NFC West Notes: Cards, Abraham, Bowie
On the heels of Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report observing (via Twitter) that some people in Cardinals camp believe Michael Floyd will be the team’s No. 1 receiver, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if Arizona is already “detaching” from Larry Fitzgerald. An offseason contract restructure means Fitzgerald will carry a $23.6MM in 2015, meaning the Cardinals may be forced to part ways with the veteran wideout — such a move may be a little easier for the club to swallow if Floyd is truly on the verge of becoming a top option.
Here’s more on the Cards and a couple of their division rivals:
- After being absent from training camp for nearly three weeks, veteran outside linebacker John Abraham reported to the Cardinals today, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Arizona GM Steve Keim declined to comment on Wednesday about the reason for Abraham’s absence, which has so far been undisclosed.
- Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable wasn’t overly pleased that the Browns – and multiple other teams – placed waiver claims on former Seattle lineman Michael Bowie when the ‘Hawks cut him with an injured designation earlier this month. Cable said on 710 ESPN Seattle on Wednesday (link via Brady Henderson of 710 ESPN Seattle) that it’s “kind of an unwritten rule” not to poach another team’s injured players when they pass through waivers. “Typically when you waive someone injured, they kind of get through and you’re going to get them back, fix them and move on,” Cable said. “Cleveland chose to take him, and whether you agree with it or not, I guess that’s business.”
- Colin Kaepernick‘s extension with the 49ers is one recent example of how teams continue to have all the long-term leverage in contract talks, with players continuing to cede control, writes former Packers executive Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com.
Cardinals Sign Desmond Bishop
10:42am: The Cardinals have officially announced the signing of Bishop, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com details.
10:05am: The Cardinals have reached an agreement to sign veteran linebacker Desmond Bishop, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). Terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but it will likely be a one-year, minimum salary pact with no guarantees for the former Packer and Viking.
Bishop, 30, spent the first six years of his NFL career in Green Bay, emerging as one of the team’s starting linebackers in 2010 and 2011. The former sixth-round pick racked up more than 100 tackles in each of those seasons, totaling eight sacks, 10 passes defended, and four forced fumbles in those two combined years. However, a ruptured hamstring cost him the 2012 season, paving the way for his departure to the Vikings. After appearing in four contests for Minnesota last season, Bishop suffered another season-ending injury, tearing his ACL.
Although that ACL injury occurred about 10 months ago, Bishop’s deal with the Cardinals seems to suggest the team believes he’s healthy enough to compete for a roster spot. Arizona is seeking linebacker depth after losing Karlos Dansby in free agency and losing Daryl Washington to a year-long suspension.
The Cardinals won’t have to waive anyone to make room for Bishop, since the team already had three openings on its roster.
Poll: Which Rookie QB Will Be Best In 2014?
ESPN’s Ron Jaworski made comments earlier this week that raised a few eyebrows, suggesting that he believed Cardinals signal-caller Logan Thomas has been the best rookie quarterback he’s seen so far this summer (link via Marc Sessler of NFL.com).
“When I plugged the tape in yesterday morning and I saw Logan Thomas, I was shocked,” Jaworski said on ESPN yesterday, referring to the Cards’ contest against Houston. “He was fantastic in this game. He’s big, strong and he can rip throws. … Of all the rookie quarterbacks that I’ve watched so far – yes, early in the preseason – Logan Thomas has been the best that I have seen.”
Even if Jaworski’s assessment of Thomas is spot-on, the sixth quarterback selected in this year’s draft may not have the opportunities for playing time that many of the guys selected ahead of him will have. Carson Palmer isn’t an elite QB, but for a Cardinals team expecting to compete for a postseason berth, he’s the more reliable option than the rookie at this point.
On the other hand, players like Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles, and Derek Carr will play for teams who combined for a total of 17 wins in 2013. While the Browns, Vikings, Jaguars, and Raiders may have aspirations of a playoff spot, it would be somewhat surprising if any of those clubs actually earned one.
