NFC Notes: Bears, 49ers, Saints, Falcons
New Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio believes 33-year-old Jared Allen, who’s shifting from 4-3 defensive end to 3-4 outside linebacker, could be in line for a career renaissance.
“Like I told him, I think he can have a rebirth to his career here playing a little bit of a new position,” said Fangio, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com. “But in the NFL today, you play more nickel than you actually play base. For some teams they play nickel 65 to 75 percent of the time. He’ll be playing his normal position then. So it’s not as drastic of a change as you might think.”
More production from Allen would be a welcome sight for Chicago, which had the third-worst defense in the NFL in 2014. Allen finished with just 5.5 sacks, the lowest total of an 11-year career that has seen him take down opposing quarterbacks 134 times.
Fangio is similarly hopeful about one of Allen’s fellow linebackers, Shea McClellin, adjusting well to his defense. McClellin, a 2012 first-round pick, has a meager 7.5 sacks during his first three seasons. Those years were spent shifting between defensive end and outside linebacker in the Bears’ previous 4-3 scheme. The 25-year-old will move to the inside of the linebacking corps as part of Fangio’s 3-4.
“I think he has a chance to be a good inside linebacker,” said Fangio. “We’re going to give him a full opportunity here and a full chance to learn the position so we can evaluate him and see if that’s a good spot for him.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- The 49ers’ defense lost multiple key elements during a chaotic offseason. Star linebackers Patrick Willis and Chris Borland both retired, while defensive lineman Justin Smith is contemplating joining them. One important returning face is linebacker Aldon Smith, who’s ready to become the leader of their defense in a contract year. “It’s a role I’m comfortable with,” Smith said, according to CSNBayArea.com. “Obviously, losing guys who were here … someone steps up. And it’s something I have no problem doing.” Smith has a whopping 44 sacks in 50 regular-season games, but the four-year veteran’s career has been beset by off-field issues.
- The Saints are expected to feel the loss of elite tight end Jimmy Graham, whom they traded to the Seahawks earlier this offseason, but Mike Triplett of ESPN.com notes that the team’s offense might not drop off as drastically as some think. The Saints have fielded a top six offense every year during the Sean Payton–Drew Brees era, leading the league three times in yardage before Graham even got to New Orleans. In terms of weaponry, Triplett believes the additions of running back C.J. Spiller and wide receiver Brandin Cooks could help make up for the loss of Graham.
- Falcons superstar wide receiver Julio Jones is in line for a big contract extension, but there hasn’t been much progress on getting a new deal done. General manager Thomas Dimitroff didn’t provide an update on Jones’ situation on Saturday, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN (via Twitter).
- Randy Gregory, the Cowboys’ newly drafted pass rusher, is off to a good start at the team’s rookie camp. The second-round pick looked like more than just a speed rusher Saturday, showing off an array of moves and netting a would-be sack, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
AFC North Notes: Browns QBs, Whitworth
Many have already given up on Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel after a rookie season consisting of on- and off-the-field problems, but new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo still has high hopes for the 22-year-old.
“All I know is Johnny the football player, and he’s been awesome,” DeFilippo said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. “He’s been working hard, very hard with myself and (quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell), and doing what we want him to do on the field.”
DeFilippo believes there are obvious strengths to Manziel’s game, also stating that the offense will be tailored to his skillset if he beats out likely starter Josh McCown for the No. 1 job.
“I think Johnny has a lot of traits that good quarterbacks in this league have. It’s just a matter of getting better at them,” said DeFilippo. “I’m the last guy – the last guy — that’s going to take Johnny Manziel’s athleticism away from him. I will not do that.”
While DeFilippo seems bullish on Manziel, Browns coach Mike Pettine declared McCown the favorite to start earlier this week. DeFilippo is familiar with McCown from the pair’s time in Oakland in 2007 (DeFilippo was the Raiders’ quarterbacks coach). Cabot writes that McCown mainly signed with the Browns to work with DeFilippo again. As he did with Manziel, DeFilippo spoke glowingly of the 35-year-old McCown.
“Josh has been the total guy we thought he was going to be. He has taken command of this offense and he has taken command of the room,” said DeFilippo.
Here’s more on the Browns and a couple of their AFC North rivals:
- Cleveland didn’t draft a quarterback this year because no prospects other than Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are seen as capable of stepping in and starting by 2016, according to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. Grossi believes the Browns will ride out 2015 with McCown and hope to land a QB in next year’s draft, when as many as four passers could go in the first round.
