HEADLINES

Julian Edelman

East Notes: Eagles, Giants, Patriots, Hickey

January 2nd, 2016 at 2:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Eagles interviewed running backs coach Duce Staley for their head-coaching job, Ed Werder of ESPN.com reports (via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, on Twitter).

The former Eagles running back has been on the Philadelphia staff since 2010, serving as the running backs coach since 2013.

Staley’s coaching experience doesn’t meet the usual criteria for a realistic shot at the job. This pre-offseason summit does, however, allow the Eagles to meet the Rooney Rule requirements put in place for the consideration of minority candidates. Not exactly in the spirit of the rule, as more qualified candidates are certain to follow the 40-year-old Staley in interviewing once the season ends.

Here is some more from the Eastern divisions on the eve of the final regular-season Sunday.

  • Chip Kelly‘s year of full personnel control went awry quickly, and the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Zach Berman takes a look at the steps that led to the early divorce. Not paying enough attention to keeping the offensive line fortified after releases of Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans proved to be part of the downfall, Berman writes.
  • The Giants expect Owa Odighizuwa to come off IR-DTR today, per NJ.com’s Jordan Raanan (on Twitter). The 23-year-old defensive end’s been out since October with a hamstring malady, playing in just four games as a rookie. When the Giants used their IR-DTR slot on their third-round pick Nov. 5, the playoffs remained in sight. But Sunday was the earliest Odighizuwa could play, and present circumstances mean he’d make a rare return for a meaningless contest.
  • In the likely event Tom Coughlin‘s 12-season Giants tenure concludes after Sunday’s game, Big Blue needs to pursue former OC Sean Payton or Nick Saban, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News writes. The New York reporter notes those two candidates wouldn’t require any on-the-job training, although Saban’s Dolphins stint left much to be desired, and the Giants’ winning pedigree shouldn’t force them to settle for an unseasoned coordinator. Vacchiano also reports the Giants interviewed the 64-year-old Saban for their head-coaching job in 1997 and offered the then-Michigan State head coach the position. Jim Fassel eventually became Big Blue’s coach, and Coughlin took over seven years later. The Giants would have to trade for Payton, who earns $8MM per season and is signed through 2017.
  • Dennis Hickey remains unlikely to be retained as Dolphins GM, Armando Salguero reports (on Twitter). Hickey has not been fired yet and could be reassigned, Salguero notes. Mike Tannenbaum‘s presence stripped power from Hickey, who’s only been on the job two years after being hired to succeed Jeff Ireland in Jan. 2014.
  • Danny Amendola, who has 63 receptions, can earn $225K in incentives with seven catches against the Dolphins, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports. The inconsistent Patriots wideout’s made $525K in incentives already this season. Julian Edelman missed out on $500K in incentives by finishing nine catches shy of 70. The bonus only applies to the regular season, meaning the top Pats receiver’s prospective playoff receptions wouldn’t count toward it. Sebastian Vollmer will miss out on a $750K bonus by falling short of the 80% snap threshold this season, and Alan Branch won’t hit the 50% standard to receive a $250K bonus.

 

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Payton, Pats

November 24th, 2015 at 9:54pm CST by Luke Adams

After losing Julian Edelman for several weeks, the Patriots appear to have dodged a bullet with fellow receiver Danny Amendola. Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com writes that Amendola has a knee sprain that will limit his ability to practice this week, but he’s not expected to miss much action, and could play in Week 12 vs. the Broncos. The same can’t be said for Aaron Dobson, who is expected to miss that Denver game, and perhaps more than that, so the Pats will be hoping for a quick recovery from Amendola.

Here’s more from around the AFC East:

  • There will be a wide field of worthy candidates for the Dolphins to consider when they search for a permanent head coach this winter, but “none look as attractive or experienced” as Sean Payton, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, who says Dolphins owner Stephen Ross needs to go hard after the Saints’ head coach.
  • Ryan Fitzpatrick is the best option right now for a Jets organization that has been searching for a strong young quarterback for years, Manish Mehta of the Daily News writes. Fitzpatrick might be flawed, but he gives Gang Green the best chance to make the postseason. Geno Smith, he feels, is is a far inferior option.
  • The Patriots opted to keep defensive tackle Chris Jones and linebacker Dane Fletcher on the PUP list rather than activating them, as Rich Garven of The Providence Journal writes. The two veterans both seem to be healthy, but the Pats just couldn’t carve out space for them.
  • The Dolphins worked out defensive backs Dax Swanson, Brandon McGee, Dewey McDonald, and Jeremy Harris, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.

