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East Notes: Hardy, Manning, Bills, Dolphins

June 15th, 2015 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s been a busy day of news around the NFL, as most teams around the league prepare to begin their mandatory June minicamps. However, we don’t want to let any odds and ends slip through the cracks, so let’s turn our attention to the two East divisions and round up the latest items….

As of this morning, arbitrator Harold Henderson had yet to officially make a decision on Greg Hardy‘s appeal of his 10-game suspension, tweets Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The hearing for the Cowboys defensive end took place way back on May 28, so an announcement should come any day now.
Eli Manning has yet to sign a contract extension with the Giants, but Dan Graziano of ESPN.com believes that a significant injury is the only thing that would creating a parting of ways between the two-time Super Bowl MVP and the team after the 2015 season.
With the Bills having been mentioned as a potential suitor for free agent guard Evan Mathis, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com takes a look at how much cap room the team could clear by parting ways with guard Chris Williams.
Stepping in this week for Peter King, Jenny Vrentas of TheMMQB.com examines Mike Tannenbaum‘s first offseason with the Dolphins, writing that the team’s new executive VP of football operations hasn’t been afraid to keep his foot down on the gas pedal.

East Notes: Mathis, Hardy, Eagles, Pats

June 9th, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Eagles coach Chip Kelly says that he has yet to speak with offensive guard Evan Mathis, who has not reported for OTAs, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

“We’ll take it as it comes,” Kelly said.

Mandatory minicamp starts on June 16th, but he could wind up in camp with another club as the Eagles have given him permission to look for a viable trade. The Eagles have said that they’re not shopping the 33-year-old, but Kelly has admitted that he is willing to listen on anyone. Earlier today, we learned that Mathis contends that the Eagles offered to boost his salary by $1MM per season but later pulled that proposal off the table. Here’s more from the East divisions..

A ruling on Greg Hardy‘s appeal is expected to come this week, and Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News suspects the 10-game suspension for the Cowboys defensive end may not be reduced.
Kelly says that so far, Eagles offseason acquisition Sam Bradford has done a “great job” so far in his recovery from a torn ACL in his left knee, Berman writes. Kelly also reiterated that Bradford is still on track to return in a reasonable timeframe. There is no date for that return just yet, however.
Following the release of UDFA cornerback Eric Patterson, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reset the Patriots‘ depth chart at cornerback. Logan Ryan, Bradley Fletcher, and Malcolm Butler are the top three cornerbacks on the chart, but Reiss notes that safety Devin McCourty came into the NFL as a corner and could concievably move back depending on how things unfold.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: A. Smith, Hardy, R. Mathis

June 1st, 2015 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

As we turn the calendar to June, let’s check out a few Monday morning items from across the NFC, starting with a contract update out of San Francisco….

After restructuring his contract earlier this offseason, 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith is in line for a $200K roster bonus today, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com.
Greg Hardy had a run-in with fellow defensive lineman Davon Coleman during a Cowboys’ practice in April, but the reviews on the former Panther have all been positive since then, writes Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. With players, coaches, and executives alike all praising Hardy, it doesn’t appear the Cowboys will have the same sort of buyers’ remorse the Bears did with Ray McDonald.
Lions cornerback Rashean Mathis has been telling people that his current two-year contract will likely be his last NFL deal, but that isn’t a sure thing — coaches have told him he could extend his career at safety, notes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links).
With June 1 having arrived, Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com takes a look at whether the time has come for the Cowboys to address Brandon Carr‘s contract.
In his latest Monday Morning Quarterback column, Peter King of TheMMQB.com addresses the Adrian Peterson/Vikings standoff, the challenge that new Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is facing, and several other topics from around the league.
Panthers wideout and return man Philly Brown will go by his given name, Corey Brown, during his second year in Carolina, as Pat James of the Charlotte Observer writes.

NFC East Notes: Kelly, Hardy, Barkley

May 28th, 2015 at 7:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this offseason, former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy accused Chip Kelly of racial bias, stating that he got rid of “the good black players.” Safety Malcolm Jenkins, still with the team, doesn’t see it that way, as John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com writes.

“Chip has been very, very transparent on what he’s evaluating us on,” Jenkins said. “That’s not only what we do on the field, but what we do in our assessments and how disciplined we are with our nutrition and all the sports science stuff. I haven’t seen him make a move outside of those parameters. I don’t think anybody in the locker room now thinks we have an issue with race. I don’t see that being a problem in the future. I don’t think there’s any need for Chip to address it.”