- Although the Bengals’ Andrew Whitworth has been one of the best offensive tackles in the league over the past few years, the team used its top two picks on fellow OTs Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher in last week’s draft. That didn’t sit well with Whitworth, who is a year from free agency and who has pushed for a contract extension. However, he did say that he would help his two new teammates adjust to the NFL game, and still hopes to remain with the club long term, according to an Associate Press article in USA Today.
- Browns fourth-round pick Vince Mayle will undergo surgery to repair his broken right thumb after rookie camp, writes Cabot. Mayle, who sustained the injury at the Senior Bowl in January, should be ready to go by training camp, according to Pettine. “We wanted him to come out, just see how it was, test it,” said Pettine. “Found out real quick yesterday that there’s still some lingering pain there. So, we’re going to go ahead and get it corrected.”
- Ravens head coach John Harbaugh says that undrafted defensive back Julian Wilson will remain with the team despite being lost for the year with a broken leg, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
Broncos’ Jeff Heuerman Tears ACL
Broncos third-round pick Jeff Heuerman suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during rookie camp Saturday and will likely miss the 2015 season, according to Andrew Mason of the team’s website. The injury happened during a non-contact special teams drill, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
Heuerman, whom the Broncos chose 92nd overall out of Ohio State, joins the Jaguars’ Dante Fowler Jr. as the second draft pick to suffer a season-ending knee injury this week.
“I feel terrible for Jeff and this is a very unfortunate situation,” said Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, per Mason. “Jeff was going to be a big part of our team this year, and he’s still going to be a big part of our team and organization in the future.”
Heuerman is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2016 season. For now, the Broncos will have to make do with a stable of tight ends led by offseason signing Owen Daniels.
Giants To Sign One Pick, Two Tryout Players
7:27pm: In addition to their earlier signings today, the Giants have agreed to a contract with Southern Connecticut defensive tackle Carlif Taylor, tweets Vacchiano. Taylor tried out for the Giants during their rookie minicamp this week.
6:35pm: The Giants have gotten a little closer to signing their draft class, having agreed to terms of a contract with sixth-round pick Geremy Davis, reports Paul Schwart of the New York Post (via Twitter). The wide receiver out of Connecticut will join a crowded receiving depth chart that includes Odell Beckham Jr., Rueben Randle, and Victor Cruz.
Davis is the fourth Giants draft pick to sign his rookie contract. The team has already signed third-round pick Owa Odighizuwa, fifth-round selection Mykkele Thompson, and seventh-rounder Bobby Hart. The Giants’ top two selections, Ereck Flowers and Landon Collins, are their only unsigned picks.
The Giants are also planning to sign Stonybrook tight end Will Tye, reports Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Tye tried out with the Giants during the mini-camp this weekend.
New York had already brought in six undrafted free agents, and now has a very crowded roster. Vacchiano writes that the Giants have only one roster spot available, and if they wanted to sign more than one more player out of the group that tried out, they would have to cut a current player to make room for them on the roster (via Twitter). Vacchiano opines that the Giants will be signing more than one of the tryout players, so expect more cuts from the team that already let go of Kevin Ogletree and Terrell Manning.
Panthers To Sign Five Tryout Players
The Carolina Panthers had a number of players come in to tryout during rookie camp, and they are now expecting to sign five of those players.
The team is looking to sign defensive end Rakim Cox, who was a standout at the veteran combine, according to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter). The former Villanova defensive end spent time with both the Dolphins and Vikings last season, but failed to catch on with either team.
Another player expected to sign is tight end Jamie Childers from Coastal Carolina University. Childers played briefly with the Giants and Bills, and even started a game at quarterback in college, writes Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).
The team will also sign fullback Lee Ward, and offensive linemen Ronald Patrick and Jordan McCray, according to Person (via Twitter).
Rams Notes: Collins, Barksdale, Rodriguez
Although he signed with the Cowboys, the Rams expressed interest in La’el Collins after not being selected in the 2015 NFL Draft. Head coach Jeff Fisher said the team was “involved” in talks, and that Collins told him they were among the four finalists for his services, according to Howard Balzer of LockerDome.com (via Twitter).
Balzer adds that Fisher said the Rams might have pursued Collins harder had the team not been so successful during the draft (via Twitter).
Here are some other notes surround the Rams during the post-draft portion of the offseason:
- Fisher also addressed the ongoing talks with offensive tackle Joe Barksdale, who has not yet been re-signed by the team and is currently a free agent, although there was not much to update on, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter). “We’ve been talking to Joe,” said Fisher. “We’ve had some conversations.”
