Broncos director of pro personnel Tom Heckert won’t get to watch his club take on the Panthers in Super Bowl 50, as he revealed that he’s been dealing with a “very treatable blood disorder,” writes Mike Klis of 9News. Heckert, formerly the general manager of the Browns, has been on medical leave since the start of the second half of the regular season. PFR joins the NFL community in wishing Heckert all the best in his recovery.
Now let’s take a quick spin around the league:
- Concussions increased league-wide in 2015, the NFL announced in its annual injury report. Reported concussions rose from 115 in 2014 to 182 this past year, and the league will study why that was the case, according to Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press.
- New Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph praised Bengals defensive backs Reggie Nelson and Adam Jones during his introductory press conference, and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald expects Miami to target both in free agency. Joseph is tasked with turning around a Dolphins defense that ranked in the bottom 10 of DVOA, and improving the secondary is a logical first step. Aside from safety Reshad Jones, Miami doesn’t have very many immovable objects in its defensive backfield.
- Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence recently underwent back surgery, but he should be able to return “when it matters,” a source tells Todd Archer of ESPN.com. As Archer notes, Dallas head coach Jason Garrett was hesitant to put a timetable on Lawrence’s recovery when speaking at the Senior Bowl. Lawrence took a big leap forward in his second NFl season, starting 13 games and posting eight sacks in the process.
And expect Miami to cut loose Grimes, who played poorly this past season despite his participation bowl invite, and his potty mouth, trailor trash ghetto racist wife.