NFC Notes: Cobb, Griffen, Orakpo, Coaches
Randall Cobb started the 2014 season a little slow, and he admits that his frame of mind may have played a role in his lackluster production during the first three games. “The mental side of things is very important,” Cobb told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “I think I was pressing a little bit too much early on this season, trying to do too much instead of just being myself and doing what I do. Just relaxing and playing ball.” Cobb, playing under the final year of his rookie deal with the Packers, also allowed that his contact situation played into his slow start. “I mean, it definitely had something to do with it,” Cobb said when asked about his contract status. “But I think I found peace mentally, and that’s the biggest thing, having that peace and being able to not worry about those things.” I profiled the 24-year-old Cobb as a extension candidate a few weeks ago, and projected that he could receive a contract in line with Golden Tate‘s, five-year, $31MM deal. Here’s more from the NFC.
- Many NFL observers panned the Vikings’ decision to re-sign defensive end Everson Griffen to a five-year contract worth $42.5MM, but as Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune writes, the 2007 fourth-round pick has been worth the money so far. Griffen has already registered seven sacks, and Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) say that he’s an excellent run defender.
- In a piece for the Sporting News, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap writes that Washington linebacker Brian Orakpo is the latest victim of the evolution of franchise tag use. Per Fitzgerald, clubs simply use the tag as a way to keep players to whom they don’t want to commit. When a player gets injured during his franchise tag season, as Orakpo did, the player is forced to sign a bargain basement deal the next offseason, à la Henry Melton and Anthony Spencer.
- Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell are among the top head coaching candidates in the league, according to Greg Gabriel of the National Football Post.
Practice Squad Updates: Friday
We’ll keep track of Friday’s practice squad signings and cuts right here, with the most recent moves added to the top. Here’s the latest:
- The Patriots have filled the two openings on their practice squad, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed linebacker Ja’Gared Davis and wide receiver Jonathan Krause.
Earlier updates:
- The Cardinals have signed return specialist Solomon Patton, according to agent Hadley Engelhard (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times on Twitter). The former Florida Gator signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent, but he was waived by the team earlier this week.
NFC Notes: Cards, Cowboys, Hardy, Eagles
While the 6-1 Cowboys and 5-1 Eagles are vying for the best record in the NFC, it’s the 5-2 Packers who currently have the best Super Bowl odds, according to betting site Bovada.lv. Bovada lists Green Bay as 8/1 to win this year’s championship, while the Cowboys have 9/1 odds and the Eagles are down at 16/1, behind the Seahawks (9/1) and 49ers (12/1). As we look forward to seeing how those NFC frontrunners fare this weekend, let’s check in on the latest updates from around the conference….
- The Cardinals would like to extend Carson Palmer‘s deal before season’s end, but he isn’t the only player on the roster whose contract situation the team could address. As Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic details, GM Steve Keim said during his weekly appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7 that there are several other extension candidates on expiring contracts. Although Keim didn’t name those players, Somers identifies a few possibilities, examining the likelihood of new deals for each of them.
- Meanwhile, the Cowboys also have several players who deserve contract extensions, but Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News argues that the team should wait until after the season to open serious negotiations. When so many key contributors are playing for contracts, extending one or two of them and sending the message that certain players are more valuable than others could upset the balance in Dallas, says George.
- Greg Hardy remains on the commissioner’s exempt list for the Panthers, but his attorney is preparing for the defensive end’s trial to get underway on November 17, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
- Marcus Smith has shuffled back and forth between outside and inside linebacker for the Eagles so far, and the first-round pick’s future role with the team remains cloudy, according to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com.
Cardinals, Palmer Discussing Extension
The Cardinals have opened contract negotiations with quarterback Carson Palmer‘s agent, David Dunn, and hope to reach agreement before the end of the season, according to Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic. Palmer, for all intents and purposes, is scheduled for free agency at the conclusion of this season.
“I won’t get into specific points of the negotiations but we’ve had some dialogue with Dave Dunn,” General Manager Steve Keim said. “He (Palmer) has done a great job for us.”