As such, those situations are more ripe for a rookie quarterback to receive a more significant opportunity, to help him develop and learn his new team’s system in preparation for contention in a year or two. Perhaps a strong performance from one of those rookie signal-callers in 2014 could even help his club contribute immediately.
Still, for now, veterans like Brian Hoyer, Matt Cassel, Chad Henne, and Matt Schaub remain penciled in as starters, so there’s no guarantee that any one of those rookies makes a huge impact this season. What do you think? Which rookie do you expect to have the most productive 2014 campaign?
Extra Points: Cardinals, Smith, Kasa, 49ers
Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer is very excited about the addition of two backup wide receivers, writes Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic. Ted Ginn Jr., signed in free agency, and John Brown, drafted in the third round, have made Arizona faster. “It opens up everything,” Palmer said. “It opens up the running game. You don’t want to leave a guy one-on-one in press coverage against Ted; it’s a tough matchup for any corner. So it takes an extra guy out of the box in some situations. It helps the running game.” More from around the league..
- Some may be wondering how much Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith has left in the tank, but Andy Benoit of MMQB believes that he was the best offseason signing in the NFL. Smith, he argues, still has the speed, stop/start acceleration and body control to consistently beat man coverage. The 35-year-old is 19th all-time in NFL history in receiving yards (12,197) and 25th in receptions (836).
- Bad news for Raiders tight end Nick Kasa as the preliminary reports are indicating that he has torn his ACL, tweets Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. If that’s the case, he’ll be done for the year and a source told Bair that he is in fact done for 2014.
- Former University of South Florida linebacker Aaron Lynch could wind up being the surprise pick of the 49ers‘ draft, writes Kevin Lynch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Lynch had a number of red flags in the eyes of NFL scouts, but he has tremendous speed and is working hard to learn the position after playing defensive end in college.
- Packers GM Ted Thompson has been at this for a while, but he’s still critical of himself when he makes mistakes, writes Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel. “We got through that annually when we’re gearing up for a new draft with post-draft analysis. You look at that. You don’t beat yourself up too much. It’s not an exact science,” said the GM.
- William Powell‘s two-year deal with the Texans is a split contract worth $1.08MM with minimum base salaries and no guaranteed money, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Powell last appeared in the NFL with the Cardinals in 2012, rushing for 216 yards off of 59 carries.
- Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith is a big, big fan of quarterback Josh McCown. In fact, Lovie likes him so much that he’s tried to sign him three times over the years and was successful twice, tweets Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. He was rebuffed once because McCown refused to renege on his UFL commitment.
- Poor salary cap management and planning by the Lions front office has all but eliminated the possibility of signing Ndamukong Suh to a contract extension that makes sense for the team, writes Jason Fitzgerald for The Sporting News. The best option at this point, he says, is for the Lions to strongly consider trading Suh to the highest bidder before the preseason concludes.
Latest On Richie Incognito
The Seahawks may have checked in on free agent guard Richie Incognito, but they won’t be signing him, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports 1 (video link). The veteran guard is probably the best interior lineman still available on the open market, but the Jonathan Martin scandal is clearly standing between him and NFL employment. Garafolo added that the Raiders “at least have been keeping tabs” on him and that the Cardinals had “inquired about his availability,” but all indications are that he won’t land in Arizona. Meanwhile, the Seahawks appear poised to roll with J.R. Sweezy and James Carpenter as their starting guards.
Earlier this week, Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith was asked if the former Dolphins guard could be a consideration for his team’s shaky offensive line and Smith didn’t rule him out. Incognito recently told Josh Peter of USA Today that his agent had received “a few nibbles” from teams during the offseason, but clubs are ostensibly worried about bringing him into the locker room, the ensuing media attention, and the possibility that he won’t be a 16-game addition. If and when Incognito gets back to football, commissioner Roger Goodell may hit him with a multi-game suspension. After being blasted for his slap on the wrist to Ray Rice, Goodell may come down hard on Incognito.
