2015 August - Pro Football Rumors

Eagles Sign Deontae Skinner

August 14th, 2015 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Eagles are back up to the 90-man roster limit after signing linebacker Deontae Skinner, the team announced today (via Twitter). The move comes on the heels of the club waiving linebacker Brandon Hepburn, who sustained an abdominal injury.

Skinner, 24, signed with the Patriots in 2014 as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State. Although Skinner didn’t crack New England’s Week 1 roster last season, he spent time on the 53-man squad later in the season, bouncing back and forth from the practice squad. For the year, he recorded 16 tackles and a sack in seven regular season contests.

Skinner figures to have the opportunity to compete for a spot on an increasingly banged-up Eagles’ linebacking corps. Terms of his deal weren’t disclosed, but it’s almost certainly a minimum-salary pact with no guaranteed money.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/14/15

August 14th, 2015 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Friday’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL:

The Eagles waived two players with injury designations, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve cut linebacker Brandon Hepburn (abdominal) and defensive end B.J. McBryde (foot). Both players figure to revert to the team’s IR list if they clear waivers. Meanwhile, the Eagles added former Winston-Salem St. defensive end Alfy Hill.
The Vikings have waived/injured wide receiver Gavin Lutman, replacing him on their roster with defensive tackle Greg Hickman, per Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune (Twitter link).
Wide receiver DeShon Foxx, who signed with the Seahawks in May, has been cut by the team (Twitter link). Seattle has signed linebacker Alex Singleton to take Foxx’s place on the roster.
The Buccaneers are back up to 90 players after re-signing rookie safety Derrick Wells today, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.

Matt Flynn Visits Jets

August 14th, 2015 at 12:40pm CST by Luke Adams

12:40pm: Flynn visited the Jets today and took a physical, but didn’t work out for the team as he continues to deal with his hamstring issue, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.

8:41am: Following their preseason loss to the Lions on Thursday night, the Jets continue to consider free agent quarterbacks, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has expressed interest in Matt Flynn, among other veteran options. The Jets have discussed bringing in Flynn for a visit, but haven’t scheduled anything yet, tweets Mehta, though Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) that the ex-Packer will work out for New York today.

Flynn, 30, signed with the Patriots in June, but didn’t see much time on the practice field before he was cut by New England. The veteran quarterback was placed on the non-football injury list last month before Pats veterans reported to training camp and never took the field, due to a hamstring injury.

Flynn has spent most of his career with the Packers, parlaying a huge Week 17 game in 2011 into a three-year contract with the Seahawks in free agency. After never starting a game in Seattle, the former seventh-round pick bounced around the league a little, joining the Bills and Raiders before returning to Green Bay. Now, he’s a candidate to sign with the Jets as veteran insurance following Geno Smith‘s jaw surgery.

Still, even if the Jets bring Flynn in for a workout, the team isn’t in a hurry to make a move, tweets Mehta. New York wants to make sure rookie Bryce Petty sees plenty of quality preseason reps, and Flynn is still rehabbing his hamstring injury. The Jets were also linked to Rex Grossman, who is rehabbing an injury of his own, which suggests that the club isn’t targeting immediate help.

If the Jets do want to work out Flynn today, it should be easy enough — as Mehta tweets, the free agent signal-caller has family in New York, and is in the area already.

NFC Notes: Shembo, Washington, Packers

August 14th, 2015 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Falcons cut linebacker Prince Shembo earlier in the offseason when he was facing felony charges in an animal cruelty case. Now that he has pleaded those charges down to a misdemeanor and resolved the case, Shembo may land on Atlanta’s radar again, says D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“I’m sure that we will [discuss Shembo], but general manager Thomas [Dimitroff] and I have not gotten together on that, at this point,” Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said.

As Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk observes, you can make an on-field case for the Falcons re-signing Shembo, a former fourth-round pick. However, considering the linebacker admitted to killing his ex-girlfriend’s dog and was also investigated but not charged at Notre Dame with sexual assault of a woman who later committed suicide, Shembo may not be worth the trouble. He’ll also likely be facing NFL discipline for running afoul of the league’s personal conduct policy.

Here are several more Friday notes from across the NFC:

Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen may both be out for the year for Washington, but the team isn’t eyeing free agent tight end Zach Miller, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
While many of their rivals around the league get impatient and pursue high-priced free agents to fill holes, the Packers have continued to “draft, develop, and reinvest,” writes Field Yates of ESPN.com in his Insider-only look at how Green Bay built its current roster.
Several days after the Lions made DeAndre Levy the highest-paid 4-3 outside linebacker in the league, Lavonte David signed an even bigger deal with the Buccaneers to set the new standard at the position. Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap takes a closer look at how the two contracts stack up against to one another, throwing in Bobby Wagner‘s new extension with the Seahawks as a point of comparison.
With Jimmy Graham no longer in the mix in New Orleans, the Saints will need a player – or a combination of players – to step up and provide help for quarterback Drew Brees this year, writes Zolan V Kanno-Youngs of USA Today.

