HEADLINES

Niles Paul

Washington Rumors: Goldson, Thomas, Paul

March 23rd, 2016 at 8:33am CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday morning, Washington coach Jay Gruden addressed reporters at the owners’ meetings. Here’s everything you need to know:

  • Gruden said the door has not been shut on Dashon Goldson returning and he says it was a financial decision to release the safety, Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com tweets. He added that there have been talks with the veteran since his release (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post). Goldson was set to carry an $8MM cap figure in 2016 and while Washington wanted to keep him, they did not want to keep him at that rate. The veteran started 15 games for Washington last season, playing on more than 90% of the team’s defensive snaps. Goldson posted 70 tackles and one interception, grading as the No. 70 safety among 88 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
  • Gruden says that running back Pierre Thomas is still a possibility for Washington, El-Bashir tweets. Thomas, 31, spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career with the Saints, but saw his 2014 campaign derailed by injuries. In 2015, he had a cup of coffee with the 49ers before landing with Washington in December. In four games with Washington, Thomas carried the ball 11 times for 52 yards. He also added nine receptions for 84 yards.
  • Washington plans to use tight end Niles Paul at fullback on some occasions when he’s healthy even though it’s a position that they hardly used last year (Twitter links via Tesfatsion).
  • Washington will try out Will Blackmon and Deshazor Everett at safety, Tesfatsion tweets. “We’re thin in the secondary,” Gruden said.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/16/15

August 16th, 2015 at 8:31pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are Sunday’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL:

  • The Saints have released tight end Alex Smith, per Kristian Garic of WWL 870am (Twitter link). Smith, who signed with the Saints earlier this month, hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since 2013. He caught 163 passes and 13 touchdowns from 2005-13 as a member of four different teams.
  • The Dolphins have signed offensive lineman Bryant Browning, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Browning was previously a member of five other organizations since going undrafted out of Ohio State in 2011. He was last with the Steelers and has only suited up for one game – a 2011 contest with Carolina.
  • The Saints have waived long snapper Chris Highland, tweets Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com.

Earlier updates

  • The Cowboys cut receiver George Farmer and signed fellow wideout David Porter, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth-Star Telegram (Twitter link). Farmer signed with the Cowboys in May as an undrafted free agent out of USC. Porter, formerly of TCU, also went undrafted this year. He previously spent time with Denver.
  • After a rash of injuries at the position, Washington has signed a new tight end in Ernst Brun, the club announced. Brun, an undraftd free agent out of Iowa State, tried out for the team earlier today. Washington also officially placed tight ends Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen on injured reserve, and waived/injured running back Silas Redd.
  • The Falcons have signed RB Evan Royster, CB Travis Howard, and LB Terrell Manning, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The team has also cut OL DeMarcus Love.
  • The Browns have signed CB Aaron Ross and LB Everette Brown, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. The team waived OL Joe Madsen and DL Christian Tupou to make room for Ross and Brown. Ross, 32, was a key member of the Giants’ secondary when Big Blue captured Super Bowl titles in 2007 and 2011.
  • Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets that the Dolphins have cut offensive tackle Chris Martin.

Niles Paul Out For Season With Ankle Injury

August 13th, 2015 at 10:13pm CST by Luke Adams

10:13pm: Paul fractured and dislocated his ankle, and will be out for the entire 2015 season, Washington head coach Jay Gruden confirmed tonight (Twitter links via Mike Jones of the Washington Post).

8:18pm: Washington tight end Niles Paul dislocated his ankle during the team’s preseason game tonight, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). According to Rapoport, Paul will undergo an MRI to see if the ligaments are still intact.

Paul, who turned 26 on Sunday, had a breakout season for Washington in 2014, catching 39 balls for 507 yards, after having recorded just 14 receptions in his first three seasons. He had appeared poised to play a role in the offense once again this season, but his ankle injury figures to sideline him for at least part of the year.

In 2014, Paul’s teammate Robert Griffin III suffered a dislocated ankle and returned to the field seven weeks later. However, if Paul sustained significant ligament damage in addition to dislocating the ankle, it seems likely that he’d be on the shelf for longer than that.

Paul is the second Washington tight end whose season has been placed in jeopardy this week, as Logan Paulsen may require toe surgery that would sideline him for most or all of the year. Jordan Reed is also nursing a hamstring injury, though it’s not believed to be as serious.

Former Washington tight end Chris Cooley recently expressed interest in rejoining his old team, but John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link) says he’s been told a few times that Cooley isn’t an option for the club. Keim wonders if that stance will change at all, given Washington’s injury woes at the position.

Contract Details: Lynch, McCoy, Ingram, Paul

March 9th, 2015 at 11:36am CST by Luke Adams

There were some conflicting – or at least confusing – reports on Friday night about the value of Marshawn Lynch‘s new contract with the Seahawks, and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun provides some clarity today, via Twitter. According to Wilson, Lynch’s new three-year pact is worth $31MM, which features $15MM in guaranteed money, including a $7.5MM signing bonus.

Wilson has plenty more numbers on new contract agreements, so let’s round up those updates, with all links going to his Twitter unless otherwise indicated:

Washington Re-Signs Niles Paul

March 6th, 2015 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

Tight end Niles Paul won’t be reaching the open market next week, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that Paul is re-signing with Washington on a three-year contract that can earn him up to nearly $10MM.

