Extra Points: Tebow, Smith, Falcons
Can Tim Tebow find success with the Eagles? Former teammate Eric Decker seems to think so. “Chip’s been doing a lot of stuff this year, so I think anything’s possible,” Decker, now with the Jets, told Manish Mehta of the Daily News. “Really, (Tebow) can create his own role. I know he wants to be head quarterback, but he can create a role for himself that can help a team in many ways (whether it’s) the two-point conversion if it’s moved up or a goal-line package. He has the athletic ability to be a personal punt protector… and can play other positions. They’ll figure out a way to utilize him if it’s going to help them be a better football team.” Here’s more from the NFC..
- Justin Smith told reporters, including Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group (on Twitter), that the left side of his body hasn’t been responding well as of late. “If you don’t have the tools, you can’t do the job. It’s time to go,” said the 49ers defensive end, who walked away from the game of football earlier today.
- The Falcons rearranged their front office this winter, giving more responsibility to new head coach Dan Quinn and assistant GM Scott Pioli while taking some duties away from GM Thomas Dimitroff. So far, owner Arthur Blank is happy with how things have worked out, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes. “I think it’s working great,” Blank said. “There is tremendous respect both ways. They’re working off each other; playing off each other’s strengths. They’re both good listeners to each other and to others. And I think the dynamic has worked out as well as anybody could have possibly thought. I think Thomas and Scott have worked beautifully together as well. So I’m very happy with all of that.”
- Buccaneers defensive tackle Clinton McDonald says fellow DT Henry Melton is a great addition to the defense and will help the Bucs get to the quarterback, Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets.
Pete Carroll Tries To Clarify Irvin’s Comments
A few days ago, Bruce Irvin appeared to suggest that he was hoping to sign with the Falcons when he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2015 campaign. The Seahawks recently declined to exercise Irvin’s fifth-year option, thereby making the former first-round pick eligible for free agency when this season ends. As our Luke Adams pointed out, the Falcons are a good fit for Irvin, an Atlanta native who would (presumably) reunite with former Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and who would give the team a much-needed pass rusher.
But Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, speaking with reporters prior to his induction into the USC Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, claims Irvin’s comments were misinterpreted. Irvin had told Black Sports Online, “I’m going to be in Atlanta next season. I’m ready,” and “Atlanta is where I want to be. Believe that.” According to the Associated Press, Carroll tried to clarify those remarks by saying:
“We’ve been talking all along. [Irvin] has been working out in Atlanta for these three weeks, and he said (that) in response to the question ‘Do you want to come back home?’ He said everybody likes to come back home, and it’s a dream to come back home. It wasn’t in reference to leaving us and coming back (to the Falcons). He was really adamant about it, and I asked him to leave it and not go at it anymore.”
Carroll’s statements look like a valiant but unsuccessful attempt to quash the minor controversy that Irvin has created, and Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report has found some humor in that attempt. Freeman tweeted, “Carroll: No, no, no. Bruce Irvin didn’t say he wanted to go to Atlanta. He said he wanted to go to the city of Atlantis.”
According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Irvin has graded out as one of the league’s top 4-3 outside linebackers in each of the past two seasons. Interestingly enough, however, it was his run-stopping abilities that made him the 11th-most effective at his position out of 40 eligible players in 2014, as his pass rush efforts earned a meager grade of -2.1. In 2013, though, he received above-average grades in both areas, and he has posted 16.5 sacks in his three seasons in Seattle.
Of course, the mere fact that the Seahawks declined Irvin’s fifth-year option does not mean that Irvin will not continue his career in Seattle beyond 2015. But with the Seahawks having to make a number of difficult personnel decisions in the near future, including a long-term deal with Russell Wilson, Irvin may indeed wind up playing his home games elsewhere. Despite Carroll’s comments, Atlanta still appears to be the top choice.
