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Month: November 2024

Dylan Donahue Gets Tryouts From Raiders, Redskins

May 11th, 2019 at 5:37pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Former Jets linebacker Dylan Donahue is looking to get back into the league. The West Georgia product had tryouts with the Redskins and Raiders this week, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

The last we heard of Donahue from an NFL perspective was last September, when the league slapped him with a 14-game suspension. Donahue was a popular sleeper pick among some in the draft community when the Jets took him in the fifth round back in 2017. He got injured a few weeks into his rookie season while blocking a punt, and missed the rest of the year.

Off-field incidents quickly then derailed his career, and the Jets cut him right before the start of last season. Donahue was arrested twice for DWI last offseason, including one incident where he was driving on the wrong side of the road and hit a bus. Given the lengthy suspension, there was no reason for any team to sign him.

He then played for the Atlanta Legends during the ill-fated 2019 AAF season. Now that he’s served his suspension he’s looking to get back on a pro roster, and he’s apparently getting some legit interest. We’ll keep you posted if his comeback picks up anymore steam.

Latest On Falcons’ Devonta Freeman

May 11th, 2019 at 4:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Injuries kept Devonta Freeman out for almost all of the Falcons’ 2018 season, but the team let Tevin Coleman walk in free agency. This points to confidence in their starter re-emerging from a multi-malady season.

Dan Quinn indeed expects his starting running back to be full-go by training camp, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes. The fifth-year Falcons coach said Freeman is set to be ready by the start of camp.

“We can’t wait to get Free back,” Quinn said. “He’s having such an awesome offseason. His energy, his juice, like him being around the team, you feel what he brings.”

Knee, foot and groin injuries derailed Freeman last year. He played in just two games and gained just 91 yards from scrimmage. The 27-year-old back has been working with the Falcons this offseason. He did not undergo offseason knee surgery, Ledbetter adds.

Freeman returning would obviously boost Atlanta’s offense, which may well have two new starting linemen in the mix in first-rounders Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary. Atlanta still has Ito Smith, who averaged just 3.5 yards per carry last season (compared to Coleman’s 4.5), and Day 3 rookies Qadree Ollison and Marcus Green will vie for backup gigs.

A former fourth-round pick, Freeman became the Falcons’ starter in his second season and made back-to-back Pro Bowls. The Falcons signed him to a five-year, $41.25MM extension in 2017. Freeman signing bonuses are on Atlanta’s books through 2021, making it financially disadvantageous to part ways with the suddenly injury-prone back until that year.

Bell Plans To Report To Jets Minicamp

May 11th, 2019 at 3:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Le’Veon Bell has not made an appearance at a minicamp or training camp since 2016, and he is now away from the team that doled out the contract he sought for years. It appears, however, the Jets’ recently signed running back does plan to suit up in practice gear for his team fairly soon.

Bell has skipped the Jets’ voluntary portion of the offseason so far, opting to train on his own. But Adam Gase expects him to show for their minicamp. The mandatory workouts run from June 4-6.

“We had a conversation about what was kind of his schedule,” Gase said, via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “We’ll kind of see how the OTAs go. As of right now, I know the mandatory stuff … he said he was going to be here for that. So, I don’t expect him to not show up for (minicamp).”

Despite the Jets’ public stance being they are OK with Bell skipping their offseason program so far, Mehta notes they are not exactly pleased by this development.

Bell in 2017 earned All-Pro honors despite missing the entire Steelers offseason program, during his first franchise-tagged season, but he obviously had far more familiarity with Pittsburgh’s offense than the does with his new team’s. Every other Jets starter has reported for the team’s offseason program. Bell skipped last season and made it to free agency, signing a four-year, $52MM Jets contract.

“When it’s time to play football,” Bell wrote (via Instagram) when asked when he will show up. “I got to stick to the formula that I know works for me to be the best player I can be…I’m not just tryna win football games; I want a ring! I want to desperately show everybody what I can what I can REALLY do…I’ll take the heat right now. Everybody will forget about that once January comes around.”

Gase and GM Mike Maccagnan were apparently not on the same page when it came to how much to pay Bell, but the Jets are committed to him now. It sounds like their best chance of getting their first glimpse of their new starting running back will come next month.

Giants, Mike Remmers Agree To Deal

May 11th, 2019 at 2:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants will add a possible right tackle solution. Following two visits this offseason, Remmers intends to sign with the Giants, according to his agent (Twitter link).

