2016 August - Pro Football Rumors

Broncos’ Vance Walker Done For Season

August 15th, 2016 at 6:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Broncos announced today that an MRI revealed defensive end Vance Walker has suffered a torn ACL and is expected to miss the entirety of the 2016 season.

Walker’s injury is a serious blow for a Denver defense that has already lost some of its star power through the free agent process. After Malik Jackson landed a massive deal with the Jaguars, Walker was expected to start in Jackson’s place, providing the club’s defense with some level of stability following Jackson’s defection. Instead, former Texan Jared Crick, who signed a two-year deal this offseason, and second-round rookie Adam Gotsis, will form a rotation in an attempt to replace Jackson.

In 15 games last season, the 29-year-old Walker posted two sacks in a limited role, but could have expected to see those numbers grow in 2016. Walker signed a two-year, $5MM deal with Denver prior to last season, and has a $2.25MM cap charge for the upcoming season. That figure will stay on the Broncos’ books despite the fact that Walker won’t be providing any production.

If Denver opts to look to the free agent market in order to add a reinforcement, it could show interest in 3-4 defensive ends such as Chris Canty, Stephen Bowen, and Antonio Smith, the latter of whom played for the Broncos last year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/15/16

August 15th, 2016 at 6:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

The Buccaneers have signed defensive tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen and waived/injured rookie safety Elijah Shumate, the club announced. Kitchen, who weighs in at 330 pounds, appeared in 40 games for the Browns from 2012-14, but saw action in only two contests last year with the Patriots and Lions.
The Cardinals announced that they’ve waived/injured safety Durell Eskridge and re-signed safety Tyrequek Zimmerman.
The Raiders have waived offensive lineman Torian White, per an announcement from the club. Additionally, head coach Jack Del Rio told reporters, including Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link) that tight end Gabe Holmes is likely headed to injured reserve.
The Seahawks announced that they’ve waived running back Cameron Marshall and signed linebacker Quayshawn Nealy.
The Colts have claimed guard Donovan Williams off waivers from the Bears and waived punter Michael Palardy, the team announced.
The Steelers announced that they’ve signed linebacker Jermauria Rasco and waived long snapped Matt Dooley. Pittsburgh also reached an injury settlement with special teams ace Ross Ventrone, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
The Jets cut defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi with a left squad designation, according to Wilson (Twitter link).
The Panthers announced that they’ve swapped out punters, signing Kasey Redfern while waiving Swayze Waters.
The Chargers have signed defensive tackle Kamal Johnson, linebacker Zach Hodges, and linebacker James Vaughters, and waived waived cornerback Carrington Byndom.
The Rams have signed safety Michael Caputo and waived/injured safety Brian Randolph, tweets Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.
The Packers have waived/injured long snapper Jesse Schmitt and will likely release him with an injury settlement, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).
The Falcons have claimed guard Jordan Walsh off waivers from the Saints and waived fellow guard Shahbaz Ahmed, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.

Seahawks To Sign Tony McDaniel

August 15th, 2016 at 5:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Seahawks will reunite with a familiar face, as they’ve agreed to sign defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, according to a tweet from his representatives at DEC Management. McDaniel played for Seattle from 2013-14 before being released last fall, and worked out for the club earlier today, per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com.

During his time with the Seahawks, McDaniel was a full-time starter in the middle of the team’s defensive line, starting 29 contests during that stretch. He played on 413 snaps in 2014, posting 17 tackles, but didn’t grade too well according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which ranked McDaniel as a bottom-10 defensive tackle. In Tampa, McDaniel was more a rotational lineman, as he started only three games and played on roughly a quarter of the club’s defensive snaps.

McDaniel, 31, could face an uphill battle to earn playing time, or even a roster, spot with the Seahawks, who have added enviable depth in the middle over the offseason. The club re-signed Ahtyba Rubin, spent a second-round pick on Jarran Reed, and signed Sealver Siliga after he was non-tendered by the Patriots. And with Jordan Hill still around, McDaniel might not be able to play his way onto the roster over the next several weeks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On PED Investigation

August 15th, 2016 at 5:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The four players who have thus far refused to speak with the NFL about their involvement in a PED scandal will be suspended if they do not cooperate by August 26th, a source tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter links: 1, 2, 3, 4). Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, James Harrison, and Mike Neal all face bans if they don’t submit to interviews with the league by next Friday. The suspensions would be for conduct detrimental, according to Pelissero, and separate from any drug-related bans the players may face.

