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NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/4/16

January 4th, 2016 at 7:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that the 2015 regular season is in the books, teams can begin signing players to reserve/futures contracts, adding those players to their 90-man offseason rosters. Generally, these players finished the season on a team’s practice squad, though some were free agents at season’s end.

Here are today’s reserve/futures deals:

Atlanta Falcons signed four players (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com)

Baltimore Ravens signed seven players (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun):

  • Brennen Beyer, LB
  • Leon Brown, G
  • Nordly Capi, DE
  • Blaine Clausell, T
  • Chuck Jacobs, WR
  • Nick Perry, S
  • Harold Spears, TE

Buffalo Bills signed seven players (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com)

Chicago Bears signed nine players (Twitter link via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune):

Cleveland Browns signed six players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Dallas Cowboys signed eight players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Denver Broncos signed four players (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9NEWS)

Detroit Lions signed five players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Jacksonville Jaguars signed nine players (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union):

Miami Dolphins signed one player (link)

  • Tyler Davis, WR

New Orleans Saints signed five players (link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune):

New York Giants signed six players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Philadelphia Eagles signed seven players (Twitter link via team):

San Diego Chargers signed six players (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego)

Seattle Seahawks signed three players (Twitter link via Wilson)

  • Andrew East, LS
  • Ronnie Shields, TE
  • Phillip Sims, QB

Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed nine players (link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times):

  • Josh Allen, G
  • Andre Davis, WR
  • Antoine Everett, G
  • Ben Gottschalk, C
  • Gerod Holliman, S
  • Martin Ifedi, DE
  • Derrick Lott, DT
  • C.J. Roberts, CB
  • Joel Ross, CB

Tennessee Titans signed five players (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com):

  • David Fluellen, RB
  • Kevin Greene, TE
  • Nick Harwell, WR
  • Josue Matias, G
  • Will Poehls, T

Washington signs three players (link via team):

2016 Home And Away Opponents Named For All 32 NFL Teams

January 4th, 2016 at 6:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, the NFL revealed the complete list of home and away opponents for NFL teams in the 2016 season. Dates for these games will not be revealed until the spring, but these are the teams that will be on each club’s schedule, including home and away designation:

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Rashean Mathis Still Undecided Between Retirement, Lions Return

January 4th, 2016 at 4:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Cornerback Rashean Mathis is undecided on whether to retire or return to the Lions, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. Mathis, 35, says that the team’s coaching decision will factor into his own call on whether to continue playing. Rashean Mathis (vertical)

“If I’m not here then I’m nowhere,” Mathis said. “[Coach Jim] Caldwell, definitely, that could be a deciding factor if I decide if I want to play or not.”

Still, Mathis didn’t entirely rule out playing for another coach in Detroit besides Caldwell. The 35-year-old also doesn’t have a set timetable to make the call.

“It’s all my head, meaning how I want to handle things,” Mathis said. “Not from a health standpoint, meaning me mentally. I’ve given a lot and a lot has been given to me and I feel like I have done the best I could with both. And if I walk away, I walk away with my head up. And if I stay, I give it 100 percent again. And that’s just how I handle things. But the game has been good to me and I feel I have impacted some lives in this locker room and other locker rooms so in that case, I probably beat the game because I’ve given back. I feel like I’ve wanted to give back more than I’ve got so I’m proud of that.”

A second round draft choice of the Jaguars in 2003, Mathis has logged 175 career games with 636 tackles, 32 interceptions, eight forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries. The Lions signed Mathis in 2013 after he was released by Jacksonville following the 2012 season and he has become very close with his teammates and the organization. Mathis was placed on injured reserve with a concussion midway through the 2015 season but unselfishly shifted to a mentor role for cornerbacks Darius Slay – a budding star -and Nevin Lawson, who replaced him in the starting lineup.

