Andy Dalton To Remain Bengals’ Starting QB
The Bengals are 0-2, have yet to score a touchdown, and have already fired their offensive coordinator, but Cincinnati isn’t considering a change under center, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports Andy Dalton is not in danger of losing the club’s starting quarterback job.
Backup signal-caller A.J. McCarron is well-regarded by both the Bengals and the rest of the NFL, per La Canfora, an unsurprising sentiment given that the Bengals were reportedly offered a second-round pick in exchange for McCarron this offseason. And while Dalton isn’t on a “short leash,” Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis recently indicated changes could come to the Bengals’ roster following the ouster of offensive-play caller Ken Zampese.
“This is not magic,” Lewis said, per Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “You have to do the work. Offense, defense and special teams all alike. Changing; I said we got Kenny out of here. Not Kenny. We did. And they gotta understand that. They’re part of that. And the next time, look around, there will be different guys sitting there. And they realize that, too.”
Through two games, Dalton has posted a quarterback rating that’s nearly half that of his career average while throwing four interceptions against zero touchdowns. Cincinnati’s offense has struggled as a whole, as the running game has sputtered while the club’s beleaguered offensive line ranks 29th in adjusted sack rate. All told, the Bengals are dead last in Football Outsiders’ DVOA ratings.
Franchise owner Mike Brown isn’t necessarily blaming the Bengals players for the team’s poor start, however — prior to Zampese’s firing, Brown told the Cincinnati staff that on-field talent wasn’t the club’s problem, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Andrew Luck Could Return By Week 6?
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck could potentially return to the field for Indianapolis’ Week 6 matchup against the division-rival Titans, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).
Indianapolis opted not to place Luck on the physically unable to perform list to start the season, as that designation would have forced the 28-year-old signal-caller to miss the first six weeks of the year. Luck hasn’t given anyone in the Colts’ organization any doubt that he’ll be able to play in 2017, per Rapoport.
Indeed, Luck is expected to begin practicing as soon as this week, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com, who adds there is “zero thought” that Luck will remain sidelined for the entire season. Luck will likely require a two-to-three week ramp-up period, meaning he could target Weeks 5-7 as possible return dates, per Mortensen.
Already sitting at 0-2 on the season, the Colts face the Browns, Seahawks, and 49ers over the next three weeks before heading to Tennessee.
Chargers Interested In CB Darrelle Revis
The Chargers were among a “handful” of teams that recently contacted free agent cornerback Darrelle Revis, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Los Angeles is in need of defensive back help after losing starting corner Jason Verrett to season-ending surgery, but Schefter reports the Chargers actually reached out to Revis before they placed Verrett on injured reserve. The Chargers currently only have four cornerbacks on their active roster, with starters Casey Hayward and Trevor Williams backed up by Desmond King and Michael Davis.
Revis still intends to play in 2017, per Schefter, although he hasn’t yet met with any clubs. Interest in Revis has been scant, as only two unidentified teams had inquired on Revis prior to the Chargers reaching out. Asking price could be an issue — because Revis is still earning $6MM from the Jets, he’d essentially have to play for free (unless a club is willing to sign him to a $6MM+ deal).
Revis, 32, certainly isn’t the shutdown corner he was in days gone by, but he’s still a viable starting option. He graded out as the league’s No. 64 corner in 2016, per Pro Football Focus, which would place him right at the tail end of acceptable play. However, one general manager told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News he wouldn’t go after Revis even if the veteran cornerback agreed to play “for free.”
Latest On Dolphins LB Lawrence Timmons
In what amounts to a bizarre twist in an already odd story, Dolphins linebacker Lawrence Timmons visited his former team — the Steelers — during Miami’s Week 1 bye and watched the club practice, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
Timmons, of course, went AWOL prior to Miami’s Week 2 contest and has subsequently been suspended indefinitely. But prior to that episode, Timmons ventured to Pittsburgh (his professional home from 2007-16) and was allowed into the Steelers’ facility. Most players and team officials were unaware Timmons planned to attend practice, although head coach Mike Tomlin had some idea of the visit, per La Canfora.