Paul, 25, saw just 28 total targets during his first three seasons in the NFL, primarily serving as a blocker and a special-teamer in Washington. However, when Jordan Reed was sidelined early in the 2014 campaign, Paul got an extended look as a pass-catcher, and took advantage by setting new career highs in receptions (39) and receiving yards (507).

Reed’s deal may not be quite as lucrative as the initial report suggests — the fact that it’s worth “up to” almost $10MM suggests the report is coming from an agent, and that the base value will likely be lower. Still, it sounds like he’ll average at least $2.5-3MM on his new deal, which is a nice payday for a player who was only a part-time contributor before 2014.

Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com notes (via Twitter) that several teams would have been interested in Paul’s services if he had reached the open market. Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com had reported earlier in the week that the tight end was expected to be on the Falcons’ radar.

NFC Mailbags: Newton, Lions, McCarthy, Giants

February 14th, 2015 at 10:00am CST by Ben Levine

We checked out ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now shift our focus to the NFC…

  • If quarterbacks like Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco can average $20MM annually, David Newton believes Cam Newton could certainly be included in that group. Ultimately, the writer believes the Panthers quarterback will receive a contract totaling about $100MM.
  • Kicker Matt Prater and defensive back Rashean Mathis want to return to the Lions next season, according to Michael Rothstein. There has been some contact between the organization and the agents for the team’s multiple free agents, but the writer cautions that nothing’s been “locked down.”
  • Despite Mike McCarthy‘s interest in the personnel aspect of the league, the Packers head coach does not want to be the team’s general manager, writes Rob Demovsky. The writer says the coach’s recent shuffling of the coaching staff indicates that he’d like to get involved in other areas of coaching.
  • Dan Graziano doesn’t see any incentive for the Giants to pursue Ray Rice over any other running back.
  • Considering the linebacker’s age and injury history, John Keim can’t envision Washington investing too much money in Brian Orakpo. Meanwhile, the writer could see the team bringing back quarterback Colt McCoy, tight end Niles Paul, and “perhaps” running back Roy Helu and wideout Leonard Hankerson. Santana Moss is among the players Keim would be surprised to see return.

NFC East Notes: Beckham Jr., Bryant, Mathis

June 7th, 2014 at 2:07pm CST by Peter Sowards

After receiving a $5MM cap credit on June 1 for cutting offensive lineman David Baas in March, the Giants have just over $7MM to spend on fine-tuning the roster, writes Jordan Ranaan of NJ.com. 91 players are currently under contract for the G-Men, with a team cap of $124.98MM.

As Ranaan points out, $7MM might sound like a lot of money, but 20 teams have more room to spend. All seven 2014 draftees except for third-round defensive tackle Jay Bromley have signed their rookie deals, and it’s only a matter of time before the former Syracuse Orange joins the fold.

More news and notes from the AFC East below…

  • Giants first-round wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is being rested for precautionary reasons while recovering from a hamstring injury that sidelined him at OTAs, reports National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson. Beckham told reporters he’s also suffering from a tight back.
  • Cowboys quarterback Brandon Weeden waxed poetic about his former college and current pro teammate, Dez Bryant, per The Dallas Morning News’ Jon Machota. “He’s unbelievable at what he does,” Weeden said. “It’s the same stuff he did when he was 18 when he came in. I have said it when we came in the same year, he’s just a freak. The guy is probably the most passionate football player. He loves the game more than anyone I’ve ever been around.” Both players arrived at Oklahoma State in 2007. 
  • At a function honoring former Arkansas head football coach and athletic director Frank Broyles, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said nothing has made him prouder than to know the Arkansas Razorbacks — Jones’ Alma mater — will play at AT&T Stadium next season, tweets Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News Bureau.
  • Eagles guard Evan Mathis said the team is light years ahead of where it was compared to this time last year, reports CSNPhilly.com’s Michael Barkann. “This year, you can just see so much more confidence on the field. Everybody’s executing, it’s much more crisp, and that’s what you get with a year under this system.” 
  • Michael Bamiro has been working mainly at right guard on the Eagles‘ second-team offensive line, writes CSNPhilly.com’s Geoff Mosher.
  • According to a tweet by last year’s No. 4 overall pick Lane Johnson, the Eagles‘ rookie dinner totaled nearly $18k, including a $3,495 bottle of wine.
  • Eagles first-round pick Marcus Smith, who will be outside linebacker in Philadelphia’s base 3-4, was tabbed by National Football Post’s Greg Gabriel as one of five players to keep an eye on during the 2014 NFL Season.
  • Niles Paul, the Redskins wide receiver and core special teams player, is optimistic about a potential turnout for the ST unit under Ben Kotwica, the first-year coordinator, writes CSNWashington.com’s Tarik El-Bashir.
  • Training camp practices under new Redskins head coach Jay Gruden will likely start earlier, end later and feature a longer break in between sessions, reports CSNWashington.com’s Rich Tandler.
  • Learning his fifth offensive system in five years, Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy likes the fit in Washington and is eager to learn behind Kirk Cousins and Robert Griffin III, writes ESPN.com’s John Keim.