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Damon Harrison

NFL Mailbags: Jets, Cowboys, Eagles

November 21st, 2015 at 9:14am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s take a look at some of the notable answers, including a cameo by Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com…

  • Rich Cimini believes the Jets should explore the trade market for Sheldon Richardson, if only to “gauge the market.” The defensive tackle is expected to be hit with a lengthy punishment for a personal-conduct violation, and he’s also set to become a free agent following the 2017 season (assuming the Jets pick up his fifth-year option).
  • Meanwhile, Cimini expects Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Leonard Williams to all be back with the Jets next season. However, he could envision the team parting ways with nose tackle Damon Harrison.
  • The Cowboys may want to start rethinking their strategy of signing veterans for their backup quarterback role, writes Todd Archer. Matt Cassell and Brandon Weeden have combined to go 0-7 this season, and the writer is confident a first-year player could still succeed (or at least gain some invaluable experience) by playing behind Dallas’ intimidating offensive line.
  • While the Cowboys coaches should be held accountable for the lost season, Archer believes a good portion of the staff will return, including Jason Garrett, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.
  • Zangaro anticipates the Eagles pursuing a young quarterback this offseason who better meshes with coach Chip Kelly‘s offensive system. Still, the writer believes it’s worth having at least one of Mark Sanchez or Sam Bradford on the roster, regardless of the changes.

East Notes: Cousins, F-Jax, Bills

September 13th, 2015 at 10:29am CST by Rory Parks

After Geno Smith suffered a broken jaw at the hand of former teammate IK Enemkpali, the Jets did not know how long their starting quarterback would be sidelined. In their efforts to address the situation, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says the Jets called Washington to discuss the possibility of trading for Kirk Cousins (Twitter link). Now, of course, we know why Washington was unwilling to seriously entertain those communications.

Washington, though, was not the only team the Jets contacted. As Rapoport adds in a separate tweet, New York did its due diligence and made plenty of phone calls around the league before ultimately settling on veteran backup Ryan Fitzpatrick to lead them at least until Smith’s return.

Now for some more links from the league’s east divisions:

  • We learned yesterday that Robert Griffin III was listed as Washington‘s third-string quarterback behind backup Colt McCoy for today’s game against Miami, but as NFL Media’s Jeff Darlington reports, RGIII will remain third on the depth chart moving forward (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com). As Darlington said, “After further consideration the team is more likely to keep Griffin as the third quarterback because of the financial repercussions that they would face if Griffin were to enter a game and be injured.”
  • Long before Fred Jackson signed with the Seahawks, he was supposed to be a member of the Steelers, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. After the Bills acquired LeSean McCoy in March, Buffalo GM Doug Whaley told Jackson that he would be released. Jackson had effectively worked out a deal with the Steelers and was en route to Pittsburgh when he was told by Buffalo team officials that he was too important to the Bills and the community to let go. When Jackson actually was let go a few months later, the Steelers had long since signed DeAngelo Williams to be their primary backup. That saga is what precipitated Jackson’s recent remarks that Whaley had lied to him.
  • When Bills head coach Rex Ryan was with the Jets, he tried to acquire Tyrod Taylor, as Albert Breer of The NFL Network tweets. According to Breer, Ryan did so on the advice of some pretty respected names who were teammates and coaches of Taylor when he was in Baltimore: Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Cam Cameron, and Jim Caldwell.
  • When Taylor signed with the Bills this offseason, his three-year deal that will pay him just $750,000 in 2015 made it clear that he was a backup quarterback. But as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, nothing prevents Buffalo from giving Taylor a new contract at any time, and although there has been no indication that will happen, Florio believes it should.
  • Muhammd Wilkerson‘s contract situation has garnered a great deal of media attention, but as Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes, the Jets have two other important defensive starters who are in the final years of their respective contracts: Demario Davis and Damon Harrison. As Cimini writes, the Jets have made no push to sign either before the start of the season, as they want to see how the players fit in the team’s new defensive scheme before making a long-term commitment.

Jets Re-Sign Damon Harrison

April 29th, 2015 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Another restricted free agent is officially under contract with his team, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. According to Mehta (via Twitter), defensive tackle Damon Harrison told reporters today that he signed his RFA tender from the Jets earlier this week.

Harrison, 26, has started all 32 regular season games for the Jets over the last two seasons, acting as the team’s primary nose tackle. Teaming with Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson, Harrison has contributed to one of the more formidable run-stopping fronts in the league during that stretch — according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Harrison’s +16.8 grade against the run in 2014 placed him third among defensive tackles, behind All-Pro players Marcell Dareus and Ndamukong Suh.

The Jets assigned Harrison a second-round tender last month, so he’ll be in line for a $2.356MM salary in 2015 before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2016. While other teams may have had interest in Harrison, they would have had to surrender a second-round pick to sign him away from the Jets.

