Extra Points: Rams, Pettine, Flacco, Raiders, Draft
A look around the NFL as Tuesday wraps up:
- Free agent cornerback Cary Williams, whom Seattle released Monday, is drawing interest from several teams around the league, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter). One of those teams is the Rams, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- The Browns officially named Johnny Manziel their starting quarterback today, but it doesn’t sound as if head coach Mike Pettine is 100% committed to the decision. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) suggests that the move back to Manziel from Austin Davis was motivated in part by Pettine trying to save his job.
- Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco had surgery Tuesday to repair his torn ACL. The procedure went well, per ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). He’s expected to make a full recovery and should be back in six to nine months, adds CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link).
- The Raiders extended the contract of fullback Jamize Olawale on Tuesday, and ESPN’s Bill Williamson points to offensive tackle Donald Penn and receiver Michael Crabtree as players the club could look to lock up next (Twitter link). Penn has started 28 straight games since joining the Raiders in 2014, while Crabtree leads the team in receptions (66), targets (115) and touchdowns (seven) this year. Both are scheduled to hit free agency during the upcoming offseason.
- Clemson safety Jayron Kearse and Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee are leaning toward entering the 2016 draft, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter links: 1; 2). If they do, Michigan tight end Jake Butt won’t be joining them. He announced that he’ll return to school for his senior season (Twitter link via Getlin).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
East Notes: Cowboys, Giants, Bills
The Cowboys earned their first win this season without Tony Romo on Monday night, upending NFC East rival Washington, 19-16, to improve to 4-8 and remain in the hunt for the division title. Despite the victory, owner Jerry Jones wasn’t happy after the game. The 73-year-old criticized his club’s Jason Garrett-led coaching staff both for not getting star receiver Dez Bryant more involved and its end-of-game clock management, according to Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Jones said that the Cowboys beat Washington “on will, not tactical mastery.” He also expressed disappointment in the team’s 1-7 record sans Romo.
“I am stunned that we haven’t been able to win more games without Tony. And I would have thought that we could have coached it up enough, and put it together enough, that we would not have lost those games without Romo early. We would be in better shape than we are right now.”
Even though they’re well under .500, the Cowboys are still in the playoff hunt because of their division’s general incompetence. Jones doesn’t sound particularly hopeful about their postseason chances, though.
“I look at it at 4-8 and won’t look at it any differently as we move up the ladder until something really special happens,” Jones stated.
More from both the NFL’s two East-based divisions:
- The Bills won’t have any in-season discussions about the future status of general manager Doug Whaley, according to The Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci (Twitter link).
- Giants receiver Rueben Randle has garnered 66 fewer targets than last season, when he totaled career highs in catches (71) and yards (938), and he voiced his displeasure about it Tuesday. “My opportunities have been cut down a little more,” Randle told WFAN, per the New York Daily News’ Ebenezer Samuel. “It’s definitely frustrating. As a receiver you want to get more involved. It can be kind of tough when the opportunities are limited.” Randle is averaging just over five targets per game this year after piling up almost eight per contest last season.
- The Bills made a surprising roster move today, releasing veteran tight end Matthew Mulligan in order to promote rookie TE Nick O’Leary. The transaction sparked some speculation that Buffalo had wanted to protect O’Leary from a team that might sign him away, and Mike Rodak of ESPN.com confirms (via Twitter) that the sixth-rounder did have some clubs “fishing around” on him.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
More Minor NFL Transactions: 12/8/15
Updates from earlier today can be found here. The latest…
- The Lions released defensive tackle Andre Fluellen from injured reserve, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Fluellen has had several stints with the Lions, among other teams, since they used a third-round pick on him in 2008. He has appeared in 81 career games and totaled 69 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Fluellen played four games for the Lions this year and made four tackles.
- The Seahawks waived veteran tight end Chase Coffman, reports Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (Twitter link). Coffman, who has 14 career catches, joined the Seahawks last week but didn’t appear in their 38-7 win over the Vikings.
- The Cardinals placed guard Earl Watford on injured reserve with a hand injury and promoted safety D.J. Swearinger from their practice squad, per Darren Urban of their website (Twitter link). Watford appeared in seven games and made two starts this year. Swearinger appeared in seven games for Tampa Bay earlier this season, but he garnered more extensive experience (32 games, 22 starts) in Houston from 2013-14.
