Mutual 2017 Interest Between Charles Johnson, Panthers
Veteran defensive end Charles Johnson would like to re-sign with the Panthers in 2017, as he tells Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer.
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“I’d rather lose with these guys than win with anybody else,” Johnson said. “These are my guys. I know they come to work every day. I can play with them and have fun and do what I want, and also work at the same time. There’s not a lot of places where you’re going to be able to do that.”
Johnson, 30, is posting an excellent season during his 10th year with the Panthers, playing on nearly 60% of the club’s defensive snaps while registering four sacks and three forced fumbles. He’s graded as the league’s No. 23 edge defender, per Pro Football Focus, and as head coach Ron Rivera told Person, Carolina is also interested in a reunion next season.
“It’s about that steady, consistent play. I know people want to see these double-digit sack numbers. But what you see with Charles is the impact he makes throughout the game, the way he plays the game,” Rivera said. “And he’s been a tremendous leader. We’ll see how it all goes, but I’d love to have him back.”
Johnson, originally due $11MM in 2016, was released by the Panthers during the spring, but ultimately found his way back to Carolina on a one-year, $3MM pact. The Panthers could see other changes along their defensive line in 2017, as defensive tackle Kawann Short is headed for unrestricted free agency, while Star Lotulelei‘s fifth-year option is guaranteed for injury only.
East Notes: Cowboys, Dak, Romo, Eagles, Pats
The Cowboys expect defensive end Randy Gregory to return to practice on Monday, tweets Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. Reports last week also indicated the Gregory was close to to returning to the field, but the NFL subsequently informed the Cowboys that Gregory would not be allowed to practice. Still appealing a one-year ban, Gregory’s status for Dallas’ Week 16 game Lions is still unclear, but his being allowed to practice is clearly a good first step.
Here’s more from the NFC’s two East divisions:
- Despite Dak Prescott‘s struggles against the Giants in a close loss in Week 14, the Cowboys are insistent that they won’t be turning things over to veteran Tony Romo any time soon, as Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. “You can make it as simple or complex as you want to make it,” head coach Jason Garrett said this week. “It’s pretty simple for us: Dak’s going to play quarterback as we go forward.” Meanwhile, a debate is reportedly raging with the Cowboys organization, as some decision-makers believe Romo should be given live game snaps in order to prepare him if Prescott is injured, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
- Pass rusher Connor Barwin was a better fit in the Eagles‘ 3-4 scheme of years past than the club’s current 4-3 look, opines Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. For his part, Barwin realizes that he hasn’t played up to his contract, and understands that he could be released at season’s end (a move that would save the Eagles $7.75MM in cap space). “He’s too smart for that defense,” an NFL personnel director told McLAne. “That’s a defense for . . . linemen that can just pin their ears back and not think. He’s neither athletic nor strong enough to consistently win battles against the best left tackles.”
- The Patriots are dealing with injuries at wide receiver in the short-term, and while those issues likely played a role in New England claiming Michael Floyd off waivers today, the club is likely looking taking a long-term view in assessing Floyd’s fit with the team, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. While the Pats will pay a relatively high price tag for a three-game regular season audition, that time will allow the team to see how Floyd meshes with the organization, and determine if he could be part of the franchise going forward.
Rams Searching For Offensive-Minded HC
The Rams will begin their hunt for a new head coach on Friday, and the club’s decision-makers prefer to hire a coach with experience on the offensive side of the ball, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. However, Los Angeles isn’t completely against hiring a coach with a defensive background.
[RELATED: Los Angeles Rams Depth Chart]
Following the Rams’ firing of Jeff Fisher, PFR’s Zach Links examined the top potential candidates for the Los Angeles job, and several offensive coaches made the list. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels — who has indicated that he’s interested in pursuing a head coaching position again — is sure to be linked to the vacancy, and fits the club’s criteria given his experience with Tom Brady and the rest of the New England offense. Stanford head coach David Shaw, Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan, Lions OC Jim Bob Cooter, and Redskins OC Sean McVay are among the other possible suitors for the Rams opening that have coached offense.
