Tim Jennings - Pro Football Rumors

The Buccaneers activated Demar Dotson from IR-DTR, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. He’ll be taking the place of cornerback Tim Jennings, who has been waived, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
The Lions were awarded defensive end C.J. Wilson off waivers from Raiders, as Wilson tweets. He’ll have a place on the roster now that the Lions have placed Andre Fluellen on injured reserve, Wilson tweets.
The Eagles (on Twitter) announced that they have officially re-signed linebacker Emmanuel Acho.
The Browns waived linebacker Jayson DiManche and defensive back De’Ante Saunders, Wilson Post tweets. DiManche, 25, was signed by Cleveland off of the Chiefs’ taxi squad in October. For his career, DiManche has appeared in 29 total games, mostly with the Bengals.
In need of a third reserve offensive lineman for Monday night, the Chargers placed center Chris Watt (shoulder) on IR while promoting guard Craig Watts from the taxi squad, as Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets. Watt, a third-round pick in 2014, has yet to really produce at the NFL level thanks to various injuries.
The Chiefs cut wide receiver Frankie Hammond, Wilson tweets.

Buccaneers Sign Tim Jennings

September 7th, 2015 at 11:14am CST by Zachary Links

MONDAY, 11:14am: The Buccaneers have made their deal with Jennings official, placing Demar Dotson on IR-DTR to make room on the roster, the team announced today. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the deal is believed to be a minimum salary contract, since Jennings’ old deal with the Bears included offsets. A minimum salary pact leaves the Bears on the hook for more money.

THURSDAY, 8:36pm: The Buccaneers announced (via Twitter) that they have agreed to terms with cornerback Tim Jennings. Jennings met with Tampa Bay on Tuesday and two days later, he has a deal with the team.

Jennings signing with the Bucs isn’t a real surprise, considering his connection to Lovie Smith. Smith, the current head coach in Tampa Bay, was coaching in Chicago when the team brought Jennings aboard in 2010, and oversaw the cornerback’s first Pro Bowl season in 2012. The Bears released Jennings on Sunday.

A nine-year vet, Jennings signed with the Bears back in ’10 after spending the first four years of his career with the Colts. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Jennings posted a successful 2014 season, grading as the league’s No. 28 corner while playing more than 1,000 snaps. During his time in Chicago, Jennings, a Georgia alum, started all but six games, posting 16 interceptions during that span.

Jennings now joins a group of cornerbacks that includes Alterraun Verner, Johnthan Banks, Mike Jenkins, and Sterling Moore.

Buccaneers Place Demar Dotson On IR-DTR

September 7th, 2015 at 11:12am CST by Connor J. Byrne

MONDAY, 11:12am: The Bucs have officially placed Dotson on IR, with the designation to return, according to a team release.

SUNDAY, 2:30pm: The Buccaneers will place offensive tackle Demar Dotson on the IR/designated list, reports Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Dotson will miss at least the first eight games of the season as a result, according to Greg Auman of the Times (Twitter link). This move will free up a spot on the team’s 53-man roster for newly signed cornerback Tim Jennings.

Dotson, who suffered a sprained MCL last month, has been a steady presence on the right side of Tampa Bay’s line, starting all but one of the team’s regular-season games since 2012. The 29-year-old has recorded a positive grade in each of the last three seasons, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), and he ranked 28th out of 84 qualified tackles last year.

With Dotson down, fellow veteran Gosder Cherilus will start at right tackle for Tampa. The Bucs signed Cherilus after Dotson got hurt last month.

South Notes: K. Lewis, Jennings, J. Jones, Jags

September 2nd, 2015 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Saints made the cornerback position a priority this offseason when they added former Patriot Brandon Browner and CFLer Delvin Breaux as free agents, but the team’s top corner won’t be available to start the regular season. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Keenan Lewis underwent hip surgery yesterday and will miss about four to six weeks of action.

Landing on the IR with the designation to return doesn’t appear likely for Lewis, since that would sideline him for the entire first half, but the Saints will have to make do without him for at least the next month.

Let’s check in on a few other items from out of the league’s two South divisions….