Incognito has made 102 starts over the course of his career, spending time at both guard spots but lining up exclusively at left guard in recent seasons. Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required) has positively graded each of Incognito’s seasons since 2007. For most of his career, PFF’s statistics indicated that Incognito was a better run-blocker than pass-protector, but since 2012, those data points have flipped. Still, anyway you slice it, Incognito is unquestionably a top-30 guard. Our own Dallas Robinson recently checked in on the free agent stock of one of the league’s most vilified players.
West Notes: Cardinals, Iupati, Seahawks
Cardinals GM Steve Keim offered up extremely high praise for rookie wide receiver John Brown in a chat with Grantland’s Robert Mays. “I haven’t seen a rookie come in and do what he’s done — and it’s early still — since Anquan Boldin,” Keim told Mays on Monday. “This guy came through the first day, and being from Pittsburg State, has uncanny instincts, unbelievable understanding of route concepts, leverage, being in the right spot at the right time. On top of great ball skills, he has unusual speed and explosiveness.” Here’s more from the AFC and NFC West..
- A source tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com it’s unlikely the 49ers believe they can exceed the contracts of their tackles with any deal for a guard, even one as talented as Mike Iupati. Joe Staley’s new extension increased his average-per-year salary to $7.44MM. Anthony Davis signed an extension in 2013 that pays him an average of $6.52MM through the 2019 season. There are no indications the 49ers and Iupati are close to a contract extension at this time.
- Earlier today, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap finished up his best and worst contracts series with a look at the Seahawks. Seattle’s best contract, he writes, is the team’s agreement with center Max Unger. Unger’s contract, which was worth just under $25MM for four seasons, represented a 24% savings in annual value over Ryan Kalil’s contract with the Panthers. Meanwhile, the worst contract on the Seahawks’ books is for Percy Harvin, thanks to his limited track record of success and the lack of injury protection afforded in the deal.
- Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan has a left medial tibial impaction fracture and is expected to miss six to eight weeks, according to the team’s official Twitter account.
NFC Links: Saints, Bucs, Cardinals, Vikings, Packers
The Saints’ 2014 roster isn’t likely to match or exceed the total of eight undrafted free agents who earned spots on the roster or practice squad a year ago, but the team prides itself on finding hidden gems, as GM Mickey Loomis tells Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune.
“Our college scouting staff takes a lot of pride in finding guys that no one’s heard about, or small college guys, and finding a trait that each one has that transfers to the NFL,” Loomis said. “It’s also a great credit to our coaching staff being willing to look at player and not worry about how we acquired them but just go by what we see and going by what their potential is to fit within our scheme offensively and defensively. We’ve had a lot of success with undrafted free agents, and I think that’s going to continue.”
Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC…
- Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that the Buccaneers have real interest in 49ers guard Alex Boone if the price is right (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com). However, another source told Rapoport that there’s been no “real” conversations between the two sides.
- The Buccaneers could use some help on the offensive line, and coach Lovie Smith was asked if the team would consider Richie Incognito. “[A]ll players are looked at and [if] we think they could fit we bring them in,” he told the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud (via Twitter).
- Rookie wide receiver John Brown continues to make a “buzz” at Cardinals camp, tweets CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora. Considering the team’s depth at the position, La Canfora suggests that the team could carry six wideouts on their final roster.
- ESPN’s Ben Goessling tweets that Vikings tight end Chase Ford is getting close to a return and may not need to start the season on the PUP list.
- Packers running back Rajion Neal caught the eyes of coaches after he ran for 39 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown, on five carries in the team’s preseason opener. Unfortunately, the undrafted rookie suffered a knee injury in the third quarter, and he understands that he has to get healthy quickly if he hopes to make the squad. “I’ve got to play; there ain’t no way around it,” Neal told ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. “Being in the position I’m in, I can’t afford it.”
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
NFC Notes: Hester, Felton, Bailey, Cards
Longtime Bear Devin Hester would have liked to continue – and eventually end – his career in Chicago, but when he became a free agent earlier this year, the team didn’t have much interest in re-signing him, as he tells Patrick Finley of the Chicago Tribune.