With Harrison now under contract, only four restricted free agents remain unsigned: Browns safety Tashaun Gipson, Seahawks wideout Jermaine Kearse, Steelers safety Robert Golden, and Browns defensive lineman Ishmaa’ily Kitchen.

Jets GM Talks Draft, Wilkerson, RFAs

April 24th, 2015 at 12:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan will be running his first draft this year after arriving in New York from Houston this offseason, and it’ll be an important one for the franchise, which holds the sixth overall pick next Thursday. Speaking to reporters today, Maccagnan addressed a number of topics related to the upcoming draft and the Jets’ general plans. Here are a few highlights, with all links going to the Twitter accounts of beat writers Rich Cimini (ESPN.com) and Manish Mehta (New York Daily News):

  • Maccagnan would prefer to add more picks, which increases the team’s chances of finding good players, rather than to give up picks to move up for someone. The Jets will still reach out to every team picking ahead of them to gauge the market value of those selections, but don’t necessarily expect to trade up.
  • Asked about Muhammad Wilkerson‘s absence from the club’s offseason program, Maccagnan downplayed the defensive lineman’s absence, noting that the workouts were voluntary and adding, “I’m sure Mo is doing a good job wherever he’s working out.” For now, the club is too focused on the draft to deal with Wilkerson’s contract situation, but the GM says that will happen “at some point in time going forward.”
  • The Jets expect restricted free agents Damon Harrison and Jaiquawn Jarrett to sign their tenders. Today is the last day RFAs can sign offer sheets with rival teams, and neither player appears poised to do so.
  • Maccagnan and the Jets “absolutely” feel comfortable with the amount of homework they’ve done on Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, whom they saw during a visit, a private workout, and his pro day.
  • Maccagnan, point to the Steelers as an example, said he’d like to create a “pipeline” of 3-4 outside linebackers, since those players take some time to develop.
  • The Jets evaluated just under 1,400 prospects, and ended up with just under 300 on their draft board, per Maccagnan.
  • According to Maccagnan, his philosophy involves using free agency to fill needs (such as cornerback), and using the draft to select the best players available.

Minor Moves: Monday Evening

March 9th, 2015 at 10:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Our first round-up of today’s minor transactions around the NFL was starting to get a little unwieldy, so we’ll recap the rest of the afternoon and evening minor moves right here. Here’s the latest:

  • The Titans won’t tender either receiver Kris Durham or linebacker Kaelin Burnett, making both free agents, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
  • The Ravens have tendered ERFA cornerback Rashaan Melvin at $585K, per Wilson (Twitter link). Melvin started two games for Baltimore near the end of the season.
  • The Ravens also have extended an exclusive rights tender worth $435K to long snapper Patrick Scales, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Scales was originally signed in December, becoming Baltimore’s third snapper of the season. The man he replaced, Kevin McDermott, didn’t get an RFA tender, tweets Wilson.

Earlier updates:

  • Rather than tendering restricted free agent linebacker Mike Morgan, the Seahawks have simply signed him to a one-year contract, per Condotta (via Twitter).
  • Updating a previous note, the Seahawks actually have tendered receiver Ricardo Lockette, and have offered a contract to ERFA defensive back DeShawn Shead, as well, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links).
  • The Jets have tendered offers to two RFAs — defensive tackle Damon Harrison received a second-round tender worth $2.356MM, while safety Jaiquawn Jarrett received the lowest tender.
  • With Ryan Mallett returning to the fold and a deal with Brian Hoyer moving closer to completion, the Texans started clearing out a crowded quarterback position today by cutting Thad Lewis, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. Somewhat ironically, Lewis was initially added to Houston’s roster back in November to replace Mallett, who landed on injured reserve with a pectoral injury.
  • The Ravens extended an RFA tender to safety Will Hill at the low-end level, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). The $1.542MM offer ensures that Baltimore maintains the right of first refusal if Hill signs an offer sheet with another club. The Ravens also tendered ERFA defensive end Steven Means, locking him up for 2015, tweets Wilson.
  • The Seahawks have elected not to tender contracts to wide receiver Bryan Walters and offensive lineman Stephen Schilling, says Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links). All three players could still re-sign with Seattle, but they’ll be unrestricted free agents and can negotiate with other teams too.
  • Punter Marquette King, safety Brandian Ross, and safety Larry Asante all received low-end RFA tenders from the Raiders, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Defensive back Chimdi Chekwa and running back Kory Sheets weren’t tendered, and will become UFAs tomorrow.

AFC East Notes: Dolphins’ D, McCourty, Idzik

December 14th, 2014 at 8:53am CST by Rory Parks

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, noting that the Dolphins defense is not the consistently stout force that defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle claims, took a look at the immediate future of each position in Coyle’s unit this morning. For instance, Jackson writes that defensive tackle Randy Starks is unlikely to return on his current contract, which creates a $6MM cap hit if Starks is on the team, and a $1MM hit if he is not.

