HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Latest On Saints’ Dannell Ellerbe

August 25th, 2017 at 9:47am CST by Zachary Links

An interesting name is about to enter the free agent linebacker market. Dannell Ellerbe has been cleared for football by Dr. Robert Anderson and he’ll be released from IR soon now that his foot has healed up, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Dannell Ellerbe

[RELATED: Saints Sign Zach Line, Bryan Braman]

The Saints were forced to shut Ellerbe down in late July after his latest ailment. The linebacker has struggled to stay healthy over the last three seasons, appearing in just 16 regular season games over that span. However, he has been productive when on the field. In 2016, Ellerbe racked up 44 total tackles and 4.0 sacks for the Saints across nine games. Before the foot problem, Ellerbe was expected to compete for the Saints’ starting weakside linebacker job.

For what it’s worth, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus have never been all that high on Ellerbe. Last year, he graded out as the No. 60 ranked linebacker in the NFL out of 86 qualified players. He had respectable showings for his coverage and pass rush, but his run defense score was among the worst of any qualified LB.

Patriots Shopping Kony Ealy

August 25th, 2017 at 8:54am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have gauged the trade market for Kony Ealy, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Ealy reportedly hasn’t lived up to expectations this offseason and Pelissero says he’s someone to keep an eye on in tonight’s preseason game as the Patriots evaluate their options. Kony Ealy

The Pats acquired Ealy in a trade with the Panthers that saw them move down from the No. 64 pick in the second round to the No. 72 selection in the third round. The hope was that Ealy would fill the pass rushing void left by Rob Ninkovich‘s retirement. Instead, the 25-year-old has been running with the second string unit.

It makes sense that the Patriots would consider moving on from Ealy considering his shaky performance this summer, but the Patriots are paper thin in the pass rush department after losing rookie Derek Rivers to a torn ACL. If the Patriots were to dump Ealy, they’d likely promote Lawrence Guy to the starting bookend opposite Trey Flowers, leaving fourth-round pick Deatrich Wise as the first DE off of the bench. If the Patriots trade Ealy, they better have their next course of action already mapped out.

Ealy is slated to make just $800K in 2017 and his salary is not guaranteed.

Jaguars Owner Open To Signing Kaepernick

August 25th, 2017 at 8:39am CST by Zachary Links

Jaguars owner Shad Khan says he would be “absolutely” be okay with his team adding Colin Kaepernick if his football people recommended signing him (Twitter links via Mike Dempsey of 1010XL). To date, those football people have yet to show much interest in signing the controversial quarterback. Colin Kaepernick (vertical)

[RELATED: Latest On Blake Bortles]

Some have argued that the Jaguars should take a look at Kaepernick given that Blake Bortles‘ struggles have left Chad Henne as the team’s likely frontrunner for the starting job. But, so far, the Jaguars have not shown interest in adding any free agent quarterback to the mix.

Kaepernick might not interest chief decision maker Tom Coughlin given his football-first mentality and distaste for potential locker room distractions. Also, Coughlin’s offenses have historically been built around pocket passers. Still, it’s notable that Khan has publicly said that he would give the green light to a Kaepernick deal and things could always change in the front office if Henne or Bortles can’t cut it as the starter.

On Thursday, we learned that the Jaguars could look to trade Bortles (if he’s willing to rework his contract) or just release him outright. If Bortles were to suffer a serious injury on the field this season, the Jags would be on the hook for his $19MM+ fifth-year option in 2018.

NFC Notes: Bears, Cards, Rams, Giants

August 24th, 2017 at 9:22pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Extension chatter regarding contract-year Bears defensive end Akiem Hicks has died down after some early summer rumblings, but the 27-year-old made it clear Thursday that he’d like to remain in Chicago. Hicks said on multiple occasions that “I would love to be a Bear for a long time,” per JJ Stankevitz of CSN Chicago. Back in July, in advance of his second season with the Bears, Hicks hired super agent Drew Rosenhaus as his representative. Rosenhaus has reportedly been seeking $10MM per year for Hicks on a new deal. Hicks made a case for that type of money last season when he tallied 54 tackles, seven sacks and two forced fumbles across 16 starts and 930 snaps. Barring a change, he’ll earn a $4MM base salary this season to conclude a two-year, $10MM pact.