Speaking to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Facebook link), free agent cornerback Tim Jennings said a visit with to Tampa Bay “went well,” but he hasn’t made a decision yet on whether he’ll sign with the Buccaneers. “I do want to take this time to see what other opportunities may materialize, if possible,” Jennings said. “Some teams may have some things come up with more roster cuts. Obviously, I also have a strong connection to Tampa too. So we will see.”
Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com has the full year-by-year breakdown for Julio Jones‘ extension with the Falcons, which includes a $12MM signing bonus and $35.5MM in fully guaranteed money.
Echoing many of the same points made by Jason La Canfora in a recent CBSSports.com column, Bob Kravitz of WTHR Sports writes that Chuck Pagano‘s future as the Colts head coach is uncertain, given his expiring contract and possible tension with GM Ryan Grigson.
The Jaguars would “most likely not” let Justin Blackmon out of his NFL contract to pursue a contract in the CFL, writes Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. Of course, Blackmon would also have to be reinstated by the NFL before he could even consider playing in Canada, and that doesn’t appear imminent either.
A housekeeping detail on the Steelers‘ acquisition of Josh Scobee, per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links): The Jaguars converted $925K of Scobee’s base salary into a signing bonus before completing the deal, meaning they pay that amount, leaving the Steelers with just a $2.5MM tab for 2015.

Tim Jennings Meeting With Buccaneers

September 1st, 2015 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran cornerback Tim Jennings didn’t waste any time setting up his first free agent visit. According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter), Jennings is in Tampa today to meet with the Buccaneers, just two days after being released by the Bears.

The fact that Jennings is receiving some interest from the Bucs isn’t a real surprise, considering his connection to Lovie Smith. Smith, the current head coach in Tampa Bay, was coaching in Chicago when the team brought Jennings aboard in 2010, and oversaw the cornerback’s first Pro Bowl season in 2012.

A nine-year vet, Jennings signed with the Bears back in ’10 after spending the first four years of his career with the Colts. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Jennings posted a successful 2014 season, grading as the league’s No. 28 corner while playing more than 1,000 snaps. During his time in Chicago, Jennings, a Georgia alum, started all but six games, posting 16 interceptions during that span.

If Jennings were to sign with the Buccaneers, he’d be joining a group of cornerbacks that includes Alterraun Verner, Johnthan Banks, Mike Jenkins, and Sterling Moore.

Reaction To Tim Jennings’ Release

August 30th, 2015 at 8:56pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Bears released veteran cornerback Tim Jennings earlier today, a move that sent a fairly high-profile name out on to the free agent market somewhat unexpectedly. The move doesn’t come totally out of nowhere, and Jennings was the at the back on the depth chart in the third preseason game despite starting in the first two.

Still, with his large contract and penchant for big plays, seeing him hit the free agent market has gotten the attention of the league, or more accurately the league’s beat writers and Twitter followers.

Here are some reactions to the release, including some confusion about his contract status:

Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com was initially confused over the release, due to the nature of Jennings’ contract. He believed his salary was guaranteed for the year (via Twitter). He looked to see if the guarantee was only for injury (via Twitter), but eventually confirmed the Bears would not save any money by releasing him.
Although he was only scheduled to make $4.4MM this season, he will count $6.75MM against the cap after being released, $1.5MM more than if he has made the team, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
Field Yates of ESPN helped Fitzgerald by pointing out that there is offset language in Jennings’ contract, so the Bears will get some cap relief when he signs with a new team (via Twitter). Of course, that also incentivizes the player to sign for the minimum.
Fitzgerald adds that this is another Phil Emery contract that backfired (via Twitter), and writes that even at the time the contract was great for Jennings (via Twitter).
You can add Adam Caplan of ESPN to the list of people surprised by the timing of this release (via Twitter).
In terms of landing spots, the Cowboys and Buccaneers are two obvious choices, picked out by Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports, among other (via Twitter). Jennings played in Lovie Smith’s defense in Chicago, and would fit in schematically for both teams who are in need of secondary help.

Bears Add Kevin White To PUP, Ryan Mundy To IR, Cut 12

August 30th, 2015 at 7:52pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Bears have knocked down their roster to 76 players as of today, meaning they need to make only one more roster decision by the Tuesday deadline. Their most notable release was announced earlier today, with the team deciding to cut ties with veteran Tim Jennings.

The team also added rookie wide receiver Kevin White to the PUP list and safety Ryan Mundy to the IR, according to the official Twitter account.

The cuts were announced by Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times.

