Saints Sign Four Players, Waive One
4:42pm: The Saints have also signed linebacker Henry Coley, a UDFA from Virginia, tweets Woodbery.
3:47pm: Following the conclusion of their rookie minicamp, the Saints have made several transactions to the offseason roster, according to Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune (unless otherwise noted):
Signed:
- K Zach Hocker (link)
- OL Antonio Johnson (link)
- WR Kyle Prater (link via Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune)
Waived:
- LB Stephon Sanders (link)
The 23-year-old Hocker is the only player listed with any sort of NFL history; he was drafted in the seventh round by Washington in 2014, and has since spent time on the Dolphins’ offseason roster before being waived last week. The other three players are 2015 UDFAs.
As Woodbery notes, the Saints’ roster now sits at 91, one more than the maximum allowed. As such, another transaction (either a waiving or a release) should be in the works.
Saints Sign Josh Morgan
After signing three players earlier today who tried out at their weekend rookie minicamp, the Saints have also added a veteran, agreeing to terms with receiver Josh Morgan, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Though he’s seen action in seven NFL seasons, Morgan was also auditioning at New Orleans’ rookie camp.
Morgan, who turns 30 years old next month, spent 2014 with the Bears, where he split third receiver snaps with Marquess Wilson. He was targeted only 19 times, catching 10 for 70 yards and one touchdown. The 2008 sixth-round draft pick didn’t play on special teams last season, so he’ll probably try to make the Saints’ roster based on his offensive ability alone. Morgan, who’s also spent time with the 49ers and Washington, will compete with Marques Colston, Brandin Cooks, and Nick Toon, among others, for playing time.
The signing of Morgan puts, along with this afternoon’s additions, means New Orleans’ roster sits at 92. The club will need to make two roster moves soon in order to comply with the offseason maximum of 90.
PFR Originals 5/10/15 – 5/17/15
The original content produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- Luke Adams looked at the largest contracts of the 2015 offseason, noting that Ndamukong Suh‘s deal with the Dolphins dwarfs nearly every other deal signed over the past few months.
- I examined the possibility and parameters of a potential extension the Eagles and quarterback Sam Bradford.
- Luke also provided several updates on 2015 franchise-tagged players.
- Zach Links asked if Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will have his DeflateGate suspension reduced from four games, and roughly 63% of you think it will be lessened. Thanks for voting!
Orlando Scandrick, Cowboys Nearing New Deal
Until last week, Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick had been boycotting the club’s offseason workout program in the hopes of securing a new contract — he ended his avoidance of Valley Ranch last week to discuss his deal with team officials, and now it seems as though more progress has been made. According to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Scandrick will report to workouts on Monday, with an eye on negotiating a new deal by the end of the week.
Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram adds (via Twitter) that he’s also heard that Scandrick will report this week, and while he could get to workouts by Monday, that’s not guaranteed, as Scandrick has “family obligations to tend to” before he heads to Valley Ranch. Additionally, tweets Hill, the Cowboys have not enforced the de-escalators tied to Scandrick’s contract, which would heard last month could cost the 28-year-old $500K.
Scandrick is scheduled to earn just $1.5MM in base salary in 2015, and $3MM in each of the following three seasons as part of a contract (and subsequent two-year extension) he signed in 2011. Given that Scandrick graded as the 10th-best corner in the league last season per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), it would seem that he merits a substantial raise. Fellow Cowboys cornerbacks Brandon Carr — who last year ranked as just the 90th-best CB per PFF — and Morris Claiborne, a former top-five pick who has contributed little during his career, are both set to earn more than Scandrick in 2015.
Cowboys COO Stephen Jones indicated last month that the club was unlikely to give in to Scandrick’s demands, noting that Dallas just renegotiated Scandrick’s contract. But it sounds as though the two parties are close to an agreement, one the could potentially satisfy both player and team.
Week In Review: 5/10/15 – 5/17/15
The headlines from the past week at PFR:
DeflateGate:
- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was suspended four games for his role in the DeflateGate controversy. New England will forfeit a 2016 first-round pick, a 2017 fourth-round pick, and be fined $1MM.
