HEADLINES

Jason Myers

Extra Points: Washington, Cutler, Cowboys, Fins, Bolts, Jags

December 12th, 2015 at 9:14pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Washington will head to Chicago on Sunday to face the Jay Cutler-led Bears as it looks to stay atop the NFC East heap. Besides the matchup’s playoff implications, adding further intrigue is that Cutler – whom the Bears acquired in a trade with Denver in 2009 – was minutes from being Washington’s quarterback, as ESPN’s John Keim writes.

“You know how much time I put into that? A lot. Months. Dan [Snyder] put in a lot, too,” said Vinny Cerrato, who was Washington’s executive vice president at the time. “It was disappointing because at times we thought we had a deal then they called and said, no. Then they called back and said, ‘Hold on. If the deal falls through, we’ll trade him to you.’ Then it was like, ‘No, it didn’t work.'”

Cutler hasn’t exactly been a franchise quarterback for the Bears, but he has fared better than the slew of passers Washington has used since failing to acquire him. Washington has started Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman, John Beck, Robert Griffin III, Colt McCoy and current No. 1 Kirk Cousins throughout Cutler’s time in Chicago, Keim notes. Among that group, the club invested a fair amount in an ineffective McNabb and a boatload in RGIII, who hasn’t taken a snap this year and is all but guaranteed to be with another franchise next season.

Landing Cutler would’ve cost Washington plenty – a first-round pick, a fourth-rounder and QB Jason Campbell – but Cerrato believes Mike Shanahan’s presence would’ve helped make it worthwhile. Shanahan coached Cutler with the Broncos from 2006-08 and went on to hold the same position in Washington from 2010-13. Cutler threw 54 touchdowns against 37 interceptions in 37 games under Shanahan and amassed a career-best 4,526 passing yards in 2008.

“Mike knew him and what made him tick,” Cerrato said. “It would have given the organization a shot in the arm. Some like him and some don’t, but he’d have played his best football because of the way he is with Mike … It was like a punch in the gut.”

We’ll never know how another helping of Cutler-Shanahan would’ve gone, but one thing’s obvious: Had it happened, it would’ve changed both franchises dramatically – not necessarily for the better in either case, of course.

More from around the NFL as we draw closer to Washington-Chicago and the rest of Sunday’s Week 14 action:

  • Cowboys owner Jerry Jones criticized the team’s coaching staff earlier this week. On Friday, he laid some of the blame for Dallas’ 4-8 record on himself – specifically for his handling of the backup quarterback position last offseason. “On the other hand, if you want to look at any aspect of this team you can say well, if we would have been in better shape had you had Matt Cassel in the spring, rather than (Brandon) Weeden, and I’m not trying to knock Weeden, but if we would have had a guy like Cassel in here than we might have made a difference there, so put that one ultimately on my shoulders for sure,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan, per Josh Clark of CBS DFW.
  • Dolphins rookie receiver DeVante Parker – whom the team chose 14th overall in this year’s draft – started quietly but has come on strong over the last two weeks, combining for seven catches, 143 yards and two touchdowns. With Parker seemingly emerging as a playmaker and Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills also part of the Dolphins’ long-term receiving corps, the end of Rishard Matthews‘ tenure in Miami could come this offseason, according to the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero. Matthews, a fourth-year man who’s in the top two among Dolphins in receptions (43), targets (60), yards (662), yards per catch (15.4) and touchdowns (four) this year, is scheduled to hit free agency in a few months.
  • Chargers running back Melvin Gordon was impressive on 12 carries against Denver last Sunday, rushing for 55 yards, but head coach Mike McCoy benched the first-round rookie because of fumbling issues. Gordon coughed the ball up twice in a 17-3 loss, giving him five fumbles on the season. McCoy’s decision to sit Gordon was wrong, Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune offers. In Canepa’s opinion, with the season effectively over for the 3-9 Bolts, McCoy and his staff should be coaching Gordon through his struggles and letting him play – not relegating him to the sideline.
  • The final quarter of the season will provide some important answers for the Jaguars, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Among them: the future statuses of receiver Marqise Lee, center Stefen Wisniewski, defenders Ryan Davis and Chris Smith, and kicker Jason Myers.

