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DeShawn Shead

Seahawks CB DeShawn Shead Likely To Begin Season On PUP

July 8th, 2017 at 8:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Seahawks cornerback DeShawn Shead is likely to begin the 2017 campaign on the physically unable to perform list as he continues to recover from a torn ACL, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.DeShawn Shead (Vertical)

A 15-game starter a season ago, Shead played more than 1,000 defensive snaps and graded as the league’s No. 37 corner, per Pro Football Focus. Originally non-tendered as a restricted free agent, Shead re-signed with Seattle on a one-year, $1.5MM deal that includes $1MM guaranteed. If he does hit the PUP list, the 28-year-old Shead will be forced to miss the first six games of the year.

Although John Boyle of Seahawks.com suggests the club’s second cornerback job is “up for grabs,” Condotta indicates the most likely scenario involves Jeremy Lane taking over opposite Richard Sherman. In sub packages, Lane would probably slide into the slot, allowing veteran Neiko Thorpe or rookie Shaquill Griffin to play outside.

The news that Shead may not be ready for the season opener doesn’t come as a shock to the Seahawks, as head coach Pete Carroll said in March he’d be “really surprised” if Shead was able to suit up for Week 1.

Seahawks Rumors: Sherman, Carroll, Shead

March 30th, 2017 at 12:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s the latest on Sherman and the Seahawks:

  • When asked about the trade rumors surrounding him, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman seemed to take a different tone than he did just a few weeks ago. “I wouldn’t want to leave this city and my guys, but understand it’s a business and organizational philosophies change,” (Twitter link via Gee Scott of 710 ESPN). Previously, Sherman was laughing off the trade talk. Now, he seems to be making peace with the idea that he could be shipped elsewhere. Earlier this week, coach Pete Carroll acknowledged that the Seahawks have discussed a potential Sherman trade with other teams, but added that he doesn’t see it happening.
  • On many levels, trading Sherman would be a monumental gamble for the Seahawks, Kapadia writes. The Seahawks are ready to compete for a Super Bowl right now and he’s a star player who has never missed a game in his NFL career. It’s also hard to see a deal coming together given his salary and the team’s likely asking price. Kapadia wonders aloud if the Seahawks’ public posturing could be a way to send a message to Sherman, letting him know that he is not untouchable. Of course, that could also backfire and create an ugly situation.
  • Carroll would be “really surprised” if Seahawks cornerback DeShawn Shead made it back for Week 1 as he recovers from his knee injury, Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com tweets. Shead was non-tendered this offseason suffered an ACL and meniscus tear in the playoffs. However, the team later re-signed him to a one-year, $1.5MM deal with $1MM fully guaranteed at signing. Shead started 15 games for Seattle in 2016 and probably figures to be a big part of their gameplan for 2017. Unfortunately, it might take a while before they can get him back on the field.

Seahawks Re-Sign CB DeShawn Shead

March 17th, 2017 at 12:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Cornerback DeShawn Shead has re-signed with the Seahawks, according to Danny O’Neil of ESPN Seattle (on Twitter). It’s a one-year, $1.5MM deal with $1MM fully guaranteed at signing. DeShawn Shead (Vertical)

Shead suffered an ACL and meniscus tear in the postseason, which probably explains why he wasn’t tendered an offer by the Seahawks as a restricted free agent. After surveying other options on the open market, Seattle has circled back to the 28-year-old (29 this summer). The lowest tender would have paid him $1.797MM, so he didn’t lose out on a ton of money.

A 15-game starter last season, Shead offers the ability to play outside, inside, or at safety. In his 1,000+ defensive snaps, Shead graded as the league’s No. 38 corner, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus.

Before re-signing with the Seahawks, Shead drew interest from several teams, including the Bills. Dallas Robinson did not place Shead on his most recent list of the league’s top free agent cornerbacks due to uncertainty about his health. If he comes back 100%, however, this should prove to be a great value for Seattle.

