Uncategorized - Pro Football Rumors

Chargers Hire Pep Hamilton As QBs Coach

April 30th, 2020 at 10:12am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chargers are hiring Pep Hamilton as their new quarterbacks coach, a source tells Daniel Popper of The Athletic.

Hamilton’s most recent gig came as the head coach and general manager of the XFL’s DC Defenders, but he also boasts ample NFL experience. He served in a variety of offensive roles for the Jets, 49ers, and Bears before joining the Colts as offensive coordinator in 2013. In Indianapolis, Hamilton coached quarterback Andrew Luck, who he’d also led as Stanford’s OC from 2011-12.

The 45-year-old Hamilton spent 2016 with the Browns before reuniting with Jim Harbaugh at Michigan for two seasons. He took over the Defenders earlier this year, but that role ended when the XFL ended its operations in early April. The Chargers actually tried to hire Hamilton a few months ago, but weren’t able to due to his XFL employment, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

In Los Angeles, Hamilton will team with holdover offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to develop No. 6 overall pick Justin Herbert. While veteran Tyrod Taylor may begin the 2020 campaign as the Chargers’ starting quarterback, Herbert will surely be under center at some point.

NFC North Notes: Lions, Gronk, Vikes, Bears

April 21st, 2020 at 4:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings broke up their years-long receiver tandem of Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, shipping the latter to Buffalo for a package of picks. While the Vikings did not collect quite the haul they did for Percy Harvin seven years ago, Rick Spielman called it a business opportunity that benefited both Diggs and the Vikings (Twitter link via the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling). Spielman said he did not intend to trade Diggs when he last spoke at the Combine, but the Bills’ offer of a first-round pick and three Day 3 choices — including a 2021 fourth-rounder — was too enticing to pass up. The Bills also upped their offer from their previous one, which occurred before the 2019 deadline. The Vikings now hold the Nos. 22 and 25 overall picks in a receiver-loaded draft, and they now have a massive need at the position.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

Two years ago, the Lions nearly traded for Rob Gronkowski. Now that a team has actually swung a trade for the dominant tight end, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com provided the details (via Twitter) on the disparities between the Buccaneers and Lions’ offers. They are stark. The Lions offered the Pats their 2018 first-rounder (No. 20 overall) and were set to swap picks in the second round (dropping from No. 43 to 51) before the then-29-year-old tight end nixed the deal by threatening to retire. The Lions ended up picking Frank Ragnow in the first round; Gronkowski collected a third Super Bowl ring 10 months later and then retired. The Pats dealt the unretiring Gronk and a seventh-round pick to the Bucs for a fourth-rounder on Tuesday.
Everson Griffen remains unsigned and is “probably” gone from the Vikings, but the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson notes if Minnesota does not land a pass rusher in the draft it is not out of the question the 10-year veteran returns (Twitter link). Griffen issued a statement indicating an 11th Vikings season was not in the cards, but Tomasson indicates (via Twitter) he merely wanted to inform other teams he was available and not a lock to return to Minnesota. Griffen’s mental health episode in 2018 may well be impacting his free agency, with Tomasson tweeting teams would like to meet with him and discuss it. The 32-year-old edge defender will likely have to reassess his options after the draft.
Another year, another Bears kicking competition. After a very public kicker battle throughout the 2019 offseason, the Bears will hold another this year. Incumbent Eddy Pineiro will match up against lower-profile challenger Ramiz Ahmed, Ryan Pace confirmed (via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Jason Lieser). The Bears signed Ahmed, who kicked at Nevada for one season and has yet to kick in an NFL game, last week but had their eye on him as a UDFA last year. A late addition last summer, Pineiro made 23 of 28 field goals with the Bears last season.

Cowboys Re-Sign Darian Thompson

March 17th, 2020 at 4:43pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Cowboys have retained safety Darian Thompson, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. After losing safety Jeff Heath to the Raiders earlier today, the team has maintained some continuity at the position.

A third-round pick in the 2016 draft by the Giants, Thompson started all 16 games of his second professional season in New York, but mediocre play and an injury led to his release in just his third season. The Cowboys soon picked him up and he appeared in 10 games at the close of 2018, but failed to record any statistics.

In his first full season in Dallas, Thompson made 4 starts but appeared in the Cowboys defensive backfield in 15 games throughout the season. Thompson recorded 45 tackles, 3 passes defended, 1.5 sacks, and received the 61st highest grade for a safety of the 86 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus.

Vikings Extend FB C.J. Ham

March 16th, 2020 at 1:35pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Vikings have signed their fullback C.J. Ham to a three-year extension, per his agent’s Twitter account. No details have emerged on the specific dollar value of the extension, although no deal would be expected to break the bank.

