Orlando Scandrick - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Bowers, Cowboys, Eagles

May 13th, 2015 at 4:47pm CST by Luke Adams

A second-round pick just four years ago, Da’Quan Bowers hasn’t generated much interest on the free agent market this offseason — or at least not much that has been reported. However, with veteran free agents no longer tied to draft pick compensation after May 12, the former Buccaneers defensive end may soon find a home.

According to Jayson Braddock of ESPN 97.5 Houston (Twitter link), Bowers is paying a visit to New Orleans to meet with the Saints this week. Previously, Braddock reported (via Twitter) that the 25-year-old had narrowed his options down to the Lions and Dolphins, so it’s not clear whether those teams remain in the mix, or if they’ve moved on.

As we wait for an update on Bowers, let’s round up a few more items from around the NFL….

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed today that restructuring Brandon Carr‘s contract is a priority for the team this offseason, but no work has been completed yet on that front (Twitter link via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News). Meanwhile, Jerry’s son Stephen Jones said that the Cowboys’ meeting with Orlando Scandrick and agent Ron Slavin was productive, but he wouldn’t say whether the two sides will reach a new contract agreement (link via Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com).
The Eagles have announced in a press release that former Bears executive Dwayne Joseph has been hired as the team’s director of pro scouting, while Louis Clark has been promoted to senior director of pro personnel. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter links), who reported Joseph’s hiring earlier today, notes that the Bears tried hard to keep their associate director of pro personnel, but he chose to seek a better opportunity in Philadelphia.
Offensive lineman Austin Wentworth, who joined the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and was cut earlier this month, must end his playing career because of blood clots in his leg, as he tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. While the 25-year-old is currently walking with a limp, and will have to wear a brace for the rest of his life, he’s expected to walk normally eventually, according to Tomasson. Wentworth is currently on Minnesota’s reserve/non-football illness list.
Former Iowa State defensive end Cory Morrissey had agreed to terms on a three-year rookie contract with the Ravens as a UDFA, but ultimately decided to walk away from football instead, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun details.
Elsewhere at the Baltimore Sun, Jeff Zrebiec takes a closer look at what this week’s roster moves and decisions mean for the Ravens.

Cowboys Notes: Scandrick, Peterson, Carr

May 12th, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick has temporarily ended his boycott and is in Dallas meeting with team brass about his contract situation, Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram tweets. Scandrick is scheduled to earn just $1.5MM in base pay for 2015 and has been pushing for a new deal. Team EVP/COO Stephen Jones indicated late last month that he likely wouldn’t cave on the request, but today’s meeting could lead to a compromise between the two sides. Here’s more out of Dallas..

In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Bob Sturm of The Dallas Morning News why the Cowboys passed on selecting a running back in this year’s draft. While from the outside it may seem like the Cowboys’ inaction is a sign that they’re happy with their stable of running backs, Sturm hears that’s not the case at all from people inside the organization. Sturm goes round-by-round from the first round all the way to the fifth round and explains that their top tailback targets were off the board at every turn.
Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant told TMZ.com that he would love to play with Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, but he’s also not holding his breath. “The Vikings not lettin’ that happen, ’cause if they did, the league would know what would happen,” Bryant said. “That man is a monster.” Peterson, privately and publicly, has indicated that he would like to play for the Cowboys, but a trade to Dallas doesn’t seem terribly likely at this point for a number of reasons.
Todd Archer of ESPN.com ran down the Cowboys’ options when it comes to Brandon Carr. Archer writes that although some people view Byron Jones as solid insurance for the Cowboys in dealing with Carr, it doesn’t really diminish how much he’s needed, especially in the wake of Morris Claiborne‘s injury.

East Notes: Scandrick, Dolphins, Washington

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick is allegedly unsatisfied with the modest $1.5MM base salary he’s set to earn in 2015, and didn’t report to the club’s voluntary offseason program this week in the hopes of pushing for a new deal. While it’s possible the Cowboys relent at some point, EVP/COO Stephen Jones – appearing on 105.3FM in Dallas yesterday – didn’t make it sound like that would happen anytime soon, writes Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.

“He’s under contract, but not unlike a lot of players, they’d like to have more,” Jones said. “Orlando is under contract. If something makes sense for us to add some years or do something then we’ll take a look at that, but we just re-did Orlando’s contract a couple years ago and he’s been a really good football player for us. He’s a leader on this team, and we certainly need him out here. In my mind, he should be out here right now, working out.”

While we wait to see how the Scandrick saga plays out, here are a few more items from around the league’s two East divisions:

The Dolphins are bringing in several free agent offensive linemen today, intent on perhaps adding a veteran guard, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. According to Jackson, Jeff Linkenbach and Jeff Baca are among the players expected to get a look from the team.
Breshad Perriman‘s visit to Miami is happening today, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who tweets that the UCF wideout is visiting the Dolphins.
Mark Maske of the Washington Post examines the decision Washington is facing on Robert Griffin III‘s fifth-year option for 2016, citing one source who believes the team will pick up RGIII’s option following the draft.
Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links) passes along the names of a number of players participating in Washington‘s local prospect day, including Maryland wideout Stefon Diggs and many others.
Texas Southern cornerback Tray Walker is also visiting Washington today, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link).
The Jets are hosting Utah pass rusher Nate Orchard for a pre-draft visit today, tweets Pauline.

