NFC North Notes: Vikes, AP, Lions, Megatron
As he enters his age-31 season, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has no concerns about his body holding up over the long haul, he told Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. Peterson isn’t sure how much longer he’ll play, though, because of some of the tedious aspects that accompany playing in the NFL.
“Training camp, going through the grind, OTAs and all that — that will definitely be the deciding factor,” he said, adding “it’s so repetitive that it’s more suited toward the young guys and getting them into the system. It gets kind of boring.”
Peterson went on to cite the success he had previously without partaking in training camp, stating, “Think about this: The 2012 season [after recovering from ACL surgery], I didn’t do any training camp. But I was over there on the side, working out. You get that extra month of working out? Come on, man. I would much rather not participate in training camp and work out, just to have more of an edge.”
That year happened to be the best of Peterson’s career, as he earned the NFL MVP award after rushing for 2,097 yards – the second-highest single-season total ever – and 12 touchdowns. Peterson wasn’t quite that effective last season, but he once again led the league in rushing (1,485 yards, to go with 11 scores) en route to garnering first-team All-Pro honors for the fifth time.
More from the NFC North, which the Peterson-led Vikes won last season:
- When Bob Quinn took over as the Lions’ general manager in January, it was unclear whether he’d bring back head coach Jim Caldwell on the heels of a 7-9 season. After much deliberation, Quinn elected to go forward with Caldwell, who has helped Detroit to an 18-14 record and a playoff appearance in two years. Quinn told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday (via Justin Rogers of MLive.com) that retaining Caldwell “was the easiest and best decision I made,” citing the pair’s “great working relationship.”
- Now-retired receiver and potential Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson was instrumental in the majority of the Lions’ 18 wins from 2014-15, and it stands to reason his departure will leave a significant void in the team’s offense. Not so, says quarterback Matthew Stafford. “Obviously we used to feature Calvin, and everybody kind of got theirs after that. It’s going to be, I think, tougher for defenses in a certain way in that they don’t know who we’re going to. There’s no guy to key in on,” he told SiriusXM on Tuesday (per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com). To help replace Johnson, who exited with 88 catches, 1,214 yards and nine touchdowns in 2015, the Lions signed ex-Bengal Marvin Jones to a $40MM deal. He and Golden Tate are unquestionably the Lions’ top two wideouts. After them, the club has offseason pickups Jeremy Kerley, Andre Roberts and Andre Caldwell among those vying for roles, as Roster Resource shows. The door is also still open on Detroit adding free agent Anquan Boldin, who visited with the team earlier this month.
- In case you missed it, the Bears and franchise wideout Alshon Jeffery are discussing a long-term contract.
Bills Notes: Stadium, Gilmore, Front Office
Commissioner Roger Goodell commented on Ralph Wilson Stadium – the Bills’ 43-year-old home – earlier this month, saying, “You’ve got great facilities (around the league), and the Bills have to stay up with that.” None of Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula, Buffalo, Erie County or New York state are ready to put a new stadium plan in place for the league’s second-smallest market, however, writes Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
“We’re in the fact-finding mode,” said Kim Pegula, who added that the Bills “don’t talk about it now because we don’t have all the answers and we don’t want to get misconstrued because things change.”
Buffalo – along with Baltimore – is one of just two NFL cities without a Fortune 500 company, as Maiorana notes, and the team is cognizant of the economic reality in which it finds itself.
“With a new stadium comes a lot of things — public-private partnership, there’s PSLs (personal seat licenses), there’s cost increases across the board,” club president Russ Brandon told Maiorana. “We’ve been successful in Buffalo with a volume model; lot of seats in the building, lot of suites in the building, and we’ve been able to keep costs down because we’ve been able to manage a 43-year-old building and we’ve been able to do that very well. That equation, economically, changes with a new building.”
With help from New York state and Erie County, which combined to chip in $95MM, the Bills renovated Ralph Wilson Stadium at a cost of $130MM in 2013-14.