Ham has been one of the few fullbacks left in a league that has relied less and less on the blocking focused fullback. Of the 12 fullbacks who qualified for grading by Pro Football Focus last season, Ham solidly ranked in the middle of the pack at 7th.

Over his three years in Minnesota, Ham has appeared in 47 games (10 starts), caught 35 passes for 302 yards, received 20 carries for 38 yards, and recorded two touchdowns.

NFL And NFLPA Will Meet Following CBA Vote

March 14th, 2020 at 5:50pm CST by Marc Delucchi

While nearly all major sports leagues have either suspended or canceled upcoming events, the NFL has yet to make any drastic changes to their offseason schedule. Obviously, unlike most other leagues, that are currently in season, the NFL lacks the same pressure since their largest public events (e.g. NFL Draft, Training Camp, etc.) are still at least a month away, but as the COVID-19 (a.k.a coronavirus) epidemic has reached the level of a global pandemic, it has become clearer that even the NFL will be impacted.

According to Mark Maske of The Washington Post, the NFL and NFLPA will meet on Sunday to discuss short and long-term plans for the offseason in reaction to the virus. Furthermore, Maske notes that free agency, at least at the moment, appears set to stay on schedule, however, there seems to be a real possibility offseason workouts are delayed.

While free agency does not require travel from players, agents, and teams, it does seem peculiar to try and continue business as usual amidst such abnormal circumstances. Mike Klis of 9News pointed out on Twitter that “there are competitive disadvantages for teams that have shut down their buildings.” It’s also reasonable to expect members from all around the NFL community to contract the virus. Owners, front-office employees, coaches, agents, and players are all at risk and one wonders if as soon as one person is diagnosed with COVID-19 the league will suspend operation (much in the way the NBA reacted to Rudy Gobert’s diagnosis).

Another complicating factor for the league is the ongoing CBA negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA. The NFLPA is currently voting on the league’s proposal and both sides may be more willing to delay the offseason if the deal is ratified. Granted, there are a number of critics and arguments in opposition of the deal as well.

NFL Could Postpone Free Agency

March 12th, 2020 at 5:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While reports earlier today indicated the NFL has no plans to alter the start of free agency due to COVID-19, that could change soon. The league may announce on Sunday the delay of the free agent period, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

The NFLPA is scheduled to vote on the proposed collective bargaining agreement by Saturday night, so the league would wait until voting has closed in order to stop further delays to that negotiation process. Currently, the deadline to apply the franchise or transition tag is Monday at 11:59am ET, followed immediately by the opening of the legal tampering period at 12:00pm ET.

Free agency, then, is set to officially open next Wednesday at 4pm ET. While many other sports leagues have suspended their seasons, the NFL has as of yet made no such move to delay the beginning of its offseason. However, with coronavirus threats ramping up every day, the league may decide to change its plans.

As Florio notes, free agents likely wouldn’t be allowed (or willing) to take the ceremonial trip to their new destination in order to sign a contract and hold a press conference. Additionally, from a fairly superficial standpoint, it’s unclear how much publicity would be given to transactions, especially as more serious COVID-19 issues arise each day.

Draft Notes: Shenault, Wills, Moss, Niang

February 29th, 2020 at 7:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the many high-end wide receiver prospects in this draft, Colorado product Laviska Shenault will need surgery. Shenault will undergo a procedure that will sideline him for more than a month, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The surgery is scheduled for next week, per Troy Renck of Denver7 (on Twitter). Shenault did not run well in this week’s 40-yard dash, clocking 4.58 seconds, and this injury helps explain that. The early-entry wideout is dealing with a core muscle injury and pubic bone inflammation, per Schefter. Shenault did not run a second 40. This could impact Shenault’s draft stock, but even given his injury history and the abundance of wide receivers in this class, it is unlikely he will fall out of the second round. The 6-foot-1, 227-pound wideout has been on the draft radar for a while, beginning with a 1,011-yard, nine-touchdown 2018 sophomore season.

Here is the latest from the draft world:

One prospect who might’ve seen his draft stock dip this week was Alabama offensive lineman Jedrick Wills. Wills seemed to be a lock to be a first-round pick as an offensive tackle, but it looks like a position change could be in his future. Some teams have taken him off their tackle boards all together and are projecting him as a guard at the next level, per Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork.com, who writes that this is causing his stock to slip and that teams are “concerned about his ability to mentally process a complex blocking scheme.”
LSU tight end Thaddeus Moss, the son of the legendary Randy Moss, got some tough injury news at the combine. His physical revealed a Jones fracture in his foot and he will undergo surgery, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). While Pelissero notes that he’ll be ready well in advance of the regular season, this will unfortunately cause him to miss a good chunk of his first offseason program. Moss bursted onto the scene out of nowhere this past season, and had been regarded as a late riser and potential Day 2 pick. It’s unclear but this could hurt his stock a bit.
There was also some good medical news, as TCU offensive tackle Lucas Niang got a positive report following his November hip surgery, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. Rapoport writes that Niang is now considered one of the top offensive tackles in the draft. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller had him going 77th overall in a recent mock draft, although he could go higher with this fresh clean bill of health.

