HEADLINES

Mark Harrison

Jets Notes: Wilkerson, Brown, Green

June 9th, 2015 at 4:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Muhammad Wilkerson‘s agent, Chad Wiestling, issued a statement regarding his client, who reported to the Jets today. Here is that statement, courtesy of CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora (via Twitter links):

“Mo is and always had been a team-first player and is willing to put the team ahead of his own contractual status. Mo loves being a member of the Jets and would prefer to finish his career in New York,” the statement read.

Wilkerson reported to camp today and it sounds like all eyes will be on him over the next several weeks, unless the two sides come to terms on a new pact. Here’s more on the story that has managed to take some of the heat off of Geno Smith in New York, plus more on the Jets..

  • Wilkerson said he was told by his agent that contract talks will start to pick up, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. Wilkerson, of course, is looking for a long-term pact from Gang Green.
  • When asked whether he’ll entertain holding out of Jets training camp, Wilkerson said, “I’m not going to answer that question,” according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
  • Wilkerson, who sounded somewhat positive about contract talks earlier in the year, said he’s “frustrated” about his contract situation, Mehta tweets. Wilkerson explained that he thought there would be a deal by this point in the offseason.
  • The Jets are trying out four players today, according to Dom Cosentino of The Star-Ledger (on Twitter). Those players are tackle Charles Brown, wide receiver Christian Green, wide receiver Mark Harrison, and cornerback Jonte Green.

Giants Work Out Devlin, Boyd, Six Others

September 13th, 2014 at 6:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

In advance of tomorrow’s game against the Cardinals, the Giants brought in eight players for auditions, according to Jordan Raanan of the Newark Star-Ledger. New York might just be updating its emergency list at certain positions, but there were some notable names among those whom the team worked out:

Devlin, 26, was released by the Dolphins a month ago after Miami added fellow QB Brady Quinn. After playing college ball at Delaware, Devlin joined the Dolphins in 2011 after going undrafted. He has yet to appear in an NFL game. Boyd, a former Clemson star, was once viewed as a potential first-round pick, but was ultimately selected in the sixth round by the Jets in May. He was cut as the Jets moved to a 53-man roster in late August. As Raanan notes, the Giants have only two quarterbacks on their roster (Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib), so it’s possible one of Devlin or Boyd is added to the club if they feel they need a No. 3.

New York is a tad thin at receiver, where 2014 first-rounder Odell Beckham Jr. is currently out with a hamstring injury, so perhaps one of the WR group listed above might stick on the Giants’ roster. Only Cone has caught a pass (one) in the NFL, doing so last year for the Falcons. Cunningham, a sixth-round choice of the Dolphins in 2012, was waived by the Eagles last month after being active for two Philadelphia games in 2013. Harrison, an undrafted free agent out of Rutgers in 2013, is well-traveled — he’s spent time with the Bears, Patriots, and Chiefs.

Player Auditions: Tuesday

September 9th, 2014 at 11:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs had inside linebackers Desmond Bishop, Marvin Mitchell, and Nick Barnett in for workouts, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Here’s the latest news on player workouts from around the NFL..

  • The Redskins worked out former Patriots wide receiver Mark Harrison today, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
  • The Patriots tried out former Falcons linebacker Yawin Smallwood today, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
  • Former Rams safety Matt Daniels visited the Dolphins yesterday, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch (on Twitter).
  • In the wake of an injury that starting tight end Jordan Cameron suffered in the season opener, the Browns brought in tight end Kellen Davis for a workout on Tuesday, a league source told Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports. Last season, Davis played in 15 games for the Seahawks in a No. 3 tight end role. He finished with three receptions for 32 yards and, most importantly, a Super Bowl ring.
  • The Browns also worked out tight end Chase Coffman today, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer (on Twitter).
  • The Jets worked out several players, including guards Doug Legursky and Jeff Baca, a source tells Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter). They also worked out some punters and a long snapper.
  • The Bills worked out former Cumberlands running back Terrance Cobb, who was among their 29 pre-draft visits this spring, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter). In total, the Bills worked out 14 players (link).
  • The Redskins auditioned quarterbacks Pat Devlin, B.J. Coleman, and Ricky Stanzi, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter). They also auditioned four tight ends in total.
  • Tight end Chase Harper worked out for the Titans today, Jim Wyatt of The Tennesseean tweets.
  • The Buccaneers worked out long snapper Brandon Hartson today, a source tells Wilson (on Twitter).

