagles linebacker Joe Walker suffered a torn ACL in the team’s exhibition game against Pittsburgh on Thursday and will land on season-ending injured reserve, according to Les Bowen and Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Walker, a seventh-round rookie from Oregon, made a good impression on Eagles coaches prior to the injury and could’ve cracked the club’s roster. The Eagles are now dangerously thin at linebacker without Walker, as his unavailability leaves them with just five healthy players at the position, as Roster Resource shows. For at least the time being, Philadelphia has Nigel Bradham, Jordan Hicks, Mychal Kendricks, Deontae Skinner and Najee Goode as options.

Given the Walker news, the Eagles now look primed to turn to the open market for help, which was already a legitimate possibility. As of earlier this month, the Eagles and 31-year-old free agent Stephen Tulloch were reportedly negotiating a deal, though two weeks have passed and nothing has materialized on that front. Tulloch, who played under new Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz in both Tennessee and Detroit, has 147 NFL appearances and 111 starts to his name. In each of his six most recent full seasons, Tulloch has surpassed the 100-tackle mark.