HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Former 11th Overall Pick Anthony Davis Attempting Comeback

May 3rd, 2019 at 10:02am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Anthony Davis is attempting another comeback. Not the NBA superstar, but the former 49ers offensive tackle. Davis is un-retiring and has filed paperwork to be reinstated by the league, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. 

Davis was the 11th overall pick of the 49ers back in 2010, so this is pretty notable. The Rutgers product became an immediate starter in San Francisco, starting all 16 games at right tackle in each of his first four seasons in the league. He started for the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. After the 2014 season, Davis announced his intention to retire, citing his health as the main reason for walking away.

He briefly attempted a comeback after the 2015 season, and returned to the 49ers. He played in just one game in 2016 before stepping away again. Davis sent a letter to commissioner Roger Goodell explaining his decision, which Florio obtained. In it, he seemed to indicate that concerns about concussions were at least partially what was keeping him away.

“On January 24, 2019, I read articles by 3 different sources pertaining to there being a significant decrease in concussions in the NFL, down by 29 percent in the 2018 season,” Davis wrote. “Excited to see that the changes you and your staff have made to the rules, and the allowance of safer equipment to be worn has had a positive effect, I confided with my family and on January 28, 2019 I made the decision that I’d love to play in the NFL again.”

Davis sustained a concussion in Week 1 of 2016, so this makes sense. He hasn’t played in a few years, but he’s still only 29. He’s always been high on talent, so he should be able to get a look from somebody assuming he follows through with his decision.

Bears Sign 22 UDFAs

May 3rd, 2019 at 9:02am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Bears have quite a big UDFA class. Chicago announced that they have signed the following 22 undrafted free agents:

  • Alex Bars, OL (Notre Dame) ($35K of his base salary guaranteed, $5K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter)
  • Sam Mustipher, OL (Notre Dame)
  • Daryle Banfield, DL (Brown)
  • John Baron II, K (San Diego State)
  • Matt Betts, LB (Laval)
  • Blake Blackmar, OL (Baylor)
  • Ian Bunting, TE (California)
  • Jomon Dotson, DB (Nevada)
  • Clifton Duck, DB (Appalachian State)
  • Emanuel Hall, WR (Missouri)
  • Jonathan Harris, DL (Lindenwood)
  • Chuck Harris, LB (Buffalo)
  • Thomas Ives, WR (Colgate)
  • Doyin Jibowu, DB (Fort Hays State)
  • Joe Lowery, OL (Ohio)
  • Lawrence Marshall, DE (Michigan)
  • Adarius Pickett, DB (UCLA)
  • Dax Raymond, TE (Utah State) ($30K of his base salary guaranteed with a $15K signing bonus, per Wilson on Twitter)
  • Ellis Richardson, TE (Georgia Southern)
  • Josh Simmons, DB (Limestone)
  • Marquez Tucker, OL (Southern Utah)
  • John Wirtel, LS (Kansas)

The Bears opted for a lot of small school players, adding guys from places like Limestone, Colgate, Fort Hays State, Lindenwood, and Laval. The signings of Bars and Mustipher are notable because they have a connection to the coaching staff. Both players were coached by current Bears offensive line coach Harry Hiestand when they were at Notre Dame. The Bears hired Hiestand away from Notre Dame before last season, and he knows what he’s getting in these two players.

It’s also notable that the Bears signed a kicker, because the job will be up for grabs in training camp. Chicago is looking to replace Cody Parkey after his disastrous 2018 season, and they need someone consistent. Baron was a solid college kicker at SDSU with a big leg, as his career long was 54 yards, which is pretty impressive for a college kicker. The Bears already have former AAF kicker Elliott Fry and former Tulsa kicker Redford Jones on the roster, so they’re clearly planning on having a battle royale kicking competition this offseason.

Eagles Sign LB Zach Brown

May 3rd, 2019 at 8:09am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Zach Brown has found a new home. The linebacker is signing a one-year, $3MM deal with the Eagles, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (Twitter link).

Brown was released by the Redskins back in March, and he’s staying in the NFC East. He’ll now get a chance at revenge against his old team twice a year. Washington tried to shop him in trade talks before cutting him, but they were unable to find a partner. Inside linebacker Jordan Hicks left Philly for Arizona this offseason, and Brown will help replace him in the middle.

