HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Retires

October 30th, 2018 at 10:55am CST by Zachary Links

Raiders cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie announced his retirement on Tuesday. Cromartie saw zero snaps on Sunday, which may have influenced his decision. 

Earlier this year, the Giants asked DRC to move from cornerback to safety. The veteran took well to the plan, but balked when the team later asked him to take a pay cut. In late August, he hooked on with Jon Gruden‘s Raiders, but as is the case with many of the vets that went to Oakland, his role was smaller than expected.

In 2017, Rodgers-Cromartie appeared in 15 games (six starts) for the Giants, managing 31 tackles, a half-sack, and one pass defensed while grading as the NFL’s No. 58 cornerback, per Pro Football Focus. Still, the signs of aging were there. On 25 targets, DRC allowed 7.2 yards per pass, more than double his 2016 average of 3.5. DRC also made headlines as he butted heads with coach Ben McAdoo and was briefly suspended by the team.

Rodgers-Cromartie entered the league in 2008 as a first-round pick of the Cardinals and has since suited up for the Eagles, Broncos, and Giants. He leaves the game with Pro Bowls to his credit to go along with 30 career interceptions and six TDs.

Chiefs Interested In Janoris Jenkins

October 30th, 2018 at 10:24am CST by Zachary Links

Janoris Jenkins is on the Chiefs’ radar, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (on Twitter). Jenkins, who turned 30 this week, has reportedly been on the trade block for the last week as the Giants continue their rebuild.

Jenkins is in the third year of a five-year, $62.5MM deal. The Giants, who are virtually out of the playoff picture in 2018, are probably looking at a slow climb back to the top that would have them in contention in 2020. Given Jenkins’ salary and the draft value that he can fetch in return, it only makes sense for the G-Men to explore deals.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, have one of the league’s most dynamic offenses, but could use some improvement on the other side of the ball. Eric Berry‘s prolonged absence has clearly dented the secondary, and Jenkins would offer some serious help in downfield pass protection. Presently, the Chiefs are using Kendall Fuller, Steven Nelson, and Orlando Scandrick as their top corners.

For what it’s worth, Jenkins currently ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 84 ranked cornerback in the NFL, a far cry from his usual position on the list.

Dolphins Meet With Ziggy Hood

October 30th, 2018 at 9:57am CST by Zachary Links

Ziggy Hood will visit with and work out for the Dolphins on Tuesday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Hood started for the Redskins in 2016 and 2017, but was released by the team earlier this month. 

Hood was in a reserve role for Washington this year and recorded just three tackles in his four games. Before that, however, Hood spent two years as the club’s primary nose tackle. The advanced metrics have not been fond of his work in recent years, but Hood offers experience and a first-round pedigree.

The Dolphins’ defensive line has taken some hits this year, including William Hayes‘ season ending ACL tear and Charles Harris‘ ongoing calf injury. Hood doesn’t profile as a starter for Miami, but he could offer some depth heading into the team’s intra-divisional matchup with the Jets on Sunday.

Browns Fallout: Jackson, Staff, Mayfield

October 29th, 2018 at 9:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

In firing Hue Jackson and Todd Haley, the Browns axed the top two voices behind their offense on Monday. This came after reports of friction between the two, accounts that turned out to be very real and ones that could’ve been envisioned for anyone who saw Hard Knocks.

“The message today is we’re not going to put up with internal discord,” owner Jimmy Haslam said, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “… We had some concerns going into the game, obviously (Sunday’s) performance was disappointing. We had several of our key people involved in this conversations last night and this morning and did what we think’s best for the organization.”

Haslam said he met with John Dorsey on Sunday night, and actions came down Monday morning. Although Jackson went 1-31 in his first two seasons with the team, Haslam opted to give him a third year because the aggressive rebuild — put forth by former GM Sashi Brown — put Jackson in a “difficult spot” (Twitter link via Cabot). Gregg Williams was the only person the Browns considered to be the interim HC, Haslam said (per Nate Ulrich of ohio.com, on Twitter).

Some Browns began to question Jackson’s credibility, as a result of the third-year HC following through on his intent to give Haley autonomy to run the offense, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. After running the offense in 2016 and ’17, Jackson wasn’t nearly as involved this season. Jackson, in turn, was frustrated Haley would “do his own thing,” Breer adds. Jackson’s message grew stale as the losses mounted, per Yahoo’s Terez Paylor. This is obviously not uncommon for teams in losing situations, and that descriptor might not be strong enough to describe the state of the Browns under Haslam. The seventh-year owner’s now fired four head coaches, and the Browns have won more than five games just once under his watch.

Baker Mayfield‘s development shifts to front and center, and Breer notes the Jackson firing probably won’t bother the rookie quarterback much. They didn’t exactly see eye to eye, per Breer. Though, the No. 1 overall pick now has to finish a season without a proven offensive voice in the building and will have to learn a new offense in 2019.

Williams is technically still defensive coordinator, in addition to becoming a first-time head coach at age 60. But some around the league believe he will promote his son, Blake Williams, to that post, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Blake Williams has been Cleveland’s linebackers coach for two seasons.

