HEADLINES

Month: August 2015

Maurkice Pouncey To Undergo Surgery

August 23rd, 2015 at 6:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

6:40pm: Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (via Twitter) that Pouncey will miss at least six weeks.

3:54pm: Pouncey suffered a broken ankle, tweets Bouchette, while Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link) says the Steelers hope Pouncey can still return this season.

3:34pm: After leaving today’s preseason game with an ankle injury, Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey will indeed require surgery, head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters, including Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link). Tomlin did not give any indication as to how long Pouncey will be sidelined.

Earlier today, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported (via Twitter) that early indications are that Pouncey suffered a high ankle sprain “at the very least.” That report has yet to be confirmed, but such an injury would keep Pouncey out for four-to-six weeks, meaning he would likely miss three regular season games at minimum. Obviously, Bouchette’s tweet leaves the door open for Pouncey to have suffered a more serious injury, meaning that timetable would need to be amended.

Pouncey, 26, has been bitten by the injury bug before, as he missed all of the 2013 season after tearing his ACL during Week 1. He signed a five-year, $44MM extension during the summer of 2014, and went on to start all 16 games last year, earning his fourth Pro Bowl nod. Currently, Cody Wallace is projected as Pouncey’s direct backup at center, and he’d see more playing time if Pouncey is out for an extended period.

Per Kaboly (Twitter link), the Steelers also suffered another injury, albeit one that sounds less serious, Tomlin announced that defensive end Stephon Tuitt will be out a few weeks after suffering a sprained ankle.

Injury Update: 8/23/15

August 23rd, 2015 at 5:41pm CST by Ben Levine

Here’s the latest on the injuries suffered during this weekend’s preseason games…

  • Falcons wideout Roddy White is scheduled to have a “minor procedure” on his elbow, but Andrew Hirsh of AtlantaFalcons.com reports (via Twitter) that the veteran should be ready for the start of the season. Vaughn McClure of the ESPN.com notes (on Twitter) that White isn’t a fan of surgeries, so there must not have been any other options.
  • Bills coach Rex Ryan doesn’t expect cornerback Leodis McKelvin to end up on the physically unable to perform list, tweets Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News. This would be an indication that the former first-rounder would be ready sometime in the first six weeks.
  • Saints wideout Nick Toon is expected to miss two to three weeks with a high-ankle sprain, according to Ross Jones of FoxSports.com. The suggested recovery time would mean Toon could miss the team’s opener.
  • Jaguars receiver Arrelious Benn fractured his collarbone, and Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union says the 26-year-old is set to have surgery on Tuesday (Twitter link).

NFC East Notes: RGIII, JPP, Randle, Beason

August 23rd, 2015 at 4:17pm CST by Rory Parks

Despite suffering a concussion during Thursday’s preseason game against the Lions, Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III participated fully in practice today, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s a rather quick turnaround for a player who had entered into the league’s concussion protocol just days ago. Per head coach Jay Gruden, Griffin was cleared for non-contact activity, and has shown no ill effects from his head injury (link).

Here’s more from Washington and the rest of the NFC East:

  • There has been some discussion as to whether the Giants should simply cut ties with defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, but as Ralph Vacchiano of The New York Daily News writes, last night’s preseason game against Carolina serves as a clear reminder why New York has not done so. Without JPP, Vacchiano says, “it sure looks like the Giants can’t get near opposing quarterbacks at all.”
  • Receiver Rueben Randle, dealing with knee tenditis, might not be close to a return, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters, including Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link). “This thing with Rueben has really confused me,” said Coughlin. Elsewhere on the nijury front, Coughlin said linebacker Jon Beason has a strained knee and is week-to-week, according to James Kratch of NJ.com.
  • In a full-length piece, Keim sees RB Trey Williams as the only undrafted free agent that has a legitimate chance to make Washington‘s 53-man roster, though Keim notes that Williams still has some work to do to earn that spot.
  • Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News examines the Cowboys‘ battle for the wide receiver spots behind Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, and Cole Beasley. Devin Street and Lucky Whitehead are the current favorites, but George notes that there is some intriguing talent behind those two.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

PFR Originals: 8/16/15 – 8/23/15

August 23rd, 2015 at 2:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past seven days:

  • We continued our Offseason in Review series, looking back at each club’s additions, losses, trades, draft picks, coaching moves, and more. Connor Byrne examined the 49ers, Zach Links went over the Raiders, and Sam Robinson covered the Broncos.
  • In our Community Tailgate series, we post topics for discussion, encouraging readers to post their thoughts in the comments section. The issues covered by Luke Adams and Zach:
    • What should the Seahawks do about Kam Chancellor‘s contract? (link)
    • What will Eli Manning‘s contract look like? (link)
    • Who will win Offensive Rookie of the Year? (link)
    • Who will win Defensive Rookie of the Year? (link)

Bennett Jackson Suffers Knee Injury

August 23rd, 2015 at 2:50pm CST by Rory Parks

2:50pm: Jackson tore his ACL, a source tells Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, meaning that Jackson is likely to miss the 2015 season.

8:51am: The Giants‘ secondary, already ravaged by injury, suffered another major blow in last night’s preseason victory over Jacksonville. In addition to losing rookie safety Justin Currie for the season, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com writes that second-year safety Bennett Jackson sustained a knee injury on a defensive play in the fourth quarter. Raanan reports that Jackson, who enjoyed an excellent training camp and who appeared poised to land a starting role, left the team locker room limping badly and with his right knee in a brace. The extent of Jackson’s injury is unclear at this time, and he will get an MRI today, but as Raanan tweeted last night, there are concerns that it could be serious.

Of course, given the state of the Giants’ secondary–by the time the game ended, six of the nine safeties on the roster were unavailable due to injury–it is fair to wonder why Jackson was even on the field in the fourth quarter, having played 56 snaps already. At the moment, Brandon Meriweather, Jeromy Miles, and Justin Halley, all of whom have been signed in the past five weeks, are the only safeties left standing. Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets that Nat Berhe is expected to return to practice this week, but that will do little to assuage the team’s concerns at safety.

Unfortunately for the Giants, there are just not a ton of outside options to fortify the position, which is well-illustrated by a tweet from Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle this morning. Wilson notes that former Rutgers safety Jeremy Deering, who signed with New England as an undrafted free agent last year and who will be auditioning with the Eagles today, will next visit the Colts and Jets if he is not signed by Philadelphia. As PFR’s Ben Levine wrote yesterday, at least six teams are currently interested in Deering, which bespeaks the lack of quality safety options available at this point in the year. Graziano tweeted that Big Blue will likely “poke around” the free agent market again this week–it is unknown whether the Giants have interest in Deering–but it’s not as if the the team expects to find the answer to its prayers in the process. As head coach Tom Coughlin said of the mounting injuries, “It’s amazing with the way that’s going. It’s just hard to even comment on.”

We will pass along an update on Jackson’s injury as soon as it becomes available.

 

Jordy Nelson Believed To Have Torn ACL

August 23rd, 2015 at 1:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Initial tests show that Packers receiver Jordy Nelson suffered a torn ACL during today’s game, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). MRI results are still needed to confirm the diagnosis, but if true, Nelson would obviously be sidelined for the entire 2015 season.

The loss of Nelson, 30, constitutes a body blow to a Green Bay offense that ranked first in offensive DVOA last season. Nelson was a major part of that success, catching 98 passes for more than 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns en route to being named a second-team All Pro. Coming off offseason hip surgery, Nelson was recovering nicely and fully participating during the preseason, so this latest injury is especially devastating.

Second-year pro Davante Adams is likely to move into the starting lineup opposite Randall Cobb, but whether he can replace Nelson’s production is something of a question. In 15 games last season, the 22-year-old Adams caught 38 balls for 446 yards and three scores, numbers that should significantly increase if he becomes a starter. Jeff Janis, Myles White, and rookie Ty Montgomery could also become candidates for increased playing time in Nelson’s absence.

If the Packers opt to bring in a free agent receiver, they could have their pick of several veteran options, including Donnie Avery, Robert Meachem, and Kevin Ogltree. One other option — former Colt Reggie Wayne — might be off the table rather quickly, as reports earlier today indicated he was in New England to take a physical with the Patriots.

Nelson becomes the second No. 1 receiver to suffer an ACL injury in the past week, joining the Panthers’ Kelvin Benjamin.

Week In Review: 8/16/15 – 8/23/15

August 23rd, 2015 at 1:38pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

Trades:

  • Patriots – acquired TE Asante Cleveland from the 49ers in exchange for OL Jordan Devey.
  • Washington – acquired TE Derek Carrier from the 49ers in exchange for a 2017 fifth-round pick.

Signed:

  • Bills – Red Bryant, DL (link), Quentin Groves, LB (link), and Ellis Lankster, CB (link)
  • Buccaneers – Gosder Cherilus, T (link)
  • Cardinals – Chris Johnson, RB (link)
  • Jets – Matt Flynn, QB (link)
  • Giants – Brandon Meriweather, S (link)
  • Texans – Quintin Demps, S and Fili Moala, DL (link)
  • Titans – Andy Studebaker, LB (link)

Released:

  • Cardinals – Darryl Sharpton, LB (link)
  • Dolphins – Louis Delmas, S (link)
  • Lions – Taylor Mays, S (link)

Injuries:

  • Cardinals – Mike Iupati, G (link) and Corey Peters, DT (link)
  • Panthers – Kelvin Benjamin, WR (link)

Suspended:

  • 49ers – Jerome Simpson, WR: six games
  • Buccaneers – Akeem Spence, DT: one game
  • FA Jarret Bush, S: 10 games (in addition to existing four-game ban)

Reggie Wayne Takes Physical With Patriots

August 23rd, 2015 at 12:08pm CST by Rory Parks

Reggie Wayne arrived in New England last night and is taking a physical with the Patriots today, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Wayne, of course, has maintained that he wants to play in 2015, and he said last month that he had received interest from several clubs. Until today, however, we had yet to hear anything more concrete.

The 36-year-old veteran of 14 NFL seasons is no longer the sort of impact player he was during his prime. However, he was still a reliable target for Andrew Luck last season, compiling 779 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 64 catches. Over the course of his Hall-of-Fame career, Wayne has compiled over 14,000 receiving yards, the most among active receivers and eighth all time. He also has 82 touchdowns and six Pro Bowl nods to his credit. He plans to play for one more season, with a championship contender, and then call it a career.

Of course, just because he is taking a physical with New England does not mean that he will ultimately sign with the team. But as Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk writes, Wayne does have a fan in Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who had this to say in advance of the Colts-Patriots matchup last November:

“[H]e’s still really good at everything. [He’s] obviously a real smart and experienced guy; knows how to set up routes, make all of his routes look the same, does a great job of releasing and then at the top of his routes being able to create separation at just the right time when the quarterback is ready to throw. He’s been a key guy for them in critical situations and third down-type situations.”

Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com tweets that there is some debate in the scouting community as to how much Wayne has left in the tank, but the veteran savvy that Belichick describes would serve Wayne in good stead in the relatively complex New England offense, particularly when combined with talented younger players like Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell. As Reiss observes (via Twitter), it makes sense that New England would be doing its due diligence on Wayne, as Edelman, LaFell, Brian Tyms, and Aaron Dobson have all been dealing with injuries, and Brandon Gibson limped off the field with a knee injury in last night’s preseason contest against the Saints.

Ben Volin of The Boston Globe adds an interesting footnote to this development (via Twitter). Volin points out that, as a vested veteran, the Patriots would have to guarantee Wayne’s full salary if he were to make the Week 1 roster. But if the team were to sign him after Week 1, that would no longer be the case.

At this point, though, we will simply have to wait and see if yet another storyline will be added to the longstanding Colts-Patriots rivalry.

 

AFC East Notes: J. Taylor, McCourty, Dareus

August 23rd, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Rory Parks

We learned earlier today that the Giants suffered yet another blow to their secondary last night, and as Adam H. Beasley of The Miami Herald writes, the Dolphins‘ secondary is also growing thin due to injury. After losing Louis Delmas to a torn ACL last week, Miami saw Jamar Taylor leave last night’s preseason game to a quadriceps injury. Taylor, fighting for a starting cornerback spot opposite Brent Grimes, dealt with a sports hernia in his rookie campaign in 2013, and last year he was placed on IR with a shoulder injury. The severity of Taylor’s latest ailment is unknown at this time.

As the Giants and Dolphins fret over their secondaries, let’s take a look at a few more links from the AFC East:

  • Devin McCourty played cornerback for the Patriots in their preseason contest against New Orleans last night, and he did not like it one bit. McCourty said, via Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com, “I hope it’s not permanent. It didn’t feel great, and I don’t think it looked great so we’ll see.” McCourty, of course, transitioned to safety from corner in 2012, and has thrived as a safety in the past couple of seasons. But with the exodus of starting-caliber corners from New England this offseason, the team may be forced to utilize McCourty’s versatility more than he would like.
  • In a separate piece, Curran discusses the status of the Patriots‘ running back battle in light of the impressive performances from James White and Dion Lewis last night.
  • PFR’s Sam Robinson wrote yesterday that Marcell Dareus has softened his public stance towards his contract negotiations with the Bills, and as Jerry Sullivan of The Buffalo News opines, it’s the right move. Sullivan writes that Dareus may be an excellent player, but he is surrounded by other terrific players on the defensive line, and he is not nearly the run defender that Ndamukong Suh is. Those facts, combined with Dareus’ past indiscretions, suggest that Dareus should not be paid like Suh, regardless of what Dareus himself thinks. In the end, the Bills will likely bend a bit, Dareus will bend a bit, and Dareus will remain in Buffalo for the foreseeable future.
  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com says Jets‘ tight end Jace Amaro, a holdover from the John Idzik regime, is on the “moderate” hot seat. Amaro was listed as the third tight end on the team’s first official depth chart, and the team has mixed feelings about him. Cimini adds that wide receiver Jeremy Kerley is in a similar situation, especially given the strong training camp of Quincy Enunwa.

Evan Mathis Scheduled To Visit Seahawks

August 23rd, 2015 at 9:45am CST by Zachary Links

SUNDAY, 9:45am: We learned yesterday that Mathis’ visit with the Seahawks went well, and that Seattle head coach Pete Carroll referred to the visit as a “physical,” which could have been an indication that a deal was imminent. However, there is no deal in place as of yet, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out that when Carroll used the term “physical,” he said that Mathis was “coming in for a physical. That’s all.” So while it’s clear that Seattle is interested in the free agent guard, Florio writes that it is equally clear the Seahawks will not issue a blank check to Mathis, despite their clear needs along the offensive line. Seattle, of course, already has several high-profile players who are unhappy with their current deals, and if the team were to hand out a lucrative contract to a newcomer, an already tense atmosphere may become even more strained. The Mathis situation, therefore, remains in a holding pattern.

FRIDAY, 1:36pm: Mathis is unlikely to reach an agreement with another team before tomorrow, and is planning to go through with his scheduled visit to Seattle, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

THURSDAY, 7:44pm: Free agent guard Evan Mathis is scheduled to visit the Seahawks on Saturday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). However, at this time, it’s uncertain as to whether he’ll go. The standout interior lineman apparently has interest from other teams and if another one swoops in and signs him first, he’ll call off his flight to Seattle.

At this time, it’s not known who the other interested clubs are, but it’s not a surprise to hear that Mathis is drawing widespread interest given his body of work. We heard earlier this week that the Giants have not closed the door on Mathis, though they have concerns about his price tag. One GM with interest in Mathis recently told Peter King of The MMQB (on Twitter) that he refuses to pay an “old guard” like Mathis $5MM per year.

Mathis, released by the Eagles earlier this offseason, is considered one of the league’s best interior linemen. In 2014, despite playing just 608 offensive snaps, the former third-round pick ranked as the league’s best left guard, performing particularly well as a run blocker, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required). PFF had previously graded Mathis as the NFL’s No. 1 guard in 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Mathis was scheduled to earn a base salary of $5.5MM under his Eagles deal, and it remains to be seen if he and agent Drew Rosenhaus can secure that type of commitment from another club. Given his age and that teams mostly have their rosters set, it’s probably unlikely that Mathis will be able to get that level of AAV.

The Bills, Vikings, Dolphins, Rams, and Patriots were among the teams said to have varying levels of trade interest in him before Philly cut him loose. The Colts, Giants, and Cardinals have all said they won’t make a play for Mathis, but Rosenhaus said earlier this offseason that he heard from at least six teams with interest in his client.

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