AFC East Notes: Taylor, Edelman, Dolphins

November 23rd, 2015 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

Assuming he plays the entire game against the Patriots tonight, Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor should ensure that he plays at least 50% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps this season, notes Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). And if Taylor meets that 50% threshold this season, it means he could end up spending one less year in Buffalo.

When Taylor signed a three-year contract with the Bills in the offseason, the pact included a clause that allowed it to void after two years if the ex-Raven played at least half of the club’s snaps this season. At the time, with Taylor projected to be a backup, those terms didn’t appear significant, but they certainly do now. Barring an injury tonight, Taylor will now likely be eligible for unrestricted free agency following the 2016 season.

Let’s round up a few more items from around the AFC East….

  • Schefter also examines another notable contract, tweeting that Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman will lose about $47K each week in per-game roster bonuses while his foot injury keeps him out of action. If he misses the rest of the season, Edelman will lose out on about $328K, so the injury is a costly one for both the player and the team.
  • After falling to 4-6 on Sunday, the Dolphins need to start looking ahead to 2016, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. While players and coaches still insist the club is capable of running the table and vying for a playoff spot, the franchise needs to start considering who the head coach will be in 2016, and what personnel changes must be made in the offseason.
  • Dan Campbell‘s performance in relief of Joe Philbin is “obviously enough to earn him a legitimate interview” when the Dolphins hunt for a permanent head coach after the season, says Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. However, Salguero believes Miami needs to target someone with more extensive head coaching experience, identifying Sean Payton and Chuck Pagano as potential candidates, if they’re available.

Julian Edelman Suffers Broken Bone In Foot

November 15th, 2015 at 8:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Patriots improved to an AFC-best 9-0 on Sunday with their last-second, 27-26 win over the Giants, but the victory comes at a cost: Wide receiver Julian Edelman broke a bone in his foot and will miss significant time, reports Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo (Twitter link).

Edelman left in the first half of Sunday’s game with an injury to fifth metatarsal, which could keep him out until at least the playoffs, per Garafolo (Twitter link). According to Dr. David Chao of SiriusXM (via Twitter), surgery is the quickest way to return from this injury – known as a “Jones fracture” – and, barring setbacks, the timetable for recovery should be approximately six to eight weeks. Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant suffered the same injury in Week 1 and returned in Week 8. Edelman will undergo surgery Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.

The 29-year-old Edelman, who caught four passes for 53 yards against the Giants, leads the Pats in receptions (61) and is second in both yards (692) and touchdowns (seven). Prior to his injury, he was on pace to finish with at least 90 catches for the third straight year. He appeared primed to eclipse the 100-reception and 1,000-yard barriers for the second time each, and had already hauled in a career high in TDs. His loss comes on the heels of the season-ending ACL tear suffered last week by teammate Dion Lewis, a running back who was one of the Pats’ best weapons pre-injury. Of quarterback Tom Brady‘s 251 completions this season, 97 have gone to Edelman and Lewis.

East Notes: Patriots, Cowboys, Jeffcoat

November 12th, 2015 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

With running back Dion Lewis out for the season, the Patriots are on the lookout for potential additions at the position, bringing in a couple more veteran free agents for workouts this week, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport tweets that Pierre Thomas and Robert Turbin, recently cut by the 49ers and Browns respectively, auditioned for the Pats.

Thomas, in particular, could be a good fit in New England, since catching passes out of the backfield is one of his strength. However, in his brief stint in San Francisco, it looked like he was still attempting to shake off some rust after sitting out most of the 2015 season. The Pats also tried out Daryl Richardson earlier this week, so it’ll be interesting to see if they add another back within the next week or two, or if they try to get by with a combination of LeGarrette Blount, James White, and Brandon Bolden for now.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s East divisions:

  • As if the Cowboys‘ locker room wasn’t already a tense place to be these days, with the team having lost six straight games, and the presence of Greg Hardy drawing increased scrutiny, things got even more emotional today. As Eric Prisbell of USA Today outlines, wide receiver Dez Bryant yelled and cursed at multiple reporters today in the Dallas locker room, believing one had called teammate Devin Street a racial slur, though that charge was uncorroborated by other media members in the area.
  • With a game against the Patriots looming, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin admitted that he regrets the fact that Julian Edelman isn’t wearing a Giants uniform this weekend (link via Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com). The Pats receiver visited New York as a free agent in 2013, but ultimately opted to re-sign with New England.
  • Linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat showed that he could be a good reserve player for Washington, but he ultimately came up short on special teams, Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. Jeffcoat was quickly placed on IR and released from IR with a settlement this week.
  • Speaking to Colin Cowherd this week, former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman – who hasn’t played in the NFL in 15 years – said he still has the arm strength to go out and play in the league (link via the Dallas Morning News). So if quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Tom Brady want to play well into their forties, arm strength shouldn’t be the issue — it’ll be a matter of avoiding injuries like the chronic back issue that forced Aikman into retirement.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Patriots Rumors: Brady, Edelman, O-Line

July 18th, 2015 at 3:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Roger Goodell‘s grade of Tom Brady‘s appeal expected soon, the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin examines who the future Hall of Fame quarterback can trust, considering the many agendas those around him have.

