Bills Sign Kyle Orton
TUESDAY, 12:52pm: Per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter links), Orton’s deal features a $3MM signing bonus, a $2.5MM base salary for 2014, and a voidable $5.5MM base salary for 2015.
SATURDAY, 2:53pm: The Bills have confirmed the transaction via press release.
FRIDAY, 10:28pm: Graham confirms (Twitter link) that the deal is indeed for one year, with a player option for 2016. The Bills anticipate that Orton will remain in Buffalo for both seasons.
10:24pm: Sources tell Graham (on Twitter) that Orton’s deal is for two years, rather than one. However, he notes that we could be dealing with semantics, as the second year could be an option.
10:05pm: Tim Graham of the Buffalo News tweets that while a deal is not yet signed, the two sides are very close.
9:27pm The Bills have agreed to sign quarterback Kyle Orton to a one-year contract, reports James Walker of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Orton, who flirted with retirement before being released by the Cowboys on July 16, will act as a backup to starter E.J. Manuel. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com noted earlier today that Orton could be an option for the Bills, wh
o had been eying the veteran QB market.
Orton, 31, is a veteran of eight NFL seasons, having entered the league as a Bears fourth-round pick in 2005. While spending time in Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, and Dallas, the former Purdue Boilermaker has started 70 games, completing 58.5% of his passes for over 15,000 yards and 83 touchdowns.
Orton was a starter for most of his career until signing with the Cowboys prior to the 2012 season; during the past two years, he’s started just one game in relief of an injured Tony Romo. It seemed as though Orton’s preference was to secure only a No. 2 job — several teams surely would have offered him a chance at a starting role. His career goals became even murkier when he contemplated retirement earlier this summer, engaging in an odd standoff that ultimately led to Dallas cutting him loose.
The Cowboys were set to pay Orton $3.25MM in base salary for the upcoming season, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Bills at least matched that figure. After releasing Thad Lewis and Jordan Palmer in recent days, Jeff Tuel was the only quarterback remaining behind Manuel on the Bills’ depth chart. Manuel missed six games due to injury in 2013, and was ineffective when he did suit up, so it wouldn’t be surprising for Orton to see some regular season action in Buffalo this season.
NFC Notes: Sam, Van Noy, Gettis, Guion
After being waived by the Rams on Saturday, defensive end Michael Sam wasn’t claimed by another team, meaning he is now a free agent. By our count, nine teams still have at least one practice squad spot open, so Sam might yet find NFL work. It’s just my speculation, but the Bills, Bengals, or Giants, each of whom has a practice squad opening, could be schematic fits for Sam. If Sam wants immediate playing time, however, he could look to latch on with the CFL, where the Montreal Alouettes control his rights. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the team has reached out to Sam, the first openly gay player drafted by the NFL, but has not heard back. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is more blunt, saying (via Twitter) that “there is nothing to…the CFL talk.”
More from the NFC:
- Lions second-round linebacker Kyle Van Noy could miss eight games as he recovers from core muscle surgery, according to Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News. Van Noy, who is now a candidate to be placed on short-term IR, was expected to start at strong side linebacker. Tahir Whitehead is next up on Detroit’s depth chart.
- The Giants’ offensive line was ravaged by both injury (Geoff Schwartz) and retirement (Chris Snee) over the offseason, and it looks like the team is trying to bring in some help. Per Josina Anderson of ESPN (on Twitter), New York will visit with and workout offensive lineman Adam Gettis on Tuesday. Gettis was a fifth-round pick by the Redskins in 2012.
- B.J. Raji was transitioning back to nose tackle before a biceps injury sidelined him for the year, meaning Letroy Guion will take over as the Packers’ primary NT, tweets Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- The Seahawks have utilized a conservative, run-heavy offense during Russell Wilson‘s first two seasons in the NFL, but as Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes, Seattle could let Wilson do more during year three. “He’s in great control of what’s going on,” said head coach Pete Carroll. “Very, very comfortable. He’s playing faster than he has at any time. He understands better what we want. He really can play on the expectations of getting the ball out of his hands quickly and making sure he can control rush in that regard.”