One thing that won’t factor into Mathis’ decision is his concussion. Mathis says that he has had everything checked out thoroughly and believes that he is now 100% healthy in that regard.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lions Rumors: GM Search, Polian, Megatron

January 4th, 2016 at 11:25am CST by Zachary Links

The latest from Detroit:

  • Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press identifies Texans executive Brian Gaine and Jaguars exec Chris Polian as two names to watch for the Lions’ general manager job, along with interim GM Sheldon White. Gaine has been mentioned as a candidate for a promotion in Houston as well.
  • The Lions are scheduling a GM interview with Seahawks co-director of player personnel Trent Kirchner, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Kirchner interviewed with the Jets last year.
  • Calvin Johnson faces some uncertainty this offseason with the Lions, ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein writes. Johnson will have a $24MM cap hit with a $15.95MM cash value in 2016 and the team could save $11.1MM on the cap by letting him go.
  • The Lions have requested to interview Cowboys assistant director of player personnel Will McClay for their GM job, but he decided to stay put, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). McClay said he recently re-did his contract in Dallas and didn’t want to leave, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets.
  • Vikings exec George Paton will be declining GM interviews, as well, Birkett tweets. The Lions haven’t formally requested an interview, but he is well respected and seemed like a probable candidate for the job.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Latest On Dolphins’ Head Coaching Search

January 4th, 2016 at 8:13am CST by Luke Adams

8:13am: The Dolphins have also lined up an interview with Jaguars assistant Doug Marrone, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network, who tweets that Marrone is interviewing with the Browns as well.

7:51am: With the Dolphins’ season now over, weekend reports indicated that the team would interview Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase on Thursday, and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin at some point this week. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), that Austin interview will take place on Tuesday, which is the same day the Detroit assistant is reportedly scheduled to meet with the Browns.

Austin won’t be the only head coaching candidate to sit down with the Dolphins on Tuesday. Alex Marvez of FOX Sports reports that former Denver and Washington coach Mike Shanahan will interview for Miami’s head coaching job on Tuesday, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds (via Twitter) that it will be Shanahan’s second meeting with the team, after having interviewed with the Fins on December 22nd.

According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link), another candidate of interest to the Dolphins is Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley. However, with Haley’s Steelers set to play this weekend in the Wild Card round, Miami wouldn’t be able to schedule an interview with him until next week.

Finally, while he’s not viewed as a top candidate for the Dolphins’ permanent head coaching job, interim HC Dan Campbell will get a formal interview from the club this Friday, according to Rapoport (via Twitter). As Rapoport notes, Campbell may be a long shot, but he’ll at least get the opportunity to state his case.

Top 20 Teams Set For 2016 NFL Draft

January 4th, 2016 at 12:04am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2015 NFL regular season now complete, the 2016 draft order has been set for the teams that didn’t earn playoff berths this year.

The order for the top 20 is determined first by record — the teams with the worst records get the highest picks. The tiebreaker for teams that finish with identical records is strength of schedules. The easier the team’s schedule, the higher its pick. The thinking there is that if two teams finished with the same record, the team that played the easier schedule is likely the “worst” of the two teams, earning that club the higher pick.

Via NFL.com, here’s how the top 20 breaks down for the 2016 NFL draft, with each team’s record and opponents’ winning percentage noted in parentheses:

  1. Tennessee Titans (3-13, .492)
  2. Cleveland Browns (3-13, .531)
  3. San Diego Chargers (4-12, .527)
  4. Dallas Cowboys (4-12, .531)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11, .473)
  6. Baltimore Ravens (5-11, .508)
  7. San Francisco 49ers (5-11, .539)
  8. Miami Dolphins (6-10, .469)
  9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-10, .484)
  10. New York Giants (6-10, .500)
  11. Chicago Bears (6-10, .547)
  12. New Orleans Saints (7-9, .504)
  13. Philadelphia Eagles (7-9, .508)
  14. Oakland Raiders (7-9, .512)
  15. St. Louis Rams (7-9, .527)
  16. Detroit Lions (7-9, .535)
  17. Atlanta Falcons (8-8, .481)
  18. Indianapolis Colts (8-8, .500)
  19. Buffalo Bills (8-8, .508)
  20. New York Jets (10-6, .441)

While teams that played weaker schedules will get the higher draft picks – via tiebreaker – in the first round, that’s not the case for every round. Teams that finished with identical records will rotate order throughout the draft, so the Browns, for instance, will pick ahead of the Titans in round two.