Brady’s intentions to exonerate himself play in the favor of an NFLPA motivated on diminishing Goodell’s power and establishing a new avenue through the appeals process. While it also is the recommended course of action of the association’s lawyers, who wouldn’t lose much if the quarterback’s suspension stands after a lengthy effort, per Volin. Should Deflategate progress at it looks like it will, the NFLPA’s attorneys will continue to clean up in legal fees to continue what’s been a banner stretch for such endeavors.

Volin also notes Bill Belichick would probably prefer Brady give up his fight should Goodell slash his suspension in half in an effort to avoid having key Jimmy Garoppolo cameos down the stretch. Robert Kraft‘s itinerary in this case, in Volin’s view, is one that Brady should greet with skepticism, with the owner preferring to do whatever he can to avoid the Patriots, more so than Brady, being tarnished in Deflategate’s aftermath.

The Globe’s top Patriots scribe notes that Kraft and Goodell were probably haggling on this suspension during an informal summit in Sun Valley, Idaho, recently, and that Kraft could still have the league’s best interests at heart should he advise Brady to accept a reduced suspension rather than make this battle more contentious.

Here are some other Patriots items as the days dwindle until training camps open.

  • As Brady opts for a reclusive summer, his most frequent target helped explain the 16-year veteran’s mindset for those not privy to his dialogue post-Deflategate. “He’s fired up — we’ll say that. You don’t want a mad Tom Brady, and he’s a little ticked off,” Julian Edelman told Joe McDonald of ESPN.com. The 29-year-old wideout’s been Brady’s teammate for six seasons and has 197 catches the past two years.
  • After Dan Connolly‘s retirement, Volin looks at who the Patriots will plug in at left guard this season, with a projection of rookie Tre Jackson out of Florida State becoming New England’s newest line cog. Volin views the college teammate of center Bryan Stork as a more refined prospect than rookie comrade Shaq Mason. A fourth-rounder, Jackson may even be an upgrade over Connolly, whose work Pro Football Focus detested, critically speaking, last season in rating the veteran as the Patriots’ worst offensive lineman (subscription required) for his efforts at left guard and center, respectively.

AFC Notes: Moats, Hudson, Edelman

January 19th, 2015 at 9:12pm CST by Ben Levine

Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats is set to be an unrestricted free agent, and Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says the former sixth-rounder could end up being a priority for Pittsburgh. For what it’s worth, the 26-year-old is hoping to return next season.

“I hope to be back, but it is a business,” Moats said. “I feel I have to do what’s best for me and my family. We will see what happens, but I definitely want to be back.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the AFC…

  • Chiefs center Rodney Hudson switched representation from Shoreline to Athletes First agents Joe Panos and Brian Murphy, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal. As the writer points out, the move may be in preparation of the 25-year-old’s potential free agency.
  • Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets that Patriots wideout Julian Edelman will receive a $500K bonus for making the Super Bowl. The bonus would have kicked in had the 28-year-old compiled 1,057 yards, 70 receptions/seven scores, 80 receptions/13 wins or 80 receptions/Super Bowl appearance (via ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss). Edelman finished the season with 92 receptions for 972 yards. Meanwhile, the Patriots finished with 12 wins.
  • ‘DeflateGate’ is less than 24 hours old, but some within the NFL are already trying to distance themselves from the story, including Colts head coach Chuck Pagano. “Did not notice, and that’s something for the league to handle. It’s not my place to comment on it,” Pagano said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com).

Patriots Notes: Revis, Edelman, Anderson

June 7th, 2014 at 3:28pm CST by Peter Sowards

Defense was the cornerstone of the Patriots’ three Super Bowl victories between 2001 and 2004, and stellar play from the secondary had much to do with it. Now, with the addition of Darrelle Revis, arguably the best defensive back in football, coach Bill Belichick has more flexibility than ever to implement his defensive strategy, opines ESPN.com’s Jeffri Chadiha.

