Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday
As usual, plenty of practice squad players are on the move again this week, being signed, cut, or promoted as teams prepare for Week 11 games. Here are Wednesday’s latest practice squad additions and subtractions:
- Per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Twitter), linebacker D.J. Smith has joined the Browns‘ practice squad, replacing fellow linebacker Allen Bradford, who was signed by the Seahawks’ active roster today.
- A day after being cut by the Jaguars, cornerback Peyton Thompson has cleared waivers and re-signed with the team’s practice squad, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
- The Ravens have replaced tight end Phillip Supernaw, who signed with the Chiefs earlier this week, with tight end Konrad Reuland, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- The Seahawks have added fullback Stanley Havili to their practice squad, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
- After promoting linebacker Max Bullough to their active roster, the Texans got their practice squad back up to the maximum 10 players by signing former Central Florida tackle Chris Martin, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- The Buccaneers have filled the two openings on their practice squad by signing linebacker Jeremy Grable and offensive lineman Jeremiah Warren, both of whom have previously been with the team, tweets Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com.
- Another club with two openings on its taxi squad has also filled them — the Bears announced today (via Twitter) that wide receiver B.J. Cunningham and guard Antoine McClain have signed with the team.
- The Cardinals have swapped out an offensive player for a defender, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com, who tweets that the team has signed cornerback Darren Woodard to its practice squad to replace running back Zach Bauman.
- After seeing tight end Rashaun Allen signed off their practice squad by the Seahawks, the Vikings have filled the newly-created vacancy by re-adding tight end Ryan Otten, per Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Cardinals Sign Lindley, Put Palmer On IR
Carson Palmer‘s 2014 season officially ended today, as the Cardinals announced they’ve placed their starting quarterback on injured reserve after he suffered an ACL injury on Sunday. To replace Palmer on the roster, the team has signed quarterback Ryan Lindley off the Chargers’ practice squad (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com).
Lindley, 26, was originally drafted by the Cardinals in the sixth round in 2012. He spent two seasons with the club, either on the active roster or practice squad, and saw his only regular-season NFL action in ’12 with Arizona, completing 89 of 171 passes (52.0%) for 752 yards, no touchdowns, and seven interceptions. The Cards cut Lindley in August of this year, at which point he caught on with the Chargers’ taxi squad.
For the 2014 Cardinals, Lindley figures to only be an emergency precaution. Drew Stanton, Palmer’s backup, will take the reins as the starter, and rookie Logan Thomas is also on the 53-man roster. If Stanton were to go down with an injury of his own, perhaps Lindley, the relative veteran, would get the first chance to play, since the team may not feel Thomas is ready yet.
Extra Points: Sanchez, Palmer, Cofield, 49ers
As the Eagles and new starting quarterback Mark Sanchez continue to dominate Cam Newton and the Panthers, let’s look at some notes from around the NFL…
- The NFL is considering pushing back the window for franchises to apply for relocation, reports Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). The current period begins on January 1, but the league may want to move it back to February 2 (the day after the Super Bowl) so that news of potential relocations doesn’t overshadow the playoffs. If the Raiders or Rams want to to move to Los Angeles, the process will likely be delayed until the postseason is complete.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines what Sanchez’s half-season tenure as the Eagles’ QB will mean for his future earnings, noting that the ex-Jet is capable of producing similar statistics to Andy Dalton, who earns $16MM annually. Additionally, Fitzgerald looks at Sanchez’s potential effect on Nick Foles‘ future, Jeremy Maclin‘s free agency prospects, and Rex Ryan, John Idzik, and Chip Kelly’s reputations.
- In a separate piece, Fitzgerald breaks down Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer‘s three-year, $50MM extension, explaining that after 2015, the contract enables Arizona to decide yearly if they want to retain Palmer. Though he’s posted better numbers than either Jay Cutler or Alex Smith, Palmer’s two-year cash value is lower than either of those QBs, but Fitzgerald attributes that fact to Palmer’s age.
- Washington defensive tackle Barry Cofield will be activated from IR-DTR this week, tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Therefore, the club will need to make a roster move by Wednesday in order to clear a space.
- We learned earlier today that the Santa Clara County DA’s office won’t file domestic violence charges against 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald, and as expected, the NFL doesn’t believe it has a basis to punish McDonald, either, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).
West Notes: Cards, Chiefs, Seahawks, 49ers
Carson Palmer is expected to miss the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL on Sunday, and while the Cardinals wait for the official word on his injury, the club is assessing its options at quarterback. Drew Stanton will be handed the starting reins, but Arizona will likely want to add some depth behind him, and the team could look to bring in Dennis Dixon, who spent one week on the Cardinals’ practice squad before being cut in mid-October, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Dixon, a Steelers fifth-round draft choice in 2008, has also spent time with the Ravens and Eagles. Currently, the only quarterback on the roster other than Stanton is 2014 fourth-rounder Logan Thomas. Here’s more from the West divisions.
