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NFC Notes: Gabbert, Draughn, Tulloch

December 12th, 2015 at 6:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A look at the latest from a couple of NFC teams:

  • Most wrote 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert off after the former 10th overall pick’s failed tenure in Jacksonville from 2011-13, but he’s making the most of his current stint in San Francisco. The 26-year-old implies his struggles with the Jaguars were a blessing in disguise. “I would say I’m a better leader now for the experiences I’ve had in the last five years,” Gabbert stated, per Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group. As McDonald notes, Gabbert faced difficult circumstances with the Jags – including taking over as the starter before he was truly ready. This year is the first time Gabbert has garnered significant playing time since joining the 49ers last season, and he has put up solid numbers (63 percent completion rate, five touchdowns and three interceptions in four games). One prominent teammate – receiver Anquan Boldin – sees clear progress. “You’ve seen him the last couple of weeks. He’s been playing lights out,” Boldin said. “We’re happy to have him here, we enjoy playing with him and everybody on the team has confidence in him.”
  • Linebacker Stephen Tulloch and the Lions’ defense have fared well since coordinator Teryl Austin decreased Tulloch’s role earlier in the season and started using him mostly as a run stopper. Despite the uptick in Tulloch’s play, his future beyond this season is uncertain. Because linebackers who have difficulty against the pass aren’t that valuable, the Lions could opt to cut the 10-year veteran after the season and save roughly $6MM on their cap, writes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. Two of Tulloch’s biggest advocates – Austin and head coach Jim Caldwell – might be elsewhere in 2016, which would increase the likelihood of his days in Detroit ending.
  • The 49ers plan to re-sign running back Shaun Draughn and let him compete for a roster spot next year, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Injuries to Carlos Hyde, Reggie Bush and Mike Davis have enabled Draughn to take over the starting role over the last several games. Draughn hasn’t exactly dazzled as a ball carrier (3.3 yards per rush) during his four weeks as the team’s primary back, but he has averaged a respectable 85.5 total yards per game. Maiocco cites Draughn’s well-rounded game – including his ability on special teams – as the reason to keep him in the fold.

North Notes: Browns, Tulloch, Monroe

December 11th, 2015 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Whatever differences of opinion might exist within the Browns‘ organization, one thing that head coach Mike Pettine, GM Ray Farmer, president Alex Scheiner and the rest of the front office should agree on is that “it’s a teardown job” in Cleveland, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today. As Pelissero argues, it’s impossible to look at a club that has lost 15 of 17 games by an average of two touchdowns and say that the team just needs to fill a few holes.

While Pelissero acknowledges that tearing down the Browns’ front office structure multiple times within the last few years is hardly ideal, he suggests that the dysfunction within the organization – along with the relative lack of promising young talent – makes it the most logical move for owner Jimmy Haslam to make more big changes this winter.

As we wait to see how the Browns address their front office, coaching staff, and roster this offseason, let’s check in on a few more notes from around the NFL’s North divisions….

  • Veteran Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch is due to make a $5.5MM salary, and is in line for a $500K roster bonus in March, raising questions about his future in Detroit, says Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Tulloch has played well in recent weeks, but it’s been an up-and-down season overall, and he remains a liability against the pass. The Lions could create $6MM in cap savings by cutting him this offseason, so the team will have to think about such a move.
  • Ravens offensive tackle Eugene Monroe hasn’t seen his injured shoulder make much positive progress over the last several weeks, and may be ticketed for the injured reserve list, which would end his season, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
  • Cornerback Deveron Carr and wide receiver DeAndre Carter had workouts for the Bengals this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Carr most recently spent time on Washington’s practice squad, while Carter was on Oakland’s practice squad earlier in the season.
  • Wilson also passes along word of a Lions tryout, tweeting that Detroit took a look at defensive back Kendall James. James was just cut from the Browns’ practice squad on Tuesday.