As far as a possible Jackson/Williams successor, Breer points out Dorsey has “the highest respect” for what Iowa State coach Matt Campbell‘s done. Campbell, 38, is from the Cleveland area (Massillon, Ohio) as well. While Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley may well get a look, since he’d be a natural fit given his mentoring of Mayfield with the Sooners, he doesn’t envision leaving Oklahoma (video link). Gregg Williams will also be a candidate for the full-time job, Haslam said (via Cabot, on Twitter). But such a scenario would be hard to envision.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/29/18

October 29th, 2018 at 9:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Miami Dolphins

Seattle Seahawks

  • Placed on reserve/left squad list: S T.J. Green

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

NFL Workout Updates: 10/29/18

October 29th, 2018 at 9:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here’s the latest from the workout circuit. All links to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account, unless otherwise specified.

Buffalo Bills

Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Rams Eyeing Edge, Cornerback Help

October 29th, 2018 at 7:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

No NFL team’s in a better position through eight weeks than the 8-0 Rams, but they are in the market for defensive help.

Los Angeles is looking around for edge defenders and cornerbacks ahead of the Tuesday trade deadline, Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic reports (subscription required). Dialogue’s commencing on the outside linebacker front, per Bonsignore (on Twitter).

The Rams brought in Aqib Talib and Ndamukong Suh and extended Brandin Cooks, Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald. This meant sacrificing some at other spots. They unloaded high-priced defenders Alec Ogletree and Robert Quinn, with the latter’s departure not being filled by proven players. Los Angeles is seeking edge help as a result, particularly given the opportunities Donald’s dominance creates for that position.

Not even $2MM under the cap, the Rams are open to restructures that free up space necessary to acquire help for this Super Bowl-contending roster, per Bonsignore.

While their more immediate need is on the edge, where Samson Ebukam‘s two sacks pace that position group — one that, with Dominique Easley on IR, doesn’t house a player picked before the fourth round of a draft — the Rams have been without Talib for weeks. And Marcus Peters has dealt with a calf injury. The Rams don’t appear to be hunting for corner help as much as they’re seeking edge aid, and Bonsignore writes the team doesn’t want to merely add a rental corner who would slide down to No. 4 on the depth chart once Talib returns. But the team would be more interested in corners whose contracts don’t expire at season’s end.

The Rams gave up their second-round pick to get Peters but still own their own first-, third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-round selections in next year’s draft.

LB Kelvin Sheppard Visiting Lions

October 29th, 2018 at 7:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions are checking in on Kelvin Sheppard. Again. The free agent linebacker visited the Lions in July but is back again for another meeting, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

Sheppard is not believed to have participated in a workout or a visit since the late-July meeting in Detroit. It’s not certain if the Lions were again working out Sheppard, as they did over the summer, or if this was a follow-up visit. The Lions have been the only team connected to Sheppard this offseason.

The 30-year-old linebacker was a three-year starter with the Giants from 2015-17 but has been a free agent all offseason. Detroit signed former Sheppard teammate Devon Kennard to a high-end deal earlier this offseason. Jarrad Davis played through a calf injury on Sunday after being limited during Week 8 practices.

Sheppard’s played with the Bills, Colts, Dolphins and Giants in a seven-year career. He notched a 102-tackle season with the Giants in 2015 and intercepted two passes — the first two of his career — despite being a midseason Big Blue addition last year.

Patriots Interested In Golden Tate

October 29th, 2018 at 5:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

In addition to the Patriots’ Demaryius Thomas interest ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, the team is also “particularly interested” in Lions wideout Golden Tate, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Tate’s in the final season of a five-year contract, and earlier Monday a report indicated a fourth-round pick may be sufficient to pry Tate from Detroit. Rapoport notes Thomas remains of interest to the Pats as well. The trade deadline is at 3pm Tuesday.

Around $3.7MM remains on Tate’s contract. The Patriots hold more than $5MM in cap space, additional room created by restructuring Jason McCourty‘s deal earlier this season.

The Lions, who beat the Patriots in September, aren’t necessarily surefire sellers. They’re 3-4 and one game out of an NFC wild card spot and still in the hunt for an NFC North title, although they certainly shouldn’t be considered the favorites in a stacked division. But with Marvin Jones and the emerging Kenny Golladay in the fold, it’s harder to see them keeping Tate beyond 2018. No substantial discussions about an extension between the Lions and Tate are known to have taken place.

Although, Tate said Monday talks have occurred, telling Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press he and the Lions are “closer” on an extension. Though, Tate has been one of the NFL’s most productive receivers during his Lions stay and would be a sought-after commodity on the market, perhaps commanding more than $12MM per year in free agency. He’s making less than $7MM per year on his Detroit deal. He does not expect to be traded.

“I don’t think so,” Tate said (via Birkett), on whether or not he believes he’ll be dealt. “I feel like I’m a huge part of this organization and this offense especially, so hopefully that’s not the case. But again, I do understand it’s a business and if it happens then, you know, depends on where they send me.”

The interest New England has in these veteran wideouts stems from the unreliability of Josh Gordon, Michael Giardi of NFL.com notes (video link). Gordon’s already run into moderate trouble with his new team; the Pats are set to bench him to start Monday night’s game because of tardiness. The team isn’t sure what it will get from Gordon, per Giardi, which is why the Pats are giving hard looks to other available vets.

Tate spends much of his time in the slot for the Lions. The Patriots have Julian Edelman back but could surely make their offense work with Tate in the fold. Tate has 44 receptions for 517 yards and three touchdowns this season. The Lions and Pats have a natural pipeline, with Bob Quinn having worked with Bill Belichick in New England.

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