David Bass

NFC North Notes: Rodgers, Vikings, Lions

The Vikings were not the first team that sought Dan Bailey‘s services this season. Although he’s in Minnesota now, other franchises wanted to sign the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history. Bailey agreed to terms with the Vikings on a one-year, $2MM deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). However, the 30-year-old specialist also turned down offers worth double that on multiyear deals, Rapoport adds. The Jets brought in Bailey to work out just after the Cowboys cut him, but nothing came to fruition. Gang Green may have been one of the teams that presented a better offer, but that’s not known. Nevertheless, Bailey will replace Daniel Carlson, whom Mike Zimmer said it was not difficult to cut after his performance in Minnesota’s Week 2 tie in Green Bay.

Here’s the latest out of the NFC North:

  • Aaron Rodgers did not exit the Packers‘ Week 2 game with any new discomfort on his injured left knee, Mike McCarthy said (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com). Rodgers is “obviously sore,” and McCarthy does not have a read on whether his quarterback’s condition is better or worse than at this point last week. But it’s encouraging for the Packers that Rodgers didn’t sustain any additional damage while clearly playing hurt.
  • Carlson’s cut will save the Vikings $200K, though the Bailey addition will negate those savings. Only Carlson’s signing bonus ($248K), plus his base salary through two games, will count against Minnesota’s cap, per Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (on Twitter). The Vikings are up against the cap but managed to add Bailey, Aldrick Robinson and Tom Johnson in the past two days.
  • Robinson will only make the league minimum, and no guarantees exist in the soon-to-be 30-year-old wide receiver’s Vikings pact, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. The former Redskins, Falcons and 49ers pass-catcher now comprises part of the Vikes’ receiving corps. Minnesota currently has five receivers on its roster, the same amount it did prior to the Robinson signing. Stacy Coley, a 2017 seventh-rounder, was cut to make room.
  • On a busy day for workouts, the Lions brought in two veteran edge rushers who would slot in as defensive ends in their 4-3 scheme. John Simon and David Bass trekked to Detroit for Tuesday workouts, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM reports (on Twitter). A recent Colts cut, Simon already met with the 49ers and Jets since being released. A six-year veteran, Bass led Jets edge rushers in sacks last season with 3.5. Former Packers fullback Aaron Ripkowski also worked out for the Lions today, NFL reporter Howard Balzer tweets. Also among the workout contingent: linebacker Tyrone Holmes, fullbacks Jalston Fowler and Jay Prosch, and tight end Donnie Ernsberger, per Balzer. Wide receiver Keon Hatcher visited with the Lions.
  • Former Jets wideout Chad Hansen was among those who auditioned for the Packers today, with Balzer tweeting Shay Fields, Korey Robertson, Taj Williams and quarterback Brogan Roback — of Hard Knocks fame — joined him.

Jets Officially Cut 18 Players

The Jets’ roster is now at 71 players after the club announced 18 cuts today. Like all NFL teams, New York will need to reduce to 53 players by Saturday afternoon. Several of the following transactions were reported earlier today, but we’ll list them here as well:

Waived:

Released:

Jets Release Kevin Minter

The Jets are cleaning house in advance of Saturday’s roster deadline. On Friday, Gang Green released the following players (via Manish Mehta of the Daily NewsRalph Vacchiano of SNY, and Darryl Slater of NJ.com.):

Minter is one of the bigger names in the bunch and one of the biggest surprises. Minter seemed likely to make the team as an inside linebacker, but evidently didn’t do enough to win the job. Minter‘s signed a one-year, $880K deal with the Jets in April, but the team won’t be on the hook for much more than his $90K signing bonus.

Bass had 3.5 sacks in 13 games for the Jets last season and did well according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus, but summer injuries ultimately cost him a place on the team for the fall.

The Jets will have the opportunity to add some of these players to their practice squad if they pass through waivers, but the team is unlikely to extend the invite to James, according to Slater.

