HEADLINES

Mike Wallace

Dolphins Rumors: Hartline, Wallace, Skuta

February 27th, 2015 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Dolphins made a roster move this morning, announcing the release of wide receiver Brian Hartline, which will create more than $3MM in cap savings. A few of today’s Dolphins-related rumors stem directly from that transaction, so let’s dive in and round them up….

  • According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Hartline had been open to the idea of reducing his salary to remain with the Dolphins, but the team is not believed to have made an offer. A source close to Hartline tells Salguero that the wideout is disappointed by the move, but would like to land with a team closer to his native Ohio, and will prioritize clubs with accomplished quarterbacks. The Colts are one possibility, per Salguero.
  • Following up on a Thursday report that suggested Mike Wallace isn’t interested in restructuring his contract, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald confirms that the receiver is at least uninterested in taking a pay cut. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk confirms with a source that there’s no roster bonus or other trigger in Wallace’s deal for March that would force the Dolphins to make a quick decision on the wideout. However, the $3MM guarantee on his deal has offset language, so if the team decides to cut Wallace, doing so sooner rather than later could be advantageous.
  • 49ers linebacker Dan Skuta, who is capable of playing both inside and outside, is on the list of free agents the Dolphins like, writes Jackson.
  • Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter links) has heard from multiple people that new head of football operations Mike Tannenbaum actually has his eye on the 2016 season rather than 2015. As Beasley points out, that means the possibility of a roster purge is in play, though he’s skeptical that head coach Joe Philbin and GM Dennis Hickey would support a rebuild, given their potentially their job security.

Mike Wallace Not Interested In Restructure

February 26th, 2015 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

The Dolphins are reportedly exploring the possibility of trading Mike Wallace, but all options appear to be in play for the veteran wide receiver, meaning the team could also ultimately decide to keep him or to cut him. However, Wallace doesn’t seem to be interested in one potential solution, according to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, who hears from sources that the wideout has told the team he’s not interested in restructuring the final three years of his contract.

Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald also weighed in on the Wallace situation this morning, and noted that he has “severe doubts” Wallace would accept a pay cut, which makes sense. If he were to refuse a pay cut and the Dolphins were forced to cut him, Wallace – who is still just 28 years old – could likely do well on the open market. It’s a little curious that he wouldn’t be open to a simple restructure though. Such a move would simply move money around, ensuring that Wallace receives more up front in the form of a signing bonus, rather than in 2015 base salary, so he wouldn’t be taking a pay cut in that scenario.

Still, as Kelly points out, the former Steeler has expressed discomfort with the conservative nature of the Dolphins’ offense, so it’s possible he’s just interested in a change of scenery. After averaging nearly 1,100 receiving yards and nine touchdowns per season during his final three years in Pittsburgh, Wallace has averaged less than 900 yards and eight TDs in his two seasons catching balls from Ryan Tannehill.

With Wallace owed a $3MM roster bonus on the fifth day of the new league year, the Dolphins figure to make their decision on the receiver one way or the other within the next couple weeks. Salguero suggests that it’s hard to imagine the two sides working something out and Wallace wearing a Dolphins jersey in Week 1 of the 2015 season, so it looks likely that the two sides will part ways.

If Miami can’t find a trade partner, that means the club will cut Wallace, absorbing the $9.6MM in dead money left on his deal. Salguero notes that the team would likely designate the 28-year-old a post-June 1 cut, in which case that $9.6MM would be split up over two years — $5.2MM in 2015 and $4.4MM in 2016.

For his part, new Dolphins head of football operations Mike Tannenbaum declined to comment earlier this morning on the trade rumors surrounding Wallace (Twitter link via SiriusXM NFL Radio).

