Dez Bryant - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Notes: Falcons, Bryant, Finley, Nelson

July 31st, 2014 at 9:23am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of Sean Weatherspoon‘s season-ending Achilles injury, the Falcons added a pair of veteran free agent linebackers, signing Pat Angerer and Tim Dobbins to minimum salary contracts. However, the team hasn’t ruled the possibility of making further changes, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, who reports that former Packer Nick Barnett remains on Atlanta’s radar.

Per McClure, the Falcons were impressed with Barnett’s workout earlier in the offseason, but opted to sign Angerer and Dobbins instead. After Angerer left Tuesday’s practice complaining of headaches though, there was concern he may have sustained a concussion, which may prompt the Falcons to turn to Barnett.

As we wait to see whether the Falcons make any roster moves, let’s check in on a few other NFC teams….

Having extended Tyron Smith, the Cowboys will now have the franchise tag available next year for Dez Bryant, but team executive vice president Stephen Jones said today that Dallas is “totally committed” to locking up the star receiver for the long term (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Ed Werder).
After Anthony McCoy suffered an apparent torn Achilles tendon in practice earlier this week, the Seahawks may be looking for some tight end depth, but the team won’t be revisiting the possibility of signing Jermichael Finley, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (link via PFT’s Curtis Crabtree).
Florio also has the full breakdown of Jordy Nelson’s new extension with the Packers, suggesting that the deal should secure the wideout’s place on the roster through at least 2016.
Insider linebacker will be a position to watch for the Eagles this year, after the club didn’t really address the position in free agency or the draft, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
A federal court hearing will take place in California this Monday to determine whether Redskins wideout DeSean Jackson will have to repay agent Drew Rosenhaus $516K+, as an NFLPA arbitrator previously ruled, reports Alex Marvez of FOX Sports.

East Notes: Bryant, Lawrence, Fins, Bradham

July 30th, 2014 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The big news out of the NFL’s two East divisions today relates to Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith, who reached an agreement with the club on a $98MM extension that will keep him under contract through 2023. We have a few other East notes to round up though, including an item on how Smith’s new deal could affect one of his teammates. Let’s dive in….

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) believes that, after extending Smith, it would be “nearly impossible” for the Cowboys make a big long-term commitment to Dez Bryant now. The signing bonus on Smith’s contract isn’t massive, so I think the Cowboys would still have the flexibility to get something done this year if they really wanted to. Still, Rapoport adds that there hasn’t been much progress between the two sides, and that Bryant may benefit from playing out the season without a new deal.
34th overall pick Demarcus Lawrence suffered a fractured foot in practice this week and is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. That’s a significant blow for the Cowboys, who liked Lawrence enough that they traded their third-round selection in May’s draft to move up and snag the young edge defender.
Free agent center Samson Satele remains on the Dolphins’ radar, and the team still may return to him at some point, but the team continues to hope its internal options can handle the position in Mike Pouncey’s absence, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Bills linebacker Nigel Bradham has been suspended for the first game of the regular season for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, per Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Considering it’s just a one-game suspension, it’s likely for Bradham’s 2013 arrest for marijuana possession, rather than a failed test, Garafolo notes.

East Notes: Redskins, Bills, Bryant, Jordan

July 10th, 2014 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Tanard Jackson wasn’t a lock to make the Redskins‘ roster before word of his second indefinite suspension broke, so his absence from training camp doesn’t figure to have a huge effect on the secondary. A source tells Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link) that the club is unlikely to bring in another safety to fill Jackson’s roster spot, and John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that as of this morning, Washington had not reached out to free agent safety Reed Doughty, who has spent his entire eight-year career with the team.

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

Jeffrey Gundlach, CEO of Los Angeles-based investment firm DoubleLine Capital, still has interest in making a bid for the Bills, reports Tim Graham of the Buffalo News. Gundlach has previously expressed interest in purchasing the franchise and keeping it in Western New York, and appears to have rebounded from a financial perspective after an “ugly courtroom divorce”
In a conversation with Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com (video link), star wideout Dez Bryant admitted it was hard for him to hear that the Cowboys cut Miles Austin this offseason. Bryant, entering the final year of his rookie deal, also downplayed his contract situation, suggesting he intends to focus on football. “When it’s time to talk about it, that’s when I’ll talk about it. I’m gonna let that stuff take care of itself,” Bryant said.
Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com notes that the worst-case scenario for Bryant this year would involve those extension talks becoming a distraction and having an effect on his on-field performance.
Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan has no plans to appeal his four-game suspension and will serve it at the start of the 2014 season, according to James Walker of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That’s no surprise, since the NFL typically doesn’t announce a suspension until it has already gone through the appeal process.

