Bears Claim Zac Dysert Off Waivers From Broncos
4:44pm: The Bears announced that running back Senorise Perry is headed to the IR, as Jahns tweets.
The Bears also claimed tight end Gannon Sinclair off waivers from the Cardinals and released guard Lucas Nix, per Jahns (link).
With that, the Bears are at the 75-man limit.
3:47pm: The Bears have claimed Zac Dysert, who was waived Monday by the Broncos, team sources tell Adam Jahns of the Chicago Tribune. Dysert is expected to play Thursday night in the Bears’ final preseason game against the Browns.
Dysert was a seventh-round pick out of Miami of Ohio in 2013 and Jahns hears that Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase is very high on him. Dysert spent the 2014 season on the Broncos’ practice squad, so he’s plenty familiar with the signal caller.
The Bears may need a viable backup for Week 1 against the Packers after Jimmy Clausen suffered a concussion in preseason. As it stands, David Fales and Shane Carden are the Bears’ other two quarterbacks, but the UDFA Carden will be released, according to Jahns. Fales has missed most of training camp with an illness.
Dolphins, Cards Trim Rosters To 75 Players
The Dolphins and Cardinals each had just one last roster move to make to get their respective rosters down to 75 players, and both clubs have now announced those moves.
According to the Dolphins (via Twitter), the club has waived running back Demitrius Bronson, after having released punter Brandon Fields earlier today. Bronson joined the club less than a month ago as a free agent, and wasn’t part of Miami’s regular season plans.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals moved from 76 players on their roster to 76 by parting ways with offensive tackle Rob Crisp, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Crisp, who played his college ball at North Carolina State, signed back in May with Arizona as an undrafted free agent, receiving a $15K bonus from the club.
Washington Notes: RGIII, Williams, Roberts
While Washington’s decision to name Kirk Cousins as the team’s starting quarterback for the 2015 season has been viewed as a signal that Robert Griffin III‘s time in D.C. is coming to an end, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk makes the case for why it makes some sense for the club to keep him on the roster. As Florio writes, Cousins and Colt McCoy aren’t exactly the safest QB duo in the league, and RGIII’s salary isn’t exorbitant for a backup.
Still, as Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports observes, the RGIII era in Washington seems likely to come to an end by next February, with the club likely cutting him in the new year or sooner. Here’s more on the former No. 2 overall pick, along with a couple more Washington-related notes:
- Robinson and Peter King of TheMMQB.com both look ahead and attempt to identify an ideal landing spot for Griffin after he and Washington officially go their separate ways. In Robinson’s view, the Chiefs are the best fit for RGIII, while King cites the Seahawks and Cardinals as logical potential suitors.
- Although most observers don’t believe Washington would be able to trade Griffin, it may be possible if the quarterback is willing to renegotiate his 2016 option year to remove the injury-only guarantee, writes former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. Of course, as Corry acknowledges, Washington still wouldn’t be able to get much in return for the 25-year-old.
- $30MM of Trent Williams‘ five-year, $66MM contract extension with Washington is fully guaranteed at signing, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (all Twitter links). Corry adds that the team, having used a signing/option bonus structure on the deal, will pick up $3.55MM in cap room for the 2015 season.
- In his latest mailbag for the Washington Post, Mike Jones fields questions about Washington’s outside linebackers, Andre Roberts‘ role, and – of course – the quarterback situation.
Cardinals Cut Dave Zastudil, 10 Others
The Cardinals have released veteran punter Dave Zastudil, the team announced today in a press release. A groin injury sidelined Zastudil in October last season, and he was replaced by Drew Butler, who has beat him out for the team’s punting job this year.
In addition to parting ways with Zastudil, the Cardinals also removed 10 more players from their roster today, getting down to 76 players. The club will have to make one more move within the next 24 hours or so, in order to reduce their roster count to 75.
Here are the other 10 Cardinals who were let go, besides Zastudil:
- Lorenzo Alexander, LB
- Glenn Carson, ILB
- Travis Harvey, WR (wavied/injured)
- Nate Isles, G
- Edwin Jackson, ILB
- Andrae Kirk, ILB
- Shaquille Richardson, S
- Gannon Sinclair, TE
- Ryan Spadola, WR
- Darren Woodard, S
Offseason In Review: Arizona Cardinals
For the second straight season, Bruce Arians and the Cardinals were surprise contenders, but unlike in the 2013 season, when Arizona won 10 games only to finish outside the playoff picture, the 2014 Cardinals managed 11 wins, earning a postseason berth via a wild card spot. Arians won Coach of the Year for the second time in three years, but the Cardinals had a quick exit from the playoffs, thanks in large part to the absence of a viable quarterback. Arizona thrived on the other side of the ball, however, and there’s reason to believe the team can do big things in 2015 with better luck on its side.
