HEADLINES

Craig Dahl

Giants Sign Craig Dahl, Cut Stevie Brown

September 7th, 2015 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Giants continue to tweak their secondary, replacing one safety with another as they prepare for their Week 1 contest against the Cowboys. According to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (via Twitter), the Giants have signed ex-Niner Craig Dahl, cutting Stevie Brown to create room on the roster.

Dahl, 30, began his career with the Giants in 2007, and started 40 games at safety for the Rams between 2009 and 2012, spending time with Steve Spagnuolo at both stops. However, Dahl served mostly as a special-teamer in San Francisco after joining the 49ers in 2013. The Niners have a deep group of safeties this year, which made the veteran Dahl expendable — he was released earlier this week, and also drew interest from the Raiders.

In New York, Dahl will be a reserve on defense and figures to chip in on special teams as well. He’ll replace Brown, who just re-signed with the team last week, after being cut by the Texans. Brown reportedly received interest from a handful of clubs following his release from Houston, so he could draw some attention now that he’s available again.

49ers Cut Joe Looney, Craig Dahl

September 4th, 2015 at 2:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The 49ers have informed offensive lineman Joe Looney and safety Craig Dahl that they will be released, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter links). As a vested veteran, Dahl will immediately become a free agent, while Looney will have to pass through waivers. The 49ers have since confirmed the moves.

Looney, who turned 25 on Monday, played 15 games for the Niners last season, starting four games and seeing action at all three interior line positions. He entered the preseason as the favorite to start at center for San Francisco this year, but the club has opted to go in another direction, shifting Marcus Martin from guard to center.

Dahl, meanwhile, started 16 games at safety for the Rams in 2012, but has mostly been a special-teamer since joining the 49ers in 2013. San Francisco has a deep group of safeties that includes Antoine Bethea, Eric Reid, Jimmie Ward, and Jaquiski Tartt, making the veteran Dahl expendable.

Defensive lineman Darnell Dockett and linebacker Philip Wheeler are among the other notable players cut today by the Niners. The team also announced that wide receiver Issac Blakeney and offensive lineman Patrick Miller have been waived, reducing the roster count to 69 players.

NFC Notes: Guion, 49ers, Panthers, Cowboys

July 3rd, 2015 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion is already at risk of being suspended for an arrest earlier this year, and now he’s facing a civil suit over a 2013 altercation in which no criminal charges were filed, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Seth Katz tells Demovsky that the suit is of “suspect nature” and that there’s “no basis for it.” While the suit is unlikely to lead to any discipline from the NFL, it’s the latest issue Guion has had to face in what has been a tumultuous offseason for the veteran defensive lineman.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • The 49ers, who selected 10 players in this year’s draft, have placed an emphasis on developing young players, which means some veterans may be in danger of losing their roster spots this fall. Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com identifies three Niners – tight end Vance McDonald, safety Craig Dahl, and outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks – whose places on the 53-man roster may not be completely secure.
  • The Panthers didn’t make a huge splash in free agency or on the trade market in recent months, as the 2015 offseason was all about keeping the team’s core intact, writes Max Henson of Panthers.com. Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, and Thomas Davis have each inked new contracts with Carolina since the start of March.
  • Considering how tight NFL playoff races can be, suspensions to key defensive players like Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain may have a noticeable effect on the Cowboys‘ postseason chances, says Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. Earlier today, we asked whether McClain’s four-game ban would negatively impact the Cowboys more than Sheldon Richardson‘s and Antonio Gates‘ suspensions would impact the Jets and Chargers, respectively.

Minor Moves: Monday

March 9th, 2015 at 4:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves around the NFL:

  • The Packers have informed running back DuJuan Harris they will not extend him an exclusive rights tender, Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel tweets.
  • The Ravens are expected to assign an exclusive-rights free agent tender to running back Fitzgerald Toussaint, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
  • The Steelers have offered one-year deals to restricted free agents Antwon Blake, Will Johnson, and Robert Golden, Scott Brown of ESPN tweets. All three will get the lower tender, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter).
  • The Cardinals announced they’ve re-signed Alameda Ta’amu to a one-year contract, as Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports tweets. The Cards decided not to tender him but they have retained him at a lower salary.
  • The 49ers will restructure their deal with safety Craig Dahl, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). It’s now a one-year, $1.3MM deal with a $200K signing bonus, a $175K roster bonus, and a $50K workout bonus.
  • The Buccaneers announced that they have re-signed defensive ends Larry English and Lawrence Sidbury, tight end Luke Stocker and linebacker Jason Williams.
  • The Ravens have assigned a $510K exclusive rights tender to offensive lineman Ryan Jensen, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Wilson (link) also hears that the Ravens have given wide receiver Kamar Aiken a $585K exclusive rights tender.
  • The Ravens gave cornerback Tramain Jacobs a $510K tender, per Wilson (link).