Spring Practice Notes: Jets, Darby, Ebron

Now that mandatory minicamps have wrapped up around the league and players have returned home for a few weeks, the NFL will experience something of a lull until we get closer to the start of training camp in July. In the past couple of days, however, beat writers have shared some lessons learned during spring practices, offered some insight as to what OTAs and minicamp revealed about the upcoming season, and discussed some questions that remain unanswered. So let’s dive right in:

  • Terrelle Pryor‘s injury concerns have been well-documented, but as Darryl Slater of NJ.com observes, the Jets are also dealing with injuries to CB Morris Claiborne and OLB Jordan Jenkins. Both Claiborne and Jenkins are expected to be ready for the start of training camp, while the status of Pryor and starting free safety Marcus Maye is still up in the air. Slater also wonders who will start at OLB alongside Jenkins. David Bass and Josh Martin are candidates, as is Lorenzo Mauldin, though Slater suggests Mauldin is on the roster bubble.
  • Slater also indicates that Henry Anderson may have the leg up in the battle for the Jets‘ starting defensive end position opposite Leonard Williams — New York desperately needs someone to take double teams away from Williams — and that Andre Roberts appears to be leading the competition for Gang Green’s punt returner job. He adds that wideout Chad Hansen has impressed this spring after being a non-factor in his rookie campaign last year.
  • Rich Cimini of ESPN.com also likes what he sees from Hansen, and he says TE Neal Sterling and RB Elijah McGuire are other under-the-radar players to impress for the Jets this spring. Sam Darnold, meanwhile, is very much on the radar, and Cimini says Darnold has done nothing to suggest he cannot be a quality starter in the NFL.
  • The most important lesson learned during the Eagles‘ spring practices, per Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer, is that Carson Wentz is progressing in his recovery from an ACL tear and could be ready to go in Week 1. However, as Berman points out, the defending champs have plenty of injury concerns outside of Wentz, though no key players appear at risk of missing any regular season time at this point.
  • Berman also writes that Jay Ajayi is the Eagles’ unquestioned No. 1 running back — in stark contrast to the summer of 2017, when the team was emphasizing a committee approach to the offensive backfield — and he names De’vante Bausby, Nate Gerry, and Dallas Goedert as young talents who have stood out in the spring. Gerry, a 2017 fifth-rounder who converted from collegiate safety to professional linebacker, could compete for a starting LB job this year, Berman says.
  • Speaking of Bausby, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com is also impressed with the 25-year-old’s work this spring, which may be enough to allow the Eagles to trade Ronald Darby.
  • Seahawks‘ 2018 seventh-round pick Alex McGough stood out this spring and has a legitimate chance to be Russell Wilson‘s backup this year, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Condotta also notes that Seattle’s first-round choice, Rashaad Penny, has looked the part and has also shown improvement in his pass-blocking technique, which will help him see more of the field this year.
  • TE Eric Ebron has been perhaps the most impressive newcomer for the Colts this spring, per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, who also says 2018 fourth-rounder Nyheim Hines was the most exciting rookie to watch. Hines, a running back from NC State, has the explosiveness and versatility to thrive in new head coach Frank Reich‘s scheme.
  • Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com says Harold Landry, the Titans‘ second-round draft choice this year, is living up to his draft pedigree and that, while he may have a hard time unseating veterans Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo as a starting OLB, he should see plenty of action as a situational pass rusher to begin his career. Wyatt also says Tennessee’s cornerbacks have been the most impressive position group of the spring.

Jets To Re-Sign DE David Bass

The Jets have agreed to re-sign defensive end David Bass, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. The news was first reported by NFL Draft Diamonds (Twitter link). 

Bass, 28 in September, hooked on with the Jets prior to their Week 3 game last year. He went on to total 22 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 13 games (two starts). Bass only had a limited sample of 326 snaps, but for what it’s worth, he did place as the 45th ranked edge defender in the league out of 106 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus. His strong 81.6 run coverage score was good for 28th amongst edge rushers and his overall score was the best of any Jets DE in 2017.

In other Jets news, the team dropped wide receiver Jalin Marshall after the conclusion of the draft.

