HEADLINES

Dexter McCoil

Bay Area Notes: Johnson, Hurst, Miller, DBs

May 4th, 2018 at 8:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

It sounds like Jon Gruden and Derrick Johnson hit it off in a one-on-one meeting, which led to the Raiders signing the 14th-year linebacker earlier on Friday. Johnson’s deal is a one-year agreement, Terez Paylor of Yahoo.com reports, adding that it’s worth up to $3MM. Gruden looks to have been a Johnson fan for a while during his years as ESPN’s Monday Night Football analyst, and that intel may have played a key role in the 35-year-old off-ball ‘backer landing with Oakland.

“I’m one of Gruden’s favorite players — he’s always had a soft spot for me,” Johnson said, via Paylor. “He’s always said that over the years. I’m not playing for a rebuilding-type year. I sensed an urgency from Coach Gruden that winning is important right now.”

The Chiefs’ all-time leading tackler, Johnson has not played in a 4-3 defense since the 2008 season. Prior to the Chiefs switching to the 3-4 look in 2009, Johnson worked as an outside linebacker with Kansas City during his first four seasons. The Raiders signed Tahir Whitehead as well. He, Bruce Irvin and Johnson could be the Raiders’ three linebacker starters, despite Johnson telling Paylor he’s not quite the same player he was since the second of his severe Achilles injuries shut him down late in the 2016 season.

Here’s the latest out of the Bay Area:

  • Gruden, though, did not rule out a NaVorro Bowman reunion (Twitter link via Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area). Bowman is nearly six years younger than Johnson but also carries injury baggage. However, Bowman graded as Oakland’s best linebacker by a wide margin last season. The Raiders have maintained they’re still interested in Bowman throughout the offseason, but they’ve now added four linebackers — with Emmanuel Lamur and Kyle Wilber coming to California as well — since Bowman became a free agent.
  • The Raiders began their rookie minicamp with Kolton Miller working at left tackle, where he’ll likely be Donald Penn‘s backup. Gruden confirmed the team’s first-round pick will start his career there, per NFL.com’s James Palmer (on Twitter), despite the team being in need of an immediate right tackle starter. Third-round pick Brandon Parker will work at that position.
  • Maurice Hurst Jr.‘s been cleared for workouts and participated in the first day of the Raiders’ minicamp. Gruden said (via Bair, on Twitter) the team doesn’t have any reservations about the Michigan product, whose heart issues played a major role in him sliding into the fifth round. Gruden believes the Raiders landed the top two interior pass rushers in the draft in Hurst and second-round pick P.J. Hall, per Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (via Twitter).
  • The 49ers plan to move third-round pick Tarvarius Moore from cornerback to safety, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee notes. The Southern Mississippi alum ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, and his 6-foot-2 frame also makes John Lynch believe he could stick at corner. Interestingly, 5-9 safety D.J. Reed — an outside corner at Kansas State — will compete with K’Waun Williams for the slot job, per Barrows, but also practice at safety. San Francisco’s brass is clearly unafraid to shuttle its defensive backs around, having Jimmie Ward ready to potentially switch positions for the fourth straight offseason.
  • Would-be third-year DB Dexter McCoil broke a bone in his foot training independently, leading the 49ers to waive him with an NFI distinction, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. A 16-game Charger participant in 2016 and having played eight games with the 49ers last season, McCoil is facing a four- to six-week recovery period, per Maiocco.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/30/18

April 30th, 2018 at 9:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves.

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: G Dustin Stanton

Houston Texans

Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Waived/Injured: CB Elie Bouka

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Waived: OL Avery Young

Washington Redskins

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/9/17

October 9th, 2017 at 7:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Jacksonville Jaguars

Indianapolis Colts

  • Promoted to active roster: LB Darnell Sankey
  • Placed on IR: WR Krishawn Hogan

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/7/17

October 7th, 2017 at 4:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves.