Remmers’ agent, Brett Tessler, indeed confirmed the Giants are signing Remmers with the intent of using him as a right tackle. The Vikings initially stationed Remmers at that spot, during part of their 2017 NFC championship game-qualifying season, but played him exclusively at right guard last season. A former Dave Gettleman addition in Carolina, Remmers will attempt to resurface as a steady right tackle option in New York.

After trading for Kevin Zeitler, the Giants were linked for several weeks to veteran right tackles. They had trouble staffing that position last season, moving from failed first-round pick Ereck Flowers to former UDFA Chad Wheeler. Gettleman has voiced a continued desire to upgrade the Giants’ offensive front, and after 2018 brought Nate Solder and Will Hernandez into the fold, Big Blue now has two more veterans — in Zeitler and Remmers — in its projected lineup.

Remmers, 30, did not grade especially well on an embattled Vikings front last season — which preceded a Vikings release. But he started 16 games and has proven durable since becoming a full-timer in 2015. He manned Minnesota’s right edge to start 2017 but was moved inside during the season. Remembered for his struggles against Von Miller in Super Bowl 50, Remmers nonetheless will bring 59 games’ worth of starting experience to the Giants’ O-line.

While some of Gettleman’s personnel moves have been hotly debated, the Giants undoubtedly feature a much better offensive line compared to when the 67-year-old GM took over.

Staff Notes: Newsome, Panthers, Lions

May 11th, 2019 at 2:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite ceding his post as Ravens GM to longtime lieutenant Eric DeCosta, Ozzie Newsome remains a central presence in Baltimore’s front office. He played a key role in the Ravens adding Earl Thomas, despite not having an official title. He does now. Amid a staff shakeup, the Ravens revealed (via Pennlive.com) Newsome will serve as their executive vice president. The Hall of Fame tight end and Super Bowl-winning executive will continue to advise DeCosta. This should help a Ravens team in a bit of a transition, considering Terrell Suggs, Joe Flacco and C.J. Mosley are no longer with the franchise. Newsome, 63, sticking around will provide vital continuity.

Here is the latest on some front office situations around the league, staying first with more from the Ravens’ new-look staff:

  • The Ravens will now have co-directors of player personnel, moving former college scouting director Joe Horwitz and previous senior personnel assistant George Kokinis into the position. The Ravens brought in Kokinis in 2010, following a short stay as the Browns’ general manager. The Ravens promoted Mark Azevedo from his northeast area scout post to player personnel coordinator and made Chad Alexander their assistant director of pro and college personnel. Vincent Newsome will move from director of pro personnel into a senior player personnel executive position, and Nick Matteo will now oversee the Ravens’ salary cap. Matteo spent 10 years as an NFL management council exec.
  • While their staff changes were not as sweeping as the Ravens’, the Panthers have some key figures in new positions. A 22nd-year Panthers exec, Jeff Morrow will take over as Carolina’s player personnel director after heading the franchise’s college scouting department. Fourth-year Panthers staffer Eric Stokes will move into Morrow’s former role. Former Panthers wide receiver Mark Carrier, a ninth-year member of the team’s front office, will become executive director of the Panthers’ football staff.
  • Lastly, the Lions reshuffled a few roles. Dave Sears will rise from Detroit’s assistant director of college scouting to leading that department. Rob Lohman will make the same move on the pro side. Both Sears and Lohman have been with the Lions for 13 years.

Chargers Sign Four Draft Picks

May 11th, 2019 at 12:44pm CST by Ben Levine

The Chargers inked half of their draft class to contracts this morning. The team announced (via Twitter) that they’ve signed four rookies:

Tranquill has the best shot of establishing a role with the Chargers in 2019. While Los Angeles did add free agent Thomas Davis, the team is only rostering 11 linebackers at the moment (not including undrafted rookies). Plus, Tranquill previously played safety in college, and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley will surely look for creative ways to capitalize on the rookie’s versatility. The Notre Dame product finished the 2018 season having compiled 86 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Egbule should also have a chance to rise up the linebackers depth chart. At the very least, the sixth-rounder out of Houston should contribute on special teams, and his speed will put him in position for plenty of tackles. Egbule wrapped up his collegiate career with 69 tackles and two sacks.

Stick is another intriguing prospect, but mostly because of his position. Philip Rivers and Tyrod Taylor will start the season atop the Chargers’ depth chart, but Stick will have an opportunity to compete with Cardale Jones for that third spot. Last season, Stick completed a career-high 62.3-percent of his passes for 2,752 yards, 28 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He also added another 677 rushing yards.