Largest 2014 Cap Hits By Position Group: Defense
Earlier this offseason, our Luke Adams examined the largest 2014 cap hits by position on both offense and defense, scrutinizing the most expensive individual cap charges for next year. The list that follows, while along the same lines, tabulates the largest cap hits by position group. Some overlap in the lists is unavoidable — if a single player has an exorbitant cap charge, it will inevitably raise the team’s cap hit for his position as a whole. After taking a look at positional group spending on offense a few weeks ago, we’ll examine defensive cap figures here.
Looking at both the offensive and defensive lists, 14 of 32 NFL teams appear on neither ranking — each of those franchises can somewhat be placed into one of three buckets. The Bears, Bengals, Broncos, Cardinals, Falcons, Patriots, and Ravens are contending teams whose cap management techniques have been lauded. The Bills, Buccaneers, Jets, Raiders, and Texans are rebuilding squads who aren’t looking to break the bank on one player.
The two clubs that remain, the Colts and Saints, are harder to classify. Each is successful team, to be sure. However, many of Indianapolis’ free agent additions have been criticized, while New Orleans’ cap management approach has been widely denounced. What these lists show, though, is that neither club has overly-invested at any one position. Yes, the Colts have benefited from Andrew Luck‘s rookie contract, and the Saints’ methods might prove unworkable. But perhaps each team is more interested in spreading the wealth and maintaining depth than it seems.
Defensive line:
- Panthers, $37.716MM
- Lions, $37.403MM
- Rams, $35.462MM
Even with starting tackle Star Lotulelei playing on a rookie contract, Carolina still tops this list thanks to Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy‘s combined 2014 cap hit of nearly $30MM. The Panthers have spent their money wisely, though, as the team ranked second in adjusted sack rate and ninth against the run, per Football Outsiders. Ndamukong Suh‘s league-leading cap figure of $22.413MM pushes Detroit to second place. The Rams could top this list sooner than later, as Richard Quinn, Michael Brockers, and Aaron Donald are all under rookie deals for the time being.
Linebacker:
- Packers, $29.346MM
- Steelers, $28.59MM
- Chiefs, $24.785MM
Scheme differentiation plays a part in the linebacker rankings — simply due to the value placed on pass-rushing LBs, teams that employ 3-4 fronts will shoot to the top of this list. In fact, of the 10 teams that spend the most on linebackers, eight use a 3-4 look as their primary defense. Packers Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones, and Julius Peppers all have 2014 cap hit north of $3.5MM. The Steelers are something of an outlier, as their top defensive cap charge is that of Lawrence Timmons, an inside linebacker — his $11.816M cap number is No. 1 among all LBs. Outside rusher Jason Worilds is second among Pittsburgh defenders, as he is playing under the $9.754MM franchise-tag figure. The Chiefs, another 3-4 team, are paying big money to Tamba Hali (second-highest cap number among LBs), and could rise on this list if they extend Justin Houston, who currently counts just under $1.6MM against the cap.
Cornerback:
- Cowboys, $22.048MM
- Packers, $19.704MM
- Browns, $18.473MM
At corner, we come to the first real oddity among positional spending: Despite counting $2MM+ more against the cap than any corner unit in 2014, the Cowboys CBs are anything but impressive — they finished 27th in DVOA against the pass last season, per FO. Brandon Carr and his $12.217 cap figure (first among corners) was highly ineffective in 2013, grading as just the 58th-best CB in the league, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Green Bay has a reputation for penny-pinching, but that really only applies to free agency — as their rank here and on the LB list shows, they’re willing to invest in their own players. Joe Haden‘s cap charge of $12.129MM is second only to Joe Thomas among Browns; first-rounder Justin Gilbert will count just $2.333MM against Cleveland’s 2014 cap.