Here’s more from the NFC East..

Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant has not signed his franchise-tag tender but he did take part in a portion of Thursday’s OTAs, Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. Unless Bryant signs the tender, he is not obligated to show up for the minicamp, but it sounds like he wanted to get on the same page with his teammates. When and if Bryant signs his tender, he’ll be guaranteed a $12.823MM salary. The deadline to hammer out a long-term pact is July 15th.
Greg Hardy‘s arbitration appeal of his 10-game suspension before arbitrator Harold Henderson has wrapped, according to Andrew Brandt (via Twitter). No date has been given for a decision on the Cowboys defensive end just yet.
Matt Barkley‘s name was thrown about in trade rumors a bit this offseason, but if you ask the quarterback, there was nothing to them, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. “I had intel on what was going on, and there was nothing going to happen,” said Barkley, who shares an agent with coach Chip Kelly.
Kelly told reporters that Walter Thurmond was the first Eagles cornerback to get a crack at the safety position since he has experience as a nickel back and always seems to be around the ball, according to the Eagles’ Twitter account.
The Eagles have moved quarterback G.J. Kinne over to wide receiver, according to the team’s official Twitter page.

East Notes: Hardy, Scandrick, Fletcher, Jets

May 28th, 2015 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

While we won’t find out immediately whether or not arbitrator Harold Henderson will decide to uphold Greg Hardy‘s 10-game suspension, Hardy’s camp and the NFLPA were scheduled to make their case on behalf of the Cowboys defensive end this morning. Here’s the latest on that appeal, along with a few other items from out of the NFL’s two East divisions:

Examining Hardy’s appeal, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk lays out the specific arguments he expects Jeffrey Kessler and the union to make in Hardy’s defense. Meanwhile, former NFL executive Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com writes that he expects the suspension for the Cowboys defensive end to ultimately be reduced to six games.
Orlando Scandrick‘s new deal with the Cowboys ensures that he’ll earn $4MM this year rather than $1.5MM, but it only increases his 2015 cap number by $100K, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports.com.
Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link) has the details on Dane Fletcher‘s new one-year deal with the Patriots, reporting that the linebacker gets a $20K signing bonus and a $60K roster bonus on his minimum salary benefit contract.
Veteran guard Willie Colon told Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com on Wednesday that he feels a greater sense of urgency in the Jets‘ locker room under Todd Bowles than he did last year under Rex Ryan. “You kind of feel like if you don’t fit the mold of what Bowles wants, it’ll be hard for you to survive,” Colon said.

NFC Notes: RGIII, Wilson, Hardy

May 26th, 2015 at 7:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Washington head coach Jay Gruden says he expects quarterback Robert Griffin III to make “significant strides” in 2015, as Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com writes. Gruden named Griffin the No. 1 quarterback entering the offseason back in February and earlier this month, he had his fifth-year option exercised for 2016. Tonight’s glance at the NFC..

When asked how likely it is to get a deal done with Russell Wilson before camp, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said: “I don’t know that. Not talking about that right now,” Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets. However, the coach did say that the two sides have been “very close” in how they have communicated (link).
The NFLPA hired an outside firm to help represent Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy in his appeal on Wednesday, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets.
David Moore of The Dallas Morning News doesn’t see Adrian Peterson winding up with the Cowboys. Moore always felt that Peterson coming to Dallas was possible, but that was tied into the draft. Now that the draft is in the rear view mirror, he doesn’t see it happening.

East Notes: Hardy, Brady, Mathis

May 26th, 2015 at 5:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The appeal hearing for Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy will be conducted on Thursday morning with Harold Henderson in Washington D.C., according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Hardy was hit with a 10-game suspension earlier this offseason for his role in a domestic violence incident that took place roughly one year ago. Hardy made the Pro Bowl in 2013 after he compiled a career-high 15 sacks, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him as the second-best overall defensive end in the league. Here’s a look at the AFC and NFC East..

The only thing delaying the date for Tom Brady‘s appeal is finding a date that works for both the Patriots quarterback and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Werder tweets.
Evan Mathis was a no-show for start of Eagles OTAs, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The workouts, much like the previous programs that Mathis missed, are all voluntary. Mandatory minicamp starts on June 16th.
The Jets promoted Matt Bazirgan to become the new pro personnel director, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Bazirgan, who has been with Jets since 2004, was an area scout for eight years before being promoted to assistant pro personnel director in 2013. Bazirgan replaces Brendan Prophett, who spent nine seasons as the head of the Jets’ pro personnel department.

