NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/21/16
The latest practice squad changes from around the NFL:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Cornelius Edison (Twitter link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Kendrick Ings
Mike Shanahan Not Interested In Coaching
Longtime NFL head coach Mike Shanahan was in contention last winter for the 49ers’ job before it went to Chip Kelly. Now, a year later, Shanahan says he has no plans to return to the sidelines. The 64-year-old told Colin Cowherd of FOX Sports Radio on Wednesday that he’s “not looking for a head coaching job,” per Chris Wesseling of NFL.com.
“This game is for younger guys, guys that are really fired up to run a team, put a good team together,” Shanahan said.
One younger guy who could land a head coaching job in the coming weeks is Shanahan’s son, 37-year-old Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. The elder Shanahan opined that “it’d be a lot smarter” for a head coach-needy team to hire his son than him. However, Mike Shanahan would be open to a prominent role as a team executive, perhaps working with Kyle Shanahan.
“I think I would give an organization maybe a lot more input from top to bottom,” Mike Shanahan stated. “You know, the little things that are the difference in the structure of the organization.”
Mike Shanahan has never worked as an executive, but he did have major input in how the Broncos and Redskins constructed their rosters when he served as the head coach of those clubs. Shanahan won two Super Bowls in Denver, where he was at the helm from 1995-2008, but the Redskins went just 24-40 under him from 2010-13. In 20 years as a head coach, including a stint with the then-Los Angeles Raiders from 1988-89, Shanahan’s teams have gone 170-138 with eight playoff appearances.
Kyle Shanahan previously served as an assistant on his father’s staff in Washington. He also held high-profile positions in Houston and Cleveland before taking over the Falcons’ offense last year. Atlanta is an NFC South-leading 9-5 largely thanks to Shanahan’s attack, which ranks top two in the NFL in points (33.5 per game – good for first overall and a whopping 4.5 more than second-place New Orleans), DVOA (first) and yards (second). As a result, the Rams and Jaguars have shown interest in him since firing Jeff Fisher and Gus Bradley, respectively, earlier this month.
Jamaal Charles Won’t Return This Season
There was hope that injured Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles would return for the playoffs, but that won’t be the case. The Chiefs designated linebacker Justin March-Lillard to return from injured reserve Wednesday, thereby ending Charles’ season, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Charles landed on IR on Nov. 1 because he needed surgery on his right knee, in which he tore his ACL last season. He also underwent a procedure on his left knee, which seemingly increased the odds of a comeback this year. Instead, though, his 2016 will end with just 12 carries and 40 yards in three appearances. Charles only participated in five games last season, in which the four-time Pro Bowler rushed 71 times for 364 yards and four touchdowns.
Just as they did last year, the 10-4 Chiefs are on track to make the playoffs this season with limited contributions from Charles. Backup Spencer Ware has stepped up in Charles’ absence and totaled 1,287 yards (860 rushing, 427 receiving) and five touchdowns. Given Ware’s emergence, not to mention Charles’ recent injury issues and age (he’ll turn 30 on Dec. 27), it’s possible Charles has put on a Chiefs uniform for the last time. By releasing the nine-year veteran in the offseason, Kansas City would save $7MM in 2017 without incurring any dead money.
March-Lillard, meanwhile, is now set to come back after heading to IR in mid-October. Prior to going down, the 2015 undrafted free agent from Akron played in 49.9 percent of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps and accrued 22 tackles.
Michael Floyd Could Face Mandatory Jail Time
Already set for a possible suspension from the NFL in 2017, Patriots wide receiver Michael Floyd could also face a mandatory 45-day jail sentence for his Dec. 12 DUI arrest in Scottsdale, per WEEI.
At the time of his arrest, Floyd had a blood alcohol level of .21, which is more than twice the legal limit of .08. Moreover, given that it exceeds .2, it qualifies as a Super Extreme DUI under Arizona law. In addition to serving jail time if convicted, Floyd would have to install an alcohol monitoring device in his car and avoid drinking alcohol for 90 days. Alcohol has long been a problem for Floyd, who had a previous DUI arrest while at Notre Dame in 2011.
