HEADLINES

Barry Cofield

Washington Activates Cofield, Cuts Jeffcoat

November 11th, 2014 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Washington defensive tackle Barry Cofield has been activated from off of the team’s injured reserve list, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, who adds (via Twitter) that the club has waived linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat in order to clear an opening on its roster.

Cofield, 30, suffered a high ankle sprain during Washington’s Week 1 contest, and was placed on IR with the designation to return. Assuming the team is ready to insert him back into the starting lineup, he should supplant Chris Baker, who had assumed Cofield’s nose tackle role in his absence.

Extra Points: Sanchez, Palmer, Cofield, 49ers

November 10th, 2014 at 10:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As the Eagles and new starting quarterback Mark Sanchez continue to dominate Cam Newton and the Panthers, let’s look at some notes from around the NFL…

  • The NFL is considering pushing back the window for franchises to apply for relocation, reports Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). The current period begins on January 1, but the league may want to move it back to February 2 (the day after the Super Bowl) so that news of potential relocations doesn’t overshadow the playoffs. If the Raiders or Rams want to to move to Los Angeles, the process will likely be delayed until the postseason is complete.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines what Sanchez’s half-season tenure as the Eagles’ QB will mean for his future earnings, noting that the ex-Jet is capable of producing similar statistics to Andy Dalton, who earns $16MM annually. Additionally, Fitzgerald looks at Sanchez’s potential effect on Nick Foles‘ future, Jeremy Maclin‘s free agency prospects, and Rex Ryan, John Idzik, and Chip Kelly’s reputations.
  • In a separate piece, Fitzgerald breaks down Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer‘s three-year, $50MM extension, explaining that after 2015, the contract enables Arizona to decide yearly if they want to retain Palmer. Though he’s posted better numbers than either Jay Cutler or Alex Smith, Palmer’s two-year cash value is lower than either of those QBs, but Fitzgerald attributes that fact to Palmer’s age.
  • Washington defensive tackle Barry Cofield will be activated from IR-DTR this week, tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Therefore, the club will need to make a roster move by Wednesday in order to clear a space.
  • We learned earlier today that the Santa Clara County DA’s office won’t file domestic violence charges against 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald, and as expected, the NFL doesn’t believe it has a basis to punish McDonald, either, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).

Minor Moves: Tuesday

September 9th, 2014 at 6:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are today’s minor moves..

  • The Redskins are planning on using the short term IR designation for Barry Cofield, which coach Jay Gruden mentioned was a possibility, according to Chris Russell of ESPN 980 (on Twitter). The Redskins have since made the move official. The Redskins promoted safety Akeem Davis to the 53-man roster to fill Cofield’s roster spot, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (on Twitter). The Redskins also added tight end Je’Ron Hamm and wide receiver Marvin McNutt to fill the void of their taxi squad cuts from earlier today, Jones tweets.
  • The Ravens re-signed Fitzgerald Toussaint to practice squad after he cleared waivers, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Toussaint was let go to make room for defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi.
  • The Patriots announced that they have signed defensive end Cam Henderson to the practice squad and released quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson from the practice squad to make room. Henderson, 24, originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent out of UCF with the Falcons in April of 2013, He has since had stints with the Falcons’ and Browns’ practice squads. Bethel-Thompson, 26, is a Sacramento State product who has been with the Dolphins (2011), Vikings (2012-2013) and 49ers (2013).
  • The Panthers waived former Rutgers tight end and one-time quarterback D.C. Jefferson from injured reserve, less than a week after he was suspended four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter).
  • The Titans have reached an injury settlement with defensive lineman Antonio Johnson and have released him, tweets Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com.
  • The Seahawks re-signed wide receiver Phil Bates to the practice squad and released linebacker Allen Bradford, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).
  • The Saints waived Ty Nsekhe from the injured reserve today, according to Kat Terrell of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter).
  • Former Bills defensive end Jacquies Smith was claimed by the Buccaneers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter). Smith was let go yesterday by Buffalo.
  • The Titans have signed tight end Brett Brackett to the practice squad and released TE Orson Charles, according to McCormick (on Twitter).
  • Evan Mathis has been sent to the IR by the Eagles but is designated to return, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). He’ll be eligible to face the Panthers on November 10th.