Workout Notes: Giants, Dolphins, Chiefs

October 27th, 2015 at 2:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Giants are working out a handful of kickers today, including Kyle Brindza, Zach Hocker, Corey Acosta, and Tom Obarski, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Josh Brown has been a little inconsistent on kickoffs, putting one out of bounds on Sunday, but it’s hard to imagine the team making a change, considering he’s perfect on field goals and has missed just one extra point. As Jordan Raanan of NJ.com tweets, the Giants are likely just kicking the tires on free agents.

Let’s round up a few more workout updates from around the NFL…

  • Defensive linemen Jerel Worthy, Derrick Lott, Glenn Foster, and Davon Coleman worked out for the Dolphins today, says Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). Worthy and Foster are the most notable names of the group, having each logged a full season’s worth of regular season contests with the Packers and Saints, respectively.
  • Lott was also among the players who tried out recently for the Chiefs, per Wilson (Twitter links). Running back Gus Johnson, defensive end Lawrence Okoye, and linebacker Alex Singleton also got a look from Kansas City.
  • According to Wilson (via Twitter), before signing wideout Corey Washington to the practice squad, Washington also worked out receiver Marcus Lucas and tight end Connor Hamlett.
  • Offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk, who spent time in the summer on the Niners’ roster, auditioned for the Buccaneers today, tweets Wilson.
  • Former USC outside linebacker J.R. Tavai had a tryout with the Packers today, according to Wilson (via Twitter). Tavai signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent in May, but was cut by the team prior to the regular season.
  • The Cardinals auditioned cornerback Keith Lewis, who was cut by the Jets back in August, tweets Wilson.
  • On the heels of Jason Myers missing his third PAT of the season, Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley noted that Myers’ kickoffs were also a little short, and mentioned the possibility of bringing in kickers for workouts, per Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com. According to Bradley, GM Dave Caldwell will make that call.

Jaguars Place Brandon Linder On IR

October 5th, 2015 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

4:01pm: The Jaguars officially confirmed (via Twitter) that Linder has been placed on injured reserve. The team has signed linebacker James-Michael Johnson to fill the open spot on the roster.

1:06pm: The Jaguars’ offensive line has taken a major hit, as starting right guard Brandon Linder is expected to be undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum, writes John Oehser of Jaguars.com. Linder figures to land on injured reserve, prematurely ending his 2015 season.

Linder, selected in the third round of the 2014 draft by the Jaguars, started 15 games for the club last year, and was locked into the right guard position once again this season, before tearing his labrum. In his absence, rookie guard A.J. Cann, a third-round pick earlier this year, figures to take over at right guard.

According to Oehser, Linder will become the first starting player to land on season-ending injured reserve for the Jaguars this season, though the club has seen several key contributors battling injuries during the season’s first month. Once the move becomes official, it’ll open up a spot on the 53-man roster.

Meanwhile, Jags head coach Gus Bradley said today that the club will be sticking with rookie kicker Jason Myers, despite his struggles on Sunday, tweets Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. Myers missed potential game-winning kicks from 53 and 48 yards out, his second and third field goal misses of the season. The youngster also failed to convert an extra point in Week 1, but Jacksonville doesn’t appear interested in replacing him.

Steelers Acquire Josh Scobee From Jaguars

August 31st, 2015 at 3:02pm CST by Zachary Links

3:02pm: The Steelers have sent a 2016 sixth-round pick to Jacksonville for Scobee, tweets O’Halloran.

2:28pm: Scobee will receive his full $3.425MM salary for 2015, but it sounds like the Jaguars will be paying a portion of that amount, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). According to La Canfora, Pittsburgh had interest in adding a year to Scobee’s deal, but that didn’t come to fruition, so he’ll still be eligible for free agency in 2016.