“We cannot accept your unilateral assertion that the cursory, untested statements you have submitted satisfy the players’ obligation,” reads the league’s letter to the players’ union. “Accordingly, the Commissioner has directed that Messrs. Harrison, Matthews, Neal and Peppers be given until Thursday, August 25 to provide interviews.

For those players whose interviews do not take place on or before that date, or who fail meaningfully to participate in or otherwise obstruct the interview, their actions will constitute conduct detrimental and they will be suspended, separate and apart from any possible future determination that they violated the steroid policy. The suspension for each such player will begin on Friday, August 26 and will continue until he has fully participated in an interview with league investigators, after which the Commissioner will determine whether and when the suspension should be lifted.”

The NFL received written statements from the four players in question at the end of last month, and the NFLPA is of the opinion that those affadavits qualify as “cooperation.” The league disagrees, and is still requiring the individuals to partake in in-person interviews at training camp. The league informed the union that it first plans to interview Neal, who spent 2010-15 with the Packers but is currently a free agent. He attributes his unemployment, at least in part, to the documentary that links him, Peppers and Harrison to hormone supplement Delta-2, which is designed to stay ahead of drug tests.

Former Jets/Dolphins tight end Dustin Keller‘s name has also been mentioned in connection with the probe, and the league reportedly wants to interview him, as well. Peyton Manning, meanwhile, had been linked to the investigation, but was recently cleared of all charges.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chargers Place Sean Lissemore On IR

August 15th, 2016 at 5:17pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chargers have lost a reserve defensive lineman for the season, as the club has placed veteran Sean Lissemore on injured reserve, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Receiver Stevie Johnson, whom previous reports had indicated was going to miss the year, was also placed on IR, per Caplan.

Lissemore, 28, has been with the Chargers for the past three seasons, appearing in 41 games and starting 13 during that span. IN 2015, Lissemore, who’s also spent time with the Cowboys, appeared in 11 contests and played on roughly a quarter of San Diego’s defensive snaps. The William and Mary alum wasn’t going to start during the upcoming season, especially given that the Chargers invested money and draft capital in Brandon Mebane and Joey Bosa, respectively, but he might have acted as depth along the club’s front.

Of course, there was no guarantee that Lissemore was going to make the squad, and the Bolts may have chosen to release him, clearing his non-guaranteed $1.75MM salary off the books. San Diego won’t have that option now, as Lissemore and his cap charge will spend the year on the Chargers’ salary cap.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

49ers QB Thad Lewis Out For Season

August 15th, 2016 at 2:45pm CST by Zachary Links

49ers quarterback Thaddeus Lewis suffered a torn ACL and is out for the season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Lewis was forced to exit from the Niners’ preseason opener on Sunday night with a leg injury, but the severity of the issue was not immediately apparent. Before his night ended prematurely, Lewis completed 12-of-21 passes for 97 yards against the Texans.

In March, Lewis inked a one-year, $760K minimum salary benefit deal with SF. Although the deal included $25K in playing-time incentives and a $428K split salary, it doesn’t appear that the pact called for much in the way of guarantees.

Lewis, 28, was on the Eagles’ roster when Chip Kelly was their head coach last season and the two reunited in San Francisco this spring. Lewis has appeared in seven NFL games, though none since 2014, making six starts with five touchdowns against four interceptions.

With Lewis out of the equation, the Niners are left with Blaine Gabbert, Colin Kaepernick, and Jeff Driskel at quarterback.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Steelers’ Gradkowski Suffers Hamstring Injury

August 15th, 2016 at 2:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers could find themselves on the market for a quarterback as the season approaches. Today, the team learned that backup Bruce Gradkowski has suffered a sizable hamstring tear, according to a source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler.

As shown on Roster Resource, the team’s quarterback depth chart also features Landry Jones and free agent addition Dustin Vaughan. While Jones is considered to be Ben Roethlisberger‘s primary backup, Vaughan has never taken an NFL snap. Pittsburgh may want to have a more proven third-string option at QB and one has to imagine that they will examine the free agent and trade markets with that in mind.

