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David Van Dyke

AFC Notes: L.A., Dolphins, Workouts

December 17th, 2014 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chargers announced last night that the franchise would be remaining in San Diego for at least one more year, and that doesn’t appear to bode well for an NFL team landing in Los Angeles for the 2015 season, writes Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. As Farmer writes, it’s “almost inconceivable” that Chargers owner Dean Spanos would make such an announcement so much earlier than necessary if he weren’t fairly confident that neither the Raiders nor the Rams would be moving to L.A. for 2015 either.

As we wait to see whether that’s indeed the case, let’s round up a few more notes from across the AFC….

  • If the Dolphins finish strong and end up with a 9-7 record, the head coaching picture for the team is murky, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. As Salguero explains, owner Stephen Ross won’t necessarily replace Joe Philbin for 2015 if he surveys the market and doesn’t identify anyone who would be a clear upgrade on Philbin.
  • According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), the Colts worked out a handful of players this week, including offensive lineman Terrael Williams, defensive back Demond Washington, and wide receivers Dan DePalma and John Chiles.
  • Wilson also passes along the names of the players who auditioned for the Raiders this week (Twitter link): defensive back Malcolm Bronson, offensive tackle Chris Faulk, defensive back David Van Dyke, and offensive tackle Tyler Hoover, who signed with the Colts’ practice squad today.
  • Defensive end Travis Chappelear tried out for the Chiefs yesterday, a source tells Wilson (Twitter link).
  • Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News looks into whether the Bills might take a shot at Bears quarterback Jay Cutler at some point, if the underachieving signal-caller becomes available via trade or free agency.

West Notes: Collins, Gruden, 49ers, Seahawks

October 27th, 2014 at 6:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Former Raiders guard Mo Collins passed away Sunday at the age of 38, writes Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times. Collins, a first-round pick in 1998, played in 71 games over six seasons in Oakland, and was a part of the Raiders squad that made a Super Bowl run in 2002. Per Langston Wertz of the Charlotte Observer, Collin had been working as an assistant coach at his former high school, and even secured a grant from the Panthers in order to install an artificial turf field. Our thoughts go out to Collins’ friends and family.

  • Jon Gruden told one close friend that the Raiders‘ gig is the one job he’d come back to the NFL for, tweets Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Still, Gruden has a very comfortable and high-paying job as the color commentator of Monday Night Football and it’s not a given that he would give that up.
  • 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters, including Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, that his club doesn’t figure to make any trades before tomorrow’s deadline.
  • Within the same piece, Harbaugh says he hasn’t heard anything from the league regarding a reduction of Aldon Smith‘s suspension.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap looks at the financial ramifications of Jake Long‘s season-ending injury, and delves into the decisions the Rams will have to make on Long, Sam Bradford, and Kendall Langford in the coming months.
  • With cornerback Byron Maxwell nursing a calf injury, the Seahawks worked out several defensive backs today, auditioning David Van Dyke, Rashaan Melvin, and Trevin Wade, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • The Chargers brought in linebacker Shayne Skov for a tryout last week, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan. Skov has spent time with both the 49ers and the Buccaneers this year.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Workout Notes: Tuesday

October 21st, 2014 at 6:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, the Giants looked at an eye-popping 15 players, including Felix Jones, Jonathan Baldwin, Terrelle Pryor, and Tony Moeaki. Here’s a look at other notable auditions from around the league..

  • The Colts worked out defensive back Chance Casey, wide receiver Mike Davis, quarterback Pat Devlin, and wide receiver Tramaine Thompson, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (via Mike Wells on Twitter). Running back Jeff Demps and Konrad Reuland were also part of the workout and earned spots on the Colts’ practice squad.
  • The Seahawks looked at free agent linebacker Paris Lenon, according to Yates (on Twitter). Lenon, 37 next month, has 12 years of NFL experience under his belt. Remarkably, he has missed a grand total of three regular season games during that span.
  • Before signing running back Phillip Tanner earlier today, the Bills also auditioned Evan Royster, Yates tweets. Royster was with the Redskins from 2011-2013. The Bills also auditioned wide receiver Kenny Shaw and quarterback Brad Sorensen today, according to Yates (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com on Twitter).
  • The Packers auditioned four players today, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky (on Twitter): wide receiver Jace Davis (Northern Colorado), running back David Fluellen (Toledo), guard Andrew Miller (Virginia Tech), and cornerback David Van Dyke (Tennessee State).

Minor Moves: Sunday

August 3rd, 2014 at 10:08pm CST by Rory Parks

We’ll round up the day’s minor transactions from around the NFL right here, with additional moves listed at the top of the page throughout the afternoon and evening:

  • The Redskins have filled the roster spot previously held by Jerry Rice Jr. with defensive end Jeremy Towns, tweets Mike Jones of The Washington Post. Towns is an undrafted rookie out of Samford.

