HEADLINES

LaRon Landry

LaRon Landry Suspended Indefinitely

November 24th, 2015 at 4:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Safety LaRon Landry has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Landry just got done serving a ten-game suspension for his second violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. There’s no official word yet on Landry’s latest infraction, but one has to imagine that it has to do with PEDs.

Landry, 31, signed a four-year deal with the Colts in 2013, which guaranteed him $11MM in his first season. However, his two seasons in Indianapolis were marred by injuries, underwhelming play, and a PED suspension which cost him four games in 2014. The former sixth overall pick has played in 103 career games with 97 starts over the course of eight seasons. In 2012 while with the Jets, Landry made his first (and, to date, only) Pro Bowl.

Due to his previous suspension, Landry has been without a team all year long. Now, it’s not clear if he’ll ever be with an NFL team again.

Suspensions Of Ace Sanders, LaRon Landry Lifted

November 17th, 2015 at 7:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL has lifted the suspensions of safety LaRon Landry and wide receiver Ace Sanders, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Both players are free agents and free to sign with any team.

Sanders, who was released by the Jaguars in July, was hit with a ten game suspension for a violation of the substance abuse policy in August. A summer report indicated that teams including the Seahawks, Dolphins, and Lions had interest in Sanders, but his suspension obviously kept a deal from happening. Sanders, 24, had a decent rookie season in 2013, hauling in 51 balls, though he only averaged 9.5 yards per catch and reached the end zone just once. The South Carolina product wasn’t a major part of the Jaguars’ offense last season, after the team used multiple 2014 draft picks to add receiving help. He saw just seven targets in 2014, earning most of his playing time on special teams, where he returned 32 punts, averaging 7.1 yards per return.

Landry, 31, was suspended ten games for ostensibly violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs for a second time. Landry, a former sixth overall pick, signed a four-year deal with the Colts in 2013, which guaranteed him $11MM in his first season. However, his two seasons in Indianapolis were marred by injuries, underwhelming play, and a PED suspension which cost him four games in 2014.

LaRon Landry Suspended For 10 Games

March 6th, 2015 at 4:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Colts safety LaRon Landry has been suspended for the first 10 games of the 2014 season, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). While Yates didn’t specify what Landry is being disciplined for, it appears to be for another violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, which calls for a 10-game ban for second-time violators.

Under the NFL’s drug policy, which was tweaked last year, first-time violators for steroids, stimulants, HGH, and other banned substances are subject to suspensions of four games without pay — Landry served a suspension of that variety this past season while he was still a Colt. Assuming Landry returns to the NFL following his 10-game penalty, he’d have plenty of incentive to avoid failing another test. A third violation of the policy would result in a banishment for a minimum of two years.

Having been released by the Colts earlier in the offseason, Landry is currently an unrestricted free agent, and the suspension certainly won’t help his stock this month. A team may still take a flier on him in the hopes of stashing him away on the reserve/suspended list until he’s eligible to return, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the veteran safety had to wait until halfway through the 2015 season to find a deal.

Colts Cut LaRon Landry, Two Others

February 11th, 2015 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

The Colts have begun clearing cap room in anticipation of next month’s free agent period, announcing today that they’ve cut three players. According to a press release, the club has released veteran safety LaRon Landry, and waived linebacker Andrew Jackson and tackle Xavier Nixon.

Landry, a former sixth overall pick, signed a four-year deal with the Colts in 2013, which guaranteed him $11MM in his first season. However, his two seasons in Indianapolis were marred by injuries, underwhelming play, and a PED suspension which cost him four games this past year. With the 30-year-old’s cap number set to jump to $5.75MM in 2015, it makes sense that the Colts would decide to move on from Landry. The move will create $2.25MM in cap savings, reducing his cap hit to $3.5MM in dead money.