Elsewhere around the NFC…

  • Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians referred to cornerback Justin Bethel as a “failure in progress” last season, and it now looks as if the defender took that to heart. Arians announced Thursday that Bethel will start opposite Patrick Peterson come Week 1 (video link via the Arizona Republic). “He’s earned that job,” said Arians, who added that Bethel “outplayed everybody” he was competing against for the role. Bethel, 27, took a pay cut in the offseason just to remain with the Cardinals, who deleted the last year of his contract (2018) in the process. He’ll be eligible for free agency next winter as a result.
  • Rams coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that running back Lance Dunbar is likely to open the season on the physically unable to perform list, according to the Associated Press. Dunbar, who has been battling knee issues, would miss the Rams’ first six games in that scenario. The Rams’ hope was that the offseason signing and former Cowboy would serve as their top complement to starter Todd Gurley for the entire year. With Dunbar unavailable for the foreseeable future, Los Angeles will choose between Malcolm Brown – a 2015 undrafted free agent who has 22 carries for 56 yards under his belt – and undrafted rookie Justin Davis to begin the year as the main backup to Gurley.
  • Cornerback Valentino Blake left the Giants on Wednesday because “he’s dealing with personal issues,” coach Ben McAdoo told reporters Thursday (via Dan Duggan of NJ.com) “We’re going to give him some time and space to deal with those.” It remains unclear whether Blake will resume his career, and it’s also unknown how long the Giants will keep him on the exempt list. They’re currently using Blake’s vacated spot on safety Tim Scott, a Thursday signing.

AFC Notes: Jags, Luck, Fins, Broncos

August 24th, 2017 at 8:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Jaguars’ questionable offseason decision to pick up quarterback Blake Bortles‘ fifth-year option for 2018 isn’t the first time they’ve exercised “tunnel vision” with a young player, Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com observes. For instance, Barnwell regards the Jags’ call last summer to extend wide receiver Allen Hurns on a four-year, $40.7MM pact as unnecessary, as he was due to make just $600K in 2016 and would have been controllable for a $3.9MM first-round tender as a restricted free agent this season. Hurns went on to post disappointing production last year (35 catches on 76 targets, 477 yards, three touchdowns in 11 games) and is no longer one of the Jaguars’ top two receivers. Barnwell also opines that the five-year, $51.7MM extension the Jaguars handed center Brandon Linder in July isn’t any more appealing than the deal they gave Hurns.

As for Bortles, who’s behind uninspiring veteran Chad Henne in the team’s QB derby and could be on the outs if he loses the battle, the Jaguars should have made an effort to find another signal-caller in the offseason if they weren’t entirely sold on him, Barnwell opines. However, instead of courting the likes of Tony Romo, Jay Cutler or Brian Hoyer, among others, they just re-signed Henne. Now, with pickings under center looking especially slim, Barnwell suggests the Jaguars pursue Brock Osweiler if the Browns move on from him.

More from the AFC:

  • The odds of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck missing the team’s season opener against the Rams on Sept. 10 continue to increase, Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes. Luck, who underwent right shoulder surgery in January, remains on the active/physically unable to perform list with fewer than 10 practices left until Week 1. Head coach Chuck Pagano said Tuesday that there “no timetable” for Luck to return, leaving the team with the less-than-stellar Scott Tolzien as its No. 1 option under center as long as its prized starter is on the shelf.
  • The presence of wide receiver DeVante Parker is among the reasons the Dolphins haven’t gotten serious about a long-term extension for fellow wideout Jarvis Landry, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. More progress from Parker in 2017, the third season of his career, could mitigate the damage of Landry’s departure. Landry is due to become a free agent after the season, meaning he could exit, though the Dolphins may just place the franchise tag on the slot dynamo if they’re wary of committing to him for the long haul. Parker is under club control for up to three more seasons, depending on whether the Dolphins exercise the 2015 first-round pick’s fifth-year option for 2019, and is coming off a sophomore campaign in which he racked up 56 receptions, 744 yards and four touchdowns.
  • Broncos running back Devontae Booker‘s wrist injury will keep him out for the first two to three weeks of the regular season, head coach Vance Joseph told reporters, including Nick Kosmider of the Denver Post, on Thursday. The team doesn’t believe that’s a long enough absence to justify placing Booker on the reserve/PUP list and losing him for the first six games of the season, so he’ll occupy a spot on the Broncos’ 53-man roster while he’s continuing to recover. That decision could affect their other backs, of course, as C.J. Anderson and Booker may be the only locks at the position. Jamaal Charles is the biggest name in their backfield, and the longtime Chief/recent injury case will see his first preseason action Saturday. Onetime 1,000-yard rusher Stevan Ridley, fourth-year man Juwan Thompson and sixth-round rookie De’Angelo Henderson are also vying for roles.