Notable signings:
- Mike Iupati, G: Five years, $40MM. $15.75MM guaranteed.
- Corey Peters, DL: Three years, $9MM. $4MM guaranteed.
- Cory Redding, DE: Two years, $6MM. $2MM guaranteed.
- Sean Weatherspoon, LB: One year, $3.85MM. $1.25MM guaranteed.
- Lyle Sendlein, C: One year, $1.4MM. $500K guaranteed.
- Chris Johnson, RB: One year, $870K. $400K guaranteed. $1.13MM available via incentives.
- A.Q. Shipley, C: Two years, $1.57MM. $300K guaranteed.
- Bradley Sowell, T: One year, $760K. $100K guaranteed.
- LaMarr Woodley, LB: One year, minimum salary benefit. $40K guaranteed.
- Alameda Ta’amu, DL: One year, $901K. $25K guaranteed.
- Cameron Bradfield, T: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Darryl Sharpton, LB: One year, minimum salary benefit.
The Raiders were said to be “hot after” Mike Iupati, who also had serious interest from the Bills and Jets. The Cardinals weren’t really mentioned as a leading suitor for his services, but they were the team that inked him in March. The three-time Pro Bowler graded out as the 14th best guard in the NFL out of 78 qualified players, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Iupati, a former first-round pick who’s started missed only five games during his career, is regarded as a strong run blocker, so he should open up a lot of holes for Andre Ellington & Co. once he returns from a knee injury.
Early on in the free agency process, the Cardinals also signed two former members of the Falcons’ front seven. First came linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, who inked a one-year deal worth a little less than $4MM. Weatherspoon, 27, was viewed as a priority for the Falcons, but we learned early in free agency that Arizona would be waiting with its arms “wide open” if the linebacker didn’t work something out with Atlanta. The Saints were also believed to have interest in Weatherspoon, who has missed all but seven games during the last two seasons due to an Achilles injury in 2014, and knee and foot issues in 2013. In spite of Weatherspoon’s health problems, Luke Adams of PFR listed him as one of the top options at 4-3 outside linebacker this offseason. Weatherspoon, who averaged 110 tackles per season in 2011 and 2012, looks like a good bet to assume one of the inside linebacker spots in Arizona’s 3-4 scheme.
After Weatherspoon signed, the Cardinals inked defensive lineman Corey Peters. Peters, a former third-round pick, had spent the entirety of his career with the Falcons, starting 55 games in five seasons. Unfortunately, Peters tore his Achilles in late August and was ruled out for the entire 2015 season. Unlike Weatherspoon, Peters is signed with the team beyond 2015, so he should eventually have an opportunity to make his mark in Arizona.
In October, defensive end Cory Redding said that he was considering retirement. By the spring, however, he had a change of heart, signing a two-year deal with the Cardinals. Redding, 34, started at least 14 games for the Colts the past three years. In 2014, Redding started all 16 regular season games for the Colts, racking up 44 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three pass deflections. He also made his presence felt in the postseason, recording two sacks and two pass deflections to go with 9 total tackles.
Last season was something of a lost year for LaMarr Woodley, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Steelers. After playing strictly as an outside linebacker in Pittsburgh’s 3-4 scheme, Woodley moved to defensive end in Oakland’s 4-3 look, and didn’t adjust particularly well, ranking 44th out of 59 qualified 4-3 DEs per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Michigan alum played in just six games before tearing his biceps and missing the remainder of the season. Now, he’ll look to have a bounce back year in Phoenix.
Lyle Sendlein was released in March to save the Cardinals a little over $3MM. However, when the Cardinals found that they were less-than-satisfied with the play of their centers later in the offseason, they circled back to him. Sendlein, 31, has been the Cardinals’ starting center for a long time, appearing in 121 regular season games (109 starts) for the team since 2007. The veteran offensive lineman started all 16 games at the position for Arizona in each of the last two seasons. However, he graded out as the NFL’s second-worst center out of 41 qualified players in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required).
After Arians aired his concerns about his club’s running back corps, Arizona made a veteran addition, agreeing to a one-year deal with veteran Chris Johnson, who spent 2014 with the Jets. Johnson will be 30 years old in September, and was shot in the arm earlier this year, but he did average 4.3 yards per carry with New York last season, so there’s a chance he could gain a meaningful if Andre Ellington and/or David Johnson falter.
