Dee Milliner - Pro Football Rumors

Jets To Place Dee Milliner On IR-DTR

September 6th, 2015 at 1:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets are placing cornerback Dee Milliner on injured reserve/designated to return, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). As such, Milliner is eligible to begin practicing after Week 6, and can return to game action following Week 8.

Milliner, 23, tore a tendon in his wrist in early August, and while his recovery at that time was expected to take six-to-eight weeks, the IR-DTR designation will afford Milliner quite a bit more time to get fully healed. If Milliner misses only the minimum of eight games, he’ll return on November 12, giving him three full months since the injury.

A top-10 pick in 2013, Milliner has dealt with injury concerns for the duration of his career. In just over two years, he’s already undergone seven surgeries, and he’s started just 14 games over that same span. Unlike in seasons past, the Jets now have cornerback depth to overcome this loss, having signed Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, and Buster Skrine over the offseason. Whether Milliner is able to carve out some sort of role behind that trio if and when he returns remains to be seen.

AFC Notes: Thomas, Green, Jets

August 31st, 2015 at 9:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a quick look at the AFC..

Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas is expected to need surgery on a tendon in his finger and is expected to miss 4-5 weeks, according to a source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Thomas will go in for a second opinion on Tuesday.
Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer expects the Bengals and A.J. Green to get a lucrative, long-term deal hammered out in the coming weeks. If they don’t, he writes, it’s fair to wonder if they ever will. There are serious hurdles for the two sides to overcome in talks, including the Bengals’ reluctance to guarantee base salaries and Green’s desire to be paid higher than Demaryius Thomas, Dez Bryant, and Julio Jones.
According to head coach Todd Bowles, Jets cornerback Dee Milliner, who is recovering from a wrist injury, is a candidate for the team’s short-term IR slot “if his hand’s not healthy,” tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

Extra Points: Mexico, Milliner, Walker, Nicks

August 7th, 2015 at 9:59pm CST by Rob DiRe

As the NFL continues to expand its presence in London, the next step in forwarding the game internationally could be Mexico City. There has been a suggestion that the NFL will play five games there, starting in 2017, writes Conor Orr of NFL.com.

This has not been made official by the NFL as of yet, and spokesman Michael Signora had this to say in response to that report:

“We are pleased with the growth in fan demand and the increased partner support we have enjoyed in recent years. With this in mind, we are actively assessing the opportunity to play games in Mexico. We have visited several stadiums in recent months, and are analyzing what needs to be done to bring games to Mexico. It is premature to comment specifically as to when this will happen, let alone how many, if any, games might be played.”

Here are a few more notes from around the NFL this Friday:

The NFL has reversed a long-standing policy that regulated practice squad contracts by prohibiting teams from negotiating non-salary items into those deals, reports Diana Marie Russini of ESPN (via Twitter). Organizations will now be allowed to offer signing bonuses, roster bonuses, and guaranteed money to practice squad players (via Twitter). Russini expects this to cause teams to aggressively pursue other franchises’ top practice squad players (via Twitter).
With Dee Milliner‘s recent injury, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reminds fans that the Jets received a number of trade inquiries on the former first round pick. He adds that at least one team was still interested as recently as this week, before the injury (via Twitter).
The Patriots have opened up talks with defensive tackle Casey Walker about a possible return to the team, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter).
Former Super Bowl hero Hakeem Nicks is fighting for his NFL career after signing a one-year deal with the Titans, writes Teresa Walker of the Associated Press. The chance to start across from Kendall Wright is an open competition, and Nicks will have to prove himself against former-Falcon Harry Douglas, rookie second-round pick Dorial Green-Beckham, and Justin Hunter.

East Notes: Bills, Vick, Cowboys, Milliner

August 7th, 2015 at 3:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bills have yet to name a starting quarterback, and it may be several more weeks until they do so. Matt Cassel, E.J. Manuel, and Tyrod Taylor are currently vying for the job, and head coach Rex Ryan admitted today on PFT Live that he and the Bills also considered Michael Vick (Twitter link). However, Ryan had concerns about Vick playing in bad weather in Buffalo. Vick, of course, played for Ryan in New York last year, but it doesn’t appear that his old coach will bring him in for a look this year.

Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two East divisions:

The Cowboys worked out several players today, bringing in the following players for auditions, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link): Offensive tackle Cody Clay, running backs Tim Cornett and Demitrius Bronson, and linebackers Jerrell Harris and Alex Singleton.
Shortly after learning that Antonio Allen had torn his Achilles and waiving the injured safety, the Jets saw another one of their defensive backs go down with an injury. According to a team release, cornerback Dee Milliner, who missed most of last season with an Achilles injury of his own, is undergoing surgery today to repair a torn tendon in his wrist, and will likely be sidelined for six to eight weeks.
Giants defensive line coach Robert Nunn said today that he has been in contact with Jason Pierre-Paul throughout the offseason, both before and after JPP’s fireworks accident, writes Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. “When I’ve talked to him, we’ve talked more about where he is from a mental standpoint, just texted back and forth to let him know we’re here for him, whatever he needs,” Nunn said. “And his response has been, ‘Coach, I’m good. I want to get myself right and I’ll be back.'”

