Michael Wilhoite - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Byrd, Murray, Smith, Jets

May 31st, 2014 at 1:05pm CST by Matt Feminis

Miscellaneous news and notes from around the league. . .

Saints safety Jairus Byrd underwent “optional” back surgery to repair a disc issue, according to Katherine Terrell of Nola.com. While head coach Sean Payton downplayed the seriousness of the procedure, Terrell’s colleague Larry Holder is skeptical, especially since Byrd just inked a six-year, $54MM ($26.3MM guaranteed) deal.
The Cowboys have acknowledged a contract extension for star receiver Dez Bryant is “a possibility,” but he’s not the only skill player on the roster in need of a new deal, as running back DeMarco Murray is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie pact. The Cowboys are a different team with Murray healthy, asserts ESPN’s Todd Archer, who considers what the team should reasonably be willing to pay to retain Murray’s services beyond 2014.
Eagles first-round pick Marcus Smith is working exclusively at Connor Barwin‘s “Jack” (left outside) linebacker position, which enables him to learn multiple responsibilities while honing his technique, writes csnphilly.com’s Matt Allibone.
Michael Wilhoite leads a group of 49ers linebackers vying to keep NaVorro Bowman‘s seat warm, writes Eric Branch on sfgate.com.
Who says fullbacks are a dying species? More love from Pro Football Focus, who tabs Collin Mooney as the Titans’ “Secret Superstar.”
With the departure of Antonio Smith, third-year defensive lineman Jared Crick has a chance to take on a more prominent role for the Texans, writes Dale Robertson in the Houston Chronicle.
The Jets have $23MM in cap space, notes ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini, who also states the team views Kyle Wilson as a slot corner, “nothing more.” Meanwhile, Cimini hears from scouts that Dimitri Patterson, projected to start outside opposite Dee Milliner, is actually better suited in the slot.
After losing Morocco Brown to the Browns, the Redskins have promoted Alex Santos to director of pro personnel, according to Zac Boyer of the Washington Times (via Twitter). Santos has spent the last six years as a pro scout.

NFC Notes: Saints, Washington, 49ers

May 30th, 2014 at 10:53pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Saints have a few positions battles that might not be decided until late in training camp, according to Rachel Whittaker of NOLA.com. She mentions options at starting center, as well as the overhaul of the receiving corps.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC:

Another position on the Saints that is left in limbo is the defensive backfield, writes Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com. The team knows who the starting safeties should be, but they have a deep group of cornerbacks behind Keenan Lewis fighting for the second corner job. The team gets Patrick Robinson back from injury, in addition to Corey White, free agent veterain Champ Bailey, and second-round pick Stanley-Jean Baptiste, among others. There are 11 cornerbacks on the 90-man roster, when only five made the final roster last season.
Recently suspended Cardinals‘ linebacker Daryl Washington stand to lose a lot of money due to his most recent transgressions, writes Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com. Washington will forfeit his 2014 base salary of $2.9MM and his prorated signing bonus of nearly $500,000, but will still have almost $13MM of potential earnings upon his return, as his current contract runs through 2017.
49ers‘ linebacker Michael Wilhoite and third-round pick Chris Borland will fight for a starting job at inside linebacker to begin 2014, writes Eric Branch of SFGate.com. The position is open due to NaVorro Bowman‘s injury at the end of the NFC Championship Game, and one of those two players could be lining up next to Patrick Willis at times in the upcoming season.
Jeremy Maclin is back with the Eagles, and head coach Chip Kelly is excited to have another weapon in his offensive arsenal, writes Andy Jasner of ESPN.com. “Mac’s doing a really good job, just getting back familiar with it. I was really excited about how he would fit into what we do because of what he can do. And then to lose him that early in camp was disappointing. You got a taste of him,” said Kelly. “But having him out there full speed running out there right now, he’s doing a really good job.”
The Falcons have a long list of expiring contracts on their roster, and as they move to more 3-4 opportunities on defense, they could be in store for a major overhaul in talent, writes David Choats of TheFalcoholic.com. They put together a list of these players who will be free agents in 2015.

