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Derek Cox

Patriots Release Derek Cox

August 1st, 2015 at 5:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots’ spree of cutting ties with cornerbacks continued Saturday, with the team parting ways with veteran Derek Cox, according to Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com.

A starter in 56 of the 63 regular-season games in which he’s played, Cox signed with New England in June after the Ravens cut him in Sept. 2014. Cox has sufficient service time to avoid waivers.

The third-round pick out of William & Mary by the Jaguars in 2009 has experienced an inconsistent career, with his only positive overall review from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) coming in 2011 in Jacksonville. Cox’s fortunes have taken a turn for the worse since signing a four-year, $20MM deal with the Chargers in 2013. He started 11 games for the Bolts that year before being released after playing just one season with the team.

Cox spent parts of 2014 with the Vikings and Ravens without accruing any game action.

New England did reach an agreement with Tarell Brown last week but remains thin on the flanks after losing Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Kyle Arrington and Alfonzo Dennard this offseason. Logan Ryan, Bradley Fletcher, Robert McClain and Malcolm Butler and possibly Brown figure to be in the running for the Pats’ top corner spots.

 

Patriots Sign Derek Cox

June 8th, 2015 at 4:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Patriots have signed cornerback Derek Cox to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Terms of the deal were not released, but I’d be surprised if it’s anything more than a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract.

Cox, 28, spent his first four seasons with the Jaguars before playing with the Chargers in 2013. He spent time with the Vikings and Ravens in 2014, but was released before the regular season began. Cox’s best season was his rookie year in 2009, when he finished with 72 tackles, four interceptions and 11 passes defended.

In New England, Cox figures to get a chance to compete for a roster spot and playing time at a cornerback position that has been totally revamped this offseason. Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner were the most notable departures, but the Pats also parted ways with Kyle Arrington and Alfonzo Dennard. Logan Ryan, Bradley Fletcher, and Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler are a few names that figure to be at or near the top of New England’s depth chart in 2015.

Interestingly, Cox was drafted with the 73rd overall pick in 2009, a selection that initially belonged to the Patriots. New England sent that pick to Jacksonville in exchange for a 2010 second-round pick and the 2009 seventh-rounder that the Pats used to take Julian Edelman. The following year, the Pats moved up a couple spots in the second round using that Jags pick (along with a sixth-rounder) to draft Rob Gronkowski.

New York Notes: Workouts, Coughlin, Harvin

November 11th, 2014 at 5:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Cornerback Derek Cox was among the free agents to work out for the Giants today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), but Cox was far from the only veteran in for an audition. Per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, the Giants looked at 13 players in total. Here’s the full list, along with a few other notes on the NFL’s two New York teams:

  • The full list of players who tried out for the Giants today, in addition to Cox, via Raanan: Defensive backs Jalil Brown, Kanorris Davis, Thomas Gordon, Robert Steeples, Brandon Taylor, and Josh Victorian; quarterback Dominique Davis; wideouts Lee Doss and Chris Matthews; defensive tackle Clifton Geathers; linebacker Uani Unga, and tight end Evan Wilson.
  • As the Giants stumble toward the finish line in another disappointing season, head coach Tom Coughlin should make this his last year, announcing his retirement at season’s end before the team has a chance to ask him to “retire,” argues Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. Of course, we’ve seen Coughlin’s Giants squads make surprising late-season runs before, but it’s unlikely that this year’s team gets back into playoff contention.
  • Many players wouldn’t be happy making the move from the defending champions to a 2-8 club, but wideout Percy Harvin is “at peace” with the Jets, as he tells Danny Knobler of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • After watching Mark Sanchez light up the Panthers in Philadelphia last night, Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post writes that the only way the Sanchez saga could get stranger is if he somehow made his way back to the Jets. Of course, as Hubbuch points out, the Jets figure to be in the market for a quarterback this offseason, and Sanchez will be eligible for free agency. A reunion seems awfully unlikely, but stranger things have happened.
  • George Willis of the New York Post outlines a handful of reasons why the Jets shouldn’t tank in the hopes of landing the No. 1 pick and quarterback Marcus Mariota.

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.

Workout Notes: Cox, Beauharnais, Stanzi

September 23rd, 2014 at 8:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles didn’t bring in any offensive linemen for workouts today or Monday, a league source tells Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News (on Twitter). Plenty of teams are busy auditioning players, however. We did a roundup of workout news earlier today and we have a whole ‘nother batch right here..

