Seahawks Release Terrelle Pryor
The Seahawks have released quarterback Terrelle Pryor, according to Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Technically, Pryor will be waived, as he has accrued less than four NFL seasons. Seattle acquired Pryor from the Raiders earlier this offseason, but the 25-year-old ended up lasting just over four months on the Seahawks’ roster.
Pryor appeared in 11 games in 2013 for the Raiders, starting nine of them, but was underwhelming in those contests. Overall, he completed 156 of 272 pass attempts (57.4%) for 1,798 yards, seven touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He did add some value with his legs, racking up 576 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 93-yard score.
In Seattle, Pryor was expected to act as the third quarterback, or perhaps even challenge backup Tarvaris Jackson for the No. 2 role behind starter Russell Wilson. He struggled during the preseason, however, completing just 54% of his passes to go along with one touchdown and two interceptions. In addition to Wilson and Jackson, the Seahawks still have quarterback B.J. Daniels on the roster, but I’d be surprised if the team kept three QBs.
The Rams could be one team interested in acquiring Pryor, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Following Sam Bradford‘s season-ending ACL injury, St. Louis has little in the way of depth behind new starter Shaun Hill. The Rams could look to either place a claim on Pryor, or hope he passes through waivers and offer him a free agent deal.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Bucs Meeting With Richie Incognito, Could Sign Him
10:00pm: Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network tweets that the meeting between Incognito and the Buccaneers has concluded. Both sides said the meeting went well, but nothing is imminent at this time. Darlington noted in an earlier tweet that, since Incognito has been cleared to resume football activities, it would not be surprising if other teams make a bid for his services.
2:24pm: Smith cautions not to get too excited about a simple visit, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). “I think we’re jumping the gun a little,” said Smith. “We look at everyone available. Nothing more than that.”
2:15pm: Incognito probably won’t sign a deal with Tampa Bay today, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who notes that Incognito’s visit is scheduled for later tonight, making it tough to get a contract in order before the day is through.
10:33am: The Buccaneers are visiting with free agent offensive guard Richie Incognito, and if all goes well, could sign him to a contract, tweets Jay Glazer of Fox Sports 1. Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network adds (via Twitter) than Incgonito has not been fully reinstated by the NFL as of yet. Indeed, Incognito could still be subject to a suspension in 2014, though Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes that the union would likely fight any such ban.
Incognito, 31, was suspended indefinitely last year following his involvement in the Jonathan Martin bullying scandal. Interest in Incognito has been scant, though he had told Josh Peter of USA Today that his agent had received “a few nibbles” from inquiring teams. When the subject of Incognito was raised several weeks ago, Bucs head coach Lovie Smith didn’t rule out bringing in the veteran guard.
Despite his off-the-field concerns, Incognito is certainly a talented player. Incognito has started 102 games over the course of his career, spending time at both guard spots (though he has played only left guard in recent seasons). Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required) only goes back to 2007, but the site’s advanced metrics have positively graded each of Incognito’s seasons. For most of his career, PFF’s statistics indicated that Incognito was a better run-blocker than pass-protector, but since 2012, those data points have flipped. Regardless, Incognito is unquestionably a top-30 guard, and topped out as the 16th-best guard in the league in 2010.
I posited Tampa Bay as a potential destination for Incognito in my free agent stock evaluation of him a few weeks ago, as the Bucs are thin up front after they agreed to part ways with veteran G Carl Nicks earlier this month. Currently, Tampa’s starters at guard are Oniel Cousins and Jamon Meredith, with Kadeem Edwards and Patrick Omameh acting as backups.
Brandon Meriweather Suspended Two Games
The NFL has suspended Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather for the first two games of the 2014 for repeatedly violating player safety rules, according to Randall Liu, the director of NFC football communications (via Twitter). Per Liu, this is Meriweather’s sixth violation of the safety policy; the latest offense was a hit on Ravens receiver Torrey Smith, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. According to NFL Executive VP of Football Operations Troy Vincent, Meriweather “made no attempt to make a conventional tackle” on Smith (Twitter link via Zac Boyer of the Washington Times).
Meriweather has the right to appeal, but if he fails, he will miss Washington’s games against the Texans and Jaguars. According to Brian McIntryre (Twitter link), the ban will cost Meriweather 2/17 of his $855K base salary, which amounts to a little over $100K. Boyer tweets that Meriweather will not be allowed to have any contact with the Redskins from September 1 to September 15.
AFC East Notes: Patterson, Bills, Pats
Let’s look at the latest from the AFC East:
- Dimitri Patterson‘s decision to skip the Jets’ Friday night preseason game was fueled by his displeasure at his place on the cornerback depth chart, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. New York suspended Patterson indefinitely this afternoon.
- Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio today (Twitter link), former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly said he didn’t care which bidder ultimately purchases the franchise, as long as they intend to keep the team in Buffalo. Kelly reportedly turned down an opportunity to join Jon Bon Jovi’s Toronto group in a bid for the Bills.
- Jimmy Garoppolo will start at quarterback for the Patriots in Thursday’s preseason finale, but according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (on Twitter) New England still hasn’t decided whether he or Ryan Mallett will be the No. 2 quarterback when the regular season arrives.
- With Mallett reportedly on the trade block, Tom Carpenter of ESPN Insider (subscription required) takes a look at some possible destinations for the Patriots backup QB.
- With regards to dealing Mallett, however, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) that the Patriots won’t trade him until they are certain Garoppolo is ready to flourish as Tom Brady‘s primary backup.