The Rams’ “wide-ranging” search is expected to begin on Friday, per Florio, while Los Angeles COO Kevin Demoff said earlier this week that the club would like to have a new hire in place by mid-January.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/15/16
Today’s minor moves:
- In order to clear a roster spot after claiming Michael Floyd off waivers, the Patriots waived fellow wide receiver Griff Whalen, the club announced today. Whalen, 26, was signed exactly a week ago, but was not active during Monday night’s game agaisnt Baltimore.
- The Lions announced that they’ve waived cornerback Adairius Barnes in order to create a roster spot for linebacker Corey Lemonier. Barnes had become Detroit’s primary slot CB after the club lost Quandre Diggs for the season, and played 41% of the Lions’ defensive snaps in Week 14.
- The Colts elevated offensive tackle Jeremy Vujnovich to active roster from practice squad, per a club announcement. Indianapolis might be looking for extra offensive line depth as right tackle Joe Reitz continues to deal with back issues. Additionally, the Colts swapped outside linebackers today, promoting Deiontrez Mount while waiving Lavar Edwards.
Cardinals To Extend Zac Dysert Through 2017
After being promoted from the practice squad to the active roster Tuesday, Cardinals quarterback Zac Dysert signed a new contract to remain in Arizona through the 2017 campaign, Dysert told Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link). While there’s no word on the financials of the deal, it likely contains little or no guaranteed money.
[RELATED: Arizona Cardinals Depth Chart]
Dysert, 26, has bounced around the league since entering the NFL as a seventh-round draft choice in 2013, and the Cardinals are the sixth club he’s been with during his four-year career. One team that had previously employed Dysert — the Dolphins — were reportedly interested in signing him off Arizona’s practice squad, forcing the Cardinals to either promote him or lose him, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. For his part, Dysert wasn’t interested in heading back to Miami.
“They already cut me once so I was like, ‘I’m not going to go back there when they already cut me,’ ” Dysert said, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. “Most likely, for me, I would have went there for three weeks or until the season ended and they would have cut me. I’ve been here all year, building relationships with all the coaches, all the guys on the team. I just thought this was the best fit for me.”
Dysert may have had a chance to serve as Miami’s No. 2 quarterback over the conclusion of the regular season (the Dolphins have since signed veteran T.J. Yates), and while he’s now third on the depth chart in Arizona, there’s a chance Dysert could factor into the Cards’ long-term plans, especially as starter Carson Palmer‘s career winds down. Head coach Bruce Arians told Urban that Dysert has a “really good chance to be a good player,” while Palmer was also complimentary.
“He’s picked up the offense extremely quick,” Palmer said. “Very bright, throws it really well. He moves around and looks fluid in the pocket. I think [Arians] is spot-on with that comment, I said the same thing. He’s bounced around a little bit but I think he’s found a good spot here.”
Texans Designate LB Brennan Scarlett To Return From IR
The Texans announced today that rookie linebacker Brennan Scarlett has returned to practice and been designated as the club’s injured reserve/return player. Houston now has three weeks to place Scarlett on the active roster, or else he will remain on IR for the remainder of the season.
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Scarlett, an undrafted free agent out of Stanford, played in five of the Texans’ first six games this year before being placed on IR, posting 29 defensive snaps, 63 special teams snaps, and one tackle during his brief stay on the Houston roster. As John McClain of the Houston Chronicle details, Scarlett was one of the Texans’ best pass rushers during the preseason, and Houston coaches are high on him thanks to his “size and aggressiveness.”
The Texans have a lengthy list of players on injured reserve, but Scarlett’s designation as the club’s return player means they’ll all be staying put on IR for the rest of the year. J.J. Watt, Braxton Miller, Jaelen Strong, Derek Newton, Kevin Johnson, Nick Martin, Devon Still, and others won’t see the field again until 2017.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/15/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Sam Brown
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Bryson Albright, RB Cedric O’Neal
Chicago Bears
- Signed: CB De’Vante Bausby
- Placed On P-Squad IR: TE Justin Perillo
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DL Trevon Coley
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: Kitt O’Brien
Cardinals Notes: Floyd, Mathieu, Arians, Wile
Any chance the Cardinals had at earning a postseason berth was likely destroyed on Sunday when Arizona fell to Miami on a last-second field goal, as FiveThirtyEight now gives the 5-7-1 Cards less than one percent chance of making the playoffs. With most of the focus in the desert turned to the offseason, let’s take a look at the latest out of Arizona…
- The Cardinals are examining the contractual bargaining agreement to determine whether they can internally punish wide receiver Michael Floyd following his DUI arrest, head coach Bruce Arians told Alex Marvez on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Additionally, Arians said it’s possible the Floyd will simply be benched on Sunday against the Saints. Floyd is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, so these recent developments are the worst possible way for Floyd to finish the 2016 campaign.