East Notes: Bills, Cowboys, Eagles, Dolphins

February 19th, 2015 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Based on comments made by Bills general manager Doug Whaley today, Joe Buscaglia of WGR550 (Twitter link) believes free-agents-to-be C.J. Spiller, Brandon Spikes, and Da’Norris Searcy will be allowed to explore their options on the open market next month. Conversely, it sounds like the team badly wants to re-sign Marcus Easley prior to March 10 (Twitter link).

Let’s round up several more items relating to the league’s East teams….

  • While Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray are receiving most of the attention in Dallas this offseason, linebacker Rolando McClain is also someone the team is “very interested” in re-signing, according to Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones (link via Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
  • The Cowboys were pleased with Brandon Weeden‘s work as Tony Romo‘s backup in 2014, but won’t rule out the possibility of upgrading at that spot if the opportunity presents itself, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. “Everybody is always competing in this league,” Jones said. “There is nobody guaranteed anything. That includes Weeden and everybody.”
  • Prior to their release of tight end James Casey today, the Eagles didn’t have any discussions about reducing Casey’s salary and keeping him, tweets Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. According to Bowen, the veteran is looking for a bigger role than he had in Philadelphia, so he may get that opportunity with a new team.
  • Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com believes the Eagles may find a logical trade partner in the Buccaneers, since GM Jason Licht hasn’t been shy about making deals since taking over the job. In Mosher’s view, Bucs safety Dashon Goldson makes sense as a trade target for Philadelphia.
  • The issue for the Dolphins when it comes to Mike Wallace isn’t as simple as cutting or keeping the veteran wideout, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, who writes that the team is almost certainly trying to restructure Wallace’s deal, or get him to take a pay cut.

East Notes: Wallace, Cowboys, Foles

February 8th, 2015 at 8:44am CST by Rory Parks

The future of Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace has been up in the air virtually since the ink dried on the five-year, $60MM deal he signed with Miami in 2013. Even before the 2014 season began, we heard that Wallace could be on the trading block, and questions regarding his status with the team arose again within the past couple of weeks.

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Wallace and GM Dennis Hickey recently had a meal together, suggesting that Miami is open-minded about retaining Wallace and will not release him without first determining whether the situation is salvageable. Jackson breaks down the cap ramifications of whatever decision the team ultimately makes, noting that the Dolphins will absorb a $12.1MM cap hit if Wallace is on the team, $9.6MM if he is cut without a post-June 1 designation, $6.6MM if he is traded, and $5.2MM if he is cut with a post-June 1 designation (which also would entail a 2016 cap hit).

Now let’s take a look at a few more links from the league’s east divisions:

  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com previews the Jets‘ quarterback options this offseason, writing that the team is likely to bring in a veteran quarterback and a rookie signal-caller to challenge Geno Smith. Cimini names Ryan Fitzpatrick as a particularly viable veteran option if he is released by the Texans. Fitzpatrick knows new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey‘s system well from the time the two spent together in Buffalo.
  • Finding a way to retain both Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray is at the top of the Cowboys‘ priority list this offseason, but Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News writes that Dallas desperately needs to draft upgrades at every level of its defense. George goes on to examine the state of the team’s defensive line, linebackers, and secondary.
  • Former Pro Bowl tackle Tra Thomas, who served as a coaching intern and offensive assistant coach with the Eagles for the past several seasons, says that the team needs a running quarterback in order to effectively run Chip Kelly‘s offense. As Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com notes, Thomas’ comment is interesting because “it is the closest thing the Eagles have had to a coach…coming out and saying [Kelly] needs a running quarterback,” and because the questions surrounding Nick Foles‘ status with the team are rooted in the fact that he is incapable of beating teams with his legs.
  • Speaking of the Eagles‘ quarterback situation, NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock has said that former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is a “projection” for every team in the league except Philadelphia (link via Tucker Bagley of PhillyMag.com).
  • Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com examines the emphasis that new Washington GM Scot McCloughan will place on player development.

