HEADLINES

Curtis Marsh

Reserve/Futures Contracts: Monday

December 29th, 2014 at 10:11pm CST by Zachary Links

Teams have been announcing their reserve/futures deals all day long, but not every club has made those pacts official. Here are the odds and ends from today as we await the full slate:

49ers

Bears

Broncos

Buccaneeers

Eagles

Falcons

Saints

Washington

  • Lakendrick Ross, DL (via ESPN 980 on Twitter)

East Notes: Cowboys, Jets, Dolphins

October 20th, 2014 at 5:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently said he’s not interested in discussing the possibility of a contract extension for Jason Garrett at this point, and the head coach agreed with that assessment. When Garrett was asked about his contract situation, he shifted the focus back to his team’s play on the field, as Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com details.

“I just know where I need to focus, where our team needs to focus and it needs to focus on playing our best football,” Garrett said. “The way we do that is we focus on being our best today, do a great job evaluating that game, get ready for the players coming in, let’s go to work. That’s really what I think about.”

Let’s round up a few more items from around the AFC East….

  • After coming under criticism for his lack of offseason maneuvers, Jets general manager John Idzik is surely hoping his acquisition of Percy Harvin works out, and he sounds confident that the move will reap benefits. “This could be a potential coup for the New York Jets,” Idzik told reporters, including Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Idzik, a former Seahawks executive, also noted that his Seattle background allowed him to perform an extensive background check on Harvin.
  • Wide receiver Dez Bryant boosted his stock once again this weekend as he nears free agency, and Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap thinks the Cowboys receiver may be the best player at his position in the NFL. While DeMarco Murray and his looming free agency has been a hot topic given the running back’s huge first half, Bryant appears to be in line for a mammoth new deal of his own.
  • Free agent cornerback Curtis Marsh worked out for the Dolphins today, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Marsh, a former Eagle, has also auditioned for the Titans and Lions recently.
  • Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports adds (via Twitter) that cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke also tried out for the Dolphins today.

Lankster, Marsh Working Out For Lions

October 7th, 2014 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

There’s a good chance the Lions will have a new kicker on the roster by the end of the day, having scheduled auditions for veterans Matt Prater, Jay Feely, and Connor Barth. However, that’s not the only position at which the team is considering free agent options. According to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter), cornerback Ellis Lankster is working out for the Lions today, while Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports that the club is also taking a look at cornerback Curtis Marsh.

Lankster, who spent three seasons with the Jets from 2011 to 2013, saw a little action for New York this season, but has been cut twice by the team since the start of September. A free agent for the last couple weeks, Lankster now seems to be out actively seeking another job rather than waiting to see if the Jets require his services again.

As for Marsh, the 26-year-old was selected in the third round of the 2011 draft by the Eagles and has spent most of his career since then in Philadelphia. Since being waived by the Eagles during roster cutdowns at the end of August, Marsh has also worked out for the Titans.

The Lions have tried out several veteran defensive backs during the first few weeks of the 2014 season – including Champ Bailey and Chris Clemons – but so far have mostly relied on internal options and younger, under-the-radar free agent pickups. So far, the secondary has held up fairly well — through the season’s first four weeks, Football Outsiders had the Detroit defense ranked second in DVOA, including fourth against the pass.

Titans Eyeing Cornerbacks

September 30th, 2014 at 5:08pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Titans brought in several cornerbacks for auditions today, working out Derek Cox, Brandon Ghee, and Curtis Marsh, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter link). Tennessee didn’t list any CBs on its latest injury report, but Jason McCourty was questionable last week while dealing with a groin ailment, so perhaps the Titans are looking to add depth at the position.

Cox, 28, is probably the most notable name of the three players who tried out. He’s had a busy 2013 — after being cut by the Chargers in March, Cox quickly signed with the Vikings, but was let go in August. He joined the Ravens, and after being the victim of several back-end roster machinations in Baltimore, he was released on September 6. Since becoming a free agent, Cox has had auditions with numerous CB-needy teams, including the Jets, Bears, and Lions. In his five-year career, he has started 56 games, accruing 13 interceptions and 204 tackles.

Like Cox, Ghee is also a former Charger, having signed a two-year deal with San Diego early in the offseason. He never logged game time with the team however, as he was cut August 28 despite being guaranteed $300K. The Wake Forest product was a third-round pick by the Bengals, but played in just 23 games over four seasons in Cincinnati. He’s worked out for the Saints, Jaguars, and Bears since being let go by the Chargers, but has yet to find work.

At 26, Marsh is the youngest of the group; a 2011 third-round pick, the Utah State has played in 26 games over three seasons. He has spent time with both the Eagles and the Bengals. Since being cut by Philadelphia on August 30, Marsh has yet to garner any known interest.

Eagles Reduce Roster To 53 Players

August 30th, 2014 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Eagles have officially finalized their 53-man roster, according to the team. In a press release, the Eagles announced the roster moves they made to get down to the regular-season limit. They are as follows:

The Eagles’ other eight roster-trimming moves were reported yesterday.

Eagles, Patriots Notes: Garoppolo, DBs, Curry

August 16th, 2014 at 9:10am CST by Matt Feminis

The preseason penalty flag epidemic is affecting (Read: annoying) everyone who chooses to consume exhibition games for any extended period of time, and last night’s Eagles-Patriots game was borderline unbearable (which is saying something for a preseason game). Twenty-eight penalties were called, prompting Ben Volin of the Boston Globe to call it a “travesty.”

Here’s some more notes from the Eagles and Patriots:

  • In a matter of eight days, Patriots rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has staked his claim to the backup job, writes Jeff Howe in the Boston Herald. Howe also notes “Jordan Devey also started for the second straight week, adding right guard to his resume last night after opening at left guard against the Redskins. Devey can also play center, so his versatility has been a valued asset in camp.” Devey went undrafted out of Memphis last year before spending the season on the practice squad.
  • Patriots cornerbacks Kyle Arrington and Logan Ryan are seeing time at safety, reports NESN’s Doug Kyed.
  • Experimenting and taking advantage of the secondary’s interchangeable parts has been made possible by the encouraging play of Malcolm Butler, who started opposite Darrelle Revis, notes Boston.com’s Erik Frenz. An undrafted free agent out of West Alabama, Butler has gone from bubble player to strong roster candidate.
  • Eagles cornerback Curtis Marsh had a rough night, according to NJ.com’s Eliot Shorr-Parks: “Marsh has been having a good camp, but in his moment to play against NFL competition, he showed he didn’t belong.”
  • Vinny Curry and Brandon Graham are two of the Eagles’ best pass rushers, but they don’t fit the defensive scheme, says CSN Philly’s Reuben Frank, who calls for Curry to be traded to a 4-3 team. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus’ Steve Palazzolo feels similarly about Graham, as evidenced by a couple tweets.