Timmons reportedly told his former Steelers teammates that he wanted to return to Pittsburgh, and essentially called his decision to sign with the Dolphins this offseason a mistake. The 31-year-old Timmons inked a two-year, $12MM deal with Miami in March that included $11MM in full guarantees.
Clearly, an under-contract player attending the practice of another NFL team is extremely peculiar event, but it’s unclear if that incident will affect Timmons’ status with the Dolphins. Head coach Adam Gase seemingly opened the window for a Timmons return last week, but La Canfora reports the veteran linebacker may never play a down for the club.
Bucs, WR Mike Evans Discussing Extension
The Buccaneers and wide receiver Mike Evans have engaged in preliminary extension negotiations, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
Evans and Tampa Bay are “very early” in the discussion process, cautions La Canfora, and that comes as no surprise given that the Buccaneers have Evans under team control for some time. In what was surely a simple decision, the Bucs exercised Evans’ 2018 fifth-year option at a cost of $13.258MM, and the club could also utilize the franchise tag to retain Evans in 2019.
The franchise tender will likely only be on the table for one season, per La Canfora, as Tampa Bay will need to use the tag as leverage in talks with quarterback Jameis Winston following the 2019 campaign. Extending both Evans and Winston shouldn’t be a financial problem for the Buccaneers, however, as the team ranks in the top-10 in projected available cap space in each of the next three years.
Evans, 24, has lived up to his draft status since being chosen with the seventh overall pick in 2014. He’s topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three NFL seasons, and posted his best overall campaign in 2016, when he put up 96 receptions for 1,321 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Extra Points: Browns, Saints, Packers, Eagles
Now playing in his contract season, Browns running back Isaiah Crowell indicated he thinks about a new deal “during the game, after the game, before the game, right now, all the time,” as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets. A restricted free agent, Crowell is earning $2.746MM after Cleveland tendered him at the second-round level. The Browns reportedly discussed an extension with the 24-year-old back during the summer, but no pact was ever signed. Thus far in 2017, Crowell is averaging just 2.6 yards per carry on 27 rushes.
- Saints cornerback Sterling Moore suffered a pectoral injury against the Patriots on Sunday, a source tells Nick Underhill of the Adovcate, but it’s not a season-ending issue, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who adds Moore should miss “just a few weeks.” Moore, who re-signed with New Orelans this spring on a one-year, $900K pact, played 36 defensive snaps as the Saints’ nickel corner in Week 2. Perhaps with Moore’s injury in mind, the Saints worked out two cornerbacks on Tuesday and signed another — defensive back Bradley Sylve — to their practice squad.
- Ahmad Brooks will have to post an excellent season in order to collect the entirety of his $1.5MM incentive-based pay attached to his one-year Packers contract, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports the veteran linebacker must reach 11 sacks to earn that total. However, Brooks can also bring in money for 6.5 sacks ($250K), 7.5 sacks ($500K), 8.5 sacks ($750K), 9.5 sacks ($1MM), or 10.5 sacks ($1.25MM). For what it’s worth, Brooks has never recorded an 11-sack season, and he managed only six quarterback takedowns a season ago.
- Offensive lineman Jah Reid‘s one-year deal with the Texans is worth the veteran’s minimum of $775K, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). While the contract doesn’t qualify as a minimum salary benefit deal, Houston will only owe Reid a 14-game prorated portion of the minimum salary (~$684K). Reid should be able to immediately help a ramshackle Texans offensive line that is missing stalwart left tackle Duane Brown and ranks dead last in adjusted sack rate.
- The Eagles attempted to sign defensive back DeAndre Houston-Carson off the Bears‘ practice squad, but Chicago promoted Houston-Carson to its active roster instead, reports Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Houston-Carson, 24, appeared in eight games for the Bears a season ago, but rarely played on defense (just eight snaps). Instead, he spent most of his time on special teams, where he played on a quarter of Chicago’s snaps.
