HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Dolphins Re-Sign LS John Denney

February 8th, 2019 at 10:46am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have re-signed long snapper John Denney, according to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Denney has been with the ‘Fins since 2005 and is the club’s longest-tenured player. 

Denney, 40, hooked on with Miami as an undrafted free agent out of BYU and has not missed a game in his entire career. His perfect attendance record and steady hands have kept him employed in sunny Miami for 14 seasons, and he’ll be back for a 15th year in 2019.

Along the way, Denney picked up Pro Bowl nods in 2010 and 2012 for his special teams work. He’s also shown to have a nose for the football – he has two fumble recoveries to his credit, one in 2013 and one in 2014.

Denney also boasts a streak of playing in 224 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. He’s tied for the longest streak ever for a long snapper and he’ll own that record outright if he plays in Week 1.

Ravens Notes: Jackson, Brown, Mosley

February 8th, 2019 at 10:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens need offensive playmakers this offseason and they believe that their best playmaker, quarterback Lamar Jackson, will help lure dynamic players to Baltimore.

“I think players respect talent,” GM Eric DeCosta said (via ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley). “I think players respect athletes and competitors. Anyone can watch Lamar Jackson and see how talented he is and what kind of a competitor he is. Players also want to win, and I think that’s something that drives every professional athlete — winning games. I think they’ll recognize that about us. When they watch us play, they’ll want to play here.”

Last year, the Ravens produced only 57 plays of 20+ yards, which was the ninth-fewest in the NFL. Eight of those plays came off of big runs from Jackson, who only started in seven of the team’s 16 games. In essence, the Ravens are looking to make up for missed opportunities in past drafts. As Hensley notes, the Ravens have only selected a wide receiver or running back three times in the first three rounds of the last three drafts (Torrey Smith in 2011, Bernard Pierce in 2012 and Breshad Perriman in 2015), and none of those players are on the roster today.

Here’s more out of Baltimore:

Poll: Will Antonio Brown Stay With Steelers?

February 8th, 2019 at 10:06am CST by Zachary Links

The Antonio Brown seems to get messier by the week. Throughout the year, Brown squabbled with coach Mike Tomlin and franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, resulting in a Week 17 meltdown and a trade demand. 

Obviously, from a talent perspective, there are 31 teams that would love to deal for Brown. However, his hefty contract complicates matters and the Steelers are not eager to trade one of the best wide receivers of all-time while taking on an astronomical cap hit. If the Steelers cut or trade Brown before June 1, the Steelers will incur more than $21MM in dead money on their salary cap and gain just over $1MM in new space. If he’s designated as a post-June 1 cut or traded after that date, Pittsburgh will take on roughly $7MM in dead money in 2019 and ~$14MM in 2020, which isn’t very palatable either.

Other teams may have reservations about Brown’s character as well. His well-publicized friction with Pittsburgh may be a red flag and, earlier this week, we learned that Brown was involved in a domestic dispute in January. The league is planning to investigate the incident and a suspension seems possible – that event will likely be taken into account along with other allegations, including an incident in Florida in which Brown was accused of throwing furniture off of a balcony.

Brown due a $2.5MM roster bonus on March 17, so the Steelers could look to deal him before that date. However, there are serious complications all around and the Steelers’ best bet may be to mend fences with the perennial Pro Bowler.

How do you see things playing out? Will Brown be a member of the Steelers in Week 1 of the 2019 season? Click below to cast your vote and let us know your thoughts in the comment section (link for app users):

Staff Notes: 49ers, Chiefs, Eagles, Packers

February 7th, 2019 at 10:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Former NFL wide receiver Miles Austin is joining the 49ers as an offensive quality control coach, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. Austin, 34, spent the majority of his playing career with the Cowboys and then joined the Dallas scouting staff after announcing his retirement in 2016. The Cowboys interviewed Austin for their vacant wide receivers job last offseason, but that gig ultimately went to Sanjay Lal. Austin will join recent retirees Wes Welker (receivers) and DeMeco Ryans (inside linebackers) on the San Francisco staff.

Here’s more from the NFL’s coaching carousel:

  • The Chiefs have hired Dave Merritt as their new defensive backs coach, per Yates (Twitter link). Merritt was actually hired as the Jaguars’ assistant defensive line coach earlier this offseason, but Jacksonville has apparently let him out his contract in order to pursue a better opportunity. The 47-year-old Merritt worked under new Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in New York, working as the Giants’ defensive backs coach alongside Spags from 2007-08. The Chiefs haven’t announced whether incumbent secondary coaches Emmitt Thomas and Al Harris will be retained.
  • Alabama running backs coach Joe Pannunzio will leave Tuscaloosa in order to take an undisclosed role with the Eagles, reports Cole Cubelic of the SEC Network (Twitter link). The 59-year-old Pannunzio, who previously served as the head coach at Murray State, worked in Philadelphia’s personnel department under former head coach Chip Kelly from 2015-16. The Eagles already have a running backs coach in place in Duce Staley (who also holds the title of assistant head coach), so it’s unclear if Pannunzio will join the club’s on-field staff or instead head to the front office.
  • The Packers announced that they’ve hired Luke Butkus as assistant offensive line coach and Rayna Stewart as a special teams quality control coach. Butkus, the nephew of NFL Hall of Famer Dick Butkus, will work under new Green Bay OL coach Adam Stenavich, while Stewart will advise new ST coordinator Shawn Mennenga.