Chiefs Announce Cuts, Down To 53 Players

August 30th, 2014 at 3:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chiefs have announced 22 roster moves, taking their player count from 75 to the required 53-man limit. Via a press release, here’s the full list of players who were removed from the team’s active roster:

Cut:

Placed on injured reserve:

Placed on reserve/non-football injury list:

Placed on reserve/suspended list:

AFC West Notes: Chargers, Signings, Mack

June 20th, 2014 at 7:07pm CST by Rob DiRe

Chargers‘ head coach Mike McCoy is excited about his team, and Kevin Acee of the UT San Diego has highlighted a few players who could back up the coach’s expectations. Acee sees Manti Te’o, Andrew Gachkar, and Melvin Ingram coming together to form a deep linebacking group (one that could exclude Larry English). He also likes third-year tight end Ladarius Green, the running game behind a strong offensive line, and a few rookies who could make an impact.

Here are some other notes from around the AFC West:

  • The Chargers have also claimed defensive tackle Chas Alecxih, according to Michael Gehlken of the UT San Diego (via Twitter). Alecxih, the former Chief, completes the team’s 90-man roster.
  • The Chiefs announced that they have signed wide receiver Mark Harrison, according to their official team Twitter page. Harrison spent 2013 with the Patriots, placed on the reserve/non-football injury list last summer.
  • Raiders‘ defensive coordinator Jason Tarver has been trying to find creative ways to use first-round pick Khalil Mack in the team’s defense this season, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. “What’s nice about Khalil is he has size and athletic ability, so that he can do some things on the edges of your defense, both in the run game and in the pass game, with his power, his length and his ability to bend and move.” said Tarver. “Those are traits that you want as many players as you can have on your defense, as many of those as we can get, the happier a coordinator is.”
  • The Broncos have solidified their roster to position themselves for a return to the Super Bowl this year, but the right tackle position is still up in the air, writes Sayre Bedinger of PredominatelyOrange.com. The team has Chris Clark, who filled in admirably for Ryan Clady on the left side last season, as the frontrunner for the role. They also drafted offensive tackle Michael Schofield out of Michigan, and re-signed Winston Justice. Bedinger also notes that 2013 sixth-round pick Vinston Painter is still valued and could be a dark horse for a starting job on the offensive line.

AFC Notes: Jets, Flowers, Chiefs, Ravens

June 19th, 2014 at 8:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets didn’t sign an impact cornerback in free agency to help replace Antonio Cromartie, but defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman is confident that they are set in the secondary with what they have. “The lack of experience shows up at time, but the talent is there,” Thurman said, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. “We know that we have guys that can play. We just make sure we communicate, do the things that we’re supposed to do. If we do that, I think we’ll be fine.” The Jets hope that first-round strong safety Calvin Pryor will be able to hit the ground running and they’ll also keep their fingers crossed on third-round cornerback Dexter McDougle. Here’s more from the AFC..

  • Brandon Flowers‘ visit with the Chargers appears to have gone well, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (on Twitter). The Bolts appear to have the inside track on Flowers as San Diego was his first trip after being cut by Kansas City and he has not formally scheduled visits with other clubs yet.
  • Look for former Patriots wide receiver Mark Harrison to resurface with the Chiefs, tweets Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. The Rutgers product has visited Kansas City and a signing is likely.
  • The Ravens auditioned former Florida State tight end Shayne Broxsie, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The 6’2″, 255 pound athlete was working with Baltimore’s running backs and fullbacks, so a position change could be in his future if he winds up with the Ravens.