Earlier Updates:

  • The Redskins have waived injured wideout Jerry Rice Jr., tweets Zac Boyer of The Washington Times. The player tore the labrum in his left shoulder and will be placed on injured reserve if he clears waivers.
  • The Colts have signed undrafted wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The embattled rookie attended three colleges and was charged with armed robbery.
  • The Colts have also cut wide receiver Greg Moore and waived cornerback Brandon Burton, tweets Aaron Wilson of The National Football Post.
  • To make room for Brock Jensen, the Dolphins have waived wide receiver Rantavious Wooten, reports the Miami Herald’s Adam Beasley (via Twitter).
  • Five players cleared waivers and will be placed on their respective team’s injured reserve (via Aaron Wilson’s Twitter): Cowboys offensive lineman Darius Morris, Jaguars wideout Damian Copeland, linebacker John Lotulelei and defensive tackle Jordan Miller and Jets safety Brandon Hardin.
  • The Texans have claimed center Sam Longo from the Dolphins, tweets Brian McIntyre. To make room on the roster, the team waived offensive lineman Brice Schwab.
  • Jaguars wideout Damian Copeland, linebacker John Lotulelei and defensive tackle Jordan Miller have all cleared waivers and will go on the team’s injured reserve, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
  • The Chiefs have made a series of roster moves, signing defensive lineman Jairus Campbell and waiving fullback James Baker and cornerback David Van Dyke, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
  • The Patriots have re-signed linebacker James Morris, according to Pat Harty of the Iowa Press-Citizen (h/t: Christopher Price of WEEI.com). Morris, an undrafted free agent out of Iowa, was waived by New England in May with a failed physical designation, but is apparently healthy now.
  • The Dolphins re-signed quarterback Brock Jensen on Saturday night, just four days after cutting him, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Fellow signal-callers Matt Moore and Pat Devlin are both hurt at the moment, so Miami needed additional depth at the position as they prepare for Friday’s preseason opener. If Moore is healthy, he will of course serve as the team’s primary backup in 2014, and his injured shoulder is currently not a major concern for the club.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

Extra Points: OTAs, Packers, Titans, Brady

June 22nd, 2014 at 9:12pm CST by Peter Sowards

Minicamps are finished. The 2014 NFL season awaits.

Players have left their respective clubs until the opening of training camp, and as ESPN.com’s John Clayton notes, coaches now will cross their fingers that they don’t receive the 3 a.m. phone call alerting them of the star player’s transgressions.

Clayton, the Worldwide Leader’s senior NFL writer, outlines seven things learned from the offseason programs, with No. 1 being the lack of readiness for rookie quarterbacks. Reading into Clayton’s words, he believes that no rookie quarterback will open the season as the team’s starting signal caller. Teddy Bridgewater is the most pro-ready, Clayton says, but Matt Cassel will get the first snap on opening day.

Taking a page out of Pete Carroll‘s playbook, Clayton writes that teams around the league are gravitating toward taller defensive backs. Case in point, the Kansas City Chiefs, who released 5-foot-9 cornerback Brandon Flowers in a cap-saving move. They’ll look to replace Flowers with 6-foot-1 Phillip Gaines, 6-foot-2 Marcus Cooper and 6-foot David Van Dyke, each of whom are first- or second-year players.

Other news and notes from around the league…

  • Among the 10 Packers stories to watch before training camp opens by Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is peace of mind at backup quarterback. It wasn’t pretty for the Pack at QB when Aaron Rodgers went down in a Week 9 loss to the Bears, but coach Mike McCarthy should feel better about this year’s situation with Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien backing up the All Pro, Dunne writes.
  • Quarterback Jake Locker, receiver Kendall Wright and the defense’s front seven are all things Titans fans should feel good about, The Tennessean’s Jim Wyatt writes. Locker should be at 100% coming off foot surgery in November and had started the 2013 season with a bang, while Wright will team with Nate Washington and Justin Hunter to ease Locker’s return to health.
  • Tom Brady‘s private quarterback coach, Tom House, admitted in an interview with SiriusXM radio that the three-time Super Bowl champion has struggled as of late to connect on the deep passes. “As he’s getting a little older you lose a little strength, you lose a little flexibility,” House said. “And what was happening was he was noticing that his accuracy and his long ball weren’t what they were three or four years ago. So we ran him through the computer, compared him to the models we have created for movement efficiency, and there were really, really small things that were causing his issues.”

 

Chiefs Notes: Dressler, Smith, Johnson

June 1st, 2014 at 10:49pm CST by Ben Levine

Cousins David and DeMarcus Van Dyke have waited their entire lives to be on the same team. The time has finally come, as the two cornerbacks are now teammates on the Chiefs. There’s one problem, though: the players are competing for a roster spot.

