Trade Rumors: Mack, Weddle, Boldin
Cardinals GM Steve Keim says that while there are always talks going on, there is “nothing imminent” for his team, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes. When asked specifically about targeting a pass rusher, Keim noted that teams aren’t really offering up anyone that fits the bill unless they are overpaid or dealing with off-the-field issues. Even if the Cardinals aren’t on the precipice of anything, a whole lot can change between now and the deadline. Meanwhile, plenty of other teams are assessing their trade options at the midway point. Here’s the very latest:
- Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) hears that Bears defensive end Willie Young and Eagles defensive end Vinny Curry can be had via trade. Neither player is getting much playing time so far in 2015.
- More from Cole (video link), who hears that the Browns expect Alex Mack to exercise his opt-out clause and go to the highest bidder, therefore making him a prime trade candidate heading into the deadline. The center’s deal features a no-trade clause, but he is allowed to waive it to expedite a move to a contending team.
- Cole adds that pending free agents Eric Weddle (Chargers) and Anquan Boldin (49ers) aren’t really in play since both teams are hoping to net compensatory draft picks for them in the offseason if they head elsewhere. As a result, it would take a significant haul to pry either player loose.
- When asked if a trade for a running back could happen, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said, “I don’t see that coming,” as John McClain of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
- Falcons head coach Dan Quinn says that trades are not a priority for the team right now, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
- Browns linebacker Paul Kruger isn’t surprised to hear his name in trade rumors because of “the way [he’s] been used,” Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer writes.
- Joel Corry of CBSSports.com came up with some creative hypothetical trade ideas, including one that would have the Panthers acquire Calvin Johnson from the Lions.
- Keeping up with the theme of hypothetical deals, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com would like to see Washington send Robert Griffin III to the Chiefs for fellow QB Chase Daniel. Another interesting idea would have the Bears ship Alshon Jeffery to the Falcons in exchange for a second-round choice.
NFC Rumors: Johnson, JPP, Gurley, Curry
One of the biggest surprises in the league this season may extend for a potential encore. The Cardinals are discussing an extension for Chris Johnson, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports. Although no deal is imminent, both sides discussed the issue this week. Johnson’s playing on a one-year contract he signed in August. Signed to an $870K deal with no guarantees, the 30-year-old Johnson ranks second in the league with 567 rushing yards.
Let’s take a look at what else is transpiring around the NFC before Week 8’s early tilts kick off.
- Jason Pierre-Paul has a chance to play next week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Giants are reportedly open to it. They rank 31st in the NFL with nine sacks thus far. Pierre-Paul can earn $50K for each half-sack he records in an incentive-laden contract and will receive $8.7MM if he can reach 10 in the Giants’ remaining nine games. The sixth-year veteran’s only recorded double-digit sacks in two seasons.
- The 49ers have discussed Alex Boone, Joe Staley and Vernon Davis (Twitter link) with teams, but CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora hears (Twitter link) that Staley is considered the most available. The 31-year-old Staley’s in the middle of a six-year, $44.65MM contract and has cap numbers of $8.3MM and $11.2MM the next two seasons. Staley’s deal runs through 2019.
- Eagles fourth-year defensive end Vinny Curry‘s surfaced in trade discussions, Schefter reports (as relayed by Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com). A 6-foot-3, 279-pound tweener in a 3-4 scheme, Curry could have value as a 4-3 end. He’s in the final year of his rookie deal and likely to depart the Eagles after the season, Kulp writes. The CSNPhilly reporter notes the best the Eagles could get for Curry, who has never started a game but recorded nine sacks off the bench last season, is a mid-round pick.
- Rams GM Les Snead‘s paranoia over whether one of the team’s NFC West rivals would take Todd Gurley invited him to act quickly during the draft, Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times reports. Snead was concerned about the 49ers or Cardinals drafting the potential NFC rookie of the year, so the team’s interest in the Georgia star remained a mystery. “I definitely was excited when they took me at No. 10. I was kind of shocked. They really kept it quiet,” Gurley told Farmer. “I know when they do those visits to do background checks back home, one of my high school coaches was like, ‘Yeah, the Rams came by,’ and I’m like, ‘They’re not going to take me.'”
- NFL executives peg Robert Griffin III‘s trade value as minimal, considering his fifth-year $16.2MM option that is guaranteed against injury, and are more inclined to let Washington release the beleaguered signal-caller, Liz Clarke and Mark Maske of the Washington Post report.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if Lions GM Martin Mayhew will be the latest post-London staff casualty, using Matt Millen‘s 2008 ouster as a reference point of Detroit bucking the usual trend of firing GMs after the season.
