HEADLINES

Glenn Gronkowski

Pats Try Out Glenn Gronkowski, Others

September 19th, 2016 at 5:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There could be a second Gronkowski on the Patriots’ roster soon. The club worked out free agent fullback Glenn Gronkowski, brother of superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski, on Monday, ESPN’s Adam Caplan reports (Twitter link). As of now, there’s no indication the team plans to sign “Baby Gronk.”

Glenn Gronkowski (vertical)

The younger Gronkowski signed with the AFC East rival Bills this year as an undrafted free agent from Kansas State and cracked their Week 1 roster, but the team cut him after its opening loss to the Ravens.

Joining Gronkowski in auditioning for New England were seven other free agents, per Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link) : running back Storm Johnson; tight ends Rory Anderson and Austin Traylor; defensive tackles Brandin Bryant and Trevon Coley; and defensive backs Jamell Fleming and Doran Grant. Of that septet, only Johnson, Fleming and Grant have seen NFL action. Fleming easily possesses the most experience, having appeared in 46 regular-season games with the Cardinals, Jaguars and Chiefs from 2012-15. Fleming, on whom Arizona once used a third-round pick, appeared in all Kansas City’s games last year, though he didn’t play a significant role with the team.

Notably, no quarterbacks tried out for the Patriots on Monday. With Jimmy Garoppolo hurt and third-round rookie Jacoby Brissett set to start, wide receiver Julian Edelman – a former high school and college quarterback – could be the Pats’ backup Thursday against Houston. Earlier Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that New England wasn’t planning on signing any signal-callers before its tilt with the Texans, who are also 2-0.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bills Waive Glenn Gronkowski

September 12th, 2016 at 2:25pm CST by Zachary Links

No more Baby Gronk in Buffalo. Today, the Bills announced that they have released Glenn Gronkowski so that they could welcome veteran Jerome Felton back into the fold. The Bills also signed safety Damian Parms to the practice squad. Glenn Gronkowski (vertical)

Gronkowski surprised many observers when he edged Felton for the team’s starting fullback job, leaving Felton without an NFL home to start the season. The Bills reportedly liked Gronkowski more than Felton from a pure football standpoint but it may be that the team’s motivation was financial. Buffalo saved $1.55MM by cutting Felton and instead going with Gronkowski, who was earning the league minimum. The Bills are flip-flopping on that today, but Felton has presumably re-signed on a cheaper deal.

If Gronkowski clears waivers, he may be a practice squad candidate for the Bills. For a full view of the Bills’ practice squad and 53-man roster, check out their page on Roster Resource.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Mailbags: Bills, Titans, Broncos, Jets

June 4th, 2016 at 11:39am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday, and that means the NFL’s various beat reporters are opening their mailbags and answering questions from the readers. Let’s take a look at some of the notable responses out of the AFC…

  • Bills coach Rex Ryan and his staff are “operating under the premise that they have to “get it right” this year,” writes Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News. While the writer wouldn’t definitively say if Ryan could end up on the hot seat, he did note that fans have started to recognize the weaknesses in his coaching style, allowing them to question whether he’s actually “the right man for the job.” With a lack of a coach’s salary cap and with more money to use, Carucci does acknowledge that NFL owners are justified in having a quick “trigger finger,” which might not bode well for Ryan.
  • Bills undrafted free agent Glenn Gronkowski isn’t necessarily competing for a tight end spot, notes Carucci. Instead, Ryan has been using him as more of a fullback, so Rob Gronkowski‘s brother would need to unseat Jerome Felton in order to make the roster.
  • Running backs DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry are locks to make the Titans roster, and Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com believes Dexter McCluster will also make the team. As a result, Wyatt sees David Cobb, Bishop Sankey, Antonio Andrews and David Fluellen fighting for one roster spot.
  • It could be a “make or break” preseason for Broncos running back Kapri Bibbs, writes Mike Klis of 9News.com. With C.J. Anderson, Ronnie Hillman, and Devontae Booker having a secure hold on the top three spots on the depth chart, Bibbs will be competing with Juwan Thompson for one of the final spots on the roster.
  • The Broncos are trying to extend wideout Emmanuel Sanders, but Klis says it won’t be easy. If the 29-year-old wants to be paid like a top receiver (similar to Jeremy Maclin‘s $11MM annual salary), the Broncos may be priced out of the negotiations.
  • While a Darrelle Revis-type one-year (plus an option) contract would seemingly make sense for the Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini outlines a number of reasons why this scenario probably wouldn’t work. Notably, the Jets apparent leverage would be greatly diminished if Fitzpatrick had an opportunity to test the market again next offseason.

Bills Cut Jarius Wynn, Add 14 UDFAs

May 2nd, 2016 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bills have fortified their rookie class, adding to their seven-man draft class by agreeing to terms with another 14 undrafted free agents, the team announced today. Here are the 14 undrafted rookies who have agreed to sign with Buffalo:

In addition to adding over a dozen rookies to their roster, the Bills also cut ties with some veteran players, per a press release. The most notable name in the trio of players released is edge defender Jarius Wynn, who perhaps became more expandable after Buffalo used its first-round pick on outside rusher Shaq Lawson. Wynn last played in 2014, recording 17 tackles and two sacks for the Bills.

The club also cut cornerback Merrill Noel and offensive lineman Ronald Patrick.

Sunday Roundup: Hunt, Revis, Lions, Chargers

January 31st, 2016 at 12:59pm CST by Rory Parks

Eagles senior director of player personnel Tom Donahoe is expected to meet with Steelers pro personnel coordinator Brandon Hunt again today to discuss Philadelphia’s director of player personnel position, according to Geoff Mosher of 975TheFanatic (via Twitter). Mosher adds that Hunt is not high enough on the scouting chain to hold a vice president position like the one Tom Cable held before he was fired at the end of 2014, and the Eagles are still looking for someone with more experience than the 35-year-old Hunt. Per Mosher, the Eagles would prefer someone like Steelers director of football administration Omar Khan, but Mosher does not expect Pittsburgh to allow Khan to interview (all links to Twitter).

Now let’s take a look at some more links from around the league:

  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com observes that the Jets could buy themselves some much-needed salary cap relief in 2016 if they were to rework Darrelle Revis‘ contract–and Revis would be open to it–but such a move could really handicap the team in the latter years of Revis’ deal. The Jets can create cap room in other ways–they could release Antonio Cromartie and ask D’Brickashaw Ferguson to take a pay cut, for instance–and they should pursue those options before approaching Revis about a restructure.
  • The Patriots have legitimate interest in Kansas State’s Glenn Gronkowski, Rob Gronkowski‘s younger brother, according to Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News (via Twitter). “Little Gronkowski” practiced at tight end, fullback and H-back this week in preparation for yesterday’s Senior Bowl, and he could be a fit as the Patriots’ second tight end.
  • Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com looks at the to-do list for new Lions GM Bob Quinn, which will include important decisions on extensions for certain members of the team’s impressive 2013 draft class. That class included Ziggy Ansah, Darius Slay, Sam Martin, and Theo Riddick.
  • Now that the Chargers know where they will be playing their home games in 2016, the conversations regarding the team can return, at least to some degree, to football, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Gehlken takes a brief look at what the future will hold for the team’s 23 free agents and potential cap casualties.
  • Texans linebacker Jadeveon Clowney will not need foot surgery this offseason, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Clowney finished the 2015 season with 4.5 sacks and 40 tackles with one forced fumble, but he was limited to 13 games and nine starts due to injuries. He missed the team’s playoff contest this year with a sprained foot.