  • Andre Williams will return to the Chargers‘ active roster after the team announced the promotion of the running back from the practice squad. Los Angeles waived safety Dexter McCoil to make room on the 53-man. Branden Oliver being ruled out because of a hamstring injury led to this switch. Williams played one game last season but fared well, rushing for 87 yards against the Chiefs in Week 17. McCoil played in all 16 Bolts games as a rookie and two this season.
  • Cliff Avril‘s neck injury prompted the Seahawks to promote defensive end Branden Jackson from their practice squad, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports. To make room, Seattle waived linebacker Justin March-Lillard. Jackson played in three games with the Raiders last season.
  • The Jets promoted outside linebacker Freddie Bishop from their practice squad. Wide receiver Jalin Marshall is eligible to return after serving a four-game suspension, but it doesn’t look like he will be active Sunday in Cleveland.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/12/16

January 12th, 2016 at 7:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves:

  • The Jets signed wide receiver Chandler Worthy to a reserve/future deal, as Mark Berman of FOX 26 tweets. Worthy was previously on Houston’s taxi squad.
  • The Packers worked out former Nebraska linebacker Jason Ankrah on Tuesday, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Chargers have signed former CFL inside linebacker Dexter McCoil to a futures deal, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
  • The Broncos have signed tight end Manasseh Garner, punter Will Johnson, and tackle Darrion Weems to futures deals, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets.
  • Washington signed defensive linemen Corey Crawford and Kamal Johnson and linebacker Derrick Mathews to reserve/future contracts, as Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post writes.
  • The Panthers have signed guard David Yankey to a futures contract, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets.
  • The Cardinals signed Quayshawn Nealy to the practice squad, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
  • The Patriots signed safety Cedric Thompson and wide receiver J.J. Worton to the practice squad and cut wide receiver DeAndre Carter, Wilson tweets.

NFL Workouts/Visits: 1/8/16

January 8th, 2016 at 9:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As teams look ahead to formulating their offseason rosters, they’ve begun to bring in free agents for both workouts and visits. Let’s look at the latest:

Workouts

Chargers (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)

  • Freddie Bishop, DL
  • Euclid Cummings, DE
  • Cleyon Laing, DL

Chiefs (Twitter link via Wilson)

Jaguars (Twitter link via Wilson)

Ravens (Twitter link via Wilson)

Steelers (Twitter link via Wilson)

  • Freddie Bishop, DL
  • Dexter McCoil, LB
  • Eric Rogers, WR
  • Dustin Vaughan, QB

Washington (Twitter link via Wilson)

  • Cleyon Laing, DL
  • Eric Rogers, WR

Visits

Cardinals (Twitter link via Wilson)

  • Toby Johnson, DT (prior to signing with Vikings’ practice squad)

Chiefs (Twitter links via Wilson)

Giants (Twitter link via Wilson)

Steelers (Twitter link via Wilson)

Extra Points: Welker, Browns, Workouts

January 6th, 2016 at 1:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, our own Zach Links joined David Schultz of 103.7 The Game to talk about all of the latest NFL head coaching rumors, including what might happen with the Saints and Sean Payton. You can listen to that conversation right here:

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL:

  • Wes Welker didn’t exactly make a huge impact for the Rams during his stint with the team this season, but he enjoyed getting back on the field, and intends to continue his career in 2016 “as long as I feel good and am having fun,” he tells Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • Although Chris Matthews and B.J. Daniels no longer play in Seattle, they’ll both probably be rooting for the Seahawks to come out of the NFC in the playoffs, since they could benefit financially from the team’s success. Joel Corry of CBSSports.com explains that situation, along with several others, in an enlightening breakdown of how the NFL’s postseason pay works.
  • The Browns‘ new front office structure is creating a little confusion, so Conor Orr of NFL.com explores how Paul DePodesta and Sashi Brown will work together, and what their roles will be in Cleveland.
  • According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the Packers recently worked out tackle Cody Booth, wide receivers Jarrod West and Conner Vernon, linebacker Kacy Rodgers, and defensive linemen Davon Walls, Ethan Hemer, Lavon Hooks, and Quayshawne Buckley.
  • Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle has workout updates for a couple more clubs, tweeting that safety Shaun Prater, along with CFL wide receivers Eric Rogers, Kenny Stafford, and Terrell Sinkfield, worked out for the Bears. Per Wilson (Twitter link), Washington recently auditioned CFL linebackers Willie Jefferson and Dexter McCoil, as well as wide receiver A.C. Leonard.