Safety:
- Seahawks, $16.089MM
- Chiefs, $14.385MM
- Titans, $14.008MM
The Seahawks are led by perhaps the best safety in the league, Earl Thomas, who will count $7.373MM against the cap next year. His backfield mate, Kam Chancellor, has a $5.835MM cap number. Tampa Bay (Dashon Goldson, Mark Barron) is the only other team that has two safeties within its top-10 2014 cap hits. Eric Berry, a benefactor of the old CBA, has the Chiefs’ highest cap charge, barely edging out Hali. The Titans have something of a three-headed monster at S, with Michael Griffin, Bernard Pollard, and George Wilson each seeing snaps in the backfield. Tennessee seems to have invested well, as each member of the triumvirate ranked within the top 25% of safeties last season, per PFF. Griffin has the highest 2014 cap figure at $8MM.
Contract information from Over the Cap was used in the creation of this post.
Minor Moves: Monday
We’ll keep track of today’s minor transactions here, with any updates being added to the top of the post:
- After cutting one linebacker earlier today, the Jets have signed another, adding A.J. Edds, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Edds, 26, was selected in the fourth round of the 2010 draft by the Patriots. To clear a roster spot, New York released cornerback Ellis Lankster.
Earlier Updates:
- The Seahawks have swapped out a pair of receivers by signing Bryan Walters while waiving Phil Bates, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). Walters, 26, had been waived Saturday as Seattle trimmed their roster to 53, but he’s now back with the team.
- The Cowboys officially announced the signing of linebacker Korey Toomer, and in order to clear a roster spot, waived safety Jemea Thomas, tweets Brian McIntyre. Dallas claimed Thomas, a 2014 sixth-round pick, off waivers from New England just five days ago.
- Receiver Kyle Williams was released from the Chiefs’ injured reserve list with an injury settlement, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Williams, whose most notable playing time came with the 49ers, suffered a shoulder injury in Kansas City’s final preseason game.
- The Jets claimed receiver Walter Powell off waivers from the Cardinals, tweets Symmetry Reps, his agency. To make room for Powell, the Jets cut Jeremiah George, per Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).
- The Patriots were awarded safety Don Jones off waivers from the Dolphins, reports Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). Jones was in the news during the offseason after making inflammatory comments about Michael Sam. New England waived guard Chris Barker to clear a roster spot.
- The Raiders have placed linebacker Kaelin Burnett on injured reserve, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN; the 24-year-old Nevada product had been dealing with a knee injury.
- The following players were released from their teams’ respective IR lists with injury settlements, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (series of Twitter links): offensive tackle Matt Patchan (Buccaneers); cornerback Justin Green, defensive tackle Zach Minter, and defensive back Johnny Thomas (Cowboys); linebacker Tim Fugger (Jets); defensive tackle Michael Brooks and linebacker Horace Miller (Seahawks).
AFC Notes: Jones, Carr, Tannehill
The Patriots’ waiver claim of ex-Dolphin safety Don Jones might be more intriguing that it seems, writes Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. New England plays Miami Week 1, leading Reiss to surmise that Bill Belichick is attempting his patented move of bringing in an upcoming opponent’s castoff in order to glean inside information. Rules prevent practice squad players from signing with his ex-team’s next opponent, but per my reading of the CBA, there is no such restriction on waiver claims. Therefore, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald argues, the Dolphins essentially enabled Belichick’s strategy by cutting a competent player the week before they play the Pats. Salguero believes Miami should claim offensive lineman Chris Barker (who New England waived to facilitate Jones’ addition) as retaliation of sorts, though I’m not sure engaging in back-end roster shuffling with Belichick is the best of ideas.
More from the AFC:
- In a separate piece, Reiss reports the Patriots worked out long-snapper Kevin McDermott earlier today. New England cut incumbent LS Danny Aiken on Saturday, leaving linebacker Rob Ninkovich as the the top snapping option on the 53-man roster.
- Following the news that rookie Derek Carr will be the Raiders’ starting quarterback (in lieu of Matt Schaub), Ian Rapoport of NFL.com opines that Schaub’s injury “[gave] the Raiders cover” for doing what they always wanted to do — name Carr the starter (Twitter link via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com).
- Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune agrees with Rapoport, observing (on Twitter) that it will be difficult for the Raiders to sell the QB switch as “anything but performance-based” given that Schaub has returned to practice (and is presumably somewhat healthy).
- More on the Raiders: Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap notes (via Twitter) that Oakland has spent a first-, second-, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-round pick on quarterback trades since 2012. Those QBs — Jason Campbell, Carson Palmer, Matt Flynn, and Schaub — will have started 45 combined games if Carr doesn’t relinquish the No. 1 role, tweets Fitzgerald.
- Alex Smith‘s contract extension with the Chiefs may have set the bar for the upper-middle-class of quarterbacks, and James Walker of ESPN.com wonders if Smith’s deal will affect future negotiations between Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins.
Raiders Name Derek Carr Starting QB
8:02pm: Allen confirmed to reporters, including Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (on Twitter), that Carr will be the Raiders’ starter, noting that it’s not a week-to-week proposition — Schaub is the clear No. 2.
5:14pm: After the Raiders acquired Matt Schaub from the Texans over the offseason, it was widely assumed the veteran would be the team’s starting signal-caller come Week 1. However, just six days before Oakland’s opener against the Jets, the team has made a depth chart alteration, as Jay Glazer of Fox Sports 1 reports (Twitter link) that rookie Derek Carr will start at QB against New York.
Schaub had been dealing with an elbow injury throughout the preseason, but head coach Dennis Allen contended that the ailment was not serious. However, Schaub’s absence allowed Carr, the 36th overall selection in May’s draft, to take the quarterback reins during Oakland’s exhibition games. The Fresno State product ran with the starting role, completing 67% of his passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns. Admittedly, Carr’s success came mostly against backups, but the numbers are still impressive for a player who was considered something of a project coming out of college.
Glazer’s report indicates that Carr will be the starter going forward, rather than just a temporary replacement until Schaub is healthy. Carr will be the only rookie QB to start for his team in Week 1, as the Jaguars, Browns, and Vikings opted against starting Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater, respectively. For his part, Schaub will earn $8MM while acting as the No. 2 quarterback — another $3MM is available to him via incentives, but they are likely unreachable unless he re-takes the starting job at some point.
Josh Gordon To Decide On Lawsuit This Week
After his one-year suspension was upheld last week, Browns receiver Josh Gordon was reportedly exploring his legal options, with a lawsuit against the NFL perhaps his best recourse. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Gordon and his legal team will decide “in the next day or two” whether to press ahead with courtroom action.
As Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports detailed last week, Gordon would likely seek an injuction, similar to the one that stymied drug-related suspensions for Kevin Williams and Pat Williams in 2008, that would allow him to return to the field immediately, and continue playing until the case is resolved. Per Florio, this will be a difficult task, as a court would need proof that Gordon was likely to eventually win the case.
It’s doubtful such a lawsuit would be successful, writes Florio, unless a court finds an obscure Ohio law that contradicts the NFL’s drug program. While noting that Gordon doesn’t have much to lose by at least attempting to sue, Florio writes that Gordon should be wary of upsetting the league, as the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell have the discretion to allow the receiver to return from his ban before one calendar year expires. Making headlines by facing the league in court might not be the optimal manner by which to endear oneself to NFL management.
Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC North
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Chicago Bears:
- Waived (officially announced): Brandon Hartson, LS
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced via Twitter): Taylor Boggs, C; Ryan Groy, G; DeDe Lattimore, LB; Al Louis-Jean, CB; Rashad Ross, KR; Josh Bellamy, WR; Brandon Dunn, DT; Isaiah Frey, CB; Terrance Mitchell, CB; Roy Philon, DT; Rashad Ross, WR
Detroit Lions:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Rodney Austin, G; Emil Igwenagu, FB; Nate Ness, S; Andrew Peacock, WR; Xavier Proctor, DT; Mohammed Seisay, CB; Julian Stanford, LB; Jordan Thompson, TE; Michael Williams, OT; George Winn, RB
Green Bay Packers:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Chris Banjo, S; Kevin Dorsey, WR; Garth Gerhart, C; Alex Gillett, WR; Michael Hill, RB; Adrian Hubbard, LB; Justin Perillo, TE; Luther Robinson, DE; Jeremy Vujnovich, T, Myles White, WR
Minnesota Vikings:
- Claimed off waivers: MarQueis Gray, TE (via Tom Pelissero on Twitter); Mike Harris, OT (via Pelissero on Twitter)
- Cut: Larry Dean, LB (via Darren Wolfson on Twitter); Austin Wentworth, G (via Wolfson on Twitter)
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Joe Banyard, RB; Kain Coulter, WR; Isame Faciane, DT; Chase Ford, TE; Donte Foster, WR; Kendall James, CB; Zac Kerin, C; Mike Remmers, OL; Justin Trattou, DT
Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC East
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC East teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Dallas Cowboys:
- Signed to 53-man roster (officially announced): Korey Toomer, LB (via Ian Rapoport on Twitter)
- Claimed off waivers: Donald Hawkins, G (via Todd Archer on Twitter)
- Cut: John Wetzel, OT (via Archer on Twitter); Ahmad Dixon, S (via Charean Williams)
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Micah Pellerin, CB (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter); Ryan Williams, RB (via Archer on Twitter); Tim Benford, WR; Kenneth Boatright, DE; Ronald Patrick, C; Keith Smith, LB; Will Smith, LB.
New York Giants:
- Signed to practice squad (officially annoucned):Nick Becton, OT; Michael Cox, RB; Chandler Fenner, CB; Dan Fox, LB; Bennett Jackson, CB; Jordan Stanton, DE; Julian Talley, WR. The team has also added offensive lineman Mark Asper, reports Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (via Twitter), though the team has yet to officially announce the signing.
Philadelphia Eagles:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Emmanuel Acho, LB; Josh Andrews, OL; Kevin Graf, OT; Wade Keliikipi, DT; Will Murphy, WR; Quron Pratt, WR; Ed Reynolds, S; Matthew Tucker, RB. The team has also signed wide receiver Teddy Williams, reports Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter), though the team has not officially announced the signing.
Washington Redskins:
- Claimed off waivers (officially announced): Duke Ihenacho, S
- Cut (officially announced): Akeem Davis, S
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Ted Bolser, TE; Richard Crawford, CB; Chase Minnifield, CB; Tevita Stevens, OL; Phillip Thomas, S ; Robert Thomas, DT; Chris Thompson, RB; Nick Williams, WR
Sunday Transactions: NFC West
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC West teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Arizona Cardinals:
- Claimed off waivers (officially announced): Thomas Keiser, LB
- Cut (officially announced): Walter Powell, WR
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Jonathan Brown, LB; Brittan Golden, WR; Andre Hardy, TE; Jimmy Legree, CB; Kelvin Palmer, T; Anthony Steen, C/G; Anthony Gaitor (via Jenna Laine on Twitter)
San Francisco 49ers:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Carter Bykowski, OT; Asante Cleveland, TE; John Fullington, OT (via Eric Branch on Twitter); Lance Lewis, WR; Lawrence Okoye, DE; Mike Purcell, DT; Shayne Skov, LB; Chase Thomas, LB
Seattle Seahawks:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Jimmy Staten, DT (Staten on Twitter), RaShaun Allen, TE; Demitrius Bronson, RB; B.J. Daniels, QB; Nate Isles, OT; Chris Matthews, WR; Terrance Parks, S; Steven Terrell, S.
St. Louis Rams:
- Signed to practice squad: Matt Conrath, DT (via Jim Thomas on Twitter); Sean Hooey, OT (via Jim Thomas on Twitter); Justin Veltung, WR (via Thomas on Twitter); Brandon Washington, G (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter); Kevin Reddick, LB (via Doug Kyed on Twitter); Matt Daniels, S (via Thomas on Twitter)