AFC East Notes: McCoy, Bills, Milliner, Jets

March 24th, 2015 at 10:48am CST by Luke Adams

All 16 AFC coaches spoke to reporters today in Arizona, including the four head coaches for AFC East clubs. Asked repeatedly about the departure of Darrelle Revis, Patriots coach Bill Belichick didn’t offer much insight, repeatedly answering, “It’s NFL free agency” (Twitter link via Albert Breer of the NFL Network). Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin also didn’t share too many interesting tidbits.

However, new head coaches Rex Ryan (Bills) and Todd Bowles (Jets) were at least a little more forthcoming. Here are a few highlights from their conversations with the media, with all links going to the Twitter accounts of reporters in attendance:

Rex Ryan:

It was the Eagles who initiated the LeSean McCoy trade talks, calling the Bills about a potential deal — 30 minutes later, it was essentially done, according to Ryan, who says he and other Buffalo decision-makers were “stunned” that the star running back was available.
Since joining the Bills, McCoy has been a “chief recruiter” for bringing in free agents, playing a notable role in the signing of fullback Jerome Felton.
Ryan praised his team’s backfield depth, mentioning Fred Jackson and Anthony Dixon multiple times without referring to Bryce Brown. Asked about Brown, Ryan joked, “I’m not going to learn his name until he holds onto the football.”
Recognizing that this could be his last shot at a head coaching job, Ryan said he wanted to land in the right spot, and he feels like Buffalo is that spot because of the team’s ownership. Ryan isn’t sure whether he would’ve taken another head coaching position if Doug Marrone hadn’t opted out of his deal with the Bills. According to Ryan, he was expecting to hear from the Bears after the Jets fired him, but he never did.

Todd Bowles:

The Jets had eight cornerbacks on their list of free agent targets and were hoping to sign two of them. In the end, the team landed three: Revis, Antonio Cromartie, and Buster Skrine.
While the secondary has been fortified, Bowles says the Jets’ defense still isn’t complete, mentioning the draft as a spot to address it. Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com interprets that to mean the team will be targeting a pass rusher early.
The Jets will do their “due diligence” on both Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, working out both players. The club figures to take the best player available with the sixth overall pick though — Bowles also jokingly suggested that he’d be open to trading the pick for multiple first-rounders.
With newly-acquired quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick not expected to be healthy, Geno Smith will head into the spring as the Jets’ No. 1 guy and will get the starter reps.
Bowles “definitely” expects Dee Milliner to be a Jet in 2015, suggesting the team doesn’t intend to trade the young cornerback.

Jets GM On Revis, Milliner, Wilkerson

March 19th, 2015 at 10:01pm CST by Zachary Links

In a chat with reporters on Thursday, Jets GM Mike Maccagnan defended the hefty contract that he gave to cornerback Darrelle Revis this offseason, as Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Maccagnan pointed to Champ Bailey as an example of a cornerback who played at an elite level in his later years, illustrating that Revis could be capable of doing the same.

“Champ was able to play at a very high level well into his 30s,” Maccagnan said. “I kind of see Darrelle as the same status. He’s playing at a very high level, and we thought he’d be able to play at that level for a number of years going forward, so we thought it was worth the financial investment we made.”

Here’s more from Maccagnan’s chat with the press

When asked, Maccagnan wouldn’t guarantee cornerback Dee Milliner a spot on the opening-day roster. In was reported on Wednesday that Milliner has picked up trade interest from teams and the Jets, who have added three talented cornerbacks this offseason, don’t exactly need him. For his part, Cimini isn’t reading much into that and just sees that comment as GM-speak. The Jets, he writes, have no plans of trading the former first-round pick and they couldn’t get much of value for him anyway until he proves that he is healthy and productive.
Maccagnan reiterated that he would like to extend Muhammad Wilkerson, who is entering the final year of his contract, but there is no timetable for a deal.
Maccagnan said he had no problem throwing around big money for three cornerbacks (Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Buster Skrine) because he felt it was one of the strongest positions in free agency. At the same time, he explained made the Brandon Marshall trade, in part, because he didn’t like the value at the wide receiver position in free agency.

Dee Milliner Receiving Trade Interest

March 18th, 2015 at 8:45am CST by Zachary Links

The loss of Dee Milliner in 2014 was a devastating blow to a thin Jets secondary. In 2015, the Jets are deeper than ever at cornerback, throwing Milliner’s role into flux. If the Jets don’t feel a need to keep him, there could be an opportunity to get something of value back as Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears that teams have made trade inquiries on the former first-round pick.

Sources tell Mehta that the Jets have told interested teams that Milliner won’t be given away at a drastically discounted price. For now, the Jets are content waiting for Milliner to get healthy to properly evaluate him as he competes for the No. 4 cornerback spot, but a trade down the road has not been ruled out.

Milliner, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2013 draft, has missed 16 games in his first two seasons due to four different injuries after undergoing five surgeries at Alabama. Three front-office executives of cornerback-needy teams told Mehta that Milliner’s value would probably net the Jets a mid- to late- round pick thanks to his unclear health status. If Milliner can prove himself to be healthy, however, things could change.