Colts Add Howard Mudd To Staff

February 7th, 2019 at 8:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts have hired legendary offensive line coach Howard Mudd as a senior offensive assistant, the club announced today. Additionally, Indianapolis has promoted Marcus Brady to quarterbacks coach and hired Klayton Adams as an assistant offensive line coach.

Mudd, 76, coached NFL offensive lines from 1974-2012, but his longest run with a single team came with the Colts from 1998-2009. During the end of that tenure, Mudd worked with current Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich, who at the time was an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach on the Colts staff. Mudd originally announced his retirement following his Colts days, but was coaxed back into coaching the Eagles’ front five from 2011-12.

Indianapolis’ offensive line experienced a dramatic turnaround in 2018: the unit gave up a league-low 18 sacks, and ranked as a top-four group in Football Outsiders‘ pass-blocking and run-blocking metrics. Nevertheless, the Colts still opted to fire offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo and replace him with former Broncos staffer Chris Strausser.

Josh Gordon, Martavis Bryant May Apply For Reinstatement By May

February 7th, 2019 at 7:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Suspended NFL wideouts Josh Gordon and Martavis Bryant may be able to apply for reinstatement by May, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Both Gordon and Bryant are suspended — not banished — from the NFL, which, as Pelissero note,s in an important distinction given that banishment would have lead to a one-year minimum absence from the league. However, both pass-catchers’ suspensions are indefinite in nature, so there’s no clear timeframe on when they can attempt to re-enter the NFL.

Nevertheless, if both Gordon and Bryant execute their treatment plans in accordance with the league’s wishes, the NFLPA may begin to “lay groundwork” for returns in May, per Pelissero. Such a plan could could potentially put both players back on the field by training camp, something Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported — at least, in the case of Gordon — on Wednesday.

Gordon, whom the Patriots acquired at midseason from the Browns, is scheduled to become a restricted free agent next month, so New England will soon need to decide at what level it will tender the 27-year-old. Bryant, meanwhile, was traded from the Steelers to the Raiders during the draft, but was subsequently cut and re-signed in September. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in March, but clearly shouldn’t be expected to find a new team until later this summer, at the least.

Redskins Interview Tim Rattay For QBs Coach

February 7th, 2019 at 6:29pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Redskins interviewed Tim Rattay for their quarterbacks coach position today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who adds Rattay has a “good chance” to land the job.

Washington is seeking to find a replacement for former quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell, who earlier this month was promoted to offensive coordinator. Rattay, 41, has never coached at the NFL level, but he did play in the league (primarily as a backup) from 2000-07. After retiring, Rattay worked as the wide receivers coach for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League before joining Louisiana Tech in 2013. He coached the Bulldogs’ pass-catchers for two years before taking over as quarterbacks coach in 2015.

While Rattay hasn’t held an NFL coaching job, he did interview for the Raiders’ QBs coach position last offseason. As such, it’s possible Oakland head coach Jon Gruden put in a good word for Rattay with his brother — and Redskins head coach — Jay Gruden.

Cardinals Sign CB Robert Alford

February 7th, 2019 at 5:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cardinals have signed former Falcons cornerback Robert Alford to a three-year contract, the club announced today. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first reported (via Twitter) that Alford, who was released by Atlanta earlier this week, was working out an agreement with the Cards.

Alford’s thee-year pact has a base value of $22.5MM and could be worth up to $24MM, tweets Rapoport. The ex-Falcons defensive back was earning $9.5MM annually under his Atlanta contract, so Alford will take a pay cut as he heads to the Cardinals. His deal reportedly contains $13MM in guarantees, although those are likely injury guarantees and not full guarantees.

Arizona has previously attempted to fill its No. 2 corner void by making veteran additions, and it’s worked at points, with Antonio Cromartie and Tramon Williams representing success stories opposite top defensive back Patrick Peterson. The Cardinals attempted a similar strategy in 2018 by acquiring Jamar Taylor from the Browns prior to the regular season, but he struggled in the desert and was ultimately released in November.

Career journeyman Bene Benwikere ended up playing the second-most snaps of any Cardinals cornerback last year, but Arizona ranked just 23rd in DVOA against opposing No. 2 wideouts, so they were searching for an upgrade. As a bonus, Alford won’t affect the Cards’ compensatory pick calculations given that he was a street free agent following his release from the Falcons.

Alford, 30, had been one of Atlanta’s longest-tenured players, as he’d been with the club since being selected in the second round of the 2013 draft. An 88-game veteran, Alford started 15 games a season ago but posted arguably the worst campaign of his pro career. Pro Football Focus graded Alford as a bottom-10 cornerback league-wide, while he ranked dead last among 85 qualifiers in Football Outsiders’ yards per pass allowed and success rate.

Rams Re-Sign QB Brandon Allen

February 7th, 2019 at 4:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams re-signed the practice squad quarterback Brandon Allen, according to the NFL’s transactions wire. In a related move, the club also re-signed offensive tackle Darrell Williams. 

Allen spent the year on the Rams’ practice squad but was with the club for the bulk of the 2017 season on their main roster. Like many QBs on the fringe, Allen has yet to throw a pass in a real NFL game.

Depending on how the rest of the offseason shakes out, Allen may have an opportunity to stick on the 53-man roster. As of this writing, he’s the only other QB on the roster outside of starter Jared Goff. Sean Mannion, last year’s No. 2 QB, will be a free agent in March.

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