 

AFC East Notes: Tannehill, Dolphins, Jets, Bills

January 21st, 2015 at 3:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking today to reporters, including Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey had nothing but praise for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. While Hickey didn’t commit to picking up Tannehill’s fifth-year option for 2016, Beasley views that as a lock at this point, and suggests that the two sides could even work out a longer-term agreement this offseason.

Let’s round up a few more items on the Dolphins and some of their AFC East rivals…

  • Asked about the future of wide receiver Mike Wallace with the Dolphins, Hickey was noncommittal, and certainly wasn’t as effusive with his praise for Wallace as he was for Tannehill, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The GM made it clear that the decision on Wallace would be a collaborative effort that would involve head coach Joe Philbin and new executive VP of football operations Mike Tannenbaum.
  • Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Karl Dorrell, who worked with Todd Bowles in Miami, is expected to join the Jets‘ staff, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). It’s not yet clear what Dorrell’s role in New York would be, but he has worked as a quarterbacks coach and a receivers coach in the past.
  • Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf, who advised the Jets during the team’s search for a general manager and head coach, are done with the club for now, but aren’t ruling out potentially continuing the relationship in the future, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • The Bills‘ front office continues to undergo some changes under new ownership, according to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has fired director of pro personnel Tom Gibbons. Gibbons’ contract had been set to expire in June, after this year’s draft.

AFC Notes: Raiders, Broncos, Wallace, Jets

January 16th, 2015 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Addressing reporters at Jack Del Rio‘s introductory press conference today, Raiders owner Mark Davis announced that CFO Marc Badain had been named team president, and indicated that Del Rio “has all the resources he needs” to go out and hire assistant coaches (Twitter links via Ian Rapoport and Albert Breer). And it appears that Del Rio has taken advantage of those resources to land his first offensive assistant — Michael Silver of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that the Raiders will hire Falcons assistant Mike Tice to coach their offensive line. The Falcons had previously been reluctant to grant Tice permission to speak to the Raiders, but were convinced to change their stance after Tice pleaded his case, tweets Silver. Oakland is also expected to formally contact Marc Trestman soon about the team’s offensive coordinator position, says Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).

Here’s more from across the AFC, as the week winds down and we look forward to championship weekend:

  • The Broncos have concluded their head coaching interview with Bengals defensive backs coach Vance Joseph, the club announced today (via Twitter). Having now adhered to the Rooney Rule, Denver is free to hire Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak if this Sunday’s meeting between the two sides goes well. With Teryl Austin and Doug Marrone having canceled their interviews, Kubiak is the only candidate currently scheduled to meet with the team.
  • Speaking today to reporters, including Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link), Dolphins owner Stephen Ross indicated that he doesn’t think “anyone really knows” whether wide receiver Mike Wallace will be back with the team for the 2015 season. Wallace will count for $12.1MM against the cap in 2015, a significant figure, though not as high as 2014’s $17.25MM cap hit.
  • With the status of players like Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas uncertain heading into the offseason, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton recognizes that he may not be the Broncos‘ No. 1 priority among free-agents-to-be, but he has “made it clear” that he wants to remain with the team, as he tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
  • New Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan has started making changes to the team’s front office, parting ways with senior director of college scouting Terry Bradway and director of college scouting Jeff Bauer, the team announced in a press release. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), personnel executive Rod Graves isn’t expected to return either. Mehta reports (via Twitter) that Maccagnan would like to hire Rams scout Brian Heimerdinger – whom he worked with in Houston – to the Jets’ front office. The new GM is also set to hire former Jaguars GM Gene Smith, as had been previously reported, tweets Mehta.
  • The Jets would like to talk to former Raiders quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo about the same position in New York, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
  • Bills quarterback E.J. Manuel, who is still a year away from becoming eligible for a contract extension, has changed agent, signing with Eugene Parker of Relativity Sports, tweets Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal.

