Week In Review: 10/25/15 – 11/1/15
The headlines from the past week at PFR:
Key News:
- The Giants and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul — injured in a July 4 incident — agreed to new contract, through which JPP can earn a maximum of about $8.7MM. Details of the deal can be found here.
- The Lions made several changes to their offensive coaching staff, most notably firing offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and promoting quarterbacks coach Jim Bob Cooter to take his place.
- Texans running back Arian Foster suffered a torn Achilles, meaning he will miss the remainder of the season.
- The Chiefs plan to retain both head coach Andy Reid and general manager John Dorsey for the 2016 season.
- The NFL’s trade deadline is just two days away, and rumors have surfaced the players like Joe Thomas, Alex Mack, and Joe Staley could be on the move. Check out the latest trade gossip here, here, and here.
Signed:
- Chargers – Joe Mays, LB (link)
- Saints – Jo-Lonn Dunbar, LB (link)
- Seahawks – Bryce Brown, RB (link)
- Texans – T.J. Yates, QB (link)
Released:
- Texans – Ryan Mallett, QB (link)
Injuries:
- Buccaneers – Louis Murphy, WR (IR)
- Dolphins – Cameron Wake, DE (IR)
- Rams – Alec Ogletree, LB (IR-DTR)
Suspended:
Extra Points: Trades, FAs, Texans, Browns
The NFL doesn’t see that level of trade activity that does MLB or the NBA, but there are still a fair number of deals each year. Still, most of the trades (at least, those made in-season) are fairly minor in nature. However, in something of a thought exercise, Greg Garber of ESPN.com takes a look at five potential deals, involving star players such as J.J. Watt, Calvin Johnson, and Joe Thomas. Needless to say, it’s highly unlikely that any of these trades will come to pass, but it’s interesting to entertain, nonetheless. On a related note, I recently examined several AFC candidates to be traded before the November 3 deadline, and I’ll go over the NFC later this weekend.
Here’s a look around the NFL as we close out Friday night:
- In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Field Yates takes an early look at the top 10 free-agents-to-be for 2016, with Broncos pass rusher Von Miller topping his list. Considering Denver locked up Demaryius Thomas to a new contract earlier this year, Miller looks like a very strong bet to get the franchise tag this winter. However, if he signs a long-term deal with the Broncos or another team, Miller could become the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player, says Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (video link).
- The Texans brokered a one-week injury settlement of nearly $19K for tight end Mike McFarland, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle writes. McFarland was removed from injured reserve following a bizarre incident where he was the victim of an extortion plot. Interestingly, Wilson writes that McFarland’s exit is related to that situation. McFarland joined the Texans as a UDFA this season out of South Florida. However, he began his career at USF as a four-star recruit.
- The Browns worked out former Patriots defensive lineman Joe Vellano today, according to Wilson (Twitter link). Vellano, who turned 27 today, appeared in all 16 games for New England back in 2013, but saw action in just five contests last year. Cleveland has a few defensive lineman who are dinged up, but the club is likely just updating its emergency list.
- The Titans will discuss re-adding receiver Rico Richardson to the active roster, reports Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com (Twitter link). Richardson was released and moved to the practice squad on Monday.
Luke Adams and Zach Links contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/30/15
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- In what is becoming a familiar transaction, the Saints have waived receiver T.J. Graham, head coach Sean Payton confirmed to Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com (Twitter link). After being cut from Jets camp at the end of the summer, Graham joined New Orleans on October 20, was waived a week later, re-added to the roster, and has now been cut again. Ross Ventrone and Josh Johnson send their regards.
Breer’s Latest: Lions, Manning, Hardy, Brady
As he does each week, Albert Breer of NFL.com spoke with several executives and scouts around the league, delving into some of the pertinent topics in the NFL heading into Week 8. Let’s dive in…
- The Lions made several changes to their coaching staff this week, including firing their offensive coordinator, but there could be more staff alterations on the horizon, per Breer. Martha Ford, the owner of the club, didn’t play a role in hiring head coach Jim Caldwell, so his status going forward remains unclear. Additionally, if the rest of the coaching staff is terminated after the conclusion of the season, it’s likely that the front office, including GM Martin Mayhew, would be fired as well, adds Breer.
- Peyton Manning is in the middle of the worst season of his career, and some personnel men feel the veteran Broncos quarterback’s play might stagnate even more as the weather gets colder. “I thought it was pretty clear he’s not the same guy, and he’ll probably never be the same guy,” one AFC scout told Breer. “Now, it’s a matter of whether they can function the offense well enough with him. And with that defense, they can,” added the scout, noting the importance of Denver’s run game as an aid to Manning.