- One of the players the Rams have brought in for a tryout is 5’8″ receiver Daniel Rodriguez, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 27-year-old Rodriguez, who walked on the football team at Clemson, served with the U.S. Army between 2006 and 2010, in both Afghanistan and Iraq, earning a Purple Heart during his service. He now is trying to make the Rams, as an unlikely undrafted free agent.
- Rookie orientation for the Rams has come to an end, but the team will keep the rookies at Rams Park until late June, writes Thomas (via Twitter). The team will mix them in with the veterans starting on Thursday.
Latest On Frank Clark, Seahawks
The Seahawks took a chance drafting Michigan defensive end Frank Clark when they came to the podium with the 63rd-overall selection. Short a first-round pick thanks to the Jimmy Graham trade, the team had a long wait before making their first pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. They thought they hit on that pick, getting a great value with Clark, who saw his stock drop due to allegations of a domestic violence incident involving his then-girlfriend Diamond Hurt.
The team had been interested in Clark, but told the player they could not draft him with the investigation open, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio writes that Clark had the charges resolved “for roughly the price of a speeding ticket,” and that the team made no further inquiries into the case.
Now, new information has come to light about the incident and its aftermath. Geoff Baker and Lewis Kamp of the Seattle Times write that according to the official police report, after the incident manager Stephanie Burkhardt entered the couple’s room, when Clark told the female hotel manager, “I will hit you like I hit her,” before contacting her with his shoulder and exiting the room. Burkhardt confirmed the story to Baker and Kamp at the Seattle Times. She also tells that she was never contacted by the prosecutor before the charges were dropped.
The Seahawks conducted their own investigation, and felt comfortable enough to draft Clark under the belief that he did not hit Hurt based on their findings.
“I know they were on site the day after the incident to find out what the status was,” said Ken Bailey, a criminal defense lawyer in Sandusky, Ohio. “I don’t know the names of who they all talked to. I know they were interviewing people at the school — team members, team staff — but I don’t know who.”
The Seattle Times’ report also included the release of documents that included a hospital visit from Hurt, a breath test that put her blood-alcohol level at .000 (contrary to Clark’s statement that she had been drinking), and a witness testimony confirming that Hurt’s siblings ran out of the room saying “their sister’s boyfriend was punching her in the face.’’
According to Florio, the Seahawks have been adamant that they would not draft a player who has struck a woman. However, if information comes to light that Clark did indeed commit the crime he was accused of, there will be tremendous pressure for the team to move on from the recently drafted defensive lineman. Florio also points out a precedent in the Patriots moving on from defensive tackle Christian Peter three days after the 1996 NFL Draft, as reported by Philly.com. The Patriots claimed that they were not aware of Peter’s history at the time of drafting him, and renounced his rights. Peter was a fifth-round pick.
The Seahawks have signed four out of their six draft picks from the 2015 class so far, but second-round pick Clark is not among them. The team has also failed to sign Kansas State receiver Tyler Lockett.
Cowboys Sign La’el Collins
3:22pm: La’el Collins’ contract with the Cowboys has been altered, reports Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). The total value of the contract has been reduced by $50,000 because of the 25-percent rule, which limits the year-to-year raises allowed for rookie contracts.
Collins’ deal will remained fully guaranteed with no offset, according to Pro Football Talk.
SATURDAY, 8:24am: The NFL has “disapproved” Collins’ fully guaranteed contract, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). However, there’s no need to panic if you’re a Cowboys fan; Wilson notes that the two sides will “tweak” the language before refiling the contract next week.
THURSDAY, 3:38pm: The Cowboys formally introduced Collins today at a press conference, as Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
1:02pm: Collins’ deal with the Cowboys doesn’t include offsets, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSports.com (Twitter links). La Canfora adds that about 25 teams expressed some level of interest in Collins, who will have a chance to start at left guard this year in Dallas. That suggests that Leary’s days in Dallas could be numbered.
12:34pm: After paying a visit to Dallas yesterday to meet with Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, La’el Collins is signing with the team, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Collins had reportedly been scheduled to fly to Miami to meet with the Dolphins, and had other teams trying to set up visits, but the former LSU lineman has instead decided to join one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
The news comes as a bit of a surprise, since Collins wasn’t expected to make a decision on his NFL destination until at least this weekend, and it’s not clear if he’s been officially exonerated yet by Baton Rouge police in an investigation into the death of Brittney Mills. Mills, believed to be an ex-girlfriend of Collins’, was shot and killed on April 24. She was pregnant at the time of her death, and while the child initially survived the incident, he also passed away earlier this week.
Baton Rouge police have maintained all along that Collins is not considered a suspect in the case, and a paternity test proved that he was not the father of the child. However, after all 32 teams repeatedly passed on Collins during last week’s draft, it appeared that those clubs would wait for a formal exoneration before proceeding on the undrafted free agent.