AFC East Notes: Wallace, Caserio, Bills

December 28th, 2014 at 8:53pm CST by Rob DiRe

Dolphins‘ receiver Mike Wallace was benched during today’s game against the Jets for what was apparently an attitude problem, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (via Twitter). Breer highlights this as a situation to watch going forward into the offseason.

Wallace is signed through 2017, with cap numbers of $12.1MM, $13.7MM, and $13.7MM the next three seasons. The team would only save $2.5MM by cutting him this offseason, according to OverTheCap.com.

Here are some other notes from around the AFC East:

  • The Patriots extended the contract of director of player personnel Nick Caserio earlier today, and one reason for this could be the opinion of head coach Bill Belichick, writes Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. “He contributes in a lot of different ways, and I’m glad I have him. I need him,” Belichick said. “He probably does more than any other person in his position in the league in terms of his amount of responsibility and the number of different things at the coaching and scouting level. He’s really a valuable guy that has great working knowledge of really everything that we do on the scouting end and the coaching end.”
  • Bills‘ CEO Russ Brandon and head coach Doug Marrone both confirmed that they do not have any scheduled meetings with new owners Terry and Kim Pegula, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. “I’m sure at some point we’ll get into some more in-depth meetings,” Brandon said. “There’s nothing scheduled at this point. I talk to Terry all the time, and I have nothing on the books right now for any meetings.” Marrone confirmed that he had not been contacted regarding a meeting.
  • Marrone has three days after the end of the season to opt out of his contract with the Bills due to a change in ownership, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio does not believe Marrone will exercise this clause in his contract.
  • Bills‘ running back Fred Jackson earned an incentive of $150,000 in the team’s Week 17 victory over the Patriots, reports Rodak (via Twitter).

Extra Points: Fairley, Wallace, Vaccaro

August 16th, 2014 at 12:50pm CST by Matt Feminis

Lions enigmatic defensive tackle Nick Fairley has quickly worked his way into new head coach Jim Caldwell’s doghouse. Fairley been demoted to the second unit, and if that was meant to be a motivational ploy, it doesn’t seem to be working. In his review of the Lions’ second preseason game, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press said Fairley “might as well have not even played. Watching Fairley intently throughout the second quarter, he rarely got any push up front and only once stumbled into a tackle.”

Here’s a handful more miscellaneous news and notes from around the league:

  • Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez took an insightful look into Mike Wallace‘s slow adjustment to joining the Dolphins. Things are looking up, though, in Year Two, according to head coach Joe Philbin: “The comfort level [Wallace] has with the entire program is miles ahead of where he was a year ago at training camp. Maybe we underestimated just the sheer adjustment of a player moving from one program to another. I think he’s more comfortable in the locker room and with the coaching staff and feels better about his relationships with the quarterbacks.”
  • Saints second-year safety Kenny Vaccaro is establishing himself as a defensive playmaker and leader by example, writes Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune: “[Vaccaro] might have the most swagger of any Saints defender since Darren Sharper. He’s good — and he knows it. And that’s not a bad thing. The Saints’ defense is loaded with alpha males, but Vaccaro is elbowing his way to the head of the pack.”
  • Ryan Griffin is making a legitimate run at becoming Drew Brees‘ backup, according to ESPN’s Mike Triplett. A second-year pro, Griffin went undrafted out of Tulane, but earned a spot on the practice squad before spending the final 10 games on the active roster. “Griffin, 24, continues to show a combination of poise and confidence that belies his lack of experience,” says Triplett. If the Saints are to keep just two quarterbacks, they will have to choose between Griffin’s upside and experience of 33-year-old veteran Luke McCown.
  • Rookie nose tackle Louis Nix III is one of five Texans Houston Chronicle writer John McClain will be watching tonight. Nix practiced this week for the first time since having his knee scoped before camp. “They expect him to compete for a starting job,” says McClain. “They traded into the third round to get Nix (6-2, 331), who has the ideal build for a 3-4 nose tackle who’s supposed to tie up two blockers…If Nix stays healthy and keeps his weight under control, he can be an ideal fit for Romeo Crennel’s scheme.”
  • Ravens defensive lineman Kapron Lewis-Moore, a teammate of Nix III at Notre Dame, suffered a torn Achilles tendon, had surgery yesterday and is expected to be sidelined 6-8 months, reports Aaron Wilson in the Baltimore Sun. The injury is a tough break to say the least for Kapron-Moore, who also missed last season because of a torn ACL suffered in the 2013 BCS Championship against Alabama.

