Quinten Rollins - Pro Football Rumors

Jimmie Ward‘s interesting career with the 49ers looks set for another turn. The fifth-year player’s been shuttled to different positions in each of his four years, with four coaching staffs annually shifting him between safety and cornerback. This year, it doesn’t look like Ward will have a surefire path to remain a starter. Having started 24 games for the past three seasons at either corner or safety, Ward now is set to be a super-sub in Robert Saleh‘s secondary. Second-year safety Adrian Colbert usurped Ward, and once Richard Sherman is ready to play, he’ll take Ward’s place at cornerback alongside Ahkello Witherspoon, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle notes. He may not be in line to start in the slot, either, with K’Waun Williams back.

“It’s not going to be easy for (Ward) to start at any of those five (positons),” Kyle Shanahan said, via Branch, of the 2014 first-rounder who’s set to make $8.52MM this season. “Right now, he’s trying to do it at corner. We’ll reassess this at the end of OTAs and see how it is in training camp. … If Jimmie doesn’t earn a starting role, there’s also a good chance he’s the first backup at every single position: strong safety, free safety, nickel (corner), (outside) corner, because he’s capable of being a starter at all of those positions.”

Here’s the latest from some NFC franchises, continuing with the latest on a player who has a better path to a starting lineup.

Will Hernandez‘s starting spot will likely come at the expense of John Jerry, per Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com. The second-round pick is expected to make a strong push to move into the Giants‘ lineup, and with Big Blue signing Patrick Omameh earlier this offseason, Jerry may be the odd man out. The team could be keeping the veteran around as insurance, but it would cost the Giants more to cut him than it would yield in cap savings. Jerry’s the longest-tenured Giants offensive line starter, doing so since 2014. Both he and Omameh graded as top-40 guards last season, in the view of Pro Football Focus.
The Buccaneers‘ UDFA contingent houses some players who received hefty guarantees to sign. Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen received $50K guaranteed to sign, in the form of a $15K signing bonus and a $35K base salary guarantee, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Temple tackle Cole Boozer received $45K to sign ($20K signing bonus, $25K base guarantee) and running back Shaun Wilson (Duke) collected a $10K signing bonus and saw Tampa Bay guarantee $10K of his base salary. Auman adds Western Michigan tight end Donnie Ernsberger received a $15K bonus.
Former Packers second-round pick Quinten Rollins is back working with his team on a limited basis during OTAs, Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes. Rollins tore an Achilles’ tendon in October and isn’t a lock for the roster, given both the severity of his injury and the Packers having drafted corners with their first two 2018 picks. Green Bay did deal Damarious Randall to Cleveland, however, opening up one spot. But the team also added former starter Tramon Williams in free agency. Cohen reports some in the Packers’ scouting department believe Rollins should be moved to safety, but it’s unclear whether the coaching staff concurs. Brian Gutekunst has said Rollins will try to work his way back into the cornerback contingent.

Packers Place CB Quinten Rollins On IR

October 16th, 2017 at 2:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers have placed cornerback Quinten Rollins on injured reserve (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Rollins was carted off the field on Sunday after suffering an ankle injury.

By placing Rollins on IR, the Packers will buy themselves some time on what to do with Aaron Rodgers. After breaking his collarbone, the Packers will almost certainly have to park Rodgers on IR. Doing that will officially rule him out for two months, however, so the Packers want to exhaust every other option before making that irreversible decision.

Rollins, 25, had 17 total tackles through six games this year. He made only one start in 2017, but he made ten starts for Green Bay in 2016.

Rollins’ roster spot will be filled by the promotion of quarterback Joe Callahan.

Packers’ Damarious Randall To Have Surgery

October 24th, 2016 at 2:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Bad news for the Packers as cornerback Damarious Randall underwent surgery over the weekend to repair a groin injury, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. After going under the knife, Randall will be out for several weeks.

An exact timetable for his return is not yet known. However, the surgery is not expected to be season-ending for the 2015 first-round pick. Had they lost Randall for the year, the Packers would have been in some serious trouble. Already, they have been forced to place Sam Shields on IR with concussion symptoms while Quinten Rollins is dealing with a groin injury of his own (though, Rollins’ injury is believed to be less serious).

The injuries have left Green Bay with LaDarius Gunter and Demetri Goodson as their top cornerbacks. With any luck, the Packers will get Rollins back in time for Sunday’s game against the Falcons, but it sounds like they’ll still need reinforcements at the position.

In other Packers injury news, safety Chris Banjo is headed to the IR with an undisclosed injury, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Banjo will be healthy in three or four weeks, but the team wanted to free up a roster spot so that they could properly address their issues at cornerback.

Wide receiver Jared Abbrederis is also headed to IR with a thigh contusion, as Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel tweets.

Packers To Sign Quinten Rollins

May 11th, 2015 at 6:06pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers have signed second round choice Quinten Rollins, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).

The Miami (Ohio) University cornerback is a converted basketball player and remarkably spent just one year playing college football before being drafted and signed to a multi-million dollar contract. He made that one year count, however, earning MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2014. Rollins, who hauled in seven interceptions last season, visited with at least ten clubs in the lead up to the draft.

Recently, Journal Sentinel’s Tyler Dunne and CineSport’s Justin Termine (video link) noted that Rollins looked strong in the first day of Packers minicamp.

NFC South Notes: Wisniewski, Draft, Saints

April 17th, 2015 at 6:52pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent interior offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski has been heavily linked to the NFC South this offseason, having drawn interest from the Buccaneers, Saints and Panthers. The 26-year-old, who spent his first four seasons with the Raiders and started in all 61 of his appearances, visited the Buccaneers last month and then underwent shoulder surgery. That hasn’t killed the Bucs’ interest, according to the Tampa Tribune’s Roy Cummings, who tweets that the team could sign Wisniewski when he recovers. Cummings notes (Twitter link) that the Bucs have competition for the services of Wisniewski, who has visited with at least a dozen teams. If Tampa does add Wisniewski, Cummings believes he’ll be its center (via Twitter).