More from Buffalo:
- Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus entered last summer with only one year left on his contract, but he eschewed a holdout and the Bills ultimately awarded him a mammoth extension in early September. Teammate and fellow defender Stephon Gilmore is in the same situation now as Dareus was 12 months ago, and the cornerback isn’t happy about it. Dareus, speaking to SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday, offered some advice to Gilmore, stating, “He’s got to understand that it’s a business and you’ve got to be patient. You still have a job, do your job and just be patient. Let things fall where they may” (via Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News). Notably, Dareus didn’t exactly heed his own words when he expressed frustration about his slow-moving extension negotiations last August. As for Gilmore, the Bills may be willing to go to $12.5MM per year for him, though they won’t give the fifth-year man a Josh Norman-esque $15MM annually, Carucci reported last week.
- The Bills have made several changes to their player personnel department, the team announced. Kelvin Fisher is the Bills’ new player personnel advisor, and they’ve promoted Pete Harris from BLESTO scout to college area scout. Bo Taliaferro, who was the Bills’ college scouting assistant from 2013-15, will move up to Harris’ vacated position. Former Saints scout Ryan Hollem will take the reins as Buffalo’s college scouting coordinator, while Collin Dotterer is the club’s new player personnel assistant.
- Star receiver Sammy Watkins allayed some concerns about his minor foot fracture on Monday, indicating that he expects to be available for training camp.
Joseph Randle Facing Another Felony Charge
Free agent running back Joseph Randle is once again in legal trouble, reports KAKE-TV in Wichita, Kan. The former Cowboy is now facing a felony charge stemming from allegations that he threatened a Sedgwick County Jail deputy on May 14. Randle was in Kansas awaiting dates on two other felony cases at the time, according to the Dallas Morning News.
This represents the latest in a string of off-field incidents for the 24-year-old Randle, whom the Cowboys waived in November and who, as the Morning News details, accrued six arrests in an 18-month span at one point. Randle spent more than a week in jail in February after charges of aggravated battery, criminal damage and possession of marijuana led to an arrest. Prior to that, Randle was arrested at a Kansas casino in November and charged with one felony and five misdemeanors.
Based on his arrests, Randle earned a four-game suspension from the NFL in November for violating its personal conduct policy. Teams had interest in possibly pursuing Randle before the announcement of the ban, but his ever-increasing rap sheet makes it unlikely he’ll ever suit up in the league again.
Randle flashed plenty of talent on the field during his three seasons with the Cowboys, making his personal problems all the more unfortunate. After Dallas selected him in the fifth round of the 2013 draft, the ex-Oklahoma State standout totaled 822 yards on 181 carries, good for a stellar 4.5 per-rush average, and nine touchdowns in 35 games. Despite appearing in only six games in 2015 – all of which were starts – he set career marks in carries (76) and scores (four).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC Notes: Chiefs, Bolts, Ravens, Titans
The fact that the Chiefs have running backs Jamaal Charles, Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware in the fold could lead them to trade fellow rusher Knile Davis, writes Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. As of late April, the Chiefs were shopping Davis, who requested a trade over the winter. Davis switched gears last month in expressing a desire to remain with the Chiefs, but even with Charles missing most of last season on account of a torn ACL, Davis only racked up 28 carries. West and Ware, meanwhile, combined for 232 attempts and subsequently netted contract extensions earlier this offseason. The writing seems to be on the wall, then, for the 24-year-old Davis, whom the Chiefs used a third-round pick on in 2013. The ex-Arkansas Razorback has amassed 232 carries and a paltry 3.3 yards-per-rush average during his three-year career.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- Chargers first-round defensive end Joey Bosa has a better chance at improving the payout of his ~$17MM signing bonus than getting guarantees without offsets, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) opines. Bosa, the third overall selection, is one of the last few first-rounders in this year’s class who hasn’t signed yet; however, Chargers president of football operations John Spanos doesn’t seem concerned.
- The Ravens have a handful of notable veterans who will enter training camp on the bubble to make the roster, reports Clifton Brown of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Eighth-year cornerback Kyle Arrington, 2013 second-round linebacker Arthur Brown, 2014 third-round safety Terrence Brooks and fourth-round running back Lorenzo Taliaferro, and third-year receiver Michael Campanaro are all in jeopardy, per Brown.
- Dennis Polian, son of Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian, has resigned from his position as the Titans’ assistant director of football administration/pro scout to take a player personnel role with Texas A&M, according to Jason Wolf of the Tennessean.