AFC East Notes: Fins, Anthony, Timmons, Jets
The Dolphins discussed acquiring linebacker Stephone Anthony from the Saints even before the club suspended veteran Lawrence Timmons, head coach Adam Gase told reporters, including Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). That’s not entirely surprising, given that Miami had been short on linebackers even before the Timmons saga began. Rookie Raekwon McMillan, pegged to start at middle linebacker for the Dolphins, tore his ACL before the season began, so adding a former first-round talent such as Anthony for the cost of a fifth-round pick makes some sense.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- While Timmons is suspended indefinitely, it’s not out of the question that he returns to the Dolphins at some point, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. Expected to be an integral part of Miami’s defense after agreeing to a two-year contract this spring, Timmons would likely ingratiate himself to teammates with an apology, opines Salguero. “I think every situation is different,” Gase said of Timmons. “And I would say you can be forgiven if the right steps are taken.”
- Despite a seemingly gaping hole at left guard, the Dolphins did not express interest in Alex Boone after he was released by the Vikings earlier this month, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Instead, Miami is content to rotate Anthony Steen and Jesse Davis on the interior, with Steen handling roughly two-thirds of the club’s offensive snaps. Boone went on to sign a one-year, $1.4MM deal with the Cardinals.
- New Jets owner Christopher Johnson says his brother — newly sworn-in UK ambassador Woody Johnson — will have no role with the club while serving in his new capacity, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. Meanwhile, Christopher Johnson also indicated New York is “definitely” not tanking, and that general manager Mike Maccagnan and head coach Todd Bowles won’t be based on wins and losses alone, per Darryl Slater of NJ.com. Instead, the Jets’ decision-makers will be judged on the team’s gradual improvement and development.
- Based on early-season performance, the Jets‘ decision to part with veterans such as Nick Mangold, Darrelle Revis, Ryan Clady, and Brandon Marshall has turned out well, opines Brian Costello of the New York Post. Mangold and Revis have yet to land a contract, Clady is retired, and Marshall hasn’t performed through two games with the Giants.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/20/17
Today’s practice squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Josh Thornton
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Tanner Gentry, T D.J. Tialavea
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: T Jarron Jones
- Released: OL Dan Skipper
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DT Marcus Hardison
- Released: T Jeremiah Poutasi
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: S Jack Tocho
New England Patriots
- Signed: G Jason King
- Released: DB Jomal Wiltz
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Ed Eagan
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OL Jake Rodgers
- Released: WR Justin Thomas
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Brad Seaton, LB Tony Washington
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/20/17
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Philip Wheeler
Cleveland Browns
- Signed off Ravens‘ practice squad: CB Reggie Porter
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on NFI: OL Chris Hairston
- Signed off Titans‘ practice squad: OL Tyler Marz
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted to active roster: DT David Parry
- Placed on IR: DT Mitchell Loewen
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted to active roster: WR Zach Pascal
- Placed on IR: LB Aaron Wallace
NFL Still Expected To Extend Roger Goodell
An extension between the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell — originally reported a month ago — is “getting done,” a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. While the deal could take days or weeks to become official, it’s “getting papered right now,” per Schefter.
While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did indeed attempt to block a new contract for Goodell, his complaints were “shot down” by the league’s other owners, reports Schefter. While Jones wanted to extend the search process and possibly look for other candidates, the NFL’s six-man compensation committee — comprised of Arthur Blank (Falcons), Clark Hunt (Chiefs), Robert Kraft (Patriots), John Mara (Giants), Bob McNair (Texans) and Art Rooney II (Steelers) — had other ideas.
Goodell, who became NFL commissioner in 2006, is reported to have been extended through the 2021 campaign. For the 2012 season, Goodell raked in $44.2MM, but his salary was lowered in the following years, as he earned $35MM in 2013, $34.1MM in 2014, and $32MM in 2015. Goodell’s salary won’t be public any longer, as the NFL dropped its tax-exempt status in 2015.
Goodell’s rival, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, was also extended this week, as Smith landed a new contract through the 2021 campaign. Both men are now signed through the NFL’s current contractual bargaining agreement, ensuring stability for both sides as the parties head towards a possible work stoppage, something Smith referred to as a “virtual certainty.”