Earlier updates:

  • The Bills announced that they have extended the contract of kicker Jordan Gay, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (via Twitter).
  • The Browns announced that they have tendered qualifying offers to four of their restricted free agents: free safety Tashaun Gipson, defensive back Johnson Bademosi, defensive lineman Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, and linebacker Craig Robertson, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets. It’s a second-round tender for Robertson, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter). Gipson also gets the second-round tender, according to Ulrich (link).
  • The Ravens have sent a second-round restricted tender $2.356MM to Pro Bowl kicker Justin Tucker, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
  • The Steelers announced that they have agreed to terms with veteran tight end Matt Spaeth on a two-year deal. The 31-year-old appeared in 15 regular-season games in 2014 (eight starts) and caught three passes for 46 yards and a touchdown, and also started the Steelers’ playoff game against Baltimore.
  • The Buccaneers are not expected to tender an offer to fullback Jorvorskie Lane, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. They could bring Lane, an ERFA, back on a different deal later, however. Lane had a tough year in 2014. He was hit with a two-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing substances in October and his season ended in November after he underwent surgery on his injured right leg.
  • The Broncos have placed the low-level contract tender on restricted free agent defensive back Tony Carter, extending him a one-year offer worth $1.542MM, per Mike Klis of the Denver Post. The move gives Denver the right to match any offer sheet Carter signs with another team, and according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), there may be strong outside interest.
  • The Cowboys have placed one-year tenders of $1.542MM each on restricted free agent punter Chris Jones and restricted free agent running back Lance Dunbar, sources tell Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News. Dunbar is the Cowboys’ third running back and tendering him gives Dallas some insurance if DeMarco Murray signs with another team in free agency. He also gives them a reserve back in the event that they have to cut ties with Joseph Randle.
  • The Browns announced that they have re-signed offensive lineman Ryan Seymour. Seymour, 25, appeared in 11 games during the 2014 season, starting three at center. Nick McDonald was originally the team’s choice at center after Alex Mack went down with a broken leg, but Seymour eventually got his chance at the job.
  • The Panthers have re-signed wide receiver/kick returner Brenton Bersin to a one-year deal, a source tells Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). Bersin was an exclusive rights free agent.
  • The Panthers announced that they re-signed Fozzy Whittaker on a two-year deal, according to Person (on Twitter). The tailback had 32 carries for 145 yards last season and also contributed on kick returns. Linebacker Ben Jacobs and center Brian Folkerts got one-year deals to remain in Carolina (link). Tackle Kevin Hughes is the only Panthers ERFA who wasn’t tendered an offer (link).

49ers’ Craig Dahl Agrees To Pay Cut

February 24th, 2014 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Safety Craig Dahl has agreed to a new contract that will reduce his salary for 2014 and create $600K in cap savings for the 49ers, a source tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Jason Hurley of NinersCapHell.com was the first to notice that Dahl’s base salary for ’14 was down to $825K in the NFLPA database.

Dahl, 28, had previously been in line to earn a $1.35MM base salary with bonus money increasing his total cap number to about $1.883MM. However, it appears as if his base salary has been reduced by $525K, while his $250K roster bonus has been reduced to a potential $175K that can be earned via per-game roster bonuses. According to Maiocco, $365K of Dahl’s $825K base salary will be guaranteed.

Maiocco also reports that the new deal will also include $650K in unlikely incentives, which Dahl could earn if he makes the Pro Bowl or reaches certain thresholds in playing time and interceptions. Those incentives won’t count against the cap unless they’re earned, so taking into account Dahl’s prorated signing bonus and workout bonus, his new cap number is about $1.283MM.

After starting all 16 games in the Rams’ secondary in 2012, Dahl assumed a backup role in San Francisco in 2013, seeing action on special teams as well. With Donte Whitner set to hit free agency, Dahl could compete for an increased role in the Niners’ secondary in 2014.