Bills Work Out DL Jared Crick
The Bills worked out defensive lineman Jared Crick on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Crick, 28, missed the entire 2017 campaign after undergoing back surgery in September, but he’s now apparently healthy and ready to find a new team. Last season was scheduled to be his second campaign with the Broncos, who signed him away from the Texans prior to the 2016 season. A starter from 2014-15 with Houston and in 2016 with Denver, Crick has appeared in 79 games and racked up 113 tackles during his six-year career.
Crick has exclusively played in 3-4 schemes during his NFL tenure, so a move to the Bills’ 4-3 look would mean something of a change. Still, he’d still be playing on the interior, and would join a Buffalo defensive tackle depth chart that includes Kyle Williams, free agent addition Star Lotulelei, rookie Harrison Phillips, and Adolphus Washington, among others. The Bills are playing 290-pound Trent Murphy at end in their 4-3, so it’s possible Crick could be allowed to see the edge, as well.
David Irving Won’t Face Additional Discipline
Cowboys defensive tackle David Irving will be suspended for the first four games of the 2018 season after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, but the Dallas lineman won’t face any other discipline for domestic violence allegations after his alleged victim recanted her allegations, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
In April, an ex-girlfriend of Irving claimed the Cowboys defender assaulted and choked her, but later recanted her allegations. Police closed their investigation into Irving in May and no charges were ever filed, but the NFL has the authority to suspend players if even they aren’t facing legal discipline. The league presumably carried out their own investigation and opted not to pursue a ban against Irving.
Irving has been no stranger to off-field trouble during his career, as he was suspended in 2017 after violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. After serving that ban, Irving posted seven sacks in eight games and re-signed with Dallas on a one-year, $2.9MM restricted free agent tender.
Panthers’ Vernon Butler Accused Of Assault
Panthers defensive tackle Vernon Butler has been accused of assaulting a woman at a Dallas night club earlier this month, according to a report from WSCOTV in Texas.
Butler had reached out to the woman via Instagram, but she’d rejected his advances, the woman’s attorney tells Morgan Fogarty of WCCB Charlotte (Twitter link). When the two met at a Dallas night club two weeks ago, Butler was once again spurned, and allegedly responded by throwing ice at the woman’s face. After the woman fell down stairs, Butler reportedly pushed her again, and though WSCOTV’s report states the woman was escorted out of the club with a bruised face, her attorney tells Fogarty the woman had no visible injuries.
The Dallas Police Department confirmed they’re investigating the claims, but no charges have yet been filed against Butler. Needless to say, Butler could face legal discipline if the allegations prove true, but Fogarty reports this offense would be classified as a “Type C” assault, the lowest level of assault. Butler could clear that charge by paying a fine, but the NFL itself could also issue punishment against Butler, regardless of whether he’s found guilty.
Butler, 24, was a first-round pick out of Louisiana Tech in the 2016 draft. During his two-year stint with the Panthers, he’s appeared in 24 total games but made no starts. Last season, Butler played on roughly a third of Carolina’s defensive snaps, managing eight tackles in the process.
5 Key NFL Stories: 7/15/18 – 7/22/18
Franchise tag extension tag deadline passes. Four franchise-tagged players — Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah, and Rams safety Lamarcus Joyner — all failed to reach long-term deals with their respective teams by last Monday’s deadline, meaning they’ll each play out the 2018 campaign on a one-year fixed price. It’s the second consecutive tag for Bell, and his agent says the upcoming season will likely be Bell’s last in Pittsburgh. Lawrence, for his part, is not open to spending the 2019 season on the franchise tag.
Rams extend WR Brandin Cooks. Los Angeles sent a first-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for Cooks earlier this year, and now they’ve locked up him for the long haul. Cooks agreed to a five-year, $81MM extension last week, and his $16.2MM new money average ties him with DeAndre Hopkins for third among wideouts, behind only Antonio Brown and Mike Evans. His total guarantee of $20.5MM, however, ranks just 11th among pass-catchers.
Darrelle Revis hangs up his cleats. A surefire Hall of Famer, Revis was not only arguably the greatest corner of his generation, but one of the more astute contract negotiators in the league. Never afraid to hold out or take a risky — but possibly lucrative deal — Revis ultimately earned roughly $125MM over the course of his career. Revis, a former Jet, Buccaneer, Patriot, and Chief, retires with seven Pro Bowls, four first-team All-Pro nods, and one Super Bowl under his belt.
NFL rescinds national anthem policy. The NFL and NFLPA issued a joint statement on Thursday indicating the league’s new anthem policy — originally endorsed by owners in May — will not be enforced for the time being. The policy, which called for players to either stand for the national anthem or remain in the locker room, could have led to fines for teams. The NFLPA’s grievance against the policy has also been put on hold.
Andrew Luck ready for training camp. After missing the entire 2017 season with a shoulder issue, Luck won’t be forced to start camp on the physically unable to perform list, an excellent sign of his health. Although he’ll likely take some days off over the next few weeks, Luck won’t have any severe restrictions on his workout and throwing regimen.
PFR Originals: 7/15/18 – 7/22/18
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past seven days:
- In the latest entry in our This Date in Transactions History series, Zach Links looked at underrated offensive tackle Tony Boselli — the first ever draft pick in Jaguars history — and his decision to retire in 2003.
- I asked PFR readers which first-round rookie quarterback will start the most games in 2018, and the Cardinals’ Josh Rosen has a slight lead over the Jets’ Sam Darnold.
- Zach labeled Patriots running back Mike Gillislee as a candidate for release, noting that he’ll need to compete with free agent addition Jeremy Hill for a roster spot.
Titans Place Kevin Dodd On DNR List
The Titans have placed outside linebacker Kevin Dodd on the reserve/did not report list to begin training camp, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Dodd, a second-round pick in the 2016 draft, has already had an odd offseason, as he declined to attend voluntary organized team activities earlier this year. While the word preceding OTAs is “voluntary,” it’s nearly unheard of for a player still on his rookie contract to skip those workout sessions. Now that Dodd hasn’t reported for the start of Titans camp, it’s fair to wonder if another shoe will soon drop.
Dodd was already on thin ice on Tennessee’s roster, as the Titans drafted Boston College’s Harold Landry in the second round to play behind edge rushers Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo. If the 26-year-old Dodd doesn’t end up making Tennessee’s 53-man squad, other outside ‘backers such as Aaron Wallace, Josh Carraway, and Gimel President should be given additional opportunities.
Despite his draft status, Dodd has only appeared in 18 games and made one start over two years with the Titans. Health issues limited Dodd in 2016, and he was placed on injured reserve in December following a nagging foot injury.
Colts Sign Second-Round LB Darius Leonard
The Colts and second-round linebacker Darius Leonard have agreed on a rookie contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Leonard, the final Indianapolis rookie to come under contract, will receive a four-year deal worth roughly $7.248MM, per Over the Cap. The 36th overall selection, Leonard should collect a signing bonus of ~$3.351MM and carry a 2018 cap charge near $1.318MM.
It’s unclear exactly what held up negotiations between Leonard and the Colts, but Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star recently reported that Leonard would likely have a contract in place by today when rookies were scheduled to report. Back-end first-round picks were reportedly haggling over fourth-year guarantees, and that could have conceivably been a point of contention for Leonard, as well. With Leonard and Giants running back Saquon Barkley now signed, only nine 2018 draft selections are without deals.
Viewed as an extremely athletic linebacker coming out of South Carolina State, Leonard dealt with a quad injury during the spring but is expected to be fully healthy for training camp. Expected to be the Colts’ weakside ‘backer of the future, Leonard is a good bet to see playing time as a rookie alongside Antonio Morrison and John Simon, with former Eagle Najee Goode and fellow second-rounder Kemoko Turay acting as competition.
Giants Sign Saquon Barkley
The Giants have signed first-round running back Saquon Barkley, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Barkley, the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, will receive a fully guaranteed four-year deal worth $31.2MM, per Rapoport. The pact also contains a $20.76MM signing bonus, $15MM of which he’ll receive immediately. The remainder of Barkley’s bonus will be paid out by October.