Here’s the latest on the Bucs’ division rivals:

Alabama safety Landon Collins is visiting the Panthers today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Collins is expected to be a first-round pick and might not make it to 25th overall, where Carolina selects. In a mock draft posted last week, our own Rob DiRe projected Collins as a top-20 selection.
Miami (Ohio) University cornerback Quinten Rollins will visit the Falcons next week, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. An ex-basketball player, Rollins played just one season of college football. He made it count, earning MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2014.
The Saints need to address their lack of playmakers on defense and at wide receiver via the draft, writes Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com. New Orleans’ defense allowed the second-most yards in the league in 2014 and struggled to take the ball away, and its offense has to replace wideout Kenny Stills – whom the team traded to Miami earlier this offseason. Stills led the Saints with 931 receiving yards in 2014.

Extra Points: FAs, Bishop, Browns, Jennings

March 28th, 2015 at 11:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Free agency’s impact portion’s conclusion opens the door to early examinations of a star-studded — as of now, before new contracts are signed and franchise tags are applied — 2016 class. USA Today looks at a contingent that includes Eli Manning, Dez Bryant, Von Miller, A.J. Green and Marcell Dareus, among many other top-caliber performers.

The crop is high on pass-catchers and pass-rushers. Demaryius Thomas, particularly if the Broncos cannot get a deal done for Miller this offseason, becomes an interesting name, with Julio Jones and T.Y. Hilton joining Bryant and Green as No. 1 receiving options. Of the aforementioned wideouts, Thomas, who could be franchised for a second straight season, probably has the best chance of reaching the market, with Peyton Manning‘s waning career tied inextricably to his.

Aldon Smith, Justin Houston and Jason Pierre-Paul headline the edge-pursing group, with the disgruntled Houston likely facing a lengthy staredown with the Chiefs and Smith’s off-field issues potentially holding up his future with the 49ers.

With Russell Wilson‘s mega-contract forthcoming with the Seahawks, middle linebacker Bobby Wagner could become an intriguing name in next year’s class.

On to some additional news from Saturday night …

Former Packers longtime second-level cog Desmond Bishop will visit the 49ers on Monday, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com on Twitter. Reeling from retirements and injuries, the 49ers, who signed the 30-year-old San Francisco native in December after now-retired Chris Borland suffered a season-ending malady, have a need at the position. Bishop’s played both middle and outside linebacker in his eight-year career. The 49ers are also bringing in Lance Briggs for a visit Monday, as we noted earlier.
The Browns are facing a future that may not include Alex Mack after the 2015 season, with the transition-tagged center having an opt-out clause in the contract he signed with the Jaguars before the Browns matched it last spring. Cleveland is likely to select a center or an interior lineman with versatility high in the draft, writes ESPNCleveland’s Tony Grossi. The All-Pro center cannot be traded in an NBA-style expiring-contract scenario since a no-trade clause resides in Mack’s contract to prevent such a move.
Johnny Manziel and Connor Shaw are going to be the Browns‘ quarterback options this season, Grossi said, with the focus of adding a franchise-caliber signal-caller on the agenda for next offseason. Although the Browns may add a lower-tier prospect in the draft, Grossi noted the team won’t target Sam Bradford in a last-minute trade centered on the No. 19 pick they attempted to send to the Rams for him, instead preferring to use the two first-round picks as supplementary pieces.
Miami (Ohio) University cornerback Quinten Rollins will visit the Browns, Cowboys, Lions and Panthers, Yahoo Sports’ Rand Getlin notes on Twitter. The 2014 MAC defensive player of the year (after a seven-interception season) despite playing just one year of college football has visits with 10 teams scheduled.
Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union took a detailed look at Greg Jennings‘ 2014 film and points out the potential fit for the Jaguars. Jettisoned after two unremarkable Vikings years, the 31-year-old Jennings would be an upgrade in Jacksonville, which houses Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee — two of Pro Football Focus’ least-favorite receivers; subscription required — and a talented but coming-off-injury Allen Robinson as its top-3 targets.
In a chat with readers, Dallas Morning News reporter Rainer Sabin does not expect the Cowboys to draft a quarterback this year and believes the team will replenish its lacking defense with the No. 27 overall pick, unless they feel the need to use the valuable slot to replace DeMarco Murray.

Draft Notes: Perryman, Dolphins, Lions

January 21st, 2015 at 5:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Senior Bowl means plenty of draft speculation and talk of the Dolphins tapping local star Denzel Perryman has been a hot topic in recent days. However, drafting Perryman is going to require a long and thoughtful debate in Miami, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. While GM Dennis Hickey doesn’t often mind drafting players that do not meet prototypical size and speed requirements (see: Jarvis Landry), assistant GM Eric Stokes does not feel the same way. Perryman, unfortunately, does not have the size one would usually want in a middle linebacker. More draft news..

Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin could wind up as the next coach of the Falcons, but he’s not neglecting his duties in Detroit, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Austin booked interviews with Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton, Ohio State cornerback Doran Grant, Miami (Ohio) cornerback Quinten Rollins, and Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty last night.
East Carolina wide receiver Justin Hardy said he a great meeting with the Ravens at the Senior Bowl, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
Penn State linebacker Mike Hull and defensive end Deion Barnes have each met with the Eagles at the Senior Bowl, according to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter). Ohio State wide receiver Devin Smith and USC cornerback Josh Shaw have also met with the Eagles (link).
The Giants met with wide receivers Sammie Coates and Devin Smith, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).