Minor Moves: Lions, Chiefs, Raiders, Colts

April 21st, 2014 at 8:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Our posts on minor transactions typically focus on smaller-name players and under-the-radar moves. There are plenty of those today, as players accept contract tenders and teams bolster their rosters with camp bodies in time for 2014’s offseason workouts. Let’s round up today’s transactions…

Defensive end George Johnson has signed with the Lions, according to agent Brian Levy of Goal Line Football (Twitter link). Johnson has spent time with the Vikings and Buccaneers since 2011, though his regular-season playing time has been extremely limited.

Earlier updates:

Free agent wide receiver Kyle Williams has re-signed with the Chiefs, as he announced today on Twitter. Williams, a former 49er, was claimed by Kansas City off waivers last fall, but tore his ACL in late November. He’ll likely continue to rehab and recover throughout the summer, so he’s not expected to have a major role for the Chiefs in 2014.
The Lions have added a pair of cornerbacks to their roster, signing Aaron Hester and Nate Ness, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Hester was on the Broncos’ roster during the 2013 preseason, while Ness has bounced around among a handful of teams since going undrafted in 2009.
Raiders safety Brandian Ross and tackle Matt McCants have accepted and signed their exclusive rights free agent tenders from the club, the team announced via Twitter.
Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports a number of RFA and ERFA tender signings, via Twitter, as follows: Colts cornerback Josh Gordy has signed his $1.431MM tender; 49ers linebacker Michael Wilhoite has signed his ERFA tender; Giants center Dallas Reynolds has accepted his ERFA tender; and linebacker Adrian Hamilton and safety Anthony Levine have accepted their ERFA offers from the Ravens.

Contract Tenders: 49ers, Jaguars, Broncos

March 7th, 2014 at 4:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Players who have three years or less of NFL experience and no contract for 2014 continue to receive contract tenders from their current teams. For exclusive rights free agents, these tenders essentially represent the contracts they’ll be playing under in 2014, since ERFAs aren’t permitted to negotiate with any of the league’s other 31 teams. Restricted free agents, on the other hand, can accept these one-year contract offers, but will also have the freedom to negotiate with other suitors and perhaps sign an offer sheet once the free agent period begins.

Here are some of the latest ERFA and RFA contract tenders:

The 49ers extended a contract tender worth $1.431MM to restricted free agent Demarcus Dobbs, reports Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). The team also tendered ERFA linebacker Michael Wilhoite, says Pelissero.

Earlier updates:

The Falcons tendered cornerback Robert McClain with a $1.431MM offer, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. McClain was the team’s only restricted free agent this offseason.
The Jaguars tendered offers to wide receivers Mike Brown ($495K) and Kerry Taylor ($495K), offensive tackle Austin Pasztor ($570K), fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou ($570K), and tailback Jordan Todman ($645K), according to Pelissero (Twitter links). Todman, a former UConn notable, had only practice squad experience before making his on-field debut with the Jags in 2012. He had 256 yards and two scores on the ground with 14 catches, 116 receiving yards, and a touchdown through the air.
The Dolphins tendered offers to wide receiver Armon Binns ($495K) and linebacker Jonathan Freeny ($570K), Pelissero tweets.
More from Pelissero, who tweets that the Broncos have tendered offers to defensive end Mitch Unrein ($1.431M) and Brandon Marshall ($495K). Of course, that’s the Marshall who plays linebacker, not the star receiver.
The Lions have tendered offers to kick returner Jeremy Ross ($570K), linebacker Julian Stanford ($570K), cornerback Chris Greenwood ($570K), and tight end Matt Veldman ($420K), tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter) adds that wide receiver Kris Durham was also tendered an offer. Durham had an opportunity to shine when the Lions lost Nate Burleson to injury early in the season but he wasn’t able to break out even with double coverage on Calvin Johnson.
The Buccaneers are on the verge of tendering exclusive rights free agents Eric Page and Deveron Carr, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.