Haloti Ngata - Pro Football Rumors

Lions To Place Tyrunn Walker On IR

October 6th, 2015 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Lions defensive lineman Tyrunn Walker suffered a broken fibula in last night’s game against the Seahawks, and will undergo surgery that will end his season, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). According to Rapoport, the Lions will place Walker on the injured reserve list, but he’s expected to eventually make a full recovery.

Walker, 25, took on a part-time role in New Orleans last season and played well, recording 19 tackles and 2.5 sacks. However, New Orleans elected not to make him a restricted free agent tender offer in the offseason, perhaps due to to cap constraints, and the Lions landed him as an unrestricted free agent.

In the early going this season, Walker had played more defensive snaps than any other player on the Lions’ defensive line, so losing him will big a blow to a club that had already been trying to deal with the offseason departures of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. Making matters worse, Haloti Ngata suffered a calf injury against Seattle and is getting an MRI today, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Caraun Reid, Gabe Wright, and Jermelle Cudjo are currently the only healthy defensive tackles on Detroit’s roster, so the team figures to eye depth at the position this week.

North Notes: Pouncey, Flacco, Guion, Lions

August 24th, 2015 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Injured Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey is undergoing surgery on his fractured ankle today, tweets Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), the exact timetable for Pouncey’s recovery still isn’t known, but the injury is unlikely to be season-ending. Based on what we’ve heard so far regarding the veteran center, he would appear to be a viable candidate for Pittsburgh’s IR-DTR slot this season.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two North divisions:

As Ashley Fox of ESPN details, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has been keeping an eye on the megadeals signed by his fellow signal-callers, recognizing that Baltimore will almost certainly have to rework his contract in 2016, when his cap hit is set to jump to $28.55MM. Both Flacco and the team would like to see the former Super Bowl MVP become a “Raven for life.”
The appeal hearing for Letroy Guion‘s three-game suspension concluded on Monday, but there has been no ruling yet on whether that penalty will be reduced for the Packers defensive lineman, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
Demovsky also provided an update on former Packers receiver Kevin Dorsey, tweeting that the ex-Maryland wideout has retired. Green Bay used a seventh-round pick in the 2013 draft to nab Dorsey, but he only played in three games with the club.
After losing Ndamukong Suh in free agency this offseason, the Lions were happy to acquire Haloti Ngata to fill the newly-created void on their defensive line. However, the club still isn’t sure when Ngata will return from the hamstring injury that has plagued him throughout training camp, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Extra Points: Rivers, Hilton, Ngata, Cherilus

August 17th, 2015 at 9:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Over the weekend, the Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers reached agreement on a lucrative four-year extension worth $84MM. Today, we learned the details of the contract.

Rivers will earn a $22.5MM signing bonus with $15MM fully guaranteed in 2015, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets. He’ll have a $16.5MM injury-only guarantee in 2016 which converts to a full guarantee on the second day of the ’16 waiver period. In 2017, Rivers will earn $14MM with $11MM guaranteed for injury only that will convert to a full guarantee on the second day of the waiver period. In the final two years, he’ll make $10MM and $11MM, respectively, with a $5MM roster bonus in each of those seasons.

That’s big bucks for the Bolts QB, but as we learned earlier tonight, that kind of deal apparently isn’t good enough for Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Here’s more from around the NFL..

T.Y. Hilton‘s deal with the Colts calls for him to earn base salaries of $1MM, $3MM, $8MM, $11MM, $13MM, and $14.54MM, Mike Chappell of the Indy Star tweets. Hilton’s new deal with Indianapolis could pay him $65MM in total with $39MM guaranteed.
Contract talks between the Lions and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata are ongoing and positive, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. Ngata, a five-time All Pro, indicated in March that he would be open to an extension, and Lions GM Martin Mayhew has said that team management is also interested in working out a long-term deal.
Gosder Cherilus‘ deal with the Buccaneers is worth $7MM over two years, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The offensive lineman will earn $2.5MM this year and $4.5MM next year. Cherilus gets a $500K roster bonus in 2016 and his $2M base salary escalates to $3M if he plays 75 percent of the snaps in 2015, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.
Cardinals UDFA rookie linebacker Zack Wagenmann broke his foot again and will miss the entire 2015 season, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Lions Notes: Ihedigbo, Levy, Ngata, DTs

August 4th, 2015 at 7:08pm CST by Luke Adams

After not reporting to the Lions at the start of the team’s offseason workouts, safety James Ihedigbo rejoined his team in the spring, and shut down any talks about his contract situation at training camp this past weekend. However, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes, while Ihedigbo may be focused on football, he’s clearly still a little unhappy about his contract.