Extension Candidate: Dez Bryant

June 21st, 2014 at 4:51pm CST by Rob DiRe

Dez Bryant entered the NFL amidst an air of controversy. As a sophomore at Oklahoma State, Bryant caught 87 passes and 19 touchdowns, piling up close to 1,500 yards in the process. He was set to return for his junior year as not only the top receiver in the nation, but as a dark horse Heisman candidate. However, his season was cut short when he was ruled ineligible for failure to disclose his relationship with Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders.

After sitting out, Bryant entered the 2010 NFL Draft, where he was expected to be the first receiver selected. During the pre-draft process, controversy arose again, surrounding an inappropriate question he was asked by then Dolphins’ general manager Jeff Ireland. Bryant ended up dropping in the draft, before being selected 24th overall by the Cowboys. He was the second receiver taken, after Demaryius Thomas, who is also a part of our Extension Candidate Series this offseason.

Bryant struggled at times on and off the field during his first two NFL campaigns, but showed flashes and managed to catch 15 touchdown passes through his second year, despite missing five games. He also added two punt return touchdowns as a rookie.

Although Bryant found more trouble his first few seasons in the NFL, he has truly come into his own as an elite receiver the past two seasons. Bryant caught 92 passes in 2012, eclipsing 1,300 yards and hauling in 12 touchdowns. Last season, he grabbed 93 footballs for over 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Bryant is about to enter the final year of his rookie deal, and is scheduled to earn $1.78MM in 2014. He remains positive that a deal will get taken care of, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

“That’s going to take care of itself. I’m very confident in the work I put in. Whatever happens, happens,” said Bryant. “All I know is I’m going to continue to keep doing my job. That alone shows my dedication and love I have for the game. I’m going to let it work out.’’

The Cowboys are not in a great place in terms of the salary cap, especially after the monster extension that they gave Tony Romo, but upcoming extensions are expected for both Bryant and left tackle Tyron Smith. However, the amount of money Bryant will demand is still up in the air. Brandon Marshall‘s three year, $30MM extension could be seen as the floor for Bryant in terms of annual salary. At the same time, expecting him to reach a number north of $15MM per year is also unlikely, even if he produces on par with Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald did in their contract years. Especially with the Fitzgerald contract, teams could be unwilling to devote that much money to one receiver.

Of course, with the salary cap climbing this year, and expected to continue to increase in the near future, a contract in the area of what Johnson and Fitzgerald may not an impossible benchmark. For Thomas, the receiver that was drafted just ahead of him, our own Luke Adams projected the Broncos would offer something in the area of five years and $65MM, with over $20MM in guaranteed. Bryant should be in line for something similar.

These two players’ negotiations will be linked very closely this offseason. If Luke is correct in his assessment that Thomas will sign his extension before the season, I figure Bryant will be on a similar timetable, and would not be surprised if after one signs, the other ends up with a slightly larger extension shortly after. Of course, with Bryant’s history of injury and off the field trouble, the Cowboys could play hardball and wait to see how he makes it through one more season. If that’s the case, Bryant could be anywhere in 2015, from preparing for a Megatron-type extension to being the second coming of Hakeem Nicks, depending on how he handles the season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys Rumors: Orton, Bryant, Smith

June 20th, 2014 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Following his absence from the team’s minicamp, Kyle Orton‘s ongoing standoff with the Cowboys will be one storyline out of Dallas to watch as training camp nears, but it won’t be the only notable subplot. Here’s the latest on Orton and a few other Cowboys-related items:

Although Orton wasn’t in attendance at this week’s practices, his agent, David Dunn, did make an appearance, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com. Still, Dunn declined comment on his client, and there appears to have been no progress made between the two sides, per Watkins. The Cowboys want to continue having Orton back up starting quarterback Tony Romo this season, while Orton is leaning toward retirement.
Talks on new contracts for wide receiver Dez Bryant and offensive tackle Tyron Smith remain in the preliminary stages, tweets Watkins. Bryant is heading into the final year of his rookie deal, so his situation is a little more pressing than Smith’s, since the team exercised its 2015 option to keep its left tackle under contract for another season.
There’s no guarantee that the Cowboys’ roster when training camp gets underway will have the same 90 players that it does today, as head coach Jason Garrett suggests to Watkins that the club remains open to roster moves. “We’ll continue to make evaluations of individual guys, where they stack up, if they belong on the roster, who else is on the landscape and you’re always trying to do that,” Garrett said of his current squad.