NFLPA Files Motion Against Goodell In Peterson Case

May 19th, 2015 at 3:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFLPA is gearing up to fight two massive battles against the league. The union announced on Tuesday that it has filed a motion in Federal Court in the Adrian Peterson matter to hold the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell in contempt of court. The strongly worded statement from NFLPA president Eric Winston is below, in its entirety:

“Today, the players filed a motion in Federal Court in the Adrian Peterson matter because the Commissioner and NFL have deliberately ignored both the Court’s decision from eleven weeks ago and our repeated requests to comply with that order.

On February 26th, the NFL was ordered to change their decision in the Peterson matter and reissue a ruling consistent with our collective bargaining agreement. The Union made multiple requests to the League office asking the arbitrator, who serves at the direction of the Commissioner, to comply with the law and avoid further litigation. Despite our attempts, they have done nothing and leave us no choice but to seek this motion.

The delay tactics, inconsistencies and arbitrary decision making of the League has continued to hurt the rights of players, the credibility of the League office and the integrity of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. In the absence of any action by the NFL’s governing board of owners, the players have acted to hold the NFL accountable to our players, the CBA and to the law.”

According to the NFLPA’s court filing, attorney Jeffrey Kessler contacted Harold Henderson and NFL counsel and warned them of a possible contempt motion, Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports tweets. League counsel Dan Nash, according to the NFLPA, insisted that Henderson delay any ruling until the 8th Circuit court rules on the appeal, which will take months (link).

The union also goes after the NFL for acting in defiance of court orders by retroactively applying the new personal conduct policy to Greg Hardy (link). If the NFLPA can win this battle regarding Peterson, it could go a long way towards potentially reducing Hardy’s suspension.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Moss, Hardy

May 16th, 2015 at 11:15am CST by Zachary Links

Malcolm Bunche started the first nine games of UCLA’s 2014 season before being benched, and missed the Alamo Bowl for academic reasons. Now, as a UDFA with the Eagles, the offensive lineman says that he’s ready to start a new chapter of his career, Tucker Bagley of Philadelphia Magazine writes. “It was disappointing, obviously, but like I said, things happen,” Bunche said when explaining his problems at UCLA. “You can’t just pout, you can’t get under the bus, you can’t blame anybody but yourself and that’s what I did. I did some things, I messed up and I dealt with it, but I have an opportunity here and I’m going to run with it.” More from the NFC East..

Santana Moss has played 14 NFL seasons and he wants to go for 15, the wide receiver tells 247Sports.com. “I’m a free agent right now, you know how they do us old guys,” Moss said. “I’m going on my 15th year. Right now my agent is talking with some teams to see what’s going to be my best scenario. Right now I’m just chilling, just enjoying life, and enjoying this off time.” Things have been quiet for Moss, who is coming off a season in which he caught just 10 passes for 116 yards in ten games for Washington.
Lawyers for Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy asked NFL appeals officer Harold Henderson to recuse himself from the May 28th hearing on Hardy and he declined, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter).
If the Cowboys trade for a running back, they should focus on a certain set of players, Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News opines. Machota suggest that Dallas should focus on guys that are going to be free agents next season such as Matt Forte, Lamar Miller, and Doug Martin.

NFC Notes: Hardy, Kalil, Bucs

May 7th, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The arbitrator assigned to Greg Hardy‘ suspension appeal backed the NFL in the Adrian Peterson case, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports writes. That could be bad news for the Cowboys star as he looks to cut down his 10-game suspension. Hardy’s deal, signed in March, gives him a base value of $11.3MM for 2015, though much of it is tied into per-game roster bonuses. More out of the NFC..

Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees this offseason, two people with knowledge of the procedures told Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports. Kalil had his 2016 option exercised on Monday despite a frustrating 2014 campaign.
The Vikings “tried hard” to land LSU offensive tackle La’el Collins, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets, but he rightly notes that most of the NFL did as well. Earlier today, Collins signed with the Cowboys. Collins wasn’t expected to make a decision on his NFL future for some time, but owner Jerry Jones clearly won him over.
Buccaneers center Evan Dietrich-Smith has legally changed his name to Evan Smith, which is what he went by until he went to college, Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets.
The Buccaneers have fired pro scouting director Scott Cohen, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter).