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Arthur Jones

Colts, Arthur Jones Rework Contract

March 10th, 2016 at 8:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts and Arthur Jones have worked out a deal that will keep the defensive tackle with the team in 2016. Jones will now earn a payout of $2.5MM rather than the $4.5MM he was originally slated to make, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Jones can still earn that $2MM back, however, through roster bonuses and performance incentives. Arthur Jones (vertical)

Jones’ short career with the Colts hasn’t gone according to plan. He was a disappointment in 2014 – his first season with the team – after signing a five-year, $33MM deal to leave Baltimore for Indianapolis, totaling 23 tackles and 1.5 sacks in just nine games (three starts). Then, as he was gearing up for what he hoped would be a bounce-back campaign, Jones tore ligaments in his ankle. In September, Jones went under the knife, ending his 2015 season before it could even begin.

In 529 snaps for the Ravens in 2013, Jones recorded a +15.7 PFF grade, performing very well against the run while also compiling 25 quarterback pressures.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Colts Cut Duron Carter, Finalize Roster

September 5th, 2015 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Colts have reached the mandated 53-man roster today, making a handful of interesting moves along the way. One notable bubble player, running back Vick Ballard, remains on the roster, but plenty of other notable players have been let go, including wide receiver Duron Carter.

Here’s the full list of transactions out of Indianapolis, per a team release:

Released:

  • G David Arkin
  • WR Vincent Brown

Waived:

  • OLB Daniel Adongo
  • QB Bryan Bennett
  • WR Quan Bray
  • WR Duron Carter
  • CB Chance Casey
  • NT Josh Chapman
  • ILB Carlos Fields
  • DT Montori Hughes
  • T Ulrick John
  • OLB Cam Johnson
  • S Dewey McDonald
  • TE Sean McGrath
  • ILB Henoc Muamba
  • G Kitt O’Brien
  • CB Eric Patterson
  • DT Kelcy Quarles
  • TE Erik Swoope
  • CB Raymon Taylor
  • RB Zurlon Tipton

Placed on injured reserve:

  • DT Arthur Jones
  • ILB Junior Sylvestre

The Colts required 23 roster moves to get from 75 to 53 in order to accommodate one addition — linebacker Sio Moore, who was acquired in a Friday trade with the Raiders.

Colts To Place Arthur Jones On IR

September 5th, 2015 at 9:13am CST by Connor J. Byrne

SATURDAY, 9:13am: The Colts will place Jones on season-ending injured reserve today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

FRIDAY, 6:00pm: Colts defensive lineman Arthur Jones underwent ankle surgery to repair torn ligaments Friday and, as a result, will likely miss the entire 2015 season, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.

Jones’ short career with the Colts hasn’t gone according to plan. He was a disappointment in 2014 – his first season with the team – after signing a five-year, $33MM deal to leave Baltimore for Indianapolis, totaling 23 tackles and 1.5 sacks in just nine games (three starts). Prior to hurting his ankle last month, the fifth-year man was hoping for a bounce-back campaign. So were the Colts, who eschewed signing a big-time D-tackle or using a high-round draft pick on one this past offseason largely because of Jones’ presence, per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).

Given his less-than-stellar tenure with the Colts, one wonders if Jones is long for the organization. In 2016, he’ll count $5.6MM against the Colts’ cap, with that number jumping up to $7.35MM for 2017 and 2018. If the club isn’t confident he can stay on the field going forward, Jones could be released in ’16 with just $3.3MM in dead money left on Indianapolis’ cap.

Colts’ Arthur Jones Requires Ankle Surgery

September 2nd, 2015 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

After getting multiple opinions on his injured ankle, Colts defensive lineman Arthur Jones will require surgery to repair torn ligaments in the ankle, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). According to Rapoport, there may also be joint damage, but that won’t be clear until the surgery.

After spending his first four NFL seasons in Baltimore, Jones signed a five-year, $33MM contract in 2014 to join the Colts, but his first year in Indianapolis was derailed by health problems — he played just nine regular season contests for the team, starting three. Now, it appears he’ll play even less in his second year with the Colts.

According to Rapoport, Jones is a candidate for the injured reserve list with the designation to return, which would sideline him for half the season, but that’s a best-case scenario. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) echoes that sentiment, citing a source who says that Jones will be lucky if he only misses half the 2015 season. In other words, the 29-year-old could also simply be placed on IR without the designation to return, sidelining him for the season.

