HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Bills’ HC “Concerned” About Vaccine Timing

May 29th, 2021 at 10:15am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills are back on the field in Orchard Park for voluntary workouts and head coach Sean McDermott says things are about “60% normal” in Orchard Park. With that said, McDermott is still hoping to see more of his players get vaccinated in a timely fashion. 

“I’m concerned about it, being very up front,” McDermott said (via the Democrat and Chronicle). “It’s something we’ve talked about and I don’t think the right word is trying to convince (people to get the shot); I think the right word is to educate and build awareness and then let people decide. It’s kind of two-pronged, if you will, with health and safety and then what you’ve got to do to do your job. I think those are the two prongs of the fork right now that must be considered and considered seriously.”

Recently, quarterback Josh Allen indicated that he was still gathering information with regards to the vaccine and weighing his options. Meanwhile, McDermott has to tread lightly on the subject after his GM caused a recent stir.

“Yeah, I would [cut players who refuse the vaccine], because [getting vaccinated] would be an advantage,” Brandon Beane said earlier this month. “I think there’s going to be some incentives if you have X -percent of your players and staff vaccinated. You can live normal…let’s just call it, back to the old days. If you don’t, it’s going to look more like last year…I hope that, if those are the rules, we’ll be able to get enough people vaccinated and not have to deal with all the headaches from a year ago.”

Soon after, the NFL reached out to Beane to let him know that players cannot be released solely for declining the vaccine. NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith also bashed the Bills GM for his remarks. So, while the NFL is incentivizing players with relaxed protocols, the choice ultimately lies with the players.

Lions Place Joel Heath On IR

May 29th, 2021 at 9:45am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have placed defensive lineman Joel Heath on injured reserve, per a club announcement. This was the expected move after Heath suffered a torn ACL while working out at the Lions’ facility earlier this week.

Heath, a Michigan State product, went undrafted in 2016 and signed his first deal with the Texans. He went on to appear in 32 games for Houston, including 16 starts. Then, the Broncos claimed him towards the end of 2019 and re-upped him in 2020, but he didn’t see any action in Denver and opted-out of the 2020 season.

Heath hooked on with the Lions earlier this year with the hope that he would crack the defensive line rotation. Unfortunately, he suffered a freak injury midway through a bag drill on Wednesday. Now, he’ll focus on recovery with an eye on 2022.

The Lions’ revamped 3-4 scheme will feature newcomer Michael Brockers plus Day 2 rookie DLs Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill. Meanwhile, Romeo Okwara and Trey Flowers will be shifted to outside linebacker.

Browns Will Not Pursue Julio Jones; Patriots’ Interest Mild?

May 28th, 2021 at 10:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shortly after any potential Browns-Aaron Rodgers rumors stopped in their tracks early, the ascending team will pass on the latest big name connected to a trade.

Cleveland is not interested in Julio Jones, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot, who adds no Odell Beckham Jr.-for-Jones swap should be expected. Despite a rocky start in Ohio, which has involved trade rumblings, Beckham remains a player the Browns are high on. They are eager to see him back healthy in 2021, with Cabot adding the team has no plans to adjust its receiver room — which houses OBJ, Jarvis Landry and the recently re-signed Rashard Higgins — at this juncture.

[RELATED: First-Round Pick Offered For Julio Jones] 

While Cleveland did not profile as a Jones fit, Super Bowl aspirations notwithstanding, New England does. The Patriots have held internal discussions on the future Hall of Fame wideout, but the franchise known to make a splashy receiver trade from time to time may sit this one out. At this point, the Patriots’ interest in Jones is tepid, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer.

The Patriots reside in the top 10 in cap space ($15MM-plus), but they have not signed their top three draft picks. That will account for a few million. Though New England could move some funds around, the Falcons having a first-rounder on the table may change the equation for the Pats. Atlanta would surely prefer to send Jones to the AFC, but if an NFC team is the only one offering a first, that may well take precedence.

New England signed Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne early in free agency, with Agholor collecting more guaranteed money than all but two 2021 UFA receivers (Kenny Golladay and Corey Davis). The Patriots clearly have big plans for the ex-Eagles and Raiders wideout, even though he has been inconsistent. Jones would certainly help Cam Newton and/or Mac Jones, but he does not have a no-trade clause. He may well be sent elsewhere.

