Lions LB Jon Bostic Out 6-12 Weeks
TUESDAY, 6:25pm: Bostic will be out for 6-12 weeks, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com. That timeline is obviously pretty wide-ranging, but Bostic could be a candidate for injured reserve/designated to return.
MONDAY, 8:00pm: Lions linebacker Jon Bostic had surgery today and will be sidelined indefinitely, head coach Jim Caldwell told reporters, including Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). When asked by Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) to specify what part of the body Bostic had surgery on, Caldwell said: “I’m not going to be clear. He just, he had surgery.”
[RELATED: Offseason In Review — Detroit Lions]
Bostic, a former second-round pick, represented the first deal between Lions general manager Bob Quinn and his former team, as Detroit acquired Bostic from the Patriots in May. The former Florida Gator is no stranger to being traded after a September swap shipped him from the Bears to the Pats. In 2015, he appeared in eleven games (one start) for New England, recording two tackles.
Not long ago, however, Bostic was looked at as a promising youngster. As a rookie with the Bears, Bostic played in all 16 games with nine starts on the year. In total, he notched 57 tackles, two sacks, and an interception in 2013. He followed that up in 2014 with a career high of 83 tackles.
The trade that sent Bostic to Detroit was based around a conditional seventh-round pick, so if Bostic is not able to play during the upcoming season, it’s fair to assume that the Patriots won’t be receiving any compensation. Bostic isn’t a vested veteran, so he’d have to be waived/injured and clear waivers before being placed on injured reserve, as Birkett tweets. The Lions might not want to risk exposing Bostic to waivers, hence their reluctance to place him on IR just yet.
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East Notes: Bills, Lawson, Jets, Eagles, Dawkins
The Bills already lost one of their best defenders earlier today when the league announced a four-game suspension for defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, and now defensive end Manny Lawson may also be absent for a contest, as Tim Graham of the Buffalo News reports (Twitter links) that Lawson is facing a one-game ban as a result of a domestic violence incident. Lawson’s agents, Schwartz & Feinsod, deny that Lawson has ever been involved in any such episode (Twitter link). Lawson can still appeal the suspension, per Graham, but if he loses, he’ll be yet another key Buffalo defensive player that will be sidelined. In addition to Lawson and Dareus, the Bills have now lost Reggie Ragland, Shaq Lawson, and IK Enemkpali for varying amounts of time.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions:
- With suspensions for Karlos Williams, Dareus, and now potentially Lawson, the Bills will now be forced to pay a fine based on the NFL’s remittance policy, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. As explained by Schefter in 2013, the policy forces clubs to pay a portion of the forfeited money that the banned player is missing out on. Buffalo could have to remit 25% of Dareus’ forfeiture (with a max of $200K) and 33% of Lawson’s forfeiture (with a max of $350K).
- Wide receiver Jalin Marshall is among the unheralded players that have played their way on to the Jets‘ roster bubble in recent weeks, Brian Costello of the New York Post writes. An undrafted free agent out of Ohio State, Marshall has been the breakout star of camp. On Thursday night against the Jags, Marshall returned a kick 84 yards and set Gang Green up for a touchdown. At this point, Costello seems to think that Marshall is a virtual lock for the roster, unless something goes wrong. For a full view of the Jets’ depth chart, check out their page on Roster Resource.
- Brian Dawkins is headed back to Philadelphia, as the Eagles have hired the former safety as a football operations executive, according to Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com. Dawkins originally joined the club’s scouting department two weeks ago as part of a fellowship program, and will now be joining the front office in a full-time capacity.
- The Cowboys are working out former Alabama wide receiver Richard Mullaney, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. Mullaney was originally signed earlier this year by the Texans as an undrafted free agent, but was waived last month.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Brock Vereen To Retire
TUESDAY, 4:38pm: This is odd, but Vereen has been reinstated from the retirement list after 24 hours. It’s not clear if Vereen still plans on playing football, but regardless, he has been released by the Pats, Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald tweets.
5:54pm: Former fourth-round pick Brock Vereen will retire after spending only two seasons in the NFL, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). The Patriots have placed Vereen on the reserve/retired list.
Vereen, a safety, was selected by the Bears out of Minnesota in the 2014 draft, and was an immediate contributor, appearing in all 16 games (starting four) while posting 30 tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble. His playing time dwindled during his sophomore campaign, however, and Vereen was eventually waived at the start of the 2015 season.
Vereen, who turns 24 years old on Wednesday, subsequently spent time on the practice squads of Minnesota and New England before signing a futures deal with the Pats earlier this year. According to Howe, Vereen had been having a solid camp with the Patriots, so one has to wonder if there is some underlying cause to this sudden news.
