HEADLINES

Month: October 2016

Giants Done With Josh Brown

October 21st, 2016 at 1:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Josh Brown will be put on the commissioner’s exempt list and he will not suit up again for the Giants, sources tell ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen. Multiple sources also tell the veteran reporter that Brown is unlikely to ever kick again in the NFL. Josh Brown (vertical)

[RELATED: Giants Sign Robbie Gould]

Given that Greg Hardy and Ray Rice have been unable to find work in the NFL, it’s not surprising to hear that Brown is persona non grata in the league. Brown is one of the league’s best kickers and is coming off of one of his best seasons, but he is certainly not worth the baggage that would come with signing him at this point. After all, Hardy is still a starting caliber defensive end, but his history and bad attitude have forced him to change sports.

The Giants have until 4pm ET/3PM CT Friday to place Brown on the commissioner’s exempt list. While on the list, Brown can still collect his ~$1.15MM base salary. He can also appeal being placed on the list, but that will be an uphill battle given everything that has come out in recent days.

Bears Still Plan To Move On From Jay Cutler

October 21st, 2016 at 1:30pm CST by Zachary Links

After losing Brian Hoyer to a broken arm last night, the Bearss are likely to turn things back over to Jay Cutler at some point this season. It’s not a huge surprise, but one source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) that the team still intends to move on from Cutler after the year is over. Jay Cutler (vertical)

Cutler was forced out of action (or, removed himself from action) earlier this year when he suffered a sprained thumb. It sounds like Cutler may have been able to return to the lineup earlier this month, but John Fox & Co. opted to continue with Hoyer. Last night, when Hoyer was taken out of the game, Matt Barkley took the field for the first time in his NFL career.

In 2009, the Bears shipped two first-rounders, a third-rounder, and Kyle Orton to Denver to acquire Cutler. Years later, the Bears are preparing to divorce themselves from their one-time face of the franchise. In Cutler’s 99 regular-season starts for Chicago, the team has hovered around .500 (50-49), including a woeful 3-14 record at home since 2014. In total, Cutler has completed 61.9 percent of passes and thrown 151 touchdowns against 106 interceptions.

Cowboys, OT Doug Free Restructure Contract

October 21st, 2016 at 8:41am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have converted $2MM of tackle Doug Free‘s base salary into a bonus, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The move creates $1MM in cap space for this season. Doug Free (vertical)

Free, 32, was slated to hit the open market prior to the 2015 season but Dallas instead kept him with a three-year deal. That deal, which should keep him in place through the 2017 season, holds a total value of $15MM. All in all, Free has made a good chunk of money throughout his career. His previous deal was a four-year, $32MM deal with $17MM guaranteed.

From 2009-2013, Free did not miss a single regular season game. In 2014, he missed five games thanks to a foot injury. Last year, he got back to his old ways and started in every regular season contest. So far this year, his ironman streak is in tact. Through six games this year, Free is rated as the 50th best tackle in the NFL out of 78 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus. Free has a 70.7 score for run blocking but his 50.0 rating for pass blocking leaves much to be desired. In total, he has a 66.0 overall grade for his 411 snaps (212 pass blocking, 199 run blocking).

Free is due to carry a $6.5MM cap number in 2017, the final year of his current deal. If the Cowboys were to cut him before June 1st, they could be on the hook for $1.5MM in dead money while saving $5MM.

Extra Points: QBs, Pats, Falcons, Jets, Chiefs

October 20th, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by Zachary Links

In his latest Agent’s Take column for CBSSports.com, Joel Corry examines a list of eleven quarterbacks who could be playing for new teams in 2017, with names like Tony Romo, Colin Kaepernick, and Jay Cutler topping the list. Kirk Cousins, currently playing under the franchise tag, could also be suiting up for a different club next season, especially if Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan — who once called plays in Washington — becomes a head coach this offseason.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • The Patriots worked out linebacker Reshard Cliett today, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). As Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes, New England’s recent run of auditioning linebackers is due to the club’s injury situation. Jamie Collins missed Sunday’s game against the Bengals, his backup Elandon Roberts is dealing with an injury of his own, and Jonathan Freeny is already on injured reserve. Shea McClellin and Rob Ninkovich, each of whom has been playing on the line, could be options at linebacker, as could recent trade acquisition Barkevious Mingo.
  • The Falcons tried out defensive tackle Jordan Hill, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets. The Seahawks cut Hill, 25, from injured reserve last week. Hill was a key reserve during the 2014 campaign, posting 5.5 sacks, and was a part-time player (10 appearances) last season as well.
  • The Jets worked out wide receiver Dres Anderson today, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link). Anderson, who was recently cut from the 49ers’ practice squad, tried out for the Patriots yesterdayy.
  • Defensive end Sterling Bailey, defensive back Daniel Davie, and defensive back Brandon McGee worked out for the Chiefs, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets.

Bears’ Brian Hoyer Has Broken Arm

October 20th, 2016 at 9:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bears quarterback Brian Hoyer suffered a broken arm during tonight’s game, head coach John Fox told sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson of CBS (Twitter link). The injury was to Hoyer’s non-throwing arm, but he’ll still be sidelined for awhile."<strong

[RELATED: Bears Activate Pernell McPhee]

Hoyer had played well since taking over for an injured Jay Cutler during Week 2, completing more than 68% of his passes for 1,396, six touchdowns, and no interceptions. The 31-year-old had thrown for more than 300 yards in each of his four starts, but the Bears only managed to post a 1-3 record during that time. Hoyer is set to become a free agent at season’s end.

Hoyer may have had a shot to permanently displace Cutler in the Windy City, as Fox indicated earlier this month that Hoyer had a chance to remain the Bears’ starter even after Cutler returned. “Anybody’s that performing well, I don’t think we’re going to be likely to change,” Fox said at the time. Now, Cutler is likely to regain his job once he comes back from a thumb injury.