  • Defensive back Derek Cox and linebacker Steve Beauharnais are among the busiest free agents in the NFL, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Cox tried out for the Saints while Beauharnais worked out for the Buccaneers, a source tells Yates.
  • The Lions worked out defensive backs Chance Casey, T.J. Heath, Aaron Hester, and Kendall James, and wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
  • The Giants worked out quarterback Ricky Stanzi, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). The Giants also worked out safeties Bacarri Rambo, Corey Lynch and Jerron McMillian and wide receiver Juron Criner, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).
  • The Packers took a look at linebacker Nate Askew, running back Stephen Houston, running back Cameron White, and tackle Michael Philipp, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Guard Josh Walker was also part of today’s tryouts and he wound up getting signed to Green Bay’s practice squad.
  • Nose tackle Ryan Pickett tried out for the Texans, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. The veteran started 16 games for Green Bay last season.

NFC Notes: Hester, Sproles, Graham, Bears

September 19th, 2014 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Devin Hester was one of many Falcons to reach the end zone last night, scoring on a record-setting punt return and a running play. However, it’s his role as a wide receiver that has him more happy with the Falcons than he was in his last few seasons with the Bears.

“I wasn’t happy the last three or four years in Chicago because things wasn’t going the way I expect,” Hester said yesterday, according to Adam Hoge of WGN Radio (Twitter link). “I would always have a great camp, have all the receivers saying and coaches saying I had the best camp of all the receivers. And once the season start off, I’m not there.”

As Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets, there were a few teams eyeing Hester in free agency that felt the veteran wasn’t worth the $10MM contract he signed with Atlanta, but it’s looking like a good investment for the Falcons so far. Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • So far, the deal that saw Darren Sproles land with Philadelphia in exchange for a fifth-round pick looks like a steal for the Eagles, and the veteran running back is happy with his situation. As he told reporters on Thursday, including Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com, Sproles wasn’t initially informed of his impending release by the Saints, but when it turned out that the Eagles were one of a handful of teams interested in trading for him, he told his agent to “make that happen.” Per Sproles, five teams explored acquiring him, and the Eagles were one of the three with serious interest.
  • Within the same piece, McManus takes a look at the unusual case of Eagles linebacker Brandon Graham, who has a chance to make $2.5MM in not likely to be earned incentives, but will need to see a few more snaps to have a chance at that money.
  • The Bears worked out a long list of free agents this week, and Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com passes along the names in a pair of tweets: Blake Annen (TE), Derek Cox (CB), Brandon Ghee (CB), Mike Harris (CB), Lavelle Hawkins (WR), Kendall James (CB), Derrick Martin (S), David Paulson (TE), Brad Sorensen (QB), Jordan Sullen (CB), Asa Watson (TE), Damian Williams (WR), and Kyle Williams (WR).
  • Linebacker Jamar Chaney tried out for the Saints this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). We heard yesterday that New Orleans also took a look at veteran linebacker Pat Angerer.

Extra Points: Jets, Bush, Idonije, Hill

September 16th, 2014 at 10:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets‘ erratic play is sending mixed signals, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. Gang Green looked great in the first 20 minutes against the Packers and produced more than 400 yards of offense against the Raiders in their opener. However, they blew an 18-point lead against Green Bay and their mistakes allowed the Raiders to stay in the game for longer than they should have. Here’s more from around the league..

South Auditions: Bucs, Titans, Jags, Panthers

September 11th, 2014 at 10:17am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we passed along several updates from Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun on AFC and NFC East teams working out free agents, perhaps with an eye on signing some of them later in the season. A handful of teams in the AFC and NFC South have also auditioned players this week, and Wilson has those items as well, via Twitter. Here are the highlights:

Ravens Cut Derek Cox

September 6th, 2014 at 12:36pm CST by Ben Levine

The Ravens have parted ways with cornerback Derek Cox, the team announced in a press release. A corresponding roster move has not been announced. Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun notes (via Twitter) that Cox’s $730K salary would have guaranteed had he made the opening day roster. ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley suggests (on Twitter) that the team could re-sign him as soon as next week.

It’s been a busy offseason for Cox. He was released by the Chargers in early March, and he caught on with the Vikings soon after. Cox was among the team’s early cuts in camp, and he signed with the Ravens in late August. He was one of Baltimore’s final cuts, but he re-signed with the team days later.

The six-year veteran spent his first four seasons with the Jaguars before playing with the Chargers in 2013. He finished last season with 38 tackles and one interception in 16 games, and Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) rated Cox as one of the worst overall cornerbacks in the league. His best season was his rookie year in 2009, when he finished with 72 tackles, four interceptions and 11 passes defended.

South Notes: Titans, Watt, Jags, Bucs

September 3rd, 2014 at 4:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s round up a few Wednesday items from out of the NFL’s two South divisions….

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