Latest On Blake Bortles

August 24th, 2017 at 6:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Jaguars will consider jettisoning quarterback Blake Bortles if he doesn’t win the starting job over the favorite, Chad Henne, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (video link). Jacksonville may attempt to trade Bortles, though Rapoport notes that he’d likely need to rework his contract to make that a possibility, or simply cut him. If they do get rid of Bortles, the Jaguars could turn to 2016 sixth-round pick Brandon Allen as Henne’s backup, Rapoport suggests.

Blake Bortles

Jacksonville would be averse to retaining Bortles as a reserve because of his non-guaranteed fifth-year option for 2018. That option, worth upward of $19MM, will trigger if Bortles suffers a serious injury this season and is unable to pass a physical next March. The Redskins were in a similar situation when they kept the beleaguered Robert Griffin III around during his fifth-year option season in 2015, but that was at the insistence of owner Daniel Snyder, per Rapoport, who reports that Bortles doesn’t have that type of backing from the Jaguars’ Shad Khan.

The 25-year-old Bortles, like Griffin, joined his team as an extremely high pick. The Jaguars invested the third selection in 2014 on Bortles, who showed flashes during a 35-touchdown second season, but he underwhelmed in his other two years and has been especially woeful this summer. He’s therefore likely to lose the starting job to the 32-year-old Henne, who has a lackluster resume of his own across nine seasons, and perhaps his roster spot.

Cutting Bortles would cost Jacksonville $6.57MM and save the team no money this year, but at least the Jags would escape the potentially catastrophic scenario of having to dedicate $19MM-plus in cap space to him in 2018.

Lorenzo Mauldin’s Roster Spot In Jeopardy

August 24th, 2017 at 6:04pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Jets outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin was arrested on an assault charge in June, but it may be injury issues – not off-field troubles – that lead to his ouster from their roster, according to Laura Albanese of Newsday. Mauldin has dealt with a back injury this summer, one likely to keep him out of the Jets’ preseason game against the Giants on Saturday, while fellow OLBs Freddie Bishop, Dylan Donahue and Josh Martin have perhaps done enough to justify roster spots over the past month.

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Moving on from the 24-year-old Mauldin would mean abandoning hope on a recent high draft pick. The Jets chose Mauldin in the third round (No. 82 overall) in 2015, a class that included other disappointments in wide receiver Devin Smith (second round) and quarterback Bryce Petty (fourth round).

Mauldin has totaled 6.5 sacks across 26 games with the Jets. The majority of those sacks (four) came during Mauldin’s 15-game rookie season, though he only played 24 percent of the Jets’ defensive snaps that year. His on-field action increased last season (34 percent of defensive plays), but he missed five games and saw his production go backward. Mauldin also drew a subpar ranking from Pro Football Focus for the second straight year, as the outlet placed him 80th in performance among 110 qualified edge defenders.

Regardless of whether he plays this year with the Jets or another team, Mauldin is unlikely to face NFL-imposed discipline for his arrest until the 2018 season. He’s accused of punching a man in a New York nightclub in early April, and he allegedly broke several bones in the man’s face.

Bills Confirm They Won’t Trade McCoy

August 24th, 2017 at 5:19pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

After trading two players who were among the best on their roster in wide receiver Sammy Watkins and cornerback Ronald Darby earlier this month, the Bills look like a team in the midst of a rebuild. As such, speculation that the Bills could shop their top player, 29-year-old running back LeSean McCoy, has come to the fore recently. That reportedly isn’t going to happen, though, and McCoy said Thursday that general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have told him as much.