West Notes: Rivers, Massie, T. Williams

August 14th, 2015 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

A report earlier in training camp indicated that the Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers figured to shelve extension talks until 2016 if the two sides didn’t reach a deal by August 13. However, during Thursday night’s broadcast of the team’s preseason opener, Rivers still sounded open to getting something done this year, if the two sides can reach a compromise, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

“I have a contract for 2015 and I’m excited to be here with the guys and try to go help us win,” Rivers told Alex Flanagan. “If that changes, if there’s more years after that, then I’ll be fired up. But if not, in the short term I’m excited just to be a part of this team this year and try to lead us to win a lot of football games.”

While we wait to see if the Chargers and Rivers can agree to terms on a new deal, let’s check in on some other items from around the NFL’s two West divisions….

The police report from Bobby Massie‘s January arrest has been released by the Tempe Police Department, and Jim Walsh of the Arizona Republic passes along some of the troubling details. According to police, Massie – who was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence – said he had been impaired by alcohol every day for the last 10 years, but didn’t believe he had an alcohol problem. The Cardinals‘ starting right tackle is facing a three-game suspension for the incident, though he’s appealing that penalty.
Chargers outside linebacker Tourek Williams broke his foot during last night’s game against the Cowboys and will require surgery, a source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). It’s a significant blow for San Diego, since the team wasn’t particularly deep at the position to begin with. Williams could be a candidate for the injured reserve list with the designation to return, depending on his recovery timetable.
NFL rules prohibit team owners from owning NBA, NHL, or MLB teams in other markets that have NFL teams, but Rams owner Stan Kroenke continues to hold the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche. As Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes, Kroenke has submitted a plan to the NFL to resolve that situation, and it should meet league approval, though details of the proposal aren’t known.

Niles Paul Out For Season With Ankle Injury

August 13th, 2015 at 10:13pm CST by Luke Adams

10:13pm: Paul fractured and dislocated his ankle, and will be out for the entire 2015 season, Washington head coach Jay Gruden confirmed tonight (Twitter links via Mike Jones of the Washington Post).

8:18pm: Washington tight end Niles Paul dislocated his ankle during the team’s preseason game tonight, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). According to Rapoport, Paul will undergo an MRI to see if the ligaments are still intact.

Paul, who turned 26 on Sunday, had a breakout season for Washington in 2014, catching 39 balls for 507 yards, after having recorded just 14 receptions in his first three seasons. He had appeared poised to play a role in the offense once again this season, but his ankle injury figures to sideline him for at least part of the year.

In 2014, Paul’s teammate Robert Griffin III suffered a dislocated ankle and returned to the field seven weeks later. However, if Paul sustained significant ligament damage in addition to dislocating the ankle, it seems likely that he’d be on the shelf for longer than that.

Paul is the second Washington tight end whose season has been placed in jeopardy this week, as Logan Paulsen may require toe surgery that would sideline him for most or all of the year. Jordan Reed is also nursing a hamstring injury, though it’s not believed to be as serious.

Former Washington tight end Chris Cooley recently expressed interest in rejoining his old team, but John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link) says he’s been told a few times that Cooley isn’t an option for the club. Keim wonders if that stance will change at all, given Washington’s injury woes at the position.

Extra Points: A. Davis, BJGE, J. Jones, Rice

August 13th, 2015 at 9:51pm CST by Zachary Links

When Anthony Davis announced his decision to step away from the 49ers, it wasn’t exactly classified as his retirement. Unlike Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, and Chris Borland, San Francisco’s former right tackle still plans to return to the NFL at some point, suggesting that he’ll probably take a year off before returning to the league.

“Yeah, I will come back,” Davis told Brian Dohn of Scout.com. “I want to rest. I feel like right now I could go into a camp and play, but I want to rest. … I’m getting my hands right, seeing specialists, foot specialists, making sure I’m on the right track to play another five or six years if I wanted to.”

According to Davis, it’s not accurate to say that he’s taking the 2015 season off to recover from a concussion — it’s more about getting his whole body right, and giving himself a rest.

Let’s round up the rest of today’s odds and ends from across the NFL….

BenJarvus Green-Ellis is looking for a new NFL home, and the free agent running back tells Dan Graziano of ESPN.com that he’s “optimistic” about getting that call. “Obviously, each team that’s in the market is in the market for a certain type of back,” Green-Ellis said. “But I know somebody out there has a need for what I can do. More than anything, I’m excited to get back out there and hit somebody.”
We haven’t heard much recently on Julio Jones’ contract talks, but Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) that it’s the most “professional and team cognizant contract approach” to a contract negotiation he’s seen.
When asked about Ray Rice, Texans owner Bob McNair said that the veteran free agent probably wouldn’t fit in his locker room, adding that the four running backs already on the roster are better players, tweets Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com.
Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has a more legitimate gripe about his deal than Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor, opines Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Brown has outperformed his contract at wide receiver while there has been no real change in the strong safety market. Earlier today, a source told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Chancellor was under the impression that he would have his contract reworked upon establishing himself as one of the best at his position.
Free agent wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers has been suspended for the first two weeks of the season, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). That could help to explain why Rogers remains unsigned in mid-August.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/13/15

August 13th, 2015 at 7:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL..