Cardinals Could Trade David Johnson, Want To Retain Kenyan Drake

February 15th, 2020 at 7:45pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We heard a lot of Cardinals news yesterday, including that general manager Steve Keim said the team won’t be cutting running back David Johnson. Releasing Johnson would result in an astronomical $16.2MM dead cap hit, essentially making it impossible. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean Johnson will be back in Arizona in 2020, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network cautions (Twitter video link).

Rapoport says that the Cardinals could look to trade Johnson this offseason, looking for a deal where they would eat some of his salary. He also floated the possibility of Arizona attaching a draft pick with Johnson to get a team to take on his deal, similar to what the Texans did with Brock Osweiler a few years ago. Johnson’s reps certainly did a great job negotiating his contract, and it’s now one of the most burdensome pacts in the entire league. Just a couple of years ago Johnson was viewed as one of the best running backs in the league, which earned him a three-year, $39MM deal.

He cratered immediately after signing it, and he struggled with injuries last year. Even when he was healthy he simply wasn’t a difference maker, and the team pretty much completely stopped giving him the ball late in the year. Down the stretch he took a backseat to Kenyan Drake, who the Cardinals acquired in a trade with the Dolphins.

Speaking of Drake, Rapoport also said that the team wants to keep the impending free agent in the desert, either with a new deal or on the franchise tag. Drake dominated during the second half of the season with Arizona, rushing for 643 yards and eight touchdowns in only eight games while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. If the Cardinals aren’t able to work something out with Drake and he walks, maybe Johnson will be able to salvage his career, but right now it looks like he won’t be regaining his featured role in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense anytime soon.

Texans Release Vernon Hargreaves

February 14th, 2020 at 3:43pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have released cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. By cutting the one-time first-round pick, the Texans will avoid paying him $10MM in 2020, his fifth-year option season.

The fifth-year option is guaranteed for injury only, so the Texans will not be left with any dead money on the cap by dropping Hargreaves. The 24-year-old (25 in June) was dropped by the Bucs last year after he clashed with head coach Bruce Arians, but the Texans were largely complimentary of his effort in the second half of the season.

“Vernon came in here, he works very hard,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said in January (via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle). “Very hard worker, guy that really showed up to practice every day, learned the system. I don’t think that’s easy to be able to come in, in the middle of a season, and really later than that, and play that nickel position is not easy…So, I give a lot of credit to Vernon. There’s a lot of things that he’s going to work hard to improve upon. We’re going to help them with that, but I think Vernon stepped into a tough situation and really made the best of it.”

With that in mind, it’s possible that the Texans could circle back to Hargreaves at a lesser rate. As a former No. 11 overall pick, there’s still plenty of room for him to grow. Besides, the Texans will need some capable bodies at cornerback.

With the Texans, Hargreaves notched 21 tackles, one tackle for a loss, and two passes defended in six games.

Patriots Extend Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio

February 12th, 2020 at 5:59pm CST by Marc Delucchi

After months of speculation surrounding Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio, it appears the well-regarded executive will be staying in New England for some time. Per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, the Patriots and Caserio agreed to a multi-year extension earlier today.

Caserio has been the center of rumors for some time. As head coach Bill Belichick‘s right-hand man, many teams have at least made overtures at poaching Caserio to run their player operations. Prior to the hiring of John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan with the 49ers, San Francisco reportedly was targetting Caserio to work alongside longtime Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. This past offseason, a different former New England assistant, Bill O’Brien, tried to bring Caserio to Houston to help him run the Texans player operations.

Instead, the Patriots filed a tampering charge against the Texans. It appeared to just pause Caserio’s shift. With his contract set to expire at the end of this season, it seemed logical that he would move to Houston as soon as this season ended. However, things have changed. Houston plans to move forward with O’Brien in charge of both player personnel and coaching and Caserio will be staying in New England.

With some major franchise decisions looming for the Pats, Caserio’s familiarity with the organization will surely be appreciated by a group that has to decide whether or not they want to continue with Tom Brady at quarterback and, if they retain him, must decide who his successor will be.

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