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Eric Berry

West Notes: Bennett, Rams, Waynes

April 20th, 2015 at 9:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett is not expected to be in attendance for the Seahawks’ voluntary workouts, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times writes. Bennett denies that he’s seeking a trade out of Seattle but sources have said he would like the team to redo his contract. Bennett is entering the second year of a four-year deal worth $28.5MM signed last spring. When asked if he’s happy with is deal, the veteran replied: “I can’t really say that, but I mean I don’t know anybody that is happy with the amount of money that they’re making. But at this point, I’m just trying to be a good Seahawk.” Here’s more from the AFC and NFC West..

  • The Rams will host Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes on Tuesday and South Carolina offensive guard A.J. Cann on Wednesday, according to Nick Wagoner of the Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). The Rams pick at No. 10 and they have the opportunity to jump the Vikings at No. 11, as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes (via Twitter).
  • Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson says that he hopes to play for another 3-5 years, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter). The Chiefs could create $5.2MM in cap savings by releasing Johnson, but team chairman Clark Hunt recently said that he expects that the veteran will stay put.
  • In addition to Justin Houston and Eric Berry, Daniel Sorensen and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif were also absent from Chiefs camp due to academics, Paylor tweets.
  • Mississippi State defensive end Preston Smith is in Denver today visiting the Broncos, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link). Smith visited the Vikings in Minnesota earlier in April.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

AFC Mailbags: Jags, McFadden, Chiefs, Jets

January 24th, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s start off the morning by checking out some notes from the AFC…

AFC Notes: Berry, Steelers, Dolphins, Pats

January 3rd, 2015 at 6:33pm CST by Zachary Links

As the Ravens and Steelers prepare to kick off the AFC’s playoff slate tonight, let’s round up a few items from around the conference….

  • The Chiefs are focused on Eric Berry’s health and not his contract, as Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star writes. Berry, who was diagnosed with lymphoma, is scheduled to have a cap number of $8.357MM in 2015 and is slated to receive $5.455MM in total salary. If he’s placed on the non-football injury list in 2015, the Chiefs are technically under no obligation to pay him, but it’d be a highly questionable PR move for the team.
  • The Steelers are missing Le’Veon Bell and probably wish they had a better Plan B right now. Tyler Dunne of the Journal-Sentinel (on Twitter) notes that the Steelers made a play for James Starks in free agency, but ultimately whiffed. The Steelers then signed LeGarrette Blount, who is no longer with the team.
  • James Walker of ESPN looks at a number of offseason decisions the Dolphins are set to make over the next few months in his mailbag. Walker sees Miami having a need at running back but passing on Wisconsin runner Melvin Gordon in the first round. He also can see the club moving on from backup quarterback Matt Moore, and possibly cutting guard Shelley Smith.
  • The Patriots will likely need to cut receiver Danny Amendola and restructure the contracts of Darrelle Revis and Jerod Mayo this offseason in order to open up cap room to sign other players, says Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

Injury Updates: Monday

December 8th, 2014 at 4:07pm CST by Luke Adams

In our Sunday roundup of the latest notable injury news from around the NFL, we passed along postgame items on a number of players, including several who will miss the rest of the season. Today, we’ll continue to provide updates on those players and others, as diagnoses are modified or confirmed. We don’t cover every single injury at PFR, but we’ll keep tabs on the ones that may require a roster move, with the latest notes added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • While it’s less an injury update than a health update, the Chiefs provided some news on safety Eric Berry today, announcing that the Pro Bowler has been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. “This is a diagnosis that is very treatable and potentially curable with standard chemotherapy approaches,” said Dr. Christopher R. Flowers in a statement. “The goal of Mr. Berry’s treatment is to cure his lymphoma and we are beginning that treatment now.” We wish Berry and his family our well-wishes and support as he begins his treatment.
  • The Ravens confirmed a Sunday report today, indicating that cornerback Danny Gorrer will miss the rest of the season after tearing his MCL and PCL, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The club will place Gorrer on injured reserve.

Earlier updates:

  • As expected, Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger will be out for the rest of the year with an AC joint separation, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The rookie signal-caller may be placed on IR this week to make room for a new addition.
  • While Cardinals running back Andre Ellington is expected to miss the rest of the season, cornerback Antonio Cromartie’s injury doesn’t appear as serious as initially feared, GM Steve Keim confirmed today (link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). Cromartie is day-to-day with the injury, which affects the peroneal tendon rather than the Achilles, and will undergo more testing today.
  • As first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Chargers have diagnosed punter Mike Scifres with a fractured clavicle. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Scifres is undergoing surgery today, and should be okay to return for the playoffs, assuming San Diego makes it.

