2016 September - Pro Football Rumors

Lions, RB Theo Riddick Agree To Extension

September 10th, 2016 at 9:25am CST by Zachary Links

SATURDAY, 9:25am: The Lions have confirmed the extensions for both Riddick and Martin, with general manager Bob Quinn releasing a statement:

“We are excited to announce contract extensions for Sam Martin and Theo Riddick. Both players have earned these extensions through their hard work that dates back to 2013 when both joined the Lions. I would like to thank Sam, Theo, and their representatives for their hard work assisting us in our goal of completing these extensions prior to the start of the regular season. I’m very pleased that both players can join their teammates in fully concentrating on our opening game.”

FRIDAY, 11:10am: The Lions have agreed to a contract extension with running back Theo Riddick, according to a source who spoke with Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a three-year deal worth $12.75MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Last season, Riddick caught 80 passes (most of any running back in 2015) for 697 yards and three scores. This year, he is slated to get a good amount of work behind primary tailback Ameer Abdullah. Abdullah figures to get the bulk of the carries thanks to his speed and agility, but Riddick will be in on passing downs and should get a good number of targets from Matthew Stafford.

Riddick, who turned 25 this spring, was slated to hit the open market after the 2016 season. It seems like Riddick did pretty well on this deal, especially when considering that Giovani Bernard‘s new contract with the Bengals is only worth a little more at $15.5MM over a three year period. Riddick is roughly the same age as Bernard, but Bernard has shown to be a more well-balanced running back.

This has already been a busy day for the Lions as they extended punter Sam Martin minutes ago.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Vikings, Joe Berger Agree To Extension

September 10th, 2016 at 9:15am CST by Zachary Links

SATURDAY, 9:15am: Berger received a $915K roster bonus with the one-year extension, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. The lineman is now due around $2MM in 2016 and $1MM in 2017 (not including incentives).

FRIDAY, 1:48pm: The Vikings announced that they have reached agreement on a one-year extension with center Joe Berger. Berger’s new contract is technically a two-year deal, according to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (on Twitter) which means it could include a slight bump for 2016. Berger is now under contract through the 2017 season.

Berger, entering his 12th NFL season, was rated by Pro Football Focus as one of the league’s top centers in 2015. This offseason, Berger won the starting job at center and made long-time starter John Sullivan expendable, leading to his release.

A sixth-round pick in the 2005 draft, Berger had two stints with the Dolphins and spent time with the Cowboys before joining the Vikings in 2011. Since then, Berger has appeared in 77 games and made 34 starts for Minnesota.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eagles Re-Sign Najee Goode

September 10th, 2016 at 8:45am CST by Ben Levine

The Eagles roster is now at 53 after the organization brought back a key special teams player. According to ESPN’s Tim McManus (via Twitter), the team has re-signed linebacker Najee Goode. The 27-year-old was cut by the organization last week.

Goode, a former fifth-round pick out of West Virginia, has been with the Eagles since 2013. The linebacker has appeared in 29 games through his three seasons with the organization, though he missed the majority of the 2014 campaign with an injured pectoral muscle. In his career, Goode has compiled 32 tackles, one sack, and four passes defended. Goode has also established himself as a main contributor to the Eagles’ special teams unit.

Goode was also cut by the Eagles during last season’s preseason, but he rejoined the team in late September. The linebacker actually inked a one-year extension back in February, but that was likely thrown out following his release by the team last week.

Extra Points: Gronk, Rodgers, Sproles, Bills

September 9th, 2016 at 8:17pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Tight end Rob Gronkowski, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury, did not accompany the Patriots on their trip to Arizona on Friday, reports Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal (Twitter link). That means Gronkowski will not play Sunday against the Cardinals, according to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter). Gronkowski’s absence will leave New England’s offense without its two best players (quarterback Tom Brady is suspended) as the Jimmy Garoppolo-led club goes on the road to face one of the NFL’s premier teams.