While the Colts fortified their defensive line in the offseason by signing Kendall Langford, the team may return to the free agent market or the waiver wire this week in search of more help up front, particularly if Jones is done for the year.

For Jones, the procedure on his ankle raises some questions about his long-term future in Indianapolis. In 2016, he’ll count for $5.6MM against the Colts’ cap, with that number jumping up to $7.35MM for 2017 and 2018. If the club isn’t confident he can stay on the field going forward, Jones could be released in ’16 with just $3.3MM in dead money left on Indianapolis’ cap.

AFC Notes: A. Jones, Bryant, Simms, Jaguars

September 1st, 2015 at 1:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Colts defensive tackle Arthur Jones is now seeking the opinion of another foot and ankle specialist to determine his course of action and how long he might be sidelined, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Facebook). The Colts previously sent Jones to a specialist who informed him that he would not have to go on IR. Now, he’s looking for a second opinion on the matter. Here’s more from the AFC..

  • The Steelers have known about wide receiver Martavis Bryant‘s possible four-game suspension for some time and it even impacted their approach in May’s draft, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Coach Mike Tomlin said that the news pushed Pittsburgh to use a third-round draft choice on Sammie Coates.
  • Bills coach Rex Ryan says the “odds are probably stacked against” quarterback Matt Simms making the 53-man roster but he will “never say never,” Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Many have speculated that Simms could bump Matt Cassel from the Bills’ roster, but that sounds like something of a longshot at this time.
  • Jaguars owner Shad Khan anticipates a long-term extension to the team’s London deal, keeping the partnership going until roughly 2030, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union tweets. O’Halloran (link) expects that announcement to come in October when the Jaguars have their scheduled game in England.

AFC South Notes: Jones, Ballard, Jaguars

August 31st, 2015 at 8:32am CST by Rob DiRe

X-rays on Arthur Jones ankle were negative, but the Colts defensive lineman also had an MRI scheduled for Sunday, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Josina Anderson of ESPN reported that Jones went to a foot and ankle specialist after his MRI (via Twitter). He is expected to miss a “decent chunk of time” according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter).

Here are some other notes from around the AFC South:

  • Regardless of whether Jones sustained a serious ankle injury or not on Saturday night, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report believes the Colts should bring in free agent DT Barry Cofield (Twitter link).
  • After consecutive years of tearing his ACL, Vick Ballard’s tenure with the Colts is on the chopping block following a hamstring injury has prevented him from making an impression on the coaching staff and front office this summer, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.
  • The Jaguars have two kickers on the roster in Josh Scobee and Jason Meyers, and Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com is guessing that the team is hoping to trade one of them this week before cutting its roster down to 75 players by Tuesday.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Injury Updates: 8/30/15

August 30th, 2015 at 11:15am CST by Rory Parks

Here are a few updates on some of the league’s more significant injury news:

  • Mehta reports (via Twitter) that Williams has a muscle strain behind his knee but that there is no ligament damage. This is not expected to be a long-term injury. Jets fans may now exhale.

Earlier updates:

  • We already learned that Packers WR Randall Cobb did not break his collarbone yesterday, and per Michael Cohen of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, head coach Mike McCarthy believes Cobb’s injury is not nearly as severe as Jordy Nelson‘s season-ending ACL tear. “No, I don’t think we’re (there) at all,” McCarthy said. Cobb will get further tests today to determine the extent of his injury.
  • X-rays on the knee of Jets rookie defensive lineman Leonard Williams came back negative, per Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News (via Twitter). Mehta adds that the team believes Williams sustained a bone bruise, though he will get an MRI today to confirm.
  • Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle reports that Texans Pro Bowl offensive tackle Duane Brown, who is dealing with a finger injury, does not intend to have surgery on the finger and is on track for the regular season opener against Kansas City.
  • Colts DT Arthur Jones suffered an ankle injury last night, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that X-Rays on the ankle were negative. Jones will undergo an MRI today to determine the severity of the injury.
  • Although the Rams expect to have plenty of running back depth at some point this season, their Week 1 backfield could be a bit thin. We already knew that promising rookie Todd Gurley was not expected to play in the opener after he sustained a torn ACL last November, and per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), Tre Mason suffered a strained hamstring last night, calling his Week 1 availability into doubt.