AFC Notes: Titans, Vick, Ravens, Chiefs, Bills

June 17th, 2014 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

According to recent reports, the Broncos may or may not have offered Demaryius Thomas a five-year contract extension, but there’s no doubt that discussions are open between the two sides, prompting Joel Corry of the National Football Post to examine what a new deal for the star wideout might look like. Corry points out that matching the massive contracts signed by Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald probably isn’t likely for Thomas and other standout receivers approaching free agency. But as I suggested last week, the five-year, $60MM+ deals signed by Mike Wallace and Percy Harvin in recent years could be used as benchmarks in negotiations between Thomas and the Broncos.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • The Titans worked out a pair of linebackers, Quentin Groves and Marvin Mitchell, on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Neither player received a contract from the club right away, however. Per Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter), the Titans are also auditioning WR/FB Dorin Dickerson this week at their minicamp.
  • Michael Vick is on a one-year contract with the Jets, but the signal-caller feels like he has about three years left at his “current level,” as he tells Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (Twitter link). Although the “current level” qualifier makes it unclear whether Vick plans to continue his playing career beyond that point, it sounds like he hopes to play for at least a couple more seasons after his current deal expires.
  • Asked today about a potential contract extension with Baltimore, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata told reporters that he’d “love to be a Raven for life” (Twitter link).
  • We heard yesterday that several veteran cornerbacks would be trying out for the Ravens at their minicamp this week, and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun adds one more name to the list of participants today: Kevin Thomas, a Colts third-round pick in 2010 who hasn’t appeared in a regular season game since 2011. Wilson adds in a pair of tweets that cornerback Bobby Felder, linebacker Austin Spitler and wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe are also trying out for the Ravens.
  • Former Missouri defensive back Kip Edwards was one of four non-roster players to audition for the Chiefs at the club’s minicamp today, tweets Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link) provides the other three names: Cornerback Quinton Byrd, and wide receivers Mark Harrison and Cole Stanford.
  • In a series of three tweets, Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 AM and Mike Rodak of ESPN.com report that wide receiver Tori Gurley, cornerback Kamaal McIlwain, and cornerback Sam Miller are auditioning for the Bills at their minicamp.

Patriots Sign James Anderson

June 4th, 2014 at 4:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Patriots have signed former Carolina and Chicago linebacker James Anderson to a contract, according to Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter). To clear a spot on the roster for Anderson, the team has parted ways with wide receiver Mark Harrison.

Anderson, 30, was one of the more notable veteran linebackers still on the market, having started all 16 games last season for the Bears. While Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required) ranked Anderson 33rd out of 35 qualified 4-3 outside linebackers, his poor grade was due in large part to subpar performance against the run — he was one of the league’s more effective linebackers in pass coverage. The former third-round pick also accumulated 102 tackles and four quarterback sacks.

Because he’s being signed after June 1, Anderson is no longer linked to the compensatory draft pick formula that determines which teams are rewarded with extra 2015 picks for losing more free agents than they signed. The veteran linebacker had worked out for the Pats last month, so the club may have been biding its time until June to officially lock him up.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Pats, Bills, Dolphins

May 24th, 2014 at 9:46am CST by Matt Feminis

When asked about the Jets’ perceived weakness at cornerback, ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini provided a blunt response: “I think fans need to come to grips with this sobering reality: The Jets believe they’re set at cornerback. I don’t agree with it, and I’m not sure [head coach] Rex Ryan does either, but [GM] John Idzik is done making significant moves at cornerback. He thinks Dee Milliner is a No. 1 corner, he invested $3 million in Dimitri Patterson and he drafted Dexter McDougle in the third round. Unless there’s a key injury, I can’t see Idzik importing a big name…”

Here’s some more AFC East notes:

  • The Patriots’ top four or five receivers appear to be set, but Masslive.com’s Nick Underhill takes a look at the competitors for the remaining roster spots. Among those on the bubble are second-year players Josh Boyce and Kenbrell Thompkins (who disappointed last season after being the talk of training camp), seventh-rounder Jeremy Gallon and size-speed prospect Mark Harrison. Underhill says, “There has been some speculation that Harrison could be tried out at tight end, and while he didn’t close the door on the notion, head coach Bill Belichick said it is unlikely Harrison will see time at that spot this season.”
  • In a Bills off-season wrap-up, ESPN’s Mike Rodak praised the signing of linebacker Brandon Spikes, who, teamed with Defensive Rookie of the Year Kiko Alonso, should improve the team’s run defense which ranked near the bottom of the league.
  • The Dolphins plucked offensive coordinator Bill Lazor from Chip Kelly’s staff in Philadelphia, and Lazor has total control of the offense, writes Barry Jackson in the Miami Herald. Based on early indications, Dolphins players are excited about the possibilities and say the new system is reminiscent of the Eagles’.