- Earlier Tuesday, the Jaguars signed third-round edge defender Yannick Ngakoue and have now locked up their entire seven-player draft class.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Extra Points: Monroe, Arians, Jets, Tebow, Pats
Free agent offensive tackle Eugene Monroe will likely begin visiting prospective employers next week, reports Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). With training camp still a good distance away, Monroe will take his time before signing somewhere, adds Fowler. Since the Ravens released him Wednesday, Monroe has reportedly drawn interest from the Giants, Seahawks and 49ers. In addition to those three clubs, PFR’s Dallas Robinson analyzed five others that could sign the 29-year-old.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians told Andrea Kremer of HBO that he felt “betrayed” when the Steelers let him go after the 2011 season, ending his five-year stint as their offensive coordinator (via Jeremy Cluff of the Arizona Republic). “I had admired Mike Tomlin so much. And I really thought he was a coach who really cared about his people. And for him to do this, well, I felt very disillusioned,” said Arians, who accused Tomlin of reneging on a promise to renew his contract. Arians believes the perception that he was too close with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger – with whom he won a Super Bowl – contributed to his demise in Pittsburgh. The 63-year-old also told Kremer he was “legitimately retired” after his tenure with the Steelers concluded, but Colts head coach Chuck Pagano then hired him as Indianapolis’ O-coordinator. Arians ended up as Indy’s head coach for 12 games, leading the team to a 9-3 record as Pagano battled leukemia. That success paved the way for Arians to land in Arizona, where he has helped the Cardinals to a sterling 34-17 regular-season mark and three straight playoff appearances.
- With both quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson at loggerheads with the Jets over money, the team is on track to open training camp July 27 in less-than-ideal fashion, writes Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Cimini doesn’t expect Fitzpatrick – who’s still a free agent – to re-sign with the club by then, while the Jets and Wilkerson are too far apart on his next contract to hammer out a long-term agreement by the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players. Wilkerson will lose $900K per week if he holds out into the regular season, notes Cimini, so the likelihood is the Pro Bowler will ultimately sign his $15.7MM franchise tender this summer and play out the year under that.
- Free agent Tim Tebow could take another crack at making an NFL roster as a quarterback, he told Larry King (via Mark Fischer of the New York Daily News). “You pursue what’s on your heart, you pursue what you’re passionate about and for me in the game of football, is the position of quarterback,” said the 28-year-old. Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, was one of the Eagles’ final cuts last summer. He hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since 2012, when he was a backup signal-caller with the Jets.
- Longtime front office executive Michael Lombardi is leaving the Patriots, reports Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. No reason has been given for Lombardi’s exit, but the former NFL Network analyst could be headed to HBO to join Bill Simmons’ new venture, according to Reiss. Lombardi, whom the Pats hired in 2013 as an assistant to their coaching staff, was previously the general manager in Cleveland.
NFC Notes: Seahawks, Eagles, Redskins
The Seahawks are making an effort to extend contract-year wide receiver Doug Baldwin, head coach Pete Carroll said Thursday (via Jayson Jenks of The Seattle Times). “The intent is to get him signed and secured for a good while. So we’ll see if we can get that done,” said Carroll, who added that the two sides are “meeting on it right now, so we’re working at it.” It stands to reason that Baldwin – coming off a career season that saw him total personal bests in nearly all major categories – could look for a deal along the lines of the extensions the Jaguars’ Allen Hurns and the Chargers’ Keenan Allen signed earlier this month. Hurns and Allen agreed to four-year pacts worth upward of $40MM apiece, including over $20MM in guarantees each.
More from Seattle and two other NFC cities:
- Since last season ended, the Eagles have focused more on their long-term future than immediately trying to improve on their 7-9 output in 2015, writes Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer. As a result, owner Jeffrey Lurie and the front office are ready to accept another lean year, according to Ford. That wouldn’t be an optimal outcome, but Ford opines that patience is in order for the Eagles’ fan base. “We knew that we had to get a little uncomfortable for this season and next season, really, to build something that hopefully lasts and gives us a chance at being a really good team again for a long period of time,” executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman said. Roseman made a slew of future-minded moves during the offseason – including trading up in the draft to select quarterback Carson Wentz second overall and doling out extensions to several cornerstone players.