The duo are two of ten cornerback candidates currently in Chiefs camp, and it’s no guarantee that either player makes the team. Even with all of the competition, the family members are still rooting for each other.

Via Randy Covitz of The Kansas City Star:

“May the best man win,” said DeMarcus. “I’ll be proud of him if he does make it, because I want him to win an opportunity in the NFL. He’s worked hard since little league to get here, so anything I can do to help him win a job, I’m down for it.”

“You have to compete for a job,” said David, “no matter what team you go to.”

DeMarcus was selected by the Raiders in the third round of the 2011 draft. He’s appeared in 25 career games. David was undrafted out of Tennessee State.

There’s a lot more going on in Kansas City. ESPN.com’s Chiefs writer Adam Teicher answered questions from readers this past weekend. Let’s see what he had to say…

  • Teicher believes it will be difficult for CFL veteran wide receiver Weston Dressler to make the roster. The writer says the drafting of De’Anthony Thomas “doomed” Dressler’s chances.
  • Teicher thinks the Chiefs will keep six wideouts:  Thomas, Donnie Avery, Dwayne Bowe, Junior Hemingway, Frankie Hammond Jr. and A.J. Jenkins.
  • The writer doesn’t think Alex Smith will receive a contract approaching Jay Cutler‘s $126MM deal. He suggests a contract worth $14-$15MM annually, less than the $18MM that Cutler averages.
  • It wouldn’t surprise Teicher if the Chiefs hold on to four quarterbacks, especially if they don’t sign Alex Smith to an extension. Besides Smith, the team also has Chase Daniel, Tyler Bray and Aaron Murray.
  • The addition of linebacker Joe Mays is “an ominous sign” for Nico Johnson, the writer says.

Chiefs Add Six Undrafted Free Agents

May 12th, 2014 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chiefs have officially announced their undrafted free agent class, one of the league’s smaller groups, though more additions may be on the way. Here’s the list of the six UDFAs signed so far by Kansas City, via the team’s Twitter account:

  • Ben Johnson, LB, Tennessee-Martin
  • Daniel Sorensen, S, BYU
  • Darryl Surgent, WR, Louisiana-Lafayette
  • David Van Dyke, CB, Tennessee State
  • Charcandrick West, RB, Abilene Christian
  • Albert Wilson, WR, Georgia State

AFC Notes: Pats, Dolphins, Zuttah, Titans

March 31st, 2014 at 10:41am CST by Luke Adams

DeSean Jackson‘s release was the latest reminder that trades are tricky to work out in the NFL, even when it’s simply a matter of trying to swap a player for a draft pick. Player-for-player deals are even more difficult to finalize, but Field Yates of ESPN.com (Insider-only link) has five suggestions for trades he thinks would benefit both sides, and four of them don’t include any picks. Among Yates’ suggestions: Ryan Mathews from the Chargers to the Titans for offensive tackle Michael Roos, and defensive lineman Jared Odrick from the Dolphins to the Patriots for offensive lineman Marcus Cannon.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • While it won’t have a real effect on teams’ cap situations for 2014, about $105MM in leaguewide deferred payments on bonus money are due today and tomorrow, tweets Brian McIntyre. As Yates writes in another ESPN.com piece, the Patriots are among the teams with a handful of payments owed, including $2.5MM each to offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer and cornerback Kyle Arrington.
  • Dolphins owner Stephen Ross says he plans to speak to Dan Marino about a possible job within the organization, though he’s not sure yet what sort of role it would be, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
  • When the Ravens acquired Jeremy Zuttah in a trade last week, the team also worked out a five-year extension with the veteran center. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun now has the details on Zuttah’s new contract, tweeting that it’s worth $18MM with $6.5MM guaranteed. That includes a $3.5MM signing bonus, a $1MM guaranteed 2014 base salary, and $2MM of his $3MM 2015 base salary in guaranteed money. Wilson adds in a second tweet that the deal also includes playing-time and Pro Bowl escalators, and provides the full breakdown of annual base salaries and cap figures in two final tweets.
  • The base salaries on Shaun Phillips‘ two-year deal with the Titans are $1.5MM (2014) and $2.55MM (2015), tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
  • The Titans are hosting several players for pre-draft visits today, says Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (all Twitter links). According to Wyatt, the players visiting the Titans include tight end A.C. Leonard, offensive linemen Kadeem Edwards and Demetrius Rhaney, and defensive back David Van Dyke of Tennessee State, as well as former Vanderbilt kicker Carey Spear, cornerback Andre Hal, and safety Kenny Ladler.
  • Nearly three weeks after the free agent period began, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com resets the Browns’ roster, examining which positions still might be areas of need.