HEADLINES

Month: July 2016

Darren Waller Suspended Four Games

July 1st, 2016 at 3:12pm CST by Ben Levine

Ravens tight end/wide receiver Darren Waller has been suspended four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, reports ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley (via Twitter). NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport clarifies (via Twitter) than Waller violated the league’s Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse. Hensley notes that the 23-year-old will be eligible to return on October 3rd, and he can continue to participate in preseason practices and games.

The Georgia Tech product joined the Ravens as a sixth-round pick in 2015, and he ended up catching a pair of passes for 17 yards. The 6-foot-6 wideout played six games (one start) last season before landing on the injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun notes that Waller may have had difficulties even making this season’s roster. Zrebiec also tweets that Waller was suspended twice at Georgia tech for testing positive for marijuana.

Waller is the second Ravens player to be suspended this offseason, as tight end Nick Boyle was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2016 season.

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Cousins, Seahawks

July 1st, 2016 at 2:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Ronaldo McClain is only the latest Cowboys defender to be slapped with a suspension. Defensive end Demarcus Lawrence was handed a four-game suspension earlier this summer, and defensive end Randy Gregory will also be forced to sit our four games.

Cornerback Brandon Carr understands that it’s on the trio’s teammates to pick up the slack.

“Well, anytime you get a guy going down in your unit, you have to come together even stronger to make up for that slack,” Carr told Zig Fracassi and Phil Savage on SiriusXM Satellite Radio (via Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com). “But Rolando is a guy that’s made a lot of plays for us in the past two years, another dominant presence on the field. So we’re definitely going to miss that. But football’s a game of the next man up, it’s a game of inches. So it’s going to take for all of us to come to training camp focused and next man up, get him ready, get prepared to go out there to battle.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC…

  • Mike Jones of the Washington Post wonders if the Redskins and Kirk Cousins will come to an agreement on an extension by the July 15th deadline. The writer notes that the two sides have made little progress, and while the team will make another push closer to training camp, there’s not much optimism that a deal will get done.
  • The Seahawks have generally held back from handing out extensions to players with more than a year remaining on their contract. However, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times wonders whether the team should rethink that strategy when it comes to defensive lineman Michael Bennett.
  • ESPN.com’s Nathan Jahnke (Insider subscription required) runs through his list of the NFL’s 10 most overpaid veterans. Giants quarterback Eli Manning leads the list, with Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil, Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr, and Vikings running back Adrian Peterson also appearing on the list.

Latest on Aqib Talib

July 1st, 2016 at 12:44pm CST by Ben Levine

After about a month of uncertainty, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport has finally received some specifics on the Aqib Talib incident from early June. Just a quick refresher: the Broncos cornerback was shot in the leg at a Dallas nightclub, and initial reports suggested that the 30-year-old had accidently shot himself. Days later, the Dallas Police Department said Talib was a victim of “aggravated assault.” As our own Zach Links pointed out, “the five Ws of the ordeal” had never been clarified.

Aqib Talib (Vertical)The Dallas Police Department incident report that was recently obtained by Rapoport (who passed along all of the following info via Twitter) seems to back the DPD’s latter claim. Talib told officers he didn’t know who shot him, and a witness claimed they only heard a single gunshot. Furthermore, the report indicated that an “unknown suspect shot the complainant.” There’s no mention of Talib shooting himself, which could indicate that the Dallas PD believes the defensive back was actually shot by another person.

Finally, Rapoport notes that one gram of marijuana was found by police, although nobody was charged. The entire incident report can be found here.

In early June, it sounded like Talib would presumably be handed some kind of suspension from the NFL. It’s uncertain whether this new information will change the league’s stance on the matter.

Free Agent QB Tarvaris Jackson Arrested

July 1st, 2016 at 11:44am CST by Zachary Links

FRIDAY, 11:44am: Jackson requested a public defender in the assault case, according to court documents obtained by TMZ Sports. The former quarterback claims to have no money to his name, although his request was denied by a judge.

According to OverTheCap.com, Jackson earned at least $3MM from 2013 through 2015.

JUNE 25th, 9:15am: Jackson posted a $2,500 bond and was released from jail yesterday, reports Hush. The 33-year-old has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

JUNE 24th, 5:06pm: Jackson was apparently intoxicated and told his wife “I’ll kill you” while aiming the gun at her, according to Chris Hush of WESH (Twitter link), who passes along a copy of the arrest report, which states that marijuana was found in Jackson’s home.

4:51pm: Free agent quarterback Tarvaris Jackson has been arrested for allegedly pulling a gun on his wife, according to a report from WESH (via Twitter). Tarvaris Jackson (vertical)

The former Seahawks backup received honorable mention last month when PFR’s Dallas Robinson ran down the best free agents still available on the board. If these charges stick, however, one has to imagine that Jackson’s odds of playing in the NFL this year are slim when considering his age (33), limited skill set, and lack of playing time across the last three years.

In late April, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider indicated that they were still in talks with Jackson about a return. However, that was before they inked former TCU signal caller Trevone Boykin and ex-BYU QB Jake Heaps.

Last year, Jackson appeared in four games for the Seahawks and completed four of six passes.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC East Notes: Richardson, Giacomini, Dolphins

July 1st, 2016 at 11:32am CST by Ben Levine

Yesterday, Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson was suspended one game for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. After having previously been arrested for driving 143 mph, the 25-year-old was actually grateful that he didn’t earn a longer suspension.

“So the league has sent down there decision,” Richardson wrote on Instagram, “I have to live with it I’m grateful it could have been more but this is overspill from a silly offseason on my part but I’ve grown from it been pass it….I’m still smiling like its draft day.”

Fortunately, as RosterResource.com shows, the Jets should have enough depth on the defensive line to make up for Richardson’s one-game absence. Of course, there’s still lingering concern over the status of fellow d-lineman Muhammad Wilkerson.

While we await some clarity on that situation, let’s check out some more notes from the AFC East…

  • This upcoming season could be right tackle Breno Giacomini‘s final year with the Jets, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. The lineman didn’t have a strong 2015 campaign, and the writer sees little reason why the 30-year-old will improve in 2016. The organization could save $4.5MM against the cap by cutting Giacomini following the season.
  • The Dolphins added plenty of reinforcement to the offensive line this past offseason. The team selected Laremy Tunsil in the first round, and they also added free agents Jermon Bushrod, Kraig Urbik and Sam Young. With this newfound depth, Mike Pouncey is expecting a bounceback season from the unit. “Obviously, we feel like we got a lot of talent on [the] offensive line,” Pouncey told ESPN.com’s James Walker. “We feel comfortable about the guys that we got in our room. This will be one of the first years in a long time we’ll have depth going into the season. As long as everyone stays healthy, we look forward to having a good year.”
  • Speaking of Tunsil, ESPN.com’s AFC East reporters explain how the first-round pick could ultimately help Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Pigskin Links: Eagles, Cowboys, Titans

July 1st, 2016 at 10:16am CST by Ben Levine

Here at Pro Football Rumors, we deliver up-to-the-minute news on NFL transactions and high-quality original analysis. Each week, we also feature some of the best blog articles from around the web in our regular feature, Pigskin Links.

We’re looking for interesting reads on all things football from blogs of all sizes. While PFR is dedicated to player movement, Pigskin Links is open to pieces on all areas of the game. If you would like to suggest your blog post (or someone else’s) for Pigskin Links, send us an email with the link and a brief synopsis at PigskinLinks@gmail.com.

Here’s this week’s look around the football blogosphere:

Got a great football blog post that you want to see featured in next week’s Pigskin Links? Email it to Zach or tweet it to him: @ZachLinks.