“I know how I feel and how I stand, and you see it across the NFL, teams, they take care of their guys and some teams have their other way of doing it,” Ihedigbo said. “I just leave it as it is. We said we’re not going to talk about it.”

Ihedigbo, who recorded 80 tackles and four interceptions in 13 regular season contests for the Lions in 2014, will make a base salary of $1.1MM this season after getting a $500K roster bonus earlier in the year.

Here’s more on the Lions:

General manager Martin Mayhew said today that he has been in contact with a number of GMs around the league recently about possible trades, but there’s nothing currently in the works, tweets Birkett.
Speaking to reporters, including Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Mayhew also confirmed that the team has engaged in negotiations on potential contract extensions for linebacker DeAndre Levy and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.
The Lions are expected to add veteran depth at the defensive tackle position at some point during camp, so Birkett identifies some potential targets in a piece for the Free Press. Tony McDaniel, Barry Cofield, and Mike Patterson are among some free agent options cited by Birkett.

Lions Notes: Collins, Mays, Ngata

June 26th, 2015 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The offensive line was an area of focus during the draft for the Lions, who used their first-round selection on guard Laken Tomlinson. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the team nearly added another talented rookie lineman following the draft, with LSU’s La’el Collins ultimately opting to sign with the Cowboys rather than the Lions. Here’s more on Collins, along with a couple more items out of Detroit:

Lions head coach Jim Caldwell called Collins the day after the draft, and the young lineman gave “a lot” of consideration to joining the team, as he tells Birkett. “I went on a visit to Detroit and I had a great talk with coach Caldwell while I was there, I had a great meeting with them,” Collins said. “We connected in a big way. It was nothing but love and respect for him. I think he’s a great coach; I think they’re going to be a great team.”
The one-year contract that safety Taylor Mays signed with the Lions is a minimum salary benefit deal that features no signing bonus or guaranteed money, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
Jenny Vrentas of TheMMQB.com spoke to defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who will be faced with unenviable task of replacing Ndamukong Suh in Detroit, about his transition to the Lions from the Ravens. Asked if he suspected he might be traded heading into the offseason, Ngata admitted that the possibility wasn’t initially on his radar, but as free agency neared, he thought it might happen and wasn’t surprised when it did.

Lions Yet To Open Extension Talks With Ngata

May 30th, 2015 at 6:42pm CST by Dallas Robinson

With Ndamukong Suh agreeing to a deal with the Dolphins the weekend before free agency officially began, the Lions acted quickly to replace their defensive line stalwart by orchestrating a trade with Ravens during the opening minutes of the new league year, sacrificing two mid-round picks to land nine-year veteran Haloti Ngata. And though the 31-year-old Ngata is entering the final year of his contact, Detroit has yet to engage him in extension negotiations, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com.

“I think there’s other guys that they’re really more worried about,” Ngata said on Wednesday. “But for me, it’s just getting my feet wet here and seeing if they want me here and seeing if it’s a good fit. I think we definitely are probably going to talk sometime, but right now, I know they wanted to, but we haven’t really said anything.”

Ngata, a five-time All Pro, indicated in March that he would be open to an extension, and Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said last month that team management is also interested in working out a long-term deal. Detroit did draft defensive tackle Gabe Wright in the fourth round of this year’s draft, but the club doesn’t have a done of depth along the interior of its defensive line after losing both Suh and Nick Fairley. Ngata, a longtime 3-4 defensive end who will now play DT in the Lions’ 4-3 scheme, could be a nice veteran fit on a young Detroit line.

Ngata will earn $8.5MM in base salary from the Lions in 2015. As a result of trading Ngata, Baltimore assumed the remainder of his prorated bonus money, which will count as $7.5MM in dead money.

AFC Notes: Dolphins, Dalton, Mack, Spikes

May 30th, 2015 at 2:02pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

If the Eagles trade two-time Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis prior to the season, it likely won’t be to the Dolphins – who have been a rumored candidate to land the 34-year-old – according to Drew Rosenhaus, Mathis’ agent. “We thought we had a trade with another team leading up to the draft. It was not the Dolphins,” Rosenhaus told the Joe Rose Show, according to Marc Sessler of NFL.com. “We’ve never really gotten close on a trade with the Dolphins.”

