Michael Sam - Pro Football Rumors

Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday

October 21st, 2014 at 7:00pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re keeping tabs on today’s minor moves that affect 53-man rosters right here, but we’ll use the space below to track transactions involving teams’ practice squads:

The Chiefs signed guard Jarrod Pughsley to the taxi squad to take the place of the released Jerel Worthy, according to Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star.
Linebacker Shaq Barrett cleared waivers and is expected to be re-signed to the Broncos‘ practice squad soon, tweets Mike Klis of The Denver Post.
The Colts announced that they have signed running back Jeff Demps and tight end Konrad Reuland to the practice squad while releasing quarterback Dominique Davis and wide receiver Chandler Jones to make room. Demps, a 2012 Summer Olympics silver medalist, was recently
The Saints have signed offensive tackle Demarcus Love to their practice squad, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, while Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets that the club cut center Alex Parsons from the unit.
Caplan also notes (via Twitter) that the Chiefs have cut defensive lineman Jerel Worthy from their taxi squad.
A pair of receivers have joined the Rams‘ practice squad, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who tweets that Kadron Boone and Devon Wylie have signed with the team. Thomas adds (via Twitter) that the club also replaced one linebacker with another, cutting Denicos Allen and signing Korey Toomer.

Earlier updates:

The Panthers have announced a pair of practice squad additions, confirming (via Twitter) that they’ve signed safety Robert Lester and offensive tackle Martin Wallace using their two open spots.
The Jaguars have signed cornerback Lou Young to their practice squad, filling the 10th and final opening on the unit, the club announced today (Twitter link).
The Cowboys have released edge defender Michael Sam from their practice squad, the team announced today in a press release. Although Sam spent several weeks on Dallas’ taxi squad, he never got the opportunity for a promotion to the 53-man unit, and figures to draw some attention around the NFL as he looks for a new job. Using the two openings on their practice squad, the Cowboys added linebacker Troy Davis and defensive tackle Ken Bishop, according to the team.

NFC Mailbags: Lions, Saints, Cowboys

October 11th, 2014 at 9:51am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday morning, and you know what that means – new mailbags from ESPN’s NFL writers. Let’s check out some of the notes from the NFC…

At the moment, Michael Rothstein doesn’t believe that Lions general manager Martin Mayhew or coach Jim Caldwell are on the hot seat.
Following the release of Saints fourth-rounder Khairi Fortt this past week, many fans asked Mike Triplett about the team’s inability to develop linebackers. The writer acknowledges that the team’s last real success was Mark Fields in 1995, but he adds that the team hasn’t invested high draft picks into the position.
If the Cowboys season continues on a similar path, Todd Archer could envision the team bringing back Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray and Rolando McClain. If there were to be one odd man out, however, the writer leans towards McClain.
Even if the Cowboys were looking to promote a defensive lineman from the practice squad, Archer says that rookie Michael Sam wouldn’t be the team’s first choice. Instead, the Cowboys would likely bring up Kenneth Boatright.
David Newton envisions the Panthers transitioning to their next group of running backs once DeAngelo Williams‘ contract expires following the season.
Rom Demovsky says it’s likely that the Packers and representatives for Randall Cobb have already started discussing a new contract. The writer suggests that the wideout could be delaying the process until he begins compiling statistics that would warrant a larger payday.

AFC Mailbags: Jaguars, Ravens, Colts, Raiders

September 20th, 2014 at 11:14am CST by Ben Levine

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

The Jaguars have rookie Telvin Smith waiting in the wings, but Michael DiRocco thinks the team still needs an upgrade at linebacker.
Looking forward to next year’s draft, DiRocco opines that the Jaguars should focus on drafting a pass rusher. The writer suggests Randy Gregory (Nebraska), Shane Ray (Missouri), and Shilique Calhoun (Michigan State).
Even with wideout Steve Smith‘s presence, Jamison Hensley says it would be “shocking” if the Ravens don’t extend Torrey Smith.
Mike Wells would be surprised if the Colts signed defensive end Michael Sam from the Cowboys practice squad. To thrive in the team’s defense, the writer says that Sam would need to learn to play outside linebacker.
If the Raiders lose to the Patriots this weekend, coach Dennis Allen will certainly be feeling some pressure, writes Bill Williamson.

NFC East Notes: Sam, Boyd, Parkey

September 12th, 2014 at 11:21am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s today’s look at the NFC East, where the Eagles are the only team in the win column after Week 1..