Chiefs Place Berry On NFI List

November 24th, 2014 at 4:30pm CST by Zachary Links

4:30pm: Berry has released a statement on the Chiefs’ website:

“I am truly thankful for all of the support from family, friends, coaches, teammates and the entire Chiefs kingdom. At first I was in shock with the diagnosis on Saturday and did not even want to miss a game, but I understand that right now I have to concentrate on a new opponent. I have great confidence in the doctors and the plan they are going to put in place for me to win this fight. I believe that I am in God’s hands and I have great peace in that. I know my coaches and teammates will hold things down here the rest of the season and until I am back running out of the tunnel at Arrowhead. I am so thankful and appreciative of being a part of this franchise and playing in front of the best fans in the NFL. I will be back!”

4:00pm: The Chiefs have placed safety Eric Berry on the non-football illness list, which means he’s done for the year, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Trainer Rick Burkholder told reporters, including Adam Teicher of ESPN.com (on Twitter), that Berry experienced discomfort in his chest after Thursday night’s tilt against Oakland. Burkholder went on to explain that upon further inspection, the Chiefs crew found a mass on the right side of Berry’s chest, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Right now, it is believed that Berry has lymphoma and the safety will travel to Atlanta to visit with a specialist (Twitter links). There’s no definite diagnosis yet, however, and the evaluation will continue through tomorrow.

Pro Football Rumors would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to Berry during this difficult time.

AFC West Links: Houston, Berry, McNeil

November 1st, 2014 at 3:19pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Chiefs do not have a single rookie on Mel Kiper’s list of the 35 best rookies through the midpoint of this season (subscription required), and Adam Teicher of ESPN.com is not surprised by this. He writes that only guard Zach Fulton has played enough snaps to qualify for this list, and he has performed poorly.

Teicher writes that the team passed on such impact players as guard Joel Bitonio, cornerback Jason Verrett, and receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who have all been among the best rookies in the league this year.

  • Chiefs‘ outside linebacker Justin Houston is halfway through the final year of his contract, but is unlikely to sign an extension with the team. Houston is treating the home stretch of the season as business as usal, reports Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star. “I’ll worry about that at the end of the season,” said Houston. “I can’t let that get in my head at all. I don’t want it to slow me or affect what I’m doing on the field. I just want to continue play as I’m playing and continue to make plays.”
  • Chiefs‘ safety Eric Berry is active and will play Sunday against the Jets, writes Teicher. He suffered a high ankle sprain in a loss to the Broncos during their week two matchup, and has not seen the field since.
  • The Broncos have recently added former Arena League receiver Douglas McNeil to the practice squad, and Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com believes that if he continues to adjust to the NFL game, his combination of size and speed could make him an intriguing prospect for the team.
  • The Raiders are poised to select at the top of the draft, and Bill Williamson of ESPN.com thinks the team should seriously consider a receiver at that spot. He identifies Alabama star Amari Cooper as a target high in the first round.

Major Injuries: Week 2

September 14th, 2014 at 10:31pm CST by Rory Parks

Here at Pro Football Rumors, we tend to stay away from injury news and report instead on issues concerning player movement, transactions, etc. However, when there is a major injury to a star player, the potential roster impacts of such an injury are readily apparent. As such, we will update this post with those injuries from Week 2 that could significantly alter a team’s personnel decisions going forward.

  • Chiefs‘ star players Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry were both ruled out of today’s 24-17 loss to the Broncos (via Twitter). Head coach Andy Reid said both players had suffered ankle injuries, reports Field Yates of ESPN (via Twitter). Charles will have an MRI tomorrow to test the seriousness of his injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
  • Earlier, we saw that Bengals‘ receiver A.J. Green went down with a toe injury. Green said after the game that his toe is not broken and that he hopes to play next week, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter). Pro Football Talk reports that a league source believes Green should Dr. Anderson in Charlotte to rule out a Lisfranc injury (via Twitter).
  • Chargers‘ running back Ryan Mathews suffered a sprained MCL in the team’s impressive 30-21 victory over the Seahawks, reports Michael Gehlken of the U-T San Diego. He will undergo further tests to see the extent of the injury.
  • The Rams‘ versatile playmaker Tavon Austin exited today’s 19-17 win over the Buccaneers with a knee injury, reports Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter). The extend of the injury is unknown, and Austin will have more tests tomorrow.
  • Buccaneers‘ defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was also injured in that game, reportedly breaking his hand, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). It has yet to be determined whether or not McCoy will be able to play through the injury.
  • Bears‘ star cornerback Charles Tillman left the Sunday Night Football game with a triceps injury, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune notes that it was a right biceps injury just like this one that forced Tillman to miss a huge chunk of the 2013 campaign (via Twitter).
  • Giants‘ cornerback Walter Thurmond suffered what is thought to be a strained pectoral muscle in the team’s 25-14 loss to the Cardinals, reports Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Post (via Twitter). He will receive an MRI tomorrow to confirm.
  • Another key piece to the Giants‘ defense, Jon Beason, suffered a toe injury, according to Vacchiano (via Twitter). Vacchiano notes that the team is worried considering a toe injury on the same foot caused him to miss nearly the entire offseason.