Still, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the Cowboys monitored Collins’ situation closely from the beginning, doing “endless homework” on him, and nearly drafting him a few times. So presumably the organization is confident in the former LSU lineman’s character. According to multiple reports, Dallas rolled the red carpet out for Collins during his visit, with Jones, Tony Romo, and several of the team’s offensive linemen in attendance. The Cowboys owner reportedly told Collins that the club wants to assemble “the greatest offensive line ever.”
Having paved the way for the NFL’s leading rusher (DeMarco Murray) in 2014, that offensive line is already perhaps the league’s best, and it’s not clear if there will be room for Collins in the starting lineup in 2015. Left tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick, and right guard Zack Martin are all Pro Bowlers, while left guard Ronald Leary and right tackle Doug Free are solid veterans. Leary is heading into the final year of his rookie contract though, while Free doesn’t have guaranteed money on his deal beyond this season, so perhaps the Cowboys view Collins as a long-term replacement at one of those spots.
Collins had been viewed as a likely first-round pick before he was connected to a murder investigation. He and his camp had asked if he could enter the supplemental draft instead, but that request was turned down by the NFL. Multiple reports also suggested that Collins would sit out a year if he was selected on day three in the draft, opting to re-enter the draft pool in 2016, in the hopes of being picked much higher. Ultimately, since he went undrafted, Collins’ options were limited.
Because teams can only offer UDFAs minimum-salary contracts, Collins will be in line for a three-year deal worth about $1.65MM, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. That includes base salaries totaling $1.575MM, plus the team’s remaining bonus money for UDFAs. Collins’ contract will be fully guaranteed, per Rapoport (Twitter link), and he’ll be able to renegotiate it after two years.
The signing of Collins is the latest indication that the Cowboys aren’t afraid to take chances on players with off-field red flags. Already this offseason, the team has signed defensive end Greg Hardy – who now faces a 10-game suspension for a domestic violence incident – and used a second-round draft pick on Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory, who failed a drug test at the combine.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Tryout Notes: Ravens, Falcons, Cowboys, Steelers
The Ravens invited a handful of undrafted players in to their rookie minicamps to tryout for the team, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Among those players are USC safety Gerald Bowman (link), Rhode Island linebacker Andrew Bose (link), Maryland center Sal Conaboy (link), Eastern Kentucky fullback Channing Fugate (link), Maine defensive back Khari Al-Mateen and Maryland defensive end Andre Monroe (link). All links come via Twitter.
Here are some other tryouts from around the NFL:
- The Falcons have brought in Georgia State offensive lineman Tim Wynn for a tryout, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter).
- The Cowboys have added a receiver to their list of tryouts in Rice’s Dontay Moore, according to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter).
- The Steelers have brought Akron cornerback Martel Durant in for a tryout to replace Mario Rowson, writes Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter).
Rookie Notes: Winston, Shelton, Fowler Jr.
According to a document obtained by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston has filed a counterclaim against Erica Kinsman, the woman who initially sued the rookie for sexual assault.
The player’s lawyers claim the first-overall pick didn’t do anything wrong, and they cite numerous people who have rejected the claim. Furthermore, they say Kinsman launched a “false and vicious media campaign to vilify Mr. Winston with the objective of getting him to pay her to go away.”
Florio opines that the case is “destined to linger in the court system for months” and will ultimately result in a jury trial.
Let’s take a look at some more notes pertaining to this year’s rookies…
- Danny Shelton, the No. 12 overall pick in this year’s draft, still hasn’t signed with the Browns, but Mary Kay Cabot of Ohio.com says the rookie is close to signing his four-year contract. The reporter notes that Shelton signed an injury protection waiver prior to his initial rookie practice, guaranteeing money in case of injury.
- Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley confirmed that Dante Fowler Jr. will miss the entire season, tweets Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo. The writer notes that the rookie won’t even attempt to come back towards the end of the season, a la Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram in 2013.
- Defensive end James Rouse tore his ACL yesterday, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien told ESPN’s Tania Ganguli (via Twitter). The undrafted free agent joined Houston earlier this week.
- The Bills have brought in quarterbacks Austin Trainor (West Georgia) and Brandon Hill (Monmouth) for tryouts, according to Joe Buscaglia of WKBW in Buffalo (via Twitter).
- The Dolphins also have a pair of quarterbacks in for tryouts, according to ESPN.com’s James Walker (on Twitter): rookie Hutson Mason (Georgia) and 2014 undrafted free agent Chase Rettig (Boston College).