HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Dolphins’ Ryan Tannehill Healthy For OTAs

May 22nd, 2018 at 10:28am CST by Zachary Links

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill will be a full participant in OTAs on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s an encouraging sign for Tannehill, who has recovered well from a torn ACL. 

Of course, it has been a bumpy road for Tannehill over the last couple of years. Towards the end of 2016, a partially torn ACL took the QB out of action. Then, Tannehill suffered a complete ACL tear, which ended his 2017 season before it even began. The Dolphins were not quite sure about what Tannehill would be able to do heading into Tuesday, but doctors have given him the green light to do it all in this phase of OTAs.

It’s no exaggeration to say the Dolphins’ season hinges on Tannehill’s health. Last year, the Dolphins scrambled to replace the QB and wound up luring Jay Cutler out of retirement on an expensive one-year deal. The results were underwhelming as the Dolphins went 6-10, including a 6-8 record in Cutler’s 14 starts. The Dolphins have backstopped Cutler with Brock Osweiler for this year, but it’s hard to imagine Osweiler performing much better than Cutler.

Tannehill played 13 games during the 2016 season, completing 67.1-percent of his passes for 2,995 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The advanced numbers at Pro Football Focus ranked him as just the 16th best quarterback in the league that season, but that’s a step up from Cutler’s No. 35 ranking from last year.

NFC Notes: Julio, Panthers, Bucs, Rams

May 21st, 2018 at 9:09pm CST by Micah Powell

As expected, Julio Jones reportedly did not attend the opening day of Falcons organized team activities, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter.

He adds head coach Dan Quinn will address the situation on Tuesday and did not respond to questions about the reports that Jones wants an update to his contract. Though he is absent, the two sides appear amenable and are likely to work things out in due time.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio speculates Jones, who has three years left on his current deal, could be trying to get the team’s attention after Matt Ryan‘s new contract is set to pay the quarterback ($30MM) twice the amount that Jones is to receive ($14.25MM). His current deal slots him in as the No. 8 receiver on the pay scale, behind players like Jarvis Landry, Sammy Watkins and Davante Adams.

Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap says that the word “update” could mean the Falcons moving money forward in Jones’ contract to make the team’s key player happy. On a team in win-now mode, the move could be seen as avoiding potential chemistry issues in the locker room. A recent example of this, according to Fitzgerald, is a similar situation with Antonio Brown and the Steelers.

“The Steelers twice moved money forward in Brown’s contract to prevent a player from being unhappy. In 2015 the Steelers moved $2 million from 2016 up to 2015 and in 2016 they moved $4 million from 2017 into 2016. Overall the team fronted him $4 million and then extended him in 2017.”

Regardless of what the course of action Atlanta chooses to pursue, it is unlikely to hinder it from fielding one of the top three receivers in the league in 2018.  

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • The Panthers sale to David Tepper is expected to go through without “any surprises,” Houston Texans owner Bob McNair told ESPN’s David Newton. Tepper needs 24 votes — 23 with the absence of former Panthers GM Jerry Richardson — on Tuesday when the 31 NFL owners convene. Richardson is unlikely to attend, but nothing has been set in stone.
  • Florida Football Insiders posted a list of potential free agent targets for the Buccaneers, and named DeMarco Murray and Kenny Vaccaro as possibilities. Murray would make for a solid one-two punch with rookie running back Ronald Jones, while Vaccaro would bring a veteran presence to a shaky pass defense.
  • Linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, the Rams‘ fifth-round pick, underwent surgery on his foot and is expected to return sometime during training camp, head coach Sean McVay told ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry (Twitter link). Okoronkwo starred at Oklahoma in 2017, earning Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Big 12 after logging 17.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks.

Russell Shepard To Sign With Giants

May 21st, 2018 at 7:30pm CST by Micah Powell

After being released by the Panthers early last week, Russell Shepard didn’t need long to find a new home. The wide receiver took to Instagram on Monday and announced he is signing with the Giants. It’s a one-year deal worth $1.3M that can be worth up to $2M with incentives, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Shepard joins a loaded offense that includes Odell Beckham, Sterling Shepard, Evan Ingram and first-round pick Saquon Barkley. The fourth-year pass catcher likely slots in as the team’s No. 3 or 4 receiver with the newly signed Cody Latimer.

Shepard signed a three-year deal with the Panthers last year, but his time in Carolina came to an end after just one season. The Panthers approached him about a pay cut, but he refused, leading to his release. Shepard never found a groove with the team in 2017, logging just 17 receptions for 202 yards and one touchdown.

He now catches on in New York, whose new general manager Dave Gettleman was the one who inked the receiver to the deal in Carolina. The Giants will need to make a corresponding move once they make the move official. No financial terms have been made available.

Jets Sign Chris Herndon

May 21st, 2018 at 6:48pm CST by Micah Powell

The Jets announced they have agreed to terms with fourth-round tight end out of Miami Chris Herndon on Monday. That leaves just first-round quarterback Sam Darnold as the lone player from the team’s draft class to be signed. 

Herndon starred out of the slot in 2017 as a junior, catching 35-of-43 targets to lead all college tight ends with an 81.4% catch rate from the slot. He tallied 40 total receptions in his final season and found the end zone four times.

He suffered a knee injury in his final collegiate game and has been limited throughout the offseason. Jets head coach Todd Bowles said the team expects to take it slow with the athletic pass catcher, who did take part in some drills during the team’s rookie minicamp.

The Jets don’t have much at the tight end position, with Eric Tomlinson and Clive Walford as the only players projected above Herndon at the position, according to roster resource.

 

Le’Veon Bell To Skip OTAs

May 21st, 2018 at 5:35pm CST by Micah Powell

In a long-expected move, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell will reportedly not attend organized team activities which begin on Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes. 