Notable losses:
- John Abraham, LB
- Sam Acho, LB
- Marcus Benard, LB
- John Carlson, TE: Retired
- Antonio Cromartie, CB
- Darnell Dockett, DL: Released
- Jonathan Dwyer, RB
- Paul Fanaika, G
- Larry Foote, LB: Released (added to coaching staff)
- Ted Ginn Jr., WR: Released
- Rob Housler, TE
- Tommy Kelly, DL
- Ryan Lindley, QB
- Dan Williams, DT
Antonio Cromartie made no secret of the fact that he wanted to sign with the Jets this offseason. Cardinals teammate Patrick Peterson even complained in February that all Cromartie talked about was “freaking New York.” The Cards maintained interest all along in bringing Cromartie back to Arizona, but the Jets ultimately won out. Cromartie had a pretty atrocious year for the Jets in 2013, finishing with an overall grade of -11.4 (per Pro Football Focus, subscription required), placing him in the bottom 10 of all qualified cornerbacks. However, he had something of a resurgence in Arizona, finishing with a much less harsh -0.2 overall grade, putting him 45th out of 108 cornerbacks. That uptick was largely credited to Todd Bowles and they will continue that partnership in New York.
Dan Williams, who ranked as the No. 33 free agent on PFR’s Top 50 list, started 40 games over five years with the Cardinals, who selected him in the first round of the 2010 draft. In March, Williams parted ways with the Cardinals when he inked a lucrative deal with the Raiders. The Raiders could have the biggest interior defensive line in the NFL if Williams and Justin Ellis, who combine to weigh 665 pounds, line up side by side.
John Abraham, 36, suffered a concussion during Arizona’s Week 1 game against the Chargers, and took some time away from the team to consider the possibility of retiring. At that time, it was reported that Abraham had been suffering from memory loss, so it was somewhat surprising that the linebacker returned to the Cardinals. When Abraham was unable to pass concussion tests, the team chose to place him on IR. Doctors told Abraham to sit out for a year after those tests and we haven’t heard much about the veteran this offseason. In all likelihood, Abraham has played his last down of NFL football.
In May, tight end John Carlson announced his retirement to the surprise of many. Carlson, 31, was coming off a solid first season with the Cardinals. In 16 games (12 starts) for the club, the former second round pick totaled 33 receptions for 350 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers brought his career marks to 210 catches, 2,256 yards, and 15 TDs in 90 overall regular season contests. Later, Carlson explained that he was concerned for his health and also wanted to be around more for his family.
Wide receiver and return man Ted Ginn Jr. spent the 2013 season with the Panthers and this offseason he returned to them after Arizona showed him the door. Ginn was an all-purpose threat for the Panthers in ’13, accumulating 36 catches, 26 punt returns, 25 kickoff returns, and even four carries. In his first and only season in Arizona, Ginn didn’t have the same impact, outside of one 71-yard punt return touchdown back in September. For the season, Ginn posted a career-low 19.0 yards per return on kickoffs, and caught just 14 balls on offense.
Trades:
- Acquired a 2015 second-round pick (No. 58; DE/OLB Markus Golden) and a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 158; DE Shaq Riddick) from the Ravens in exchange for a 2015 second-round pick (No. 55; TE Maxx Williams).
- Acquired a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 116; DL Rodney Gunter) from the Browns in exchange for a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 123; WR Vince Mayle), a 2015 sixth-round pick (No. 198; TE Randall Telfer), and a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 241; CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu).
Draft picks:
- 1-24: D.J. Humphries, T (Florida): Signed
- 2-58: Markus Golden, DE/OLB (Missouri): Signed
- 3-86: David Johnson, RB (Northern Iowa): Signed
- 4-116: Rodney Gunter, DL (Delaware State): Signed
- 5-158: Shaq Riddick, DE (West Virginia): Signed
- 5-159: J.J. Nelson, WR (UAB): Signed
- 7-256: Gerald Christian, TE (Louisville): Signed
The 24th overall pick in this year’s draft, D.J. Humphries was initially expected to start at right tackle for the Cardinals, across from Jared Veldheer. However, head coach Bruce Arians indicated this summer the right tackle job is Bobby Massie‘s to lose. Humphries is now being prepared for a swing role.
Linebacker Markus Golden could be a significant part of Arizona’s pass rush attack in 2015. Golden didn’t get as much attention in college as teammate Shane Ray, but he has been widely praised for his work ethic and the Cardinals see big things in his future.
Other:
- Signed general manager Steve Keim and head coach Bruce Arians to contract extensions through 2019.
- Exercised 2016 fifth-year option for WR Michael Floyd ($7.32MM).
- Learned G Mike Iupati will be sidelined until at least October with a knee injury.
- Learned T Bobby Massie will be suspended for three games.
