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Month: January 2025

Bears To Shut Down Quintin Demps

December 21st, 2017 at 7:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although the Bears designated safety Quintin Demps to return from injured reserve three weeks ago, the club will instead shut down the veteran defensive back for the remainder of the season, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).Quintin Demps (Vertical)

Demps suffered a broken arm during the Bears’ Week 3 victory over the Steelers, and was subsequently placed on IR. While the prevailing feeling at the time was that Demps would be a lock to be activated later in the year, he’s now dealing with nerve issues in his arm, per Biggs. Given that the 4-10 Bears aren’t fighting for a postseason berth, the club has evidently decided there’s no reason to further risk Demps’ health.

Demps, 32, inked a three-year, $13.5MM deal that included $4.5MM in the spring after spending the past two seasons with the Texans. Through an admittedly small sample of only two-plus games, Pro Football Focus had ranked Demps as just the 70th-best safety among 82 qualifiers. Given his age and his 2018 cap charge of $4.3MM, Demps could theoretically be a candidate for release this offseason, especially if Chicago attempts to get younger on defense.

Although Demps was designated to return from IR, he was never officially activated to the Bears’ 53-man roster. Therefore, Chicago will not be forced to make a corresponding transaction, as Demps will simply stay on injured reserve.

Indiana WR Simmie Cobbs To Enter Draft

December 21st, 2017 at 6:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Indiana wide receiver Simmie Cobbs will forgo his fifth season of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2018 NFL draft, as Cobbs himself announced on Twitter earlier today.Simmie Cobbs (Vertical)

Cobbs initially broke out for the Hoosiers during the 2015 campaign, when he posted 60 receptions and averaged 17.3 yards per catch. An ankle injury forced Cobb to take a medical redshirt in 2016, but he posted 841 yards and eight touchdowns during his most recent season while earning first-team All-Big Ten honors.

Cobbs, who stands 6’4″, 200 pounds, is considered one of the more intriguing pass-catching prospects in the 2018 draft. As of November, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report ranked Cobbs as the draft’s fifth-best wide receiver, while USA Today’s Luke Easterling recently placed Cobbs 13th among wideouts. As such, Cobbs is expected to come off the board by the end of Day 2.

Giants To Interview Kevin Abrams On Friday

December 21st, 2017 at 5:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants will interview interim general manager Kevin Abrams for the club’s full-time position on Friday, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Abrams will become the fourth candidate to interview for the job, joining ex-Panthers GM Dave Gettleman, Giants vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross, and ESPN commentator Louis Riddick.

Abrams, who has spent 16 seasons as the Giants’ assistant general manager, has reportedly been endorsed by former New York GM Ernie Accorsi, tweets Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Accorsi, who is advising the Giants as they search for a Jerry Reese replacement, also has close ties with Gettleman, who is considered the frontrunner for the vacancy.

The Giants could conceivably retain Abrams as general manager and hire Gettleman with a “personnel chief” title, opines Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). Although Garafolo appears to be speculating and not reporting, such an arrangement could make sense. Gettleman’s ouster from Carolina was reportedly tied to his communication issues and gruff style, so assigning more interpersonal issues to Abrams could be a perfect compromise.

Meanwhile, if Riddick is chosen as the Giants’ new GM, he’s expected to attempt to hire Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as the club’s head coach. Riddick and McDaniels were reportedly viewed as a “package deal” during the hiring cycle earlier this year.

NFC West Notes: Cardinals, Fitzgerald, Lacy

December 21st, 2017 at 4:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Larry Fitzgerald recently signed a one-year extension with the Cardinals to take him through next season. Still, the Cardinals star isn’t sure whether he wants to continue playing.

“I don’t know,” Fitzgerald said (via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). “I’m going to take some time, figure it out.”

So far, Fitzgerald has 92 catches for 982 yards and five touchdowns on the season. The receiver, who will celebrate his 35th birthday in August, has accomplished a great deal in the league and would leave the game with few regrets if he decides to call it a career. Still, his performance this year indicates that he still has plenty left in the tank.

Here’s more from the NFC West:

  • Seahawks coach Pete Carroll admitted that things haven’t really worked out with offseason addition Eddie Lacy “for a number of reasons,” (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times). However, he says that Lacy and teammate Thomas Rawls are still “battling” to see if either can get time this week. Lacy, who is scheduled for free agency after the conclusion of his one-year deal, has a career-low 2.6 yards per carry average.
  • Safety Cody Davis has been cleared to practice, meaning that he will be eligible to return off of injured reserve for the Rams in the final week of the regular season (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Alden Gonzalez). Davis is a key reserve for L.A. and his return could allow free safety Lamarcus Joyner to help out at cornerback now that Kayvon Webster has been lost for the season. The Rams round out the regular season with games against the Titans and 49ers. With a two-game lead over the Seahawks, they have virtually locked up the NFC West crown.
  • The 49ers did not have Leonard Fournette ranked as a top-three prospect in this year’s draft, but coach Kyle Shanahan insists that he is not against taking running backs with a high pick. The 49ers are currently in position to have a top five pick, and Penn State standout Saquon Barkley could be there waiting for them.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/21/17

December 21st, 2017 at 4:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s practice squad moves:

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

  • Signed: OT Jake Rodgers, DT Marcus Hardison

Miami Dolphins

Oakland Raiders

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Browns’ Josh Gordon Won’t Request Trade

December 21st, 2017 at 4:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Josh Gordon is back with the Browns, but some have wondered if he’s there to stay. On Thursday, Gordon said that he does not plan to ask for a trade this offseason, an indicator that he may remain in Cleveland if new GM John Dorsey wants to keep him. Josh Gordon (vertical)

“You can ask for a trade whenever you want to really, but that’s not really on my mind, man,” he said (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). “I’m just glad to be back.”