“It’s not like I had a choice to sign with them again,” Hester said. “They didn’t even call me to let me know they were willing to bring me back. I didn’t hear from them at all. It made it a lot easier for me to say, ‘OK,’ and then go look for another team.”
When he hit the open market, Hester considered the Cardinals and Lovie Smith’s Buccaneers, but ultimately landed with the Falcons. Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Like Hester, wide receiver Stevie Johnson expected to eventually finish his career with the team he started with, but the Bills opted to trade him to the 49ers in May. Johnson spoke to Don Banks of SI.com about his offseason and about playing for the team he grew up rooting for in San Francisco.
- With new offensive coordinator Norv Turner now leading the offense in Minnesota, the Vikings aren’t expected to utilize a fullback as often, meaning Jerome Felton‘s roster spot could be in jeopardy just two years after he made the Pro Bowl. Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press has the details, including quotes from the veteran fullback, who expressed confidence in his place on the team’s 53-man roster.
- Veteran cornerback Champ Bailey appears to have suffered some sort of injury in training camp, but the Saints haven’t indicated whether or not it’s serious, writes Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, who wonders if the team will strongly consider cutting ties with Bailey.
- Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com rounds up a few notable comments from Cardinals GM Steve Keim‘s latest appearance on 98.7 FM in Arizona.
Minor Moves: Friday
You can find Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL below, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the afternoon and evening….
- Per a couple of tweets from the Indianapolis Star’s Stephen Holder, the Colts have waived-injured linebacker Daniel Adongo and defensive end Jeris Pendelton. In addition, Indianapolis has signed guards Thomas Austin and Marcus Hall, and re-signed receiver Nu’Keese Richardson.
Earlier updates:
- In a series of several tweets, Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun lists the players who have been waived from their teams’ respective injured reserve lists with injury settlements: offensive lineman Darius Morris (Cowboys), cornerback Brandon Burton (Colts), defensive tackle Jordan Miller (Jaguars), and wideout Danny Coale (Steelers).
- According to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Colts have waived former Arena Football League offensive lineman Chad Anderson, who originally signed with the team last month.
- Despite catching a touchdown in the Bengals‘ preseason opener, wide receiver Conner Vernon was one of three players cut by the team today, writes Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. Per Hobson, the team also waived wideout Jeremy Johnson and defensive tackle Zach Minter. The Bengals, who now have 86 players on the roster, may have interest in filling one of their open roster spots with a quarterback as Jason Campbell and A.J. McCarron work through some health issues, Hobson adds.
- The Cardinals created a third opening on their 90-man roster today, cutting linebacker Trevardo Williams just a few days after claiming him off waivers. Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com has the details.
- Wide receiver Kofi Hughes has been waived by the Texans, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- The Lions swapped one defender for another today, signing defensive back Nate Ness and parting ways with linebacker Cory Greenwood to open up the necessary roster spot, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
NFC West Links: Cards, Harbaugh, 49ers
Let’s round up a few Thursday notes from around the NFC West….
- Following Jake Ballard‘s retirement and the release of linebacker Ernie Sims, the Cardinals have opened up a pair of roster spots. However, the team doesn’t appear to be in any rush to make sure the roster’s back up to 90 players, tweets Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. “We got too many (players) now,” head coach Bruce Arians joked.
- Outside of actually agreeing to an extension, tabling talks until after the season was the best thing Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers could have done, writes Dan Pompei of Sports on Earth. As Pompei observes, there was no rush to get something done now, since the San Francisco head coach remains under contract through 2015, and both sides should have a better understanding of Harbaugh’s value after this season.
- Praising the 49ers for having so many solid contracts to choose from, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap identifies offensive tackle Anthony Davis as the player with the most team-friendly deal of the bunch. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Fitzgerald wasn’t a fan of the club’s new agreement with Anquan Boldin, which includes a voidable year to make it work under the cap.