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Royce LaFrance

NFC Notes: Eagles, Haden, Cowboys

August 30th, 2017 at 6:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Despite earlier reports to the contrary, an Eagles source tells Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) that the team was not in on Joe Haden. The Eagles, the source claims, are content with their young cornerbacks.

It’s quite possible that the Eagles were interested in Haden but were not among the finalists for him, making this all a matter of semantics. In any case, the Eagles were unwilling to approach, match, or exceed the $7MM guarantee that Haden secured in his new three-year deal with the Steelers.

The Eagles will be starting a pair of 23-year-old corners in Jalen Mills and the newly-acquired Ronald Darby. Behind them, they have only one player outside of his 20s in veteran Patrick Robinson. Eventually, rookie Sidney Jones could join the active roster and provide help, but that doesn’t help to boost the group’s experience level.

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • Tests show that Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens, who suffered a tibial plateau fracture recently, suffered no ligament damage, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That means that no surgery will be needed and that, in theory, could help to speed up recovery. In a press release, the Cowboys indicated that Hitchens likely will not go on IR. The latest projections have Hitchens missing total eight weeks of action.
  • Doctors say that Bears wide receiver Cameron Meredith only suffered ACL and MCL damage and did not injure any other major ligaments in his knee, Rapoport tweets. Meredith is done for the year, but he could be back in time for next year’s OTAs.
  • Now that the Packers have added Ahmad Brooks to the fold, they can be more patient with rookie Vince Biegel‘s recovery, Ryan Wood of the Press-Gazette tweets. A source tells Wood that he’ll “probably” start the season on the PUP list, meaning that he won’t count against the initial 53-man limit.
  • Former Saints defensive end Royce LaFrance signed with the CFL’s Roughriders, Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets.

NFC South Notes: Freeman, Panthers, Oher

June 16th, 2017 at 10:01am CST by Zachary Links

Devonta Freeman is staying patient with regards to his contract talks with the Falcons, as ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure writes. Freeman has already made a major mark on the franchise after becoming the first Falcons running back since Michael Turner (2010-11) to post back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. The Falcons obviously want to keep him in the fold beyond the final year of his rookie contract, but it may take some time for the two sides to come to terms. Freeman’s agent famously said that he wants him to be paid like an “elite” running back, but Atlanta would like to avoid going into Le’Veon Bell/LeSean McCoy territory with a new deal.

Here’s more out of the NFC South:

  • When asked about tackle Michael Oher, Panthers coach Ron Rivera said he’s preparing for camp with the 90 guys who will be on the roster, adding that the front office is “taking care of it,” (Twitter link via Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer). Reading between the lines, it sounds like Rivera is not banking on having Oher with the team in 2017. Oher reported to Carolina’s minicamp this week, but he did not practice on the field with the rest of the team. As Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) notes, nobody has ever been in the concussion protocol as long as Oher and returned to play in the NFL.
  • Wide receiver Willie Snead remains optimistic and hopeful that he’ll sign a long-term deal with the Saints before the season starts, Joel Erickson of The Advocate writes. “I think the guys upstairs are working on it,” Snead said. “I’m hopeful, and I just have to keep worrying about myself and staying healthy and doing all the right things. I know it’s going to be a handled, it’s going to take time, but I feel like we’ll get it done sooner or later.” Snead was retained for this year via the $615K exclusive rights free agent tender.
  • The Panthers named Bryan Porter as the team’s new director of football operations. Porter has been with the team since 2001 and has gradually moved his way up the ladder.
  • The Saints intend to sign linebacker/defensive end Royce LaFrance before the start of training camp, Nick Underhill of The Advocate hears (on Twitter).

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/8/17

May 8th, 2017 at 5:32pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Monday’s minor moves from around the NFL:

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: LB Josh Letuligasenoa, CB Raysean Pringle, RB William Stanback, LB David Talley, S Aaron Taylor (via Jason Wilde of ESPN, on Twitter)
  • Cut: WR Antwan Goodley, LS Taybor Pepper

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

Oakland Raiders

  • Signed: DE Chris Casher, LB Najee Harris, LB LaTroy Lewis
  • Cut: S Ahmad Thomas, DL Jordan Wade (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal)

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed: S Chanceller James, WR BJ Johnson, OL Richard Levy
  • Cut: OL Bret Treadway

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Cut: CB Greg Mabin

Practice Squad Updates: 11/1/16

November 1st, 2016 at 6:53pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Diego Chargers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/18/16

October 18th, 2016 at 5:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Tuesday’s practice squad transactions:

Baltimore Ravens 

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: DB Darius Hillary, WR Jordan Leslie
  • Cut: E.J. Bibbs

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: LB Quentin Gause, TE Steven Scheu (Twitter link via Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post)
  • Cut: WR Mose Frazier, LB Richard Cliett

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: LB Brandon Chubb

Indianapolis Colts

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

  • Signed: DL Royce LaFrance (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of The Advocate)

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: OL Don Cherry
  • Cut: G Darrell Greene

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed: WR DeAndre Smelter
  • Cut: WR Dres Anderson

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: DT Justin Hamilton (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
  • Cut: DE Sterling Bailey

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Saints Work Out Handful Of LB/DEs

October 11th, 2016 at 7:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints auditioned a crop of front seven players today, including one — former first-round pick Bjoern Werner — that was already reported earlier today. The full list is below, all courtesy of Mike Triplett and Field Yates of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted:Danny Lansanah (vertical)

Lansanah, 31, had spent the last two seasons and change with Tampa Bay before spending a week with the Dolphins in August. Over the last two years, Lansanah appeared in every regular season game for the Bucs, making 22 total starts. In 2014, Lansanah recorded three interceptions, eight pass breakups, 1.5 sacks, and 81 total tackles. His production tailed off last season, though he still notched 47 tackles, one sack, and four pass breakups.

Horton, Lotulelei, Moses, and Mulamba also have prior NFL experience, and Moses leads the pack, as he’s appeared in 45 games with the Packers and Chiefs (mostly on special teams duty). Horton, meanwhile, started 15 games for the Panthers as recently as 2014.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC South Notes: Saints, Panthers, Short

June 14th, 2016 at 11:55am CST by Zachary Links

Running back C.J. Spiller says he’s ready to live up to the billing he received when he inked a four-year, $16MM deal with the Saints last March, Joel A. Erickson of The Advocate writes.

“When I’m 100 percent and able to do what I’m able to do, I know I can flourish in this offense,” Spiller said. “This offense is built for my type of skill set. I wouldn’t want to be in any other one — a great head coach that knows how to put players in position to make plays, and then you’ve got a quarterback that’s a future Hall of Famer, that knows how to win matchups and to take advantage of each and every play. I’m just happy that I have a chance to revamp or redeem myself and give this team hopefully 100 percent.”

Last season, Spiller amassed only 112 yards on a meager 36 carries and caught 34 passes at just 7.0 yards per reception before being placed on IR in December.

Here’s more from the NFC South:

  • Panthers defensive tackle Kawann Short “checked in” at the beginning of minicamp, a source tells Joe Person of the Charlotte Observe (Twitter link). Short is skipping OTAs in the hopes of landing a new contract, but with those talks reportedly on hold, Short may have thought it wise to make an appearance with the team, especially given that head coach Ron Rivera has subtlety voiced his displeasure at Short’s absence.
  • Falcons defensive coordinator Richard Smith said that undrafted rookie outside linebacker Ivan McLennan has some pass rush ability and he’s a player to watch at minicamp, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. McLennan will be fighting for a roster spot at strongside linebacker and could push 2014 seventh-round pick Tyler Starr for a place on the team. The linebacker played two years of JUCO football before spending the past two seasons at Washington State. He racked up 15 sacks and 34.5 tackles for losses over his collegiate career.
  • More from Ledbetter who wonders if there is a sleeper in the Falcons‘ cornerback group. The most intriguing player fighting for a spot is C.J. Goodwin, a 6’4″ former basketball player and wide receiver who is looking to make it as a CB. Atlanta secondary/senior assistant Marquand Manuel praised Goodwin for his play so far in practice and noted that he was able to stay with Julio Jones in man-to-man coverage.
  • The Saints are trying out a pair of UDFAs today in outside linebacker Royce LaFrance (Tulane) and linebacker Chris Weatherd (Tennessee), as Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune tweets. Defensive tackle Lawrence Virgil is also in the house as a tryout invitee (link).