- In other Seahawks news, Carroll stated Thursday that he expects tight end Jimmy Graham and running back Thomas Rawls to be ready for the regular season. “They would have to incur some issues that we can’t foresee right now for that not to happen,” he told the team’s website. Graham suffered a torn patellar tendon in Week 12 after posting disappointing numbers (48 catches, two touchdowns), while Rawls’ stellar rookie year ended in Week 14 on account of a broken ankle. With Marshawn Lynch having retired, the Seahawks are counting on Rawls to once again look the part of a star back. The former undrafted free agent from Central Michigan rushed for 830 yards on a tremendous 5.6 per-carry average and combined for five touchdowns in 2015.
- After tearing his Achilles last August and missing the entire 2015 season, Redskins linebacker Junior Galette is on track to return for the start of training camp. “I’m definitely going to be out there with them. I just can’t overcompensate like I did last year,” Galette told Mike Jones of the Washington Post, implying that he came back too soon from a torn pectoral muscle and set himself up for the Achilles injury. Galette, a double-digit-sack defender for the Saints in both 2013 and ’14, re-signed with the Redskins on an inexpensive one-year deal during the winter.
Raiders Sign Calhoun, Lock Up Draft Class
The Raiders have announced the signing of third-round pick Shilique Calhoun, the final member of their 2016 draft class to officially join the organization. Calhoun, the 75th overall selection, had a highly productive three-year run along the defensive line at Michigan State, where he piled up 44 tackles for loss and 27 sacks. He’ll now join an Oakland team that spent the meat of the offseason making a concerted effort to improve its defense through both free agency and the draft. Along with Calhoun, the Raiders added first-round safety Karl Joseph and second-round defensive linemen Jihad Ward via the draft. Prior to that, they doled out significant money to veteran linebackers Bruce Irvin and Aldon Smith, cornerback Sean Smith and safety Reggie Nelson.
Here’s the complete list of drafted rookies secured by the Raiders:
- 1-14: Karl Joseph, S (West Virginia)
- 2-44: Jihad Ward, DE (Illinois)
- 3-75: Shilique Calhoun, DE (Michigan State)
- 4-100: Connor Cook, QB (Michigan State)
- 5-143: DeAndre Washington, RB (Texas Tech)
- 6-194: Cory James, LB (Colorado State)
- 7-234: Vadal Alexander, OL (LSU)
Packers Sign Kenny Clark, Wrap Up Draft Class
The Packers have locked up first-round pick Kenny Clark, the last member of their seven-player 2016 draft class to sign, reports Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
Clark, a 6-foot-3, 314-pounder from UCLA, became the 27th selection in the draft after racking up 73 tackles and 5.5 sacks en route to third-team All-America honors last season. During his three-year career with the Bruins, Clark amassed 159 tackles (20 for loss) and 6.5 sacks.
According to figures from Over the Cap, Clark is in line for a four-year deal worth up to $9.36MM, including a signing bonus in excess of $5MM. His pact also includes the customary fifth-year option for first-round picks. Now that Clark has put pen to paper, the Chargers’ Joey Bosa, the Jets’ Derron Lee, the Texans’ Will Fuller and the 49ers’ Joshua Garnett are the only first-rounders who haven’t signed their rookie deals.
Here is the complete rundown of the Packers’ 2016 rookie class:
- 1-27: Kenny Clark, DL (UCLA)
- 2-48: Jason Spriggs, T (Indiana)
- 3-88: Kyler Fackrell, LB (Utah State)
- 4-131: Blake Martinez, LB (Stanford)
- 4-137: Dean Lowry, DL (Northwestern)
- 5-163: Trevor Davis, WR (California)
- 6-200: Kyle Murphy, OL (Stanford)
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
North Notes: Bengals, Steelers, Lions
The Bengals’ Andrew Whitworth showed he had plenty left in the tank last season, his 10th in the NFL and seventh with 16 starts, when he made his second Pro Bowl and finished as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-ranked offensive tackle (77 qualifiers). Nevertheless, the 34-year-old isn’t sure yet if he wants to play beyond the upcoming campaign. “As you get older, it takes a lot more focus to play. A lot of mental drain,” he told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “You have to rehab correctly. You have to stay in and get treatments. You have to keep your body in shape. There are so many more things now. When you were young you could run through a brick wall and bounce back no matter what you did.”