1:39pm: According to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter), Scobee has agreed to restructure his contract as part of the trade. As noted below, he only had one year remaining on his deal, so it appears he either agreed to a pay cut or received an extension. We’ll have to wait for further details, but if Scobee did get an extension, it would complicated Suisham’s return next year.

9:40am: The Jaguars are getting a late-round pick from the Steelers in the deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

9:32am: The Steelers have acquired kicker Josh Scobee from the Jaguars, as Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union writes. The kicker also confirmed the trade to Jeff Prosser of 1010XL. The Jaguars’ return in the deal is not yet known.

Scobee, 33, was the longest-tenured player on the Jaguars. Now that the former 2004 fourth-round pick is headed to Pittsburgh, that title belongs to tight end Marcedes Lewis, who is in his tenth season with the team. The deal also means that rookie Jason Myers has ostensibly won the kicking competition in Jacksonville. Scobee currently stands as franchise leader in field goals (235) and points scored (1,022).

Meanwhile, the Steelers have now added a kicker in the wake of Shaun Suisham‘s season-ending ACL tear. The Steelers brought in Garrett Hartley to fill his spot, but Hartley suffered a hamstring injury over the weekend. In the preseason with Jacksonville, Scobee was 2-for-2 on field goals with makes from 36 and 52 yards. Last season, Scobee only converted on 20 of 26 field goals in total for an overall mark of 76.9%. To his credit, two of those misses came from 40-49 yards out and three of them were from 50+ range.

Scobee is entering the final year of his contract and is scheduled to hit the open market after the 2015 season.

AFC South Notes: Jones, Ballard, Jaguars

August 31st, 2015 at 8:32am CST by Rob DiRe

X-rays on Arthur Jones ankle were negative, but the Colts defensive lineman also had an MRI scheduled for Sunday, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Josina Anderson of ESPN reported that Jones went to a foot and ankle specialist after his MRI (via Twitter). He is expected to miss a “decent chunk of time” according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter).

Here are some other notes from around the AFC South:

  • Regardless of whether Jones sustained a serious ankle injury or not on Saturday night, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report believes the Colts should bring in free agent DT Barry Cofield (Twitter link).
  • After consecutive years of tearing his ACL, Vick Ballard’s tenure with the Colts is on the chopping block following a hamstring injury has prevented him from making an impression on the coaching staff and front office this summer, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.
  • The Jaguars have two kickers on the roster in Josh Scobee and Jason Meyers, and Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com is guessing that the team is hoping to trade one of them this week before cutting its roster down to 75 players by Tuesday.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Tuesday

March 3rd, 2015 at 7:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves..

  • The Toronto Argonauts of the CFL announced that they have signed running back Bernard Scott. Scott spent the bulk of his NFL career with the Bengals but also spent a couple of games with the Ravens in 2013. Over parts of five years in the league, Scott ran the ball 259 times for 1,049 yards and four touchdowns.
  • The Falcons announced that they have signed linebacker Nate Stupar to a contract extension. The specials teams ace, originally selected by the Raiders in the seventh round of the 2012 draft, was claimed off waivers by the Falcons in August of lsat year. In 2014, he appeared in 15 games and finished the season ranked second on the team with nine (seven solo) special teams tackles. Stupar had been eligible for exclusive rights free agency, and will receive a minimum salary for 2015.
  • The Jaguars signed first-year kicker Jason Myers from Marist College, as John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets. Myers connected on 24 of 38 field goal attempts in his collegiate career and also saw some time as a punter. In 2014, Myers spent some time in the Arena Football League.
  • The Colts signed free agent defensive end Earl Okine, according to team Assistant Director of Communications Matt Conti (via Twitter). Okine, a University of Florida product, signed with the Texans 2013 and has also had stints in the CFL, AFL, and FXFL.