- The Patriots released cornerback Rashaan Melvin, per Wilson (Twitter link). Melvin has spent time with both New England and Baltimore since entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Northern Illinois last year. He appeared in eight games and made six tackles for the Pats this season.
- The Chiefs cut offensive lineman Daniel Munyer, according to Wilson (Twitter link). The undrafted rookie from Colorado made one appearance for the Chiefs this season.
Workout Notes: 12/8/15
There were a plethora of workouts around the NFL today. Here they are:
- The Broncos worked out 17 players, all defenders. The full list comes courtesy of Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio:
- DB Stevie Brown
- LB Deron Bruce
- DB Deveron Carr
- DB Chris Clemons
- DT Davon Coleman
- LB Henry Coley
- LB Aaron Davis
- DE Ray Drew
- LB Adrian Hubbard
- DT Kamal Johnson
- DB Antoine Lewis
- DB B.J. Lowery
- DB Mike McMillan
- DB Jeromy Miles
- LB Kevin Snyder
- DB Schon Thomas
- DB Tyrequek Zimmerman
- In addition to receiver Danario Alexander, the Bears worked out quarterback Zac Dysert, wideouts Issac Blakeney, Miles Gooch, Jeremy Kelley and J.J. Worton, and running back Trey Millard (Twitter links via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune).
- The Texans worked out linebackers Eric Martin and Tony Washington, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- The Colts auditioned wideout DeAndre Carter, defensive tackle Ricky Lumpkin, and running back LaDarius Perkins and Daryl Richardson, Wilson tweets.
- The Jaguars worked out linebackers Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Mike Mohamed and Sean Porter, and running backs Jerome Smith and Jahwan Edwards (Twitter links via Wilson and Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union)
- The Packers worked out running backs Bronson HIll and Ross Scheuerman (Twitter link via Wilson).
- The Jets tried out linebacker Glenn Carson, offensive tackle Sean Hickey, tight end Marcel Jensen, guard Cole Manhardt and defensive back Robert Nelson, ESPN’s Rich Cimini reports (on Twitter).
- The Giants worked out long snappers Andrew East and Tyler Ott before signing Danny Aiken, per Howard Balzer (Twitter link).
NFC Notes: Murray, Lacy, Falcons, Bears
Eagles running back DeMarco Murray and owner Jeffrey Lurie had a lengthy conversation Sunday about Murray’s role in head coach Chip Kelly‘s offense, ESPN’s Ed Werder reports. Though the Eagles pulled a 35-28 upset in New England, Murray was barely a factor – taking the field for just 14 plays and totaling 24 yards on eight carries – and he voiced his frustrations to Lurie afterward as a result. Their conversation happened on the team’s flight home, according to Werder, who adds that it’s unknown who initiated the talk.
“He’s obviously upset about what happened,” a source close to Murray told Werder.
Murray, who led the NFL in rushing last year with Dallas and then signed a big-money deal with the Eagles in the offseason, has struggled mightily under Kelly. The two-time thousand-yard rusher has just 569 this season on a paltry 3.5 per-carry average, and has been outproduced by teammate Ryan Mathews – who signed a much less valuable contract with Philly in the offseason. Mathews missed the Patriots game because of a concussion, but Murray still had to take a backseat to Darren Sproles, who accrued 90 yards on 19 touches.
“We are not trying to win a rushing championship or a passing championship or a receiving championship or anything from that stretch of the imagination,” Kelly said Monday. “We are just trying to win football games.”
More from the NFC:
- Like Murray, Packers running back Eddie Lacy has also had a disappointing season – one that reached a low point last week. Lacy finished with a mere 1 yard on six touches in the Packers’ 27-23 win over the Lions after Mike McCarthy demoted him for missing curfew the night before, but the coach said Tuesday that the third-year man will have a chance to win back his starting role. “If Eddie or any other player wants to jump up and grab that opportunity, it’s right in front of them,” McCarthy stated, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. McCarthy added that he thinks the demotion rejuvenated Lacy.
- The Falcons’ offense has hit the skids during their descent from 5-0 to 6-6, but quarterback Matt Ryan spoke favorably of coordinator Kyle Shanahan on Tuesday. “Our production hasn’t been there, but in terms of plays and all that kind of stuff, I feel really good about how Kyle and I have worked together this year,” Ryan said on 680 The Fan, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “Kyle’s is a little bit different from the guy’s that I’ve worked with in the past. With that said, I feel really good about it. I feel like he’s going to be a guy that I can learn a ton from. I believe we’re going to win a lot of games together.”
- Having landed on injured reserve, tight end Martellus Bennett‘s time with the Bears could be up, ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson writes. Dickerson believes the Bears should try to trade Bennett, who has one year left on his contract and is looking for a more lucrative one – which the team is unwilling to give him. In the event they’re unable to find a taker, the Bears could release Bennett and save over $5MM on their cap in 2016.
Danario Alexander Worked Out For Bears
Free agent wide receiver Danario Alexander worked out for the Bears on Tuesday, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Alexander remains unsigned, but he’s happy with how the workout went, per Gehlken. The 27-year-old is a candidate to sign a futures contract with the Bears, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
Alexander is a three-year NFL veteran who suited up for the Rams from 2010-11 and the Chargers in ’12. In just 10 games that year, he amassed career highs in receptions (37), targets (62), yards (658), yards per catch (17.8) and touchdowns (seven). The former Missouri Tiger has appeared in 28 games and totaled 83 receptions, a 16.8 yards-per-catch average and 10 scores. Alexander tore the ACL in his right knee in August 2013 and hasn’t played since, but Gehlken notes that he’s now healthy. As Gehlken wrote in February 2014, Alexander’s initial recovery didn’t go smoothly and he required a second surgery. The 6-foot-5, 217-pounder has also had trouble with his left knee, undergoing five different operations.
AFC Notes: Collins, Manning, Browns
Star linebacker Jamie Collins has been out of the Patriots’ lineup since the end of October because of an illness, one that president Jonathan Kraft isn’t worried will spread throughout the team, per Mike Petraglia of WEEI.
“Jamie’s getting better and getting stronger every day,” Kraft said Sunday. “I know people in non-football life that end up with really bad viruses and get knocked out of their professional lives for a while.”
Continued Kraft, “This was something that doesn’t have us worried about the physical infrastructure at the facility. There wasn’t anything related to Jamie’s issues that had anything to do with the facility.”
Kraft’s words indicate that Collins’ illness isn’t MRSA, a staph infection-causing disease that has affected NFL teams in the past. Most recently, it ended the season of Giants tight end Daniel Fells in October.
Collins returned to practice Friday, so it appears he’ll be back in game action sometime this season.
And now a look at some of the Patriots’ AFC counterparts, including their Sunday night opponent:
- Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, currently on the shelf because of a plantar fascia injury, is eager to return to the field as soon as possible. The team doesn’t share in his eagerness, though, and it’s causing friction between the two sides, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. Regarding the possibility of a healthy Manning backing up Brock Osweiler, a source told La Canfora, “We know this much — he’s not going to go quietly. He’s going to have to be dealt with.”
- After briefly losing his job to Johnny Manziel, Josh McCown is back as the Browns’ starting quarterback – which he’s ambivalent about, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. While McCown relishes playing again, he isn’t pleased that his opportunity comes at the expense of Manziel – whom the Browns benched because of off-field issues. “You understand that you have a job to do, and the coaches make the decision and tell you you’re playing and you move forward accordingly,” said McCown. “But at the same time, I’m in the room with [Manziel] every day, and we’ve built a relationship. I’m a big advocate of his and a fan and a friend as well.”
- The Browns have noteworthy free agents-to-be in safety Tashaun Gipson, tight end Gary Barnidge and receiver Travis Benjamin. If they only re-sign one, it should be the 25-year-old Gipson, writes Tom Reed of Cleveland.com. Gipson hasn’t been as sharp this season after leading the AFC in interceptions in 2013 and ’14, which could drop his price. That’s something Reed believes the Browns should look to capitalize on after they couldn’t reach a long-term deal with Gipson last offseason, when he was coming off a Pro Bowl campaign.
NFC Notes: Ryan, Lynch, Giants, Quarless
The Falcons started the season 5-0 and looked like a surefire playoff team, but they’ve lost five of their last six games to drop to 6-5. Their postseason hopes are now in serious jeopardy, and one reason for their skid is the lackluster play of quarterback Matt Ryan. During their four-game losing streak, the Falcons have averaged fewer than 17 points per game and Ryan has thrown just seven touchdowns against six interceptions. Two of those picks came in a crucial 20-10 loss to the Vikings on Sunday. Afterward, owner Arthur Blank and head coach Dan Quinn expressed confidence in Ryan, a three-time Pro Bowler who has been the Falcons’ QB since they drafted him third overall in 2008.
