NFC Mailbags: Cardinals, Panthers, Giants
We took a look at ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier today, so now let’s see what the NFC writers have to say…
- Josh Weinfuss writes that the Cardinals need another player to contribute at defensive end, but he also notes that acquiring an upgrade at the position would be difficult.
- David Newton puts Greg Hardy‘s chances of returning to the Panthers after the season at 50-50, saying it will all come down to the jury trial.
- The Panthers will be looking to extend Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly this offseason, and David Newton “almost guarantees” that the team will restructure Charles Johnson‘s contract.
- Dan Graziano believes that the Giants have a two-year plan, with hopes that they’ll see offensive improvements by 2015. As a result, the writer thinks coach Tom Coughlin will be around for at least two more seasons.
Late Week Workouts: Patriots, Cardinals
The Patriots worked out four players on Friday, reports Mike Reiss and Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com.
They are likely only looking at these players as practice squad candidates, but the team has made a habit of bringing in these players each week.
The team worked out former Falcons’ receiver and special teamer Kevin Cone, former Buccaneers’ defensive end Steven Means, undrafted free agent running back Rajion Neal, and linebacker D.J. Smith. Smith, a former Packer, also spent time with the Texans and Panthers.
The Cardinals also brought in a semi-big name in the recently released offensive tackle Cameron Bradfield, according to Yates (via Twitter). Bradfield started the first two games of this season for the Jaguars, but struggled mightily to protect Chad Henne. The team gave up ten sacks to the Redskins’ defense this past Sunday.
None of these players were signed as of Friday evening.
West Notes: Cardinals, Dwyer, Raiders
Good news for the Seahawks as Marshawn Lynch and Kam Chancellor were each full participants in today’s practice after sitting out on Wednesday, writes Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. A healthy Beast Mode is always reason to smile, but on the flipside, defensive end Bruce Irvin was forced to sit out with a rib injury. Pete Carrolll & Co. have their fingers crossed for good health for Sunday when the take on the Broncos. Speaking of the AFC and NFC West colliding, here’s a look at news out of both divisions..
- Cardinals coach Bruce Arians didn’t mince words when discussing the status of running back Jonathan Dwyer, tweets Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. “Until he’s exonerated he will not be a member of this football team. If and when he is exonerated, I will gladly take him back,” Arians told reporters.
- Arians said that Chris Rainey was released because Cardinals star running back Andre Ellington is healthy and playing, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. With Ellington playing and averaging more than 5.0 yards per carry, Rainey was no longer needed.
- The Raiders released defensive end Shelby Harris earlier today but they’re not closing the door on him, as Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets. Head coach Dennis Allen told reporters that the organization likes Harris and says that he could be a practice squad candidate.
- Pressure is mounting on the 49ers to take action against Ray McDonald and earlier today, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was grilled by a CNN reporter, as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee writes.
Extra Points: Peterson, Hardy, Vick, Arians
The Vikings and Panthers put Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy on the exempt list, respectively, and some teams believe that it’s being misused, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “It was really put in place for players coming off suspension to get reacclimated,” one league source said. Some teams believe that the clause essentially allows the Vikings and Panthers to carry 54 players on their rosters. In Florio’s view, this usage of the clause could be the wave of the future if players continue to find themselves in legal trouble. Here’s more from around the NFL..
- If commissioner Roger Goodell wanted to suspend the Hardy and Peterson now under the personal conduct policy, it would have likely backfired without their legal cases resolved, writes Jarrett Bell of USA Today. Players have a right to a hearing and an appeal and the policy would have dictated that both of the players would have played this weekend had the NFL initiated action. While the usage of the exempt list might not be in the spirit of the rule, it was far preferable to the NFL since it puts both players on the sidelines immediately.
- You won’t find many supporters of commissioner Roger Goodell this week but Jets quarterback Michael Vick is one of them, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. “You have to give the man a chance, you have to him a chance, you have to give everybody a chance to get it right,” said Vick, went on to say that Goodell is “doing a great job.”
- Cardinals coach Bruce Arians knows how ugly the past few weeks have been in the NFL, but he believes that, ultimately, some good can come of it, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. “If this bad scar on the NFL right now makes the rest of the world aware of what’s going on, it’s damn good.”
Cardinals Sign Parmele; Dwyer To NFI List
1:55pm: Though they have the option not to, the Cardinals will pay Dwyer while he’s on the NFI list, according to Rapoport (via Twitter).
1:49pm: After deactivating him yesterday, the Cardinals have now removed Jonathan Dwyer from their 53-man roster, placing him on the reserve/non-football illness list, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Per Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link), the designation, which gives the team the option of not paying the running back, was made because there’s concern regarding Dwyer’s mental health. The police report of a domestic incident involving Dwyer and his family contains references to suicide, as Somers notes.
The Cardinals have replaced Dwyer on their roster with free agent running back Jalen Parmele, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The former Raven and Jaguar was with the Cardinals during the preseason, but was a casualty when the team cuts its roster down to 53 players for the regular season.
In a related move, the Cardinals have also made a change to their practice squad, signing former Colts running back Kerwynn Williams to replace running back Chris Rainey, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com observes (via Twitter), Rainey also has a history of domestic violence.
Cardinals Deactivate Jonathan Dwyer
Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer was arrested earlier tonight for involvement in a domestic dispute and the Cardinals wasted little time in taking action. The club announced that they have deactivated the 25-year-old.