Meanwhile, Jackson, a sixth-round pick in 2014, contributed sparingly in 2014, primarily on special teams. He was arrested for careless driving and suspicion of DUI last month, which presumably prompted his release. As for Nixon, he saw limited playing time in 2014, and wasn’t effective when he played — 65 of his 99 offensive snaps for the season came in Week 16 against Dallas, and Pro Football Focus gave him a -7.8 grade for the game (subscription required).

Because Landry is a vested veteran, he’ll become a free agent immediately, and will be able to sign with any team right away, rather than having to wait until March 10. Jackson and Nixon will also be able to hit the open market early, but they’ll have to pass through waivers first.

South Notes: Suh, Falcons, K. Jackson

February 8th, 2015 at 9:52am CST by Rory Parks

The financial component of Ndamukong Suh‘s next deal has been discussed at length in recent months, but Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star takes a closer look at the nature of Suh’s game and describes it as something of a double-edged sword. Doyel writes that Suh is exactly the type of player the Colts have tried to avoid in recent years: a violent, cruel, and dirty player who violates the team’s mantra of winning with decency. And yet, it is those traits that, when combined with Suh’s undeniable talent, could lift the Colts from a playoff-caliber team to a Super Bowl team.

Doyel notes that the Colts have a number of talented players on the defensive side of the ball, but no great players, and no players with the type of nasty streak that can lift an entire unit. As has been proven time and time again, big-ticket free agents are rarely the answer in today’s NFL, and the negatives of their salary cap charges often outweigh their on-field contributions. But Doyel believes Suh is the exception to that rule, writing that the Colts can afford Suh even when they say they cannot, and he says the club should do everything it can to bring Suh to Indianapolis.

Now let’s take a look at a few other links from the league’s south divisions:

  • Mike Wells of ESPN.com has a look at a few questions facing the Colts this offseason, predicting that Greg Toler will return to the team but that LaRon Landry will not. In addition to safety, Wells identifies the running game and the pass rush as areas in clear need of improvement.
  • D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution looks at the timeline on which Falcons head coach Dan Quinn and GM Thomas Dimitroff will be operating this offseason and the challenges they will face. Ledbetter also names the defensive and offensive lines and linebacking corps as areas of need.
  • In a separate piece, Ledbetter looks at the mixed track record of Korn Ferry, the search firm that the Falcons used in its head coaching search that culminated in Quinn’s hiring.
  • In a pair of articles, Ryan O’Halloran and Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union look at how the Jaguars‘ new offensive coaches will coexist.
  • In the wake of the Titans‘ recent hire of Dick LeBeau, Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean looks at the mixed results the team has had when making “splashy” hires in the past.
  • Nate Davis of USA Today provides a brief offseason outlook for each team in the AFC South, noting that the Texans will be in real need of cornerback help if Kareem Jackson leaves in free agency and that the team could use an upgrade at tight end.

AFC Mailbags: Tannehill, Landry, Forsett, Shorts

November 15th, 2014 at 9:36am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday, and that means a fresh batch of NFL mailbags from ESPN.com’s writers. Let’s start with some interesting notes out of the AFC…

Colts Activate Landry, Nixon; Cut Three

November 4th, 2014 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Colts have announced a series of roster moves today, making changes to both their 53-man roster and practice squad. Per a team release, here are Tuesday’s transactions out of Indianapolis:

Activated:

Cut:

Signed to practice squad:

  • WR Eric Thomas

Cut from practice squad:

  • WR Chandler Jones

Landry, who served a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, opened the season as a starter in the Colts’ secondary, but Sergio Brown has played well in his absence, so it will be interesting to see how the team divides the playing time with Landry back on the active roster. It’s worth noting that the team could have activated Landry for Week 9’s contest, but chose to take full advantage of a roster exemption, delaying the decision until it absolutely had to be made.

As for Nixon, he was placed on IR with the designation to return prior to Week 1 due to a knee injury. He figures to take over the swing tackle role held by Meredith, and shouldn’t see frequent action unless someone in front of him gets hurt.

