HEADLINES

Month: April 2024

AFC North Notes: Gordon, Urban, Leach

July 31st, 2014 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

Harold Henderson will be the hearing officer for Josh Gordon‘s suspension appeal tomorrow, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link), and that may not be good news for the Browns wideout. Cabot says the argument that Gordon’s failed test was a result of second-hand smoke “won’t fly” with Henderson, and Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report echoes that sentiment (via Twitter).

  • Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters today, including Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), that fourth-round defensive lineman Brent Urban suffered a torn ACL this week in practice and will be sidelined for the 2014 season.
  • Following Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods in 2011 and 2012, Ravens fullback Vonta Leach played a reduced role in 2013, and was ultimately cut by the team in February. However, as he tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, Leach isn’t retiring, and hopes to catch on with an NFL club. “A lot of teams and coaches have sent text message to make sure that I’m staying in shape,” Leach said. “You never know when you might get that call. I’m played in this league a long time. I know how this business works. You’ve got to be ready.”
  • After breaking down the extensions signed by Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman, and Joe Haden this year, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap concludes that Haden’s deal with the Browns is the strongest and the most protected upon signing.
  • I rounded up a few Bengals rumors earlier this morning.

Bengals Rumors: Dalton, Green, Burfict

July 31st, 2014 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

Marvin Lewis‘ 2013 offensive and defensive coordinators are both now running teams of their own, with Jay Gruden having departed for Washington and Mike Zimmer coaching the Vikings. But Lewis and the Bengals have plenty of confidence that installing a pair of new coordinators this season won’t have an adverse effect on the club, as the head coach tells Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

“The timing of when Jay and Mike were offered head coaching positions and they accepted, it couldn’t have played any better for me and made it a much easier transition without much angst, which was good,” Lewis said. “And it was good for our players as well knowing they could continue on with people who knew them. … We are able to come in and pick up where we left off.”

In addition to exploring the integration of Hue Jackson and Paul Guenther into their new roles on the Bengals’ coaching staff, La Canfora also explores a number of other topics of note after his visit to Cincinnati’s training camp. Let’s round up the highlights….

  • La Canfora doesn’t expect a contract agreement between Andy Dalton and the Bengals before the season gets underway, and it’s unlikely that the two sides would continue negotiations during the season. According to La Canfora, there hasn’t been any progress or movement lately, and it doesn’t seem as if Dalton’s camp is interested in a short-term bridge deal or a long-term deal without much money up front (a la Colin Kaepernick‘s extension).
  • The door has been opened for 2011 first-rounders to sign contract extensions after Patrick Peterson and Tyron Smith inked new deals this week, and La Canfora wouldn’t be surprised if A.J. Green ultimately landed an extension before Dalton. For now, the Bengals have the star wideout locked up through 2015 after exercising his fifth-year option, but the team will want to keep him around long-term.
  • The Bengals also continue to work on a new deal for linebacker Vontaze Burfict, with the goal of getting something done before the season gets underway, says La Canfora.
  • Mohamed Sanu could be a beneficiary of Andrew Hawkins‘ free agent departure to Cleveland, according to La Canfora, who says Sanu is “generating a strong buzz” in camp.

NFC Notes: Falcons, Bryant, Finley, Nelson

July 31st, 2014 at 9:23am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of Sean Weatherspoon‘s season-ending Achilles injury, the Falcons added a pair of veteran free agent linebackers, signing Pat Angerer and Tim Dobbins to minimum salary contracts. However, the team hasn’t ruled the possibility of making further changes, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, who reports that former Packer Nick Barnett remains on Atlanta’s radar.

Per McClure, the Falcons were impressed with Barnett’s workout earlier in the offseason, but opted to sign Angerer and Dobbins instead. After Angerer left Tuesday’s practice complaining of headaches though, there was concern he may have sustained a concussion, which may prompt the Falcons to turn to Barnett.

As we wait to see whether the Falcons make any roster moves, let’s check in on a few other NFC teams….

  • Having extended Tyron Smith, the Cowboys will now have the franchise tag available next year for Dez Bryant, but team executive vice president Stephen Jones said today that Dallas is “totally committed” to locking up the star receiver for the long term (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Ed Werder).
  • After Anthony McCoy suffered an apparent torn Achilles tendon in practice earlier this week, the Seahawks may be looking for some tight end depth, but the team won’t be revisiting the possibility of signing Jermichael Finley, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (link via PFT’s Curtis Crabtree).
  • Florio also has the full breakdown of Jordy Nelson’s new extension with the Packers, suggesting that the deal should secure the wideout’s place on the roster through at least 2016.
  • Insider linebacker will be a position to watch for the Eagles this year, after the club didn’t really address the position in free agency or the draft, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • A federal court hearing will take place in California this Monday to determine whether Redskins wideout DeSean Jackson will have to repay agent Drew Rosenhaus $516K+, as an NFLPA arbitrator previously ruled, reports Alex Marvez of FOX Sports.