Jackson adds that is is “highly questionable” if Miami will pay Jared Odrick what he could make on the open market, and the departures of both Odrick and Starks would force the team to go shopping for a run-stuffer like Dan Williams or Terrance Knighton in free agency. While the defensive end position is more or less set for 2015, Jackson notes that linebacker Dannell Ellerbe will either need to accept a pay cut or be released, and he points out that there is a strong class of free agent corners for the team to pursue as it seeks a reliable starter opposite Brent Grimes.

Now for a few more notes from the AFC East:

  • Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets that there is “nothing happening” on an extension between the Patriots and Devin McCourty, and that New England is expected to use the franchise tag as major leverage.
  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes that one reason the Patriots might have agreed to a recent extension with Marcus Cannon is that it helps to thaw the team’s relationship with Cannon’s agent, David Dunn, a relationship that soured during the Wes Welker negotiations several seasons ago. Dunn, one of the game’s most successful agents, also represents Nate Solder, who will be a free agent in 2016, and Shane Vereen, who hits free agency after this season.
  • Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that Jets GM John Idzik has been involved in the early stages of the team’s head coaching search, and La Canfora wonders if that might be a sign that Idzik’s job is safe. Although owner Woody Johnson could still parts ways with Idzik, particularly if the team lands a big-ticket head coach who wants a different general manager, Idzik’s early involvement and his ties to potential head coaching candidates are positive signs for him.
  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com takes a look at the Jets’ bad fortune in recent years, noting that the team’s worst seasons tend to coincide with fairly weak drafts or drafts with no elite quarterback prospects.
  • In the same piece, Cimini writes that nose tackle Damon Harrison, who has been one of the few bright spots for the Jets this season, is likely to receive the max tender (which is expected to be higher than 2014’s $3.1MM figure) as he hits restricted free agency.

Jets Notes: Holmes, Amaro, Vick

September 20th, 2014 at 9:53am CST by Ben Levine

Bears wideout Santonio Holmes will be making his return to New York this weekend, but it won’t be your typical homecoming. The former Jets standout told Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he hasn’t heard from one of his former teammates this week, so he won’t be shaking any of their hands following the game.

Members of the Jets organization understand where Holmes is coming from. In fact, defensive coordinator Dennis Thuman expects the player to be angry.

“He probably has a little revenge on his mind,” Thuman said (via Brian Lewis of the New York Post). “We know who he is and what they’re going to come and try to do. [But] we can’t get caught up in the one-on-one part of it.”

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is also aware of Holmes’ extra motivation:

“He doesn’t need to say much. We know what happened with him there and how important this game is to him,” said Cutler. “At the same token, it’s another game for us, and we can’t get wrapped up in that.

“He hasn’t said anything to ruffle anybody’s feathers yet [in Chicago]. He has been in early, he stays late. He has had to catch up with everybody else in learning this offense, and I thought he has done an incredible job. He communicated with me of what he likes, what he doesn’t like. He gets in games and he just does exactly what we want him to do.’’

Let’s see what else is going on in the Big Apple…

  • Rookie tight end Jace Amaro has only played 30 percent of his team’s snaps, and ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini speculates that the lack of use could be because Amaro doesn’t have a solid grasp on the offense. Cimini also suggest that offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg could still be trying to distinguish the rookie’s “niche.”
  • Cimini believes the team’s two best trade options are quarterback Michael Vick and nose tackle Damon Harrison.
  • When asked about the prospect of acquiring a cornerback, Cimini says the Jets would need to give up a “premium” draft pick.
  • According to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com, a pair of Jets were fined for unnecessary roughness in their loss to the Packers: Muhammad Wilkerson ($20K) and Sheldon Richardson ($8,268).

AFC Links: Bailey, Davis, Harrison, Dolphins

February 3rd, 2014 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

During the week leading up to the Super Bowl, Champ Bailey indicated that he hoped to his continue his playing career and didn’t have any interest in moving from cornerback to safety. However, after the game last night, Bailey appeared willing to compromise on one of those two stances. The longtime corner suggested that he’d “definitely look into” playing safety if it’s something that makes sense for him and the Broncos, according to Matt Walks of the Denver Post. Of course, given his $10MM cap number for 2014, Bailey isn’t a mortal lock to remain in Denver, at least at that price.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • While Vontae Davis is expected to be among a strong crop of free agent cornerbacks this offseason, both he and the Colts seem to have interest in a reunion, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. There’s no guarantee that the team will re-sign Davis, but Holder expects the two sides to “work diligently” on a new contract in the coming weeks.
  • Jets defensive tackle Damon Harrison, who will be eligible for restricted free agency a year from now, has changed agents, joining CAA Sports, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal.
  • ESPN.com’s James Walker examines a list of potential cap casualties for the Dolphins, led by offensive lineman Jonathan Martin.
  • One of the Dolphins‘ GM candidates who didn’t get the job tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) that he believes the club is one good offseason away from a playoff berth, and two or three years away from bigger things.
  • With backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst facing free agency, the Chargers will have to decide whether to bring him back or to add another signal-caller via the draft, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com.