North Notes: Pettine, Fangio, Lions, Workouts

December 31st, 2015 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

With one game left in the 2015 season, Browns head coach Mike Pettine predictably faced a round of questions from reporters today about his job security in Cleveland. According to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter links), Pettine said that he wants to finish out his contract with the Browns and then some, and stressed the importance of continuity when asked about the future of general manager Ray Farmer.

Still, while Pettine was mostly optimistic – or at least hopeful – about the future in Cleveland, he acknowledged that if he’s retained for the 2016 season, he probably will have to make some changes to his coaching staff (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com).

Having had his usual Monday meeting with Jimmy Haslam this week, Pettine didn’t ask the Browns owner about his job security, so we’ll likely have to wait a few more days to know what Haslam is thinking for 2016 (Twitter link via Cabot). In the meantime, here are some more items from out of the NFL’s North divisions:

  • Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio interviewed a year ago for the 49ers’ head coaching job before the team hired Jim Tomsula, and as another offseason approaches, he’d be willing to listen again to a team that wants to interview him. “If the right opportunity and people were interested, yeah, I’d certainly listen,” Fangio said, per Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com. “But like I’ve always said, these are their jobs and they [other teams] have their minds set on what they want. If I happened to fit that mold and what they’re looking for, that would be great.”
  • The first thing that consultant Ernie Accorsi noticed after starting to work with the Lions as they search for a general manager? Owner Martha Ford wants to win, and she wants to win now. Johnette Howard of ESPN.com has the story.
  • The Steelers are bringing in former Cardinals quarterback Phillip Sims for an audition today, per NFL Draft Diamonds (Twitter link). Pittsburgh may have its eye on Sims for an offseason contract.
  • Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle has the latest on a couple more North teams auditioning players, tweeting that the Vikings are trying out defensive back Dexter McCoil, and tweeting that the Lions worked out defensive backs Jocquel Skinner, Raymon Taylor, and Jason Wilson.

Workout Notes: 12/30/15

December 30th, 2015 at 9:58pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Here are Wednesday’s workouts from around the NFL:

  • The Jets worked out defensive lineman Devon Still, receivers Marcus Thigpen and Eric Rogers, linebacker Willie Jefferson and defensive end/LB Tristan Okpalaugo (Twitter links via ESPN’s Rich Cimini).
  • The Cardinals tried out center Taylor Boggs, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
  • The Bills worked out defensive end/linebacker Xzavier Dickson, Wilson tweeted. Dickson ended up joining Atlanta’s practice squad.
  • The Bengals worked out quarterback Mike Kafka and tight end John Peters, per Wilson (on Twitter).
  • The Browns tried out quarterback Dustin Vaughan, running back Timothy Flanders, receivers Eric Rogers, Ricky Collins and Levi Norwood, and safety Jordan Kovacs (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Quarterback Ryan Lindley, defensive linemen Warren Herring and Eze Obiora, and linebacker Ryan Mueller worked out for the Colts, according to Wilson (Twitter link). They signed Lindley afterward.
  • The Giants worked out linebackers Cole Farrand and Glenn Carson – the latter of whom they signed to their practice squad – quarterback Pete Thomas, safety Ty Zimmerman, punter Spencer Roth and kicker Quinn Sharp (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • The Steelers tried out two safeties, Ray Vinopal and Jake Hagen, and linebacker Marquis Spruill (via Wilson on Twitter).
  • The Chargers worked out receiver Jeff Fuller, defensive end DeAngelo Tyson and linebacker Dexter McCoil, Wilson tweeted.
  • The Titans worked out receiver Kenny Stafford, defensive end Freddie Bishop, defensive backs Aaron Grymes, Steven Clarke and Emanuel Davis, long snapper Dax Dellenbach and kicker Swayze Waters (Twitter link via Wilson).

Workout Notes: Bills, Boykin, Little

December 23rd, 2015 at 6:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are Wednesday’s workouts from around the NFL. All links go to the Twitter feed of The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, unless noted otherwise:

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