Gordon has spent much of his Browns tenure off of the field. When on the field, he hasn’t been on the winning side of too many games. He’s watched former teammates Joe Haden and Kenny Britt wind up with Super Bowl contenders, but he says he wants to help Cleveland turn things around.

Dorsey, for his part, has indicated that he sees Gordon as a part of the team’s future.

“Josh is a very, very, very talented football player,” Dorsey said in a recent radio interview. “And it always helps to have talented guys on there. The one thing about Josh, what I’ve seen is and I’ve heard, he’s worked very hard to turn his personal life around. My Catholicism has taught me that, you know what, give every man a second chance in life. And as long as he’s committed to the Cleveland Browns, I’ll tell you that the Cleveland Browns are committed to him, to help him not only be a good football player but a good man off the field.”

Gordon, 27 in April, has 12 catches for 201 yards and one score in three games this year.

AFC Notes: Bengals, Lewis, Dolphins

December 21st, 2017 at 3:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the AFC:

  • Bengals coach Marvin Lewis denies reports indicating that he’s going to leave the team to pursue other opportunities, but nine unnamed members of the organization tell Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer that they’re not buying it. Meanwhile, Lewis recently told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) that he would “listen to” opportunities to transition a GM role somewhere. Rapoport adds that special teams coach Darrin Simmons could be an internal candidate to take over as head coach.
  • The Dolphins do not have any plans to shift Laremy Tunsil from tackle to guard, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. Tunsil, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2016 draft, has 12 penalties this year, the second-most in the NFL. Still, offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen is insistent that he will remain on the outside.
  • More from Jackson, who writes that defensive tackle Jordan Phillips has erased any questions about whether he should be part of the team going forward. That’s no surprise given the year he is having. Defensive coordinator Matt Burke went so far as to say that he is a reliable player, something that he probably wouldn’t have said over the summer. “Snap count was a little down last week, but he has been really good,” Burke said. “The two weeks before that, he was at his best in a long time. I feel he has been more consistent this year — to the point where I had conversations with him, ‘Hey man — you’ve got to be one of our leaders now.’ He has found his way a little bit. Even last year, he he wasn’t as outgoing as he’s been this year — I am encouraging him to be more of an energy guy — part of that comes with being consistent and being reliable.” Phillips, a former second-round pick, has a decent 72.6 overall score from Pro Football Focus for his eleven games this year.

Saints To Place Kenny Vaccaro On IR

December 21st, 2017 at 2:11pm CST by Zachary Links

Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro will be placed on the injured reserve list, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Vaccaro has been playing on an adductor completely torn off the bone as well as an injured wrist and he’ll need surgery to repair both. Kenny Vaccaro

[RELATED: Saints Sign CB Sterling Moore To Replace Vaccaro]

At 10-4, the Saints are likely headed to the postseason, but they’ll have to forge ahead without the services of their starting strong safety. The advanced numbers aren’t presently fond of Vaccaro (he rates as Pro Football Focus’ worst safety out of any qualified player this year), but he is a valuable five-year veteran of the defense. It’s another tough blow to a Saints team that just placed middle linebacker A.J. Klein on injured reserve a few days ago.

Clearly, Vaccaro has been at less than 100% throughout the year. Although Vaccaro has started in all 12 of his games this year, the team has had to take him off the field for large chunks of time. The 27-year-old (28 on New Year’s Day) has tried to tough it out, but the maladies have finally caught up with him.

Last year, Vaccaro ranked an above-average 38th in performance among PFF’s 90 qualified safeties. He’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency in March.

Saints Sign CB Sterling Moore

December 21st, 2017 at 1:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. The Saints have re-signed cornerback Sterling Moore, a source tells Herbie Teope of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter). Sterling Moore (vertical)

Moore most recent stint with the team came to an end on December 14th, when the team claimed linebacker Jonathan Freeny off waivers. He now returns to the team prior to a pivotal game against the Falcons on Sunday.

Moore will provide depth to the secondary in the wake of Kenny Vaccaro‘s season-ending injuries. Vaccaro was dealing with a groin injury and a wrist injury, both of which will require surgery.

Without Vaccaro, second-round pick Marcus Williams and Rafael Bush will be asked to step up with Chris Banjo and Moore in support. Vonn Bell remains the starter at free safety.

If the Saints beat the Falcons on Sunday, they’ll secure their spot in the playoffs. They can also lock down the NFC South this weekend with a victory coupled with a Panthers loss.

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