HEADLINES

Kenny Demens

Cardinals Sign Dwight Freeney

October 13th, 2015 at 10:52am CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 10:52am: The Cardinals have officially signed Freeney and – as expected – placed linebacker and special teamer Kenny Demens on the injured reserve list, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link).

MONDAY, 1:21pm: Freeney’s deal is a minimum salary pact that includes some sack incentives, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). Meanwhile, Getlin adds (via Twitter) that Okafor is expected to miss two to four weeks with his calf injury, so Freeney figures to see some action right away.

1:01pm: The NFL’s highest-scoring team has made an addition on the defensive side of the ball today, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network, who reports (via Twitter) that the Cardinals are signing veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney to a one-year contract.

Freeney, 35, spent most of his NFL career in Indianapolis, but played 20 games for the Chargers in 2013 and 2014. While his sack numbers weren’t particularly impressive in San Diego – he recorded four in total – he continued to put pressure on quarterbacks.

As our Dallas Robinson noted when he examined Freeney’s free agent stock earlier this year, the Syracuse alum played on approximately 55% of San Diego’s defensive snaps last year, rushing the passer or defending the run on nearly every play (he saw just 14 coverage snaps). Freeney accrued just 3.5 sacks, but placed third among qualifying 3-4 OLBs with 40 quarterback hurries, and 14th with nine QB hits.

Playing in San Diego also provided Freeney with some more experience playing as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 system, something he figures to do in Arizona as well. According to Getlin (via Twitter), Freeney will serve as a designated pass rusher for the Cardinals, who lose John Abraham in a similar role last year.

Assuming he still has something left in the tank, Freeney should help bolster a pass rush that also features Alex Okafor, LaMarr Woodley, and Calais Campbell. Freeney may also be required to take a chunk of Okafor’s snaps if a calf injury the 24-year-old suffered in yesterday’s win over the Lions sidelines him at all going forward.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/12/15

October 12th, 2015 at 7:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL..

  • The Seahawks will sign cornerback Crezdon Butler on Tuesday, a source tells Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). Butler will add depth to Seattle’s banged up secondary.
  • The Rams released running back Trey Watts, just one week after he returned from a four-game suspension, as Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets. Watts, who joined the Rams in 2014 as an undrafted free agent out of Tulsa, earned a spot on the club’s regular season roster last season. He didn’t see the field much, but the 24-year-old received a handful of offensive snaps, rushing seven times for 30 yards and catching three passes for 18 yards. Watts also contributed on special teams, recording seven tackles in kick and punt coverage.
  • The Jets waived tight end Wes Saxton to clear a roster spot for Sheldon Richardson, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets.
  • Cardinals linebacker Kenny Demens suffered an ACL and will be put on IR, coach Bruce Arians told reporters, including Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Demens originally signed with Arizona as a UDFA in 2013.
  • The Chargers waived safety Adrian Phillips to make room for the returning Antonio Gates, according to U-T San Diego’s Michael Gehlken. Phillips provided the Chargers depth and special-teams help after starting strong safety Jahleel Addae suffered a Week 1 ankle injury.

Extra Points: Lions, Mexico, Titans, Ravens

October 11th, 2015 at 9:13pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A look around the NFL as the fifth Sunday of the season draws to a close:

  • The Lions dropped to 0-5 with their 42-17 loss to Arizona, but head coach Jim Caldwell said afterward that there won’t be any changes to his staff (Twitter link via Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News).
  • A regular-season game in Mexico in 2016 is a strong possibility, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reports. “It’s going to happen next year,” one high-ranking club official said. “We just don’t know which teams it’s going to be yet.” The Raiders are candidates to play there, per La Canfora, who writes that those in league circles believe a series of games in Mexico would be highly successful from a financial standpoint.
  • Titans receiver Kendall Wright caught three passes for 29 yards in the team’s 14-13 loss to Buffalo. After the game, the fourth-year man was indignant about his role in the Titans’ offense. “I’m beyond frustrated,” Wright stated, per John Glennon of the Tennessean. “I don’t feel like I’m being able to do what I can do until late in games. I feel like I’m a good receiver and I feel like I’ve been open and I can beat the DBs or whoever is (covering) me, but I haven’t really been given the opportunity I’ve been looking for.”
  • The Ravens fell to 1-4 after losing to Cleveland and Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic provided reasons as to why it’ll be too much for them to overcome. Among them: the difficulty of the AFC North and the Ravens’ lack of home-field advantage.
  • Three injured Cardinals – linebackers Alex Okafor and Kenny Demens and defensive back Chris Clemons – will get MRIs during the upcoming week. Head coach Bruce Arians isn’t optimistic about their statuses. “I do not feel good,” he said, according to Darren Urban of the team’s website (via Twitter).