- The Chiefs will probably need to make a few roster moves this week to shore up their offense after a pair of players suffered long-term injuries on Sunday, tweets Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. Third-string running back Cyrus Gray tore his ACL, while reserve tight end Demetrius Harris broke his foot, so Kansas City will likely bring in a couple replacements before next week’s game against the Seahawks.
- The Seahawks’ defense was dealt a blow on Sunday, as head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, that defensive tackle Brandon Mebane will “be out for awhile” after pulling his hamstring. Carroll noted the the club will try to get by with players already on the roster, so Tony McDaniel, Kevin Williams, and Jordan Hill could see more playing time.
- NaVorro Bowman has been on the physically unable to perform list for the duration of the season, and the rules of said list state that if he doesn’t begin practicing the day after the Week 11 games, he’ll be ineligible for the rest of 2014. 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh told reports, including Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, that Bowman would return to practice as soon as this week; if so, the club will have a three-week window during which it can activate the 26-year-old linebacker.
- As the only winless team in the league, the Raiders have a lot of work to do in order to turn their franchise around. Matt Williamson of ESPN.com offers a blueprint for Oakland to reverse its fortunes, which includes re-signing defensive tackle Pat Sims and offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski and adding a big-name receiver via free agency.
Cardinals Sign Carson Palmer To Extension
MONDAY, 6:17pm: Albert Breer of NFL.com passes along the details on Palmer’s extension (Twitter link). The veteran QB is due a $1MM base salary and a $9.5MM roster bonus in February 2015, both of which are believed to be guaranteed. In February of the following year, Palmer is due a $6.35MM base and a $6.35MM roster bonus, and in February 2017, he’s set to earn a $8.15MM base and a $8.15MM roster bonus. None of the ’16 or ’17 cash is believed to be guaranteed.
FRIDAY, 4:50pm: According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Palmer’s deal includes aobut $20.5MM in guaranteed money through 2015, with no guarantees for 2016 and 2017. I imagine some guaranteed bonus money will be prorated through those last two years of the contract, but it sounds as if the base salary is only guaranteed for ’15.
4:25pm: The Cardinals have officially announced Palmer’s new three-year extension (Twitter link via VP of media relations Mark Dalton). The new deal is guaranteed through the 2015 season, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
3:48pm: Palmer has agreed to a three-year deal that’s worth $50MM in total, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). We’ll have to wait for the full details to find out whether that’s the base value of the contract or whether it can be worth up to $50MM. The guaranteed portion of the deal has also yet to be reported.
3:30pm: The Cardinals are on the verge of finalizing a contract extension with quarterback Carson Palmer, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the deal figures to be for three years, and could be done within the next few hours. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk first suggested earlier this afternoon that signs were pointing to the two sides working something out in the very near future.
The two-year contract Palmer signed with Arizona when he was acquired from the Raiders in 2013 included a 2015 year. However, that year will automatically void, meaning the veteran signal-caller would have been in line for unrestricted free agency this offseason had the Cards not worked out a new agreement with him.
Palmer will turn 35 next month, and missed some time with a nerve injury earlier this season, but has amassed a 99.3 quarterback rating in five games, throwing 11 touchdown passes to just two interceptions — Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rates him as a solid but unspectacular passer, akin to Alex Smith and Andy Dalton. The naked eye test supports the PFF assessment, but as of right now, Arizona does not need Palmer to be an All-Pro. The Cardinals simply need continued stability and consistency, which, combined with their excellent defense, have created a surprising championship contender.
Of course, Palmer is only a year removed from a season in which he racked up 22 interceptions, but he still represents the team’s more stable option, at least for the next couple seasons. Drew Stanton won two of his three starts for the Cards earlier this season in Palmer’s absence, but he didn’t show in those games that he’d be capable of assuming the full-time starting role in 2015. The club is also carrying rookie Logan Thomas, but the fourth-rounder remains a work in progress who has completed just one of his eight career NFL pass attempts to date.
