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Tony Carter

Workout Notes: 9/23/15

September 23rd, 2015 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams around the NFL are bringing in players for workouts, surveying the free agent landscape for possible practice squad additions or 53-man roster players, either for the near future or down the road. Here are a few of the latest auditions from across the league, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (all links go to Twitter):

AFC:

NFC:

Broncos Release Tony Carter, Two Others

September 5th, 2015 at 1:03pm CST by Ben Levine

The Broncos have parted ways with cornerback Tony Carter (via ESPN’s Josina Anderson) and tight ends Marcel Jensen and Dominique Jones (via Mike Klis of 9News in Denver). The moves will save the team about $2.6MM.

Carter had been with Denver since 2011, making 38 appearance in four seasons. He played eight games in 2014, finishing with five tackles and one pass defended.

Cutting Jensen and Jones leaves the Broncos with only a pair of tight ends in Owen Daniels and Virgil Green. Klis believes the team will be looking to add a third tight end, a third offensive tackle, and a sixth defensive lineman following cuts.

 

Extra Points: Bradford, Carter, Broncos

April 27th, 2015 at 9:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Teams like the Bears looking for edge pass rushers in the draft know that they have to assess some serious risk, writes John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. It can be hard to gauge rush linebacker/ends and that was illustrated by the 2011 and 2012 drafts. The 2011 class produced the likes of Von Miller, Aldon Smith, J.J. Watt, Ryan Kerrigan, and more. But in 2012, another year with a supposed cluster of elite edge rushers, the results were not nearly as strong. That group included guys like Bruce Irvin, Quinton Coples, Melvin Ingram, Shea McClellin and none of the edge rushers taken in the first round have been to a Pro Bowl. Here’s more from around the NFL..

  • Despite speculation to the contrary, the Eagles acquired Sam Bradford to be their quarterback and not a trade pawn, Chris Mortensen of ESPN tweets. He adds that Bradford would only sign an extension with the Eagles if it includes a no-trade clause since he wants to play for Chip Kelly and Pat Shurmur.
  • Before Tony Carter signed his contract tender from the Broncos, the Vikings had a few discussions with the representatives for the restricted free agent cornerback, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. According to Wolfson, Minnesota didn’t make an formal offer to Carter before last Friday, the deadline for RFAs to sign offer sheets.
  • It’s a virtual certainty the Broncos will take a quarterback with one of their 10 draft picks, Mike Klis of 9 News writes. It’s a necessary move for Denver since Peyton Manning is 39 years old and returning to play for his 18th season after giving retirement some consideration. Meanwhile, backup Brock Osweiler is entering his contract year and there’s no guarantee that he’ll be around beyond this season.

Broncos Re-Sign Tony Carter

April 27th, 2015 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Broncos defensive back Tony Carter has become the latest restricted free agent to sign his tender to return to his team, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The Broncos had assigned Carter a low-end RFA tender, so he’ll be in line for a salary of $1.542MM for the coming season.

Carter, who turns 29 next month, didn’t play much for the Broncos in 2014. Chris Harris was coming into his own as one of the league’s best cornerbacks, and the club also had notable offseason signee Aqib Talib and first-round pick Bradley Roby at the position. Given the crowded depth chart, there were some whispers at last October’s trade deadline that Carter could be on the move, but the Broncos ultimately elected to hang on to the former Florida State Seminole.

Around the time that the Broncos tendered Carter a contract offer last month, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com indicated (via Twitter) that there was “strong” outside interest in the cornerback. However, the deadline for rival teams to sign Carter to an offer sheet came and went without any additional rumors. It’s not clear whether the RFA tender diminished that outside interest, or whether potential suitors simply couldn’t work anything out with the Denver corner.

Either way, Carter appears poised to return to the Broncos for the coming season, and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next March. If the Broncos secondary suffers an injury or two, he could take on a larger role in 2015 — if not, he may be the subject of trade rumors again this fall.