More from around the league as the first Sunday of the regular season draws closer:

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, 32, would like his playing career to last until at least age 40, he told Pete Dougherty of USA Today. “I think it’s more realistic now than it was when I first started playing,” the eight-year veteran said of achieving his goal. “The way the (practice) schedule is now, training camp, the research on nutrition. I think it is possible to play and play well into your 40s.” Only three QBs – Packers legend Brett Favre, Hall of Famer Warren Moon and Vinny Testaverde – have started at least 10 games in their 40s since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, notes Dougherty. Aside from Rodgers, fellow current signal-callers Brady and Drew Brees have also expressed a desire to last that long. As a 39-year-old (40 next August), Brady looks like a shoo-in to accomplish that goal.
The Eagles’ Darren Sproles will act as more of a receiver than a running back this year, writes Paul Domowitch of Philly.com. Sproles led all running backs in receptions (232) from 2011-13 as a member of the Saints, but he wasn’t as involved in the Eagles’ passing game under now-former head coach Chip Kelly the previous two seasons. Sproles still caught 95 balls, including 55 last year, while combining for 140 carries. As a runner, he’s unlikely to approach last year’s 83-attempt mark in new head coach Doug Pederson‘s offense, per Domowitch, with Ryan Mathews and Kenjon Barner set to receive the bulk of the work. For his part, Sproles is content with taking on more of a pass-catching role. “They’re playing to my strengths,” he said. “I really like this offense.”
Brian Fettner, the agent for the Bills‘ Seantrel Henderson, explained Friday why he and his client dropped their appeal of the right tackle’s four-game suspension for marijuana use. Fettner stated (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter): “Merciful or not, there is no medical exception that the NFL will accept. It doesn’t matter that Seantrel is battling Crohn’s disease, and has had his intestines outside his body. It doesn’t matter how you take it, if you digest the cannabis, that’s it. And they don’t care. So you can appeal and lose, and push it back, or you can get it over with. Per the negotiated letter of law, it seems like a futile appeal. We don’t want to waste anyone’s time. We want Seantrel back as soon as possible.”

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/9/16

September 9th, 2016 at 6:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are Friday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Detroit Lions

Signed: OL Chase Farris (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein)
Cut: RB George Winn

Kansas City Chiefs

Signed: LB Earl Okine (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Cut: DB Julian Wilson

New Orleans Saints

Cut: CB Taveze Calhoun (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed: TE Dan Vitale (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
Retired: WR Evan Spencer

Rams Release Garrett Reynolds

September 9th, 2016 at 6:05pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Rams have released offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds from injured reserve, reports Dov Kleiman of RantSports (Twitter link). Reynolds landed on IR when the Rams worked their roster down to 53 players in time for last Saturday’s deadline.

Reynolds, who has played six NFL seasons, joined the Rams on a two-year, $2.2MM pact in March 2015. In his lone season with the club, he logged 15 appearances, tied a career high with 10 starts, and earned a solid grade (80.6) from Pro Football Focus. Reynolds capped off his short Rams career when he suffered an undisclosed injury in their Sept. 1 preseason finale.

The 29-year-old Reynolds spent the first four seasons of his career in Atlanta, which took him in the fifth round of the 2009 draft, and started in 23 of 42 appearances. Between his stints with the Falcons and Rams, he saw action in 10 games and made four starts as a member of the Lions in 2014.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC South Notes: Newton, Evans, Shorts

September 9th, 2016 at 5:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Quarterback Cam Newton took at least four helmet-to-helmet hits in the Panthers’ season-opening loss to Denver on Thursday, but officials only flagged the Broncos once. That led Panthers head coach Ron Rivera to opine Friday that refs discriminate against the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Newton because of his size (via David Newton of ESPN).

“There’s a little bit of prejudice to that,” stated Rivera. “It’s kind of like what happened to [former NBA star] Shaquille O’Neal. Here’s a big, physical basketball player and he goes to set a pick, a guy falls down and they call a foul on him. He goes to shoot a little layup and gets hacked and hammered and they don’t call it.”

The NFL admitted Friday that a helmet-to-helmet shot Newton took from Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall should have been called, per Judy Battista of NFL.com (on Twitter).

On whether proper concussion protocol was followed with the banged-up Newton, Rivera added, “I’m not going to question the doctors. OK?” There is a protocol. There is a set of rules that these doctors, these trained professionals have to follow. The understanding is when everything first happened, they followed the protocol.”

According to Battista (Twitter links here), medical officials checked on Newton during a stoppage late in the game and determined that he did not have a concussion. Officials have since examined Newton several more times, including Friday, and still haven’t seen concussion symptoms.