Palmer, 35 in December, has already missed three games this season thanks to a nerve injury in his right shoulder. However, he played last week against the Redskins and the Cards are confident the injury won’t affect Palmer long-term. In total, Arizona is 14-7 with coach Bruce Arians on the sidelines and Palmer under center.
Backup Drew Stanton is under contract through 2015 and rookie Logan Thomas, who got his opportunity to start earlier this year, has a four-year deal. Still, it sounds like the Cardinals are intent on sticking with Palmer in 2015 and possibly beyond.
Palmer is making $9MM this season and even with a dearth of quality quarterbacks out there, it would be a surprise to see a significant pay bump in average annual salary. And, at 35 with some health troubles, the veteran doesn’t seem likely to get a substantial guarantee beyond 2015.
Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday
While we track today’s transactions relating to teams’ 53-man rosters in a separate post, we’ll use this space to keep tabs on the day’s practice squad signings and cuts. Here’s the latest:
- The Redskins signed wide receiver Rashad Ross to the practice squad, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. Washington liked Ross this summer and they scooped him up after he was discarded by the Bears.
- A day after being waived by the Bears, linebacker Terrell Manning has rejoined the team’s practice squad, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
- The Redskins have parted ways with practice squad wideout Marvin McNutt, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times.
- As the Giants weight their options at receiver on the 53-man roster, they’ve made a change to the wideouts on their practice squad — Jordan Raanan of NJ.com tweets that Chris Harper has replaced Travis Harvey.
- Wide receiver Patrick Edwards is the newest addition to the Lions‘ practice squad, replacing defensive tackle Derrick Hopkins, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- Linebacker Kaelin Burnett and cornerback Ross Weaver have found a new home, joining the Cardinals‘ practice squad, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link). The team had one opening on its squad, so linebacker Jonathan Brown has been released to make room for the second incoming player.
- The Dolphins have parted ways with wideout Marcus Thigpen, replacing him on their practice squad with defensive back Rod Sweeting, tweets Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- The Jaguars have signed tight end Michael Flacco, the brother of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union notes (via Twitter) that Flacco replaces tight end Marcel Jensen, who was put on the practice squad IR list.
- Wide receiver Lee Doss has been cut from the Browns‘ practice squad, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
Practice Squad Notes: Wednesday
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here..
- The Patriots announced that they re-signed offensive lineman Caylin Hauptmann to the practice squad while releasing fellow lineman Chris Martin. The 23-year-old Hauptmann was let go just last week.
- With their top quarterbacks healthy once again, the Cardinals released QB Dennis Dixon from the taxi squad, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.
- The Buccaneers are releasing running back Jeff Demps from their practice squad, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The former Olympic sprinter is still looking to find his place in the NFL after spending time in Tampa Bay and New England. The Bucs acquired Demps from the Pats in April of last year along with a seventh-round pick in exchange for LeGarrette Blount.
Extra Points: Cardinals, Cowboys, Dolphins
Let’s look at a few assorted notes from around the league to close out this Saturday evening:
- Cardinals general manager Steve Keim has made an astounding 178 roster moves already this season, and he’s finding it more difficult to find talented street free agents. “If you’re going to sign stop-gap veterans, you sign guys that have had success,” Keim told Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic. “You want the guys that have a little gas left in the tank and want to play pissed off. You focus on the guys with enough pride and something to prove. But there does come a time when you look at the waiver wire, you look on the street and there’s not much left. The laws of supply and demand tells you at certain positions, there are no bodies. That’s when it becomes extremely difficult.” The entire piece is full of interesting quotes from Keim about the nature of roster-building, and is worth a full read.
- The Cowboys’ defense has been surprisingly competent so far this season, but as Adam Schefter of ESPN writes, the unit could be fielding several star players in the secondary had the 2011 draft gone differently. Instead of selecting current Seahawks Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman in the fourth and fifth round, respectively, Dallas took Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, a Division-II player now out out the league, and Josh Thomas. I would note that every team, including Seattle, passed on Chancellor and Sherman several times in that draft, so it’s not as though the Cowboys made a larger mistake than any other club.