Vikings Interested In Tony Carter

April 7th, 2015 at 9:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

We’ve already seen one restricted free agent defensive back sign an offer sheet with another club earlier today, as Packers safety Sean Richardson inked a (possible) deal with the Raiders. Another RFA — Broncos cornerback Tony Carter — could also draw interest from around the league in the coming weeks, and the Vikings have the 28-year-old on their “radar,” according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link).

Carter, who spent some time on the Vikings’ offseason roster in 2011, has been the subject of acquisition rumors before, as he generated trade interest leading up to last year’s trade deadline. He ultimately stayed in Denver, but he’s see his role on the club’s defense greatly reduced behind Chris Harris, Aqib Talib, and Bradley Roby. An undrafted free agent in 2009, Carter is certainly capable of posting high-quality production, as evidenced by his 2012 season, when he posted two interceptions and earned a +6.9 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

The Broncos tendered Carter at the lowest level (a salary of $1.542MM), meaning that while they’ll have the right to match any offer that Carter receives, they won’t be entitled to compensation if they don’t match. Given that they’re already paying large salaries to both Harris and Talib, I doubt they’d be willing to match any significant offer sheet that Carter might sign. Along with the Vikings, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ravens were also interested in Carter, as they discussed the corner with Denver prior to last year’s trade deadline.

Wolfson stresses that nothing is imminent between Minnesota and Carter, adding that Carter could become an option for the club if they don’t select a corner in the draft. As such, this is a situation which could play out over several weeks.

Minor Moves: Monday

March 9th, 2015 at 4:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves around the NFL:

  • The Packers have informed running back DuJuan Harris they will not extend him an exclusive rights tender, Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel tweets.
  • The Ravens are expected to assign an exclusive-rights free agent tender to running back Fitzgerald Toussaint, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
  • The Steelers have offered one-year deals to restricted free agents Antwon Blake, Will Johnson, and Robert Golden, Scott Brown of ESPN tweets. All three will get the lower tender, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter).
  • The Cardinals announced they’ve re-signed Alameda Ta’amu to a one-year contract, as Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports tweets. The Cards decided not to tender him but they have retained him at a lower salary.
  • The 49ers will restructure their deal with safety Craig Dahl, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). It’s now a one-year, $1.3MM deal with a $200K signing bonus, a $175K roster bonus, and a $50K workout bonus.
  • The Buccaneers announced that they have re-signed defensive ends Larry English and Lawrence Sidbury, tight end Luke Stocker and linebacker Jason Williams.
  • The Ravens have assigned a $510K exclusive rights tender to offensive lineman Ryan Jensen, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Wilson (link) also hears that the Ravens have given wide receiver Kamar Aiken a $585K exclusive rights tender.
  • The Ravens gave cornerback Tramain Jacobs a $510K tender, per Wilson (link).

Earlier updates:

  • The Bills announced that they have extended the contract of kicker Jordan Gay, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (via Twitter).
  • The Browns announced that they have tendered qualifying offers to four of their restricted free agents: free safety Tashaun Gipson, defensive back Johnson Bademosi, defensive lineman Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, and linebacker Craig Robertson, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets. It’s a second-round tender for Robertson, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter). Gipson also gets the second-round tender, according to Ulrich (link).
  • The Ravens have sent a second-round restricted tender $2.356MM to Pro Bowl kicker Justin Tucker, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
  • The Steelers announced that they have agreed to terms with veteran tight end Matt Spaeth on a two-year deal. The 31-year-old appeared in 15 regular-season games in 2014 (eight starts) and caught three passes for 46 yards and a touchdown, and also started the Steelers’ playoff game against Baltimore.
  • The Buccaneers are not expected to tender an offer to fullback Jorvorskie Lane, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. They could bring Lane, an ERFA, back on a different deal later, however. Lane had a tough year in 2014. He was hit with a two-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing substances in October and his season ended in November after he underwent surgery on his injured right leg.
  • The Broncos have placed the low-level contract tender on restricted free agent defensive back Tony Carter, extending him a one-year offer worth $1.542MM, per Mike Klis of the Denver Post. The move gives Denver the right to match any offer sheet Carter signs with another team, and according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), there may be strong outside interest.
  • The Cowboys have placed one-year tenders of $1.542MM each on restricted free agent punter Chris Jones and restricted free agent running back Lance Dunbar, sources tell Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News. Dunbar is the Cowboys’ third running back and tendering him gives Dallas some insurance if DeMarco Murray signs with another team in free agency. He also gives them a reserve back in the event that they have to cut ties with Joseph Randle.
  • The Browns announced that they have re-signed offensive lineman Ryan Seymour. Seymour, 25, appeared in 11 games during the 2014 season, starting three at center. Nick McDonald was originally the team’s choice at center after Alex Mack went down with a broken leg, but Seymour eventually got his chance at the job.
  • The Panthers have re-signed wide receiver/kick returner Brenton Bersin to a one-year deal, a source tells Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). Bersin was an exclusive rights free agent.
  • The Panthers announced that they re-signed Fozzy Whittaker on a two-year deal, according to Person (on Twitter). The tailback had 32 carries for 145 yards last season and also contributed on kick returns. Linebacker Ben Jacobs and center Brian Folkerts got one-year deals to remain in Carolina (link). Tackle Kevin Hughes is the only Panthers ERFA who wasn’t tendered an offer (link).

