HEADLINES

Richard Jarvis

South Rumors: Colts, Panthers, Bucs, Saints

January 16th, 2019 at 9:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts parted ways with offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo earlier this week, a move which raised eyebrows around the NFL given the excellent play of Indianapolis’ front five in 2018. Head coach Frank Reich is reportedly searching for his “own guy” to coach the position, while the Colts also want someone who is “stronger at teaching fundamentals,” according to Stephen Holder of The Athletic (Twitter link). DeGuglielmo is more of a motivator than an instructor, per Holder. Either way, the Colts’ 2018 results are hard to dispute, as they ranked as a top-five club in both adjusted line yards and adjusted sack rate per Football Outsiders., while DeGuglielmo has historically performed well wherever he’s gone, according to research done by Justis Mosqueda of Optimum Scouting.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two South divisions:

  • The Panthers have hired Bills/Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell as their new defensive backs coach, the club announced. Fewell, who served as Buffalo’s interim head coach for seven games in 2009, worked with Carolina coach head coach Ron Rivera in Chicago in 2005. The Panthers still have Richard Rodgers in place as a secondary coach, but they’ve lost multiple defensive backs coach within the past year. Curtis Fuller resigned as the team’s secondary coach last summer, while assistant Jeff Imamura was fired as part of a housecleaning in early December.
  • Former Steelers wideout Antwaan Randle El will join the Buccaneers‘ coaching staff as an offensive assistant, the club announced today. New Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians coached Randle El — who is now embarking on his first NFL coaching gig — for one season (2010) with the Steelers. Kacy Rodgers, whose role with Tampa was up in the air, is officially the team’s defensive line coach, while former Browns special teams coordinator Amos Jones is in tow as assistant ST coach.
  • In addition to announcing the hiring of new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, the Jaguars have made a number of other coaching moves. Jason Rebrovich has been promoted to defensive line coach, Joe Danna is now Jacksonville’s safeties coach, and John Donovan was promoted to assistant running backs coach.
  • Before signing veteran defensive lineman Tyrunn Walker to help replace Sheldon Rankins, the Saints also worked out fellow DLs Jarvis Jenkins, Chris Okoye, and Sealver Siliga, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. The Colts also held a late season audition, taking a look at linebacker Richard Jarvis, per veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter link).

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/15/18

November 15th, 2018 at 7:12pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s practice squad updates:

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: DL Aziz Shittu

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Giants

New Orleans Saints

Miami Dolphins

Washington Redskins

NFL Workout Updates: 10/1/18

October 1st, 2018 at 9:25pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Today’s tryouts:

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

 

Falcons Sign Bruce Carter, Sharrod Neasman

September 25th, 2018 at 2:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have signed linebacker Bruce Carter and safety Sharrod Neasman, according to a team announcement. In related moves, the Falcons formally placed Ricardo Allen on injured reserve and waived linebacker Richard Jarvis. 

The Falcons said they would not make a splashy signing at safety to replace Allen, and the signing of Neasman shows that they are sticking to that plan. Neasman has previous experience with the Falcons, but does not represent a starting option. Without the services of Allen or Keanu Neal, the Falcons seem content with a group that includes Damontae Kazee, Jordan Richards, Keith Tandy, linebacker/safety Kemal Ishmael, and Neasman. The Seahawks may be open to trading Earl Thomas and Eric Reid continues to look for work, but the Falcons believe they have enough to get by.

Carter, who has past experience with the Cowboys, Bucs, and Jets, spent much of the last two years playing special teams in New York.

Falcons Cut LB Corey Nelson

September 22nd, 2018 at 11:49am CST by Ben Levine

Corey Nelson‘s tenure with the Falcons has come to an end. The team announced that they’ve released the linebacker with an injury settlement. The team will promote linebacker Richard “Dewey” Jarvis from the practice squad to take the open roster spot.

Nelson, 26, signed with the Eagles this offseason, but he was cut by the organization prior to the regular season. He quickly caught on with the Falcons, and he appeared in a single game with the organization. The 2014 seventh-round pick out of Oklahoma spent the first four seasons of his career with the Broncos, including a 2016 campaign where he compiled 67 tackles and five passes defended in 16 games (five starts).

At the time of his signing, several of the team’s linebackers were struggling with injuries, but the grouping now appears to be relatively healthy. Of course, the Falcons could still be seeking some reinforcement at the position, even after the promotion of Jarvis. Including the rookie, the team is still rostering only five linebackers, a grouping that includes Duke Riley, De’Vondre Campbell, Kemal Ishmael, and Foye Oluokun.

Jarvis joined the organization as an undrafted free agent out of Brown. He initially earned a spot on the team’s active roster before being waived earlier this month (he subsequently caught on with the team’s practice squad). He had a solid preseason for the Falcons, compiling seven tackles and two sacks.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/18

September 6th, 2018 at 4:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s minor moves.

Atlanta Falcons

  • Promoted to active roster: LS Jeff Overbaugh
  • Waived: LB Richard Jarvis

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Waived from injured reserve: DT Chris Okoye, DB Josh Shaw

Jacksonville Jaguars

Philadelphia Eagles

Falcons Sign 27 UDFAs

May 1st, 2018 at 11:06am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have signed a whopping 27 undrafted free agents. Here is the full rundown:

Most NFL teams do not employ a fullback but the Falcons rostered one last year in Derrick Coleman, so McNitt and Marx may have a shot at making the team. At quarterback, there may be an opportunity for Benkert and Lamar Jordan to unseat Garrett Grayson as the third QB (assuming Jordan is being evaluated as a QB), though they are well set with Matt Schaub as the primary backup to Matt Ryan.

Benkert received a $60K guarantee to sign, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, so it’s clear that the Falcons think highly of him. Benkert started his collegiate career at East Carolina before transferring to Virginia for the 2016 season. In two years as Virginia’s starter, he completed 57.7% of his passes with 46 touchdowns against 21 interceptions.

In other Falcons news, GM Thomas Dimitroff recently addressed speculation about the team’s relationship with star Julio Jones. The Falcons also triggered the fifth-year option for defensive end Vic Beasley recently.