HEADLINES

Christine Michael

Christine Michael Clears Waivers

November 18th, 2015 at 4:37pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Cowboys running back Christine Michael is now a free agent after clearing waivers, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Michael, who just recently turned 25, was waived by the Cowboys on Tuesday. While former teammate Brandon Weeden was scooped up by the Lone Star State’s other team, it appears that no one was interested in picking up Michael’s contract.

Michael had been expected to get an increased workload after Joseph Randle was demoted and then released, but it was the veteran, Darren McFadden, who ended up taking many of those carries. In five games with the Cowboys, Michael ran for just 51 yards on 15 attempts, adding a single reception for two yards. The Seahawks, who traded Michael to the Cowboys earlier in the year, are still expected to receive a conditional pick from Dallas as a result of that swap, since the running back was on the Cowboys’ active roster for enough games.

 

Cowboys Cut Christine Michael, Corey White

November 17th, 2015 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s been a busy day of roster moves for the Cowboys, who cut Brandon Weeden to pave the way for Tony Romo‘s return earlier today. Now, the team has waived two more players, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, who reports (via Twitter) that running back Christine Michael and cornerback Corey White are being released.

Michael, who turned 25 last Monday, had been expected to get an increased workload after Joseph Randle was demoted and then released, but it was the veteran, Darren McFadden, who ended up taking many of those carries. In five games with the Cowboys, Michael ran for just 51 yards on 15 attempts, adding a single reception for two yards.

According to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter), the Seahawks, who traded Michael to the Cowboys earlier in the year, are still expected to receive a conditional pick from Dallas as a result of that swap, since the running back was on the Cowboys’ active roster for enough games.

White, a fifth-round Saints pick in 2012, started 19 games with New Orleans the past three seasons, including nine last year. However, he didn’t see the field much during his time with the Cowboys in 2015.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), Michael and White were cut for both “playing and locker room reasons,” though Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears from a Cowboys source that they’re “not bad kids” and were cut based on their on-field performance. Regardless of the Cowboys’ motives, the club will now have multiple open roster spots to work with, as Week 11’s game against the Dolphins approaches. Michael and White, meanwhile, will be subject to waivers.

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Giants, Pryor, Cards

October 14th, 2015 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cowboys are making a quarterback change for Week 7, giving the nod to Matt Cassel, and that’s not the only starting lineup move they’re considering on offense. As Ed Werder of ESPN.com reported this morning (via Twitter), Dallas may also start recently acquired running back Christine Michael over Joseph Randle, and rookie guard La’el Collins over Ronald Leary.

Head coach Jason Garrett has since confirmed that Collins will indeed start at left guard in place of Leary, though it’s not clear yet what the team’s running back rotation will look like. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears from a Cowboys source that the team definitely plans on using Michael more, though Randle may still get the start.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • The Giants are the latest team to work out at Terrelle Pryor as a wide receiver, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). While several clubs that have auditioned Pryor are likely just seeing what the former quarterback looks like in his new position, New York might require some additional depth at WR, with Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle banged up, and Victor Cruz‘s availability going forward still up in the air. The Giants also tried out wideouts T.J. Graham and A.J. Jenkins, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
  • Former Buccaneers defensive lineman Da’Quan Bowers is among the players working out for the Cowboys this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
  • Free agent cornerback Robert McClain has been busy over the last month and a half, working out for a handful of teams — Wilson tweets that McClain auditioned for the Cardinals this week, the veteran’s fifth tryout since the start of September.
  • In an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (SoundCloud link), Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians explained his team’s decision to sign veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney, suggesting that the club had been in touch with Freeney multiple times since June.

Cowboys Notes: Murray, Jones, Michael

September 19th, 2015 at 6:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

After rushing for an NFL-best 1,845 yards in 2014, running back DeMarco Murray left the Cowboys in free agency and signed a five-year, $42MM deal with NFC East rival Philadelphia. Sunday will be Murray’s first matchup against Dallas, which chose him in the third round of the 2011 draft and helped him develop into an elite running back. And, if not for the Eagles’ decision to pursue Murray after trading LeSean McCoy and losing to Indianapolis for Frank Gore‘s services, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones believes Murray might have continued his career in Dallas.

“I still think today we could have gotten him if Philly had not jumped in,” Jones said, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. “I don’t think he would have gone to Oakland or Jacksonville, but they came in at the last second and got [the price] up there.”