Here’s more from the NFC South:

Guard Jahri Evans’ one-year deal with the Saints is worth $1MM and contains no guarantees or signing bonus, Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets.
Wide receiver Cecil Shorts‘ contract with the Buccaneers is a one-year, $1.05MM pact, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). He’ll also earn a $15K+ roster bonus for each game he’s active.
Former Alabama quarterback Blake Sims worked out for the Falcons as a running back, but it doesn’t sound like they’ll be signing him at this time, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/16

September 9th, 2016 at 4:56pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Friday’s minor moves from around the NFL:

The Chargers have reached injury settlements with wide receiver Rasheed Bailey and linebacker Shaq Petteway, per Adam Caplan of ESPN and Wilson (on Twitter). San Diego claimed Bailey on Aug. 18 after the Jaguars cut him, but the Bolts ultimately waived/injured him last weekend. The 6-foot-1, 209-pound Bailey went undrafted out of Delaware Valley a year ago and spent time with the Eagles, though he didn’t garner any regular-season experience with either them or the Jags. Petteway signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent from West Virginia on April 30.
The Patriots have waived running back Tyler Gaffney with an injury settlement, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). Gaffney, who hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since the Panthers took him in the sixth round of the 2014 draft, injured his foot in New England’s Sept. 1 preseason finale. He spent the first two years of his career on the Patriots’ injured reserve list with knee issues.
The Buccaneers have placed receiver Evan Spencer on the reserved/retired list, writes Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk. The Redskins used a sixth-rounder on Spencer a year ago, but he ended up spending most of the season on the Bucs’ practice squad. He was active for Tampa Bay’s regular-season finale and was slated to be on its practice squad to start 2016.
The Colts have removed cornerback Tevin Mitchel and defensive end Ron Thompson from IR with injury settlements, tweets Wilson. Mitchell, whom Washington drafted in the sixth round last year, didn’t see any action as a rookie. Thompson signed with Indy earlier this year as an undrafted free agent from Syracuse.

Dobson, McCluster Worked Out For Jets

September 9th, 2016 at 4:34pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A pair of free agents – wide receiver Aaron Dobson and running back/returner Dexter McCluster – auditioned for the Jets on Friday, reports Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter links). Both players have been available since the Patriots and Titans, respectively, cut them last weekend.

Dobson, 25, went in the second round of the 2013 draft, but he failed to live up to that selection in New England. In three seasons with the club, the Marshall product posted just 53 receptions and totaled fewer than 700 yards. Most of Dobson’s output came in his rookie season, during which he put up career highs in appearances (12), catches (37), targets (74), yards (519) and touchdowns (four). Dobson then participated in a combined 12 games over the previous two years and saw his production decline significantly.

Aside from starters Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, the Jets don’t have any established options at wideout, so Dobson could have a chance to make an impact if the club signs him.

With Matt Forte and Bilal Powell, the top of the Jets’ depth chart at running back appears set, which would make it difficult for McCluster to leave his mark on offense. The 28-year-old is fresh off a decent season, though, having registered an impressive 4.5 yards per carry during a 55-attempt, 11-game campaign. McCluster also logged 31 receptions, meaning the 5-foot-9, 165-pounder has finished with no fewer than 21 catches in any of his six NFL seasons. As a special teamer, McCluster took back 24 punts in 2015 and finished 13th in the league in yards per return (9.0).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Vikings To Start Shaun Hill On Sunday

September 9th, 2016 at 4:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Vikings will start quarterback Shaun Hill, not new acquisition Sam Bradford, in their Week 1 showdown with the Titans on Sunday, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The team hasn’t made a formal announcement yet, but Vikings players were informed of the decision, per Rapoport.

In a stunning move, Minnesota paid a lofty price – a first-round pick in 2017 and a fourth-rounder in 2018 – to acquire Bradford from Philadelphia last weekend. However, the 28-year-old simply hasn’t had enough time to get up to speed in a new offense yet. That temporarily opens the door for Hill, who’s in his second year with the Vikings. The 36-year-old journeyman’s most extensive recent action came in 2014, when he started in eight of nine appearances with the Rams and completed 63.3 percent of attempts for 1,657 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Of course, the Vikings are only in their current position because of the devastating knee injury starter Teddy Bridgewater suffered at the conclusion of August. Bridgewater has since undergone season-ending surgery on multiple torn ligaments, though he should be back in 2017. Without Bridgewater, who helped lead the Vikings to an NFC North title last season, the club will try to return to the playoffs with a combined effort from Hill and Bradford.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.