HEADLINES

Earl Watford

More Minor NFL Transactions: 12/8/15

December 8th, 2015 at 7:15pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Updates from earlier today can be found here. The latest…

  • The Lions released defensive tackle Andre Fluellen from injured reserve, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Fluellen has had several stints with the Lions, among other teams, since they used a third-round pick on him in 2008. He has appeared in 81 career games and totaled 69 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Fluellen played four games for the Lions this year and made four tackles.
  • The Seahawks waived veteran tight end Chase Coffman, reports Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (Twitter link). Coffman, who has 14 career catches, joined the Seahawks last week but didn’t appear in their 38-7 win over the Vikings.
  • The Cardinals placed guard Earl Watford on injured reserve with a hand injury and promoted safety D.J. Swearinger from their practice squad, per Darren Urban of their website (Twitter link). Watford appeared in seven games and made two starts this year. Swearinger appeared in seven games for Tampa Bay earlier this season, but he garnered more extensive experience (32 games, 22 starts) in Houston from 2013-14.
  • The Patriots released cornerback Rashaan Melvin, per Wilson (Twitter link). Melvin has spent time with both New England and Baltimore since entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Northern Illinois last year. He appeared in eight games and made six tackles for the Pats this season.
  • The Chiefs cut offensive lineman Daniel Munyer, according to Wilson (Twitter link). The undrafted rookie from Colorado made one appearance for the Chiefs this season.

NFC Mailbags: Cardinals, Bucs, Vikings, Saints

June 27th, 2015 at 12:44pm CST by Ben Levine

We checked out ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now shift focus to the NFC…

  • Josh Weinfuss believes Cardinals offensive lineman Ted Larsen, Earl Watford, Bradley Sowell and Bobby Massie could be moved because of the depth at their positions.
  • The Buccaneers have been active in their spot atop the waiver wire, claiming Tim Wright and D.J. Swearinger. Pat Yasinskas says the team could make five or six more claims before the start of the season.
  • If running back Doug Martin has a big season, Yasinskas thinks there’s a good chance he’d re-sign with the Buccaneers.
  • 2018 is the earliest the Vikings would have to invest a longterm contract into a quarterback, writes Ben Goessling. That means that team shouldn’t have an issue signing their younger core players, including Harrison Smith, Matt Kalil and Xavier Rhodes. The one player that the writer could see the organization move on from is wideout Cordarrelle Patterson.
  • Mike Triplett says it’s “safe to assume” that Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan can’t survive another bad season. If the defense continues to struggle, defensive assistant Dennis Allen could also receive part of the blame.

NFC West Links: 49ers, Cooper, Bailey

August 2nd, 2014 at 8:32pm CST by Ben Levine

The 49ers‘ running back depth took a hit this week when Kendall Hunter and LaMichael James both suffered injuries. As the team tries to keep starter Frank Gore fresh and healthy for the regular season, some other players have had a chance to shine. Rookie Carlos Hyde has particularly taken advantage of the opportunity and has drawn praise from the entire coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman remarked on the second-round pick’s ability to pick up instruction (via Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee)…

“I guess, you know, somebody that’s seven-years-old playing the piano and you kind of show them, they hear it, and then they start playing the piano,” Roman said. “It’s one of those things that if you can explain it to him, once it clicks with him – and that’s happened repeatedly on a lot of different things – he just makes that adjustment, and we keep moving.”

Coach Jim Harbaugh even went as far as to compare the rookie to the veteran he’s hoping to back up.

“Carlos gets football, understands football; it’s natural for him to understand the game, similar to Frank Gore,” Harbaugh said. “And we’re seeing those things, and both are very good signs and bode well for us.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC West…
  • 49ers defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey tore his bicep earlier today, and ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson tweets that Isaac Sopoaga could be an option to replace him. The 32-year-old split 2013 between the Eagles and the Patriots.
  • Cardinals guard Jonathan Cooper missed all of 2013 recovering from a broken fibula. The team was counting on their former first-rounder to contribute this season, but coach Bruce Arians doesn’t sound overly optimistic. “I’m a little disappointed with where Coop is at right now,” Arians told Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. “I’d hope he come a little faster.” To perhaps make a bit of a statement, the team played Earl Watford with the first team during practice (via a tweet from ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss).
  • Even with his impending four-game suspension, Rams receiver Stedman Bailey has been impressive at camp, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. This is leaving many, including coach Jeff Fisher, confident that the second-year player will make a big impact once he returns. “He’s there,” Fisher said. “He knows how to get open, and knows how to make the plays. Yes, we’ll miss him, but he’s going to push right through camp and we’ll get through his ordeal and we’ll get him right back in the lineup.”