More on Murray and his former team:

  • Murray said earlier this week that facing Dallas will be “a normal game,” but Jarrett Bell of USA Today believes otherwise. Bell opines that Murray has a chance to make a statement Sunday against the team that let him go and help give Philly an early edge in the NFC East race.
  • Cowboys owner Jerry Jones effusively praised quarterback Tony Romo on Friday, according to the Morning News’ Jon Machota. 105.3 The Fan. “He is a quarterback that can win Super Bowls. He’s a franchise quarterback,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan. “[W]e’re getting the best of him now, and the best of him is probably, in my mind, the best there is.” Jones added that, if Romo doesn’t win a Super Bowl with Dallas, it’ll be the “biggest disappointment” of the owner’s long tenure.
  • Running back Christine Michael, whom Dallas acquired from Seattle before the season, sat out last week and also won’t play this Sunday. After that, it’ll be “a little bit of a wait-and-see type of deal,” Stephen Jones told 105.3, per Machota. “I feel like I’m ready to go,” said Michael, who averaged a terrific 4.9 yards per carry on just 52 attempts during his first two seasons.

Extra Points: Panthers, Chargers, Browns

September 11th, 2015 at 9:04pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Panthers locked up star linebacker Luke Kuechly to a long-term deal Thursday, but it doesn’t appear that teammate and fellow defensive linchpin Josh Norman will receive similar treatment. Negotiations between the Panthers and the cornerback stalled this week, reports Joseph Person of The Charlotte Observer. Because general manager Dave Gettleman doesn’t negotiate new deals during the season, Norman looks poised to play out 2015 as a contract year.

Norman, whom the Panthers took in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, is coming off a season in which he totaled 48 tackles and a career-best two interceptions. More impressively, Norman held opposing quarterbacks to a paltry 53.2 rating when they attacked him, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). That ranked fourth out of the 70 corners who played at least 50 percent of their teams’ defensive snaps in 2014.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer set a Friday deadline for the city and the Chargers to agree on a new stadium that would keep the team from heading to Los Angeles next year. The two sides failed to meet it, according to Elliot Spagat of The Associated Press. That means there won’t be time for a measure to be put to voters on a Jan. 12 ballot, which Faulconer wanted. It seems, then, that the Chargers’ potential relocation to L.A. is becoming likelier.
  • The Browns finished last season in a tie for the league’s third-lowest yards-per-carry average, and they’re still without an obvious solution at running back. Current starter Isiah Crowell, who averaged 4.1 per carry and scored eight touchdowns in 2014, thinks he can fill the role. “I’m ready,” he said, according to Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com. “I always knew I had what it takes.”  Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo added, “Nothing has shown to me that Crow can’t be that workhorse for us.”
  • Like Cleveland, the Cowboys also lack a top-end running back. They had the league’s rushing champion last season in DeMarco Murray, but he signed with Philadelphia in the offseason. So, Dallas will try to replace him with a committee consisting of Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden, Lance Dunbar and Christine Michael. Owner Jerry Jones is optimistic about the quartet. “If they are healthy, I will take the skill and what they can bring to our offense,” he said, per Eric Prisbell of USA Today.
  • Rookie free agent quarterback Phillip Sims will work out for the Seahawks on Monday, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). Simms, whom NFC West rival Arizona released last week, went undrafted out of Winston-Salem State this year.

NFC Notes: Saints, Novak, Bowers, Panthers

September 7th, 2015 at 9:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are set to audition former Chargers kicker Nick Novak, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). As La Canfora notes, the Saints could use a veteran kicker and the 34-year-old would fit the bill for them. Novak made 22-of-26 field goals last year and is only two years removed from his best campaign, making 34-of-37 kicks in 2013. He also hasn’t missed more than four kicks in a season since his first in San Diego.

  • Former Buccaneers defensive lineman Da’Quan Bowers will work out for the Panthers, according to a source who spoke with Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer. Bowers, a second-round pick in the 2010 NFL draft, was released by the Buccaneers over the weekend. In his four seasons with the Bucs, Bowers has totaled just seven sacks. Last year he had one sack in 11 games, including two starts.
  • In order for the Seahawks to get the Cowboys’ seventh-round pick in 2016, Christine Michael will have to be on the 46-man gameday roster three times this season, Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. Michael came to the Cowboys over the weekend in a deal that will help strengthen up a group of running backs that includes Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden, and Lance Dunbar.
  • If quarterback Ryan Griffin wasn’t claimed by the Buccaneers this week, he would have wound up joining the Browns, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Browns were the only other team to put a claim in on Griffin.
  • Lions GM Martin Mayhew said that he plans on signing a quarterback to the practice squad, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweets. A signing could happen as soon as Tuesday.