Goodell To Meet With Josh Gordon, Aldon Smith

July 31st, 2014 at 8:04am CST by Luke Adams

Yesterday, we heard that former Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent will meet with commissioner Roger Goodell within the next week or so in an effort to be reinstated into the NFL. However, that’s not the only meeting with a player on Goodell’s schedule for the next week and a half. According to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, the commish will also meet with 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith on August 8, and will sit down with Browns wideout Josh Gordon sometime before then.

Both Smith and Gordon are facing suspensions for off-field actions. In Smith’s case, three felony gun charges, a DUI, and an alleged fake bomb threat loom large, and are expected to result in a multi-game ban. As for Gordon, who is facing a possible one-year suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, his appeal hearing remains scheduled for tomorrow, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). Gordon’s reps will argue that his failed test was a result of second-hand smoke, and that if his two urine samples had arbitrarily flipped labels, he would have passed the test.

Goodell, who previously had established a reputation as a strict disciplinarian, has been under scrutiny for the lenient punishment he handed down to Ravens running back Ray Rice, who only received a two-game ban following an ugly domestic abuse case involving his then-fiancée.

Extra Points: Jets, Peterson, Lynch, Gruden

July 30th, 2014 at 10:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Rex Ryan‘s Jets take a lot of heat but they have every right to be loud and express themselves, opines Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Ryan’s Jets were at their best with the volume turned up to ear-splitting levels from 2009-2011 with trash talk coming from Bart Scott and Antonio Cromartie. While those two are gone, it’s clear that the swagger is back in East Rutherford, New Jersey. More out of the AFC and NFC East..

  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the full details of Patrick Peterson‘s extension with the Cardinals. Last night, Peterson became the first 2011 first-round pick to ink a contract extension, two years away from reaching free agency. Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith became the second member of the 2011 class to ink an extension earlier today.
  • Peterson told Alex Flanagan of the NFL Network (Twitter links) that becoming the league’s highest-paid cornerback was a point of emphasis during negotiations and went so far as to say it was “very important” to have that title. The total new money in the five-year extension works out to $70.05MM, which is no coincidence. The extra $50K allows the Cardinals CB to edge out Seahawks star Richard Sherman as the highest paid corner in terms of average annual value.
  • In a piece for the National Football Post, former NFL agent Joel Corry offers up some solutions to Marshawn Lynch‘s holdout with the Seahawks. One of Corry’s ideas would be for Seattle to convert this year’s $500K rushing yards incentive into 2014 base salary, if not the entire $1MM in incentives for both years. The conversion would use $1 million of Seattle’s $7.55MM of existing salary cap room and if they wanted to spread out the cap hit over two years, the $1MM could be a signing bonus instead.
  • New Redskins coach Jay Gruden says the zone read option will remain a part of the playbook but how often it’ll be utilized remains to be seen, writes Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com.
  • Chiefs defensive back Ron Parker has overcome some long odds to reach the top spot on the team’s depth chart at his position, writes Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star. The 26-year-old has been cut by three different NFL teams but has finally found a home in KC.
  • Albert Breer of NFL Network (on Twitter) hears that the big reason why the Titans didn’t pick up Jake Locker‘s option was the injury risk involved. Tennessee didn’t want to make a significant guarantee to the quarterback based on the last two years.

North Notes: Thompson, McCarthy, Bengals

July 30th, 2014 at 9:37pm CST by Zachary Links

For Packers GM Ted Thompson, signing an extension was a no-brainer, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “The more you think about it, the more you think how nuts are you that you’d walk away from something like this,” Thompson said. “It’s important to me. It’s not my family, but I’ve got a lot of really good friends here and co-workers that I enjoy coming to work with every day.” The 61-year-old is the  seventh-longest-tenured GM in the NFL and there was some speculation that he would consider retirement.

  • Next on the Packers‘ agenda, Demovsky writes, should be hammering out an extension for head coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy, whose current contract runs through the 2015 season, has been getting along rather well with star quarterback Aaron Rodgers lately and is on the same page with Thompson, which was not the case with his predecessor Mike Sherman. Together, McCarthy and Thompson have an 88-50-1 overall record, including playoffs.
  • Cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris has been suspended two games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, tweets Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Lewis-Harris has played a little for the Bengals in the last two seasons, shuttling back and forth from the practice squad, but there’s no guarantee he’ll earn a roster spot now that he’s facing a suspension.
  • The Browns will be Johnny Manziel‘s team at some point, maybe even soon, but it’s clear it’s Brian Hoyer‘s team for now, writes Don Banks of Sports Illustrated. Hoyer, 28, is not deluding himself when it comes to the realities of his situation in Cleveland, but for now, the blinders are on and he’s determined to remain the starter.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Cowboys Notes: Smith, Bryant, Jones

July 30th, 2014 at 9:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier tonight, we learned that former Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent is set to meet with commissioner Roger Goodell next week. Here’s the latest on the Cowboys..

