HEADLINES

Jeff Heuerman

Broncos Sign Heuerman, Lock Up Draft Class

June 4th, 2015 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Broncos have signed third-round tight end Jeff Heuerman, locking up their entire 2015 draft class, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The team signed top pick Shane Ray earlier this week, after securing second-rounder Ty Sambrailo and its other six draftees in May.

Heuerman, the 92nd overall pick in this year’s draft, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during rookie camp last month and is expected to miss the entire 2015 season. The former Ohio State Buckeye won’t go on the injured reserve list quite yet, since he’d have to pass through waivers to be placed on IR at this point, but he’ll likely land there eventually.

“I feel terrible for Jeff and this is a very unfortunate situation,” said Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, after Heuerman’s ACL injury. “Jeff was going to be a big part of our team this year, and he’s still going to be a big part of our team and organization in the future.”

Heuerman, who is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2016 season, will get a signing bonus worth just under $621K on his rookie contract, which will be worth about $2.9MM over four years. While he recovers from his ACL tear, the Broncos will have to make do with a stable of tight ends led by offseason signee Owen Daniels.

Extra Points: Wells, Broncos, Raiders

June 1st, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Rams center Scott Wells is paying a visit to the Titans today, a league source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The 34-year-old, who earned a Pro Bowl berth during his final season with the Packers in 2011, played his college ball at Tennessee, so it would be a homecoming of sorts if he were to sign with the Titans.

  • Tight end Jeff Heuerman is the Broncos‘ only remaining unsigned draft pick but his deal is likely to get done later this week, Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets. Earlier today, first round choice Shane Ray put pen to paper with Denver.
  • After signing blocking tight end Lee Smith away from Buffalo and using a third-round pick on Miami’s Clive Walford, the Raiders are hoping to get significant production out of their TEs this season, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com writes. He notes that tight end versatility is essential in Bill Musgrave’s offense, particularly when they go up-tempo.
  • North Carolina Central wide receiver/kick returner Adrian Wilkins will enter the Supplemental Draft, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. As a sophomore, Wilkins returned five kicks for touchdowns, three kickoffs and two punts and was given All-American honors for his play.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

AFC Notes: Allen, Gipson, Raiders, Heuerman

May 15th, 2015 at 12:25pm CST by Zachary Links

After tight end Dwayne Allen didn’t initally report to the Colts‘ voluntary offseason program, a text message from head coach Chuck Pagano was enough to get him to show up, as Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star outlines. Allen is heading into a contract year and figures to seek a new deal with the team.

Here’s more from across the AFC:

  • Browns cornerback Joe Haden acknowledged that fellow defensive back Tashaun Gipson is upset about the contract tender he received from the team, but said Gipson will be in attendance for Cleveland’s mandatory minicamp and training camp (Twitter link via Pat McManamon of ESPN.com).
  • The Raiders seem unsatisfied with their safety depth, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com writes. Oakland gave an offer sheet to restricted free agent Sean Richardson earlier in the offseason, but the Packers matched to retain him. Then, this week, Oakland put a waiver claim in on D.J. Swearinger but they were behind the Bucs (and the Jags, who also placed a claim) in the pecking order. The Raiders do have some quality depth at the position, but their actions have made it clear that they want more.
  • Broncos rookie tight end Jeff Heuerman hasn’t signed yet but he eventually will, despite his knee injury, per Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). Recently, the Jaguars completed their deal with Dante Fowler Jr. after the No. 3 overall pick suffered his own season-ending injury.
  • Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com is excited to see what diamonds in the rough might emerge at the Chargers‘ rookie minicamp after last year produced Branden Oliver, Tenny Palepoi, and Chris Davis.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Broncos’ Jeff Heuerman Tears ACL

May 9th, 2015 at 7:41pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Broncos third-round pick Jeff Heuerman suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during rookie camp Saturday and will likely miss the 2015 season, according to Andrew Mason of the team’s website. The injury happened during a non-contact special teams drill, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post.

Heuerman, whom the Broncos chose 92nd overall out of Ohio State, joins the Jaguars’ Dante Fowler Jr. as the second draft pick to suffer a season-ending knee injury this week.

“I feel terrible for Jeff and this is a very unfortunate situation,” said Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, per Mason. “Jeff was going to be a big part of our team this year, and he’s still going to be a big part of our team and organization in the future.”

Heuerman is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2016 season. For now, the Broncos will have to make do with a stable of tight ends led by offseason signing Owen Daniels.

AFC Notes: Chargers, Bills, Dolphins, Jets

April 14th, 2015 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chargers appear to be contemplating the post-Philip Rivers era in San Diego, as they take a closer look at Oregon signal-caller Marcus Mariota today. After working out Mariota, the team’s brass will head to Los Angeles to put UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley through a workout of his own, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

GM Tom Telesco and head coach Mike McCoy have repeatedly stated they want Rivers to retire as a Charger, so there may be no need to identify his successor quite yet. But Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune believes this offseason is the prime time for San Diego to trade Rivers in a deal to snag Mariota, arguing that all the factors in play point to it being a win-win move for the franchise and for the veteran quarterback, who is entering the final year of his contract.

We still have a little more than two weeks until the draft gets underway, so it will be interesting to see if the Rivers trade rumors pick up steam or die down as April 30 approaches. In the meantime, here are a few more notes from across the AFC:

  • Free agent wide receiver Brad Smith is paying a visit to Buffalo to meet with the Bills, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com details. Smith played for Rex Ryan on the Jets, but it’s not clear if there’s a spot for him on Ryan’s new club, with players like Percy Harvin, Marcus Easley, and Marcus Thigpen already in the mix as potentially versatile offensive weapons, returners, or special-teamers.
  • Given where we’ve seen running backs drafted in the last couple years, it would be surprise to see one go as high as No. 14 overall this year. Nonetheless, the Dolphins, who hold that pick, are hosting Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon for a visit next week, per Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter).
  • Outside pass rushers Bud Dupree and Shane Ray will be visiting the Jets, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter links). Although there has been plenty of chatter linking Mariota to New York, the team is in a good spot at No. 6 to add a top pass rushing prospect.
  • The Steelers hosted Washington State defensive tackle Xavier Cooper, Ohio State tight end Jeff Heuerman, and UAB tight end Kennard Backman on pre-draft visits today, tweets ESPN.com’s Scott Brown. Cooper met with the Saints in New Orleans yesterday, but we haven’t heard much to date about the tight ends.
  • Florida State cornerback Ronald Darby is visiting the Colts today, according to Rapoport (via Twitter).
  • On the heels of the Raiders‘ agreement with free agent wide receiver Michael Crabtree, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com shares a few initial thoughts on the deal, outlining why the former Niner is worth the risk on a one-year investment.