Brown received extremely high grades from Pro Football Focus last year, grading out as their third best linebacker overall behind only Bobby Wagner and Luke Kuechly. NFL evaluators evidently weren’t as high on his play. In 16 games and 12 starts last year, Brown racked up 96 tackles, ten for a loss, and one sack with two forced fumbles.

Originally drafted in the second round out of North Carolina back in 2012, Brown spent the first four years of his career with Tennessee. He then signed a one-year deal with Buffalo for 2016. The Redskins re-signed him to a three-year deal worth up to $24MM last March, but he ended up making it just one year into that pact.

Other than a torn pec which cost him most of the 2014 season, Brown has managed to stay pretty healthy during his career, which is good news for the Eagles. Hicks had always been solid, but was plagued by injuries the last couple of seasons.

 

Giants Sign 13 UDFAs

May 2nd, 2019 at 9:53pm CST by Rory Parks

The Giants announced that they have signed the following undrafted free agents in advance of tomorrow’s rookie minicamp:

Cue the quarterback controversy, as Dungey could be coming for Daniel Jones‘ job. Well, probably not, but Dungey was in high demand after the draft was over, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. Dungey had offers from about five clubs, but a telephone call between the former Orange signal-caller and New York head coach Pat Shurmur helped seal the deal. Dungey could theoretically stick as the third QB if Big Blue goes in that direction, and his athleticism will certainly help his case for a roster spot, as he could contribute on special teams and/or as a gadget player. Dungey passed for 9,340 yards with 58 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in his four seasons at Syracuse, but he also rushed for 1,993 yards and 35 touchdowns.

The Giants addressed their flagging pass rush to some degree in the draft by selecting Old Dominion defensive end Oshane Ximines in the third round, and they may have uncovered a gem in Harvey, a converted running back. Harvey had 14.5 sacks last year and was named the AAC’s Defensive Player of the Year.

As evidenced by the large amount of guaranteed money they’re giving him, the Giants think highly of Tauaefa, a tackling machine who is capable of making plays behind the line of scrimmage and who posted over 100 tackles in two of his three collegiate seasons. And after adding three DBs in the draft, Big Blue added three more via UDFA signings, further underscoring its commitment to improving its defensive backfield.

Bucs’ Jason Pierre-Paul Involved In Car Accident

May 2nd, 2019 at 9:01pm CST by Rory Parks

Buccaneers defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul was involved in a single-car accident early Thursday morning, which TMZ first reported. The team has since confirmed the news.

Luckily, it appears that JPP was not seriously hurt. He did, however, seek medical attention at a South Florida-area hospital, as Jenna Laine of ESPN.com writes. GM Jason Licht issued the following statement:

“We have been informed that Jason was involved in a one-car accident early this morning in South Florida in which he was not cited. We know that he was evaluated at a local hospital and has since been released. Our immediate concern is for the safety and well-being of Jason and his passenger. We have been in contact with Jason and will be getting him further evaluated by our medical staff in the near future.”

As Licht notes, Pierre-Paul did not receive a citation, and TMZ indicates that he wasn’t speeding or otherwise engaged in any wrongdoing. It was simply an accident.

This sounds like it will have a much happier ending than JPP’s last offseason incident, in which a fireworks accident ultimately led to the amputation of his right index finger.

As Greg Auman of The Athletic observes, this is becoming sort of a Buccaneers family tradition (Twitter links). Last spring, LB Kendell Beckwith was involved in a car accident that forced him to miss the entire 2018 campaign and that has put his career in jeopardy. The year before, RB Doug Martin was in a car accident, though he did not sustain any serious injuries as a result.

Pierre-Paul posted 12.5 sacks for Tampa Bay last season, his first with the Bucs, and he will be counted on to spearhead the club’s pass rush again in 2019. Laine notes that JPP has not been in Tampa for the Bucs’ offseason program, opting to spend time with family instead, just as he did last year.

Ben Roethlisberger To Continue Playing Beyond 2021?

May 2nd, 2019 at 7:53pm CST by Rory Parks

The Steelers recently inked quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a lucrative contract extension that will keep him under club control through 2021. At the time, GM Kevin Colbert said that the contract would likely be Big Ben’s last.