Gradkowski, 33, missed all of 2015 with shoulder and hand injuries and it sounds like 2016 could also be a lost year for him. For his career, Gradkowski has completed 375-of-709 passes for 4,057 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions. Gradkowski has never completed more than 55% of his passes in a season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bills Sign Kroy Biermann

August 15th, 2016 at 2:03pm CST by Zachary Links

2:03pm: The Bills have formally announced the signing.

10:13am: Defensive end/outside linebacker Kroy Biermann is on his way to Buffalo to sign a one-year deal with the Bills, source tells ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

Last season, Biermann was expected to be a contributor in the defense rolled out by new Atlanta coach Dan Quinn. However, Biermann wound up being relegated to a smaller role and made zero starts after starting in 15 contests the previous year. For the year, Biermann recorded 51 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. In total, Biermann was on the field for less than 50% of the team’s defensive snaps.

This offseason, the Lions looked at Biermann as a defensive end but ultimately decided against signing him. Biermann also visited the Bills in March and even though he did not sign a deal during that visit, he circled back to them today.

In 2014, the 30-year-old started a career-high 15 games for the Falcons, racking up 77 tackles and 4.5 sacks to go along with a forced fumble. The numbers showed that he was an above-average run defender and held his own as a pass rusher. Now, he’ll try to get back to that form in Buffalo.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC North Notes: Quarless, Lions, Packers

August 15th, 2016 at 1:55pm CST by Zachary Links

In a statement announcing the Lions’ signing of Andrew Quarless, Lions GM Bob Quinn addressed the tight end’s July 2015 gun charge.

“We are aware of the upcoming NFL suspension of Andrew Quarless,” Quinn said. “We have thoroughly researched the incident that caused the suspension and have talked at length with Andrew about this. Andrew has been forthright and honest about the situation and he has gone through the process within the legal system. As an organization we are comfortable with adding Andrew to the roster and look forward to seeing him compete for the rest of the preseason.”

Quinn said in January he’d have a zero tolerance policy when it came to “domestic violence and dangerous weapons” but he has obviously softened his stance.

Here’s more out of the NFC North:

It’s a bit disingenuous of Quinn to sign Quarless after making a big deal of his supposed zero tolerance policy for the Lions, Kyle Meineke of MLive.com writes. At the same time, Meineke fears that the team’s bending of the rules could be a sign that Eric Ebron‘s injury is worse than originally thought, necessitating this tight end addition.
The Packers auditioned former New Mexico State running back Jermicheal Selders, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The Colts and Chargers also have also expressed interest in Selders, who ran a 4.41 second 40-yard-dash in his Green Bay audition.
On Monday, we learned that the Lions will be forced to place wide receiver Andre Caldwell on IR.
The Bears signed a pair of offensive linemen late last week.
Before re-signing with the Bengals, safety George Iloka thought long and hard about an offer from the Vikings.

Saints’ Sheldon Rankins Suffers Broken Fibula

August 15th, 2016 at 11:49am CST by Zachary Links

Saints first-round defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins is believed to have suffered a broken fibula based on the initial tests conducted, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). If that’s the case, the first-round pick is likely a candidate for the IR-DTR list, which would allow for a mid-season return to action.

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that Rankins is likely to be sidelined for about six weeks. Another person familiar with Rankins’ injury said the initial prognosis has him missing 6-8 weeks, Schefter tweets.

Rankins has more tests on the docket to learn what other damage there could be besides the broken fibula (link). If those tests come back clean, a return is possible.

Scouting guru and PFR contributor Dave-Te Thomas has been looking forward to Rankins’ debut for some time now.

“Rankins is a strong tackler who will strike and deliver a blow,” Thomas wrote for NFL Draft Report. “He is conscious of wrapping the outside leg of ball carriers to prevent the opponent from leaning forward to gain extra yardage after that initial hit…As a pass rusher, Rankins can beat you with either his speed or power. He has very good body control and excellent hip snap. His hand usage and quick burst off the snap lets him consistently pressure the quarterback. He also has very good confidence in using his rip and club moves on the bull rush and has very good agility to spin away from the initial block and stymie the counter moves.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.