HEADLINES

Month: August 2014

Bills Cut Thad Lewis

August 26th, 2014 at 8:03am CST by Luke Adams

After agreeing to sign former Bears quarterback Jordan Palmer, the Bills have cut a signal-caller of their own. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), the team has released Thad Lewis. I believe Lewis has less than four accrued NFL seasons, which would mean he’ll have to pass through waivers before becoming a free agent, but either way, he’ll no longer be on the Bills’ roster.

Lewis, who was thrust into action last season after E.J. Manuel was sidelined, started five games for the Bills and provided decent production. The 29-year-old completed 59.2% of his passes, compiling 1,092 passing yards, four touchdown passes, and just three interceptions — he also ran for a touchdown.

With injuries starting to pile up and a few uncertain backup quarterback situations out there around the league, Lewis may not be without a job for long. However, teams will be cutting their rosters down to 75 players by this afternoon, and to 53 players by Saturday, so it remains to be seen whether Lewis will get a chance to make the cut on any club’s regular season roster.

With Lewis no longer in the mix in Buffalo, the Bills’ quarterbacks are now Manuel, Palmer, and Jeff Tuel. Additionally, by our count, the club’s roster now sits at 75.

West Notes: Hill, Farwell, Hayden

August 25th, 2014 at 10:54pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s look at a few notes from the league’s west divisions to wrap up this Monday evening:

  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, in the wake of Sam Bradford‘s season-ending injury, has reiterated that St. Louis has not engaged other teams in talks regarding a potential quarterback trade.
  • On a related note, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com writes that Fisher emphasized that Shaun Hill will be the Rams‘ starting quarterback going forward.
  • Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets that Colton Schmidt, who was waived by the 49ers earlier today, could draw interest from other clubs looking to make an upgrade at punter. Schmidt led all punters in net yards this preseason.
  • Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes that Seahawks backup middle linebacker and special teams captain Heath Farwell will likely need surgery to repair the extensive groin damage that he suffered in Friday’s preseason game against Chicago. Farwell’s injury essentially locks up a roster spot for undrafted free agent Brock Coyle.
  • Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego reports that Chargers‘ guard Jeromey Clary will begin the season on the PUP list, thereby forcing him to miss at least the first six games of the regular season.
  • Bill Williamson of ESPN.com writes that the Raiders may have found a diamond in the rough in defensive back Neiko Thorpe, who was signed to a futures contract in January.
  • Citing head coach Dennis Allen, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Raiders corner D.J. Hayden, who is recovering from foot surgery, looked a lot better today working with trainers on the sidelines. The team will not make a decision regarding whether Hayden should go on the PUP list until Saturday’s deadline.

Bucs Meeting With Richie Incognito, Could Sign Him

August 25th, 2014 at 10:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

10:00pm: Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network tweets that the meeting between Incognito and the Buccaneers has concluded. Both sides said the meeting went well, but nothing is imminent at this time. Darlington noted in an earlier tweet that, since Incognito has been cleared to resume football activities, it would not be surprising if other teams make a bid for his services.

2:24pm: Smith cautions not to get too excited about a simple visit, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). “I think we’re jumping the gun a little,” said Smith. “We look at everyone available. Nothing more than that.”

2:15pm: Incognito probably won’t sign a deal with Tampa Bay today, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who notes that Incognito’s visit is scheduled for later tonight, making it tough to get a contract in order before the day is through.

10:33am: The Buccaneers are visiting with free agent offensive guard Richie Incognito, and if all goes well, could sign him to a contract, tweets Jay Glazer of Fox Sports 1. Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network adds (via Twitter) than Incgonito has not been fully reinstated by the NFL as of yet. Indeed, Incognito could still be subject to a suspension in 2014, though Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes that the union would likely fight any such ban.

Incognito, 31, was suspended indefinitely last year following his involvement in the Jonathan Martin bullying scandal. Interest in Incognito has been scant, though he had told Josh Peter of USA Today that his agent had received “a few nibbles” from inquiring teams. When the subject of Incognito was raised several weeks ago, Bucs head coach Lovie Smith didn’t rule out bringing in the veteran guard.