More from the league’s North divisions:
- The Steelers and star running back Le’Veon Bell aren’t discussing a new deal “right now,” he told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, because the 24-year-old isn’t willing to delve into extension talks until his surgically repaired knee is 100 percent. Bell – who’s entering a contract year – missed seven games last season because of a torn MCL and PCL, though he now feels “great.”
- Al Golden is happy with his decision to jump to the NFL as the Lions‘ tight ends coach, but that doesn’t mean that the former University of Miami head coach is done with college football, as he tells Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I think I have too much experience and just because I started young as a head coach, sometimes people look at it like, ‘Well, he’s already been a head coach,’” Golden said. “But I’m not 57. I’m 46, so I started young as a head coach and I’ve got a world of experience and I think this is just the next chapter for me so we’ll see where it goes. It’s too early to start thinking about that, but I know I’m skilled in that aspect of it. I’ve been a defensive coordinator, I’ve been a special teams coordinator, I’ve coached five or six different positions and now I’m coaching on the offense in the NFL”
- Cornerback Darius Slay‘s contract situation puts the Lions in a familiar position, writes The Associated Press. For the third straight season, the Lions have a top defensive player entering a contract year, with Slay joining linebacker DeAndre Levy (2015) and tackle Ndamukong Suh (2014). Levy signed a four-year extension before last season, of course, and Suh played out his contract year and then departed in free agency. Slay hopes to follow Levy’s path and stay in Detroit for the long haul, the corner said earlier this week.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Saints Audition 3 Notable Veterans
THURSDAY: 11:12am: Meachem is back out on the field today and continuing to audition for the Saints, Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune tweets.
WEDNESDAY, 3:54pm: Meachem didn’t practice today because of a foot injury, writes Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com. He remains in the running for a contract.
12:02pm: There’s no sign of Meachem at Saints practice, but the other tryout guys are back today, Christopher Dabe of The Times-Picayune tweets. That could be an indication that Meachem is not in the team’s plans, but we’ll have to wait for further developments.
TUESDAY, 4:58pm: The Saints tried out nearly a dozen players on the first day of their minicamp Tuesday, according to Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com. Notably, receiver Robert Meachem and a pair of veteran defensive ends – Darryl Tapp and Matt Shaughnessy – were among those who auditioned.
Meachem previously worked out in April for the Saints, and if he signs with them, it would be his third tenure with the club. New Orleans used its first-round pick (27th overall) in 2007 on Meachem, who went on to catch 141 passes and 23 touchdowns there before signing with the Chargers in 2012. After an uninspiring season in San Diego, Meachem rejoined the Saints, picked up just 23 receptions and two scores in 26 games from 2013-14, and hasn’t played since. The Saints aren’t exactly loaded at wideout beyond Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead and second-rounder Michael Thomas, however, so it seems the soon-to-be 32-year-old Meachem will have a legitimate chance to crack the roster if the team signs him.
Tapp, meanwhile, is a 10-year veteran who spent the previous two campaigns in Detroit and appeared in all 32 of its regular-season games – mostly as a reserve. Tapp logged only one start with the Lions and recorded 2.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. Two of those sacks and a pair of forced fumbles came in 2015 for Tapp, whom Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked 78th out of 110 qualifying edge defenders – placing him ahead of Saints reserve DE Kasim Edebali (91st) but behind Obum Gwacham (58th). Tapp graded out well against the run, which – like everything else – was a major problem for the Saints’ porous defense last season.
Shaughnessy, like Meachem, has drawn past interest from the Saints, who auditioned him in October and last month. He also worked out for Arizona prior to its playoff game against Green Bay in January, but the Cardinals didn’t sign him. Shaughnessy played with the Cardinals from 2013-14 before sitting out last season. In 75 career games (48 starts), the 29-year-old has accumulated 18.5 sacks – a personal-best seven of which came with the Raiders in 2010.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.