Last month, PFR’s Zach Links passed along word, via Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic, that Palmer and the Cardinals were discussing a potential multiyear contract, and PFR’s Rory Parks examined the former Bengal and Raider as an extension candidate this past weekend. In both cases, we suggested that Palmer is unlikely to score a significant raise on his current $9MM base salary, though with the salary cap receiving a nice bump this year and next, I expect at least a modest hike in Palmer’s pay. If the new deal is for three years, as Rapoport suggests, a base value approaching $40MM seems within reason.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
Carson Palmer Tears ACL, Out For Year
MONDAY, 1:24pm: Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians confirmed today that Palmer did indeed tear his ACL, and isn’t expected back until next summer, tweets Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. There’s no additional damage, but Palmer likely won’t have surgery for a couple weeks, as he waits for the swelling to subside, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. The veteran signal-caller figures to land on IR this week.
SUNDAY, 6:53pm: Just two days after finalizing a lucrative three-year contract extension with the team, Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer left today’s game on a cart with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. According to Albert Breer and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), the club fears that Palmer suffered a torn ACL, which would end his season. The veteran signal-caller will undergo tests to confirm the diagnosis.
The timing of the injury is especially unfortunate for the Cardinals, who reportedly committed about $20MM in guaranteed money to Palmer this week, and have Super Bowl aspirations this season. In today’s game against the Rams, backup quarterback Drew Stanton and the Arizona defense combined for three fourth quarter touchdowns to seal a 31-14 victory, but if Stanton is forced to assume the starting job for the rest of the season, it figures to adversely affect the team’s chances of making a deep playoff run.
Palmer, who will turn 35 next month, had posted a 99.3 quarterback rating in five games entering today, throwing 11 touchdown passes to just two interceptions. He’d also won all five contests he’d started this year, helping to lead the Cardinals to a league-best 7-1 record, a mark they improved to 8-1 today.
For the former first overall pick, this injury appears reminiscent of one he suffered back in January 2006, during his first playoff game with the Bengals. That 2006 injury, which included an ACL tear among other ligament, cartilage, and knee damage, was viewed as potentially career-ending at the time. However, even though Palmer suffered today’s injury to that same left knee, it would be a new tear, since his previous graft will have healed during the last eight years, tweets Dr. David J. Chao.
We’ll know more details on the severity of the injury and the recovery timetable when tests are completed and the Cardinals make an announcement.
NFC Notes: Peterson, 49ers, Palmer, Cox
The Vikings front office has become very sensitive about bringing back running back Adrian Peterson following his prolonged legal saga, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who adds that there are “no guarantees” the club would welcome him back if he’s reinstated by the NFL. Citing multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, La Canfora writes that the Vikings harbor “serious concerns” about Peterson’s physical and mental state — while the running back accepted a no-contest plea, the team isn’t sure he recognized the seriousness of the charges he was facing. La Canfora also hears from sources that Peterson isn’t currently in game shape.
As we wait to see what the NFL and the Vikings decide to do with the former All-Pro running back, let’s check in on several other items from around the league….
- The Vikings should cut Peterson and let another team deal with the circus surrounding his return, argues Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- 49ers nose tackle Ian Williams suffered what head coach Jim Harbaugh called a “small fracture” in his left leg today, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle details. The team’s regular nose tackle, Glenn Dorsey, is on track to return soon from off the injured reserve list, but if he’s not quite ready yet, Quinton Dial figures to get the start next week.
- According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Carson Palmer‘s new extension features $10MM in guaranteed signing and roster bonuses, as well as a $10.5MM salary for 2015 that’s guaranteed for injury. So even though he may have torn his ACL today, the Cardinals quarterback has secured $20.5MM in guarantees over the course of this year and next year.
- Giants running back Michael Cox was in a wheelchair with what appeared to be a serious leg injury following the team’s loss in Seattle today, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com, who tweets that the club is likely to add a replacement running back this week. The Giants confirmed tonight that Cox fractured the lower part of his left leg, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
- Lions offensive lineman Larry Warford doesn’t have an ACL injury, a source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Warford will undergo further tests to determine the severity of his knee injury.
- Jeremy Maclin bet big on himself when he turned down a multiyear contract offer from the Eagles in the offseason to sign a one-year deal, and that decision is paying off, writes Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
West Notes: LA, Aldon Smith, Chiefs, Cards
We learned late last night that Inglewood, California mayor James Butts had announced that he would meet with Rams owner Stan Kroenke, whose 60-acre patch of land in Inglewood (which is within Los Angeles county) has been rumored as a potential site for an NFL stadium. Butts declined to confirm if the Kroenke meeting has taken place, but sources tell Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com that Butts has spoken with executives from both the Rams and the Raiders. This news jives with a La Canfora report from last month which indicated that a team could be playing in Los Angeles as early as next season. Any club looking to relocate to southern California would need to declare its intention to move by mid-February, per La Canfora. Here’s more from the NFL’s two West divisions.