Despite his off-the-field concerns, Incognito is certainly a talented player. Incognito has started 102 games over the course of his career, spending time at both guard spots (though he has played only left guard in recent seasons). Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required) only goes back to 2007, but the site’s advanced metrics have positively graded each of Incognito’s seasons. For most of his career, PFF’s statistics indicated that Incognito was a better run-blocker than pass-protector, but since 2012, those data points have flipped. Regardless, Incognito is unquestionably a top-30 guard, and topped out as the 16th-best guard in the league in 2010.

I posited Tampa Bay as a potential destination for Incognito in my free agent stock evaluation of him a few weeks ago, as the Bucs are thin up front after they agreed to part ways with veteran G Carl Nicks earlier this month. Currently, Tampa’s starters at guard are Oniel Cousins and Jamon Meredith, with Kadeem Edwards and Patrick Omameh acting as backups.

Saints Notes: Roster Moves, Goodwin, Griffin

August 25th, 2014 at 9:52pm CST by Rory Parks

There are a few Saints-related items to pass along this evening:

Roster Moves

  • The team has released LB Victor Butler, tweets Kristian Garic of WWL 870am., thereby saving $1.5MM in cap space. Mike Triplett of ESPN.com was trying to confirm the release as of the time of this post.
  • The Saints have informed OL Manase Foketi that he will be waived, tweets Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune.

Other notes

  • Woodbery writes that the team’s kicking competition between Shayne Graham and Derek Dimke has not been decided, and head coach Sean Payton said that the battle will go down to the wire.
  • In a separate piece, Woodbery breaks down how the new practice squad rules affect different members of the Saints’ roster.
  • Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune believes the Saints’ center battle is over and that Jonathan Goodwin has earned the starting job over Tim Lelito.
  • In the same piece, Holder writes that it is “increasingly evident” that the Saints will open the season with three quarterbacks. Even though Ryan Griffin has outperformed Luke McCown, the team does not appear ready to part with McCown, who has worked with the first-team offense in every preseason game thus far. Payton said that Griffin will see “plenty of action” in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Ravens.

49ers Roster Moves, Martin Update

August 25th, 2014 at 9:06pm CST by Rory Parks

Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that 49ers rookie center Marcus Martin is expected to miss eight weeks of the regular season with a kneecap injury.

Also, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the 49ers have trimmed their roster to 75 players after making the following series of moves:

Waived

Released

Released off Injured Reserve

Reserve/PUP List

Reserve/Non-Football Injury (NFI) List

  • RB Marcus Lattimore
  • FB Trey Millard
  • CB Keith Reaser
  • G Brandon Thomas

The players on the PUP and NFI lists are eligible to return to practice after the first six weeks of the regular season or otherwise be placed on a season-ending reserve list. That means, of course, that Bowman and Lattimore will officially miss the first six weeks of the season.

As Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee tweets, all seven players that were waived are eligible to be placed on the team’s practice squad.

 

 

Richie Incognito Cleared To Play

August 25th, 2014 at 8:28pm CST by Rory Parks

Free agent guard Richie Incognito has been cleared to resume all football activities, including playing in regular season games, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. We learned earlier today that the Buccaneers were meeting with Incognito, though Tampa Bay head coach Lovie Smith cautioned this afternoon that it was a “simple visit” that was perhaps being over-hyped as something more. Cummings also noted (via Twitter) that at least three other teams were interested in acquiring him.

Despite Smith’s comments, it would seem that, given Incognito’s baggage, any team that brings him in for a visit has more than just a cursory interest in signing him. The Bucs are certainly thin on the offensive line, and are said to be monitoring the Alex Boone situation in San Francisco as well. However, when asked whether Tampa Bay was the favorite to land Incongito at this point, Cummings tweeted that the “Bucs have [the] edge. He’s here.” And now, as Cummings notes, they do not have to worry about whether the NFL will allow him to play.

For an in-depth evaluation of what Incognito brings to the table–the good and the bad–read our Dallas Robinson’s free-agent stock watch post.