Revis’ inclusion to the team means good things for the rest of his defensive counterparts, per Chadiha. Safety Devin McCourty can take more chances, defensive end Chandler Jones could add to his 11.5 sacks last season, and the defense could regain the swagger last seen in the Romeo Crennel days of yesteryear.

More from the defending AFC East champs below…

AFC Notes: Knighton, Browns, Nicks, Pats

April 28th, 2014 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

After seeing a number of defensive tackles cash in on the free agent market this year, Terrance Knighton knows he could’ve made out well if he didn’t have one year remaining on his contract with the Broncos. However, despite a modest $2.5MM 2014 salary, the man known as “Pot Roast” won’t be holding out, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post.

“I’m definitely going to honor the contract,” Knighton said. “I want to get something done and I’d like to get something done here. I don’t want to bounce around. But I’m at the point now where once the season starts, I’m just strictly football.”

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • Speaking to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com, CBS Sports announcer Jim Nantz strongly suggested that it was former Browns GM Michael Lombardi who was trying to land Jim Harbaugh for the Cleveland coaching job.
  • Meanwhile, Lombardi’s replacement, Ray Farmer spoke to reporters today and made a handful of interest comments about the draft’s top prospects as well as the possibility of trading up or down. The Browns general manager expects to speak to all 31 NFL GMs in the week leading up to the draft, and about eight or 10 GMs in the 24 hours before draft night. Marla Ridenour of Ohio.com has the quotes from Farmer.
  • As he tells Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, Ahmad Bradshaw did his part in recruiting former Giants teammate Hakeem Nicks to the Colts last month. “I went to his house a week before (his signing) and was just telling him how great it is over here,” Bradshaw said. “I think it kind of helped his decision. I was really encouraging him to come over.”
  • Recent Patriots signees Darrelle Revis, Julian Edelman, and Brandon LaFell all had deferred payments on their signing bonuses that won’t be paid out until March 31, 2015, writes Field Yates of ESPN.com. In total, more than $5MM of the trio’s $18MM in signing bonus money will be paid out next year. Yates also notes that Josh Hull‘s contract with the Pats is a minimum-salary deal with no bonuses.

AFC Notes: Jags, Bridgewater, Claiborne

April 27th, 2014 at 11:51am CST by Rory Parks

The 2013 NFL draft was a curious one in several respects, with its most notable quirk being the lack of top-tier talent at the quarterback position. For twelve years, at least four QBs were taken in the first round of the draft, but in 2013, only one was selected (E.J. Manuel). The tradition of a quarterback-heavy first round figures to return in full force this season, with a bevy of signal-callers projected to be drafted early.

However, quarterbacks that might be taken on Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft offer skill-sets that in many respects are equally as intriguing as their Day 1 counterparts, and Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union wonders if the Jaguars would be better served selecting one of the “second-tier” QBs instead of targeting one of the players expected to go in the first round. Specifically, O’Halloran names SEC products Zach Mettenberger, Aaron Murray, and A.J. McCarron as possible solutions to Jacksonville’s quarterback woes. Such a selection would allow the Jags to land a truly elite talent with their No. 3 overall pick, rather than play the lottery with high-ceiling but concerning talents like Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles, and Teddy Bridgewater.

Now for more from the AFC:

  • Speaking of Bridgewater, his quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator at Louisville, Sam Watson, believes the young QB is a “slam dunk” despite his oft-criticized Pro Day performance, writes Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. As Ulrich notes, the Browns, who are expected to take a quarterback with one of their two first-round choices (Nos. 4 and 26 overall) might be inclined to agree.
  • The Browns, however, are also interested in Aaron Murray, who visited with Cleveland on Wednesday and will work out for the team today, writes Jason Butt of the National Football Post.
  • ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes that if the Jets are unable to land a CB in the first round of the draft, they may be in the market for a veteran corner, possibly via trade. Although the Cowboys’ Morris Claiborne has been discussed as a trade possibility, the cap charge Dallas would have to absorb if they dealt Claiborne ($9.6MM) would probably make such a trade untenable.
  • In the same piece, Cimini writes that the Jets were interested in WR Julian Edelman before he re-signed with New England, and Rex Ryan was very intrigued with the possibility of stealing Edelman away from New York’s division rival.
  • ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss believes that, with the above-mentioned run on quarterbacks that is expected to take place in the first round of this year’s draft, a top-15 or even top-10 talent could fall to the Patriots at No. 29.
  • In the same piece, Reiss adds that Patriots VP of Player Personnel Nick Caserio is scheduled to meet with Illinois TE Evan Wilson early this week.
Load More Posts