Cowboys Notes: Linehan, Witten, Bryant

June 13th, 2014 at 8:54pm CST by Rob DiRe

Jason Witten spoke with KESN-FM 103.3 about his excitement at working with new offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, in an interview transcribed by DallasNews.com. Witten said although Linehan has a pass-happy reputation, he believes the team will have an improved ground game in 2014. “I think people sometimes think he gets pass-happy. I don’t think that’s the case. He just plays his personnel,” said Witten. “He’s added his wrinkles to our system we already had in place. Ultimately, it’s about us executing better, playing better.”

Here are some other notes from Dallas-Fort Worth:

Witten also described how his quarterback is going to bounce back from offseason surgery, expressing his supreme confidence in Tony Romo. “I understand there’s a lot of criticism and until you win that big game and compete for championships, when you play that position, that’s gonna come,” said Witten. “But he’s working really hard. He looks great. I know his mental mindset. I’ve been around him a long time. I think he’s gonna come back better than he has ever before and it’s going to be a great year for him and, hopefully, for our football team.”
Cowboy legend Drew Pearson was on NFL Network discussing how his team needs to sign Dez Bryant to an extension, writes Jon Machota of DallasNews.com. “He’s really improved the last two years, his numbers have improved, and just his overall game, his overall leadership responsibility with the football team,” said Pearson. “He is the most influential player on that team right now. He’s kind of like Michael Irvin was to the team in the 90s. Dez can be that type of leader on the field and off the field for the Cowboys.”
The Cowboys lost a lot of production on the defensive side of the ball, with the departure of DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com. They still have George Selvie, Anthony Spencer, Henry Melton, and Jeremy Mincey. However, those four players have exactly two eight-sack seasons in their respective careers. Hatcher had 11 in 2013, and Ware has hit double digits every year of his career except his rookie campaign and an injury plagued 2013. Ware had eight sacks as a rookie in 2005.
Cowboys’ corner B.W. Webb struggled as a rookie in 2013, and could fail to make the 53-man roster this season, writes Archer. Archer called the Webb the team’s fifth or sixth corner at best, and noted he would need a very good preseason to stick with the team.

NFC East Notes: Beckham Jr., Bryant, Mathis

June 7th, 2014 at 2:07pm CST by Peter Sowards

After receiving a $5MM cap credit on June 1 for cutting offensive lineman David Baas in March, the Giants have just over $7MM to spend on fine-tuning the roster, writes Jordan Ranaan of NJ.com. 91 players are currently under contract for the G-Men, with a team cap of $124.98MM.

As Ranaan points out, $7MM might sound like a lot of money, but 20 teams have more room to spend. All seven 2014 draftees except for third-round defensive tackle Jay Bromley have signed their rookie deals, and it’s only a matter of time before the former Syracuse Orange joins the fold.

More news and notes from the AFC East below…

Giants first-round wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is being rested for precautionary reasons while recovering from a hamstring injury that sidelined him at OTAs, reports National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson. Beckham told reporters he’s also suffering from a tight back.
Cowboys quarterback Brandon Weeden waxed poetic about his former college and current pro teammate, Dez Bryant, per The Dallas Morning News’ Jon Machota. “He’s unbelievable at what he does,” Weeden said. “It’s the same stuff he did when he was 18 when he came in. I have said it when we came in the same year, he’s just a freak. The guy is probably the most passionate football player. He loves the game more than anyone I’ve ever been around.” Both players arrived at Oklahoma State in 2007.
At a function honoring former Arkansas head football coach and athletic director Frank Broyles, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said nothing has made him prouder than to know the Arkansas Razorbacks — Jones’ Alma mater — will play at AT&T Stadium next season, tweets Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News Bureau.
Eagles guard Evan Mathis said the team is light years ahead of where it was compared to this time last year, reports CSNPhilly.com’s Michael Barkann. “This year, you can just see so much more confidence on the field. Everybody’s executing, it’s much more crisp, and that’s what you get with a year under this system.”
Michael Bamiro has been working mainly at right guard on the Eagles‘ second-team offensive line, writes CSNPhilly.com’s Geoff Mosher.
According to a tweet by last year’s No. 4 overall pick Lane Johnson, the Eagles‘ rookie dinner totaled nearly $18k, including a $3,495 bottle of wine.
Eagles first-round pick Marcus Smith, who will be outside linebacker in Philadelphia’s base 3-4, was tabbed by National Football Post’s Greg Gabriel as one of five players to keep an eye on during the 2014 NFL Season.
Niles Paul, the Redskins wide receiver and core special teams player, is optimistic about a potential turnout for the ST unit under Ben Kotwica, the first-year coordinator, writes CSNWashington.com’s Tarik El-Bashir.
Training camp practices under new Redskins head coach Jay Gruden will likely start earlier, end later and feature a longer break in between sessions, reports CSNWashington.com’s Rich Tandler.
Learning his fifth offensive system in five years, Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy likes the fit in Washington and is eager to learn behind Kirk Cousins and Robert Griffin III, writes ESPN.com’s John Keim.