- Within the same piece, Schefter looks at the now-infamous first-round quarterback selections in the ’11 draft, when Jake Locker was taken before Tyron Smith and J.J. Watt. Additionally, Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder were selected before stars such as Robert Quinn, Mike Pouncey, and Ryan Kerrigan.
- The 2015 salary cap is expected to be around $145MM, and the Dolphins already have $144MM on next year’s books, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Several Miami veterans, such as Cortland Finnegan, Randy Starks, and Earl Mitchell have contracts that the Dolphins could easily terminate during the offseason, so these players are essentially playing for their jobs.
Extra Points: Vikings, Brady, Fitzpatrick, Cowboys
Let’s check out some assorted whispers from around the league on this Saturday afternoon…
- The Vikings invested another $518K into stadium renovations on Friday, adding an eighth elevator and concession stands. However, they didn’t add bird-safe glass, much to the dismay of some pundits (via Rochelle Olson of the Star Tribune).
- Should the relationship between Tom Brady and the Patriots sour to the point that the quarterback will look to play elsewhere, Dan Bickley of AZCentral.com suggests the Cardinals as a fit.
- Even with the Texans having lost three of their last four contests, the quarterback job still belongs to Ryan Fitzpatrick, writes Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.
- Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News looks back at the Cowboys trade of Herschel Walker, remarking that nobody thought Jerry Jones knew what he was doing following the transaction.
West Notes: Raiders, L.A., Chargers, Cards
As rumors swirl about the NFL’s goal of moving not just one but two franchises to Los Angeles in the near future, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report hears that the Raiders – and owner Mark Davis – are open to relocating to the NFC if it means getting a new stadium in L.A. Assuming the league gets its wish and relocates two teams to Los Angeles, the Raiders and Chargers appear to be the two most likely candidates, and having two L.A. teams in the same division wouldn’t be ideal, as Cole explains. We’re still a long ways off from this scenario becoming a reality, but the fact that such a possibility is even being considered suggests that it’s not just a pipe dream.
Let’s round up a few more Wednesday items from around the NFL’s two West divisions….
- According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), if a team were to move to Los Angeles, possibilities for a temporary home (until a new stadium is built) include Dodger Stadium, the Coliseum, and the Rose Bowl.
- As they deal with a lack of depth at the linebacker position, the Raiders brought in several veterans for a look, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Tim Dobbins, Jamar Chaney, and Steve Beauharnais all worked out for Oakland, though Beauharnais has since signed with Washington’s practice squad.
- The Chargers, who lost Danny Woodhead for the year and have also seen Ryan Mathews and Donald Brown suffer injuries, worked out running backs Cierre Wood and Brennan Clay this week, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
- A pair of free agent defensive backs, Robert Steeples and Ross Weaver, auditioned for the Cardinals, tweets Wilson.
- Head coach Pete Carroll indicated today that the Seahawks may make a move to add some depth at center, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
Cardinals Sign Drew Butler; Zastudil To IR
The Cardinals have finalized a series of roster moves today, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter). In addition to signings linebacker Marcus Benard and placing linebacker Matt Shaughnessy on injured reserve with the designation to return, moves which were reported yesterday, the club also signed punter Drew Butler to the 53-man roster, placed punter Dave Zastudil on IR, and signed quarterback Dennis Dixon to the practice squad.
Zastudil, who was hampered by health issues earlier in the season, re-injured his groin during Sunday’s game in Denver, prompting the team to turn to Butler instead. Zastudil will spend the rest of season on the injured reserve list, assuming the Cards don’t release him with an injury settlement at any point.
As for Dixon, his spot on the practice squad is worth noting. With both Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton ailing, head coach Bruce Arians suggested yesterday that if his club were to add a quarterback, it would be one who knows his system. Dixon was a Steeler for several seasons back when Arians was running Pittsburgh’s offense, so the 29-year-old signal-caller fits that bill. If one or both of Palmer and Stanton can’t go this weekend, Dixon would likely be promoted to the active roster.
Butler had previously been on Arizona’s practice squad, so no one had to be cut to make room for Dixon.