NFL Changes Cutdown Format, Training Camp Schedule

May 28th, 2021 at 10:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

In recent years, the NFL used an all-at-once roster-cutdown format that brought transaction avalanches following the preseason’s conclusion. This year, the league will tweak that structure.

Come August, teams will be mandated to trim their rosters gradually. Rather than trimming rosters from 90 to 53 players, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets teams will be required to cut players in multiple stages — from 90 to 85, 85 to 80 and from 80 to 53 — in August.

Teams must get down to 85 players by Aug. 17, move down to 80 by Aug. 24 and set their final rosters on Aug. 31. These respective cut dates come after each of the new-look preseason’s three weeks, so teams will have fewer players on their rosters by the third week of the preseason. This may force teams to play a few more regulars in their preseason finales. As Hard Knocks viewers know, the NFL once had a cutdown structure that mandated teams reduce their rosters to 75 players late in the preseason ahead of the 53-man finalization. This recent adjustment harkens back to that.

Additionally, the NFL set July 27 as a de facto return-to-camp date for most of its teams. Twenty-nine of the 32 teams will open their respective camps that Tuesday, Pelissero adds (on Twitter). The CBA allows for camps to begin 47 days before Week 1. The three teams who will begin camp prior to that date — the Steelers, Cowboys and Buccaneers — are either set to play in the preseason-opening Hall of Fame Game or open Week 1 on a Thursday. Dallas is scheduled to do both.

Saints Prioritizing Ryan Ramczyk Extension

May 28th, 2021 at 9:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Four members of the Saints’ loaded 2017 draft class remain on the team, though only Alvin Kamara is locked up beyond this season. The Saints have Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk and Marcus Williams signed this year, via the fifth-year option and the franchise tag.

New Orleans has until July 15 to extend Williams this year but holds uninterrupted negotiating rights with Ramczyk and Lattimore until next year’s legal tampering period. As of now, the Saints’ extension queue looks to have Ramczyk at the top. The standout right tackle is the team’s top priority to retain long-term, Jeff Duncan of The Athletic notes (subscription required).

The prospect of Ramczyk and Lattimore extensions surfaced in March, but Saints GM Mickey Loomis managed to slash the team’s payroll under this year’s reduced cap with the option prices and Williams’ tag on the books. An extension would obviously give the team some additional room, but Duncan notes Terron Armstead‘s status complicates Ramczyk’s situation. With Armstead going into his age-30 season and in a contract year, Ramczyk is also a candidate to move to left tackle in 2022 — if the Saints do not extend Armstead.

Given the gap that has formed between left tackle and right tackle salaries — a $5MM gulf between the highest-paid left and right tackles — the Ramczyk extension talks will be interesting. Lane Johnson‘s $18MM-per-year deal, agreed to in 2019, remains the only right tackle contract north of $14MM annually. A three-time first- or second-team All-Pro who at 27 is four years younger than Johnson, Ramcyzk is certainly a candidate to bridge the left tackle-right tackle gap.

The urgency to reach an extension pact this year does not seem to exist with Lattimore, Duncan adds. The Pro Bowl cornerback is two years younger than Ramczyk and has been a key piece in the Saints’ defensive turnaround of the past few years. Although Lattimore was arrested earlier this year, he has been a four-year starter and could land on the franchise tag radar in 2022. Since Lattimore first became extension-eligible after the 2019 season, the cornerback market has changed considerably. The market went from no players earning more than $16MM annually to five making that much; Jalen Ramsey and Marlon Humphrey now earn north of $19MM per year. This spike in corner salaries should complicate Lattimore talks.

Latest On Giants’ Saquon Barkley Plans

May 28th, 2021 at 7:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Saquon Barkley‘s ACL tear occurred Sept. 20, 2020, but the Pro Bowl running back did not undergo surgery until late October. The Giants believe Barkley is progressing on schedule, but it will still be a bit before he returns to full work.