With Barkley under contract, only 10 2018 draft selections remain unsigned, and the majority of those players are first-rounders. Reports earlier this year indicated offset language was the primary driver in first-round pick negotiations. Thanks to the slotting system for rookie deals, and the fact that first-round picks are nearly always guaranteed the entirety of their deals, offset language is the only area left for haggling.
Offset language does exist in Barkley’s deal, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. That means Barkley won’t be allowed to “double-dip” — i.e. collect extra salary from a new team — in the event that he’s released during the next four seasons. Obviously, the Giants are hoping that a Barkley release will not occur over the life of his contract, but the club has protected itself nevertheless.
New York chose Barkley near the top of the first round instead of picking a potential franchise quarterback, a decision that could be analyzed for years to come. But Barkley figures to be one of the primary pieces of the Giants’ offense in 2018, as he’ll run behind a revamped offensive line that includes free agent acquisition Nate Solder at tackle and second-rounder Will Hernandez at guard.
Extra Points: Dolphins, Anthem, Fisher, Jets
The Dolphins (perhaps unintentionally) became the first team to publicly wade into the national anthem protest debate, as the club listed “proper anthem conduct” as a section under actions considered “conduct detrimental to the club,” reports Rob Maadi of the Associated Press. Miami later clarified that the NFL required clubs to stipulate their anthem policy before training camp, so the Dolphins — who open camp on Friday — were forced to list their policy somewhere. Now that the NFL and NFLPA have announced the league’s anthem stance, which would have fined the clubs of players who did not “show respect” while the anthem was performed, is on hold for the time being, the Dolphins’ actions won’t have much of an effect.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- FOX may aim to hire former Rams head coach Jeff Fisher as a game analyst, but it doesn’t sound as though Fisher will call a full slate. “I don’t think 15-16 games in the fall is something I wanna do right now because I still have that desire to get back on the sideline,” Fisher said, per SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Fisher isn’t going to find a coaching job at this point in the offseason, so it’s unclear why a 16-game schedule would affect his plans to return to the coaching ranks. Nevertheless, Fisher appears likely to re-appear during the 2019 hiring cycle, although it’s anyone’s guess as to whether any NFL clubs will express interest after he posted a 31-45-1 record with the Rams.
- Former Mississippi State defensive back Brandon Bryant wasn’t selected in last week’s supplemental draft, but he did eventually land with the Jets, and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link) has now provided the terms of Bryant’s rookie contract. Bryant will earn the league minimum after inking a three-year deal worth $1.73MM, and also received a $20K signing bonus and a $70K overall guarantee. Certainly, that contract won’t tie Bryant to New York’s roster, but he could force his way onto the club with a standout training camp and/or preseason performance.
- In case you missed it, new Bears wideout Allen Robinson won’t start training camp on the physically unable to perform list, a good sign after he missed the 2017 season with a torn ACL.
NFL, NFLPA Issue Statement On National Anthem
The NFL and the NFL Players Association have issued a joint statement indicating the league will no longer enforce the national anthem protest policy introduced in May. which required all league personnel to “stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.”
“The NFL and NFLPA, through recent discussions, have been working on a resolution to the anthem issue. In order to allow this constructive dialogue to continue, we have come to a standstill on the NFLPA’s grievance and on the NFL’s anthem policy. No new rules relating to the anthem will be issued or enforced for the next several weeks while the confidential discussions are ongoing.
The NFL and NFLPA reflect the great values of America, which are repeatedly demonstrated by the many players doing extraordinary work in communities across to promote equality, fairness and justice.
Our shared focus will remain on finding a solution to the anthem issue through mutual, good faith commitments, outside of litigation.”
The NFL announced its aforementioned anthem policy earlier this year, and it indicated players would longer be required on the field while the anthem was performed. If a player failed to stand for the anthem, his team would then be fined. The new rule also gave commissioner Roger Goodell the power to impose “appropriate discipline” on personnel who violated the stipulations.
The NFLPA subsequently filed a grievance, arguing that the rights of players were being violated, but that suit is now also on hold. The national anthem protests, which have ignited nationwide discussion as well as comments from President Donald Trump, were in the news earlier this week on two occasions. First, Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey said he would kneel for the anthem and accept any subsequent fines. And today, the Dolphins caused a fervor after classifying anthem protests under a “conduct detrimental to the club” umbrella.