West Notes: Manning, Cards RBs, Hayne
Surprisingly, the success of the 6-0 Broncos this season has come more in spite of future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning than because of him. The 39-year-old is having his worst statistical season since his rookie campaign, 1998, when he threw more interceptions (28) than touchdowns (26), averaged just 6.5 yards per attempt and put up a 71.2 passer rating. In 2015, he has also tossed more picks than scores (10 to seven), posted a subpar YPA (6.43) and a poor rating (72.5). Nevertheless, he has a defender in AZCentral.com’s , who writes that it’s too soon to jump off the Manning bandwagon as he and the Broncos get ready for a clash with 6-0 Green Bay on Sunday.
McManaman believes a change in offensive scheme (from Adam Gase‘s to Gary Kubiak‘s), a lesser O-line, and the offseason loss of touchdown-catching tight end Julius Thomas have hindered Manning in his 18th season and made him look worse than he really is. Whether McManaman is right is debatable. What isn’t debatable is that Manning has the worst rating in the league among qualified starters.
Now to the NFC West:
- After signing an inexpensive deal for one year with the Cardinals during the summer, running back Chris Johnson has revitalized his career as a key part of an elite team. The 30-year-old currently has the second-highest yards-per-carry average of his career (5.1) to go along with three touchdowns. While Johnson could stand to cash in during the offseason as a result of his renaissance this year, that isn’t on his mind. “I’m not even thinking about my contract,” he said, per Dan Bickley of AZCentral.com. “At the end of the day, I’m just happy to be playing football again. At one point, I thought that would never happen.”
- Thanks to Johnson’s excellent play, fellow Cardinals runner Andre Ellington has barely figured into their offensive game plan this season. Ellington has 90 fewer carries than Johnson (21 compared to 111), but the Cards will look to get the third-year man more involved this week against the Browns’ last-ranked run defense, writes Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “I think BA (head coach Bruce Arians) has stuff for him and he didn’t get to it, but I’m sure he’ll get to it this week,” said offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin.
- The reasons the 49ers cut Jarryd Hayne on Saturday, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter): 1. They didn’t trust him to pick up blitzes as a running back. 2. He had major issues with ball security as a return man. Despite those flaws, the 49ers will try to sign Hayne to their practice squad Monday, per Branch.
Workout Notes: Saints, Seahawks, Jaguars
Today’s workouts from around the NFL..
- The Jets worked out defensive end Lawrence Okoye, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. Okoye, a former University of Kentucky discus hurler, had previous stops with the 49ers and Cardinals.
Earlier updates:
- The Saints tried out John Conner and Henry Hynoski, a league source tells Mike Florio of PFT. New Orleans already has a fullback on the roster in Austin Johnson, but he was a surprise scratch on Sunday and he may have fallen out of favor with coaches. Conner, nicknamed the Terminator, was a favorite of Rex Ryan while with the Jets. Conner followed Ryan to Buffalo in 2015, but he was let go before the start of the season. Hynoski, a four-year veteran, spent his full career with the Giants and appeared in every game last year.
- The Seahawks had ten players in for tryouts on Monday, including running back Isaiah Pead and defensive end Lawrence Okoye, a source tells Florio. Linebacker John Lotulelei, tackle Jesse Davis, guard Taylor Boggs, defensive end Keith Browner, guard Kadeem Edwards, defensive end Efe Obada, and defensive end DeAngelo Tyson were also showing their stuff for Seattle.
- The Jaguars brought in kickers Zach Hocker and Randy Bullock for a workout on Wednesday, but Josh Scobee was not among those in attendance, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
- In addition to their previously reported look at Jeff Demps, the Jets tried out running back Akeem Hunt on Tuesday, a league source tells Florio. Wide receiver Larry Pinkard also got a look from Gang Green. Chris Ivory is dealing with tightness in his quad, so the Jets might opt to add a running back if he needs to sit out for a while.
- The Browns recently worked out cornerbacks Bill Bentley, Chase Casey, Al Louis-Jean, and Robert Steeples, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Cardinals worked out Emmanuel Acho, James Anderson and Ja’Gared Davis, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Falcons worked out Mike Gillislee and Devin Wylie, Wilson tweets.