- The uproar surrounding Greg Hardy‘s recent behavior is nothing new — as evidenced by his run-ins with the law that caused him to miss nearly all of the 2014 season — and Breer writes that concerns about Hardy’s off-the-field behavior date back to his college days at Ole Miss. Once he entered the league in 2010, Panthers teammates would often have to ensure that Hardy simply made it to practice. As one source noted about the Cowboys defensive end: “You never know what you’re gonna get.”
- Following the NFL’s filing of a brief to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the Tom Brady appeal decision, the court announced that the hearing would take place on February 1 — the Monday of Super Bowl week. The NFLPA, unsurprisingly, finds the decision “alarming” (in the words of union spokesman George Atallah), while the league indicated it would comply with the schedule handed down by the court.
- Noting the gap in appeal between NFL and NCAA head coaching jobs isn’t what it once was, Breer puts together a preliminary list of NFL candidates who might be interested in moving to the college ranks, including the Colts‘ Rob Chudzinski, Bengals OC Hue Jackson, and Bills OC Greg Roman.
Arian Foster Tears Achilles, Out For Year
MONDAY, 2:47pm: Texans head coach Bill O’Brien confirmed today that Foster will be out for the season due to a torn Achilles, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Per Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link), O’Brien and GM Rick Smith are discussing the team’s running back situation, now that Foster will miss the rest of the year.
SUNDAY, 6:55pm: Don’t expect an official announcement tonight, reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. The Texans will wait until Foster’s MRI on Monday to confirm the assumed season-ending injury.
Meanwhile, Florio wonders if Foster may have played his final game with the Texans. The running back is set to make $6.5MM next season (including a $9.3MM cap number, according to OverTheCap.com), so the writer believes the team could ask the veteran to restructure his contract. Otherwise, they may just cut the lifelong Texans star.
4:26pm: Foster has indeed torn his Achilles and his season is over, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
3:40pm: Having already been dominated today by the Dolphins, the Texans are the victims of more bad news, as the club has confirmed that running back Arian Foster has suffered an Achilles injury. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link), doctors do believe that Foster’s Achilles is torn, which would make obviously make it a season-ending injury.
If the diagnosis is correct, it’s an especially devastating injury for Foster, who has been bitten by the injury bug throughout his career. The 29-year-old was sidelined by a groin injury during training camp, and though initial reports suggested he could miss much of the season, Foster worked hard to return after missing just three games. He hadn’t been the same electrifying player that he had once been, but his mere presence on the field gave the Texans a chance.
Now, Houston will likely turn to something of a committee to fill the void left by Foster’s absence. Alfred Blue will probably earn the lion’s share of the work out of the backfield, but Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes will play roles as well. The club may have to hope for more out the quarterback position, a difficult proposition given the play from Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett thus far.
Foster is only signed through the 2016 season, so this latest injury could lead to the Texans having to make a tough decision on the future of their All Pro running back. Foster is set to earn a $6.5MM base salary and a $500K roster bonus; combined with the prorated portion of his roster bonus, Foster would count $9.3MM against Houston’s 2016 cap. The could save $7MM by releasing Foster, so if the team decides his Achilles injury will sap some of his ability, they could decide to move on.
Todd Haley A Candidate For Dolphins HC?
Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley has had success as a head coach before, leading the Chiefs to a 10-6 record and the AFC West title during his second season in Kansas City. Now, due no doubt to his work with Ben Roethlisberger and the rest of the Pittsburgh offense, Haley could ascend to the head coaching ranks once again, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports that Haley has support from Dolphins officials and is expected to receive “ample consideration” for the position.
Per La Canfora, Bill Parcells — known to have the ear of Dolphins owner Stephen Ross — is highly supportive of Haley, who workd under Parcells with both the Jets and the Cowboys. Many of Ross’ recent hires, including football czar Mike Tannenbaum, have come from the Parcells “coaching tree,” as La Canfora notes, so the interest in Haley would not come as a surprise.
Haley, 48, posted a pedestrian 19-26 overall record with the Chiefs, but his success as a offensive play-caller is hard to question. He helped lead the Cardinals to the Super Bowl following the 2008 season, and has molded Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, and others into one of the best offenses in the league. Pittsburgh’s offense has improved each season under Haley, topping out as the second-best unit in 2014, per Football Outsiders’ DVOA.
One obvious impediment to Haley landing in Miami is the presence of interim head coach Dan Campbell, and more specifically, how the Dolphins play for the remainder of the season. The club has won its first two games under Campbell, including a 44-26 drubbing of the Texans today. It’s hard to judge a locker room from the outside, but it’s clear the Miami is playing with a renewed energy. If that continues for the duration of the year, it will be hard for the Dolphins front office to not retain Campbell.