Vereen is the younger brother of Giants running back Shane Vereen.
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Colin Kaerpernick Dealing With “Dead Arm”
49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was held out of Sunday’s preseason game against the Texans as he deals with a “dead arm,” reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). San Francisco hopes that Kaepernick will be healthy enough to participate in Saturday’s contest against the Broncos, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes.
[RELATED: 49ers sign NaVorro Bowman to extension]
“Colin isn’t 100 percent and it wouldn’t have been fair to put him in and judge him in a competition,” head coach Chip Kelly said Sunday night. “…It’s nothing that’s a long-term thing. It’s just a day-to-day thing. He said he feels better as we go, but we’re not going to push him so we can have a proper evaluation.”
Kaepernick, of course, is locked in a battle with Blaine Gabbert for the 49ers’ starting quarterback job, though how open the competition is remains a question. In fact, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweeted last night that Gabbert has been the “landslide favorite” for weeks. However, Gabbert wasn’t overly effective in limited action against Houston, as he completed only four of 10 passes while throwing one touchdown.
If Kaepernick’s injury does turn into a long-term issue, San Francisco could be forced to add another quarterback to its roster. Backup signal-caller Thad Lewis tore his ACL in last night’s contest and is out for the season, meaning the Niners have only two healthy quarterbacks available: Gabbert, and sixth-round rookie Jeff Driskel.
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Bills To Release Leonard Hankerson
7:30pm: In addition to Hankerson, the Bills have released defensive tackle T.J. Barnes and signed defensive linemen Brandon Deaderick and Alameda Ta’amu, reports Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.
6:10pm: The Bills have released veteran wide receiver Leonard Hankerson, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Bills sign DE Kroy Biermann]
Hankerson, 27, first joined the Bills in late December after they claimed him off waivers from the Patriots. The veteran was only active for one game with the Bills, just as he was only active for one game with the Pats. Hankerson then re-signed with Buffalo on a one-year deal in March.
Prior to his forgettable walk through the AFC East in 2015, Hankerson appeared in eight games for Atlanta before being waived, compiling 26 catches for 327 yards and three touchdowns in that span. Hankerson will look for a rebound year in 2016 with an eye on replicating his production from 2012 with Washington when he caught 38 passes for 543 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bills signed Hankerson to a minimum salary benefit deal with no guaranteed money, so they won’t carry any dead money on their 2016 cap.
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Broncos’ Vance Walker Done For Season
The Broncos announced today that an MRI revealed defensive end Vance Walker has suffered a torn ACL and is expected to miss the entirety of the 2016 season.
[RELATED: Safety Shiloh Keo suspended two games]
Walker’s injury is a serious blow for a Denver defense that has already lost some of its star power through the free agent process. After Malik Jackson landed a massive deal with the Jaguars, Walker was expected to start in Jackson’s place, providing the club’s defense with some level of stability following Jackson’s defection. Instead, former Texan Jared Crick, who signed a two-year deal this offseason, and second-round rookie Adam Gotsis, will form a rotation in an attempt to replace Jackson.
In 15 games last season, the 29-year-old Walker posted two sacks in a limited role, but could have expected to see those numbers grow in 2016. Walker signed a two-year, $5MM deal with Denver prior to last season, and has a $2.25MM cap charge for the upcoming season. That figure will stay on the Broncos’ books despite the fact that Walker won’t be providing any production.
If Denver opts to look to the free agent market in order to add a reinforcement, it could show interest in 3-4 defensive ends such as Chris Canty, Stephen Bowen, and Antonio Smith, the latter of whom played for the Broncos last year.
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Minor NFL Transactions: 8/15/16
Today’s minor moves:
- The Buccaneers have signed defensive tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen and waived/injured rookie safety Elijah Shumate, the club announced. Kitchen, who weighs in at 330 pounds, appeared in 40 games for the Browns from 2012-14, but saw action in only two contests last year with the Patriots and Lions.
- The Cardinals announced that they’ve waived/injured safety Durell Eskridge and re-signed safety Tyrequek Zimmerman.
- The Raiders have waived offensive lineman Torian White, per an announcement from the club. Additionally, head coach Jack Del Rio told reporters, including Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link) that tight end Gabe Holmes is likely headed to injured reserve.
- The Seahawks announced that they’ve waived running back Cameron Marshall and signed linebacker Quayshawn Nealy.
- The Colts have claimed guard Donovan Williams off waivers from the Bears and waived punter Michael Palardy, the team announced.
- The Steelers announced that they’ve signed linebacker Jermauria Rasco and waived long snapped Matt Dooley. Pittsburgh also reached an injury settlement with special teams ace Ross Ventrone, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- The Jets cut defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi with a left squad designation, according to Wilson (Twitter link).