Here’s more on some other AFC clubs:

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has become a much-maligned figure during his four years in Cincinnati, but Coley Harvey of ESPN.com doesn’t expect him to be in another uniform in the near future. Harvey notes that releasing Dalton doesn’t become particularly favorable for the Bengals until after 2018, when the six-year, $115MM extension he signed last year won’t have any dead money left on it. Even if Dalton struggles before then, the likelihood of the team cutting the cord is low because finding a replacement would be difficult and entering a rebuild isn’t on the horizon for Cincy.
Browns center Alex Mack‘s contract has him in a unique situation, writes Tom Reed of Cleveland.com. The 29-year-old has both an opt-out clause in his contract, which he can take advantage of next offseason, and one that prevents the Browns from placing either the franchise or transition tag on him. Mack is mum about his future for the time being, saying that he’ll “talk about that at the end of the season,” but it might be difficult for the Browns to retain him if they don’t turn it around on the field. Since drafting Mack in 2009, the team hasn’t sniffed the playoffs. “I think I definitely want to win games,” Mack said. “It’s very important to me.”
Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes left the team in acrimonious fashion last offseason and then signed a one-year contract with AFC East rival Buffalo. Back in New England after inking another one-year deal earlier this month, Spikes says he and head coach Bill Belichick are ready to put past drama behind them. “I think we’re both happy that I’m here and we were able to put things aside and let bygones be bygones,” Spikes said, according to Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. “We’re all moving forward. The 2015 season is right around the corner and we’re just trying, each and every day, to get better. I’m happy to be home.”
The Ravens parted with longtime defensive staple Haloti Ngata earlier this offseason, trading him to Detroit, and it’s going to take a team effort (led by Timmy Jernigan and Brandon Williams) to replace the five-time Pro Bowl nose tackle, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. For his part, Williams is confident the Ravens won’t be adversely affected by the loss of Ngata. “It tells me I just have to step up,” said Williams. “We have to do more. I accept the challenge, willingly, to get out there and do everything I have to do to be my best player, be my best self. And that goes for everybody else on the defensive line. We don’t need anybody to be Haloti. We just need everybody to be their best selves, and we’ll be fine.”

NFC Links: Ngata, Nelson, Guion, Panthers

May 29th, 2015 at 10:01am CST by Ben Levine

Following nine years in Baltimore, Haloti Ngata is now adjusting to a 3-4 scheme in Detroit. The veteran understands the learning curve, but the former Ravens standout is excited to start his career with the Lions nonetheless.

“It’s definitely difficult,” Ngata told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “You’re going to, when you get fatigued, you get back to your old technique, your old ways of doing things. I saw it on film (Tuesday) — I just kind of seen some of my technique going back to what I used to do in Baltimore. So just knowing that once I’m fatigued, I’ve got to still focus, understand what my technique is, what they want me to do on the defense and try to attack all the time.”

Let’s take a look at more notes out of the NFC…

Packers wideout Jordy Nelson has been tight-lipped in regards to his apparent offseason hip surgery. As ESPNWisconsin’s Jason Wilde notes, the Pro Bowler isn’t focused on the injury, and he’s instead looking forward to a productive season. “Obviously, if it didn’t bother me, I probably wouldn’t have had the surgery. But nothing major,” Nelson said. “I had an opportunity to get some things cleaned up. We did it, and I think it was a good move and feel good about where we’re at moving forward.”
Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion still hasn’t heard from the NFL regarding punishment for his offseason arrest, reports ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. The writer notes that Green Bay is “bracing for the possibility” that the former fifth-rounder will be out for some time.
ESPN.com’s David Newton believes the Panthers want one player to step up and replace Greg Hardy‘s production, as opposed to the platoon used most of last season. Ron Rivera seems to have his eyes on one candidate: Frank Alexander. “Frank’s doing a nice job,” Rivera said. “He’s showing that he’s hungry. He’s got a lot to prove personally. He feels that way and [is] working that way. This is his make-or-break season.”
Michael Oher joined the Panthers on a two-year deal, and the former first-rounder is thrilled with his decision. “It seemed like they wanted me,” Oher told Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer. “I got the (same) feeling going into my rookie year of not wanting to let guys down and guys with a winning culture. For me, it’s about getting back to the basics and fundamentals of doing everything right. Looking myself in the mirror knowing what I have to do and getting better from within.”