NFC East Notes: RGIII, JPP, Scandrick

April 20th, 2015 at 7:47pm CST by Zachary Links

There’s a lot of talk over whether Washington will exercise Robert Griffin III’s fifth-year option by May 3rd, but he’s not fretting it too much, as Jeff Darlington of NFL.com writes. “I wouldn’t be bummed,” Griffin said. “Either way, we’re going out there to prove it this upcoming year — not next year. I just want to win. I want to win games and have fun doing it. The rest will take care of itself. They can pick up the option — or they can decide not to pick up the option. It’ll work out either way. I’m focused on this year.” More from the NFC East..

The Giants have not made a long-term offer to Jason Pierre-Paul, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger. JPP, who had 12.5 sacks last season, was locked in on a one-year deal earlier this offseason. Now, the 26-year-old perhaps has a little bit of extra incentive to perform as he looks to land a big deal after this season.
As we learned this morning, Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick, whose modest $1.5MM salary places him below even most teams’ No. 2 corners, didn’t report to the first day of Dallas’ offseason program. As Albert Breer of the NFL Network points out (via Twitter), Scandrick has a $500K de-escalator in his deal tied to workouts, so he’ll risk a third of his 2015 salary if he continues to stay away from the team.
Washington safety and linebacker Shaq Thompson, who could be in play at No. 20 in the draft, visited the Eagles today, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).

East Notes: Dez, JPP, Giants, Mathis, Jets

April 20th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

Most teams around the NFL begin their voluntary offseason programs today, and a handful of players in the NFC East won’t be in attendance at their respective teams’ workouts. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the Cowboys will be without franchise player Dez Bryant and underpaid cornerback Orlando Scandrick, and Jordan Raanan of NJ.com reports that another franchise player, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, will be absent for the Giants.

Meanwhile, Eagles guard Evan Mathis, who attended the team’s voluntary workouts last spring amid trade rumors, won’t do the same this year, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who tweets that Mathis is staying away for now. Asked about his absence, the veteran offensive lineman jokingly replied, “I’m in Antarctica looking for frozen dinosaurs to extract their DNA and splice them with my chihuahuasaur” (Twitter link via McLane).

While we wish Mathis the best of luck on his Antarctic expedition, let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFL’s two East divisions:

The Jets likely won’t select Breshad Perriman with the sixth overall pick, when one or both of Kevin White and Amari Cooper could still be on the board, but New York is doing its homework anyway, hosting the UCF wideout for a visit today, a league source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
There’s a good chance that the Giants will re-sign safety Stevie Brown soon, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. According to Schwartz, Brown would like to return to New York, but wanted to see if he could do better than the one-year deal the Giants offered him. However, it doesn’t appear that any other potential suitors are willing to do a longer-term contract.
As the Giants continue to consider options at safety, Raanan tweets that Virginia defensive back Anthony Harris – who is capable of playing the free safety position – visited the team this weekend.
Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post has details on another Giants pre-draft meeting, reporting that Purdue running back Akeem Hunt is visiting the club today.

East Notes: Bills, Gresham, Barwin, Scandrick

March 20th, 2015 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

As the working week winds down, let’s round up a handful of Friday updates out of the NFL’s two East divisions….

Charles Clay was arguably the Bills‘ top target in free agency this month, and the team made sure that they landed him by signing him to an offer sheet that the Dolphins were unwilling to match. However, Clay wasn’t the only tight end the team was considering. According to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News, the Bills were “giving serious thought” to signing Jermaine Gresham before he underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc. Per Carucci’s source, the club would even have been willing to add both Clay and Gresham to the roster, if the former Bengal had been healthy.
Speaking to Howard Eskin on 94WIP in Philadelphia, outside linebacker Connor Barwin, who just received a new deal from the Eagles, said he’d like to play out the rest of his career in Philadelphia. Barwin estimated that he has another “four to six” years left in the NFL, as Andrew Porter of CBS Philly details.
Orlando Scandrick, the Cowboys‘ top cornerback, is scheduled to make just $10.5MM over the next four seasons, prompting Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com to wonder if the team should address Scandrick’s contract. As a point of comparison, Archer focuses on Keenan Lewis‘ situation in New Orleans, where the Saints didn’t increase Lewis’ overall pay, but guaranteed a good chunk of his salary and improved his cash flow.
Earlier this afternoon, the Dolphins re-signed safety Louis Delmas and running back LaMichael James.

NFL, NFLPA Announce New PED, Drug Policies

September 17th, 2014 at 10:55pm CST by Luke Adams

10:55pm: Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) has the breakdown of the new substance abuse policy.

A player will enter a program after one failed test and face a two game fine for a second failed test. From there it’s a four game fine for a third failed test, a four game suspension for a fourth flunked test, a ten game suspension for a fifth violation, and a one-year ban for a sixth failed test.