Earlier Updates

  • Dolphins RB Knowshon Moreno has suffered a dislocated elbow and is expected to miss four to eight weeks, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
  • We learned earlier today that Griffin suffered a dislocated ankle and could miss the remainder of the season, depending on the severity of the injury.
  • Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III suffered an injury to his left ankle, and Washington receiver DeSean Jackson injured his shoulder in today’s game against the Jaguars. The team announced (Twitter links) that neither player will return to the game.
  • Meanwhile, Bengals receiver A.J. Green suffered a toe injury in today’s game against the Falcons and will not return, tweets Coley Harvey of ESPN.com.

 

Sunday Roundup: Bon Jovi, Orton, Browns

August 3rd, 2014 at 12:58pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s round up some links from around the league as Sunday morning turns into Sunday afternoon:

  • In order to stem concerns from Bills‘ fans that the Toronto-based group led by rocker Jon Bon Jovi would like to ultimately move the team to Toronto if its ownership bid is successful, Bon Jovi himself wrote a letter published in the Buffalo News on Sunday morning stating that he hopes to make the Bills successful “in Buffalo.” As John Wawrow of the Associated Press writes, however, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told the AP several weeks ago that he has no doubts regarding Bon Jovi’s group’s long-term intentions to move the team to Toronto.
  • Bears‘ GM Phil Emery is open to a reunion with Kyle Orton if Orton wants to play in 2014, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com. Orton, who was released by the Cowboys last month, began his career in Chicago and the Bears have twice tried to re-sign him since trading him to Denver in the Jay Cutler deal five years ago. Orton would represent an upgrade at backup quarterback over Jimmy Clausen and Jordan Palmer.
  • Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer thinks that it is a “good sign” that Browns‘ receiver Josh Gordon and his attorneys are heading back to New York on Monday to resume Gordon’s appeal hearing. Cabot believes that Gordon will still be suspended, but perhaps not indefinitely.
  • In the same piece, Cabot opines that Browns‘ second-year pro Barkevious Mingo could produce double-digit sacks in 2014. George M. Thomas and Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal similarly believe that Mingo looks poised for a breakout campaign.
  • In a separate piece, Ulrich writes that Browns‘ rookie QB Johnny Manziel could be gaining ground on presumed starter Brian Hoyer.
  • Scott Brown of ESPN.com writes that Steelers‘ head coach Mike Tomlin is paying particularly close attention to the unheralded running backs fighting to make the team’s 53-man roster, including Tauren Poole, Miguel Maysonet, and Josh Harris.
  • I posted an article earlier today regarding a potential contract extension for 49ers‘ head coach Jim Harbaugh, and Eric Branch of the San Fransisco Chronicle adds to that discussion. He writes that CEO Jed York believes he and Harbaugh are “on the same page” in their contract talks and that both parties will assess where they are after the 2014 season.
  • Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune writes that Buccaneers wide receiver Tommy Streeter has been the pleasant surprise of training camp thus far.
  • Herbie Teope of ChiefsSpin.com tweets that Chiefs‘ star safety Eric Berry returned to practice today.
  • ESPN.com has created a chart detailing the first impressions that the first-round picks of 2014 have made.

AFC West Notes: Watkins, Pryor, Chiefs

February 23rd, 2014 at 4:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here’s a few notes from the AFC West focusing on the draft and free agency:

  • Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins is an option for the Raiders with the fifth overall pick, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Watkins ran a 4.43 40-yard-dash, which was somewhat disappointing, but Bair doesn’t expect it to affect his draft stock. The Raiders have a history of selecting big, speedy receivers, and some believe Watkins could have the same type of immediate effect that A.J. Green and Julio Jones did in their rookie seasons.
  • In his latest mailbag, ESPN.com’s Paul Guiterrez notes that quarterback Terrelle Pryor could become trade bait. Coach Dennis Allen specifically noted that fellow QB Matt McGloin has a future with the Raiders, but made no such declaration about Pryor.
  • Guiterrez also reports that Raiders offensive lineman Mike Brisiel could be released, if he doesn’t retire first.
  • Eric Berry is a candidate for a contract extension with the Chiefs, writes Adam Teichel of ESPN.com. Berry is heading into the final season of his current deal.
  • Teichel goes on to note that the Chiefs could probably re-sign both free agent offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz and Jon Asamoah for what it would cost to retain tackle Branden Albert, also a free agent. However, Schwartz wants to be a starter, and will likely not accept an offer to return as a backup.
  • The Chiefs would only consider drafting a quarterback if things looked bleak regarding an Alex Smith extension, says Teichel.
  • The wide receiver draft class is deep, which is a positive for the Chargers as they look for a play-maker to pair with Keenan Allen, writes ESPN.com’s Eric D. Williams.