Malcolm Bronson, S
Josh Chiles, WR
Kevin Greene, TE
Cameron Jefferson, OT
Tim Jennings, CB
Jeremy Kelley, WR
Al Louis-Jean, CB
Rick Lovato, LS
Levi Norwood, WR
Olsen Pierre, DE
Chris Pantale, TE
Daniel Thomas, RB

Along with adding White to the physically-unable-to-perform list and Mundy to the injured reserve, which leaves the teams roster at 76 players, according to Finley.

Bears To Release Tim Jennings

August 30th, 2015 at 4:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bears are releasing cornerback Tim Jennings, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Jennings, 31, has been in Chicago since the 2010 season.

Jennings started Chicago’s first two preseason games, but acted as the club’s sixth cornerback during last night’s game against the Bengals. The writing was on the wall in terms of Jennings’ roster status — when asked last night if Jennings was competing for a roster spot, head coach John Fox told Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times to “do the math” (Twitter link). Having undergone a knee scope earlier this year, Jennings told Jahns yesterday (Twitter link) that he is still working his way back from that knee surgery.

A nine-year vet, Jennings signed with the Bears after spending the first four years of his career with the Colts. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Jennings posted a successful 2014 season, grading as the league’s No. 28 corner while playing more than 1,000 snaps. During his time in Chicago, Jennings, a Georgia alum, started all but six games, posting 16 interceptions during that span.

Because Jennings’ 2015 $4.4MM base salary is guaranteed, the Bears will take on significant dead money by moving on from him. By making Jenning a post-June 1 cut, they will not only absorb his 2015 cap hit of $5.15MM this season, but also take on $1.5MM in dead money (the ’16 and ’17 prorated portions of his signing bonus) next year.

As a vested veteran, Jennings doesn’t have to pass through waivers, and he should be able to find a new home soon. Jenning is an Atlanta native, leading Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link) to posit that he could be a fit as an extra corner with the Falcons. The Cowboys and Buccaneers, each of whom employ coaches with ties to Jennings, could also be options, speculates Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link).

“They told me they were looking to get younger,” Jennings tells Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link), passing along the Bears’ reasoning for his release. Chicago will now line up with Alan Ball at corner opposite Kyle Fuller, with Sherrick McManis acting as the nickel CB.

Extra Points: Jets, Long, Randle, Bears

July 31st, 2015 at 8:19pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Jets head coach Todd Bowles expressed concern Friday over the well-being of defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, who was charged Thursday with resisting arrest and traffic violations after a July 14 incident in Missouri. “Clearly, he needs some help,” said Bowles, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

Richardson, who was clocked going 143 mph, tried to avoid police apprehension. It was discovered that he had a gun and a 12-year-old in the vehicle, and there was a “very strong odor of marijuana” in the car.

“I let (the organization) down, simple as that,” Richardson said. “I’m not afraid to say that. … This is a wake-up call.”

This “wake-up call” comes less than a month after the NFL suspended Richardson for marijuana use. He’ll face further discipline for this incident.

More on the Jets and the rest of the league:

Jets rookie wide receiver Devin Smith, a second-round pick, suffered broken ribs in practice Friday and will miss the majority of training camp, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports (via Twitter). He’ll stay at a local hospital overnight as a precaution. Cimini tweeted that Smith was getting a lot of first-team reps prior to the injury.
There’s concern from some people around the NFL that Jake Long’s career may be over, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Long, who visited the Falcons, Giants and Broncos this week, is coming off his second torn ACL, and it doesn’t sound like he’s back to 100%.
Browns free safety Tashaun Gipson said contract negotiations are ongoing and he plans to be with the franchise long term, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron-Beacon Journal (Twitter link). Gipson is entering the final season of his rookie deal after piling up a career-best six interceptions last season, giving him 12 for his three-year career.
The Cowboys view their starting running back job as Joseph Randle‘s to lose, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The team loves his vision and explosiveness, Rapoport tweeted. Randle, a fifth-round pick in 2013, is coming off a season that saw him average a prolific 6.7 yards per carry on just 51 attempts while backing up now-Eagle DeMarco Murray. Randle finished 2014 with with 343 rushing yards and three touchdowns. His main competition for the No. 1 job is oft-injured veteran Darren McFadden, who is currently on the physically unable to perform list with a pulled hamstring.
Bears cornerback Tim Jennings, who was arrested in January on charges of speeding, DUI, and reckless driving, pleaded guilty to reckless driving and speeding today. His DUI charge was dismissed, the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer tweeted.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.