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC East

September 6th, 2015 at 4:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC East teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, and Washington are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s NFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Dallas Cowboys

  • Acquired via trade:
    • RB Christine Michael, from Seahawks (link)
  • Cut:
  • Signed to practice squad:

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Claimed off waivers:
    • QB Stephen Morris (link)
  • Signed to practice squad (via press release)

    • T Brett Boyko (Twitter link via Adam Caplan)
    • G Malcolm Bunche
    • CB Randall Evans (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
    • WR Freddie Martino
    • DE Brian Mihalik
    • RB Raheem Mostert (Twitter link via Brett Tessler)
    • TE Chris Pantale
    • WR Quron Pratt
    • S Ed Reynolds (Twitter link via Caplan)
    • LB Deontae Skinner (Twitter link via Tony Pauline)

Washington

Cowboys Trade For Christine Michael

September 6th, 2015 at 12:23pm CST by Rory Parks

The Cowboys have traded a conditional seventh-round pick draft pick to the Seahawks in exchange for RB Christine Michael, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Albert Breer of The NFL Network tweets that Michael must be on the Cowboys’ roster for a certain number of games. If he is not, the Seahawks will receive no compensation.

Michael, a former Texas A&M product, will return home to join a Dallas backfield that includes Darren McFadden, Joseph Randle, and Lance Dunbar. Michael had been used in a part-time role for Seattle since being selected by the team in the second round of the 2013 draft. Over his two years in the league, he played in 14 games, carrying the ball 52 times for 254 yards. He has yet to cross the goal line.

As Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times writes, the move clears the way for the Seahawks to add veteran running back Fred Jackson to the roster. Jackson agreed to a one-year contract on Friday, but the team had yet to sign him while it tried to find a taker for Michael. Condotta adds that Michael had an inconsistent preseason, rushing for 118 yards on 32 carries, an average of 3.7 per attempt, while also fumbling once and showing intermittent success in pass protection. Michael’s departure leaves Jackson and Thomas Rawls as the two backs behind Marshawn Lynch on Seattle’s depth chart.

Given McFadden’s health problems and the fact that Randle and Dunbar have yet to prove themselves in the league, Michael will now have the chance to live up to his potential behind what is arguably the best offensive line in the NFL.

 

Extra Points: Brady, Orton, Seahawks

September 4th, 2015 at 9:10pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady issued a Facebook statement Friday in response to Judge Richard Berman’s decision on Thursday to overturn the four-game suspension the NFL handed him for his role in DeflateGate. Here are a couple snippets from the full statement, which can be found here (courtesy of ESPN’s Josina Anderson):

“While I am pleased to be eligible to play, I am sorry our league had to endure this. I don’t think it has been good for our sport – to a large degree, we have all lost.”

“I love the NFL. It is a privilege to be a member of the NFL community and I will always try to do my best in representing my team and the league in a way that would make all members of this community proud.”

More from around the league as Saturday’s 53-man roster deadline draws closer:

  • Multiple teams – including the Jets – reached out to retired quarterback Kyle Orton this summer about a possible comeback, but he spurned their advances. Orton told Chris Trapasso of NFL.com that retirement had been on his mind for the past couple seasons, so he finally walked away from the game for good (Twitter link). Buffalo coaxed Orton out of a brief retirement last year and he proceeded to throw 18 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, giving him 101 and 69, respectively, for his career. The former fourth-round pick played for five different franchises after entering the NFL in 2005.
  • With Marshawn Lynch, the newly added Fred Jackson and Robert Turbin on the Seahawks’ running back depth chart, Christine Michael could be the odd man out. The team is exploring trade options for him, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
  • The Eagles are shopping second-year cornerback Jaylen Watkins, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
  • The Texans are mulling signing another quarterback after third-stringer Tom Savage suffered a severely sprained throwing shoulder Thursday, Wilson writes. “It’s a discussion that we’re having, whether to go out and possibly get a third quarterback or maybe have a quarterback on the practice squad, something like that,” head coach Bill O’Brien said. “We haven’t made a final decision on that.”