- The Panthers worked out Andrew Miller, Wilson tweets.
- The Jets worked out wide receiver Larry Pinkard, Wilson tweets.
- The Steelers worked out Dwight Bentley and Montell Garner, Wilson tweets.
- The Raiders worked out Dyshawn Davis, Wilson tweets.
- The Saints worked out Jeff Luc, Patrick Scales, Jason Williams, and Christian Yount, Wilson tweets.
- The Packers worked out Justin Anderson, Curtis Grant, and Ronald Powell, Wilson tweets.
- The Colts worked out Sean Baker, Matt Daniels, outside linebacker Mike McAdoo, and Dreamius Smith, Wilson tweets.
Browns Notes: Manziel, C. Johnson, Arians
Even if they wanted to suspend Johnny Manziel for his involvement in a recent off-field incident, the Browns wouldn’t be able to do so, GM Ray Farmer told reporters, including ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon. The Browns’ only option, under the NFL’s rules, was to make Manziel inactive for this past Sunday’s game against the Rams, the GM said.
Only the NFL has the authority to discipline the quarterback, because potential personal conduct policy violations fall under the umbrella of the league, not the team — Manziel was involved in an argument with his girlfriend and there may have been fisticuffs between the two.
Here’s more on Manziel, along with some other Browns-related items:
- The NFL hopes to have its Manziel investigation wrapped up by the end of the week, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Presumably, a decision on whether or not the signal-caller will be disciplined will be announced shortly after the investigation concludes.
- Manziel’s meeting with the league is imminent and “there’s a sense of urgency to it,” per head coach Mike Pettine (link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). It makes sense that Pettine would want things wrapped up as soon as possible, since the team needs some clarity on its quarterback situation for Week 8 — Josh McCown is banged up, and while he may be able to play, the team would need to add an insurance quarterback if Manziel receives a suspension from the NFL.
- With a game against the Cardinals on tap this weekend for the Browns, Cabot notes (via Twitter) that the Browns could have signed running back Chris Johnson when Duke Johnson was injured in camp. However, the Browns instead discussed signing Ray Rice at the time, and ended up passing on both Rice and Chris Johnson, who is now second in the league in rushing yards.
- The upcoming game against Arizona also resulted in Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians speaking to Browns reporters today, including Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan. The former Cleveland offensive coordinator admitted he thought he might get a chance to return to the Browns as their head coach in 2009, but the club quickly hired Eric Mangini instead. “I always thought if you could build a winner in Cleveland how special that would be,” Arians said of the missed opportunity.
West Notes: Raiders, Cardinals, Broncos
After enduring three years of losing, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie is finally starting to see his rebuilding plan pay off a little, writes Josh Dubow of The Associated Press. With young players like Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, and Khalil Mack contributing significantly to an improved Raiders team, McKenzie suggests that he and the club has to “take the punches” for a few years.
“The key was really looking at the big picture, not get so down on myself and the team at that point knowing what was ahead of me,” McKenzie said. “It wasn’t easy. I’m used to being in the playoffs. I haven’t been since I’ve been here. That’s the goal.”
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s West divisions:
- Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes a look at how the Raiders‘ roster and cap management got the team to this spot, and speculates on what the next move is for Oakland.
- Cardinals GM Steve Keim told Arizona Sports 98.7 that he’s gearing up to speak to agents about contract extensions, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes. Keim didn’t specify which players he’ll be targeting, but one can speculate that veterans like Chris Johnson and Jermaine Gresham – both on one-year deals – are candidates. Defensive backs Justin Bethel, Rashad Johnson, and Jerraud Powers are also potentially heading toward the open market.
- Asked in a mailbag about the possibility of the Broncos and Bears working out a trade, perhaps for a player like running back Matt Forte, Mike Klis of 9News says he can’t see John Fox and Adam Gase wanting to do a deal that would help the Broncos win a Super Bowl. Fox and Gase, of course, are in their first year with the Bears, having left Denver last offseason.
- According to NFL executive Eric Grubman, the league as a whole is negotiating with the St. Louis task force about its stadium plan for the Rams, as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch details. Grubman on the NFL’s response to the task force’s term sheet: “We have some questions about the term sheet which we hope to get answered over the course of the next couple of days or week, and I think probably next week and the weeks after, we’ll be in discussions with the task force.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Workout Notes: Giants, Dolphins, Chiefs
The Giants are working out a handful of kickers today, including Kyle Brindza, Zach Hocker, Corey Acosta, and Tom Obarski, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Josh Brown has been a little inconsistent on kickoffs, putting one out of bounds on Sunday, but it’s hard to imagine the team making a change, considering he’s perfect on field goals and has missed just one extra point. As Jordan Raanan of NJ.com tweets, the Giants are likely just kicking the tires on free agents.