Barkley, who also suffered MCL and meniscus damage on that play in Chicago, is not expected to participate fully in Giants practices at the start of training camp, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com notes. The Giants have been busy stocking their backfield this offseason, adding a host of Barkley backups through various acquisition varieties. That Devontae Booker-led contingent should be called on often come camp.

Despite Barkley having resumed sprinting and jumping, his team will play it safe. He may be given the green light for regular work near the end of camp, but Raanan adds the Giants plan to hold Barkley back a bit — usage-wise — to start the season. The Giants playing the long game with their dynamic back makes sense, with the 24-year-old talent also having suffered a notable injury — a high ankle sprain — in 2019 and with the first 17-game season approaching.

The Giants picked up Barkley’s fifth-year option and are eyeing a long-term future with the former No. 2 overall pick. That may mean Booker and whoever else makes the team behind Barkley seeing more time early this season. New York gave Booker a two-year, $6MM deal and then added Corey Clement in free agency and claimed Ryquell Armstead off waivers from the Jaguars. The Giants also drafted Gary Brightwell in the sixth round. This will be a new crew of Barkley backups, and they may be busier than expected in September.

Packers Not Budging On Aaron Rodgers Trade Stance

May 28th, 2021 at 6:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

After not spending much time in front of cameras between his Jeopardy!-hosting stint and the news of his desire to leave Green Bay surfacing, Aaron Rodgers ventured back into the public eye this week. The reigning MVP stopped in for an interview during Kenny Mayne’s final SportsCenter and surfaced in Instagram vacation photos with fiancée Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller.

In roundabout fashion, Rodgers affirmed his discontent with Packers management. But the Packers are not changing their tune. They are holding firm on their stance they will not trade their 13-year starting quarterback, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes.

While this saga has generated a few weeks’ worth of rumors, since Rodgers’ wish to be traded became known just before the draft, Packers power brokers have attempted to break through with him for months now. Those efforts have been unsuccessful. Usually a participant in Green Bay OTAs, Rodgers obviously is not in Wisconsin this week. Packers minicamp looms June 8; it would be surprising if Rodgers showed for that. Training camp will provide a better view of how entrenched the future Hall of Famer is here.

The case for the Packers hanging onto Rodgers is fairly simple. The 37-year-old superstar keeps them on the Super Bowl contender tier, and despite most modern first-round QBs entering Year 2 as starters, Jordan Love is viewed as a player perhaps not quite ready for such a jump.

The Packers have the threat of forcing Rodgers to sit out what could well be one of his final prime seasons. Skipping the season would cost Rodgers his $14.7MM 2021 base salary, a $6.8MM ’21 roster bonus, a portion of his previously paid signing bonus and a notable collection of training camp absence fines. Rodgers has not hinted this rift concerns finances, however, and has earned hundreds of millions from Packers contracts and endorsement deals as a pro. He has been known to hold a grudge or two as well.

Trading Rodgers would hurt the Packers financially, even after June 1. They would have a $38.4MM dead-money hit spread out through 2022. Dealing the quarterback next year would lessen the dead-cap hit. Though, the Packers would still be tagged with an eight-figure penalty. A 2022 trade — ahead of Rodgers’ age-39 season — may involve inferior trade proposals compared to the ones that would come Green Bay’s way this year. Offers including multiple first-round picks and established starters have been mentioned as the likely starting point, with the Broncos being the team most closely connected to a potential pursuit.

The prospect of an unhappy Rodgers returning to play this season would certainly make for an awkward environment at the Packers facility, but ahead of that pivotal June 1 date, that scenario still appears to be the team’s goal.

Le’Veon Bell Plans To Play In 2021

May 28th, 2021 at 4:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Le’Veon Bell‘s NFL profile has taken a significant hit since his Steelers days, the former All-Pro running back is still in his 20s and plans to play in 2021. As for the reasoning behind his tumble off the Pro Bowl level, the veteran back took aim at the Jets.

In a brief Q&A with fans, the two-time All-Pro said he is taking his time in free agency. We have not heard any Bell news since his Chiefs contract expired, but the 29-year-old back said he will not rush this decision (Twitter link).