As for the remaining 12 spots, those will be determined based on which teams are eliminated from the playoffs first. The four teams knocked out in the Wild Card round will pick 21st through 24th, for example — the clubs with the weaker records will get the higher picks. The full order will be determined after the Super Bowl, with this year’s champion getting the last pick of the first round — unless, of course, that’s the Patriots, who won’t have a first-rounder in 2016.

Adam Gase, Teryl Austin Line Up HC Interviews

January 3rd, 2016 at 11:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Two NFC North assistants are among the hottest head coaching candidates of the offseason, and Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin have already lined up multiple interviews for this week, according to various reports.

We had already heard that Gase would get interviews from at least three teams with head coaching vacancies, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) has since confirmed the preliminary schedule for the Chicago OC. Gase will interview with the Eagles on Tuesday, the Browns on Wednesday, and the Dolphins on Thursday, per Rapoport.

Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets that Gase would have “definite interest” in the Colts’ head coaching job as well. However, Indianapolis has yet to confirm a decision one way or the other on Chuck Pagano, and it’s not clear if Gase would be one of the team’s targets if Pagano is replaced.

As for Austin, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets that he currently has formal interviews lined up with the Browns and Dolphins, with Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com indicating (via Twitter) that Austin’s meeting with the Browns will happen on Tuesday.

According to Rapoport (via Twitter), Austin will likely meet with the Eagles this week as well. However, Mortensen says Philadelphia will meet first with interim head coach Pat Shurmur and – as previously noted – Gase.

Got all that? If not, don’t worry — on Monday, Pro Football Rumors will introduce a head coaching search tracker so you can easily keep tabs on which candidates each team with an opening is pursuing and interviewing.

Coaching/GM Notes: Pagano, Browns, Fins, Cowboys, Lions

January 3rd, 2016 at 5:57pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest news on various teams’ coaching and front office situations as Black Monday approaches:

  • Colts owner Jim Irsay will meet with Chuck Pagano on Monday to discuss the head coach’s future, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com. After helping lead the Colts to playoff berths in his first three years with the team, Pagano’s club missed out this season during an injury-riddled, tumultuous campaign, going 8-8. As a result, the Colts are expected to let go of Pagano, whose contract is up, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link).
  • With Ray Farmer out as the Browns’ general manager, the franchise might turn its football operations over to executive vice president/general counsel Sashi Brown, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News reports (Twitter link).
  • Adam Gase, Jim Mora Jr., Mike Shanahan, Teryl Austin, Mike Smith, Dirk Koetter and Doug Marrone are all currently connected to the Dolphins’ head coaching job, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
  • Not surprisingly, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed Sunday that Jason Garrett will return in 2016 for his seventh season as the team’s head coach. “Let me be real clear: There’s no thought of replacing Jason. At all,” Jones said, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link). Jones acknowledged that Garrett’s staff could change, though, as four assistant coaches’ contracts expire (Twitter link via Williams). Whether those changes happen will be up to Garrett, who Jones says is “the ultimate-decision maker” when it comes to the coaching staff (Twitter link via Fox Sports’ Matt Mosley).
  • Lions president Rod Wood says the club’s search for a new general manager will begin in earnest Monday, tweets Tim Twentyman of the team’s website. Interim GM Sheldon White will be among those interviewed, according to Wood (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press), and Greg Gabriel of NFPost.com reports the Lions will also talk to Giants assistant GM Kevin Abrams (via Twitter). Another Giants executive, Marc Ross, could also get a look, tweets Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo.

Jim Caldwell Has Good Chance To Return In 2016

January 3rd, 2016 at 9:21am CST by Rory Parks

League observers believe it is more likely than not that Lions head coach Jim Caldwell will return to the team in 2016, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Although it has sometimes felt like a foregone conclusion that Caldwell would be fired at season’s end, the fact that the team has won five of its last seven games after starting the year 1-7 may be enough to save Caldwell’s job. Plus, as Birkett notes, Caldwell still has the support of his locker room, and ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter tweets that team ownership is also in Caldwell’s corner.