More Minor NFL Transactions: 12/8/15

December 8th, 2015 at 7:15pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Updates from earlier today can be found here. The latest…

  • The Lions released defensive tackle Andre Fluellen from injured reserve, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Fluellen has had several stints with the Lions, among other teams, since they used a third-round pick on him in 2008. He has appeared in 81 career games and totaled 69 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Fluellen played four games for the Lions this year and made four tackles.
  • The Seahawks waived veteran tight end Chase Coffman, reports Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (Twitter link). Coffman, who has 14 career catches, joined the Seahawks last week but didn’t appear in their 38-7 win over the Vikings.
  • The Cardinals placed guard Earl Watford on injured reserve with a hand injury and promoted safety D.J. Swearinger from their practice squad, per Darren Urban of their website (Twitter link). Watford appeared in seven games and made two starts this year. Swearinger appeared in seven games for Tampa Bay earlier this season, but he garnered more extensive experience (32 games, 22 starts) in Houston from 2013-14.
  • The Patriots released cornerback Rashaan Melvin, per Wilson (Twitter link). Melvin has spent time with both New England and Baltimore since entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Northern Illinois last year. He appeared in eight games and made six tackles for the Pats this season.
  • The Chiefs cut offensive lineman Daniel Munyer, according to Wilson (Twitter link). The undrafted rookie from Colorado made one appearance for the Chiefs this season.

Coaching Notes: Giants, Chargers, Lions

December 7th, 2015 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

With less than a month remaining in the NFL regular season, we’re getting to that time of year when every poor performance by a sub-.500 team can raise questions about a head coach’s job security. A few coaches, in particular, are on the hot seat after bad Week 13 showings, so let’s round up the latest on a handful of situations around the NFL….

  • The Giants aren’t the sort of team that would fire a head coach – particularly one with two Super Bowl wins under his belt – for clock management. However, at some point, after so many terrible losses this season, “the accumulation of disappointment erodes even the most formidable reservoir of goodwill,” writes Dan Graziano of ESPN.com in his discussion of Tom Coughlin.
  • Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch may love Coughlin, but the head coach is making their choice on his future easier with a series of bad losses, writes Gary Myers of the New York Daily News.
  • Jordan Raanan of NJ.com identifies 13 potential head coaching candidates for the Giants in the event that the team decides to replace Coughlin at season’s end.
  • Wholesale changes to the Chargers‘ coaching staff are necessary, according to Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. That could mean parting ways with head coach Mike McCoy, though Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune hears from a highly-placed source that team management has mulled the possibility of retaining McCoy and making changes to his staff on both offense and defense.
  • While the Lions would like to get a permanent general manager in place before deciding on the future of head coach Jim Caldwell, sticking to that plan may result in the team missing out on some top candidates, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press observes. At the very least, the club likely wouldn’t be involved in the first interview window for assistants on teams with first-round byes.

East Notes: Kelly, McDaniels, Coughlin

December 6th, 2015 at 11:02am CST by Rory Parks

Just a week after Eagles head coach Chip Kelly was said to be “despondent” and “mulling all options” on the heels of back-t0-back blowout losses, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the head coach is likely to return to the Philadelphia sidelines in 2016. Owner Jeffrey Lurie remains a staunch Kelly supporter, even though he is aware of some dissension in the locker room, and per La Canfora, Lurie “did not hand Kelly total control to the roster a few months ago to consider launching a new search for a coach and GM now.” Although it is not inconceivable that Kelly could return to the college ranks in 2016, those vacancies are filling up quickly and team officials would be shocked if Kelly left the Eagles before completing his fourth season with the club.

  • Although Kelly surely appreciates Lurie’s loyalty, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer wonders if Kelly himself is too loyal to under-performing players. During Kelly’s tenure with the Eagles, he has never released or benched a player for poor performance, and McLane thinks certain members of the club may have become complacent.
  • Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is once again a hot head coaching candidate, and La Canfora writes that he is open to speaking with teams this offseason. Of course, given McDaniels’ disastrous stint in Denver, he would only go to a team that has a strong organizational structure from ownership down, since another failed tenure would likely spell the end of his head coaching opportunities. Many clubs are enamored with McDaniels’ offensive mind and ability to extract a great deal of production from an offense that has to continually reinvent itself, and McDaniels is viewed as the closest thing to a Belichick clone to emerge from the Belichick coaching tree.
  • If McDaniels is to leave the Patriots, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe sees the Lions as the most likely landing spot, given that the team has a good young quarterback in place and ownership that has shown patience in the past. The Titans have been viewed as a fit, and they may be, but their ownership situation is unstable, and Volin does not believe McDaniels would disrespect New England by going to a team like the Dolphins or Colts that has a history of bad blood with the Patriots.
  • Giants head coach Tom Coughlin may be on the hot seat, but as Ralph Vacchiano of The New York Daily News writes, Coughlin typically thrives with his back to the wall. Of course, the team had a chance to take a commanding lead in the NFC East last week and failed to do so, which means that the Giants’ string of four straight seasons without a playoff berth is in danger of continuing. If that happens, Coughlin’s two Super Bowl rings and respect from team ownership may not be enough to save him.