LeSean McCoy

“There’s no trade talks,” McCoy informed reporters, including Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. “I talked to my coaches. I talked to Sean and Brandon, the GM. I have a lot of respect for the guys. We had a great conversation. I’ll leave it at that. One thing about it is everybody can have their own opinions or make up things. Nowadays with social media, everything is blown out of proportion.”

The Bills have gone just 15-17 since acquiring McCoy from the Eagles in March 2015 and, thanks in part to their recent future-oriented trades and the abrupt retirement of Anquan Boldin, look like shoo-ins to miss the playoffs for an NFL-worst 18th straight year in 2017. But McCoy insisted Thursday that the team is aiming to contend this season, and that he’s content to remain in Buffalo.

“They’re all in to win,” he said. “We’re a team and that’s what we’re trying to do. I feel like I’m one of the key guys here. I don’t want to leave. Buffalo embraced me with open arms and they took me in.”

A four-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro in Philadelphia, McCoy has remained a premier weapon with the long-struggling Bills. He made his second Pro Bowl in as many years in Buffalo last season, when he ranked third in the NFL in yards per carry (5.4) and fourth in rushing touchdowns (13) during a 234-attempt, 1,267-yard campaign. He also amassed 50 receptions, giving him at least that many in a season for the fourth time in his nine-year career.

It’s apparent McCoy’s 10th season will be spent in Buffalo, which can control him through the 2019 campaign on the five-year, $40.05MM deal it awarded him in 2015. He had been the league’s highest-paid back on a multiyear deal until the Falcons’ Devonta Freeman inked a five-year, $41.25MM extension earlier this month.

Vikings’ Datone Jones On Roster Bubble

August 24th, 2017 at 4:20pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Vikings added defensive lineman Datone Jones on a one-year, $3.75MM contract in March, but he might not play a meaningful game in their uniform. Head coach Mike Zimmer indicated Thursday that the next couple weeks could make or break Jones’ chances of cracking Minnesota’s roster, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (Twitter links).

Datone Jones

“At times he’s had a good stretch and then stretches where he reverts back,” said Zimmer, who added that the “next two weeks will be important” for Jones.

The 27-year-old Jones’ deal came with a $1.6MM signing bonus, which isn’t an enormous amount, but having to cut ties with him after doling it out would nonetheless be a disappointment for the Vikings. Moving on from Jones would save the team $2.19MM.

Jones joined Minnesota after spending the first four years of his career with NFC North rival Green Bay, which used the 26th overall pick on him in 2013. The ex-UCLA Bruin didn’t live up to his first-round billing as a member of the Packers, with whom he totaled 59 appearances but only nine sacks and seven starts. Jones logged a career-high four starts and amassed 548 snaps across 15 games last year, when he added 22 tackles, a sack and ranked 70th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 110 qualified edge defenders.

Jones served as an edge rusher in the Packers’ 3-4 scheme, but he’s working at his college position – three-technique defensive tackle – with the Vikings. Tom Johnson is set to start ahead of Jones there and alongside standout nose tackle Linval Joseph in the middle of the Vikings’ line, while Will Sutton and Shamar Stephen are also on hand as experienced options.

Jaelen Strong Gets One-Game Suspension

August 24th, 2017 at 3:33pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The NFL has suspended Texans wide receiver Jaelen Strong for Week 1 for a violation of its substance abuse policy, Josina Anderson of ESPN reports (on Twitter). The ban stems from a 2016 arrest on marijuana possession, Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk notes, and will keep Strong out of action for a home matchup against the AFC South rival Jaguars.

Jaelen Strong

The 23-year-old Strong joins Will Fuller as the second prominent member of the Texans’ receiving corps who won’t be available for the season opener. While Strong’s absence will be a short-term one, Fuller will miss several weeks of the regular season on account of a broken collarbone. Without those two around against Jacksonville, quarterback Tom Savage won’t have much to choose from at wideout behind DeAndre Hopkins and Braxton Miller, though the Texans do have a pair of productive tight ends in C.J. Fiedorowicz and Ryan Griffin.

Strong, whom the Texans chose in Round 3 of the 2015 draft, hasn’t been all that productive to this point. He caught 14 passes in each of his first two seasons, and after hauling in three touchdowns as a rookie, he failed to find the end zone in eight appearances last year.

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