HEADLINES

Olivier Vernon

East Notes: Kerrigan, Bills, Dolphins, Cowboys

July 9th, 2014 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Redskins exercised their fifth-year option on outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan this offseason, ensuring that he remains under contract with the club through the 2015 season. As he tells Ben Breiner of the Muncie Star Press, Kerrigan is cautiously optimistic about an even longer stay in Washington: “I’m going to be a part of [the team] for at least an additional year and hopefully after that, even longer.”

The Redskins also have Brian Orakpo playing under the franchise tag in 2014, and selected Trent Murphy with the No. 47 pick in the ’14 draft, so it remains to be seen whether the club plans on keeping all three OLBs for the long term, or whether one will move on in the next year or two.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • Jerry Zremski of the Buffalo News surveyed a handful of local developers on where the Bills‘ next stadium should be built, assuming the team remains in Western New York. As Zremski writes, he wasn’t surprised when his investigation produced “plenty of ideas and little consensus.”
  • It was just two years ago that Cortland Finnegan inked a five-year, $50MM deal with the Rams, but after being released this offseason, he’s on a much more modest two-year contract with the Dolphins. According to James Walker of ESPN.com, early reports from the Miami coaching staff suggest the veteran cornerback could be in line for a bounceback performance in 2014.
  • Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon, who racked up 11.5 sacks last season, has left Rosenhaus Sports and is said to be meeting with other agents, tweets Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal.
  • Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News takes a look at the Cowboys’ left defensive end spot, where Anthony Spencer was re-signed by the team but isn’t being relied upon nearly as heavily as he has been in the past.

Extra Points: Davis, Hankins, Vernon, Brown

June 27th, 2014 at 12:00pm CST by Matt Feminis

“Vernon Davis sounds resigned as if he’ll report to 49ers training camp in 26 days without a new contract,” writes Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, and the tight end does not sound stressed about it.

Here’s more lunchtime links:

  • Giants 2013 second-round pick Johnathan Hankins came on strong down the stretch last season and is poised to inherit the nose tackle position vacated by Linval Joseph, who signed a free-agent deal with the Vikings, writes NJ.com’s Jordan Raanan.
  • Eagles defensive end Cedric Thornton was terrific against the run last season, but he’s making a concerted effort to improve his hand use and pass-rushing ability. In a story by CSNPhilly.com’s Geoff Mosher, Thornton says part of his motivation came from his wife telling him, “You only had one sack.”
  • Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon‘s stock is on the rise, says ESPN’s James Walker: “The former third-round pick exploded on the scene and led the Dolphins with 11.5 sacks…Vernon had another strong offseason, capped by his 2 1/2 sacks in Miami’s team scrimmage last week. Not only that, Vernon beat Dolphins Pro Bowl left tackle Branden Albert for two of his sacks…Vernon looks poised to hold onto his starting job and keep former No. 3 overall pick Dion Jordan on the bench.”
  • Tarell Brown‘s one-year, $3.5MM deal is the Raiders’ best contract, while Sebastian Janikowski‘s four-year, $15.1MM deal — which “ranks in the top 10 of the Raiders annual salary structure, top 3 in total value for the team among veterans, and first overall among kickers in the NFL” — is the worst, in the opinion of OverTheCap.com’s Jason Fitzgerald.
  • Chiefs injury plagued tight end Tony Moeaki is on the bubble, explains ESPN’s Mike Rodak.
  • Same goes for Jaguars safety Josh Evans, thinks ESPN’s Michael DiRocco: “Evans will have to prove early in camp that he’s completely healthy and is more consistent than he was as a rookie. If he doesn’t, he’ll lose reps and could end up being the first David Caldwell draft pick who gets cut.”