That is not to say, of course, that Caldwell’s detractors lack ammunition. Caldwell’s in-game maneuvers have left much to be desired, and the team’s turnaround did not happen until he “gave in” to the front office’s suggestions to fire position coaches Jeremiah Washburn and Terry Heffernan and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. Until that time, the Lions looked like one of the league’s most dysfunctional franchises, losing four games by double digits in the first half of the season.

New team president Rod Wood has made it clear that the team’s next GM will be the one to make the final decision on Caldwell’s future with the club, which Schefter reaffirmed today. But as Birkett observes, the timing of the GM hire could work in Caldwell’s favor. Many of the league’s top head coaching candidates currently work for clubs that will not make the playoffs, which means they could be off the board by the time the Lions hire their next GM. Birkett writes that Detroit will begin submitting formal requests for interviews tomorrow, but the team is expected to be very thorough in its search, and it could be a week or more before the Lions name their next top executive. At that point, Caldwell and the continuity that he represents could be more appealing than any of the remaining head coaching options.

Caldwell, who is in the second year of a four-year contract he signed prior to the 2014 season, has guided Detroit to a 17-14 record and a playoff appearance during his tenure with the club.

Extra Points: Dolphins, Bears, Vikes, Lions, Draft

January 2nd, 2016 at 9:56pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Dolphins’ front office and coaching staff apparently aren’t the only areas they’re going to overhaul during the offseason. The team will also make big changes to its 27th-ranked defense, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Miami ranks 24th in passing yards allowed and 25th in rating against (98.8), so it plans to strengthen its secondary in the coming months. That means adding two new cornerbacks, asking veteran corner Brent Grimes ($9.5MM cap hit in 2016) to restructure his contract, and finding another safety to complement Reshad Jones. Free agent-to-be Eric Weddle, a three-time Pro Bowler with San Diego, would be open to an offer from the Dolphins, Jackson writes. He and Jones would form an excellent tandem, but it will cost the Dolphins (or anyone else) a lot to land Weddle.

Along the front seven, the Dolphins want to keep end Cameron Wake, who tore his Achilles’ tendon in October. Doing so might require the soon-to-be 34-year-old to restructure his deal, as he’s set to count nearly $10MM against the club’s cap next season. The Dolphins hope to continue pairing Olivier Vernon with Wake to generate a pass rush, but Vernon is a free agent and retaining him might be unrealistic.

“I only get one shot [at free agency], so I’m not [doing] a hometown discount,” said Vernon.

Miami also needs to upgrade at linebacker, where Jackson believes the team will look to add one or two new starters. They could either cut Koa Misi or move him back to the middle if they’re unable to find a better outside solution than MLB Kelvin Sheppard.

More from around the NFL:

  • The Bears are open to a long-term deal with receiver Alshon Jeffery, CSNChicago.com reports. The 6-foot-3, 216-pounder landed on injured reserve Wednesday after totaling 54 catches, 807 yards and four touchdowns this year in just nine games. The soon-to-be 26-year-old is primed to cash in soon, be it with the Bears or someone else, having accumulated 228 receptions, well over 3,000 yards and 21 touchdowns over the last three years (41 games).
  • Like Jeffery, Vikings right guard Mike Harris is also a pending free agent. His ideal scenario includes re-signing with Minnesota rather than testing the open market. “That’s the hope,” Harris said, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “It’d be wonderful. It’d be a dream come true.” The fourth-year man has made a career-best 15 starts this season and earned a positive assessment from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which ranks him 24th out of 81 qualifying guards.
  • Continuing the soon-to-be free agent theme, Lions safety Isa Abdul-Quddus is scheduled to hit the market in the offseason. That’s good timing, notes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, as Abdul-Quddus is in line for a payday thanks to a career year. Abdul-Quddus, whom PFF ranks an impressive 20th out of 87 qualifying safeties, is hoping that payday comes in Detroit. “I love it here,” the 26-year-old told Meinke. “I love the coaching staff. I love Coach (Jim) Caldwell. I love everything here man, and I’d love to come back.”
  • Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee will enter the 2016 draft, Chase Goodbread of NFL.com tweets. Lee, a redshirt sophomore, is following the same path as teammates Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott and Cardale Jones – all of whom declared for the draft earlier this week.
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