NFC South Notes: Winston, Newton, Coffman
In today’s mailbag, a reader asks ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas if he feels the Buccaneers will bring in a veteran quarterback to support Jameis Winston. Of course, Mike Glennon is also on hand, and every indication Yasinskas has received is that the Bucs are content to roll with him as the backup to Winston. They also believe that he’s enough of a team player to embrace a backup role. Here’s today’s look at the NFC South..
- Now that all the Panthers draft picks have signed, David Newton of ESPN.com says the team’s focus will move to locking Cam Newton up on a long-term deal. Restructuring the deal of defensive end Charles Johnson, who is set to count for $20MM against the cap this season, is also on the docket, but the ESPN scribe doesn’t see that as being a top priority since he didn’t restructure the past two seasons until September. Ditto for getting a new deal done with linebacker Thomas Davis since there is strong mutual interest there.
- In addition to former Buccaneers second-round defensive end Da’Quan Bowers, the Saints will also be trying out former Bengals third-round tight end Chase Coffman this weekend, as Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune writes.
- D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution asked a panel of experts if they think the Falcons can rebound in 2015 under new head coach Dan Quinn.
Free Agent Notes: Vick, Barksdale, Spencer
As Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap outlines in his latest piece for The Sporting News, the Ravens are currently projected to earn three compensatory draft picks in 2016, which may not have been possible if the team had been active in free agency. Now that the May 12 deadline has passed though, veteran free agents are no longer tied to the compensatory pick formula, meaning we could see Baltimore and other clubs sign some veterans off the scrap heap in the near future.
In his Sporting News piece, Fitzgerald examines a few noteworthy names still on the market, including wide receivers Reggie Wayne and Wes Welker, running back Chris Johnson, and linebackers Lance Briggs and Brandon Spikes. Fitzgerald also mentions Michael Vick, and we’ve got an update on Vick in our latest round of free agent notes. Let’s dive in…
- Vick has been training with Chris Chambers at Chambers’ fitness center, and the former Dolphins receiver said he encouraged agent Joel Segal to let him work with the quarterback for a few weeks before Vick and Segal entertained offers. “There was a lot of political stuff with him and Geno Smith with the Jets last year,” Chambers said of Vick, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “Last two weeks, he has done phenomenal. There are several teams that want him. He wanted to be on a winning team. He wants to play three years. Eventually, he wants to start again.”
- As Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange observes (via Twitter), with the Falcons opting to sign Tyler Polumbus after working out Joe Barksdale earlier this month, Barksdale’s options may be dwindling. The Rams reportedly still have some interest in bringing back the free agent tackle, but didn’t tender him a contract offer at the May 12 deadline, Balzer tweets. For what it’s worth, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com details, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn says his team is still “actively talking to” Barksdale.
- Free agent offensive lineman Chris Spencer, who has 95 career starts on his NFL résumé, tore his Achilles the day before the draft and almost certainly won’t be able in 2015, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. While Spencer wants to continue his NFL career, he acknowledged that his top priority for now is getting healthy. “Before this happened, I was thinking I might sign back with the Titans at some point,” Spencer said. “But right now, football is on the back burner until I get through this and see where it stands.”
Bruce Irvin Eyeing Move To Atlanta
Earlier this month, the Seahawks elected not to exercise their fifth-year option on Bruce Irvin for 2016, spurring a series of rumors about the possibility of a trade to Atlanta for the pass rusher. As it turns out, Irvin himself appears to be thinking about joining the Falcons at some point. Asked by Samuel Logan of Black Sports Online about where he’ll be playing once his deal with the Seahawks expires, Irvin referenced his hometown.
“I’m going to be in Atlanta next season. I’m ready,” Irvin said. When Logan asked whether the 27-year-old would remain in Seattle if the Seahawks made a substantial extension offer, Irvin doubled down: “Atlanta is where I want to be. Believe that.”
The Falcons make plenty of sense as an eventual destination for Irvin, an Atlanta native. Former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is now the head coach in Atlanta, and the team has been desperately seeking pass-rushing help for the last couple years. While the Falcons used their eighth overall pick this year on Vic Beasley, he has yet to play in an NFL game, and a team can never have too many pass rushers.
