HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

East Rumors: McDaniels, Bridgewater, Martin

December 17th, 2017 at 9:12am CST by Rory Parks

Ben Volin of the Boston Globe and Phil Perry and Mike Giardi of NBCSports.com take a look at some of the potential landing spots for Patriots OC Josh McDaniels should he depart New England for a head coaching gig this offseason. The NBC scribes suggest that some of the coaching opportunities may not be as desirable as they were earlier this season — given the increased concerns over Andrew Luck‘s shoulder and the mess that the Giants recently made of their quarterback situation — but both pieces suggest that now might be as good a time as any for McDaniels to make his second run as a head coach (and for director of player personnel Nick Caserio, who is typically marketed along with McDaniels, to get his first crack at a GM job).

Now for more rumors from the league’s east divisions:

  • In the same piece linked above, Perry and Giardi suggest that Patriots corner Malcolm Butler — whose play has suffered this year and who has generally been a “pain in the butt” — foreclosed any chance of a return to New England in 2018 when he retweeted a Pro Football Focus graphic showing Dolphins QB Jay Cutler‘s success against the Patriots’ blitzes in the aftermath of the Pats’ loss to Miami last week.
  • The Jets have been frequently connected to impending free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins and to some of this year’s top collegiate signal-callers (i.e. Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen), but Manisha Mehta of the New York Daily News suggests that current Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater could also be in play for Gang Green. After all, Bridgewater — who will also be a free agent at season’s end — is younger than current Jets starter Bryce Petty, he could be had for a reasonable multi-year deal, and he managed to win in Minnesota without much of a supporting cast. This is just an opinion piece, but as Mehta suggests, a Bridgewater signing could be a low-risk, high-reward move that would not necessarily preclude the cash-flush Jets from also pursuing a QB in the first round of the draft.
  • The Cowboys and guard Zack Martin were deep in extension talks over the summer, but they could not get a deal done before the unofficial late August deadline that the two sides set for themselves. However, they are expected to revisit those discussions this offseason, as Martin is only under club control through the 2018 campaign (via the fifth-year option of his rookie contract). Hardik Sanghavi of OverTheCap.com looks at Martin’s case in excellent detail and projects a six-year, $84.6MM deal for the Notre Dame product.
  • James Kratch of NJ.com says the Giants‘ handling of Davis Webb makes no sense, and that New York should start the rookie quarterback over the last few games of the season. After all, if he plays poorly, it won’t ruin his career, and the 2-11 Giants actually stand to benefit from losing out. If he plays well, obviously that would be good for the team, and even though the talent around him is poor, he can still be evaluated, which Kratch says the Giants owe to their new regime. Kratch makes a number of good points, but it sounds as if Eli Manning will remain under center for the duration of 2017, which Kratch says smacks of a desperate campaign to appease Manning.

Justin Pugh To Avoid Surgery

December 16th, 2017 at 9:40pm CST by Micah Powell

On Thursday, the Giants placed guard Justin Pugh on season-ending injured reserve with a back injury. The good news for the fifth-year lineman is that he will not require surgery, Newsday’s Tom Rock reports. Justin Pugh (vertical)

Rock notes that Pugh, who is a free agent at the end of the season, could have played in his last game with the franchise that drafted him in 2013. With a new general manager and head coach in the future for the Giants, the new management could decide a new guard is also in the plans. Pugh is the longest-tenured member of the team without a Super Bowl ring.

Since entering the league, Pugh has started in all 63 of his games but hasn’t suited up for a full 16-game season since his rookie campaign. He appeared in eight games this season and graded out as the No. 52 guard in the league, per Pro Football Focus. Though he has endured a down season, Pugh placed in the top 20 among all guards in his previous two seasons.

Fournette Ruled Out For Week 15

December 16th, 2017 at 7:30pm CST by Micah Powell

Jaguars rookie running back Leonard Fournette will not suit up for the team’s Week 15 matchup with division rival Houston, reports ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Michael DiRocco. leonard fournette (vertical)

This doesn’t come as too much of a surprise after the burgeoning star did not practice all week due to a quad injury. In addition to that injury, DiRocco also notes Fournette is still suffering from a lingering ankle injury. In November, Fournette claimed the ankle could bother him the rest of the season.

At 9-4 entering the tilt with Houston, the Jaguars can clinch their first postseason appearance since 2007 with a win or a tie/loss and some help from a handful of teams. It isn’t ideal for the team that Fournette will miss the chance to clinch, but it has to make sure the star running back is close to 100 percent when they do enter the playoffs.

This will be the third game the LSU product has missed this season. He missed Week 7 with an injury and was inactive in Week 9 for violating a team rule. Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon will shoulder the load.

Jameis Winston Addresses Rift With Koetter

December 16th, 2017 at 7:09pm CST by Micah Powell

On Sunday, reports surfaced from NFL.com’s Ian Rappoport that the relationship between Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and head coach Dirk Koetter was “not in a good place.” Winston addressed the reports before the team’s Week 15 showdown with Atlanta, saying, “there’s nothing to see here,” according to NFL.com’s Jeremy Bergman. Jameis Winston (vertical)

Winston told reporters, including the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud (Twitter link), “When you lose, people are always trying to find something to nitpick and nag at, and definitely attacking the relationship of a head coach and a quarterback is a way to get this locker room in a panic. We don’t condone that at all.”

Rappoport attributed the fractured relationship to Winston not feeling supported properly when he was playing through an injury early in the season. Buccaneers offensive coordinator Todd Monken added his own thoughts to the source of the issue:

“You know what the strain is? The frustration of being 4-9. That’s a frustration. When you put everything into it, what you’ve got is a quarterback that’s very competitive, a guy that wants to be great and has had a frustrating year, probably some things on and off the field, and a head coach that does an unbelievable job coaching our players and quarterback. And that becomes news? Holy cow! News flash! We’ve got a strain in our relationship. There’s not one person that can’t say that’s ever happened before. That is a flat-out joke that that even becomes news.”

The Buccaneers entered the 2017 season with high hopes thanks to a young offense that appeared on the verge of breaking out. That hasn’t happened and it is easy to see why the team’s star quarterback would be frustrated. Whether the stain is the record or the lack of support, it’s a story that might not go away too soon.

Giants To Interview Interim GM Kevin Abrams

December 16th, 2017 at 6:38pm CST by Micah Powell

Giants interim general manager Kevin Abrams confirmed he will interview for the full-time job, reports Newsday’s Tom Rock.

A longtime assistant to former GM Jerry Reese, who was fired on Dec. 4, Abrams is expected to meet with owners John Mara and Steve Tisch some time next week though Abrams only confirmed it will take place before the season is over.

One piece of information that gives Abrams a leg up on the competition is the fact New York hasn’t hired a GM from outside the organization since it tabbed George Young in 1979. Abrams joined the Giants 15 years ago and has worked prevalently with the salary cap, though he claims, “I wasn’t raised to be a cap guy; it was just the opportunity that was given to me.”

Shortly after the firing of Reese, who had served as GM since 2007, the MMQB’s Peter King talked with several NFL executives who named Minnesota’s George Paton, Green Bay’s Eliot Wolf and Philadelphia’s Joe Douglas as three of the top new candidates from around the league. He also mentioned former Chiefs GM Scott Pioli and Ravens assistant GM Eric DeCosta among the veterans who could surface in the search.