Floyd’s latest arrest, video of which leaked via TMZ on Tuesday, led the Cardinals to release the fifth-year man and 2012 first-round pick. Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill then told the team’s radio network Sunday that Floyd showed “no remorse” and “was unapologetic,” which made it easier for the franchise to move on from him (via Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic). The Patriots subsequently claimed Floyd on waivers, and head coach Bill Belichick indicated Wednesday that the latest details of the 27-year-old’s arrest won’t affect his standing with the team.
“Yeah, we were aware of his situation when we claimed him,” Belichick told reporters, including Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. “He’s in an ongoing legal situation I’m not going to comment on.”
Floyd practiced with the Patriots on Wednesday and might debut with the AFC East champions Sunday against the Jets. While Floyd could help the Pats’ offense as they vie for a fifth Super Bowl title in the Tom Brady/Belichick era, his legal issues will surely damage his stock if he gets to free agency in the offseason. On a less serious note, he has also experienced a dip in production this year, having caught 33 of 71 targets for 446 yards and four touchdowns.
Larry Fitzgerald “Uncertain” About Future
Coming off three straight double-digit-win seasons and an NFC championship game berth last year, the Cardinals entered 2016 as Super Bowl hopefuls. Fourteen games later, they’re 5-8-1, clearly among the NFL’s most disappointing teams and set to post a losing record for the first time in head coach Bruce Arians’ four-year tenure. The 64-year-old Arians will return in 2017, he said Wednesday (via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com), but franchise icon Larry Fitzgerald might not. The future Hall of Fame wide receiver is unsure if he’ll come back next year for what would be his age-34 season.
On the possibility of retiring, Fitzgerald told Jim Gray of Westwood One Radio, “No, I wouldn’t say that I’m contemplating it right now. But I’m uncertain about what I’m going to do moving forward. But I still love the game, I love the competition and I love being around the guys and competing for a championship. That’s a lot of fun to me.”
Fitzgerald is under contract for 2017, having signed an extension in August, but his $11MM salary is guaranteed for injury only. Further, there was a report in early September – just over a month after Fitzgerald inked his new deal – that he’d retire after the season. Losing Fitzgerald would be a massive blow for the Cardinals, of course, as the 13th-year man’s career-long track record of prolific production has continued this season en route to a 10th Pro Bowl nod. With two games remaining, Fitzgerald is two catches away from the fourth 100-reception season of his career. He also needs just 51 yards for his seventh campaign with at least 1,000, though his 9.7 yards-per-catch average is easily a personal worst.
Fitzgerald, whom the Cardinals chose third overall out of Pitt in the 2004 draft, has vaulted to third all-time in catches (1,116, trailing only Jerry Rice’s 1,549 and Tony Gonzalez‘s 1,325), 10th in yards (14,315) and eighth in receiving touchdowns (103, five of which have come this year). Thus, regardless of whether he continues past this season, he’ll go down as one of the greatest aerial threats in the history of the sport.
If Fitzgerald does retire, it would further put the Cardinals’ receiving corps in flux after the departure of fellow wideout Michael Floyd, whom the club released last week. John Brown, JJ Nelson and Jaron Brown are all under contract next year, though they’ve combined for 24 fewer catches this season than Fitzgerald has amassed by himself. Unsurprisingly, then, Arians doesn’t want Fitzgerald to go anywhere. The coach acknowledged that “the same team never comes back” on a year-to-year basis, but his “hope” is that Fitzgerald will return.
NFC Notes: Eagles, Norman, Panthers, Falcons
The latest from the NFC:
- The Eagles can’t let impending free agent defensive tackle Bennie Logan get away in the offseason, opines Paul Domowitch of Philly.com. Logan could land $10MM per year on his next contract, writes Domowitch, and an NFL executive told him the Eagles will have to make a sacrifice elsewhere on their roster to retain him. “It would be an unusual allocation of assets,” he said, alluding to the fact that the Eagles already have an expensive D-tackle in Fletcher Cox. “But you could sit down and make it work on paper if you really felt it was that important.” That could mean releasing stalwart left tackle Jason Peters, who’s eight years older than Logan (34 to 26). Cutting Peters would save Philadelphia $9.2MM in 2017, though it would subtract a highly valuable O-lineman from its roster at the same time. “It’s going to be more of a player personnel decision than a cap decision for them with Peters,” the executive said. “If they think somebody like (Halapoulivaati) Vaitai can be a solid right tackle, or they think they can get one without giving up too much, then maybe you flip (Lane) Johnson over to the left side and let Peters go.” Of course, the Eagles are already paying Johnson left tackle-type money on account of the extension he signed last January.
- Speaking to Charlotte-based media earlier this week, Redskins cornerback Josh Norman revealed he was “salty” after the Panthers pulled the franchise tag off him last April and likened it to a stab in the back (via Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today). However, the 29-year-old added that feels “no animosity” toward the Panthers, with whom he spent the first four years of his career after they took him in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. While Carolina was the reigning NFC champion at the time it cut ties with Norman, it’s now 5-8 and all but out of the playoff picture. The Redskins are very much alive at 7-5-1, on the other hand, and have gotten plenty of help from Norman – Pro Football Focus’ 19th-ranked corner – in the first season of his five-year, $75MM deal. The Panthers will try to spoil the postseason hopes of Norman and the Redskins when the clubs meet in Washington on Monday.
- The Falcons will go without all-world wide receiver Julio Jones this Sunday against the 49ers because of a sprained toe, per Marc Sessler of NFL.com. Atlanta didn’t have Jones last week, either, but it still managed to beat the lowly Rams by four touchdowns. San Francisco has lost 12 in a row since a Week 1 win, so the Jones-less Falcons look poised to improve to 9-5 and remain atop the NFC South.
West Notes: Raiders, Fisher, Rams, Broncos
Suspended Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith is “mad and frustrated” about the way his reinstatement bid has stalled, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Smith applied for a return in October, just under a year after the league handed him a one-year ban for a substance abuse violation. That year has since passed, but there’s still no word on Smith’s future. “He is losing hope,” Smith’s personal trainer, Steve Fotion, told Tafur. “They are jerking him around, telling him they’ll have an answer for him on Monday. And then nothing. It seems unprofessional.” Smith has “been randomly drug-tested and they have all come back clean,” Fotion added. The 27-year-old pass rusher met with commissioner Roger Goodell last Friday. Goodell acknowledged that meeting earlier this week, though he didn’t offer details on when he’ll decide Smith’s fate.
More on the Silver and Black and a couple other franchises:
- There was a report earlier this week pointing to disharmony between Raiders owner Mark Davis and Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, but team officials had a productive meeting with Adelson at his office Thursday. “Both are working very hard to finalize a deal,” tweeted Clark County (Nev.) Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak, who was also in attendance. Further, Sisolak dismissed the idea that Davis and Adelson don’t get along, writes Richard N. Velotta of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Raiders remain focused on Vegas relocation, which the league could vote on in March, and don’t regard the city of Oakland’s $1.3 billion stadium plan as economically viable.
- Former Rams head coach Jeff Fisher doesn’t believe the team ever intended to keep him in place for its 2019 move to a new stadium in Inglewood, he told FOX Sports’ Charissa Thompson (via Marc Sessler of NFL.com). “He didn’t win enough games, and the organization has a much bigger picture,” Fisher said on why the Rams fired him Monday. “And I don’t think I was ever part of seeing the new stadium.” Had the Rams experienced more success under Fisher, perhaps he could have been at the helm when they shifted to their new facility. The club went just 31-45-1 with Fisher, though, and its 4-8 start this year was enough for owner Stan Kroenke to go in another direction.
- The Broncos worked out punter A.J. Hughes on Thursday, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. Notably, the team already has a capable option in Riley Dixon, who ranks seventh in the league in net yards per punt (41.2) and 11th in punts inside the 20 (twenty-two). As of earlier this month, his net average was the highest ever for a rookie, per Broncos vice president of public relations Patrick Smyth (Twitter link).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Latest On Terrelle Pryor, Jamie Collins
The Browns and contract-year wide receiver Terrelle Pryor began extension talks in October, but the two are unlikely to strike a deal by the end of the regular season, reports Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. The club will have until March 9 to either extend Pryor or place the franchise tag (worth nearly $16MM) on him; otherwise, he could hit the open market and head elsewhere. There’s motivation to get a deal done on Pryor’s end, though, as he has offered effusive praise for the organization multiple times this year.
Cleveland has shuffled through five different quarterbacks en route to an 0-13 record, but that hasn’t prevented the 27-year-old Pryor from breaking out as the top target in its aerial attack. The former Ohio State and Raiders QB leads the Browns in catches (63), targets (116), yards (858) and receiving touchdowns (four). As a result, the 6-foot-4, 223-pounder stands to cash in as arguably one of the two best wideouts (alongside Alshon Jeffery) on track to reach the market. The Browns should be able to stop Pryor from becoming a free agent, however, as they’re set to enter the offseason with upward of $64MM in cap space.
By locking up Pryor, the Browns would at least leave open the possibility of using the ~$14.8MM franchise tag on another important soon-to-be free agent in linebacker Jamie Collins. There’s no word on whether the Browns and Collins have engaged in contract talks yet, but they do hope to keep him, according to Cabot. Since the Patriots sent Collins to Cleveland in a stunning late-October trade, the 27-year-old has piled up 49 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in five games. Between Collins’ overall work with the two clubs this year, he ranks 29th among Pro Football Focus’ 110 qualified edge defenders.
Collins, who turned down an $11MM-per-annum extension from the Pats before they traded him, is reportedly aiming to top the $12.36MM average annual value Panthers superstar linebacker Luke Kuechly received on a five-year, $62MM extension in September 2015. That’s not an unrealistic goal for Collins, as he also has a track record of excellence and should benefit from the NFL’s ever-increasing salary cap. When Kuechly inked his deal, the cap ceiling was just over $143MM. By next season, that figure will sit between $166MM and $170MM.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/16/16
The latest minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Broncos signed outside linebacker Vontarrius Dora to their active roster and placed long snapper Casey Kreiter on injured reserve Friday. Dora, an undrafted free agent from Louisiana Tech, is now in position to make his professional debut after tallying 23.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks during his 31-game college career.
- Falcons safety Kemal Ishmael is headed to IR after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, head coach Dan Quinn announced Friday (via the Associated Press). Ishmael, who had been playing for weeks with the injury, totaled 421 snaps this year between defense and special teams. In 13 appearances (four starts), he racked up 29 tackles.
- Offensive tackle Chaz Green will undergo back surgery Friday and the Cowboys will place him on IR, as Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram writes. Green, a third-round pick in 2015, didn’t play as a rookie thanks to hip surgery. He appeared in four games this season and started two.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
North Notes: Bell, Bengals, Pack, Bears, Lions
While it appears the Steelers will retain impending free agent running back Le’Veon Bell beyond this season, whether via the franchise tag or a long-term deal, the 24-year-old said Friday that his contract isn’t a concern at the moment. “I haven’t even been paying attention to that. I’m just playing football,” Bell stated regarding his future (via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). Led by Bell’s 298 total yards (262 rushing, 36 receiving) and three touchdowns, the Steelers knocked off Buffalo, 27-20, last Sunday to improve to an AFC North-leading 8-5.
More from the NFL’s North divisions:
- Bengals receiver A.J. Green is targeting a Dec. 24 return from a hamstring injury, a source told Bob Holzman of ESPN. The five-time Pro Bowler hasn’t played since Nov. 20, and even though the 5-7-1 Bengals are basically out of the playoff hunt, he has vowed to come back this season.
- Packers running back James Starks was in a car crash Monday and is now in the concussion protocol, coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Thursday (link via NFL.com’s Marc Sessler). It sounds like Starks is not in any kind of medical danger, but his status for this week is in question. It’s not clear whether he will be able to go in Week 16 or 17.
- Bears wideout Marquess Wilson fractured his left foot in practice Friday for the third time since 2015, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com. Head coach John Fox is unsure if Wilson will need surgery, but the Bears are likely to place him on injured reserve prior to Sunday’s game against Green Bay. This injury could potentially end Wilson’s tenure with the Bears, as the 2013 seventh-round pick will be a free agent in the offseason. The 24-year-old has hauled in nine passes for 160 yards and a touchdown this season, and has amassed 56 receptions and three scores in 31 career games.
- Lions practice squad linebacker Steve Longa is now being paid an active roster rate, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). That could indicate another team tried to sign Longa away from Detroit.
- The Lions worked out two defensive backs, Tony Burnett and Forrest Hightower, and linebacker Deon Lacey this week, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News tweets.
Zach Links contributed to this post.