Minor Moves: Monday

August 25th, 2014 at 7:53pm CST by Matt Feminis

Kawakami On Jim Harbaugh

August 25th, 2014 at 6:27pm CST by Matt Feminis

Despite the fact Jim Harbaugh’s contract runs through 2015, there’s a strong chance this season will be the head coach’s last coaching the 49ers, according to the San Jose Mercury-News’ Tim Kawakami. Citing NFL sources, Kawakami engages in some educated speculation:

  • In terms of Harbaugh staying in San Francisco beyond 2014, Kawakami says, “most knowledgeable folks believe it’s a coin flip” and “Harbaugh and [owner] Jed York might agree with those odds, too — privately — and both are OK with it.”
  • General sentiment around the league is Harbaugh and management have set up this season “precisely to decide the future of the relationship.” Either the 49ers will have a successful season, and York will be more than willing to oblige with the “largest coaching contract in football history, something close to $10MM a year) or the 49ers will have a disappointing season, and “things will get muddled.”
  • Kawakami states GM Trent Baalke “is decidedly part of the York team” vis-à-vis team brass’s not-so-private power struggle.
  • It is unlikely either side will be content with a “lame duck” situation in 2015. Accordingly, a trade is a realistic scenario.
  • Speculating about potential landing spots in 2015, Kawakami identifies three prerequisites to accommodate Harbaugh: money, personality fit and a “trusted executive to help him organize and re-configure the roster to his liking.”
  • Kawakami says there is one man linked to Harbaugh: Eagles VP of Personnel Tom Gamble, formerly Baalke’s director of player personnel . Harbaugh “knows and likes” Gamble, who has connections to the Raiders and Dolphins, two teams “most likely to be on the Harbaugh Short-List if he should come available next off-season.”
  • The Raiders (Al Davis) gave Harbaugh his first coaching job, and tried to lure him to Oakland before he took the 49ers job. Secondly, Gamble was an Al Davis confidante. Thirdly, the Raiders could very well have another poor season under Dennis Allen, who has posted an 8-24 record over two seasons. If the team seeks a “huge name to give the franchise momentum for a new stadium,” Harbaugh loves the Bay Area.
  • The Dolphins reportedly offered Harbaugh more money than the 49ers did when Harbaugh was hired in 2011. In fact, Kawakami says, 49ers executives believed Harbaugh was on the verge of going to Miami. Then last January, Gamble was a legitimate candidate for the Dolphins GM job before he decided to remain in Philadelphia, “so it’s not a stretch to think they could be envisioned as a power tandem in 2015.”

Brandon Meriweather Suspended Two Games

August 25th, 2014 at 5:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The NFL has suspended Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather for the first two games of the 2014 for repeatedly violating player safety rules, according to Randall Liu, the director of NFC football communications (via Twitter). Per Liu, this is Meriweather’s sixth violation of the safety policy; the latest offense was a hit on Ravens receiver Torrey Smith, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. According to NFL Executive VP of Football Operations Troy Vincent, Meriweather “made no attempt to make a conventional tackle” on Smith (Twitter link via Zac Boyer of the Washington Times).

Meriweather has the right to appeal, but if he fails, he will miss Washington’s games against the Texans and Jaguars. According to Brian McIntryre (Twitter link), the ban will cost Meriweather 2/17 of his $855K base salary, which amounts to a little over $100K. Boyer tweets that Meriweather will not be allowed to have any contact with the Redskins from September 1 to September 15.

AFC East Notes: Patterson, Bills, Pats

August 25th, 2014 at 4:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s look at the latest from the AFC East:

  • Dimitri Patterson‘s decision to skip the Jets’ Friday night preseason game was fueled by his displeasure at his place on the cornerback depth chart, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. New York suspended Patterson indefinitely this afternoon.
  • Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio today (Twitter link), former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly said he didn’t care which bidder ultimately purchases the franchise, as long as they intend to keep the team in Buffalo. Kelly reportedly turned down an opportunity to join Jon Bon Jovi’s Toronto group in a bid for the Bills.
  • Jimmy Garoppolo will start at quarterback for the Patriots in Thursday’s preseason finale, but according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (on Twitter) New England still hasn’t decided whether he or Ryan Mallett will be the No. 2 quarterback when the regular season arrives.
  • With Mallett reportedly on the trade block, Tom Carpenter of ESPN Insider (subscription required) takes a look at some possible destinations for the Patriots backup QB.
  • With regards to dealing Mallett, however, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) that the Patriots won’t trade him until they are certain Garoppolo is ready to flourish as Tom Brady‘s primary backup.
  • Rapoport has more on the Patriots, tweeting that Tommy Kelly and/or Will Smith, both of whom were released yesterday, could re-sign with New England after Week 1, at which point neither’s salary would be guaranteed. Rapoport passed along this thought before news of Kelly’s visit with the Cardinals broke.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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