A first-team All-Pro in 2014 and 2017, Bell played a pivotal role in the ’17 Steelers going 13-3. But after he became the first franchise-tagged player to sit out a full season since Chiefs defensive lineman Dan Williams in 1998, a swift decline followed. Bell signed a four-year, $52.5MM deal with the Jets in 2019 but averaged just 3.2 yards per carry in his first New York season, which involved a far inferior offensive line compared to the setup he enjoyed in Pittsburgh. In 2020, the Jets cut their losses after just two Bell games.

In one of his responses, Bell said the Jets met his financial goals but failed on every other front (Twitter link). He also cites a lack of usage with the Jets as a reason for his regression. Bell indeed logged an NFL-high 406 touches in 2017, but his 311 for the Jets in 2019 ranked eighth that season. The Bell-era Steelers also featured a veteran-laden offensive line and top-level O-line coach Mike Munchak, whereas the ’19 Jets lacked both continuity and talent on their offensive front.

“Lol the only difference with the Steelers was they gave me opportunity… haven’t had that since I left,” Bell said (Twitter links). “I probably need to play for a defensive minded head coach instead of these offensive minded guru’s (sic). “I had more touches in 2017 for the Steelers than I had my entire time with the Jets… that’s what I mean by ‘opportunity.'”

After Bell caught on with the Chiefs midseason, he totaled 254 rushing yards (4.0 per carry) in nine regular-season games. Kansas City, however, did not use him in either the AFC championship game or Super Bowl LV. Bell’s lighter 2020 workload (113 touches) — after a throwback usage rate in Pittsburgh — may help extend his career. Of course, his production since leaving the Steelers leaves a lot to be desired.

It certainly will not surprise if Bell receives another opportunity. Running back injuries are rampant every year, and a few teams — the Bengals, Chargers, Dolphins, Falcons and Seahawks, to name five — feature some health- or experience-related questions in their respective backfields. (The Jets fall into this category as well, but that bridge is burned.) Bell, however, is running out of chances to revive his career.

Jaguars To Hire Nick Sorensen As Special Teams Coordinator

May 28th, 2021 at 3:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jaguars’ special teams coordinator search is expected to end with a familiar name. Former Jags special-teamer Nick Sorensen is on track to take over in this role, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

A former 10-year NFL veteran, Sorensen played for the Jaguars for four seasons in the 2000s. Sorensen, 42, has spent the past eight seasons as a defensive and special teams assistant in Seattle, where he was on staff with previous Jags ST coordinator Brian Schneider.

Jacksonville needed to make this unusual mid-offseason coordinator hire after Schneider stepped down from his new post for personal reasons earlier last week. This marked the second straight year Schneider left a job; he vacated his 10-year post as Seahawks ST coordinator for personal reasons in 2020 but opted to join Urban Meyer‘s staff in Jacksonville. Now, one of Schneider’s former Seahawk coworkers will land the gig.

With the Jags from 2003-06, Sorensen served as a special teams captain before moving into coaching during the 2010s. Sorensen’s first Seahawks season doubled as the franchise’s Super Bowl-winning slate. The Jags, who have Carlos Polk in place as their assistant special teams coach, also interviewed former Lions ST coordinator Brayden Coombs for the job.

49ers To Sign James Burgess

May 28th, 2021 at 10:41am CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers are set to sign James Burgess (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). It’ll be a one-year deal for the former Packers and Jets linebacker. 

Burgess went undrafted out of Louisville in 2016 and didn’t see the field until 2017 with the Browns. But, when he arrived in Cleveland, he notched four sacks and wound up starting nine of his 14 games. He later moved on to the Jets, serving as their starting middle linebacker for ten games in 2019. That year, he notched 80 total tackles, one interception, three passes defensed, and eight tackles for loss.

His 2020 with the Packers was a little less noteworthy — he saw just four games before losing the year to a hamstring injury. Now, he’ll get a shot to stick with the Niners, who are also taking a look at ex-Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall. Marshall, 32 in September, was a key player for Denver’s 2015 Super Bowl squad, but he’s been slowed by injuries of his own in recent years. It’s not immediately clear whether Marshall is still in the mix for SF after the addition of Burgess.

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