- The Panthers announced that they’ve swapped out punters, signing Kasey Redfern while waiving Swayze Waters.
- The Chargers have signed defensive tackle Kamal Johnson, linebacker Zach Hodges, and linebacker James Vaughters, and waived waived cornerback Carrington Byndom.
- The Rams have signed safety Michael Caputo and waived/injured safety Brian Randolph, tweets Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.
- The Packers have waived/injured long snapper Jesse Schmitt and will likely release him with an injury settlement, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).
- The Falcons have claimed guard Jordan Walsh off waivers from the Saints and waived fellow guard Shahbaz Ahmed, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
Seahawks To Sign Tony McDaniel
The Seahawks will reunite with a familiar face, as they’ve agreed to sign defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, according to a tweet from his representatives at DEC Management. McDaniel played for Seattle from 2013-14 before being released last fall, and worked out for the club earlier today, per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com.
[RELATED: Q&A with Seahawks beat writer Bob Condotta]
During his time with the Seahawks, McDaniel was a full-time starter in the middle of the team’s defensive line, starting 29 contests during that stretch. He played on 413 snaps in 2014, posting 17 tackles, but didn’t grade too well according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which ranked McDaniel as a bottom-10 defensive tackle. In Tampa, McDaniel was more a rotational lineman, as he started only three games and played on roughly a quarter of the club’s defensive snaps.
McDaniel, 31, could face an uphill battle to earn playing time, or even a roster, spot with the Seahawks, who have added enviable depth in the middle over the offseason. The club re-signed Ahtyba Rubin, spent a second-round pick on Jarran Reed, and signed Sealver Siliga after he was non-tendered by the Patriots. And with Jordan Hill still around, McDaniel might not be able to play his way onto the roster over the next several weeks.
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Latest On PED Investigation
The four players who have thus far refused to speak with the NFL about their involvement in a PED scandal will be suspended if they do not cooperate by August 26th, a source tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter links: 1, 2, 3, 4). Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, James Harrison, and Mike Neal all face bans if they don’t submit to interviews with the league by next Friday. The suspensions would be for conduct detrimental, according to Pelissero, and separate from any drug-related bans the players may face.
“We cannot accept your unilateral assertion that the cursory, untested statements you have submitted satisfy the players’ obligation,” reads the league’s letter to the players’ union. “Accordingly, the Commissioner has directed that Messrs. Harrison, Matthews, Neal and Peppers be given until Thursday, August 25 to provide interviews.
For those players whose interviews do not take place on or before that date, or who fail meaningfully to participate in or otherwise obstruct the interview, their actions will constitute conduct detrimental and they will be suspended, separate and apart from any possible future determination that they violated the steroid policy. The suspension for each such player will begin on Friday, August 26 and will continue until he has fully participated in an interview with league investigators, after which the Commissioner will determine whether and when the suspension should be lifted.”
The NFL received written statements from the four players in question at the end of last month, and the NFLPA is of the opinion that those affadavits qualify as “cooperation.” The league disagrees, and is still requiring the individuals to partake in in-person interviews at training camp. The league informed the union that it first plans to interview Neal, who spent 2010-15 with the Packers but is currently a free agent. He attributes his unemployment, at least in part, to the documentary that links him, Peppers and Harrison to hormone supplement Delta-2, which is designed to stay ahead of drug tests.
Former Jets/Dolphins tight end Dustin Keller‘s name has also been mentioned in connection with the probe, and the league reportedly wants to interview him, as well. Peyton Manning, meanwhile, had been linked to the investigation, but was recently cleared of all charges.
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Chargers Place Sean Lissemore On IR
The Chargers have lost a reserve defensive lineman for the season, as the club has placed veteran Sean Lissemore on injured reserve, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Receiver Stevie Johnson, whom previous reports had indicated was going to miss the year, was also placed on IR, per Caplan.
[RELATED: Relationship between Chargers, Joey Bosa damaged?]
Lissemore, 28, has been with the Chargers for the past three seasons, appearing in 41 games and starting 13 during that span. IN 2015, Lissemore, who’s also spent time with the Cowboys, appeared in 11 contests and played on roughly a quarter of San Diego’s defensive snaps. The William and Mary alum wasn’t going to start during the upcoming season, especially given that the Chargers invested money and draft capital in Brandon Mebane and Joey Bosa, respectively, but he might have acted as depth along the club’s front.
Of course, there was no guarantee that Lissemore was going to make the squad, and the Bolts may have chosen to release him, clearing his non-guaranteed $1.75MM salary off the books. San Diego won’t have that option now, as Lissemore and his cap charge will spend the year on the Chargers’ salary cap.
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