HEADLINES

Month: April 2014

Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

April 29th, 2014 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

We’ve detailed how you can follow Pro Football Rumors on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or using an RSS reader to ensure that you receive all of our updates, 365 days a year. If you prefer to only receive news about your favorite NFL team, PFR has you covered. Below are links to our Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds for all 32 teams.

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NFC North

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Draft Notes: Bortles, Askew, Mauro, Ward

April 29th, 2014 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

As we saw last month, a handful of the more successful and shrewder NFL franchises approach free agency with the draft in mind, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. As La Canfora writes, many clubs are more inclined to pursue free agents like Darrelle Revis, DeMarcus Ware, Steve Smith, and Julius Peppers, who were released by their previous teams, since those players aren’t linked to compensatory draft picks.

This approach also explains why the Ravens, who signed Smith after he was cut by the Panthers, were willing to give up a fifth-round pick to acquire Jeremy Zuttah — given how many compensatory picks Baltimore typically lands (a league-high 41 since 1996), the team should easily replace that fifth-rounder after letting notable free agents like Arthur Jones and Michael Oher depart.

Here’s a little more from La Canfora’s piece, as well as a few other draft notes from around the league:

  • La Canfora makes a couple draft-related predictions, forecasting a cornerback run in the first round (sometime in the 20s), and suggesting that drafted players may sign contracts more quickly this year than usual, since teams will be eager to address that business after waiting an extra two weeks for the draft.
  • Peter King of TheMMQB.com doesn’t expect Blake Bortles to still be available when the Vikings pick at No. 8 next week, but he sees Bortles as an ideal fit for Minnesota and offensive coordinator Norv Turner. King identifies the Texans and Browns as a couple teams that could snatch up the UCF signal-caller before the Vikings are on the clock.
  • Speedy Texas A&M linebacker Nate Askew, a converted receiver, has drawn “steady interest from NFL teams,” according to Aaron Wilson of the National Post, who reports that Askew visited the Panthers and Buccaneers. Wilson adds that the linebacker, who recorded a 4.46 time in the 40-yard dash, also worked out privately for the Falcons, Eagles, and the Texans.
  • Wilson also provides an update on Stanford defensive lineman Josh Mauro, who visited the Giants and worked out privately for the Cowboys, Raiders, and Falcons.
  • We heard earlier in the month that Northern Illinois’ Jimmie Ward paid a pre-draft visit to the Ravens, but according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link), Baltimore was just one of 12 teams to host the safety. The Falcons, Panthers, and Cowboys were among the other teams Ward visited.
  • Arizona State defensive back Alden Darby has worked out for the Patriots, Falcons, and Chargers, and still has a workout with the Raiders on the docket, tweets Doug Haller of AZCentral.com.

Saints Likely To Decline Option On Ingram

April 28th, 2014 at 9:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Having exercised the 2015 option on defensive end Cameron Jordan, it seems unlikely that the Saints will be doing the same with Mark Ingram. CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora reports (via Twitter) that the team does “not intend to pick up” the running back’s fifth-year option.

Ingram joins Pierre Thomas atop a running back depth chart that lost Darren Sproles to a trade with the Eagles. Ingram ran for 386 yards on 78 attempts in 2013, scoring one touchdown. His best season came in 2012, when he rushed for 602 yards and five scores.

Per our 2015 option tracker, Ingram’s fifth-year option would have been worth $5.21MM. That amount was the lowest on the list of eligible players.

Poll: Which Embattled QB Will Have Most Success?

April 28th, 2014 at 9:37pm CST by Ben Levine

Vince Young is set to work out for the Browns, and if he catches on he’d join a list of quarterbacks looking for a restart.

A number of embattled quarterbacks found new homes this offseason, each hoping to resurrect their once-promising careers. The majority of them will likely be serving as backups, but that also means an injury could suddenly thrust them into a starting role.

Mark Sanchez inked a one-year, $2.25MM deal to sit on the bench with the Eagles. He could be Nick Foles‘ backup, but the team could also select a quarterback in the draft. If that’s the case, Sanchez’s opportunity diminishes even more.

Brandon Weeden will have another opportunity to showcase the talent that (debatably) justified his first-round selection in 2012. The 30-year-old signed a two-year, minimum deal with the Cowboys where he will serve as a backup to Tony Romo. Considering Romo’s injury history, Weeden may have a chance to start next season (assuming Kyle Orton is not on the team).