AFC East Links: Wallace, Johnson, Robey

July 5th, 2014 at 10:44am CST by Matt Feminis

Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace, who signed a five-year, $60MM deal ($30MM guaranteed) last year, did not have the big-play impact he or the team was hoping for last season. Wallace played all 16 games and tallied 73 catches, but he scored just five touchdowns and averaged 12.7 yards per catch, the lowest mark of his five-year career. ESPN’s James Walker says “former offensive coordinator Mike Sherman seemed lost with how to use his newfound toy. Miami’s offense with Wallace was too predictable and it impacted everyone’s production.”

Walker also says the arrival of new coordinator Bill Lazor is reason for optimism, but Wallace is also dependent on the offensive line (which will have five new starters) to give quarterback Ryan Tannehill time to connect with his No. 1 deep threat. Tannehill was sacked 58 times last year and his deep ball accuracy was below 33 percent per Pro Football Focus.

Here’s a few more AFC links:

  • Chris Johnson “is the Jets’ most accomplished skill-position player since LaDainian Tomlinson,” asserts ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Despite Johnson’s downward career trend, Cimini points out Johnson’s string of 1,000-yard seasons and his “extraordinary” durability. The Jets are hoping Johnson’s “home run” ability adds a quick-strike element to their offense.
  • New Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has been impressed with the talent in his secondary, including the nickel back combatants Nickell Robey and Corey Graham, writes A.J. Devine on BuffaloBills.com.
  • The Patriots specialists appear to be set with the exception of long snapper, where fourth-year pro Danny Aiken will try to hold off undrafted free agent Tyler Ott, notes ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss.
  • At the beginning of the week, Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus provided some AFC East depth chart update notes. Among them, he says Patriots defensive lineman Sealver Siliga was “above average” last season and is deserving of more snaps.

AFC East Notes: Jets’ QBs, Pats’ TEs, Woods

June 1st, 2014 at 9:48am CST by Rory Parks

As our Zach Links wrote several days ago, Jets‘ offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has tilted the team’s quarterback competition in favor of second-year man Geno Smith, but Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com wonders if that is a good idea. Cimini writes that there are benefits and drawbacks to both Smith and Michael Vick, so a truly open competition would eliminate any confusion and would also create a “best-man-wins scenario.”

Let’s take a quick look around the rest of the AFC East:

  • In the same piece, Cimini writes that although Jets‘ right guard Willie Colon is expected to be fully healthy by training camp, his injury has revealed the glaring lack of experienced depth along the team’s offensive line, which Cimini believes should be addressed with a veteran acquisition or two.
  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes that, since we have reached that magical June 1 date, the Patriots are in a good position to add quality depth to their tight end group by signing a player like Dustin Keller or Jermichael Finley.
  • In a separate piece, Reiss empties out his notebook from the Patriots‘ first week of OTAs.
  • The Bills primarily utilized the unique route-running ability of departed wide receiver Stevie Johnson out of the slot last season, and head coach Doug Marrone believes Robert Woods can excel in that role, writes Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News.
  • Much like Philadelphia’s Chip Kelly, new Dolphins offensive coordinator Bill Lazor utilizes a system that focuses on tempo, and James Walker of ESPN.com examines the budding relationship between Lazor and third-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill and Lazor’s expectations for his young signal-caller.
  • In a separate piece, Walker wonders if Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace is ready to break out in 2014.
Load More Posts