John Harbaugh On D-Line, Player Development, Rule Changes

May 23rd, 2015 at 9:33am CST by Ben Levine

Ravens coach John Harbaugh gave the keynote speech at Stevenson University in Maryland on Thursday. While the former Super Bowl winner barely mentioned the Ravens during his address, he discussed his team with reporters following the ceremony. Harbaugh mostly focused on the defensive line, including the players returning from injury, the team’s loss of veteran leadership, and the team’s apparent depth among defensive ends and tackles. Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun collected these soundbites, and we have some of the more notable quotes below:

On the recovery of Brent Urban and Kapron Lewis-Moore, who both suffered season-ending injuries during last year’s training camp:

“It’s really important that Brent Urban and Kapron Lewis-Moore come on. Brent looks like he’s 100 percent, Kap looks like he’s really close to 100 percent.”

On the changes to the defensive line, including the loss of veteran leadership in Haloti Ngata:

“The young D-linemen are obviously going to be huge for us. We’ve gotten younger there really quickly, capped off by the move of Haloti. We still have Chris Canty, so that’s a plus for us. He’ll be the sage veteran in the locker room.”

On the development of talented defensive tackle Brandon Williams:

“I talked to Brandon Williams about stacking another year. You come back better than before. He took last year and got everyone’s attention. Now everybody is going to be watching.

“You’re not going to surprise anybody. The expectations are up. What an opportunity to build on that and really make a name for himself. He seems motivated to do that as well.”

On the team’s depth on the defensive line:

“DeAngelo Tyson is still a big part of us, Lawrence Guy is a big part of us, Christo Bilukidi is another veteran player. There’s going to be some major competition on the D-line.”

On the NFL’s new extra-point rule:

“The effort to move the line of scrimmage back on the point after touchdown, to me, is a good thing. I think it’s a positive thing. We’re for it. We were fine with it the other way. I know Justin Tucker was kind of like saying stuff about it. But I think he realizes that it’s going to give the better kickers an opportunity to shine a little bit. So, move it back and make it a little bit tougher. Make it more of a challenge, make that point mean more.

“It is going to encourage more two-point conversion tries. There’s no question about it, especially in windy stadiums. Maybe later in the year when it means the most will probably see the most attempts. I know one thing, we’re going to spend more time defending two-point conversions and practicing two-point conversions because it’s going to be a bigger part of the game.”

Lions To Exercise Reiff’s 2016 Option

April 24th, 2015 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

Exactly a month after general manager Martin Mayhew suggested the Lions had yet to make a decision on the fifth-year option for offensive tackle Riley Reiff, the GM said today that the team will pick up that 2016 option, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter).

As I noted in March when Mayhew initially expressed some uncertainty about Reiff’s option, it would’ve been a huge surprise if the club had declined the option, considering how well the young lineman has played at left tackle over the last couple seasons. In 2014, Reiff’s Pro Football Focus grade (subscription required) placed him in a tie for 23rd out of 84 qualified offensive tackles.

By exercising Reiff’s fifth-year option, the Lions will extend the 26-year-old’s rookie contract by one year, keeping him locked up through the 2016 season. If the two sides don’t work out a longer-term agreement that adjusts his ’16 cap number, Reiff will be in line for a salary of $8.07MM for that season.

In addition to confirming that his team would pick up Reiff’s option, Mayhew made a number of other notable comments during his conversation with the media this morning. Here are the highlights, via Birkett, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com, and Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com:

Mayhew indicated that he has “empathy” for safety James Ihedigbo, who wants a new deal and didn’t report for the Lions’ voluntary offseason program. The GM is looking forward to discussing Ihedigbo’s contract situation “whenever I see him,” which suggests the team may want the safety to report before any negotiations take place (Twitter link).
The Lions spoke to Rob Sims‘ agent three weeks ago and made a contract offer, but haven’t heard back from the offensive lineman’s camp since then (Twitter link).
According to Mayhew, Detroit has yet to discuss a potential contract extension with Haloti Ngata, but there’s interest on both sides in getting something done eventually (Twitter link). While the GM expressed optimism about getting a veteran defensive tackle locked up, he also praised the depth at the position in this year’s draft, noting that the class is “especially” deep on the defensive line (Twitter link).
Although the Lions have had some dialogue about a new contract for linebacker DeAndre Levy, nothing is imminent on that front (Twitter link).
The Lions cut offensive lineman Rodney Austin after domestic violence allegations, but Mayhew said the team hasn’t closed the door on bringing him back if and when his legal issues are resolved (Twitter link).