DeShawn Shead To Visit Bills

March 15th, 2017 at 9:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills will host cornerback DeShawn Shead on a visit, according to Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com.DeShawn Shead (Vertical)

Shead, recovering from an ACL and meniscus tear suffered in the postseason, wasn’t tendered by the Seahawks as a restricted free agent. A 15-game starter last season, Shead is extremely versatile, as Kapadia writes he’s capable of playing outside, inside, or at safety. On more than 1,000 defensive snaps, Shead graded as the league’s No. 38 corner, per Pro Football Focus.

Seattle would like to bring Shead back into the fold, but as many as six other teams have expressed interest, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. If Shead can generate enough of a market, he may be able to earn more than he would have under the lowest restricted free agent tender ($1.797MM).

PFR did not place Shead on its most recent list of the top free agent cornerbacks due to the uncertainty surrounding his injury status.

NFC Rumors: Bucs, Redskins, Seahawks

March 7th, 2017 at 7:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Buccaneers wide receiver and special-teams captain Russell Shepard currently has interest from six teams, including the Bucs, a source tells Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. About half of those teams see him as a No. 3 receiver, with a chance of being a No. 2. The other teams have offered to make him “one of the highest-paid special-teams players in the league with multiple offensive packages,” the source told Laine. I would surmise that this news comes from Shepard’s agent, so it should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt.

More NFC rumors:

  • The Redskins have interest in receiver Marquise Goodwin, per Mike Jones, Master Tesfatsion and Liz Clarke of the Washington Post. The onetime Olympian (track and field) has thus far spent his four-year career in Buffalo, where he has totaled 49 receptions and six touchdowns in 39 games. Goodwin set career highs last year with 15 appearances, 29 catches, 68 targets and 431 yards. He also tied a personal best with three touchdowns.
  • Despite non-tendering him, the Seahawks still would like cornerback DeShawn Shead back in 2017, his agent tells Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. Shead started in all 15 of his regular-season appearances last year, but the torn ACL he suffered in the Seahawks’ divisional-round loss to the Falcons led the club to non-tender him. Clearly, though, they want like him in the fold at a lesser salary than he would have made if healthy.
  • Along with Shead, the Seahawks have interior offensive lineman Brian Schwenke on their radar, writes Condotta. Schwenke’s a four-year Titan with 41 appearances and 28 starts on his resume. The 25-year-old took part in a career-high 16 games last season, but he only picked up three starts.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/7/17

March 7th, 2017 at 7:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted and exclusive rights free agents. All RFA tenders listed are original round/right of first refusal (worth $1.797MM), and all links go to Twitter:

RFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered:

ERFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered:

Seahawks Notes: Shead, Sherman, Willson

January 16th, 2017 at 1:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Seahawks starting cornerback DeShawn Shead will undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Injured during the Seahawks’ divisional-round loss to the Falcons, Shead is looking at a “standard recovery” of around eight months, per Rapoport.

However, Pete Carroll described Shead’s injury as “significant”, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (on Twitter), and one that will require “a really long time” to overcome. So while this could be Carroll just not wanting to put a timeline on it, his tone indicates Shead could miss some time next season. He did not express that kind of concern about Tyler Lockett‘s availability after his late-season broken leg, so another Richard Sherman counterpart could be required in the starting lineup come the 2017 season.

The 28-year-old Shead started a career-most 15 games for Seattle this season, intercepting one pass, deflecting 14 and making 80 tackles. He will be a restricted free agent. Seattle should not have to worry about placing a $2.8MM second-round tender on Shead now that he’s suffered this injury, Joel Corry of CBS Sports tweets.

Here’s more coming out of Seattle.

  • Speaking of Sherman, the cornerback played this season with a “significant” MCL injury, Carroll said (via Condotta, on Twitter). Carroll described the injury as weighing on Sherman mentally. The sixth-year cornerback was not listed on the injury report for a knee malady this season, Condotta notes (on Twitter). Sherman’s name appeared on the “Not Injury Related” section of missed-practice reports this season, but the Seahawks are admitting now he was injured, creating a minor controversy. Sherman appeared on the DNP report in 11 separate weeks, Michael Cohen of SeattlePI.com tweets, with 10 such weeks being listed as NIR and the other for an ankle ailment. The All-Pro talent is under contract with the Seahawks through 2018.
  • Luke Willson, though, is an impending UFA and said he hopes to stay with the Seahawks next season. Although, the tight end said he hasn’t talked with the team about a new deal, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets. Willson’s fourth season as a Seahawk ended as his worst statistically. He played in just 11 games and caught only 15 passes for 129 yards for an offense that featured a re-emerging Jimmy Graham.
  • Carroll sounded like he believed the current cast of offensive linemen could improve as opposed to being set on seeking upgrades, Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com tweets. After a season that featured Russell Wilson battling injuries and the offensive front struggling to secure a pocket for the franchise passer, Kapadia argues standing pat here would be a mistake. The Seahawks spent the least amount of money on their offensive line this season, and Pro Football Focus graded the NFC West champions’ unit as the worst in the league.

Seahawks’ DeShawn Shead May Have Torn ACL

January 14th, 2017 at 8:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Not only were the Seahawks eliminated from the postseason this evening, but one of their key defenders might have suffered a serious injury. Head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com (Twitter link) and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link) that cornerback DeShawn Shead is dealing with a “significant” knee injury, and Seattle fears Shead may have torn his ACL.DeShawn Shead (Vertical)

[RELATED: Seattle Seahawks Depth Chart]

Clearly, Shead’s injury doesn’t have implications for the Seahawks for the rest of the 2016 campaign given that their season is now over, although a standard nine-month recovery period would put Shead’s availability for the beginning of the 2017 season in doubt. More pressing, however, is how the injury affects Shead’s contract status, especially given that he’ll be a restricted free agent this spring.

Given that Shead played 85% of Seattle’s defensive snaps and graded out as the league’s No. 43 cornerback (per Pro Football Focus), the Seahawks presumably would have placed a first-round tender on Shead in order to ward off other clubs’ interest. Such a tender would have paid Shead something in the neighborhood of $4MM. Now, with Shead rehabbing from a serious knee injury, Seattle will likely only need to use the right of first refusal tender (worth around $2MM), and could conceivably negotiate Shead’s price down even further from there.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/14/16

April 14th, 2016 at 6:26pm CST by Zachary Links

Raiders restricted free agent Neiko Thorpe signed his tender today, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The 26-year-old defensive back had a career season in 2015, compiling career-highs in tackles (40), passes defended (six), and interceptions (one) while starting two of his 14 games.

The rest of today’s minor moves:

  • The Patriots re-signed running back Tyler Gaffney, as Wilson tweets. .Gaffney was injured throughout his two seasons with New England
  • The Seahawks have signed ERFA cornerback DeShawn Shead, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Colts announced that restricted free agent tight end Jack Doyle has signed his qualifying offer. Doyle has spent the last three seasons with the Colts after being claimed off waivers from Tennessee in September 2013. The Western Kentucky product has played in 47 career games (seven starts) and caught 35 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns.
  • Washington announced the waiving of outside linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat, as Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com tweets.
  • The Broncos cut tight end Nick Kasa with a non-football injury designation, Wilson tweets.
  • The Giants signed ERFA punter Brad Wing, Wilson tweets.
  • The Broncos signed exclusive-rights free agent center Matt Paradis, as Wilson tweets.
  • The Patriots have waived linebacker/special teamer Eric Martin, Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com tweets.

ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/5/16

March 5th, 2016 at 8:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s tender decisions on exclusive-rights free agents, for players who have three or fewer years of experience in the league.

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