Extra Points: Romo, Rams, Keenum, Broncos

October 28th, 2014 at 10:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Tony Romo left last night’s game against the Redskins during the third quarter with a back injury, but ultimately returned to play the fourth quarter and overtime. Per Ian Fitzsimmons of ESPN Radio in Dallas (via Twitter), Romo’s season is not in jeopardy. However, the Cowboys’ quarterback’s short-term health could be a concern, and he will be labeled “questionable,” at best, for Sunday’s contest against the Cardinals. Here’s more from around the league.

  • The Rams took on about $902K in 2014 cap charges when they acquired Mark Barron from the Bucs earlier today, and as Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap notes, St. Louis only had roughly $540K in cap room, meaning the club likely had to restructure another player’s contract in order to fit Barron on the roster. Fitzgerald also writes that the new CBA was central to this trade — though Barron was a first-round pick, his guarantees are still relatively low, enabling Tampa Bay to take on his dead money without causing much financial discomfort.
  • Quarterback Case Keenum was waived by the Rams in order to clear a spot for Barron, but it’s fair to wonder if he could soon find another job with the Ravens. As Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com points out (Twitter link), Keenum has a familiarity with Baltimore offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak from the duo’s time in Houston. The Ravens were rumored to be looking for an upgrade over backup QB Tyrod Taylor during the offseason.
  • Sources tell Mike Klis and Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post that although several teams were interested in trading for Broncos cornerback Tony Carter, no club was willing to part a “significant draft pick” in order to acquire the defensive back. We first heard last Friday that carter was drawing interest around the league, but the 28-year-old will finish out the season with Denver.
  • A torn biceps is a season-ending injury for most players, but Eagles offensive lineman Todd Herremans will attempt to play through the ailment, write Jeff McLane and Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce should return to the Birds’ line soon, so if Herremans can manage his health concern, Philadelphia should have its Week 1 starting offensive line together again soon.
  • Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News wasn’t impressed with Jets general manager John Idzik’s Monday state-of-the-franchise press conference, and doesn’t believe Idzik should be allowed to hire a new coach if Rex Ryan is let go.

AFC North Notes: Smith, Brown, Allen, Browns

October 28th, 2014 at 6:06pm CST by Matt Feminis

Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith (foot sprain) will be out “at least a few weeks,” writes the Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson, who points to Nov. 24 against the Saints or the following week against the Chargers as possible return dates for Smith. When asked about adding a free-agent cornerback, head coach John Harbaugh said, “We don’t have to. If we can find the right guy, we’ll do that. They are scarce.” Instead, for now, the Ravens will turn to Dominique Franks to replace Smith. The team also has Chykie Brown, who has been inactive the last two games.