- The NFLPA filed an appeal on behalf of Brady, but the appeal will be heard by commissioner Roger Goodell himself.
- The Patriots’ legal counsel issued their own report, refuting the claims made by investigator Ted Wells in his original analysis.
Other Headlines:
- An extension between quarterback Russell Wilson and the Seahawks is unlikely to be finalized before the season begins.
- Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin, a free agent at season’s end, could be eyeing a move to Atlanta, his hometown.
- Free agent running back Steven Jackson wants to join a contender.
- Veteran defensive tackle Kevin Williams is pushing for a return to the Seahawks.
- As teams continue to get their draft picks under contract, you can follow all the latest signings here.
Signed:
- Bills – FB John Conner (link)
- Bengals – QB Terrelle Pryor (link)
- Cardinals – LB Darryl Sharpton (link)
- Falcons – OL Tyler Polumbus (link)
- Lions – WR Lance Moore (link), CB Chris Owens (link), WR Greg Salas (link), and DL Corey Wootton (link)
- Patriots – TE Fred Davis (link)
- Ravens – CB Kyle Arrington (link)
Waivers:
- Broncos – claimed TE Marcel Jensen from the Jaguars
- Buccaneers – claimed LB Khaseem Greene from the Bears; claimed S D.J. Swearinger from the Texans
Sunday Roundup: Ray, Eagles, Chargers
Let’s take a look a a few notes from around the league:
- Shane Ray‘s draft stock took a hit because of a citation for marijuana possession and a toe injury, but the Missouri product was still selected in the first round, as the Broncos traded up to nab the high-ceiling pass rusher. As Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk writes, Denver hopes that Ray, who missed rookie minicamp as a result of the toe injury, will be able to participate in some capacity when the team resumes work tomorrow. As Alper points out, though, Ray’s work is likely to be limited, especially since the Broncos just lost third-round tight end Jeff Heuerman to a torn ACL at minicamp.
- Of all the eyebrow-raising moves that Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has made during his brief tenure with the club, his decisions relating to Philadelphia’s wide receiving corps may be the most curious. But as David Murphy of The Philadelphia Daily News writes, with the addition of Nelson Agholor–a physical clone of Jeremy Maclin–the expected improvement from Zach Ertz and Jordan Matthews, and the team’s ability to shift Darren Sproles to more of a pass-catching role now that DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews are in the fold, the Eagles may actually have a more dynamic set of receivers than they had in 2014.
- Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano says rookie Denzel Perryman will compete for time at inside linebacker with projected starters Manti Te’o and Donald Butler, but that ultimately everybody will see time on the field, ESPN’s Eric D. Williams writes. Pagano complimented his talent not only at the linebacker position, but also on special teams.
- The Chargers don’t have a true fullback on their roster, but San Diego State product Chad Young hopes to change that, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego writes. Young has experience on his side, having been in training camp last year with the Jets. But like other fullbacks, he has seen his position fade across the NFL over the past several years.
- Former Maryland standout Andre Monroe tried out for the Chargers during the team’s rookie minicamp, writes Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. Monroe set Maryland’s school record with 25 career sacks, 20 of which came in his last 26 games. But at 5’10” and 294 pounds, Monroe is a bit undersized for an NFL defensive lineman, and he was not immediately offered a contract by San Diego.
- Longtime Ravens scout Joe Douglas has accepted a job with the Bears, according to a press release from the Ravens. Douglas will be Chicago’s new director of college scouting.
- The Steelers have hired veteran NFL personnel man Rick Reiprish to join their player personnel department, writes Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Reiprish, who has over 30 years of experience in player personnel, was the Saints’ director of college scouting for 11 years until he was released in a front-office shakeup earlier this year.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Brady’s Punishment Likely To Be Upheld?
Our recent poll asking if Tom Brady would be successful in getting his four-game suspension reduced showed that PFR’s readers are largely optimistic about Brady’s chances; nearly two-thirds of all voters said Brady would, in fact, get his reduction.