- Learned DT Corey Peters will miss the 2015 season after tearing his Achilles.
- Claimed CB Alfonzo Dennard off waivers from the Patriots, then waived him in July.
- Signed 15 undrafted rookie free agents following the draft.
Both general manager Steve Keim and head coach Bruce Arians will be in Arizona for years to come thanks to their brand-new contract extensions. Since taking over as Arizona’s head coach prior to the 2013 season, Arians has led the team to a 21-11 record, earning a playoff berth in 2014. While the Cardinals ultimately couldn’t withstand all their health problems – including injuries that sidelined quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton – Keim provided a roster deep enough that the team was able to win 11 games despite losing multiple QBs and defensive contributors.
Arians, who was named the PFWA’s Coach of the Year for 2014, was believed to earning between $3-4MM a year on his old contract — his new deal will likely bump him up into the salary range of coaches like Rex Ryan and Jason Garrett, who signed contracts last month reportedly worth $5.5-6MM annually.
Back in April, the Cardinals were said to be on the fence regarding Michael Floyd‘s fifth-year option for 2016. However, prior to the draft, the Cardinals decided to pull the trigger on it. Floyd is now in line to earn a salary of $7.32MM and his salary is guaranteed in the event of an injury. Larry Fitzgerald has long been the face of the Cardinals and the focal point of their passing attack but in 2014 we saw the torch being passed a bit to the younger Floyd. In 16 regular season games, Floyd caught 47 balls for 841 yards and a career-high six touchdowns.
Arizona’s offensive line, which already featured question marks at center and right guard, took two more hits during the past few months, as left guard Mike Iupati will be out until October at the earliest after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, while right tackle Bobby Massie was handed a three-game ban for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Top 10 cap hits for 2015:
- Patrick Peterson, CB: $14,791,491
- Calais Campbell, DL: $14,750,000
- Larry Fitzgerald, WR: $10,850,000
- Jared Veldheer, LT: $8,500,000
- Carson Palmer, QB: $7,375,000
- Mike Iupati, G: $6,700,000
- Daryl Washington, LB: $6,500,000
- Jerraud Powers, CB: $5,350,000
- Jonathan Cooper, G: $3,967,909
- Drew Stanton, QB: $3,866,668
The Cardinals didn’t have the most eventful offseason in the NFL, but they did make some necessary upgrades headlined by run-blocking expert Iupati. Now, with their starting quarterback healthy once again, the Cards will look to finish the job they started in 2014.
Contract information from Over the Cap and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/29/15
Here are today’s minor NFL transactions as cuts aiming to trim rosters from 90 to 75 players have begun to commence.
- The Chiefs have released three players, Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star reports: guard Marcus Reed, tight end Adam Schiltz and cornerback Kenneth Penny (Twitter links).
- The Raiders waived 2014 seventh-round pick Jonathan Dowling, reports Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. The ex-Western Kentucky safety lined up with the team’s second-stringers and was expected to play a bigger role this season after serving as mostly a special-teamer as a rookie. But Oakland’s signing of Taylor Mays seems to have made Dowling expendable.
- The Jaguars cut Cody Booth, who served as a tackle and guard as a rookie last season, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The 25-year-old Booth also played tight end at Temple. He did not see any game action for the Jags last year.
- Eighty-seven players remain on the Cardinals‘ roster after they released safety Ross Weaver, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports (on Twitter). Weaver, a 28-year-old former undrafted free agent, previously played on the Giants and Lions before signing with the Cardinals prior to the 2014 season.
Cardinals To Sign Chris Johnson
SATURDAY, AUG 29, 8:30am: Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com elaborates on the previously reported details of Johnson’s contract.
$400K of the veteran’s base salary will be guaranteed for skill, injury, and salary cap. That means Johnson would earn that chunk of change even if he’s cut, and it also means the Cardinals avoided using the “minimum salary benefit,” allowing the team to lower his cap hit even further.
There is also $1.13MM worth of incentive money in Johnson’s deal. The running back can earn that cash if he rushes for 1,300 yards. This is probably an unreachable number for Johnson, as Kent Somers of AZCentral.com notes that only one player in Cardinals history has surpassed that mark (Ottis Anderson, 1980/1981).
TUESDAY, AUG 18, 7:57am: While Johnson can earn up to $2MM on his new deal, he’s unlikely to do so. As Ed Werder of ESPN.com explains (via Twitter), the one-year deal has a base value worth the minimum salary, with no signing bonus — Johnson would have to make the Pro Bowl and rush for 1,300 yards to earn the full $2MM.