Cowher Has No Interest In Coaching Giants

December 16th, 2017 at 5:48pm CST by Micah Powell

Every time a head-coaching position pops up, it seems like Bill Cowher’s name seems to surface. The former Steelers head coach and Super Bowl XL winner quickly quelled any possible talk of him heading to New York to take the Giants job, however, saying he has no interest to leave CBS to return to the sidelines, Justin Terranova of the New York Post writes. Bill Cowher (vertical)

Though it was unlikely Cowher, who is now 11 years removed from his last game, would be a candidate for the job, some thought if anyone could lure him away from TV it would be the Mara family. Cowher confirmed he was happy and content with his current profession, saying, “It’s not even about a team, it’s about lifestyle. Coaching is always going to be a great challenge and every building dynamic is different. I had the best job in football and I was able to step away and transition from it to a next phase of life, which, quite frankly, I am very, very comfortable with. I am in a very good place.”

In his 15-year run with the Steelers, Cowher amassed a 149-90 record and appeared in two Super Bowls, winning his final trip in his second to last season in the Steel City. Since leaving the game, he has often been among the first names mentioned for a vacant position, but the balance in lifestyle afforded to him by CBS has him in a good spot.

He did mention that whoever takes the job has tough to decisions to make with regards to Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr.’s future with the team.

Broncos Sign OL J.J. Dielman Off Bengals’ Practice Squad

December 16th, 2017 at 4:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bengals have again seen one of their 2017 draft picks poached from their practice squad. Months after the Eagles added Jake Elliott, this time a rookie offensive lineman will travel elsewhere.

J.J. Dielman will now take Trevor Siemian‘s place on the Broncos’ active roster, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com categorizing this move (on Twitter) as a “present and future decision.”

Like Elliott, Dielman was a fifth-round pick. The Rams claimed Dielman off waivers following the preseason but waived him later in September, leading to the Utah product’s three-month stay on Cincinnati’s practice squad. Prior to his Bengals selection, Dielman played guard alongside current Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles with the Utes. The Bengals did not make a move to promote Dielman in an effort to prevent this transaction. Dielman is listed as a guard but played right tackle and center over the past three seasons in Salt Lake City.

The Broncos placed Ronald Leary on IR this week and started Connor McGovern in that spot. McGovern and Max Garcia, a 2015 fourth-round pick, were drafted to play in Gary Kubiak‘s system. And the Broncos have been linked to Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson, a first-round prospect.

So, guard appears to be a place with which the franchise is willing to tinker.

Redskins Activate K Dustin Hopkins

December 16th, 2017 at 3:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite the Redskins headed toward a second consecutive playoff absence, the team will bring its kicker back for this season’s final games.

Washington activated Dustin Hopkins from injured reserve on Saturday. He will replace kicker Nick Rose, whom the team waived, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

A strained muscle in Hopkins’ hip resulted in the IR placement, but he’ll be back in time for Week 15. This is Hopkins’ third NFL season; he’d kicked in 31 Redskins regular-season games prior to appearing in just five thus far this season.

Rose fared well in Hopkins’ absence, making 10 of 11 field goal tries. He made 18 of 20 extra point attempts in the eight games since being summoned to replace the incumbent. He’ll now head to waivers and could well warrant an opportunity as a free agent at some point soon if unclaimed.

Seahawks Place Kam Chancellor On IR

December 16th, 2017 at 3:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Kam Chancellor‘s season is officially over. The Seahawks made the inevitable decision to place the safety on injured reserve on Saturday.

The Pro Bowl safety had been out since last month because of a neck injury, and he won’t have a chance to return for his team until the 2018 season. Being shorthanded at other positions prompted the move.

Seattle promoted defensive back Mike Tyson and linebacker Kache Palacio from its practice squad and waived offensive lineman Mark Glowinski.

The Seahawks could be without both Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright on Sunday, depriving the highly regarded defense of several household names in total.

A rookie, Tyson played safety while at Cincinnati but was relocated to corner early in his NFL tenure. He’s spent the season on the Seahawks’ practice squad. The Seahawks added Palacio, a second-year linebacker, to their practice squad in November.

Glowinski has gone from 16-game starter in 2016 to swing player. He played in 10 games this season, starting two prior to second-round pick Ethan Pocic usurping him on the right guard depth chart. He’ll venture onto waivers.

Load More Posts