Again, this is not a shocker. Once Pittsburgh franchised the star running back for a second straight season it was anticipated that he would not be showing up as he seeks a new deal. The two sides have until July to reach a long-term contract.

As of late March, contract talks were on hold, and it’s unclear if the two sides have resumed negotiations since. Bell has already said he has no plans to sit out the 2018 season, but he will likely stay away until the preseason is concluded. In 2017, Bell reportedly turned down a contract offer that included $42MM in the first three years of the deal. If he remains on the franchise tag, Bell could earn $14.5MM in 2018.

In an interview with Fowler in March, Bell said: “We’re not coming to a number we both agree on — they are too low, or I guess they feel I’m too high. I’m playing for strictly my value to the team. That’s what I’m asking. I don’t think I should settle for anything less than what I’m valued at.”

Bell has been among the league’s best backs since entering the NFL in 2013. He has three 1,000-yard rushing campaigns to his name and has also added 312 receptions. The three-time Pro Bowl back and two-time First Team All-Pro will undoubtedly be looking for a top-of-the-line contract that exceeds the $41.25MM over five seasons that Devonta Freeman is currently earning.

 

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/21/18

May 21st, 2018 at 4:57pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: G Damien Mama
  • Waived: OL Jarron Jones

Detroit Lions

  • Claimed off waivers: WR Chris Lacy (from Patriots)
  • Waived: CB Josh Okonye

Green Bay Packers

  • Placed on Reserve/Retired list: DT Filipo Mokofisi

Los Angeles Rams

Redskins G Arie Kouandjio To Miss 2018 Season

May 21st, 2018 at 4:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Redskins guard Arie Kouandjio will miss the entire 2018 season, multiple sources tell John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Kouandjio recently went under the knife to repair a torn quadriceps muscle, but he will take longer than expected to recover. 

Doctors tell the Redskins that Kouandjio will be out of action for six-to-eight months. That timeline should allow him to return in full health for 2019, but he won’t be able to partake in football activities for a while.

This marks a disappointing development for the Redskins as they were high on his offseason work up until this setback. Without Kouandjio, the Redskins will likely use the recently re-signing Shawn Lauvao as their starting left guard with Brandon Scherff mirroring him on the right.

The 2015 fourth-round pick out of Alabama has appeared in 17 games with Washington. Injuries decimated the Washington offensive line in 2017, resulting in three of its five Week 1 starters — Trent Williams, Spencer Long and Lauvao — missing at least six games. Kouandjio filled in as a starter in six of his eight games that season.

Cardinals Release CB Marcus Williams

May 21st, 2018 at 3:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals released cornerback Marcus Williams, according to a team announcement. Williams was signed as a free agent in April, but his time in Arizona has come to an end after just one month. 

The release of Williams comes just after the acquisition of former Browns cornerback Jamar Taylor. Taylor projects as the team’s new starter opposite of Patrick Peterson, which pushed every other cornerback on the depth chart down a peg. That shift wound up pushing Williams off of the roster.

Williams started 15 games in three seasons with the Jets, but did not start a game in 2017. The Jets shopped him in the summer of 2017 and waived him in October, leading him to Houston. With the Texans, he appeared in ten games as a reserve and totaled 12 tackles, four pass deflections, and came up with an interception against the Seahawks in a late October game. His most notable season came in 2015 when he tallied six interceptions in 13 games with Gang Green.

Bills Release Richie Incognito

May 21st, 2018 at 3:18pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have released offensive lineman Richie Incognito from the reserve/retired list, per a team announcement. The move could pave the way for the veteran to quickly sign with another club. 

This year’s Incognito saga has been strange, to say the least. After making his third straight Pro Bowl appearance, he agreed to take a pay cut for the 2018 season. Weeks later, the lineman fired his agents via Twitter. Incognito announced his retirement in April, but he requested his release days later, which is an indication that he wants to continue playing.

On the surface, Incognito’s retirement threat looked to be an attempt to recoup that lost money. At the time, the 34-year-old (35 in July) said he was prioritizing his health over future earnings, citing issues with his liver and kidneys. Now that he’s eligible to sign, teams will probably want to take a close look at his medicals before making a commitment.

Under the terms of his revised deal, Incognito was set to earn $3.65MM in base pay plus a $1MM bonus, down from his originally scheduled $6.325MM salary. It stands to reason that Incognito could fetch more than $3.65MM for the upcoming season, though many clubs have already filled their interior line vacancies and allocated the bulk of free agent dollars.

Raiders Sign Brandon Parker, Nick Nelson

May 21st, 2018 at 3:12pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders inked two of their draft picks on Monday afternoon. Third-round offensive tackle Brandon Parker and fourth-round cornerback Nick Nelson are now under contract, meaning that eight of their nine selections have been signed. As shown on PFR’s tracker, third-round defensive end Arden Key is the last unsigned rookie of the bunch. 

Parker, the No. 65 overall pick in last month’s draft, played four seasons at North Carolina AT&T and started all 48 of his games at left tackle. The reigning MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year and FCS All-American First Team selection will compete for time behind starters Donald Penn and fellow rookie Kolton Miller at the tackle spots.

Nelson, the No. 110 overall pick, spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Hawaii before transferring to Wisconsin. With the Badgers, Nelson tallied 35 tackles and tied for third in the country with 21 passes defended. Nelson has 40 passes defensed in three NCAA seasons but, somehow, did not record an interception in that time. That may have been a red mark against him in the draft process, along with his torn meniscus in early April.

The good news is that Nelson is expected to be back to full health this summer, which should allow for him to compete for playing time behind starters Gareon Conley and Rashaan Melvin. Shareece Wright, Dexter McDonald, Leon Hall, and Daryl Worley are also among those in the CB mix.

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