Extra Points: Rice, Bills Ownership, Injuries

September 8th, 2014 at 6:14pm CST by Matt Feminis

The NFL has informed teams that any contract with Ray Rice will not be approved until further direction is provided from Roger Goodell, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Additionally, Rice will not be eligible to play north of the border, either, as the CFL will honor the NFL’s suspension, according to Sportsnet’s Arash Madani (via Twitter).

Here’s some more miscellaneous news and notes:

  • Bids to buy the Bills are in from Terry Pegula, Donald Trump and Jon Bon Jovi’s Toronto-based group, reports the Buffalo News’ Tim Graham (via Twitter). He adds multiple sources believe the process could be wrapped up as soon as Wednesday. As of yesterday, Pegula, who also owns the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, appears to be the favorite to land the winning bid.
  • Titans linebacker Zach Brown will miss the rest of the season because of a torn pectoral, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Zaviar Gooden, another athletic linebacker, is expected to replace Brown in the starting lineup.
  • Bears center Roberto Garza sustained a high ankle sprain yesterday, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). With Garza sidelined for an undetermined period of time, the Bears will turn to free-agent acquisition Brian De La Puente at center.
  • Redskins defensive tackle Barry Cofield will also be sidelined by a high ankle sprain, says Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
  • The Patriots worked out running back Daniel Thomas, quarterback Brock Jensen and tight ends Evan Wilson and Brian Wozniak, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link).
  • Yates also reports a couple more running back tryouts: Chris Rainey (Cardinals) and Lache Seastrunk (Packers).
  • Jason Fitzgerald at OverTheCap.com identifies players entering crucial stages of their contract who helped or hurt their stock on Sunday. Fitzgerald highlights Broncos tight end Julian Thomas, who recorded 7-103-3 in a win over the Colts, noting Thomas or teammate and free agent-to-be Demaryius Thomas “should be able to jump into a new offer” since the team can only franchise one of their pass-catching stars. At the other end of the spectrum, Fitzgerald says Redskins pass rusher Brian Orakpo was “non-existent “on Sunday. Furthermore, Orakpo’s reputation as someone who disappears in games could prevent him from getting the type of mega deal he seeks in free agency.

Redskins Notes: Jackson, Hocker, Minnifield

June 27th, 2014 at 2:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Rumors of gang connections surrounded DeSean Jackson following his release from the Eagles. The current Redskins wideout previously distanced himself from the accusations, and Jackson again hushed the gossip in an interview with ESPN The Magazine’s Cord Jefferson.

Jackson said that he knows people in gangs, but has never been affiliated. Furthermore, the alleged gang signals the wideout has displayed in games were purely shoutouts to his friends.

“If I score a touchdown or make a play and my boys at home can see me throwing up the area we’re from, that’s me showing them love,” Jackson said. “They weren’t fortunate enough to make it where I’m at. All my friends wanted to be in the NFL growing up, but they weren’t able to do that, and I was. That doesn’t mean I forgot about them. They’re my boys, I grew up with them, and I’m going to give them love.”

Gayle Jackson, DeSean’s mother, weighed in on the outside influences.

“Those guys gravitated toward him because he had structure in his life,” she said. “A lot of time I was trying to chase these cats away. I told him it would catch up with him and that people don’t understand, so he should leave those guys alone. He told me, ‘Mom, you can’t treat people like that.'”

Let’s check out some more Redskins notes, all via the mailbag of ESPN.com’s John Keim…

  • If the Redskins decide to roll the dice with rookie kicker Zach Hocker, Keim believes it will be a gamble. However, Hocker’s main opponent, Kai Forbath, had never attempted a kick in the NFL prior to signing with the team in 2012.
  • Keim says Chase Minnifield‘s chances of making the Redskins will come down to whether the team decides to keep six cornerbacks. Of course, injuries could help his chances. Reversely, the presence of Richard Crawford could hurt those chances.
  • In regards to backups on the offensive line, Keim sides with Mike McGlynn, Morgan Moses, Spencer Long and Josh LeRibeus. If the team carries an additional lineman, Tom Compton could also make the roster.
  • Assuming the defensive line starters are Chris Baker, Barry Cofield and Jason Hatcher, Keim chooses Jarvis Jenkins, Stephen Bowen and Kedric Golston as the three backups.