Let’s round up a few more workout updates from around the NFL…
- Defensive linemen Jerel Worthy, Derrick Lott, Glenn Foster, and Davon Coleman worked out for the Dolphins today, says Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). Worthy and Foster are the most notable names of the group, having each logged a full season’s worth of regular season contests with the Packers and Saints, respectively.
- Lott was also among the players who tried out recently for the Chiefs, per Wilson (Twitter links). Running back Gus Johnson, defensive end Lawrence Okoye, and linebacker Alex Singleton also got a look from Kansas City.
- According to Wilson (via Twitter), before signing wideout Corey Washington to the practice squad, Washington also worked out receiver Marcus Lucas and tight end Connor Hamlett.
- Offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk, who spent time in the summer on the Niners’ roster, auditioned for the Buccaneers today, tweets Wilson.
- Former USC outside linebacker J.R. Tavai had a tryout with the Packers today, according to Wilson (via Twitter). Tavai signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent in May, but was cut by the team prior to the regular season.
- The Cardinals auditioned cornerback Keith Lewis, who was cut by the Jets back in August, tweets Wilson.
- On the heels of Jason Myers missing his third PAT of the season, Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley noted that Myers’ kickoffs were also a little short, and mentioned the possibility of bringing in kickers for workouts, per Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com. According to Bradley, GM Dave Caldwell will make that call.
NFC West Notes: Kaepernick, Hyde, Cardinals
A quick look around the NFC West:
- Colin Kaepernick isn’t the long-term answer at quarterback for the 49ers, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (video link), and Miller believes his replacement could come by way of a top five pick in the 2016 draft. Miller lists California’s Jared Goff, Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg and Memphis’ Paxton Lynch as prospects who could be San Francisco’s first-round pick and next starting signal caller.
- 49ers running back Carlos Hyde has been playing with a foot injury – “something like” a stress fracture, he says – and has averaged just 3.0 yards per carry over the last two games. Given that the 49ers are 2-5, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle wonders if it’s in their best interest to rest Hyde until he’s fully healthy. Dr. Ken Jung – a Los Angeles-based ankle and foot surgeon – told Branch that Hyde’s injury will likely bother him for the rest of the season. “By taking a week or two off — or even just resting during the week — it allows the bone to heal itself or catch up. But once the stress or the activity level goes beyond what the bone can tolerate it tends to stay in a vicious cycle,” Jung said.
- Seattle got back into the win column with its 20-3 victory over the 49ers on Thursday and improved to 3-4, drawing closer to the NFC West-leading Cardinals (4-2). Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic contends that the Cardinals need to find their identity – which they lost in last week’s 25-13 defeat in Pittsburgh, the writer thinks – and respond to the Seahawks with a statement win over the Ravens on Monday.
NFC Links: Kaepernick, Cardinals, JPP
Some assorted notes from around the NFC…
- Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman could envision the Eagles trading for embattled quarterback Colin Kaepernick following the season (via Twitter). The 49ers signal-caller has previously shown the skills that Chip Kelly covets, and Freeman believes (via Twitter) the coach is convinced that he can fix any quarterback.
- Furthermore, Freeman tweets that scouts are attributing the 49ers offensive issues on the offensive line and coaching staff, not the quarterback.
- It could be in the 49ers best interest in bench Kaepernick, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. The quarterback’s contract calls for more than $31MM in guaranteed money for injury, meaning the organization would be in quite the financial hole if Kaepernick were to go down.
- Over the past few years, the Cardinals have added some big names during the first weeks of free agency. However, Kent Somers of AZCentral.com says the team should be commended for the under-the-radar moves that have often come later in the summer. Jermaine Gresham and Chris Johnson were among the Cardinals’ later additions this past summer, with Karlos Dansby, John Abraham and Tommy Kelly being previous examples.
- Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter) has serious doubts as to whether Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul will return this season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/22/15
Here are Thursday’s practice squad signings and cuts from across the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Robert Hughes (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)
- Cut: RB Mike Gillislee
New England Patriots
- Cut: OT Brennan Williams (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)