9:48am: The NFL and NFLPA have released a joint statement announcing changes to the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The press release doesn’t include details on the NFL’s new substance-abuse policy, but notes that those changes are expected to be announced soon as well, once the two sides finalize their agreement.

The new agreement on performance-enhancing drugs will allow Broncos wideout Wes Welker, Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick, and Rams receiver Stedman Bailey to return to their respective teams this week. The agreement was expected to make a few more players eligible for immediate reinstatement, but those three names are the only ones mentioned in the release, so presumably other suspended players will have to wait a little longer, or serve their full suspensions. Additionally, when the substance-abuse policy changes are finalized, several more players could be reinstated.

Here are some other highlights of the new policy, per the release:

HGH testing will be fully implemented this season.
Appeals of positive tests in the performance enhancing drug programs (including HGH) will be heard by third-party arbitrators jointly selected and retained by the NFL and NFLPA.
Discipline for violations of the performance enhancing drug policy (including for HGH) will be modified.
A first violation will result in a suspension without pay of up to six games depending on the nature of the violation. Use of a diuretic or masking agent will result in a suspension without pay of two games. Use of a steroid, stimulant, HGH or other banned substance will result in a suspension without pay of four games. Evidence of an attempt to manipulate a test will result in a suspension without pay of six games.
A second violation of the steroid policy will result in a suspension without pay of 10 games.
A third violation will result in banishment for a minimum of two years.
Players who test positive for banned stimulants in the offseason will no longer be suspended. Instead, the player will be referred to the substance abuse program. Players who test positive for banned stimulants during the season will continue to be suspended without pay for four games.

Cowboy Activate Scandrick; Weems To IR

September 17th, 2014 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

One of three players to be officially reinstated from suspension this morning, cornerback Orlando Scandrick has been re-added to the Cowboys’ 53-man roster today, according to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). Archer reports the team has placed offensive tackle Darrion Weems on IR with a shoulder injury to clear a spot for Scandrick.

Scandrick, 27, was initially suspended four games after a positive drug test, but because that test came during the current league year and because it was related to amphetamines, he will no longer have to serve the final two games of the ban, after the NFL and NFLPA announced changes to the league’s PED policy. The Cowboys’ secondary has held up reasonably well in Scandrick’s absence, particularly against Jake Locker and the Titans in Week 2, but the team will still very much welcome his return.

As for Weems, he was buried on the team’s depth chart behind swing tackle Jermey Parnell, and hadn’t seen a regular-season snap yet for the club. His season will likely be over, unless he’s eventually cut from injured reserve with a settlement.

New Drug Policy Likely Completed

September 16th, 2014 at 9:07pm CST by Zachary Links

9:07pm: As of 9pm CT, the suspended players still have not been informed of their reinstatement, tweets Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. That could just be a formality, but that can’t be safely assumed given the number of false alarms we’ve had over the last couple of weeks.

7:39pm: The NFL has begun informing players they’ve satisfied terms of suspensions and are reinstated, which is an indication that the new drug policy is finally finished, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. The agreement on a new policy should mean an instant reinstatement for Wes Welker and Orlando Scandrick (link). Meanwhile, the new policy means that it’ll officially be a ten game suspension for Josh Gordon, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

While Gordon, Welker, and Scandrick were probably the three biggest names waiting on a new drug policy, there are others that could potentially be affected by a revamped policy. Ravens safety Will Hill, Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner, and Dion Jordan and Reshad Jones of the Dolphins are just some of the players that could also conceivably be back in action with a change to the policy. Others, like Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson, probably won’t be reinstated, however.

In the case of Gordon, the new policy is good news for both his immediate football future and long-term finances. If Gordon isn’t given an additional suspension for his DUI, he can hit the open market after the 2015 season by playing in the Browns’ final six games this season. If he were to be suspended for an additional two games for the DUI, he wouldn’t earn that accrued season, meaning the Browns would get an extra year of team control on him. Earlier today we learned that the DUI won’t result in an automatic two-game timeout, but the NFL could still slap him with a suspension for the DUI given his track record of substance problems.

Welker, Scandrick, Others To Be Reinstated

September 15th, 2014 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Broncos wideout Wes Welker and Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick are among the players who will be reinstated when the term sheet for the league’s new drug policy is agreed upon, according to Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Facebook link). Welker and Scandrick are two of the estimated 20 players whose suspensions will be affected by the new policy once it’s approved by the NFL, which is expected to happen within the next 24 hours.

Besides Welker and Scandrick, Rams receiver Stedman Bailey, Giants offensive lineman Eric Herman, and former Vikings defensive end Spencer Nealy will also have the remaining games on their suspensions wiped out and will be reinstated immediately, according to the ESPN duo. Additionally, Browns wideout Josh Gordon and ex-Colts receiver LaVon Brazill will have their year-long bans reduced to 10 games.

That handful of players named by Schefter and Mortensen is far from the complete list of players who will be affected by the NFL’s new drug policy, but we may not get that full list of names until the agreement becomes official. In any case, it seems plenty of players who had originally been suspended through Week 3 will get the opportunity to return to their teams’ respective practices this week, and many of them could be active this coming Sunday.