Ben Volin of The Boston Globe, however, is less optimistic. As Volin points out, if Brady is unsuccessful in appealing his suspension to the league, he will have the option to file a lawsuit in any state in the country alleging a violation of industrial due process. But after speaking with Shannon Liss-Riordan, a Boston employment and labor attorney, and Lester Munson, a longtime attorney and legal analyst for ESPN, Volin concludes that Brady is unlikely to prevail at either stage.
In order to get his suspension reduced, Volin writes that Brady must “beg for mercy,” but Brady, who has given every indication that he plans to fight his punishment to the bitter end, is unlikely to do much begging. Instead, he will use the appeal process to lay the groundwork for his eventual lawsuit. Meanwhile, commissioner Roger Goodell is unlikely to recuse himself as the appeals officer, as the league’s collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”) allows him to hear all appeals. According to Liss-Riordan, it is “really unusual is for one party to be able to appoint the arbitrator in the grievance appeals process,” but “somehow the players’ union let that provision get in there.”
So if and when Goodell upholds the suspension, Brady will file suit. The NFL Players’ Association has been successful in arguing cases in Minnesota before federal judge David Doty, but Doty is now on senior status and is no longer hearing cases. As such, Brady will file in Massachusetts in an effort to gain home-field advantage. He plans to argue that the league violated industrial due process in that Troy Vincent, who actually imposed the punishment that Goodell approved, is not allowed to dole out sanctions. Further, Brady will argue that Vincent is inherently biased, given his involvement on game day, that the Well Report is severely flawed, and that the punishment is unfairly harsh given the precedent the league has established.
Liss-Riordan, though, says Brady will be fighting a steep uphill battle. Unless Brady can show bias, he is unlikely to prevail in court, and as Liss-Riordan says, “it’s going to be pretty hard to vacate an arbitration award based on the arbitrator being biased if the CBA allows for the arbitrator to be an interested party.” Plus, even though the Wells Report has been criticized both within the Patriots organization and without, Munson believes the report was “very careful and very conservative” in its conclusions, and the NFL would have a strong counterargument to any “unfair punishment” claims that Brady could make. For instance, as Munson says, the NFL can reasonably argue that Brady “lied to the investigators, he obstructed the investigation, and he was guilty on the footballs. So they would say, those three things qualify him for the four-game suspension. I don’t see excessive punishment as a strong argument for Brady.”
Volin’s entire piece is worth reading, as it provides a straightforward but reasonably-detailed look at the next stages in the DeflateGate saga, a saga that at least a couple of experts believe will have an unhappy end for Brady.
There are several more DeflateGate links to pass along today, so let’s have a look:
- Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News believes Goodell should, in fact, recuse himself from Brady’s appeal, a move that Vacchiano believes would help Goodell to rebuild trust.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk passes along a 2006 New York Times article by Judy Battista, which revealed that then-Texans quarterback David Carr instructed ball boys to let a little air out of the Texans’ footballs before the team’s preseason game in Denver. Some may point to this article as evidence of the league’s alleged bias against Brady, as there was no public fallout from Carr’s admission. But Carr’s purported misdeeds came before a preseason game, not a playoff game, and as Florio writes, “the article isn’t entirely favorable to the ongoing cause of Patriots fans to prove that other teams did that which the Patriots insist they didn’t do.”
- Prior to his induction into the USC Athletics Hall of Fame yesterday, Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio said Brady’s punishment was an “overreaction,” just like the sanctions handed down to Del Rio’s alma mater in the wake of the Reggie Bush investigations.
Pete Carroll Tries To Clarify Irvin’s Comments
A few days ago, Bruce Irvin appeared to suggest that he was hoping to sign with the Falcons when he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2015 campaign. The Seahawks recently declined to exercise Irvin’s fifth-year option, thereby making the former first-round pick eligible for free agency when this season ends. As our Luke Adams pointed out, the Falcons are a good fit for Irvin, an Atlanta native who would (presumably) reunite with former Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and who would give the team a much-needed pass rusher.
But Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, speaking with reporters prior to his induction into the USC Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, claims Irvin’s comments were misinterpreted. Irvin had told Black Sports Online, “I’m going to be in Atlanta next season. I’m ready,” and “Atlanta is where I want to be. Believe that.” According to the Associated Press, Carroll tried to clarify those remarks by saying:
“We’ve been talking all along. [Irvin] has been working out in Atlanta for these three weeks, and he said (that) in response to the question ‘Do you want to come back home?’ He said everybody likes to come back home, and it’s a dream to come back home. It wasn’t in reference to leaving us and coming back (to the Falcons). He was really adamant about it, and I asked him to leave it and not go at it anymore.”
Carroll’s statements look like a valiant but unsuccessful attempt to quash the minor controversy that Irvin has created, and Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report has found some humor in that attempt. Freeman tweeted, “Carroll: No, no, no. Bruce Irvin didn’t say he wanted to go to Atlanta. He said he wanted to go to the city of Atlantis.”
According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Irvin has graded out as one of the league’s top 4-3 outside linebackers in each of the past two seasons. Interestingly enough, however, it was his run-stopping abilities that made him the 11th-most effective at his position out of 40 eligible players in 2014, as his pass rush efforts earned a meager grade of -2.1. In 2013, though, he received above-average grades in both areas, and he has posted 16.5 sacks in his three seasons in Seattle.
Of course, the mere fact that the Seahawks declined Irvin’s fifth-year option does not mean that Irvin will not continue his career in Seattle beyond 2015. But with the Seahawks having to make a number of difficult personnel decisions in the near future, including a long-term deal with Russell Wilson, Irvin may indeed wind up playing his home games elsewhere. Despite Carroll’s comments, Atlanta still appears to be the top choice.
Extra Points: Rams, Washington, Lions
As Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com tweeted Friday morning, Washington confirmed that quarterback Connor Halliday isn’t in attendance at the club’s rookie minicamp. Halliday, who signed with Washington as an undrafted free agent last week, decided to retire before his NFL career had even begun, writes Liz Clarke of the Washington Post.
For now, the unexpected retirement leaves Washington with three quarterbacks on its roster — Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins, and Colt McCoy. However, the team may still bring in one more arm to replace Halliday and to get through the offseason. More from around the NFL..
- Dave Peacock, the co-leader of the St. Louis stadium task force, can see a scenario in which Stan Kroenke moves to Los Angeles but St. Louis retains the Rams, as Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. “It’s possible we have different ownership of the (Rams) because I think (Kroenke) is really committed to Los Angeles,” Peacock said. “I’m not against Stan going to Los Angeles, I just don’t want our team there. This is why we’re spending most of our time with the league — we think this is an NFL issue.”
- With Brian Orakpo gone and with Ryan Kerrigan being the most accomplished outside linebacker left in Washington, John Keim of ESPN.com wonders how much Kerrigan will be moved around. Kerrigan was effective rushing from other areas besides the left outside linebacker spot two years ago, particularly against guards, so there’s reason to believe that he can succeed in different positions. Still, he’s comfortable coming from the left side, particularly because he’s deaf in his left ear.
- The Lions brought a fourth quarterback to training camp last year, James Franklin, and he didn’t take a snap in an exhibition game. This year, UDFA Anthony Boone is joining a team that already features Matthew Stafford, Dan Orlovsky, and Kellen Moore, and Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press wonders if he’ll suffer a similar fate.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
South Notes: Gore, Titans, Saints
Mike Wells of ESPN.com is excited about what offseason addition Frank Gore can bring to the Colts. Of course, the Colts’ offense has been very pass-heavy in recent years, but Gore’s presence will keep defenses honest against Andrew Luck‘s arm. More from the South divisions..
- The Titans should be wary of Zach Mettenberger‘s assertion that he will “fight to the death” to keep Marcus Mariota from being the Titans’ starting quarterback in 2015, Jarrett Bell of USA Today writes. As the Titans look to groom Mariota into a star quarterback, Bell feels that it makes little sense for them to subject him to the pressure of a quarterback battle.
- Recently appointed Saints senior defensive assistant Dennis Allen made it known to reporters, including Garland Gillen of FOX 8 (on Twitter) that defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is still running the show on defense.
- Saints head coach Sean Payton went out of his way to mention Damian Swann when asked about fellow rookie P.J. Williams and the team’s other nickel cornerback candidates, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets.