Bengals Re-Sign Randy Bullock
The Bengals have re-signed kicker Randy Bullock, tweets Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Details of the deal are not yet available.
The 27-year-old Bullock was a member of three teams, including the Giants and Steelers, in 2016. He didn’t join Cincinnati until mid-December, when the club released Mike Nugent and claimed Bullock off waivers from AFC North rival Pittsburgh. Bullock then converted 5 of 6 field goal attempts and connected on all six of his extra points in three games with the Bengals, who were impressed enough to bring him back. However, Bullock isn’t guaranteed to end up as the team’s solution at kicker in 2017.
Bullock, who entered the NFL as Houston’s fifth-round pick in 2012, has seen regular-season action with five teams. Along the way, he has nailed 83 of 102 field goals – good for an 81.4 percent success rate. Since the league increased the distance of the PAT in 2015, Bullock has gone 31 of 35 (89 percent) on extra points.
Latest On Terrelle Pryor’s Future
The Browns have already kept one of their best potential free agents, linebacker Jamie Collins, from hitting the open market in March. While they now face the possibility of losing wide receiver Terrelle Pryor to free agency, it doesn’t sound as if the 27-year-old will have the opportunity to shop himself around the NFL. The Browns are “very likely” to place the estimated $15.826MM franchise tag on Pryor, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported earlier this week (Twitter link).
With the most cap space in the league, the Browns can easily afford to tag Pryor, though a multiyear deal would be preferable for the club. The same could be true for Pryor, who expressed a desire on multiple occasions during the season to stay in Cleveland for the long haul.
“I love to play for [Hue Jackson] and I enjoy playing for him this year and I’d love to play for him longer,” Pryor said in December. “But at the end of the day, it’s got to come down to what my agents think is right for me.”
Jackson, under whom Pryor broke out as he transitioned from quarterback to wideout, revealed Wednesday that the Browns are “working hard” to retain their free agents, including Pryor (via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com).
On Pryor’s goal to remain a Brown, Jackson stated: “It means a lot. I hope all of our players that are there want to be there. That’s the kind of environment we try to create, but as he’s done, he’s got to do what he needs to do, and we hope it all works out. We’re working our tails off, I know that, to make things happen.”
If Pryor were to actually reach free agency, he’d be arguably the top pass catcher available, depending on whether the Bears are able to prevent Alshon Jeffery from hitting the market. The 6-foot-4, 223-pound Pryor is coming off a year in which he led the Browns in catches (77), targets (140), yards (1,007) and receiving touchdowns (four). Those quality numbers came in spite of a less-than-ideal quarterback situation in Cleveland, which shuffled through five different signal-callers in a one-win season. The Browns will undoubtedly look to upgrade under center this offseason, and it seems whichever QB they tab as their answer in the coming months will be able to count Pryor among his weapons for at least the 2017 campaign.
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AFC Notes: Cousins, Jets, Steelers, Bengals
The Jets’ decision to hire Todd Bowles as their head coach instead of Dan Quinn in 2015 may have cost them a chance to acquire then-backup quarterback Kirk Cousins from the Redskins, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Quinn’s offensive coordinator in Atlanta, Kyle Shanahan, would have come with him to New York but would not have wanted to work with Geno Smith, sources told Mehta. Shanahan would have pushed to acquire Cousins, whom he knew from their time together in Washington in 2012. A big Cousins fan, Shanahan was reportedly “integral” in the Redskins’ drafting of the ex-Michigan State signal-caller. Along with Shanahan, Quinn would have brought former Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik with him to work in the Jets’ front office. Dominik is close with Redskins president Bruce Allen, and their friendship could have further helped lead the way to a Cousins trade, writes Mehta.
As we ponder what could have been, here’s more from New York and a few other AFC cities:
- While Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is considering retirement, it will be a surprise if the 13th-year man doesn’t return in 2017, sources told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). In the seemingly likely event Roethlisberger does come back for his age-35 season, the Steelers should still give serious thought to using a high-round pick on a potential successor, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
- The Jets’ previously reported interest in Saints wide receivers coach John Morton has already led to an interview. The two sides met Tuesday, and Morton remains in the running for the job, reports Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.
- It appeared the NFL had lifted running back Karlos Williams‘ 10-game suspension when the Steelers brought him back on a reserve/futures deal Monday, but that’s not the case. Williams still has one game remaining on the substance abuse-related ban the league handed him in November, tweets Fowler. He’ll be eligible to take the field again in Week 2 of next season.
- The belief is that the Bengals are talking to pending free agent kicker Randy Bullock about a new contract, writes Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. Re-signing Bullock wouldn’t stop the Bengals from searching for other options at the position, notes Hobson. The 27-year-old Bullock didn’t join the Bengals until mid-December, when they claimed him off waivers from division-rival Pittsburgh after releasing Mike Nugent. Bullock, who was a member of three teams in 2016 (the Giants were the other), connected on 5 of 6 field goal tries and all six extra points in three games with Cincinnati.
- The Broncos made a minor change to their Vance Joseph-led staff Tuesday, promoting special teams quality control coach Chris Gould to assistant special teams coach. They’re also set to retain Klint Kubiak, the son of previous Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, as their offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post.
Top 3 Offseason Needs: Houston Texans
In advance of March 9, the start of free agency in the NFL, Pro Football Rumors will detail each team’s three most glaring roster issues. We’ll continue with the Houston Texans, who are fresh off their third straight nine-win season and second consecutive AFC South title. After a 27-14 victory over the injury-plagued Raiders in the wild-card round, the Texans’ season ended at the hands of the Patriots in a 34-16 divisional romp.
Depth Chart
Pending Free Agents:
- Oday Aboushi, LG
- A.J. Bouye, CB
- Quintin Demps, S
- Akeem Dent, LB
- Ryan Griffin, TE
- Jonathan Grimes, RB
- Don Jones, S
- Shane Lechler, P
- Nick Novak, K
- David Quessenberry, LT
- John Simon, LB
- Antonio Smith, DE
- Devon Still, DE
- Vince Wilfork, DT
Top 10 Cap Hits For 2017:
- Brock Osweiler, QB: $19,000,000
- J.J. Watt, DE: $14,500,000
- Duane Brown, LT: $9,650,000
- Brian Cushing, LB: $9,547,500
- Kareem Jackson, CB: $9,000,000
- DeAndre Hopkins, WR: $7,915,000
- Jeff Allen, RG: $6,500,000
- Lamar Miller, RB: $6,500,000
- Whitney Mercilus, LB: $6,050,000
- Derek Newton, RT: $5,500,000
Current Projected Cap Room (via Over the Cap): $25,757,451
Other:
- Twenty-fifth overall pick in draft
- Must exercise or decline DE Jadeveon Clowney‘s fifth-year option for 2018
Three Needs:
1.) Once again, find a quarterback: The Texans thought they solved their long-standing quarterback woes last offseason when they released 2015 playoff goat Brian Hoyer and signed ex-Broncos backup Brock Osweiler to a big-money deal in free agency. Instead, all they did was make their situation under center much worse. Osweiler was an utter disaster in his first year as a Texan, leading head coach Bill O’Brien to bench him in favor of unexciting reserve Tom Savage toward the end of the season. While Savage was far from special in three showings, he was more effective than Osweiler and would have remained the team’s starter if not for a Week 17 concussion.
Savage’s injury forced O’Brien to pivot back to Osweiler for the playoffs, and he was decent enough in the Texans’ win over Oakland. Unsurprisingly, though, Osweiler couldn’t handle Super Bowl-bound New England, which held him to a microscopic 4.93 yards per attempt and intercepted two of his 40 passes in a game the Texans could have made interesting with a better signal-caller.
Osweiler’s showing against the Pats was all too typical of his 15-game regular season, in which he completed 59 percent of passes, recorded a paltry 5.8 YPA and tossed 15 scores against 16 picks. Those numbers wouldn’t have been satisfactory for a starter with a guaranteed $3.7MM on his contract, let alone the $37MM Houston handed Osweiler.
Moving forward, the good news for the Texans is that they won’t be tethered to Osweiler for the life of his four-year, $72MM accord; on the negative side, his contract will once again be an albatross next season. Even if the Texans were to designate the 26-year-old as a post-June 1 cut, he’d cost them $19MM in dead money in 2017. Regardless, they’re going to have to search for a superior QB this offseason and hope Osweiler’s successor does a better job complementing Houston’s abundance of talented performers on both sides of the ball. That includes superstar receiver DeAndre Hopkins, whom Osweiler managed to render somewhat ordinary (by Hopkins’ spectacular standards) in 2016.
Having spent his entire career in Texas to this point, soon-to-be ex-Cowboy Tony Romo seems like a natural fit for a win-now team like the Texans as he approaches his 37th birthday. However, along with his age, there are other obvious concerns regarding Romo, including what he has left in the tank after missing the majority of the past two seasons because of injuries and a demotion. There’s also a question of whether Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would deal Romo to Texas’ younger franchise. And whether he comes as a trade acquisition or gets his release and signs as a free agent, Romo figures to be pricey next season. That, of course, wouldn’t be ideal for a Houston club which will have Osweiler occupying a massive amount of spending room.
Salary notwithstanding, there may not be a better match than the Texans for Romo. He’d reportedly like to go to the Broncos, but they’re inclined to roll with a younger, homegrown option. Teams like the Bills, Jets and Bears could chase Romo, though none are as close to contention as Houston.
If we’re to assume the Redskins will either re-sign Kirk Cousins or place the franchise tag on him, the free agent market won’t offer much in the way of proven options. And if the Texans are going to bring in a veteran via the open market, it’s hard to imagine them pinning their hopes on another backup — Mike Glennon, Landry Jones or Matt Barkley, for instance — given how poorly the Osweiler experiment has gone.
More established signal-callers like Tyrod Taylor, Jay Cutler and Colin Kaepernick might end up on the open market, too, if their teams release them (or if Kaepernick opts out of his deal). While Taylor is the most intriguing of the three, his potential availability looks increasingly unlikely. Cutler isn’t far removed from a respectable 2015 in Chicago, though he’s coming off a poor, injury-riddled season and was on the verge of losing his job to Hoyer. Kaepernick bounced back to a degree in 2016, meanwhile, but teams that explore signing him will have to make multiple determinations: 1. Is he a legitimate starter anymore? 2. Are they on board with having such a politically polarizing player in a prominent role? As shown in a late-August poll of various club executives, Kaepernick’s outspokenness hasn’t exactly endeared him to decision-makers within the league.
The trade route could represent a possibility for QB-needy Houston, too. Considering both his potential and his minimal salary for next season, Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo would seem to make sense as a target. New England is open to moving Garoppolo — and, for what it’s worth, O’Brien is friendly with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick — but his presence on the trade market would perhaps spark a bidding war. Thus, the Texans would once again have to ask themselves whether it would be worthwhile to spend valuable assets on a largely untested signal-caller who has played second fiddle to an all-time great. It hasn’t worked with Osweiler, Peyton Manning‘s former understudy.
There’s also the draft, in which the Texans hold the 25th overall selection, but many scouts regard this year’s class of passers as among the worst in recent memory. Plus, the highest-ranked QBs in the 2017 crop — in some order, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer — should all be off the board when the Texans’ pick arrives. No one else even ranks among NFL.com draft guru Daniel Jeremiah’s top 50 prospects, while Texas native and ex-Texas Tech star Patrick Mahomes (No. 50) is the only QB outside the Watson-Trubisky-Kizer group on Bleacher Report prospect expert Matt Miller’s latest big board.
Ben Roethlisberger Mulling Retirement
There is a chance that Pittsburgh’s 36-17 loss to New England in Sunday’s AFC title game will go down as the final contest of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger‘s career. In an interview with 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger was unwilling to commit to returning in 2017 for what would be his age-35 season.
“I’m going to take this offseason to evaluate, to consider all options,” he said (via CBS Pittsburgh). “To consider health, and family and things like that and just kind of take some time away to evaluate next season, if there’s going to be a next season.”
This isn’t the first time Roethlisberger has told Mike Tomlin he’s contemplated retirement after a season, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. Tomlin, though, said he’s taking this seriously but isn’t alarmed or surprised by the indecision, Bouchette relays (Twitter links).
If there isn’t a next season for Roethlisberger, it would heavily affect the Steelers and the rest of the NFL, of course. Pittsburgh has regularly been a league superpower since it drafted Roethlisberger 11th overall in 2004, having finished with no fewer than eight wins during any of his 13 seasons and gone to the playoffs nine times. Two of those postseason trips have culminated in Super Bowl victories, the latest of which came at the conclusion of the 2009 campaign.
Roethlisberger has missed a combined six games because of injuries over the past two seasons, but his production has remained strong. He’s now fresh off his fifth Pro Bowl season, in which he completed 64.4 percent of his 509 passing attempts, amassed 3,819 yards on 7.5 YPA, and tossed 29 touchdowns against 13 interceptions.
In the two games Roethlisberger sat out in 2016, the Steelers turned to backup Landry Jones, who has been a mixed bag in 15 career appearances and also isn’t guaranteed to return to the club next season. Unlike Roethlisberger, Jones is set to become a free agent. Roethlisberger has three years remaining on the contract extension he signed in 2015. He’d owe the Steelers $18.6MM if he were to walk away, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap (Twitter link), which makes an early exit seem unlikely.
Redskins To Shop Kirk Cousins?
With quarterback Kirk Cousins unsigned as free agency approaches, the Redskins are willing to weigh their options with the 28-year-old and could entertain trading him, a Washington source told Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). In addition to the previously reported 49ers, the Browns would likely chase Cousins if the Redskins were to shop him, according to Cole.
The 49ers would consider surrendering the No. 2 pick in the draft to land Cousins, per Cole, which jibes with what ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote Friday. Plus, with Kyle Shanahan set to take over as San Francisco’s head coach, the team would have an obvious connection to Cousins. Shanahan was the offensive coordinator in Washington during Cousins’ rookie year, 2012. Cousins only attempted 48 passes that season as the backup to then-rookie sensation and now-Brown Robert Griffin III, but he might have ended up in a different organization if not for Shanahan. The Redskins used a fourth-round pick to select Cousins, and Shanahan was “integral” in making that happen, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Conor Orr of NFL.com).
Whether via the $23.94MM franchise tag or a long-term deal, Cousins will come at a high price tag next season. That wouldn’t pose a problem for the 49ers’ cap situation, as they currently have upward of $81MM in room as March nears. It would be even less of an issue for Cleveland, the only team with more spending space than the Niners. While the Browns will lose a large chunk of that $108MM-plus when linebacker Jamie Collins‘ mega-extension becomes official, they’ll still easily pace the NFL in available money.
In joining the Browns, who possess the first and 12th picks in this year’s draft, Cousins would head to a team with an offensive system akin to the Redskins’. Browns head coach Hue Jackson and the Redskins’ Jay Gruden were both offensive coordinators in Cincinnati before taking on their current roles and share similar philosophies.
Cleveland, which is coming off a one-win showing in Jackson’s first year at the helm, will have the opportunity to select any signal-caller it wants in the draft and is reportedly high on North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson. Unlike Trubisky, Watson or any other draft-bound QB, Cousins has already emerged as a quality pro and represents a far more established passer than anyone in this year’s flawed class. While Cousins alone wouldn’t turn the Browns into contenders, perhaps he’d help them accelerate their rebuild and start inching toward relevance.
Jets Interested In George Godsey, John Morton
Just over a week after he and the Texans parted ways, offensive coordinator George Godsey is drawing interest from the Jets, reports Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. New York, which is looking for a successor to retired O-coordinator Chan Gailey, could interview Godsey at the Senior Bowl as early as Tuesday, per Cimini. The club also has Saints wide receivers coach John Morton on its radar.
It has been exactly three weeks since the embattled Gailey stepped down, but the Jets haven’t made much progress in finding a replacement. They previously targeted Mike McCoy, but he took Denver’s coordinator job, as well as Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo and Broncos running backs Eric Studesville. Those two aren’t leaving their current organizations, however, and the same seems likely for another coach the Jets have eyed, Chiefs co-OC Matt Nagy.
Godsey, meanwhile, is looking for work and would bring two years’ experience as a coordinator to the Jets. The 38-year-old had little to work with under center in Houston, whose offense struggled on his watch, and lost play-calling duties last September to head coach Bill O’Brien. As he did with the Texans, Godsey would have to deal with a less-than-ideal quarterback situation if he were to end up with the Jets. The team’s only options heading into the offseason are Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty. That means the Jets will have to hit the jackpot on a signal-caller either through free agency or the draft, in which they’ll pick sixth.
Unlike Godsey, Morton has no play-calling experience at the NFL level, but he was USC’s offensive coordinator under Pete Carroll in 2009 and Lane Kiffin from 2010-11. He then jumped to the pros, where he has coached wideouts with the 49ers and Saints over the past six seasons. Under Morton’s stewardship in 2016, the Saints had three receivers finish with at least 70 catches and 895 yards. One of those players, Michael Thomas, piled up 92 receptions, 1,137 yards and nine touchdowns as a second-round rookie.
Colts Request Interview With Eliot Wolf
The Packers awarded director of football operations Eliot Wolf a new contract to stay in Green Bay last week, but that apparently isn’t going to stop general manager-needy teams from courting him. The Colts, who are continuing to compile candidates in their search to replace the fired Ryan Grigson, have requested an interview with Wolf, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link).
Wolf, 34, is the fifth known candidate with whom the Colts at least hope to meet. Along with Wolf, the Colts have thus far requested to speak with the Seahawks’ co-directors of player personnel — Trent Kirchner and Scott Fitterer — and will interview Vikings assistant GM George Paton. Indianapolis also has an in-house option, vice president of football operations Jimmy Raye III, who could be the favorite to land the role.
Every serious candidate who has emerged for the Colts has also been under consideration for the 49ers’ still-vacant GM position this month. The only member of the group who’s still in the running is Paton. Wolf would have joined Paton as a finalist and gone through a second interview with the Niners this week had he not withdrawn from the race. While their job wasn’t able to entice him to leave Green Bay, perhaps he’ll entertain the notion of heading to Indianapolis and inheriting a franchise quarterback in Andrew Luck.
Extra Points: Chargers, 49ers, Bills, Bucs
The NFL is “besides itself” over the Chargers’ choice to exit San Diego in favor of Los Angeles last week, a league source told Adam Schefter of ESPN. “There are a ton of owners very upset that [the Chargers] moved,” said another source, who interestingly added the league hopes Chargers owner Dean Spanos realizes he “bungled” the situation and moves the team back to San Diego. Unsurprisingly, the chances of that happening are rather slim, Schefter notes.
More from LA and several other NFL cities:
- It looks as though the 49ers are “making a huge offer” to reel in Gus Bradley as their defensive coordinator, tweets Drew Copley of CBS47. That jibes with Sporting News’ Alex Marvez report from earlier Friday that there’s “buzz” regarding a Kyle Shanahan-Bradley ticket in San Francisco and runs contrary to the notion that Bradley would’ve only gone to the Niners had they hired Tom Cable as their head coach.
