Ed Reed Officially Retires As Raven
THURSDAY, 1:09pm: Reed officially signed a one-day contract with the Ravens today, retiring as a member of the team (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 7:07pm: After a 12-year career, Ravens safety Ed Reed has decided to walk away from the game, as Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com writes. The Ravens and Reed will hold a press conference tomorrow morning to formally announce the news.
Reed, of course, has not played in the NFL since 2013. The veteran signed on with the Texans for that season after playing his first eleven years in Baltimore but he didn’t look like the No. 20 of old. After losing his starting job in Houston, he was released in November, and signed by the Jets. He finished the season with 38 tackles and four interceptions, grading as the league’s 30th-best safety per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Despite how things turned out for him that year, Reed made it known that he was still hoping to play in 2014. That opportunity, however, never materialized.
Over the course of his career, Reed earned a whopping nine Pro Bowl selections and eight All-Pro nods. After the 2012 season, Reed finally got to host the Lombardi Trophy after helping the Ravens win the Super Bowl.
Last year, Reed, referenced Barry Sanders in saying that he could choose to abruptly retire without any fanfare. The safety didn’t go the Derek Jeter route towards retirement, but it sounds like he is allowing himself a proper sendoff.
Giants Cut Kevin Ogletree, Terrell Manning
Clearing room to officially sign their undrafted free agent class, the Giants parted ways with a pair of veterans today, announcing that they’ve cut wide receiver Kevin Ogletree and linebacker Terrell Manning (Twitter link).
Ogletree, who memorably grabbed a pair of touchdown passes during the Cowboys’ Week 1 game in 2012, has bounced around since then, spending time with the Lions and Buccaneers before joining the Giants. In 2014, he appeared in seven games for New York, catching five balls for 50 yards.
As for Manning, the former Packers fifth-rounder has also jumped from team to team during his three-year NFL career, with stops in Chicago, Cincinnati, and New York last season. The 25-year-old saw a little action on special teams along with a single defensive snap for the Giants.
Because he’s a vested veteran, Ogletree will immediately hit the open market, free to sign with a new team right away. Manning will be subject to waivers, and will only become an unrestricted free agent if he goes unclaimed. Both players had been set to earn minimum salaries, so the cap savings for the Giants will be limited.
La’el Collins Rumors: Thursday
NFL teams can’t make visits to Baton Rouge to meet with LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins until the school’s final exams conclude later this week, but clubs are finding ways around that rule, making informal recruiting pitches and bringing Collins to them rather than going to him. A report last night indicated that the undrafted free agent was visiting the Cowboys in Dallas, and we have more details on that meeting, as well as Thursday’s other updates on Collins:
- The Colts are trying to set up a meeting with Collins, and the Falcons are also in the running to sign him, tweets Michael Cauble of WBRZ in Baton Rouge. In total, Collins has five teams on his radar, and is weighing each situation, considering playing time and other factors, according to Cauble (Twitter link).
- Per Cauble (Twitter link), Collins is scheduled to fly to Miami for a more formal meeting with the Dolphins within the next 24 hours.
Earlier updates:
- Collins received the “red carpet treatment” from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who hosted the lineman at his private residence in Dallas, and was joined by Tony Romo and the team’s offensive line, writes Chad Sabadie of Fox 8 New Orleans. According to Sabadie’s source, Jones told Collins that the Cowboys “want to assemble the greatest offensive line ever.”
- Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter links), who also reported on Collins’ meeting with the Cowboys, writes that the rookie lineman is taking his time, weighing his options, and looking for the best fit.
- Jordan Raanan of NJ.com examines what sort of money teams could offer to Collins, noting that clubs already committing a good chunk of bonus money to other undrafted free agents could be at a slight disadvantage, since they’d have little left to offer from their UDFA pools.
Kamerion Wimbley Announces Retirement
After a nine-year NFL career, Titans outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley has decided to retire, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter link). Wimbley, who signed a five-year deal with the Titans prior to the 2012 season, still had two years left on that contract, which he won’t play out.
Wimbley, 31, began his career in 2006 with the Browns, who selected him 13th overall out of Florida State. In a strong rookie campaign, Wimbley recorded 11 sacks and recovered three fumbles, marks he wouldn’t match again in subsequent years. Still, while Wimbley’s first season may have been his best, he had some productive years in Cleveland, Oakland, and Tennessee, including a nine-sack season for the Raiders in 2010.
For his career, Wimbley totaled 53.5 sacks, 442 overall tackles, eight forced fumbles, and a pair of interceptions in 140 contests. He never appeared in a playoff game, and only played on one squad that had a winning season — the 2007 Browns, who went 10-6.
In a statement announcing his decision, Wimbley explained why he has decided to call it a career at age 31:
“While I still feel like I could be competitive on the field, at this point in my life, my family is my priority. Although my wife and two young daughters have always been incredibly supportive of my career, I am looking forward to spending more meaningful time with them and never missing another big moment in their lives!”
Fred Davis Reinstated By NFL
Former Washington tight end Fred Davis has been reinstated by the NFL, more than a year after he was suspended indefinitely by the league for substance abuse violations, according to Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Davis is now free to sign with any team and play in the 2015 season.
Davis, a former second-round pick, had some productive seasons in Washington, including a 2011 campaign that saw him set career highs in catches (59) and receiving yards (796). However, injuries and off-field issues – including legal run-ins – derailed his career. The 29-year-old hasn’t seen the field for 2013, a season in which he grabbed just seven balls for 70 yards.