  • Some people are wondering what Tyron Smith was thinking in signing an eight-year, $98MM deal with the Cowboys, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “There’s no way you can do a deal that long,” a league source with extensive experience negotiating player contracts said. “I’m stunned. . . . 10 years is nuts.” He’ll have no power to get more money over the course of his deal, no matter how well he performs. And if he struggles, the only security he’ll have is the fully-guaranteed money that he received when committing himself to the Cowboys for the next decade.
  • Meanwhile, Smith released a statement through his reps at Costa Sports Marketing to explain why he signed the long-term extension. “Late last week, the Cowboys approached me with a deal I told my agents I wanted to sign. My agents explained the pros and cons of this deal versus one that may be shorter term and/or higher guarantee. After careful consideration, I decided this long term deal was exactly what I wanted. Over the past three years, the Cowboys organization and Jones Family have helped me through trying times and I felt this was my opportunity to return the gratitude. I am beyond grateful for the Cowboys staff, my teammates, and the fans, and wanted to ensure I was locked in as a ‘Cowboy for Life’. I want to thank everyone for their support and look forward to having a star on my helmet for the remainder of my career,” Smith said.
  • While the Cowboys and Dez Bryant don’t appear to be close on a new deal at the moment, that could change quickly if Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas agrees on a deal soon, writes David Moore of The Dallas Morning News. Thomas and Bryant are very close statistically and that will likely give both sides a common reference point.

Josh Brent To Meet With Roger Goodell

July 30th, 2014 at 8:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent will meet with commissioner Roger Goodell by the end of next week in an effort to gain re-entry into the NFL, agent Peter Schaffer tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Brent, of course, has been out of action since December 2012 when he drove under the influence and caused a car wreck that tragically killed teammate Jerry Brown.

Brent went to Brown’s family to get its blessing on resuming his NFL career, and Schaffer said the family extended it, Schefter tweets. Since the tragedy, Brent has failed multiple drug tests and served time in prison. For his part, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently told WFAA-TV’s Dale Hansen that he’s considering bringing Brent back to Dallas.

“First of all, Josh Brent before he was involved in his tragic mistake, and it was a mistake, he did some really fine things as a football player. By the way, he was a great teammate. As witnessed by the fact his teammates and many of the Brown family members have continued to support him. He is the kind of guy that you would like to see make up for his mistake and support him in a great rehab. The NFL is a great place to make up for a mistake,” Jones said.

In a recent PFR poll, 66% of readers said that Brent should not return to the Cowboys. Brent played in 39 games for the Cowboys between 2010 and 2012, recording 44 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Offseason In Review: New Orleans Saints

July 30th, 2014 at 6:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Notable signings:

Notable losses:

Extensions and restructures:

Trades:

  • Acquired a fifth-round pick (No. 169) from the Eagles in exchange for Darren Sproles.
  • Acquired a first-round pick (No. 20) from the Cardinals in exchange for a first-round pick (No. 27) and a third-round pick (No. 91).

Draft picks:

  • Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State (1.20): Signed
  • Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB, Nebraska (2.58): Signed
  • Khairi Fortt, OLB, California (4.126): Signed
  • Vinnie Sunseri, S, Alabama (5.167): Signed
  • Ronald Powell, OLB, Florida (5.169): Signed
  • Tavon Rooks, OT, Kansas State (6.202): Signed

Other:

An 11-5 season doesn’t signal a need for big change for most teams, but the bar is set pretty high in New Orleans and the Saints refused to stand pat this offseason. With big upgrades on both sides of the ball, the Saints look to be one of the strongest teams in the NFC.

There were a lot of high-quality safeties available on the open market this offseason but the Saints wanted the very best of the bunch. Jairus Byrd, who ranked No. 3 on Luke Adams’ Top 25 Free Agents list, New Orleans didn’t have a ton of cap room heading into the offseason, but they managed to carve out the space to give Byrd a six-year, $54MM contract. The 27-year-old missed a good chunk of the season with injury but he still wound up with 37 tackles and four interceptions across eleven games and still ranks as one of the league’s premier playmakers at his position. On the flipside, not everyone is applauding the signing, especially since Byrd underwent back surgery to repair a disc issue after inking his deal. Still, if he stays healthy, he figures to give the Saints’ secondary a major punch.Jairus Byrd

Even though the Saints signed one of the offseason’s very best free agents, the last few months have been dominated by talk about star tight end Jimmy Graham. Graham was franchised by the Saints in late February and was the only player who received the tag and didn’t quickly accept the one-year tender or work out a longer-term deal. That’s because, in part, Graham received the ~$7MM franchise tag for tight ends rather than the $12MM+ he would have earned if he had instead been tagged as a wide receiver. Graham, who lined up split out from the offensive line on two-thirds of his snaps in 2013, went to the mat with his team to get the deal he felt he deserved. He would up losing the case despite the help of the players’ union and strong public support, but in the end he got a deal that makes him the highest-paid tight end in NFL history and should keep him in gold and black for years to come.