The Buccaneers announced today that they’ve waived punter Spencer Lanning, as Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com tweets. In 2014, only two punters had more attempts than the 93 punts Lanning made for the Browns. However, Lanning’s performance wasn’t great, so Cleveland cut him after trading for Andy Lee in June, at which point he was claimed by the Bucs. Today’s move leaves Tampa Bay with two punters still on the roster.
The Falcons announced that they’ve waived rookie safety Damian Parms, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
Defensive back Ryan White has re-signed with the Packers, as Weston Hodkiewicz of the Press Gazette tweets. White was in camp with Green Bay last summer.
The Bills removed Justin Brown from the injured reserve with an injury settlement, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Wilson adds (via Twitter) that the Titans did the same thing with safety Cody Prewitt, removing him from their roster.
The 49ers have also waived a player with an injury settlement, cutting offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk from their IR, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
The following players landed on their respective teams’ injured reserve lists after clearing waivers, per Wilson (Twitter link): DT Ricky Havili-Heimuli (Falcons), TE Clay Burton (Bills), WR Caleb Holley (Bills), DT Chris Whaley (Cowboys), CB Jason Wilson (Cowboys), and RB Tyler Gaffney (Patriots).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

East Notes: Brady, Giants, G. Smith

August 13th, 2015 at 5:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Lawyers for the NFL and NFLPA are meeting today for more settlement talks regarding Tom Brady‘s situation, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Judge Richard M. Berman wants the two sides to compromise and reach a settlement, but Brady can’t concede to the NFL’s terms without committing perjury, argues Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports.

As Robinson explains, the league wants the Patriots quarterback to admit guilt, but Brady testified under oath that he was innocent. So if a settlement is to be reached, the NFL will likely have to give more ground than Brady and the NFLPA to make it happen.

Here’s more on the Brady situation, along with several more notes from out of the East divisions:

Judge Berman has made next Wednesday’s settlement conference optional for Brady and commissioner Roger Goodell, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks the judge may be trying to discern whether Goodell and Brady view the case as sufficiently important to attend the meeting.
Free agent guard Evan Mathis may be on the verge of signing with an NFL team, according to a recent report, but Dan Graziano of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) says he doesn’t think it’ll be the Giants, since he doesn’t believe they’re interested.
Graziano (on Twitter) also doesn’t see Jason Pierre-Paul staying with the Giants beyond 2015.
Geno Smith and IK Enemkpali are both to blame for the unrest in the Jets‘ locker room, Kristian Dyer of Metro NY writes. Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) suggests there’s a belief that Smith lacks respect within the Jets organization and may have been on his way to losing the starting job even before his injury. The quarterback underwent surgery today and had plates and screws put in, though his jaw won’t be wired shut, per Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link).
Don’t blame Jets coach Todd Bowles for the Smith-Enemkpali smackdown and the recent Sheldon Richardson transgressions, but start judging him now, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. How Bowles handles the team’s latest road bumps will determine what type of coach he becomes for the Jets.
Undrafted center David Andrews out of Georgia is a top candidate among the Patriots‘ four UDFAs to land a roster spot, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Latest On Seahawks, Kam Chancellor

August 13th, 2015 at 4:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor, who is currently holding out for a new contract, was under the impression that he’d be given a new deal once he climbed the ranks to become one of the top safeties in the NFL, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. When Chancellor signed his current deal, he sacrificed some upside in exchange for additional security, and now he’s looking to recoup some of those dollars.

Chancellor is in the midst of a four-year, $28MM deal that runs through 2017. As he enters what should be the most productive years of his career, his camp wants to ensure the highest level of compensation. In 2018, he’ll be entering his age-30 season and his payout could be fairly limited at that point. Of course, it’s far from guaranteed that the Seahawks will bend. The Seahawks just paid big bucks to quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner and were forced to cut defensive tackle Tony McDaniel due to financial constraints.

The 27-year-old is a key part of Seattle’s defense and he’s even more critical to the team this year with Earl Thomas potentially sidelined to start the year. There’s also precedent for the Seahawks reworking a deal after running back Marshawn Lynch successfully forced their hand last year.

Chancellor racked up 104 total tackles with seven pass deflections and one interception in 14 regular season games last season. Last season, he graded out as the 20th best safety in the NFL according to the advanced metrics used by Pro Football Focus (sub. req’d). In the year prior, Chancellor came in as the 12th best safety in the NFL.