Interestingly, Michael Bennett, arguably the Seahawks’ best pass rusher, has been linked to the Falcons this offseason as well — while Bennett has denied wanting to be traded, he has essentially admitted that he wouldn’t mind negotiating a new contract, as he enters year two of a four-year deal with the Seahawks.
Although the Seahawks turned down Irvin’s fifth-year option for ’16, that doesn’t necessarily mean the club is already planning to part ways with him. Still, Seattle has invested in long-term extensions for many of its key contributors over the last couple years, and must work something out at some point with Russell Wilson. The defending NFC champions will likely have to make some difficult roster decisions going forward, without the cap flexibility to keep all their productive players.
Falcons To Sign Tyler Polumbus
Tyler Polumbus has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Falcons, his agent tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Polumbus played under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan with Washington.
Polumbus was Washington’s primary right tackle for the last three seasons, but his services were no longer needed in D.C. this year with No. 5 overall pick Brandon Scherff taking over the position. The 30-year-old recently had a tryout with Atlanta and it didn’t take long for them to swoop him up.
Polumbus began the 2014 season as the starting right tackle for Washington, but he was supplanted in Week 8 by Tom Compton. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) wasn’t crazy about his play across seven starts and eleven total games, giving him a -12.6 overall grade and placing him just 62nd out of 84 qualified tackles. He was much better in the previous year, however, earning a 14.0 overall score and ranking amongst the top 20 tackles in the NFL.
Minor Moves: Wednesday
Today’s minor moves..
- The Broncos signed guard Andre Davis and wide receiver David Porter, both undrafted rookies, Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post writes. Both tried out for other NFL teams recently before the Broncos landed them. Davis played guard for the University of Buffalo after originally playing defensive tackle early in his college career.
- The Rams have released defensive end/tight end Mason Brodine, Nick Wagoner of the Post-Dispatch tweets. Brodine sat out the 2014 season with a fractured ankle.
- The Seahawks have signed safety Ace Clark as an undrafted free agent following the team’s invitation to tryout, according to NFL Draft Bible. Clark finished his Western Carolina career with 340 career tackles including 169 solo stops, ranked second in the school record books for career tackles.
- The Falcons waived Azusa Pacific offensive tackle Cody Clay today, according to Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com (via Twitter). Atlanta’s roster now sits at 89 players.
- The Lions released wide receiver Skye Dawson today, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter).
- The Rams signed former Virginia Tech center David Wang, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
Eight Teams Placed Claims On Swearinger
The Buccaneers, the team with the top waiver priority this offseason, were awarded D.J. Swearinger on waivers yesterday after the safety was cut on Monday by the Texans. A report earlier today indicated that the Jets also submitted a waiver claim for Swearinger, but Tampa Bay and New York were far from the only clubs involved.
According to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link), a total of eight teams placed a claim on Swearinger. In addition to the Bucs and Jets, the Jaguars, Raiders, Falcons, Bills, Steelers, and Ravens all put in claims for the former Texan, says Yates. The Browns were also believed to have interest in Swearinger, but they – and perhaps other potential suitors – must have been hoping he’d clear waivers and become a free agent.
Since Swearinger was a second-round pick in 2013, his rookie contract still has two years left on it, and is fairly reasonable, featuring base salaries of about $722K and $881K for 2015 and 2016, respectively. That’s an affordable flier for virtually any NFL team to take, which explains why so many clubs placed waiver claims rather than waiting for Swearinger to become a free agent.
Presumably, those eight teams that put in claims were fonder of Swearinger’s performance in 2014 than Pro Football Focus was, or at least view him as a player who has the potential to improve. According to PFF (subscription required), Swearinger allowed opposing quarterbacks to compile a 99.2 passer rating to go along with five touchdowns on 59 passes into his coverage last season. Overall, he ranked as the league’s 78th-best safety out of 87 qualified players.