Milliner, 24 in September, will count $3.45MM against the 2015 salary cap and the Jets will have $3.8MM in dead money if he’s traded.

Jets To Sign Josh Thomas

October 13th, 2014 at 1:57pm CST by Zachary Links

With Dee Milliner done for the year, the Jets will sign former Seahawks cornerback Josh Thomas to the active roster, a source tells Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Seattle cut Thomas last week in order to make room for offensive lineman Patrick Lewis.

Thomas, 25, appeared in 39 games for the Panthers between 2011 and 2013 and saw time in three games for Seattle this year. In that span, Thomas has 64 tackles, two fumble recoveries, ten pass deflections, and one interception to his credit.

The 5’10” Thomas doesn’t bring much in the way of size but the Jets will be counting on him for depth in the wake of Milliner’s injury. The Jets’ aggressive play calling puts a great deal of responsibility on the secondary, which is now thinner than ever.

Injury Updates: Sunday

October 12th, 2014 at 10:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While we don’t cover every injury here at Pro Football Rumors, we will keep track of injuries to key players that could force teams to make important roster moves. We’ll update the following list throughout the day:

Giants nickel back Trumaine McBride told reporters tonight, including Kieran Darcy of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link), that he has a dislocated thumb, which figures to sideline him for multiple weeks.
Eagles running back Darren Sproles left tonight’s game against the Giants with a knee injury, and as Doug Farrar of SI.com tweets, NBC’s Michele Tafoya reported that the tests adminstered to Sproles’ MCL and ACL by the team left the running back “pretty unhappy.” We should have a clearer idea of the prognosis for Sproles on Monday.

Earlier updates:

The Jets fear that starting right guard Brian Winters will be sidelined for the season with a torn ACL, a sources tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). The team will conduct tests tomorrow morning to determine whether or not that’s the case.
Sam Shields believes he avoided a major knee injury today, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Losing Shields would’ve been a costly blow for the Packers, who re-signed the cornerback to a lucrative long-term deal during the offseason.
Milliner is believed to have torn his Achilles, tweets Rapoport; the second-year corner would obviously miss the remainder of the season if true.
The Browns believe Mack has suffered a significant leg injury, and expect him to “miss extended time,” reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Currently, the Browns have moved right guard John Greco to center, with Paul McQuistan taking over at RG. We’ll certainly have more on this situation as more news is relayed.
Patriots running back Stevan Ridley has been ruled out for the day with a knee injury. Per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter), Ridley’s “ankle bent in a way no one wants their ankle to bend.”
The Bengals linebacking unit has taken another hit, as Rey Maualuga had to be carted off the field with a leg injury, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of the the NFL Network (Twitter link).
Speaking on FOX, Jay Glazer provided an update on Broncos running Montee Ball, who will miss an additional 3-4 weeks with a groin injury.
The Browns excellent offensive line has taken a hit, as center Alex Mack had to be carted off the field with a left ankle injury, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal. ESPN.com’s Tony Grossi adds (on Twitter) that an air cast was applied to Mack’s ankle, an indication that the injury could be serious.
Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo is out for the day after suffering a knee injury that forced him to be carted off the field, according to John Clayton of ESPN (via Twitter).
After suffering two concussions already this season, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict left today’s game after taking a hit to the head; another concussion could shelve Burfict for some time.
2013 first-rounder Dee Milliner is out for the rest of the Jets’ game against the Broncos after suffering a non-contact injury to his ankle.

Jets Notes: Vick, Milliner, Samuel

August 11th, 2014 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

While Geno Smith still appears on track to start the Jets’ first regular season game, reports have suggested the team could use Michael Vick as a change-of-pace/Wildcat quarterback, and Smith thinks that idea is “definitely something to look into,” as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News details.

“I don’t know how much we’ll do it or if we’ll do it at all,” Smith said. “But every time he’s on the field, [Vick] brings that run-pass option.”

Here’s more on the Jets, who are dealing with a couple injuries to key players at the cornerback position:

Dee Milliner, who suffered a high ankle sprain, is expected to miss three or four weeks, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter). That timetable would still give the cornerback a chance to return for the Jets’ Week 1 game against the Raiders.
Although Milliner should return for the regular season, rookie Dexter McDougle will miss the season with a torn ACL, so the Jets are still on the lookout for cornerback depth. In a report for the Daily News, Mehta writes that the club has reached out to veteran free agent Asante Samuel, though the 33-year-old is unlikely to be signed. Rex Ryan‘s team is more likely to add a younger player, per Mehta.
Here’s Ryan on the cornerback issue, via Mehta: “I’ve had to deal with those kinds of situations in the past. Adversity to some comes opportunity for others. … We’ll be able to play defense. We have a lot of good football players. So we’ll be fine. … I’ve been talking about our depth. And now we’ll get to see it.”
While John Idzik can’t be blamed for injuries, the Jets GM didn’t aggressively address the team’s lack of cornerback depth this offseason, says Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. The club replaced the departing Antonio Cromartie with Dimitri Patterson, who has dealt with several injuries of his own in recent years.