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, McDaniels, Burgess

December 5th, 2015 at 10:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Within his latest column, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald explores several of the personnel decisions facing the Dolphins in the coming weeks and months. Jackson suggests that the team would like to add at least one defensive end, though that doesn’t rule out the possibility of Olivier Vernon and/or Derrick Shelby returning. Quinton Coples is also in the club’s plans for 2016, albeit at a reduced salary, says Jackson.

While defensive end is one key situation worth monitoring in Miami, the Dolphins will also face decisions on cornerback Brent Grimes, linebackers Koa Misi and Earl Mitchell, running back Lamar Miller, and pass-catchers Rishard Matthews and Jordan Cameron, as Jackson details.

Here’s more from out of the AFC East:

  • Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald also looks ahead to the Dolphins‘ offseason, writing that the team’s greatest areas of need are at defensive end, middle linebacker, and cornerback. As Salguero observes, with the club set to hire a new head coach and coaching staff, many of the decisions Miami makes in the next few weeks will determine the direction of the franchise for the next several years.
  • Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is generating “a lot of buzz” as a potential head coaching candidate, writes Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Having already had one head coaching job that went south, McDaniels will have to be selective this time if he has the opportunity to interview for offseason vacancies. Volin suggests that the Lions may be a fit for McDaniels, if Detroit looks to replace Jim Caldwell.
  • British rugby star Tom Burgess, who worked out for the Giants last week, also auditioned for both the Jets and Bills, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). If Burgess is serious about giving the NFL a shot, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him land a reserve/futures contract at season’s end with one of the teams trying him out this month.

North Notes: Packers, Ball, Bears, Lions

December 4th, 2015 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

After having rounded up some Friday items out of the NFL’s West divisions earlier today, let’s turn our attention to the North divisions….

  • After not getting much production from their three running backs last night, the Packers had former Bronco Montee Ball in for a workout today, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Eddie Lacy has been disappointing this year, and James Starks only had 15 yards on nine carries on Thursday night, with the team giving rookie John Crockett – promoted earlier in the day from the practice squad – five carries as well. While there’s no deal at this time with Ball, Green Bay’s backfield situation could be worth keeping an eye on.
  • The Packers also tried out a wide receiver today, bringing in J.J. Worton for an audition, tweets Wilson. The former UCF wideout is about a year removed from a torn ACL. Quarterback Zac Dysert auditioned for Green Bay as well, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • After publishing the first part of his conversation with George McCaskey earlier this week, Dan Pompei has part two available today, in which he talks to the Bears chairman about increasing the regular season to 18 games (McCaskey’s not in favor) and asks whether the team would be willing to give up a home game to play an international contest (McCaskey’s really not in favor).
  • In addition to working out a handful of kickers this week, in case Matt Prater was unable to play on Thursday night, the Lions also took a look at wide receiver Greg Salas, tweets Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. A fourth-round pick in 2011, Salas has spent time with several teams, recording a total of 43 regular-season receptions for the Rams and Jets.
  • The Browns worked out former Southern Utah punter Brock Miller, according to Wilson (Twitter link).

NFC Notes: Hawley, Lions, Cassel, Saints

December 3rd, 2015 at 5:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Buccaneers center Joe Hawley feels like he got a raw deal from his former team, the Falcons. On a conference call, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked Hawley if he felt that he was given enough time coming back from the injuries to win the starting job.

“Uh, honestly, no. I think they kind of used it as an excuse,” Hawley said. “When I got here I wasn’t 100 percent yet. But they gave me a chance. Now, I’m feeling like the knee is back to new. But it just took four or five more weeks that I thought it would. Yeah, I think they kind of cut me short of that.”

The Bucs (5-6) are set to host the Falcons (6-5) on Sunday.