“We became aware of these allegations this afternoon when notified by Phoenix police and are cooperating fully. Given the serious nature of the allegations we have taken the immediate step to deactivate Jonathan from all team activities. We will continue to closely monitor this as it develops and evaluate additional information as it becomes available,” the statement read, according to Craig Morgan of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
The early facts of the case, as you might imagine, are rather ugly. The Phoenix police department confirmed to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter links) that the charges stemmed from two incidents in July involving two victims – a 27-year-old female and an 18-month-old child. Police say Dwyer has admitted to the incidents taking place but has denied the physical assaults.
NFC West Notes: Harbaugh, Cards, Seahawks
Within his latest 10-Point Stance column for Bleacher Report, Mike Freeman includes an item on 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, writing that there’s “definitely a chill” between Harbaugh and a significant number of players on San Francisco’s roster. Freeman didn’t go so far as it say Harbaugh has lost the team or even that there’s a rift, but suggests that many players are somewhat worn out by Harbaugh’s approach.
“We listen to him, we respect him as a man, we all want to win. But he drives us crazy,” one player told Freeman. “Right now, we’re all on autopilot.”
Considering extension talks between Harbaugh and the Niners were postponed until after the season, the situation will be one worth watching, amidst increasing speculation that this will be the coach’s last year in San Francisco. Here’s more from out of the NFC West:
- With Carson Palmer‘s health steadily improving, the Cardinals aren’t currently exploring any outside options at quarterback, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
- Defensive ends Everette Brown, Israel Idonije, and Chidera Uzo-Diribe worked out for the Cardinals this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). While John Abraham is working his way back to the field, the team is likely exploring ways to bolster its pass rush.
- The Seahawks also auditioned a handful of players, according to Wilson, who tweets that tight ends Orson Charles and Weslye Saunders, as well as linebackers Todd Davis, Troy Davis, and Martez Wilson all worked out for the club.
- Former Bears cornerback Demontre Hurst tried out for the 49ers this week, tweets Wilson.
Extra Points: Jets, Bush, Idonije, Hill
The Jets‘ erratic play is sending mixed signals, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. Gang Green looked great in the first 20 minutes against the Packers and produced more than 400 yards of offense against the Raiders in their opener. However, they blew an 18-point lead against Green Bay and their mistakes allowed the Raiders to stay in the game for longer than they should have. Here’s more from around the league..
- There are a number of notable NFL free agents auditioning for clubs around the league, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The Redskins are working out running back Michael Bush, the Cardinals auditioned defensive end Israel Idonije, the Dolphins checked out Tom Crabtree, and the Lions are checking out linebacker Steve Beauharnais and cornerback Derek Cox.
- The Ravens are cautiously optimistic when it comes to safety Will Hill‘s status under the new proposed drug policy, writes Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. Hill is currently serving a six-game suspension for marijuana.
- The Texans brought in defensive tackle Fred Evans for a workout, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
- Presuming the drug policy is pushed over the goal line, the NFL’s goal is to begin hGH testing by the end of the month, a source tells Albert Breer of the NFL Network (on Twitter).
Minor Moves: Tuesday
We’ve devoted one Tuesday post to the practice squad shuffling being done by teams today, but many clubs around the league are also tweaking their 53-man rosters. We’ll round up a handful of those transactions right here, with new moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Cardinals have cut linebacker Marcus Benard, a source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Benard was added to the roster last week when John Abraham left the team, so Abraham will assume his old roster spot now that he’s returning to the club.
- The Cardinals have also signed outside linebacker Victor Butler and cut punter Drew Butler, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter).
- Linebacker Ricky Sapp has replaced fellow linebacker Jason Ankrah on the Texans‘ 53-man roster, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- In addition to the moves noted below, the Bears have also promoted defensive back Isaiah Frey to their active roster from their practice squad, and cut running back Shaun Draughn, as well as tight end Matthew Mulligan (Twitter link). The series of transactions leaves the club with 52 players on its roster.
- Former Vikings linebacker and special-teamer Larry Dean has signed with the Bills, the team announced today in a press release. To make room for Dean, Buffalo placed safety Jonathan Meeks on injured reserve with a neck injury.
- A week after placing tight end Tyler Eifert on IR with the designation to return, the Bengals have placed another tight end on injured reserve, and Alex Smith won’t be eligible to return the season (Twitter link). The team also announced that tight end Kevin Brock has been signed to take Smith’s roster spot.
- The Bears have promoted practice-squad wideout Rashad Ross to the 53-man roster, cutting receiver and returner Chris Williams to clear room, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
- Linebacker Dan Fox is set to be called up to the Giants‘ active roster from their practice squad, tweets Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News, suggesting that placing Jon Beason on injured reserve may end up being the corresponding move.
- The Colts announced in a press release that they’ve signed defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles off the Patriots‘ practice squad, waiving running back Dion Lewis to create roster space.
John Abraham To Return To Cardinals
Veteran linebacker John Abraham will return to the Cardinals this week, head coach Bruce Arians confirmed today, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Abraham suffered a concussion during the team’s Week 1 game against the Chargers, and had left the team for several days while he reportedly considered retirement.
While Abraham will report back to the team, it’s not clear whether he’ll participate in practices right away, or if he’ll suit up this coming Sunday. He’ll have to pass the league’s concussion protocol, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported last week that the 36-year-old was suffering from memory loss and had been for more than a year. Still, if he’s healthy and able to return to the field, Abraham should help improve a Cardinals pass rush that was a little lacking in his absence.
Because the Cardinals received a roster exemption during Abraham’s stint away from the team, and were able to place him on a reserve list, the team will have to remove someone from its 53-man roster in order to make him active again. I’d expect Arizona to announce that corresponding move later today.