- The Bills announced Friday that wide receiver Sammy Watkins underwent foot surgery for the second time and will be unavailable until training camp. Watkins’ foot was an issue throughout the 2016 campaign, as the three-year veteran sat out eight games and played injured during the other eight en route to a 28-catch, 430-yard, two-touchdown showing. Like Watkins, Bills pass rusher Shaq Lawson also had surgery – on his knee. Lawson’s procedure was minor and won’t keep him from participating in offseason activites. The 2016 first-round pick from Clemson missed six games as a rookie after undergoing shoulder surgery and didn’t make a significant impact during his initial 10 NFL contests (13 tackles, two sacks).
- With $65MM-plus in cap space, the Buccaneers will prioritize re-signing their own soon-to-be free agents before the market opens, general manager Jason Licht revealed Friday (via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). “We have a track record of rewarding our players that produce, keeping key players that thrive in the system and we have the salary cap flexibility to make it happen,” said Licht. In light of Licht’s statement, Stroud expects the Bucs to make an effort to retain defensive end William Gholston and Jacquies Smith, wide receiver Russell Shepard and cornerback Josh Robinson.
- Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan had surgery to repair “loose bodies” in his left elbow, he informed John Keim of ESPN.com. Kerrigan, who injured his elbow Dec. 19, will need six to eight weeks to recover. The 28-year-old is coming off his second Pro Bowl season, in which he piled up 11 sacks. Kerrigan hasn’t finished with fewer than 7.5 sacks in any of his six seasons.
- The Chargers will hire Alfredo Roberts as their running backs coach, per Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). He’ll replace Ollie Wilson, who had been with the Chargers for 14 years. Roberts and new Bolts head coach Anthony Lynn will now work together for a third time – the two were previously on the same staffs in Cleveland and Jacksonville.
Staff Notes: Bills, Saints, Jags, Broncos, Jets
The Bills’ hiring of offensive coordinator Rick Dennison on Thursday is “very good news” for quarterback Tyrod Taylor, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com said Friday on NFL Network (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com). While it previously appeared Taylor was on the outs in Buffalo, which faces a March 11 deadline to retain him for a guaranteed $30.75MM, it would “make no sense” for the team to change QBs after landing Dennison, per Rapoport. Dennison worked as Taylor’s position coach with the Ravens in 2014 and then served as the O-coordinator in Denver, which made a push to sign Taylor in free agency before he headed to the Bills in March 2015. With Dennison now in Buffalo, Rapoport expects the Bills to continue with Taylor, though he notes that they could first restructure his contract.
More coaching-related updates:
- Ex-49ers head coach Jim Tomsula interviewed for the Saints’ open defensive line coach job earlier this week, multiple sources told Sporting News’ Alex Marvez. Tomsula was only at the helm in San Francisco for one year, a five-win 2015, but he was a successful D-line coach with the franchise from 2007-14.
- Former Jaguars great Keenan McCardell will interview to become their wide receivers coach, according to Hays Carlyon of 1010XL. McCardell most recently coached the Redskins’ receivers from 2014-15, but he’s best known for his illustrious career as an NFL wideout from 1992-2007. Most of McCardell’s success came in Jacksonville, where he hauled in 499 passes and 30 touchdowns between 1996-2001. All told, McCardell combined for 883 catches and 63 scores with five teams.
- The Broncos are set to name Geep Chryst their tight ends coach, reports Marvez (Twitter link). Chryst is familiar with Denver’s offensive coordinator, Mike McCoy, as the two were together in Carolina from 2006-08. His highest-profile work came as San Francisco’s offensive coordinator in 2015 (under the aforementioned Tomsula).
- The Jets have hired Robert Nunn as their defensive line coach, tweets Marvez. Nunn previously held the same position in Cleveland, which fired him Tuesday.
- The Bills have tabbed Andrew Dees as their assistant offensive line coach, writes Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk. Dees also handled that role with the Bills in 2012 before serving on the Chargers’ staff from 2013-15. In his second stint in Buffalo, he’ll work under newly hired O-line coach Juan Castillo.
- Dees is replacing Tony Sparano Jr., whom the Jaguars have hired as their assistant O-line coach, relays Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link).