- 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith‘s suspension wasn’t reduced today after he failed to complete the counseling requirements attached to the ban, but the dynamic pass-rusher is facing even more bad news. Because of the multitude of salary and bonus forfeitures that go along with a suspension, Smith will effectively pay San Francisco to play in 2014, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Smith will earn just 8/17 of his $1.099MM base salary, which amounts to $525K. He also forfeits $1.18MM in bonus money, meaning that he owes the 49ers $661K.
- The Chiefs believe they have satisfied the requirements to bid on a Super Bowl, owner Clark Hunt tells Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Kansas City has agreed to give up one home game to play in London at some point in the near future, a stipulation for Super Bowl hosting hopefuls that NFL owners recently agreed to.
- In his latest mailbag at ESPN.com, Josh Weinfuss sees a possibility that the Cardinals could add a power back, such as Ryan Mathews or Mark Ingram, during the offseason to pair with Andre Ellington. If backup Marion Grice impresses over the second half of the season, however, he could fill that role in 2015.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
NFC Links: Avant, Palmer, Brooks
Panthers wide receiver Jason Avant is looking forward to returning to Philadelphia this weekend, but the veteran is also looking back on his time with the Eagles. The 30-year-old was asked about his departure from Philly, and the wideout understood that he was on the outside looking in. Via the Philly Mag’s Tim McManus…
“You have an emerging [Jeremy] Maclin, you have a receiver draft that is high on talent that year and then you just paid Riley Cooper, so you kind of put the pieces together. Me and DeSean or me and Mac, we knew two of us would be gone,” he said. “We didn’t know which one it would be but you kind of [understand] situations over the years.
“I saw my role and what they had me doing and it just didn’t make sense for them financially to keep me to do some of the things I was doing. That’s no slight at Chip [Kelly] or anyone, it’s just a good business decision. Man, if I was in the business decision I would have looked at it and said: Look, to catch bubbles and to block, we can get a rookie to do that for a lesser price. That’s just a smart move by Howie Roseman and Chip.”
“Every player wants to play in one city for their whole career, but I understood the business side of it,” he said. “I love the organization, I love [Kelly and Roseman], I don’t have any hard feelings. I’ll be giving [Kelly] a big hug when I see him. I respect him and I respect what he is doing. They’re having a great season so far and I am really, really excited for a lot of the guys there, and I still talk to a lot of people. I’m happy they’re doing well — I just hope they don’t do well this week. That’s it.”
Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC…
- The Packers will evaluate the availability of guards Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang today, and they could decide to activate lineman Josh Walker from the practice squad, writes Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel.
- The Cardinals made the correct move in signing Carson Palmer, says ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss. The 34-year-old’s performance since returning in mid-October has proven to the writer that the veteran was deserving of a three-year extension.
- 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh would not comment on rumors that the team was shopping linebacker Ahmad Brooks. “No, no, I don’t have any comment on that,” Harbaugh said (via ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez). “As always, no comment on those things. It would be second-hand, and I don’t have the specific knowledge.”
NFC West Notes: Palmer, Fitzgerald, Brooks
The biggest news story of today came out of the NFC West, as the Cardinals and quarterback Carson Palmer agreed to a three-year extension worth $50MM, with about $20.5MM in guarantees. Let’s look at some reaction the Palmer deal, as well as some other notes from the division:
- If the new money figure of $20.5MM is correct, Palmer will receive about $3MM less in new money that did Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith under his recent extension, writes Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, who says the three-year value of Palmer’s pact will be similar to that of Bengals QB Andy Dalton‘s contract. Fitzgerald opines that the extension makes sense for both sides, and expects that the Cardinals’ next move will be to lower Larry Fitzgerald‘s exorbitant 2015 cap hit.
- Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com also lauds Palmer’s extension, writing that the 35-year-old is the perfect fit for Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians’ vertical offense. Palmer, Weinfuss argues, can handle quarterbacking duties for at least two more seasons, at which point the club can determine if Logan Thomas, a 2014 fourth-rounder, is ready to take over.
- Regarding Sunday’s report that the 49ers shopped Ahmad Brooks in advance of the trade deadline, San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh declined comment, only telling reporters, including those at CSNBayArea.com, that he didn’t have any “specific knowledge” of such trade discussions.
- Harbaugh did tell Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com that in the event Dan Skuta can’t play Sunday due to his sprained ankle, the 49ers will likely promote second-year LB Chase Thomas from the practice squad. With Aldon Smith still on suspension, San Francisco has only Brooks, Aaron Lynch, and Corey Lemonier at OLB, so Thomas, who’s also spent time with the Saints, Raiders, Falcons, and Panthers during his short NFL career, could add some much-needed depth.