2015 August - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Notes: Giants, Cowboys, Lions, Saints

August 26th, 2015 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Giants were the NFL’s most-injured team in 2013 and 2014, and the club has already had 22 players sidelined by injury this summer, according to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post, who suggests Tom Coughlin‘s job could ultimately be in jeopardy if the team’s health issues lead to another underwhelming season.

One key Giants player who missed most of last season due to injury is currently on the shelf this year as well, and Coughlin acknowledges that he’s starting to worry about Victor Cruz‘s availability for Week 1. The receiver is battling a calf issue.

“I’m concerned, yeah, I am” Coughlin said, per Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. “But I would like to see him get out there, and be able to stay out there. That’s what our real intent is. As soon as that can be done, that’s possible, then that’s what will happen.”

Here’s more from around the NFC:

Following Orlando Scandrick‘s season-ending ACL injury, the Cowboys are in the market for cornerbacks, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Per Cole, the team isn’t necessarily looking for a starter, but would like to add depth to an increasingly thin position.
Before trading him to the Patriots, the Lions actually heard from four teams that were interested in offensive tackle Michael Williams, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. As Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com observes, the Williams deal continues a trend for GM Martin Mayhew, who has acquired late-round draft compensation for a handful of players within the last few months.
The Saints will have some decisions to make when it comes to their defensive line, and Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune examines some of the players who are on the roster bubble and who could hit waivers next week.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Broncos Release Connor Barth

August 26th, 2015 at 9:27am CST by Luke Adams

To accommodate their signing of free agent guard Evan Mathis, the Broncos have created a spot on their roster by releasing Connor Barth, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. The move indicates that Brandon McManus has won Denver’s kicking job.

Barth, 29, was signed by the Broncos last November to replace McManus, who was struggling with his accuracy. The former Buccaneers kicker finished the season by making 15 of 16 field goals for Denver, but was beat out in camp this year by McManus. The 24-year-old has the bigger leg of the two players, and can handle kickoffs better, but made just nine of 13 field goal attempts in his rookie year in 2014.

While the move is bad news for Barth in the short term, he immediately becomes one of the most talented kickers on the free agent market. If another team has its kicker go down with an injury or perform poorly in the early going, Barth figures to be one of the first potential replacements to get a call.

Osi Umenyiora Retires As A Giant

August 26th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 26, 9:00am: Umenyiora has officially announced his retirement, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.

AUGUST 24, 1:44pm: Umenyiora will officially announce his retirement prior to the Giants’ Wednesday practice, according to Vacchiano (via Twitter).

JULY 27, 1:48pm: According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), Umenyiora will sign a one-day contract with the Giants “soon” in order to officially retire with the team.

1:37pm: Veteran pass rusher Osi Umenyiora hasn’t drawn a ton of interest on the free agent market this offseason, and it sounds as if the former Giant may return to his old team on a ceremonial contract before he retires. According to Adam Caplan and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the Giants and Umenyiora are discussing the possibility of a one-day contract for the 33-year-old, so he can retire as a Giant.

Umenyiora, selected in the second round of the 2003 draft by the Giants, has spent most of his NFL career in New York, playing a key role on the team’s two Super Bowl-winning squads in 2007 and 2011. The Troy product earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods, and had three seasons of double-digit sacks between 2005 and 2010. Umenyiora joined the Falcons for the 2013 season and played a part-time role in Atlanta, recording total 10 total sacks over the last two seasons.

Giants co-owner John Mara suggested back in March that he’d like to see Umenyiora retire as a Giant, though at the time I assumed that would mean signing him for perhaps one more year, rather than just one day. It’s not clear whether or not Umenyiora wants to continue his career, but even with Jason Pierre-Paul‘s status still up in the air, it doesn’t look like the veteran free agent will be joining the Giants for the 2015 season.

Falcons Sign Rex Grossman

August 26th, 2015 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

8:48am: The Falcons have waived/injured running back Evan Royster to make room for Grossman, per McClure (via Twitter). That means the team will carry four quarterbacks on its roster for now.

8:12am: After taking a physical and working out for the team yesterday, free agent quarterback Rex Grossman has agreed to terms with the Falcons, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Grossman will be signing a one-year deal with Atlanta, reuniting with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.

Throughout the preseason, T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree have been vying for the Falcons’ backup quarterback role behind Matt Ryan, but neither signal-caller has seized the job. Yates entered camp as the presumed favorite, but he has completed just 52.8% of his passes in the preseason so far, and has thrown the team’s only two interceptions.

Grossman, who turned 35 on Sunday, hasn’t thrown a regular-season pass since 2011 in Washington, and we heard earlier this month that he was still recovering from an injury he sustained while training. However, the veteran QB has a history with Shanahan, so the new Falcons offensive coordinator may feel more comfortable with Grossman than he currently does with Yates or Renfree. It remains to be seen whether Yates or Renfree will be cut to accommodate Grossman’s signing, or if the team will temporarily carry four quarterbacks.

In addition to being the last season in which he saw regular-season playing time, 2011 was a year that saw Grossman get an extended opportunity as a starter for Washington — he went 5-8 as the club’s starter, throwing 20 interceptions and just 16 touchdowns. In Atlanta this time around, Grossman shouldn’t see any real game action unless something goes horribly wrong.

According to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Grossman’s deal will be for the minimum salary, which is $970K for a player with his experience.

Orlando Scandrick Tears ACL, Out For Year

August 25th, 2015 at 11:22pm CST by Zachary Links

11:22pm: Scandrick did, in fact tear his ACL, which will sideline him for the entire 2015 season, tweets Garafolo. Ed Werder of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter) that Scandrick also tore his MCL.

It’s a significant loss for the Cowboys’ secondary, which has some question marks at the cornerback position behind Scandrick. The team will now be leaning heavily on Brandon Carr, who hasn’t lived up to his lucrative contract, Morris Claiborne, who missed most of the 2014 season, and Byron Jones, who has yet to play an NFL regular season snap.

7:57pm: Early fears are that Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick tore his ACL during practice today, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets. If Scandrick has in fact torn his ACL, he would be ruled out for the upcoming season.

Scandrick ranked as the 10th-best cornerback in the NFL in 2014 out of 108 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). According to PFF’s data, quarterbacks completed 74.3% of their passes into Scandrick’s coverage, but those completions averaged just 9.9 yards, and the Cowboys’ corner didn’t allow a touchdown in his 14 games. For the year, he recorded 63 tackles and grabbed a pair of interceptions.

The 28-year-old was the Cowboys’ top cornerback in 2014. This offseason, Scandrick demanded a new contract and the Cowboys obliged, giving him an additional year that will pay him big bucks in 2019. For this season, the cornerback is fully guaranteed $4MM.

Extra Points: McCourty, Levitre, Broncos

August 25th, 2015 at 10:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams announced today that they have hired Bud Sasser as their External Football Affairs Coordinator. The wide receiver, as you might recall, was the team’s sixth-round pick in this year’s draft. However, the Rams learned that he would be unable to take the field due to a previously unknown pre-existing heart condition. Despite that, the team signed him to a contract that paid him a signing bonus of more than $113K before releasing him with the non-football related illness designation in June. Now, he’ll work for the organization in a different capacity.

Here’s tonight’s look around the NFL..

After undergoing groin surgery, Titans cornerback Jason McCourty could be out for the first three games of the season and return after the team’s bye week, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Andy Levitre, who signed a blockbuster six-year, $46.8MM free-agent contract in 2013 with the Titans, is openly wondering if there is a spot for him on the team’s roster, David Climer of The Tennessean writes. “If it doesn’t work out here, there’s other places,” Levitre said. Levitre has started all 32 games since joining the Titans but has not lived up to expectations.
The Broncos‘ signing of Evan Mathis could hurt Ben Garland‘s chances of making the roster, Troy Renck of the Denver Post tweets.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/15

August 25th, 2015 at 9:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..

The Dolphins announced (via Twitter) that they have placed safety Louis Delmas on the Reserve/Injured list.
The Patriots announced that they have released fullback Eric Kettani. Kettani, 28, originally signed with New England as a rookie free agent out of Navy in 2009 and after spending time on the Reserve Military list, he went to training camp with the Patriots in 2011 and spent part of the 2011 and 2012 seasons on the team’s practice squad. Kettani also spent time on the practice squad with Washington (2012), Kansas City (2013) and Jacksonville (2014).
The Cowboys cut Will Smith from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
The Jets signed linebacker Bryan Johnson and waived tight end Steve Maneri, Brian Costello of The Post tweets.

Bengals Release Josh Johnson

August 25th, 2015 at 9:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals announced (via Twitter) that they have released quarterback Josh Johnson. With Johnson out of the picture, AJ McCarron is virtually guaranteed to start the season as Andy Dalton‘s primary backup.

Johnson, 29, spent time with the 49ers in 2014 after serving as Dalton‘s backup for the Bengals in 2013. All in all, he hasn’t seen much time on the field in recent years, seeing no active game duty in 2014 and a total of 3 games since 2012. McCarron, meanwhile, was a fifth round pick of the Bengals in 2014. However, he did not play last season due to shoulder tendinitis.

In addition to the release of Johnson, the Bengals announced that they have waived safety Erick Dargan and Kalafitoni Pole.

Steelers Sign Mike Vick

August 25th, 2015 at 6:47pm CST by Zachary Links

6:47pm: Vick’s one-year deal is worth roughly $1MM, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

6:32pm: The Steelers have agreed to a deal with quarterback Michael Vick, Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette tweets. It’s a one-year deal, according to Mark Kaboly of the Tribune-Review (on Twitter).

Vick, 35, visited the Steelers on Tuesday and it didn’t take long for the two sides to reach agreement on a deal. The veteran indicated this offseason that he would like to play in the NFL for three more years, but he didn’t draw a ton of interest since his contract with the Jets expired in March. Last year in New York, Vick completed just 52.9% of his passes, throwing for 604 yards and adding another 153 yards on the ground in limited action, including three starts.

The Steelers found themselves in the market for a new backup for Ben Roethlisberger after Bruce Gradkowski left this weekend’s preseason game with a hand injury. Gradkowski dislocated a finger on his left hand and is having surgery, but since it’s not an injury to his throwing hand, he shouldn’t be sidelined for too long.

Besides Roethlisberger and Gradkowski, the Steelers are also currently carrying former fourth-round pick Landry Jones and undrafted free agent Tyler Murphy at the quarterback position. While Jones could be a candidate for the No. 2 job, Murphy isn’t expected to make the roster.

Steelers Place Bruce Gradkowski On IR

August 25th, 2015 at 6:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers announced that they have placed quarterback Bruce Gradkowski on the IR, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The move clears a roster spot for Michael Vick, who now has a much better chance of sticking with the club long-term.

Gradkowski, 32, was expected to serve as Ben Roethlisberger‘s primary backup in 2015. However, the veteran dislocated a finger on his left hand in this weekend’s preseason game and the injury was apparently bad enough to end his season before it could start.

The 32-year-old has traveled the league over the course of his career, enjoying stints with the Bucs, Browns, Raiders, Bengals, and Steelers. Last year, Gradkowski appeared in only one regular season game for the Steelers. In the playoffs, Gradkowski attempted three passes and completed two.