It seemed inevitable that Matt Schaub‘s tenure in Houston would come to a close, and he was traded by the Texans to the Raiders last month. Following the trade of Terrelle Pryor, the starting gig seems to be Schaub’s. Barring the team drafting a top quarterback, he’ll likely be atop the depth chart heading into next season.

Josh Freeman was the starter for the Buccaneers from 2009 to 2012, but he completely unraveled prior to his release. After finishing the season with the Vikings, he signed a one-year, $750K deal with the Giants this offseason. Eli Manning is one of the most durable quarterbacks in the NFL, but Freeman is certainly a competent backup.

Which embattled quarterback do you expect to have the best season in 2014?

NFC Links: Falcons, Hardy, Crabtree

April 28th, 2014 at 8:12pm CST by Ben Levine

Three years ago today, the Falcons traded five draft picks to the Browns for the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft (per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com). The Falcons selected receiver Julio Jones, and it’s probably fair to say that Atlanta ultimately won the deal. The Browns ended up trading one first-round pick (Jonathan Baldwin) and striking out on another (Brandon Weeden). Cleveland selected Greg Little and Owen Marecic and traded the pick that ended up being Vikings receiver Jarius Wright.

Let’s take a look at some more Falcons and NFC notes…

  • Former NFL executive Bill Polian discussed what he would include in a deal for the Texans‘ number-one pick with McClure. Speaking from the Falcons perspective, Polian states that it would take “obviously a swap of first-round picks” in addition to a handful of other picks. Polian says the other pieces could involve another first-rounder or additional mid-round picks to sweeten a deal.
  • Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy will receive an advance of $1.3MM if he shows up for the entire offseason program, reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Hardy has previously suggested that he may avoid the programs as a means of establishing leverage in long-term discussions.
  • While the 49ers may be reaching out to Michael Crabtree‘s camp in regards to an extension, there likely won’t be a deal anytime soon, writes Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle. Branch points to Crabtree’s lack of leverage following his injury, among other reasons.

Draft Notes: Bridgewater, Seamster, Pierre-Louis

April 28th, 2014 at 5:46pm CST by Ben Levine

If Teddy Bridgewater slides into the second round or later (and if he can subsequently prove an injury or illness), he should collect $5MM in tax-free money, reports Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. Following this past college season, the Louisville quarterback added $5MM to his $10MM total disability injury policy while supplementing that with loss-of-value insurance worth $5MM.

Bridgewater purchased the policy for $20K when he was projected to be the number-three pick, and a source told Rovell that Bridgewater would start to collect if he falls out of the top 11. Rovell also adds that the difference between being picked third overall and 33rd overall (first pick of the second round) is about $15MM.

Here are some more draft notes, all from Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post and The Baltimore Sun…

  • Middle Tennessee State cornerback Sammy Seamster met with the Jaguars and the Giants last week, reports Wilson. Seamster previously met with the Chiefs and Dolphins.
  • Linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis visited the Giants, reports Wilson. The former Boston College Eagle finished last season with 108 tackles and six sacks.
  • Kansas State offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas auditioned for about half the NFL teams today, writes Wilson. Lucas was medically cleared two weeks ago after having sustained a foot injury. The Raiders were among the teams at his showcase today, and the Dolphins and Saints have already expressed interest.

Minor Moves: Bengals, Browns, Lions, Packers

April 28th, 2014 at 5:01pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll keep tabs on Monday’s minor transactions right here — that includes free agents accepting contract tenders, notable CFL signings, and roster moves involving players who haven’t seen much or any NFL action lately. Here are the day’s minor moves, with any new transactions added to the top of the list throughout the evening:

  • The Bengals have cut center Scott Wedige, the team announced today (Twitter link). Wedige, who didn’t appear in a regular-season game for Cincinnati last season, saw his only NFL action in 2012, briefly appearing in a pair of contests for Arizona.
  • Kicker Brandon Bogotay has been waived by the Browns, the club announced today (via Twitter). The move leaves Billy Cundiff as the only kicker on Cleveland’s roster.
  • The Lions have signed tight end Jordan Thompson, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Thompson’s signing was first broken by his old high school coach, who tweeted a congratulatory message on Friday.
  • Wilson also tweets that the Packers have cut running back Orwin Smith. The Georgia Tech product was on Green Bay’s practice squad last season before inking a futures deal with the team.