Following today’s moves, the Chargers still have three unsigned draft picks: first-round defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, second-round safety Nasir Adderley, and third-round offensive tackle Trey Pipkins.

Bucs’ Gerald McCoy Discusses Trade Rumors

May 11th, 2019 at 11:41am CST by Ben Levine

We’ve been hearing for several months that the Buccaneers have been looking to move on from veteran defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, but the front office hasn’t had much success finding a trade partner. Thanks to the uncertainty, the 31-year-old didn’t show up to the team’s offseason workouts back in April. Despite his absence, McCoy made it clear this week that he’ll suit up for whatever team’s rostering him come the start of the regular season.

“I will be playing football somewhere,” McCoy told Mike Cairns of Spectrum Sports 360 in Tampa (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). When asked if he’ll be playing football for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, McCoy said “I don’t know. We’ll see. Fans know I love them. I’ll be on the field at some point.”

Since McCoy hasn’t been generating a whole lot of trade interest, it’s led some to assume that the veteran will ultimately be released by the Bucs. McCoy is due $13MM in 2019, and he is under contract through 2021, with cap charges north of $12MM in each of the next two years. The Buccaneers can move on from the defensive tackle without any dead money ramifications.

As Smith points out, it may be in McCoy’s best interest to attend the team’s voluntary workouts. If the lineman were to get injured, the Buccaneers would be responsible for his entire salary. As a result, his attendance could spark some urgency in the front office. Smith also notes that Jason Pierre-Paul‘s neck injury further complicates matters. There are rumors that the defensive end could be out for six months, meaning the defensive line with further lean on McCoy. The Buccaneers could choose to place JPP on the non-football injury list, a financial move that could change their opinion on McCoy’s roster spot.

In 2018, McCoy ranked fourth among defensive tackles with 21 quarterback hits and finished as the NFL’s No. 28 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus. However, he hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2013, and he hasn’t graded as a top-10 interior defender since 2014.

Bengals Waive LB Brandon Bell

May 11th, 2019 at 10:49am CST by Ben Levine

Brandon Bell‘s tenure with the Bengals has come to an end. ESPN’s Katherine Terrell reports (via Twitter) that the organization has waived the linebacker. Cincy also cut wideout Charles Holland, and they’ve added a trio of undrafted tryout players: wideout Ventell Bryant (Temple), linebacker Noah Dawkins (The Citadel), and linebacker Sterling Sheffield (Maine).

Bell joined the Bengals as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State back in 2017, and he proceeded to appear in nine games for Cincy over his two years with the organization. He appeared in a career-high six games this past season, compiling four tackles. The 24-year-old was waived last offseason before landing on the team’s practice squad, so there could still be some hope that Bell will rejoin the organization.

Holland was one of three undrafted wideouts to join the Bengals earlier this week. The Tiffin product had another productive season in 2018, hauling in 77 receptions for 976 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Bryant will seemingly be taking Holland’s spot on the roster. The Temple product had another standout season in 2018, compiling 51 receptions for 690 yards and three scores. Meanwhile, the Bengals brought in a pair of linebackers to replace Bell. Dawkins set a school record with 23 sacks in 2018, while Sheffield completed his senior season with 8.5 sacks.

Latest On Jets’ Adam Gase, Mike Maccagnan

May 11th, 2019 at 9:26am CST by Ben Levine

We heard last month that there was friction between Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan and new head coach Adam Gase. Maccagnan had already downplayed the reports, and Gase also dismissed those whispers yesterday.

“I don’t know who decides to put that stuff out there,” Gase said (via Brian Costello of the New York Post). “It kind of pisses me off a little bit. We have discussion on everything. That’s our job. We have to work through so much stuff. That’s what we have to do. That’s all we’ve done since we’ve been here.

“Since we started, we’ve been in constant communication whether he’s coming down to my office or I’m going to his office, that’s all we’re trying to do is make sure we’re on the same page all the time. We’re trying to put this thing together as well as we can in a short period of time.”

The initial report said that Maccagnan and Gase disagreed over the Jets’ free agent strategy. CEO Christopher Johnson subsequently visiting team facilities to “observe the dynamic between the coach and general manager.”

Costello acknowledges that the duo hasn’t always seen eye to eye during their brief stint together. Specifically, the two had differing opinions on how much the organization should pay star free agent running back Le’Veon Bell. Ultimately, the writer says that the “issues were settled and things were overblown.”

Contract Details: Howard, Ansah, Calhoun

May 11th, 2019 at 8:50am CST by Ben Levine

A look at the details on recent deals from around the NFL:

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