- Although a recent report indicated that he may need surgery, the Cardinals have their “fingers crossed” that defensive back Tyrann Mathieu can return to practice on Wednesday, according to Arians (Twitter link). Mathieu has been sidelined for four of Arizona’s past five games, and if he undergoes surgery, he’d presumably be shut down for the year. The Cards already placed two other critical defenders — linebacker Deone Bucannon and safety Tyvon Branch — on injured reserve yesterday.
- Speaking to reporters yesterday, Arians was adamant that the Cards would not make any coaching changes after the season, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Arians was specifically referring to special teams coordinator Amos Jones, per Urban, as Arizona has particularly struggled on teams this season. On the year, the Cardinals rank dead last in special teams DVOA, according to Football Outsiders.
- The move to replace Drew Butler with fellow punter Matt Wile would have occurred last week, but Arizona wanted to ensure that Wile was a capable holder on field goal attempts, per Arians (Twitter link).
Bengals’ Marvin Lewis Likely To Return In 2017
The Bengals will almost assuredly miss the postseason for the first time since the 2010 campaign, but head coach Marvin Lewis is still likely to return next year. Lewis said he will once again serve as Cincinnati’s coach in 2017 “if asked,” according to Paul Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer, and the club’s ownership is overwhelmingly likely to welcome him back, per Enquirer scribes Paul Dehner Jr. and Jim Owczarski on today’s Bengals Beat Podcast.
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Cincinnati inked Lewis to a one-year extension this spring, locking him up through 2017. Lewis, who has been coaching the Bengals since 2003, is the second longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, behind Bill Belichick in New England. During his 13+ seasons with the team, Lewis has led Cincinnati to a 115-99-3 regular-season record and has earned a playoff spot seven times. However, the Bengals have yet to win a postseason game under Lewis, going 0-7 in those contests.
Despite the lack of playoff success, the likely return of Lewis shouldn’t come as a surprise, especially given that Cincinnati preaches continuity above all else. Under owner/GM Mike Brown, the Bengals aren’t a team that makes reactionary decisions, and because Lewis exerts a strong influence on personnel decisions, his status as head coach is especially secure.
The Bengals haven’t officially been eliminated from the 2017 postseason, but their odds are extremely slim: FiveThirtyEight gives Cincinnati less than a one percent chance of making its way into the tournament.
Jaguars Interested In Josh McDaniels?
The Jaguars — and more specifically, Jacksonville general manager Dave Caldwell — are thought to have interest in Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, according to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. The Jaguars haven’t definitively signaled that they’ll fire incumbent head coach Gus Bradley, but with Jacksonville sitting at 2-11, the team seems likely to make a change once the season ends.
[RELATED: Jacksonville Jaguars Depth Chart]
McDaniels, of course, has already had one go-round as a head coach, as he led the Broncos from 2009-10. After beginning his Denver tenure with an 6-0 record, McDaniels proceeded to post a 5-17 record from there on out, losing the team amid reports of micromanagement. He was fired midway through the 2010 campaign, then spent a year with the Rams before returning to the Patriots.
Recent reports have indicated that McDaniels is likely to pursue head coaching vacancies this offseason, and McDaniels himself has stated he’d “love” to be a head coach again. However, some observers believe that McDaniels might stick in New England as a “coach-in-waiting” ready to take over when Bill Belichick retires. Either way, the Jaguars figure to have competition if they pursue McDaniels in the coming weeks, as he’s already been mentioned as a candidate for the Rams’ coaching vacancy.
Now 40, McDaniels was linked to the Titans and Dolphins vacancies last offseason, but never officially interviewed for either position.