With a handful of teams around the NFL in need of a tight end, there may be a club that decides to take a flier on Davis. However, after the veteran tight end spent a year away from the game, I have my doubts that he’ll ascend a depth chart and become a primary weapon for an NFL offense anytime soon.
Patriots Notes: Brady, Fletcher, DeflateGate
Tom Brady‘s legacy will forever be scarred by the damning Ted Wells report, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report opines. When the scandal first broke, Brady asserted that he “didn’t alter the ball in any way” and had “no knowledge of wrongdoing.” However, the Wells Report says that it’s “more probable than not” that he was at least generally aware of air being released from the game balls. Now, the question is, what penalties will be levied against the Patriots and which individuals will be taking the hit. The latest from New England..
- Free agent linebacker Dane Fletcher, who played for the Patriots from 2010-2013 and was with Buccaneers last year, visited New England today, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Fletcher, 29 in September, played in all 16 games (four starts) for the Bucs last season, notching 41 total tackles and 0.5 sacks.
- At this point, it’s more likely the league sanctions the Patriots organization for the DeflateGate scandal than coach Bill Belichick himself, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets. The league will look at discipline for Belichick, but the evidence in the Wells Report makes it look less likely (link). Still, Breer (link) cautions that everything is fluid and things can change.
- The Patriots might not be hammered much harder than the Browns and Falcons were for their infractions last year, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. The Browns were fined but lost no picks for their in-game texting. The Falcons, meanwhile, paid a fine and forfeited a 2016 fifth-round pick for their artificial crowd noise.
- The report found no evidence to corroborate a story from ESPN earlier this year asserting that the Pats attempted to put a kicking ball (“k-ball”) into live game action, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk notes.
Latest On La’el Collins
9:52pm: Collins will visit with the Cowboys, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
7:43pm: The results of La’el Collins‘ paternity test show that he is not the father of his now deceased ex-girlfriend’s child, reps for the tackle tell Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Collins also passed a polygraph test administered by an independent investigator in connection with the case, Anderson hears.
Of course, Collins was still known to have a relationship with Brittney Mills, the slain pregnant woman, and this news alone will probably not exonerate him of wrongdoing with law enforcement or with potentially interested NFL teams.
Meanwhile, a league insider told Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel (on Twitter) that teams are scared about Collins’ situation because he supposedly made threatening texts to the woman who was murdered. Kelly followed that tweet up (link) by saying that Collins should be considered innocent until proven guilty of any wrongdoing.
Colts Sign Five Draft Picks
The Colts came to terms with five rookies on Wednesday, according to Mike Chappell of Indy Sports Central. Safety Clayton Geathers (round 4), defensive tackle David Parry (round 5), running back Josh Robinson (round 6), linebacker Amarlo Herrera (round 7), and offensive tackle Denzelle Good (round 7), are all officially in the fold in Indianapolis.
Geathers, a UCF product, has football in his blood with five other family members that have made it to the NFL.
“It’s just a blessing to have that family pedigree,” Geathers told Mike Wells of ESPN.com. “Just to learn from them and get advice from them. It’s just a blessing. To continue the Geathers legacy is an honor … Seeing my uncles and cousins, I wanted that same thing. Just work hard. Just to have them around to give me advice, go to games and see how everything works. It was just an honor.”
The only difference between Geathers and the rest of his clan is that he’s the only one that doesn’t play on the defensive line. Clifton Geathers, a defensive end, is still active in the NFL after signing with the Steelers in April.
Today’s deals leave the Colts with just three unsigned rookies: wide receiver Phillip Dorsett (round 1), cornerback D’Joun Smith (round 3), and defensive end Henry Anderson (round 3).
AFC East Notes: Wilkerson, Collins, Bills
Jets GM Mike Maccagnan told ESPN 98.7FM that he’d “like to keep” Muhammad Wilkerson in the organization and added that the drafting of Leonard Williams “doesn’t really impact Mo,” according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- Maccagnan added that Wilkerson’s name “comes up periodically” in talks with other teams, but he’s not shopping him (link).
- Bills coach Rex Ryan did his best to downplay his interaction with LSU tackle La’el Collins earlier this week, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. “I did have dinner with him. That’s really the extent of it,” the normally verbose coach told reporters.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter) spoke to multiple players regarding the Wells Report and found that there’s a general indifference towards it because the Patriots won the Super Bowl and that’s not going to be stripped from them.
- Alex Carrington‘s one-year deal with the Bills calls for him to earn a $745K base and an $80K signing bonus, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter). He’ll count for $665K against the cap thanks to the minimum salary benefit.
Cardinals Notes: Dennard, Collins, Martin
Bruce Arians said the Cardinals were “extremely comfortable” at cornerback after the recent draft in which they took zero cornerbacks. However, today’s signing of Alfonzo Dennard shows they’re still on the look for upgrades, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes. Dennard, a seventh-round pick of the Patriots in 2012, started 20 games in three seasons with New England. The Cardinals are looking to keep a solid secondary following the departures of defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and cornerback Antonio Cromartie, both now with the Jets. Here’s more out of Arizona..
- In an interview on SiriusXM, Cardinals GM Steve Keim called this year’s UDFA class the best that the team has ever signed, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets.
- When asked about the possibility of signing La’el Collins, the Cardinals GM said it’s a “pretty tough decision” until there’s “some type of info you can hang your hat on,” Weinfuss tweets.
- Keim says that the Cardinals will be moving defensive lineman Kareem Martin to outside linebacker in 2015, Pat Kirwan of CBSSports.com tweets. Martin would make for a very menacing linebacker at 6’6″ and 270 pounds.