With Hoyer sidelined, the Bears turned to backup quarterback Matt Barkley, the only other signal-caller on the roster. Chicago will surely add another QB in the coming days, but the club isn’t currently carrying a quarterback on its practice squad.

Latest On Giants’ Josh Brown

October 20th, 2016 at 8:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants left kicker Josh Brown behind when they traveled to London today, and subsequently signed veteran Robbie Gould to take his place. Whether or not that means the club is bracing for Brown to be suspended is unclear, but the NFL is considering placing Brown on the exempt list, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).Josh Brown

[RELATED: NFL To Investigate Josh Brown]

The Giants were unaware of Brown’s journal entries, emails, and letters admitting to domestic violence, a team spokesman tells Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The team had not read or heard them until they were brought to light yesterday. However, as Diana Moskovitz of Deadspin writes, the league could have easily obtained similar documents by requesting a copy of the Browns’ divorce file, which is public record.

Additionally, the NFL had been involved in at least one incident involving Brown and his wife, a source tells Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. During the Pro Bowl in January, an intoxicated Brown reportedly pounded on his wife’s hotel room door, leading the NFL to help Brown’s wife in switching rooms.

Mort & Schefter: Trades, Romo, Turner, Lacy

October 20th, 2016 at 8:08pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Teams have started to make “exploratory phone calls” in advance of the NFL’s November 1 trade deadline, according to Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. While the scribe duo notes that the NFL never seems the amount of trade activity that does the NBA or MLB, a few more deals could be made this season due to the influx of young general managers around the league. For a complete record of all the deals already consummated this year, check out PFR’s 2016 NFL Trade Tracker.

Here’s more from Mort and Schefter:

  • The Cowboys aren’t sure if they’ll bench rookie quarterback Dak Prescott once Tony Romo returns from injury, but Dallas has no interest in trading Romo at this time. Romo is unlikely to be healthy before the trading deadline, meaning no other club would feel safe dealing for the veteran, and the financial ramifications of such a move are untenable from the Cowboys’ perspective. Trading Romo right now would force nearly $32MM to immediately accelerate onto Dallas’ salary cap.
  • As many as two collegiate teams are eyeing Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner for a head coaching position, per Mortensen and Schefter, but it’s unclear if Turner would reciprocate such interest. Turner has never been a head coach in the NCAA, and was last involved in the collegiate ranks in 1984 as USC’s OC. He’s posted a career record of 114-122-1 as a head coach in the NFL.
  • Packers running back Eddie Lacy had ballooned back up to 255 to 265 pounds before being placed on injured reserve today, report the ESPN scribes. Lacy worked all offseason to get his weight down, but apparently the pounds had come back. Lacy will undergo ankle surgery and is likely out for the year, although he could conceivably return late in the season.

Browns, Terrelle Pryor Begin Extension Talks

October 20th, 2016 at 6:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns have engaged in initial extension negotiations with wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, sources tell Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Pryor is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.Terrelle Pryor (Vertical)

[RELATED: Robert Griffin III Won’t Require Surgery]

Pryor, 27, has become an offensive force in his first full season as a wide receiver, posting 33 receptions for 413 yards and three touchdowns. He’s also helped out at quarterback, tossing five passes for 41 yards, and has run the ball as a Wildcat option, putting up 21 yards and a score. And Pryor has expressed a willingness — and more precisely, a wish — to stay in Cleveland for the long-term, as he explained earlier this season.

“I respect him very highly and if Hue Jackson’s here, I’d love to stay here,” Pryor told Cabot in September. “I want to be here if Hue’s going to be here for awhile, because I know this is a building process — and it’s not really. We’re right the there. We’re competing with everybody, we’ve just got to put teams away and I’d like to be where Hue’s at.”

In the midst of a complete personnel overhaul, the Browns have been jettisoning veterans since the club’s new regime took over this spring, and let free agents such as Mitchell Schwartz, Alex Mack, Tashaun Gipson, and Travis Benjamin leave for other teams earlier this year. Whether Pryor is enticing enough to Cleveland’s front office to warrant a new deal is to be determined, but the team has enough money to lure him in. With nearly $50MM available for 2016, and more than $65MM in space free for the 2017 campaign, Cleveland ranks among the league leaders in financial wiggle room.

A restricted free agent, Pryor is currently earning $1.671MM after signing a qualifying offer during the offseason. He’d certainly be in for a raise via an extension, as starting wide receivers pulled in at least $5MM annually on the open market this spring. The Browns would also have the option of assigning Pryor the franchise tag, but that would come at a cost north of $15MM.

Giants Won’t Bring Josh Brown To London

October 20th, 2016 at 4:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants announced that they will not bring kicker Josh Brown with them to London this week. It’s not immediately clear who they will sign to serve as their kicker when they take on the Rams. Josh Brown (vertical)

Josh Brown will not travel with the team to London.

In light of the news reports regarding the documents released by the State of Washington yesterday, we think it makes sense to review this newly disclosed information and to revisit this issue following our trip to London.

The Giants do not condone or excuse any form of domestic violence. Josh has acknowledged that he has issues in his life and has been working on these issues through therapy and counseling for a long period of time.

We remain supportive of Josh and his efforts.

Brown, of course, was suspended for the first game of the season based on the information that the NFL had about his domestic abuse allegations at the time. Now, more information has come to light and the league is taking a deeper look at the kicker. In the interim, the Giants are keeping him off the field.

In his five games this season, Brown has nailed 11-of-12 field goals with his only miss coming from more than 50 yards out. Last season, Brown sank a career-high 93.8% of his field goal attempts.

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