The Cowboys like what they’ve seen out of Michael Sam so far and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has complimented him on his “quickness and instincts,” writes Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News. Sam has mostly kept to himself in the Cowboys’ Valley Ranch locker room during media time and hasn’t taken questions since a five-minute introductory interview outside of the locker room earlier this month.
The Giants are expected to work out Jets sixth-round pick Tajh Boyd, according to Art Stapleton of the Bergen Record. With Eli Manning and Ryan Nassib entrenched as the team’s top two quarterbacks, the Giants have been considering options at QB for the practice squad and the Clemson product could be a fit there.
The Eagles were smart to get Cody Parkey via trade from the Colts, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Eagles gave up running back David Fluellen, whom they planned to waive anyway. Had they not made the deal, Parkey would have been up for grabs to the 21 teams ahead of them on the waiver wire. They also would have had to wait two extra days to watch him kick.

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Mathis, Barbre

September 8th, 2014 at 12:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Dez Bryant and the Cowboys appeared to be making progress toward a contract extension in the weeks leading up to the regular season, but the two sides didn’t reach an agreement before the team’s opener against the Niners yesterday. According to Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News, Bryant said he still intends to table discussions during the season, but seemed disappointed that he and the team couldn’t work something out before that unofficial deadline.

“Truly, I really understand that this is a business,” Bryant said. “I only worry about the things that I can control.”

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

Peter King of TheMMQB.com, who reported last week that the NFL encouraged multiple clubs around the league to consider Michael Sam as a practice squad candidate, writes today that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones denied that the league reached out to him to consider the rookie defensive end.
An MRI on Eagles guard Evan Mathis revealed an MCL sprain of his right knee, a source tells Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The injury isn’t expected to end Mathis’ season, but it should sideline him for an extended period, so he may be a candidate for the IR list with the designation to return.
Allen Barbre, who was stepping in for the suspended Lane Johnson, suffered a high ankle sprain during Sunday’s game and is also expected to miss multiple weeks, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. With Johnson slated to miss the next three games, and Mathis and Barbre likely out for those contests as well, the Eagles will likely be forced to feature a makeshift offensive line for at least the rest of September.
Ex-Falcons wideout Darius Johnson is looking for another shot with an NFL team, and has a workout lined up with the Giants this week, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.

NFC Links: Sam, Scandrick, Hill

September 6th, 2014 at 11:48am CST by Ben Levine

The Vikings finished the 2013 season as the second-worst pass defense in the league. Injuries to Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith certainly didn’t help, and the healthy, matured group is expected to take a big step forward in 2014… even with their daunting schedule, which includes games against Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford in consecutive weeks.

“That’s okay, you want to play the best,” Rhodes said (via Mark Craig of the Star Tribune). “To me, staying healthy is the key. Last year, DBs were going down left and right. We have the weapons. We just need to be healthier.”

Head coach Mike Zimmer has been seeing improvements from his secondary, and he’s thrilled with the presence of veteran defensive coordinator Jerry Gray:

“I’m pretty involved with the defensive backs, so I step in there quite a bit and I tell him exactly what I want because that’s kind of my baby,” Zimmer said. “By about the third day, Jerry was saying things to the players before I could say it. And it was the exact same thing I was going to say, so that made me feel really good.”

Let’s check out some more rumblings from the NFC…

Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com predicts that it will be at least a month until the Cowboys would potentially promote Michael Sam to the active roster.
There have been plenty of rumors over the past couple of days that recently-suspended Orlando Scandrick could be reinstated if the NFL and the players’ association agree to a new drug policy. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones isn’t counting on Scandrick to be available on opening day, however. “I’m not planning on it, let’s put it like that,” Jones said on KRLD-FM/105.3 (via Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram). “The quicker we can get him back, the better our team would be because he arguably did have … a great training camp.”
Since it will take him at least a couple of weeks to learn the playbook, Stephen Hill likely won’t be on the Panthers active roster any time soon, writes ESPN.com’s David Newton. The writer believes that Hill ultimately will make the team, writing that organizations “don’t keep second-round picks on the practice squad.”