In other AFC North news…

  • Despite the Ravens stating publicly they don’t intend to go outside the current roster for cornerback help, Wilson tweets the team inquired about Tony Carter of the Broncos prior to the trade deadline.
  • The Steelers are another AFC North team with cornerback issues because Cortez Allen, who signed a five-year, $25MM deal before the season, has not only lost his starting job, but is in danger of being inactive, writes Ray Fittipaldo in the Post-Gazette. Head coach Mike Tomlin insists he remains confident in Allen’s abilities, but says the cornerback is leaving too many plays on the field: “[Allen] has to finish opportunities that he’s not getting done. Oftentimes, he is in position because he does a great job getting in position, but position is just an element of it. You have to finish.”
  • Fittipaldo also notes the Steelers expect to have right tackle Marcus Gilbert back in the starting lineup. He sat out last week with a concussion.
  • Steelers receiver Antonio Brown leads the NFL in receptions and targets, ranks second in receiving yards, is fourth in receiving touchdowns and paces all receivers with a 13.1 grade from Pro Football Focus. In Brown’s case, the stats don’t lie, says Tomlin, who boasted (via the team’s website) that the fifth-year playmaker is performing at an elite level. “He’s one of the best in the world at what he does,” said Tomlin at his weekly news conference. “(Antonio) is physically and mentally on top of his game, and when you have somebody who’s playing like that, you step into a stadium and he’s a known issue but still he performs. We say similar things about guys like J.J. Watt. We knew what he was capable of when we were getting ready to play the Houston Texans, but it still doesn’t stop the storm from coming. Antonio is playing at that type of a level from a wide receiver standpoint, a J.J. Watt discussion kind of a level.”
  • The Browns rank last in the NFL in punt returns, which prompted ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi to wonder if Josh Cribbs might get a phone call. However, head coach Mike Pettine quashed any speculation by saying, “Josh’s name hasn’t come up.”

Tony Carter Drawing Trade Interest

October 24th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As trade speculation heats up, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) has identified another name to watch in advance of Tuesday’s deadline. According to Rapoport, Broncos cornerback Tony Carter is “generating interest” on the trade market.

Carter, 28, has seen his role reduced in Denver this season following the arrivals of free agent signee Aqib Talib and first-round pick Bradley Roby. Those two cornerbacks, along with Chris Harris, have shouldered the majority of the defensive snaps at the position for the Broncos, with Kayvon Webster contributing in dime packages during the last few games. As a result, Harris, who played 35 snaps in Week 1, has been relegated to the bench, having been listed as inactive for several contests.

As Rapoport observes, while Carter may not be in the Broncos’ plans at the moment, he should appeal to teams who have suffered injuries at cornerback or who are eyeing potential nickel backs. As Harris showed in 2012, when he grabbed two interceptions, recovered two fumbles, defended 12 passes, and recorded a +5.3 PFF grade (subscription required), he’s capable of holding his own in the secondary.

Carter is on a minimum salary contract with no bonus money, and will be eligible for free agency at season’s end, so he makes for an ideal trade candidate — he’s a low-risk target for a potential suitor, and anything the Broncos get for him would be a bonus, assuming they don’t intend to play him or re-sign him.

Broncos Re-Sign Mitch Unrein, Three Others

April 21st, 2014 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Defensive tackle Mitch Unrein has accepted and signed his restricted free agent tender from the Broncos, reports Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter). Denver had tendered Unrein a contract offer at the lowest RFA level, so the veteran will be in line for a $1.431MM salary in 2014.

In addition to re-signin Unrein, the team has also officially locked up three exclusive rights free agents, says Klis. Cornerback Tony Carter ($730K), safety Duke Ihenacho ($570K), and linebacker Brandon Marshall ($495K) have all signed their ERFA contract tenders.

Carter, Ihenacho, and Marshall weren’t bona-fide free agents, since their lack of experience meant they had to accept the Broncos’ offer if they wanted to play in the NFL this year. Unrein, on the other hand, could have signed an offer sheet with another team, which Denver would have had the opportunity to match. The 27-year-old, who has provided the Broncos with depth on the defensive line for the last three seasons, either didn’t generate much interest on the open market or simply preferred to return to Denver.

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