HEADLINES

Paul Worrilow

Eagles To Sign LB Paul Worrilow

April 3rd, 2018 at 10:00am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Eagles have agreed to terms with free agent linebacker Paul Worrilow, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). It’s a one-year deal, per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

Worrilow, 27, played on the majority of the Falcons’ snaps from 2013-15, but has since been relegated to backup duty. A former undrafted free agent, Worrilow spent the 2017 campaign with the Lions, where he started eight games but saw only 25% playtime, third-most among Detroit linebackers. Instead, most of his action came on special teams, where Worrilow played more than 60% of the Lions’ snaps. All told, Worrilow managed 20 tackles, one fumble recovery, and one pass defensed during his lone season in the Motor City.

Philadelphia ranked 16th in special teams DVOA a season ago, and the club has since added reserve linebackers with ST experience. Worrilow joins fellow free agent addition Corey Nelson and incumbent Kamu Grugier-Hill as ‘backers who will see most of their time on special teams, as Nigel Bradham, Jordan Hicks, and Mychal Kendricks are currently projected to start in the Eagles’ base 4-3 defense.

Lions LB Paul Worrilow To Miss 2-4 Weeks

October 2nd, 2017 at 2:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Lions linebacker Paul Worrilow suffered a MCL strain on Sunday and is expected to miss two-to-four weeks, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).Paul Worrilow (Vertical)

Worrilow, signed away from the Falcons this spring, has started two games for Detroit in 2017 and served as a full-time player in base packages. That means he’s playing on roughly a third of the club’s defensive snaps, and he’s managed six tackles in that capacity. Perhaps Worrilow’s most critical role has come on special teams, however, where he’s seen action on nearly 80% of the Lions’ plays. Detroit is typically excellent on special teams under general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Jim Caldwell, and this year is no different, as the team ranks first in ST DVOA.

Steve Longa is Worrilow’s direct backup, so he could be in for increased snaps (he’d played just two heading into Week 4). Veteran Nick Bellore and rookie Jalen Reeves-Maybin are also on Detroit’s roster and could see more usage.

Contract Details: Jones, Gresham, Church

March 13th, 2017 at 12:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the details of some recently-signed contracts:

Lions To Sign Paul Worrilow

March 8th, 2017 at 5:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions have agreed to sign linebacker Paul Worrilow to a one-year deal, reports Dave Birket of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links).Paul Worrilow

Worrilow, 26, acted as a starter for the Falcons for a three-year run from 2013-15, but last year lost his starting job to rookie Deion Jones. The former undrafted free agent still appeared in 12 games, but made only one start, racking up 18 tackles and two fumble recoveries. Despite not playing much of a role on defense, Worrilow was a stalwart on special teams, where he managed to play on more than half Atlanta’s snaps.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn has shown a willingness to pay for special teams play during his year in the Motor City, and it’s possible that’s the role Worrilow will play in Detroit. But he could also earn an opportunity on defense, where the Lions’ only two established linebackers are Tahir Whitehead and DeAndre Levy, the latter of whom can’t seem to stay healthy. Worrilow is an early-down run thumper, but that position has its value.

Extra Points: Foster, Worrilow, 49ers, Chip

March 3rd, 2017 at 9:51pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

In a development that could hurt his draft stock, Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster is being sent home from the combine after he and a hospital worker engaged in a “heated argument,” reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter links). What’s more, Foster’s combine interviews didn’t go particularly well, per Matt Miller of Bleacher Report and Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Foster was supposed to continue interviews with teams Saturday, but he’ll instead head home to Tuscaloosa. As of last week, one club had Foster ranked as the third-best player in this year’s class. He at least looked like a shoo-in top 10 pick prior to Friday, though that’s now in question.

As we wait for more on Foster, let’s take a look around the NFL:

  • Falcons impending free agent linebacker Paul Worrilow has drawn interest from the Patriots, Lions, Eagles and Colts leading up to March 9, relays Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). The 26-year-old wasn’t much of a factor last season as a member of the NFC champions, with whom he collected one start and 18 tackles in 12 games. But Worrilow did garner significant playing time with the Falcons from 2013-15, when he logged 47 appearances, 42 starts and made between 95 and 143 tackles in each season. Worrilow also totaled four sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions during that three-year span.
  • Former Eagles and 49ers head coach Chip Kelly hasn’t been able to find an NFL job this offseason, even as an assistant, and is now trying to break into the media ranks. Kelly auditioned for FOX last week, tweets Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson.
  • Kelly’s successor in San Francisco, Kyle Shanahan, isn’t impressed with the 49ers’ pass catchers, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. When asked which of the 49ers’ receivers and tight ends have stood out on film, Shanahan said, “No one in particular,” and added that the club will look for help this offseason. Jeremy Kerley and Quinton Patton, the 49ers’ top receivers from 2016, are set to become free agents, making the need to add options all the more obvious. San Francisco might pursue Alshon Jeffery in free agency, and signing him would give the team a much-needed No. 1 target.
  • Defensive guru Monte Kiffin is leaving the Jaguars to join up with son Lane Kiffin at Florida Atlantic University, Alex Marvez of The Sporting News writes. The elder Kiffin, 77, only spent one season in Jacksonville, where he worked as a defensive assistant.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Cards, Falcons, Fins, 49ers

September 21st, 2016 at 9:55pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cardinals made an under-the-radar move in sending a 2018 seventh-round pick to Kansas City for cornerback Marcus Cooper on Sept. 2. Cooper failed to register a tackle in his Week 1 Cardinals debut, but he racked up seven and intercepted two passes, one of which he returned for a touchdown, in the team’s 40-7 win over the Buccaneers last Sunday. As a result, Cooper earned NFC defensive player of the week honors.

Cardinals general manager Steve Keim spoke to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic earlier this week about acquiring Cooper, saying, “We liked him coming out of Rutgers (2013) and he fit what we did schematically. He’s longer. And from Quentin Harris to Terry to all of our pro scouts, to Adrian Wilson to Malik Boyd, they all loved what he did on tape in the preseason. He was a guy we focused on. We weren’t sure if he was going to be released or not but liked him enough to call John Dorsey (Chiefs general manager) to see if he’d be willing to move Marcus for a conditional pick.”

Cooper’s picks Sunday were his first since his rookie year, 2013, when he hauled in three. In three seasons with KC, he made 38 appearances and totaled 11 starts.

More from around the NFL:

  • Falcons linebacker Paul Worrilow suffered a groin injury and will miss three to four weeks, his agent told D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Worrilow has been the Falcons’ leading tackler over the past three seasons. Prior to Worrilow’s injury, second-round rookie Deion Jones knocked him out of the starting lineup.
  • Dolphins running back Arian Foster is a long shot to play Sunday, but there is a chance he’ll play in two weeks, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Foster is dealing with a groin injury on top of his hamstring issue.
  • The 49ers worked out linebackers Curtis Grant, Kyrie Wilson and Josh Kaddu on Wednesday, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Grant ended up joining their practice squad.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Falcons’ Paul Worrilow Signs RFA Tender

March 16th, 2016 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran linebacker Paul Worrilow has signed his restricted free agent tender from the Falcons, officially removing him from the free agent market, the team announced today (via Twitter). Worrilow received a second-round tender, worth $2.553MM.Paul Worrilow

Manning the middle of the Falcons’ defense, Worrilow has been the team’s leading tackler in his first three seasons in the NFL. The former undrafted free agent, who turns 26 in May, has averaged 122 tackles from 2013 to 2015, and grabbed the first two interceptions of his career in 2015.

Still, Pro Football Focus ranked Worrilow 80th out of 97 qualified linebackers, based on the site’s 2015 grades. PFF was particularly hard on Worrilow’s performance as a run defender, grading him a bit higher for his coverage and pass-rush skills. The Falcons recently brought in veteran free agent James Laurinaitis for a visit, so it seems the team is mulling other options at the middle linebacker spot, even after retaining the incumbent MLB.

Worrilow’s $2.5MM+ base salary for 2016 is non-guaranteed, but assuming he plays out the season on the deal, he’ll become eligible for unrestricted free agency next winter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Falcons To Tender RFAs Worrilow, Schraeder

March 7th, 2016 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

The Falcons intend to extend second-round tender offers to restricted free agent linebacker Paul Worrilow and offensive tackle Ryan Schraeder, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The contract tenders will be worth $2.553MM, and will keep Worrilow and Schraeder from becoming unrestricted free agents.Paul Worrilow

Manning the middle of the Falcons’ defense, Worrilow has been the team’s leading tackler in his first three seasons in the NFL. The former undrafted free agent, who turns 26 in May, has averaged 122 tackles from 2013 to 2015, and grabbed the first two interceptions of his career in 2015.

Still, Pro Football Focus ranked Worrilow 80th out of 97 qualified linebackers, based on the site’s 2015 grades. PFF was particularly hard on Worrilow’s performance as a run defender, grading him a bit higher for his coverage and pass-rush skills. The Falcons are reportedly bringing in veteran free agent James Laurinaitis for a visit today, so it seems the team is mulling other options at the middle linebacker spot, even as they prepare to tender Worrilow.

Pro Football Focus was significantly higher on Schraeder’s performance as Atlanta’s right tackle. In his first season starting all 16 games for the club, the Valdosta State product graded as PFF’s fifth overall tackle, earning PFF’s fourth-best pass-blocking grade at the position.

The Falcons will receive a second-round pick as compensation if another team signs either player to an offer sheet that Atlanta decides not to match.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Okung, Rams, V. Miller

February 26th, 2016 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Offensive tackle Russell Okung, who will be representing himself in free agency, confirmed to Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com that he has had some conversations with the Seahawks about a new deal. According to Okung, the two sides have been “going back and forth” and still may “figure something out” before the veteran tackle hits the open market.

“It’s very possible that I could stay here,” Okung said. “But I know my value, and I’m not going to settle for anything less than that. If it works out, great. And if it doesn’t, that’s great as well.”

Let’s check out a few more Friday updates on pending free agents around the NFL….

  • The Rams have made a five-year contract offer to cornerback Janoris Jenkins, but haven’t yet formally proposed a multiyear deal to their other free agent corner, Trumaine Johnson, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the team prefers Jenkins, or won’t re-sign Johnson. Cole believes that one of the two free agent corners will get a franchise or transition tag from Los Angeles, which would allow the club to focus on negotiations with the other player.
  • While the secondary remains their top priority, the Rams would also like to re-sign veteran center Tim Barnes, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “The plan at center is, hey, I’ll give Tim Barnes credit, he’s one of those guys we’d like to get back,” GM Les Snead said. “At the end of the day, we didn’t think he was a weak link so we definitely want to get him back.”
  • According to Cole (video link), the Broncos and Von Miller‘s reps are meeting at the combine, but the expectation from Miller’s side is that the team will use its franchise tag on the star pass rusher rather than getting a long-term deal done within the next few days.
  • The Panthers met in Indianapolis with Josh Norman‘s agent, but didn’t make a whole lot of progress, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. Still, talks are expected to continue, and Norman is a franchise tag candidate if the two sides can’t reach an agreement by March 1st.
  • The Falcons met with the representatives for restricted free agent linebacker Paul Worrilow about the possibility of a contract – or at least an RFA tender – but no decisions were made, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

NFL Issues Performance-Based Bonuses

March 13th, 2015 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFL has announced and issued its performance-based pay bonuses for the 2014 season, according to a press release from the league. The bonuses, which are based on a player’s playing time relative to his salary level, come from a pool of $3.633MM per team. Here are the top performance-based pay amounts for the past season:

  1. Seantrel Henderson, T (Bills): $373,671
  2. Corey Linsley, C (Packers): $339,566
  3. Russell Bodine, C (Bengals): $318,612
  4. Avery Williamson, LB (Titans): $315,120
  5. E.J. Gaines, DB (Rams): $308,338
  6. Zach Fulton, G (Chiefs): $303,352
  7. Kelvin Beachum, T (Steelers): $297,687
  8. Preston Brown, LB (Bills): $293,179
  9. Michael Wilhoite, LB (49ers): $292,406
  10. Paul Worrilow, LB (Falcons): $287,413