Ozzie Newsome Reflects On Ravens Offseason

June 27th, 2014 at 12:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Most team executives feel pretty good about themselves following an eventful offseason, and Raven general manager Ozzie Newsome is certainly included in that bunch. The Hall of Fame tight end talked to Kevin Byrne, the team’s Senior Vice President of Public and Community Relations, about some of his transactions. Here are a few of the notable tidbits…

His assessment of the current roster and where it’s most improved:

“We feel pretty good right now. We could tweak the roster a little between now and the start of the regular season, but, overall, we accomplished a lot since the end of last season.

We’ll be better on offense. I really like Gary (Kubiak’s) schemes. It’s very precise. It’s physical. I think we’ll run the ball better, we’ll keep the ball more and we’ll have big plays. You can tell the players, especially guys like Joe (Flacco), like it – and they can see that we have a good chance to be a lot better.”

On the contract extension for linebacker Terrell Suggs and the status of Haloti Ngata‘s contract talks:

“We wanted two things from these contracts. The first is to create some cap room and the other is to try and make sure these two players remained Ravens forever. We got ‘Sizzle’ done and we’re still hopeful with Haloti.”

On losing cornerback Corey Graham and defensive end Arthur Jones:

“We lost Corey when we thought we could get him, but (the Bills) paid a premium. We knew we couldn’t sign Arthur Jones. He earned a huge salary and the Colts gave it to him. We couldn’t go there and sign other players we needed. The $10 million increase in the salary cap helped us get the others done.”

Thoughts on team’s additions at wide receiver and offensive line:

“We landed Steve Smith, who is not your typical aging player. He’s a special competitor, driven to show everyone he can play at a high level. You saw him during the camps. He’s going to help.

“Getting Jeremy Zuttah was a bonus. He wasn’t on the front burner at the beginning of the offseason. But, like Steve Smith, he was on a list we’ve developed of guys who are late in their contracts and might be available. We asked the question and they (the Buccaneers) were willing to move him. He’s a good player.”

AFC South Notes: Jones, Luck, Clowney

June 14th, 2014 at 8:03pm CST by Peter Sowards

For Colts defensive lineman Arthur Jones, who signed a five-year, $33MM deal with the team after four years in Baltimore, versatility is the name of the game.

“It really doesn’t matter where I line up,” Jones said, according to Mike Chappell of The Indianapolis Star. “I’m here to help win games, help win championships. I come in as a humble servant. I mean that.”

Jones started 20 of his 46 games played with the Ravens, totaling 8 1/2 sacks in his most recent two seasons. He’ll be asked to stuff the run on early downs and rush the passer on favorable down-and-distance situations. An unselfish man on and off the field, Indianapolis is hoping Jones’ steady play and demeanor rubs off on his defensive counterparts.

More news and notes from the AFC North below…

  • The signing of safety Mike Adams creates real intrigue in the Colts‘ defensive backfield, writes Stephen Holder of The Indy Star.
  • Losing 43-22 to New England in the AFC divisional playoffs is motivating Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, ESPN.com’s Mike Wells reports.
  • Sooner is better than later in the case of surgery for Texans‘ defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, ESPN.com’s Tania Ganguli writes. Clowney should be back in time for training camp, where the reps are far more significant than those in padless mandatory minicamps.
  • The lack of mental mistakes made by Titans defenders in minicamp practices was referred to as amazing by new defensive coordinator Ray Horton, ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky reports.
  • Jaguars‘ cornerback Dwayne Gratz has been quiet at OTAs this offseason, writes Bruce Lipsky of Jacksonville.com. Lipsky notes that this is a good thing, because in the past Gratz has been noticeable at team’s practices for his inability to cover receivers. Gratz has been better this offseason, and recently made some positive noise during 11-on-11 drills on Thursday.
  • Entering the second season with general manager Dave Caldwell and Gus Bradley at the helm, the Jaguars are still searching for their face of the franchise, according to ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco.

 

AFC Notes: Ravens, Pats, Chargers, Moreno

March 22nd, 2014 at 10:25am CST by Matt Feminis

The Ravens’ free agent activity has been characterized by value signings, writes ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley. The team was able to sign four starters and their top kick returner without breaking the bank. Additionally, the Ravens will actually be paying Steve Smith less ($4.5MM) than the Panthers ($5MM) are on the hook for this season.

Other AFC news and notes:

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