That jibed with the sentiments that Colbert expressed earlier this year when he first indicated that he was exploring a new deal for his star quarterback. But now he’s suggesting that he would be open to keeping Roethlisberger around in 2022 — which would be Roethlisberger’s age-40 season — and beyond.

Colbert said (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), “I know [Roethlisberger] doesn’t have an expiration date. We just felt that [the extension] was a foreseeable future that we were able to do, and he was agreeable to. But I’m sure that he doesn’t have an expiration date. I know that he’s still very competitive. He still wants to do this at a high level.”

Of course, Tom Brady will be 42 before the season starts, Drew Brees will play his age-40 season this year, and Peyton Manning was almost 40 when he played his last game. Although those future Hall-of-Famers have not absorbed as many hits as Roethlisberger throughout their careers, they have shown that geriatric signal-callers have plenty to offer.

Colbert added, “What [Roethlisberger] wants is more Super Bowls. And he wants to continue to try to win, and we’re gonna support that. And that was a big part of why we were willing to do what we did, and now it’s our job to help him help us get there.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/2/19

May 2nd, 2019 at 7:28pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are today’s minor moves, which feature several recognizable signal-callers:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Waived: S Delvon Randall (signed as UDFA with partially-guaranteed contract on May 1)

Patriots Sign LB Shilique Calhoun

May 2nd, 2019 at 6:22pm CST by Rory Parks

The Patriots have signed linebacker Shilique Calhoun, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. In a corresponding move, the club has cut offensive tackle Ryker Mathews.

Calhoun was selected by the Raiders in the third round of the 2016 draft, but he never started a game for Oakland. In fact, he was waived during final cutdowns in September 2017, went unclaimed, and was subsequently re-signed to the Raiders’ practice squad. He ended up playing in nine games in 2017 and seven games last year, but he has been more of a special teams contributor than anything else. He was non-tendered by Oakland last month.

As Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk observes, Calhoun is the first player with NFL experience added to New England’s linebacking corps this offseason. He will likely compete for a rotational role on defense and for a spot on the Pats’ special teams unit.

For his career, Calhoun has 23 tackles and a half-sack.

Shane Ray To Visit Seahawks

May 2nd, 2019 at 5:34pm CST by Rory Parks

Now that the draft is over, the Shane Ray free agency tour can resume. The free agent edge rusher will meet with the Seahawks tomorrow, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (via Twitter).

Seattle is clearly on the lookout for pass rushing help after trading Frank Clark prior to the draft. The Seahawks hosted Ziggy Ansah earlier this week, and although they added TCU defensive end L.J. Collier in the first round, they are still a bit undermanned on the edge.

Ray, whom Denver selected in the first round of the 2015 draft, hasn’t exactly lived up to his draft pedigree, but he has shown flashes of promise. The 25-year-old (26 in May) amassed four sacks as a reserve in his rookie season and tallied a career-high eight sacks in 2016. Injuries have derailed him somewhat, however, as he has just two sacks in the last two years combined.

But he would have a good chance to get his career back on track in Seattle. He has also met with the Colts and Raiders, so teams are obviously interested in seeing what he can do.

Packers Sign Darnell Savage Jr.

May 2nd, 2019 at 4:55pm CST by Rory Parks

The Packers have already signed first-round draft pick Darnell Savage Jr. to his rookie contract, as NFL Insider Adam Caplan tweets. Savage is the first 2019 first-round choice to put pen to paper.

Savage was Green Bay’s second choice in the first round, and the Packers traded two fourth-round selections to move up nine spots to land the Maryland product with the No. 21 overall pick. Savage, a safety, has a great chance to become an instant starter alongside free agent acquisition Adrian Amos and should help solidify the Packers’ defensive backfield. He represents yet another example of the Packers’ attempts to shore up their defense this offseason.

Savage’s stock rose pretty dramatically in the weeks leading up to the draft. He put himself on the map as a junior with 59 tackles, eight pass breakups, and three interceptions, and he delivered yet again last year with four picks, two pass breakups, and 52 tackles (5.5 tackles for loss). He really impressed in workouts, however, and evaluators began to see him in a whole new light.

At 5’11 and 198 pounds, Savage lacks ideal size for the next level. However, the Packers feel that his athleticism, combined with his football IQ and his instincts, will make him a success story in the NFL.

Savage’s contract will be a standard four-year pact with a fifth-year option, and he will earn $12.5MM over the first four years of the deal.

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