Cowboys Notes: McClain, Sam, Scandrick

September 5th, 2014 at 11:59am CST by Zachary Links

Ready or not, Rolando McClain will be starting at middle linebacker for the Cowboys this Sunday, writes Schuyler Dixon of The Associated Press. “I expect him to be really a heck of a linebacker for us,” said Rod Marinelli, who replaced Monte Kiffin as defensive coordinator. “I think he has great range. He’s got length. He’s smart. He’s a really physical player. So we just have to get him going and see how it works out from there.” Here’s today’s news out of Dallas..

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says the team signed Michael Sam because of what he did in St. Louis and because defensive end is a position of need for the Cowboys, tweets Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Many have openly wondered if Jones signed Sam to the practice squad for the attention that he will bring. However, the reigning SEC defensive player of the year did make some noteworthy plays in preseason for the Rams.
Jones went on to say that he hasn’t heard anything about a potential return for Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick, but he would welcome it (link). Still, Jones says that he’s not counting on it. The NFL and the NFLPA are reportedly close to ratifying a new drug policy that could retroactively affect suspensions for the likes of Scandrick and Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker.
Meanwhile, Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram (on Twitter) hears from the team that the Cowboys believe Scandrick would be ready to go and could play on Sunday if the suspension is lifted.

NFC Links: Sam, Bradford, Suh, Bailey

September 4th, 2014 at 10:08pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s look at the latest news from the NFC…

After Michael Sam failed to land with a team via waivers after being cut by the Rams, the NFL discreetly contact clubs around the league and asked them to evaluate him as a practice squad candidate, reported Peter King on NBC’s pregame coverage earlier tonight. Sam eventually joined the Cowboys’ PS.
In the wake of his second ACL tear in as many seasons, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford says he hasn’t yet coped with the future of his NFL career. “I haven’t even thought that far ahead,” Bradford told reporters, including Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “It’s still pretty hard to comprehend right now. I think it will be good once I have the surgery because the rehab process will give me something to focus on and something to put my attention towards.”
Ndamukong Suh was complementary of J.J. Watt following the latter’s extension with the Texans, but wouldn’t comment on what Watt’s deal would mean for him, Suh. “I have no clue,” Suh said, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free-Press. “It’s not up to me. Talk to my agent.” The defensive tackle is entering the final year of his contract with the Lions, during which he will count a league-high $22.413MM against the cap.
Lions head coach Jim Caldwell was coy about his team’s interest in adding Champ Bailey following the veteran’s workout today, but Detroit corner Rashean Mathis hopes Bailey will be joining him in the secondary, writes Birkett in a separate piece. “You can substitute for a lot of things, but knowledge is not one of them,” said Mathis. “[Bailey] knows the game, he knows football. When you have that much playing experience, the coaches know you know just as much as them when it comes to on-the-field stuff.”
In a piece for TheMMQB.com, former Packers employee Andrew Brandt details the contrasting personalities of two of his former colleagues — Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson, and Seahawks GM (and former Packers personnel man) John Schneider.

Cowboys Sign Michael Sam To Practice Squad

September 3rd, 2014 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 10:10am: The Cowboys have officially added Sam to their practice squad, according to Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). The team will have to remove a player from the squad to make room for Sam.

TUESDAY, 3:37pm: The Cowboys are looking into the possibility of adding free agent defensive end Michael Sam to their practice squad, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), who says the team is doing “research and due diligence” on the ex-Ram. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter) that Sam will be brought in for a physical on Wednesday, and is expected to be added to the team’s practice squad if all goes well.

Sam, who had 2.5 sacks in the preseason, was unable to earn a spot on the Rams’ deep and talented defensive line, and the club also declined to sign him to its practice squad. Dallas may be a better fit for the Missouri alum, given all the question marks in the Cowboys’ front seven. The team also currently has two openings on its practice squad, so no corresponding cut would be required.

NFC Notes: Sam, Van Noy, Gettis, Guion

September 1st, 2014 at 10:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After being waived by the Rams on Saturday, defensive end Michael Sam wasn’t claimed by another team, meaning he is now a free agent. By our count, nine teams still have at least one practice squad spot open, so Sam might yet find NFL work. It’s just my speculation, but the Bills, Bengals, or Giants, each of whom has a practice squad opening, could be schematic fits for Sam. If Sam wants immediate playing time, however, he could look to latch on with the CFL, where the Montreal Alouettes control his rights. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the team has reached out to Sam, the first openly gay player drafted by the NFL, but has not heard back. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is more blunt, saying (via Twitter) that “there is nothing to…the CFL talk.”