Getting back to the secondary, the Saints retained restricted free agent safety Rafael Bush, added cornerback Champ Bailey, and used a second-round pick on corner Stanley Jean-Baptiste. Longtime Saints safety Roman Harper and cornerback Jabari Greer, meanwhile, were shown the door in an effort to clear cap room and beef up elsewhere. Bush, 26, inked an offer sheet with the rival Falcons but a two-year, $4.5MM deal wasn’t enough to scare them off. Bush would have been a shoe-in to start with the Falcons and reportedly wanted the opportunity prove himself in a larger role but he projects to come off the bench for the Saints behind Byrd and Kenny Vaccaro. Bailey, meanwhile, was picked up a two-year deal with just $500K guaranteed. While he boasts one of the most impressive resumes of any cornerback in the NFL, he appeared in just five games last season for the Broncos due to a foot injury and has lost a step or three. Greg A. Bedard of MMQB recently wrote that it wouldn’t be a shock if Bailey didn’t break camp with the Saints and the club rolled with one of their talented young DBs like undrafted free agent Pierre Warren instead. Bailey was signed to start for this team but he might wind up plying his craft elsewhere by the time Week 1 rolls around.

Looking at the front seven, familiar faces Will Smith and Jonathan Vilma are no longer with the team. Nose tackle Brodrick Bunkley was also a candidate to change uniforms, but he restructured his contract instead in order to stay aboard. His salary this year went from $4.5MM to $1.65MM, creating $2.85MM in cap space. The 30-year-old’s new deal helped to create room for some of the club’s free agent pickups.

On the other side of the ball, the Saints used their first-round pick to add talented receiver Brandin Cooks. What the 5’10 Oregon State product lacks in bulk he more than makes up for with the ability to change direction and eek out extra yards after the catch. While he’s a different kind of receiver, he’ll see a lot of the targets that would have gone to Lance Moore, who is now a member of the Steelers. He should also get some extra looks now that pass-catching tailback Darren Sproles is out of the picture. It was a surprise to some when he was shipped to the Eagles for a fifth-round selection and while it helped ease a glut in the backfield, it does mean that there is one less dangerous weapon in the arsenal for Drew Brees to work with.

Pass-blocking fullback Erik Lorig was added on a four-year, ~$5MM deal which should help Brees gain a bit of extra time in the pocket. More central to Brees’ success will be the continued presence of Zach Strief, who was re-signed to a five-year pact. The 30-year-old has spent the first eight years of his NFL career in New Orleans, including the last three as the club’s starting right tackle. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), the former seventh-round pick enjoyed his best season in 2013, ranking as the league’s best right tackle and grading especially well as a pass blocker.

The Saints have placed increased emphasis on their secondary in recent years and they continued that push heading into the 2014 season. Assuming Byrd stays healthy, it’s hard not to like this Saints team in the NFC South.

Spotrac and Over The Cap were used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns Sign Jim Leonhard

July 30th, 2014 at 6:18pm CST by Luke Adams

6:18pm: The Browns announced the signing, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.

4:53pm: Well-traveled safety Jim Leonhard has signed with the Browns, the veteran free agent announced today, tweeting, “It’s official, I just signed my 8th NFL contract to become a part of the Cleveland Browns. #dawgpound.” The move reunites the 31-year-old with Browns head coach Mike Pettine, who was the Bills’ defensive coordinator when Leonhard played in Buffalo last season.

Leonhard, a Wisconsin product, has played for four teams since entering the league in 2005, spending time with the Jets, Ravens, and Broncos, as well as enjoying two separate stints with the Bills. After playing primarily in a reserve role in Denver in 2012, Leonhard earned seven starts last season in Buffalo. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) ranked him as just the 67th-best safety out of 86 qualified players, but he contributed 41 tackles and four interceptions to a much-improved Bills defense.

For the Browns, Leonhard will look to earn a spot and playing time in a secondary where Donte Whitner and Tashaun Gipson project as the starting safeties. Cleveland won’t have to cut a player to finalize the signing of Leonhard, since the team had a couple open spots on its 90-man roster.

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