Jets To Sign DE David Bass

The Jets have signed defensive end David Bass, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). To make room, the team has waived outside linebacker Freddie BishopDavid Bass (vertical)

Bass spent the last two seasons with the Titans. In 2015, he set career highs in games (16) and starts (seven) and recorded 1.5 sacks and on interception. His production dipped last year as he appeared in 13 games and played in just over 20 percent of the Titans’ snaps. The Titans opted to use him more on special teams, employing him on 45 percent of those snaps. Bass joined the Seahawks in May and appeared in each of their first two games, but he was cut loose earlier this week.

The 0-2 Jets will take on the Dolphins at home on Sunday in search of their first win.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/19/17

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks Sign DE/LB David Bass

The Seahawks have signed edge defender David Bass, per an Instagram announcement from the player (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times).

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Bass entered the NFL in 2013 as a seventh-round pick of the Raiders, though he never actually suited up for them. He instead spent his first two seasons in Chicago, where he totaled 20 appearances (two starts) and combined for four sacks.

Bass was a member of the Titans over the previous two years, setting career highs in games (16) and starts (seven) during a 1.5-sack, one-interception 2015 campaign. He made less of a defensive impact across 13 appearances last season, playing just over 20 percent of the Titans’ snaps and picking up 12 tackles, but partook in 45 percent of special teams snaps.

As of now, the 26-year-old Bass is in line to function as a defensive end for Seattle, writes Condotta. The Seahawks have no shortage of proven and/or familiar names at DE, including Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Frank Clark and Dion Jordan, so Bass could have difficulty distinguishing himself as a defender if he makes their roster.

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC South

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC South 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 Texans, Colts, Jaguars, and Titans 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 AFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

  • Claimed off waivers:
  • Cut:
  • Signed to practice squad (via press release)

    • OLB Daniel Adongo
    • G David Arkin
    • WR Quan Bray
    • WR Duron Carter
    • T Ulrick John
    • S Dewey McDonald
    • ILB Josh McNary
    • CB Eric Patterson
    • DT Jeris Pendleton
    • TE Erik Swoope

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed to practice squad (via press release):

    • DL Richard Ash
    • TE Ben Koyack
    • S Craig Loston
    • OL Chris Reed
    • WR Neal Sterling
    • LB Todd Thomas
    • DB Peyton Thompson
    • WR Tony Washington

Tennessee Titans

  • Claimed off waivers:
  • Acquired via trade:
    • RB Terrance West, from Browns (link)
  • Cut:
    • TE Chase Coffman (link)
    • LB Jonathan Massaquoi (link)
    • LB Justin Staples (link)
  • Signed to practice squad (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt):

    • S Josh Aubrey
    • RB David Fluellen
    • G Josue Matias
    • WR Tre McBride
    • G Will Poehls
    • WR Rico Richardson
    • TE Tevin Westbrook

Bears Set 53-Man Roster

John Fox‘s first roster with the Bears will include three quarterbacks, but the third isn’t the one he oversaw in Denver. The Bears sent Zac Dysert back to waivers after picking up the ex-Broncos quarterback last week.

Instead, David Fales will back up Jay Cutler and Jimmy Clausen, as the Bears made their cuts to slash their roster to 53 players, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

Also among the cuts was third-year defensive end/linebacker David Bass, who played in 20 games the past two seasons. A former seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2013 with a pick-six to his credit as a rookie in Chicago, Bass has interested suitors and will land somewhere soon, per Bleacher Report’s Dan Pompei (on Twitter).

Here are the rest of Chicago’s final cuts:

  • Jonathan Anderson, ILB
  • Qumain Black, WR
  • Conor Boffeli, OL
  • A.J. Cruz, WR (Waived/injured)
  • Jacoby Glenn, CB
  • Anthony Jefferson, DB (Injured reserve)
  • Rashad Lawrence, WR
  • Tyler Moore, OL
  • Michael Ola, OL
  • Ify Umodu, WR
  • Gannon Sinclair, TE
  • Matthew Wells, ILB
  • Terry Williams, DT
  • Kyle Woestmann, OLB