While Swearinger drew plenty of interest on waivers, it doesn’t appear that any of those teams were willing to give up anything of real value for him, since the Texans reportedly tried to trade the safety before cutting him.
Free Agent Notes: Arrington, Conner, Davis
It’s not clear if the Browns or Falcons put in a waiver claim for D.J. Swearinger, but both clubs had interest in landing the former Texans safety before he was claimed by the Buccaneers yesterday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. One team that did put in a claim was the Jets, a source tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). None of those clubs could get to Swearinger, however, as Tampa Bay had the No. 1 waiver priority and used it.
While Swearinger didn’t make it to the open market, we have a few updates on players who are currently free agents, or who recently signed contracts with new teams:
- As the Ravens explore the possibility of adding a cornerback, recently released ex-Patriot Kyle Arrington is “clearly” their top target, writes Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter link) agrees that the Ravens are in the mix for Arrington, adding that the Panthers are another team to watch.
- Having already signed Jerome Felton this offseason, the Bills shouldn’t necessarily be in the market for another fullback, but the team is hosting John Conner for a visit today, according to a report from Draft Diamonds. Conner has had multiple stints with the Jets under Rex Ryan, who is fond of his blocking ability and would consider adding “The Terminator” to the roster as a complement to Felton.
- Tight end Fred Davis, who was a free agent – and serving a suspension – for over a year before signing with the Patriots this week, received a $20K workout bonus and $60K in per-game roster bonuses on his one-year, minimum salary deal, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. Davis’ contract doesn’t include any guaranteed money.
- As NFL communications rep Randall Liu notes (on Twitter), unrestricted free agents who didn’t receive contract tenders from their former clubs are now free to sign with new teams without having an impact on that team’s compensatory draft pick formula. The NFL moved up this cutoff date from June 1 to May 12 this year, allowing unsigned players a better opportunity to find new homes earlier in the spring.
NFC Notes: Cards, Cowboys, Washington
Claimed off waivers by the Cardinals last week, Alfonzo Dennard says he was surprised that the Patriots let him go, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes. Still, he’s not upset about how things turned out.
“It was shocking, because I thought I did everything right,” Dennard said. “I guess they had other plans and I wasn’t in it. But I’m happy to be here with the Cardinals.”
Dennard, 25, was limited to just six games in 2014, having been plagued by shoulder and hamstring issues. He also saw his role reduced with the arrivals of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, and played in just 241 regular season snaps before landing on injured reserve.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Quarterback Phillip Sims, who was signed by the Cardinals on Monday, is there to be more than just a camp arm, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic tweets. Cards coaches are impressed with his arm and brain and he could compete for the No. 3 job in Arizona.
- Last week, La’el Collins got the first round draft pick treatment from the media after he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cowboys. That was just fine with the Cowboys’ actual first round pick, Byron Jones, who was happy to fly under the radar. “For me it didn’t really matter where I go or where anybody else goes,” Jones said, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. “I’m just here to work, here to do my job and that’s play cornerback for the Cowboys.“
- Washington linebacker Ryan Kerrigan is taking on a larger leadership role with the team as he looks to sign an extension with the team, Mike Jones of the Washington Post writes. “I’m kind of the elder statesman in the room now, as weird as it is to say,” said the two-time Pro Bowler selection. “It’s kind of my role now. … I enjoyed that role as a senior at Purdue when we had a lot of young guys, so I kind of embrace that.” Kerrigan, who is coming off of a career-best 13.5-sack season, is entering the final year of his deal but indicated on Monday that contract talks between his agent and the team are “progressing well.” General manager Scot McCloughan also expressed optimism that a deal would get done.
- Former Washington tackle Tyler Polumbus recently had a tryout with the Falcons, Howard Balzer of USA Today tweets. Polumbus had been Washington’s primary right tackle for the last three seasons, but his services likely won’t be required in D.C. this year with No. 5 overall pick Brandon Scherff taking over at the RT position.