Extra Points: Bryant, Sam, Fluker

June 6th, 2014 at 11:03pm CST by Rob DiRe

When Cowboys‘ superstar Dez Bryant hits free agency, he wants to be paid like one of the top five receivers in the NFL. Shaun O’Hara and Willie McGinest of the NFL Network argued over whether the young wideout is deserving of that payday, transcripted by DallasNews.com.

Here are some other notes from around the NFL:

Rams‘ seventh-round pick Michael Sam has had no issues fitting in with the team, according to USAToday. Sam, the first openly gay NFL player, had nothing but great things to say about his teammates. “They respect me as a human being,” said Sam. “And as a football player.”
Chargers‘ offensive tackle D.J. Fluker is eyeing the Pro Bowl in his sophomore season, writes Michael Gehlken of UTSanDiego.com. Fluker has been boxing to get into shape this offseason, and is poised to avoid decline in his second year.
Texans‘ head coach Bill O’Brien plans on using three tight ends in his offense, and will give all of them a chance to shine, writes Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. O’Brien started the tight end trend with the pairing of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in New England, and could continue to see success with the Garrett Graham, Ryan Griffin and rookie C.J. Fiedorowicz.

East Notes: Bryant, Finley, Dolphins, Eagles

June 4th, 2014 at 10:08am CST by Luke Adams

In examining what a possible extension for Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant could look like, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap focuses on the top-of-the-market players who signed big deals before the age of 30 — it’s a list that includes Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Percy Harvin, Mike Wallace, Dwayne Bowe, and Vincent Jackson. Bryant’s two goals in this negotiation, Fitzgerald writes, should be to establish that he is above those bottom four names and to convince Dallas to pay him like the top two.

Here’s more from around the league’s two East divisions:

There are “a good half-dozen teams in quiet pursuit” of free agent tight end Jermichael Finley, according to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report. Freeman predicts that Finley will ultimately sign with the Patriots, the club the former Packer visited last Friday after being medically cleared by his doctor.
Although Dan Marino and the Dolphins have talked about a possible position within the organization for the Hall of Fame quarterback, the two sides have been unable to figure out a role for him so far, says Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. According to Salguero, the club would love to have Marino aboard for PR and marketing purposes, while Marino would like a role with some actual power (all Twitter links).
The Eagles have made a number of changes to their scouting and personnel departments, the team announced today. Notably, Rick Mueller has been promoted to director of pro player personnel.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Links: Davis, Bryant, Graham

May 31st, 2014 at 4:52pm CST by Rob DiRe

The 49ers have a lot of players looking for new contracts in the coming years, including Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Colin Kaepernick, Mike Iupati, and Alex Boone. The team has been preparing for life without some of those players, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.

Here are some other links from around the NFC:

When it comes to Davis, Maiocco believes the 49ers will not budge on his contract. He is the third-highest paid player in the league at his position, and is on the wrong side of 30 years old. With extensions for other players coming, Davis may have to play his current contract out.
Cowboys‘ Vice President Stephen Jones said an extension for star wide receiver Dez Bryant could come before the season starts, writes Lorenzo Reyes of USAToday.com. “As far as from the receiver standpoint, of course I feel like I’m one of the better receivers in this league,” said Bryant. “But like I said, when it comes to that contract, I’m going to sit back and I’m going to wait and see what happens.”
Jimmy Graham has yet to sign a long-term deal, but Mike Triplett of ESPN.com does not expect this to drag on through training camp. July 15 is the last day to negotiate a deal for franchised players, and Triplett expects Graham to sign a deal that pays him between $10.5MM and $11MM per year.
Robert Meachem returned to the Saints, and maybe more importantly, his old quarterback Drew Brees, writes Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com. Meachem has a one-year deal, but says the offseason has kept him focused and more comfortable, being back in New Orleans.
Tanard Jackson has gotten another chance in the NFL with the Redskins, but he might not stick on the roster, writes J.P. Finlay of CSNWashington.com. The team might not have a spot for him at safety, and his minimum salary deal could be easy to release.