Monday Roundup: Cutler, Trades, Landry

October 27th, 2014 at 8:54pm CST by Rory Parks

Our Zach Links wrote earlier that Bears GM Phil Emery is not currently thinking about parting ways with head coach Marc Trestman, and Emery and Trestman both reaffirmed their support for embattled quarterback Jay Cutler one day after Chicago’s embarrassing Week 8 loss to the Patriots. As Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com writes, Emery and Trestman remain committed to Cutler, attempting to accentuate the positives in their signal caller’s performances while acknowledging the struggles.

Emery claimed that his club’s decision to stick with Cutler has nothing to do with Cutler’s salary, but ESPN’s John Clayton is understandably skeptical. In his “Clayton Minute” video segment, Clayton says that, given the Bear’s $18MM annual commitment to Cutler, Chicago simply has no other choice than to hope that Cutler can right the ship.

  • Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times writes that Emery has been approached with “two or three interesting” trade proposals, but nothing that helps the Bears win in 2014. As Emery stated that the team is far from giving up hope on this season.
  • Derek Carr is showing tremendous promise and the Browns have to be second-guessing their decision to target Johnny Manziel in the draft instead of him, writes Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer.
  • Browns head coach Mike Pettine says that the team’s phones are ringing but cautions that the deadline brings few trades in comparison to the amount of talk that happens, tweets Nate Urlich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.
  • Citing ESPN’s Adam Schefter, CSNBaltimore.com staff reports that the league has levied a $1.4MM salary cap charge on the Ravens as a result of Ray Rice‘s grievance against the club. According to Schefter, it is normal practice for the NFL to make such a move when a grievance is pending. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun writes that the cap charge reduces the Ravens’ cap room to about $4.1MM. Baltimore may need to utilize some of that room, as star cornerback Jimmy Smith is expected to miss “a few weeks” with a left foot sprain, according to Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com.
  • Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt said that his club is unlikely to make any more trades,according to Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com (via Twitter).
  • The Colts are in no hurry to bring back LaRon Landry after his four-game PED suspension, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com looks at how Jon Beason‘s salary, and the Giants‘ salary cap, will be affected by Beason’s season-ending injury.

 

Zach Links contributed to this post

AFC Mailbags: Chiefs, Raiders, Colts, Jags

October 18th, 2014 at 12:03pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday, and that means a fresh batch of mailbags from ESPN.com’s NFL writers. Let’s take a look at some of the interesting tidbits from the AFC…

  • The Chiefs may have some second thoughts about releasing cornerback Brandon Flowers following his success with the Chargers, writes Adam Teicher.
  • The Raiders need to either sign a top free agent wideout next offseason or use one of their top draft picks at the position, opines Bill Williamson.
  • If the Colts were going to release LaRon Landry, they would have done so already, writes Mike Wells. The writer notes that cutting ties with the safety would be “admission” that the team made the wrong choice in signing him to a four-year deal.
  • Michael DiRocco would be shocked if the Jaguars selected an offensive lineman with their upcoming first-rounder. Instead, the writer says the team should focus on pass-rushers, linebackers and safeties.
  • Paul Kuharsky can’t envision the Titans re-signing Jake Locker to be a backup. The writer believes if the team is in fact done with the quarterback, they should completely move on.

LaRon Landry Suspended For Four Games

September 29th, 2014 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Colts safety LaRon Landry has been suspended for four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, the NFL and the team announced today in a press release. Landry will be eligible to return to the team following its October 26 contest against the Steelers.

Under the NFL’s new drug policy, first-time violators for steroids, stimulants, HGH, and other banned substances are subject to suspensions of four games without pay. If Landry were to fail a second test, he’d be facing a ban of 10 games, while a third violation would result in a banishment for a minimum of two years.

In Landry’s absence, Sergio Brown appears to be the likeliest candidate to assume a more significant role in Indianapolis’ secondary. The team also promoted safety Dewey McDonald to the 53-man roster from the practice squad earlier today, which now makes sense as a depth move.

The Colts will have an open roster spot to fill with Landry headed to the reserve/suspended list for the next four weeks.

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