  • With Matt Prater battling an illness, the Lions tried out free agent kickers Kyle Brindza, Billy Cundiff, and Garrett Hartley, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). However, Prater will be able to play tonight against the Packers after all, so the team didn’t sign anyone.
  • If Matt Cassel plays the final five games of the Cowboys‘ season, that extra playing time could earn him $1.2MM in incentives, as Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com explains. Cassel’s deal includes incentives for playing a certain percentage of the team’s snaps, and he’s projected to play over 55% ($1.2MM), but not up to 65% ($1.6MM).
  • The performance of certain players over the course of the Saints‘ final five games this year could help dictate some of the salary cap decisions the club makes in the offseason, writes Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. I examined the Saints’ cap outlook for 2016 earlier this fall.
  • Edge defender Willie Jefferson, a former Texan who spent the last two seasons with the CFL’s Edmonto Eskimos, will work out for two NFC teams next month, and is drawing a lot of interest, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). Jefferson had six sacks this season for the Grey Cup champions.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC North Notes: Packers, Lions, Bears

December 3rd, 2015 at 11:46am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the NFC North:

  • Packers GM Ted Thompson has kept his cool during hard times and resisted the urge to shuffle the roster, Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel writes. Over the last ten seasons, Thompson has cut an average of just 3.1 players during the season. Even with the expansion of practice squads to ten players, Thompson has only cut three players from his taxi squad this season and only eight in 2014. One players meet Thompson’s high standards, they effectively become his guys, and that’s an impressive and unique organizational culture in today’s NFL. Now, as McGinn writes, it remains to be seen whether that approach will bear fruit over the team’s final five games.
  • Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com looked at Giants exec Marc Ross as a GM candidate for the Lions. Rod Wood said he wants someone who has been with an organization that has had success and stability, and there are few that have been more successful and stable than the Giants. Ross has played a key role in their drafts, including the brilliant 2014 selection of Odell Beckham Jr. On the flip side, the majority of Ross’ experience has come on the draft side of things and not so much in free agency. Ultimately, thanks to his Princeton ties and previous buzz as a GM candidate around the league, Rothstein wouldn’t be surprised to see him get an interview.
  • In a recent mailbag, a reader asked Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune whether he thinks the Bears need to focus more on inside linebacker or defensive end. Biggs feels that rookie nose tackle Eddie Goldman should take a major step forward in 2016, so he’s not terribly concerned with replacing him this offseason.

NFL To Allow Comp Pick Trades Starting In 2017

December 2nd, 2015 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 2, 12:42pm: The NFL has voted to allow trades of compensatory draft picks, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. However, the new rules will apply for picks in 2017 and beyond, rather than 2016. That avoids giving a competitive advantage to the teams that deliberately attempted to land comp picks for ’16 during last year’s free agent period.

NOVEMBER 19, 11:35am: Beginning in 2016, the NFL is expected to start allowing teams to trade compensatory draft picks for the first time, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). These selections, which begin at the end of the third round, have traditionally not been movable.

[Related: Click here for the full list of the 2016 draft picks that have already been traded.]

Compensatory draft picks are rewarded to teams that had the most significant losses in free agency the previous year, with a formula determining how the 32 available selections are divvied up. Typically, teams like the Ravens have taken advantage of the system by allowing players to walk in free agency and collecting multiple compensatory picks, often using those picks to draft inexpensive potential replacements.

Now, it appears teams like Baltimore will be able to use those picks in trades going forward. Because there are no compensatory picks until the draft begins approaching the 100th overall pick, these selections may not be centerpieces of major deals, but being able to move them will give teams extra flexibility when making moves. As I noted when I took a closer look at all the trades made in the NFL in 2015, 64 of the 69 deals completed this year included at least one draft pick.

According to projections by Over the Cap, the Browns, 49ers, Cowboys, and Patriots are all in line to potentially land four compensatory picks for 2016, the maximum allowed for a single team. The Ravens, Broncos, Seahawks, Packers, and Lions are also projected to land multiple picks, though that’s not set in stone yet.

As Brian McIntyre notes (via Twitter), there’s a case to be made that any changes to the compensatory picks should be postponed until the 2017 draft, since changes for 2016 favor teams that attempted to stockpile those selections for the coming year. However, for now, it seems the league is ready to institute those changes sooner rather than later.

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