AFC Notes: Knighton, Browns, Nicks, Pats

April 28th, 2014 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

After seeing a number of defensive tackles cash in on the free agent market this year, Terrance Knighton knows he could’ve made out well if he didn’t have one year remaining on his contract with the Broncos. However, despite a modest $2.5MM 2014 salary, the man known as “Pot Roast” won’t be holding out, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post.

“I’m definitely going to honor the contract,” Knighton said. “I want to get something done and I’d like to get something done here. I don’t want to bounce around. But I’m at the point now where once the season starts, I’m just strictly football.”

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • Speaking to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com, CBS Sports announcer Jim Nantz strongly suggested that it was former Browns GM Michael Lombardi who was trying to land Jim Harbaugh for the Cleveland coaching job.
  • Meanwhile, Lombardi’s replacement, Ray Farmer spoke to reporters today and made a handful of interest comments about the draft’s top prospects as well as the possibility of trading up or down. The Browns general manager expects to speak to all 31 NFL GMs in the week leading up to the draft, and about eight or 10 GMs in the 24 hours before draft night. Marla Ridenour of Ohio.com has the quotes from Farmer.
  • As he tells Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, Ahmad Bradshaw did his part in recruiting former Giants teammate Hakeem Nicks to the Colts last month. “I went to his house a week before (his signing) and was just telling him how great it is over here,” Bradshaw said. “I think it kind of helped his decision. I was really encouraging him to come over.”
  • Recent Patriots signees Darrelle Revis, Julian Edelman, and Brandon LaFell all had deferred payments on their signing bonuses that won’t be paid out until March 31, 2015, writes Field Yates of ESPN.com. In total, more than $5MM of the trio’s $18MM in signing bonus money will be paid out next year. Yates also notes that Josh Hull‘s contract with the Pats is a minimum-salary deal with no bonuses.

NFC East Notes: Jackson, Orakpo, Kerrigan

April 28th, 2014 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Head coach Chip Kelly finally discussed the Eagles‘ decision to release DeSean Jackson, and he had an oft-repeated refrain today when asked about the move. Repeatedly asked about Jackson, Kelly stated several times that the move was “purely a football decision” (Twitter link). Here’s more from Kelly, as well as a few notes on a pair of the Eagles’ division rivals:

  • According to Kelly, the Eagles simply decided to go in “a different direction” at the wide receiver position and didn’t find any trade takers (Twitter link). Kelly added that the team came back from the owner meetings without any trade offers for the receiver, and simply decided to release him (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). It may be hard to believe there were no offers on the table for such an explosive playmaker, but Jackson’s previous contract wasn’t exactly cap-friendly.
  • Although Brian Orakpo may play the 2014 season under the franchise tag, he’s still hoping for a long-term deal with the Redskins. However, he indicated today that he won’t let his contract situation affect his participation in offseason workouts and camp: “I’m not going to be in a situation where I’m holding out and all the distractions that come with it,” Orakpo said, according to Zac Boyer of the Washington Times (Twitter link).
  • The Redskins‘ other outside linebacker, Ryan Kerrigan, is hoping the club decides to exercise his fifth-year option, as Boyer tweets. According to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, GM Bruce Allen said today that the club will “have an announcement soon” on Kerrigan, which sounds to me like a signal that the team will be picking up that option.
  • Asked about Dallas’ potential interest in Johnny Manziel, Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones was noncommittal, telling 105.3 The Fan that the team hasn’t finalized the quarterbacks on its draft board yet (link via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News).

Colts Exercise Anthony Castonzo’s Option

April 28th, 2014 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The Colts have picked up their fifth-year option on Anthony Castonzo, according to Will Brinson of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). The move will keep the team’s starting left tackle under contract through the 2015 season.

Castonzo, 25, took over the Colts’ left tackle job on a full-time basis shortly after being selected by the club in the first round of the 2011 draft. In 2013, he ranked 27th out of 76 qualified offensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Castonzo’s PFF grade was buoyed by solid run-blocking and an ability to avoid taking penalties.

ESPN.com’s Mike Wells had reported over the weekend that the Colts would pick up Castonzo’s option, which will be worth $7.438MM, as our fifth-year option tracker shows.

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