HEADLINES

Brendan Prophett

NFC East Rumors: Redskins, Cowboys, Giants

June 5th, 2019 at 8:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Essentially ruled out for 2019 before the Redskins selected Dwayne Haskins in the first round, Alex Smith will be set for at least one more surgery. The 35-year-old quarterback must wear an external fixator on his broken leg for at least another month, Jay Gruden said (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, on Twitter). Smith was initially spotted equipped with this apparatus nearly five months ago. Its removal will mean another operation. The 14-year veteran underwent upwards of six procedures on his injury leg, and it is obviously uncertain the quarterback will play again. Smith is under Redskins contract through the 2022 season.

Moving to another Redskins cog with a cloudy future with the team, here is the latest news out of the NFC East:

  • Trent Williams is believed to want out of Washington. Earlier this year, Williams had a tumor (or a similar growth) removed from his head. The 10th-year left tackle has expressed hard feelings toward the Redskins for their handling of this matter, but he is not staying away from the team only because of hard feelings. Gruden said (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk) his longest-tenured player would not be able to practice anyway because of the recovery from the aforementioned operation. Williams rehabbed a damaged kneecap throughout the 2018 offseason and is entering his age-31 season.
  • Three Kubiaks have now left the Broncos. After Gary Kubiak and his son Klint joined the Vikings’ staff, Klein Kubiak will become a Cowboys scout, according to Neil Stratton of Inside The League (on Twitter). The youngest of the coaching Kubiaks confirmed he will be Dallas-bound (Twitter link). Klein Kubiak spent five years with the Broncos. He will join the Cowboys after the organization lost area scout Jim Abrams to the Raiders.
  • The Giants added three new members to their scouting staff. They brought in 16-year Notre Dame staffer Chad Klunder to become their scouting coordinator, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY tweets. Big Blue also hired former Jets pro personnel director and Lions pro scouting director Brendan Prophett as an area scout and added Corey Lockett to their scouting department. Additionally, the Giants promoted six-year pro scout Tim McDonnell to assistant director of player personnel, per Vacchiano (on Twitter).

Extra Points: Fournette, Colts, Dolphins, Chiefs

May 13th, 2016 at 8:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

LSU running back Leonard Fournette is expected to a high draft choice in 2017, but he’ll be financially covered in the event that something goes awry. As Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com details, Fournette’s parents have purchased two $10MM insurance policies — one that would cover a career-ending injury, and another that would kick in if Fournette falls in next year’s draft. The entire article is well-worth a read, as Dodd excellently reports on the largely unregulated industry of NCAA athlete insurance.

Here’s more from around the league…

  • Former New Orleans scout Brendan Prophett is reportedly set to join the Lions as the team’s new director of pro scouting, and Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link) hears that Prophett chose that position over a similar role in the Colts‘ front office.
  • Elsewhere in front office news, Marvez reports (Twitter link) that the Dolphins are promoting scout Adam Engroff to college scouting director. According to Miami’s media guide, Engroff has worked for the club since 1999, and has spent the past four years as a national scout.
  • Tom Reed of Cleveland.com takes a look at Browns undrafted rookie free agent Mike Matthews, a former Texas A&M center who is brother to Jake Matthews and cousin to Clay Matthews. Mike, for his part, says Cleveland was his first choice when identifying potential landing spot.
  • The Chiefs selected West Alabama receiver Tyreek Hill in the fifth round despite his having a domestic violence arrest in his past, but general manager John Dorsey told Pro Football Talk Live that Hill is not guaranteed a roster spot.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

North Rumors: Kuhn, Lions, Browns, Bears

May 13th, 2016 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk points out, there have been conflicting reports lately about the possibility of fullback John Kuhn returning to the Packers for another season, with one outlet suggesting the team has moved on, while another says there’s “mutual interest” between the two sides. Kuhn has been a Packer since 2007 and has earned Pro Bowl nods in each of the last two years, but he’s no lock to be on Green Bay’s roster in 2016.

Let’s check in on a few more odds and ends from around the NFL’s North divisions…

  • Former Saints scout and Jets pro personnel director Brendan Prophett is joining the Lions as their new director of pro scouting, according to Neil Stratton of Inside The League (Twitter link). The move isn’t official yet, but it appears to be the latest change that new GM Bob Quinn is making to Detroit’s personnel department.
  • The Browns agreed to terms with 11 undrafted free agents last week, but only 10 ultimately signed deals, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, who tweets that the club’s agreement with Missouri defensive back Kenya Dennis fell through. In addition to the 32 players on Cleveland’s roster who will participate in the team’s rookie minicamp, the Browns are also bringing in 14 tryout players — one of those players is former fifth-round quarterback Ricky Stanzi.
  • The Bears have also brought in several veteran free agents to participate in their weekend minicamp, including four offensive lineman, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (all Twitter links). Veteran offensive lineman Jeff Linkenbach, who has started 36 career games in Indianapolis and Kansas City, is the most notable name of the group.
  • Former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who expects to play wide receiver in the NFL, will receive permission from the Navy to join the Ravens this season, as Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com details.
  • Western Kentucky defensive tackle Jontavius Morris worked out for the Lions on Thursday, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.