PFR Originals: 10/18/15 – 10/25/15
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past seven days:
- Luke Adams delved into the cap outlook for the 2016 Dolphins, identifying players like Brent Grimes and Cameron Wake as extension candidates, while noting the Ndamukong Suh‘s contract is “begging for a restructure.”
- Now that we’re nearly at the midpoint of the season, injured players — including those on injured reserve/designated to return, the physically unable to perform list, and the non-football injury list — are eligible to begin practicing and potentially return to game action. Luke provided a roundup of all such players, with big names such as Will Beatty, Dennis Pitta, and Leodis McKelvin among them.
- In our Community Tailgate series, we post topics for discussion and encourage readers to chime in with their thoughts in the comments section. This week, Luke asked: which of the undefeated clubs — the Broncos, Bengals, Patriots, Panthers, and Packers — has the strongest outlook going forward?
Week In Review: 10/18/15 – 10/25/15
The headlines from the past week at PFR:
Key News:
- 49ers tight end Vernon Davis is drawing trade interest around the league.
- Gus Bradley is reportedly safe as the Jaguars‘ head coach through the 2016 season.
- The Jaguars and the NFL extended its relationship with London’s Wembley Stadium through the 2020 season.
Signed:
- Bills – Jordan Mills, T (link)
- Saints – Kai Forbath, K (link)
Released:
- Bears – Jeremiah Ratliff, DT (link)
Injuries:
- 49ers – Antoine Bethea, S (IR)
- Lions – Zach Zenner, RB (IR)
- Steelers – Kelvin Beachum, T (IR)
Suspended:
- Jets – Quincy Enuwa, WR (link)
Retired:
- Jermichael Finley, TE (link)
- Brandon Lloyd, WR (link)
Steelers Put Beachum On IR, Sign Stingily
MONDAY, 2:37pm: The Steelers have officially placed Beachum on the injured reserve list, signing tackle Byron Stingily to replace him, the team announced today (via Twitter). Stingily, who was released by the Titans during the team’s cutdown to 53 players in September, worked out for the Colts, Bears, Chargers, and Dolphins in recent weeks before finding a new home in Pittsburgh.
SUNDAY, 4:26pm: The Steelers’ bad injury luck has continued, as head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed to reporters, including Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), that left tackle Kelvin Beachum suffered a torn ACL during today’s win over the Cardinals. Beachum will presumably be placed on injured reserve in the coming days and miss the rest of the season.
As Garafolo notes, the injury is especially devastating for Beachum as he is an impending free agent; he and the Steelers had engaged in contract negotiations earlier this year, but couldn’t come to an agreement. Obviously, hindsight is 20/20, but because Beachum did not end up signing an extension, he will now enter free agency coming off a very serious injury, with his availability for the beginning of the 2016 season up in the air.
Beachum, 26, is a late-round success story, having developed from a seventh-round draft choice into a high-quality starter at left tackle. He became the full-time starter during the 2013 season, and has played exceptionally well, stabilizing the left side of a solid Pittsburgh offensive line. Alejandro Villanueva, a former member of the U.S. Army with little professional experience, entered the game as Beachum’s replacement, but it’s unclear if he’ll be the club’s left tackle going forward.
Beachum is the second key Steelers offensive lineman to suffer a major injury this season, as center Maurkice Pouncey is also expected to miss the rest of the year after undergoing complications while rehabbing his ankle injury. It’s not just Pittsburgh’s offensive line that has fallen victim to injuries, of course, as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has also been out for several weeks with a knee ailment.
Broncos’ Shane Ray To Miss 4-6 Weeks
Having already lost veteran linebacker DeMarcus Ware for a few weeks due to injury, the Broncos’ defense has been dealt another blow, as Josina Anderson of ESPN (Twitter link) reports that a preliminary diagnosis shows that rookie pass-rusher Shane Ray suffered a sprained MCL. Ray will undergo an MRI, but it looks as though he’ll miss four-to-six weeks. Additionally, per Anderson, Denver wants to ensure that Ray didn’t injure his ACL.
Mounting injuries might the only thing that can slow down the Broncos’ defense, which currently ranks first in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric. Ware, as noted, missed today’s contest with a back strain, but he’s expected to return after Denver’s Week 7 bye. If he misses the full six weeks, Ray would be absent for key games against the Packers, Colts, and Patriots, returning in time for an intra-divisional matchup with the Chargers on December 6.
Denver traded up in the draft to select Ray, 22, in the first round out of Missouri earlier this year. He’s been a rotational player to this point, playing about a quarter of the Broncos’ defensive snaps, posting two sacks in the process. Shaquil Barrett, another reserve pass-rusher, will presumably see more playing time as Ray recovers.