MONDAY, 5:20pm: The Cardinals and Chris Johnson have agreed to a one-year deal, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The deal is worth up to $2MM, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
We heard one week ago that Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians wasn’t overly thrilled with the play of his running backs so far this summer, and intended to discuss outside options with GM Steve Keim. The ground game was a weak spot in Arizona last season, as the team’s leading rusher, Andre Ellington, totaled just 660 yards, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. No other Cardinals back had more than 250 rushing yards.
Now, the Cardinals have Ellington poised to bounce back with Johnson, third-round rookie David Johnson, Stepfan Taylor, and Kerwynn Williams as potential complements to Ellington. Chris Johnson, who turns 30 in September, is now six years removed from his 2,000-yard season, which came back in 2009.
Last season for the Jets, Johnson ran for just 663 yards, the first time in his career he recorded fewer than 1,000 yards in a season. However, he averaged a respectable 4.3 yards per carry in 2014, and claims to be in great shape this year after being shot in a drive-by shooting during the offseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC Notes: Manning, Smith, Lions, Spadola
Giants quarterback Eli Manning has been making headlines recently, as he has allegedly demanded and then refuted reports that he demanded to be the highest-paid player in the NFL. Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com writes that all this could be the “storm before the calm” as was the case with Philip Rivers’ contract, noting that there is a reason all the top quarterbacks have received long-term extensions.
Here are some other notes from around the NFC:
- With a need at safety, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com was asked if the Giants might be interested in the recently released Taylor Mays (via Twitter). Raanan opines that the team would not be interested, noting that perception around Mays isn’t positive.
- Eagles’ 2014 first-round pick Marcus Smith will miss two to three weeks with a hamstring injury, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It was not as bad as I thought it was,” said Smith. “Three weeks is probably the most. I’ll definitely be ready for the Falcons game. Try to be ready for the last preseason game.”
- The Lions have a pair of key starters dealing with high ankle sprains, in offensive guard Larry Warford and defensive tackle Caraun Reid, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. It is uncertain when they will be able to return to the field, and head coach Jim Caldwell would not put a timetable on their recovery.
- Cardinals receiver Ryan Spadola is considering a career as a ref after his football career comes to an end, writes Bob McManamoan of AZCentral.com. Spadola has been a practice squad player bouncing around the league for two seasons, and is competing for a spot on the Cardinals’ roster.
Corey Peters Tears Achilles, Out For Year
FRIDAY, 12:39pm: The Cardinals have officially placed Peters on injured reserve, ending his season, tweets Urban.
THURSDAY, 1:11pm: After losing multiple defensive starters to various injuries and suspensions during the 2014 season, the Cardinals are now down a starting defensive lineman in 2015. Head coach Bruce Arians confirmed today that nose tackle Corey Peters has suffered a torn left Achilles, and will be sidelined for the season (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). Peters has yet to officially be placed on injured reserve, but figures to land there shortly.
It’s a devastating blow for Peters, who tore his right Achilles at the end of the 2013 season. He returned from the injury last season to play 15 games for the Falcons, but didn’t have quite the same impact on the field, recording 26 tackles and two sacks – down from 46 and five in 2013 – as he transitioned into a reserve role.
Another year removed from that 2013 Achilles injury, Peters was poised to take over for Dan Williams as the Cardinals’ starting nose tackle this season. Instead, he’ll spend the first season of his three-year contract with Arizona on the IR list, with fourth-round rookie Rodney Gunter stepping into the starting lineup (Twitter link via Urban).
Arians also addressed Mike Iupati‘s health, telling reporters that the veteran guard is getting his meniscus repaired. The recovery timeline for the procedure varies, so Iupati could be on the shelf for anywhere from three to eight weeks (Twitter link via Urban).
Cardinals Guard Mike Iupati Injured
Cardinals left guard Mike Iupati is likely to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery this week that would sideline him for 6-8 weeks, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Iupati joined Arizona on a substantial free agent deal this season with the expectation that he would bolster the interior of their offensive line. He still figures to be a difference maker for the Cards, but his debut won’t come until October or later.
The Raiders were said to be “hot after” Iupati this offseason and he also had serious interest from the Bills and Jets. The Cardinals, meanwhile, weren’t really mentioned as a leading suitor for his services, but they were lurking in the shadows and on March 11th, they agreed to sign him to a five-year, $40MM pact. At one time, 2013 first-round choice Jonathan Cooper was expected to hold down the fort at guard, but so far he hasn’t realized his potential, so the Iupati signing made a lot of sense for the Cards.
The three-time Pro Bowler graded out as the 14th best guard in the NFL out of 78 qualified players, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Iupati, a former first-round pick who’s started missed only five games during his career, is regarded as a much better run-blocker than pass-blocker.