“He’s demonstrated his abilities over eight years. He’ll be fine. He’ll be good,” Blank said, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
Added Quinn, who said he isn’t thinking about benching Ryan or anyone else, “He’s absolutely the competitor that I want. He’s what we look for and our team looks for the whole way.”
Here’s more from the NFC:
- Whether he retires or the Seahawks simply decide to move on from him, there’s a good chance Marshawn Lynch is in his final year in Seattle, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. Lynch underwent groin surgery earlier this week and it’s possible he’ll end up on season-ending IR in a month if the team decides he’s not ready to return. Regardless, from an on-field standpoint, the five-time Pro Bowler has become less essential to the Seahawks’ offense with the emergence of rookie Thomas Rawls. From a business standpoint, cutting Lynch would save Seattle $6.5MM on its cap in 2016 and $10.5MM in ’17.
- Don’t expect Giants general manager Jerry Reese to be a fall guy if they miss the playoffs, tweets ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
- The Packers – who are in desperate need of weapons in their passing game – are close to getting injured tight end Andrew Quarless back, per . Quarless has been on the shelf since tearing his ACL in Week 3, and head coach Mike McCarthy said he could practice in the coming week. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be active for Green Bay’s game against Detroit on Thursday, however.
Jimmy Graham Out For Season With Patellar Tendon Injury
The Seahawks stayed in the thick of the NFC playoff hunt with a 39-30 win over the Steelers on Sunday, but the victory comes with bad news. Tight end Jimmy Graham suffered a patellar tendon injury during the game and will undergo season-ending surgery, according to head coach Pete Carroll (Twitter link via the team). The recovery timeline will be six to nine months, per Dr. David Chao of SiriusXM (Twitter link).
Prior to departing in the fourth quarter, Graham was having one of his best games of 2015 with four receptions for 75 yards. He had to be carted off the field with an air cast on his right leg after landing awkwardly on an incomplete pass in Pittsburgh’s end zone.
Graham finishes the season, his first in Seattle, with 48 catches for 605 yards and two touchdowns. Considering what Seattle gave up for Graham in the offseason – center Max Unger and a first-round pick – it was a disappointing campaign for the three-time Pro Bowler. The ex-Saint came to the Seahawks fresh off four straight seasons of at least 85 catches and 880-plus yards, also racking up a prolific 46 touchdowns during that span.
While Graham’s production tailed off this season, he’s still a big loss for quarterback Russell Wilson and the 6-5 Seahawks – who will continue fighting for their playoff lives over the final five weeks. Graham is currently second on the Seahawks in both receptions and yards, trailing only wideout Doug Baldwin. The team’s second-most productive tight end, Luke Wilson, has just 12 catches this year.
Extra Points: Amukamara, Chargers, LA, Steelers
A quick look around the NFL as we draw closer to Sunday’s Week 12 action. . .
- From a business standpoint, it would make a lot more sense for the Chargers to head to Los Angeles than stay in San Diego, writes Dan McSwain of the San Diego Union-Tribune. If the Chargers get a new stadium in San Diego, which doesn’t appear likely, projections indicate it would boost the team’s revenue by $50MM per annum. Conversely, the yearly revenue increase accompanying a new stadium in LA could be anywhere from $300MM to $500MM. Thus, the league’s relocation fee of $500MM to $600MM doesn’t look as if it should serve as much of a deterrent to either the Chargers or any other team eyeing LA.
- Though Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara will be a free agent at season’s end, he’d like to stay where he is. “This is the organization that took a chance on me,” he told Steve Serby of the New York Post. “It’s a first-class organization.” Amukamara, who has missed 25 of 74 regular-season games since he was a first-round pick in 2011, added that he doesn’t “think the Giants would ever have to worry about the corner position again if I could stay on the field.”
- Steelers offensive tackle Mike Adams has had a disappointing career since the team used a second-round selection on him in 2012, appearing in only 41 games (20 starts). Adams – who won’t play at all this year because of a back injury – will be a free agent after the season, but he might end up remaining with the Steelers, per Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. As Kaboly notes, the Steelers have just two tackles signed next season (Marcus Gilbert and Alejandro Villaneuva), so it’s possible they’ll bring back Adams as a depth player on a team-friendly deal.