- Rapoport has more on the Patriots, tweeting that Tommy Kelly and/or Will Smith, both of whom were released yesterday, could re-sign with New England after Week 1, at which point neither’s salary would be guaranteed. Rapoport passed along this thought before news of Kelly’s visit with the Cardinals broke.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Bengals Cut Five Players
The Bengals have cut five players in advance of the 75-man roster limit, the team announced on Twitter. The following players were waived:
- Larry Black, DT
- Isaiah Lewis, LS
- Quinn Sharp, K
- Ryan Whalen, WR
CB R.J. Stanford had his contract terminated, meaning he is a free agent immediately. Cincinnati’s roster now stands at 81 — it needs to make six more cuts before 3pm tomorrow.
Cardinals To Meet With Tommy Kelly
The Cardinals will bring in veteran defensive lineman Tommy Kelly for a visit tonight and/or tomorrow, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). Kelly was released by the Patriots yesterday.
Kelly, 33, joined the Patriots on a two-year deal prior to last season after spending the prior nine years in Oakland. He tore his ACL in Week 8, and spent the remainder of the season on IR. In 134 career games (122 starts), Kelly has racked 301 tackles and 37 sacks. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has graded Kelly as relatively average over the past few years, noting that he is much better pash-rusher than run-defender.
At 6″6″, 300 pounds, and capable of playing both end and tackle, Kelly should add some versatility to a Cardinals 3-4 scheme that recently lost Darnell Dockett for the year. After Brett Keisel turned down Arizona’s offer, the Cardinals ended up signing fellow veteran lineman Isaac Sopoaga to a deal. Pairing Kelly with Sopoaga would, at least in part, help alleviate the loss of Dockett.
Rams Trim Roster To 79
The Rams have lowered their roster count to 79, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The following players have been released:
- Jarrid Bryant, CB
- Bobby Cowan, P
- R.J. Dill, OT
- Jordan Harris, WR
- Jorgen Hus, LS
- Kadeem Jones, FB
- Johnny Millard, LB
- T.J. Moe, WR
- D.J. Morrell, OT
Additionally, linebacker Pat Schiller was waived-injured. The Rams will need to make four more cuts by 3pm tomorrow.
Chargers Waive 11 Players
The Chargers have waived 11 players, the team announced a press release. San Diego must get rid of four more players by 3pm tomorrow in order to be within the 75-man roster limit.
- Nick Becton, T
- Zach Boren, FB
- Jake Byrne, TE
- Brelan Chancellor, WR
- Adrian Hamilton, LB
- Micah Hatfield, WR
- Darryl Johnson, G
- Ryan Otten, TE
- Lowell Rose, DB
- Chase Tenpenny, P
- Kerwynn Williams, RB
Reaction To Sam Bradford’s Season-Ending Injury
The Rams confirmed yesterday that quarterback Sam Bradford had re-torn his ACL, an injury that will end his season before it begins. It’s a tragic turn for the young QB, and it will force St. Louis to answer many questions in the coming weeks and months. Is Shaun Hill capable of leading a team? Are there better alternatives available? And will Bradford’s contract prevent him from staying with the Rams in 2015? Let’s look at some reactions to the news from around the league:
- While Jeff Fisher and the rest of the Rams’ staff will meet to discuss quarterback options available through free agency and trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported (Twitter link) they hadn’t done so as of yesterday afternoon.
- Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that St. Louis might simply be content with Hill, it feels it’s a defensive-oriented team with a strong running game. In fact, the “team believes it has more talent around the QB than [it has] in years.”
- Despite reports that there is “no chance” the Eagles trade Mark Sanchez, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that the Rams do want to acquire him, but accept that such move is a longshot. Cole continues, saying that the Rams are also considering Ryan Mallett.
- Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald thinks (on Twitter) that the Rams should call the Dolphins about Matt Moore‘s availability.
- Field Yates of ESPN Insider (subscription required) examines the Rams’ options both this year (possible trades for Kirk Cousins or Mike Glennon) and beyond (sticking with Bradford versus drafting a quarterback in 2015).
- Regarding Cousins, a source tells Mike Jones and Liz Clarke of the Washington Post that the Redskins are wary of trading Cousins while Robert Griffin III continues to struggle with Jay Gruden’s offense.
- Because the Rams can save almost $13MM against the cap in 2015 by releasing Bradford, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap writes that it’s impossible to conceive him sticking on the Rams after this season.
- Bill Barnwell of Grantland agrees, writing that it would be a massive mistake for the Rams to keep Bradford around for next season.
- St. Louis might have trouble trading for a quarterback (specifically, a QB’s salary) as they rank last in the NFL with just $1.678MM in cap space, per Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Corry points (on Twitter) to Chris Long and James Laurinaitis as candidates to have their contracts restructured in an effort to free up cap room.
Jaguars Cut 14 Players
2:26pm: The Jags have also waived WR Lamaar Thomas and RB Terrance Cobb, bringing their roster count to 76, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
MONDAY, 9:08am: The Jaguars have also waived/injured CB Deion Belue, per O’Halloran (on Twitter). Jacksonville’s roster count now sits at 78.
SUNDAY, 3:21PM: In anticipation of roster cutdowns, the Jaguars waived 11 players, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union:
- Josh Hull, LB
- David Carter, DT (injured)
- Charley Hughlett, LS
- Patrick Lewis, C
- Antoine Caldwell, C
- Mike Harris, CB
- Kenny Shaw, WR
- Ramses Barden, WR
- Joe Young, S
- Harvey Unga, FB
- Allen Bradford, LB
Harris, a former seventh-rounder, started seven games over the past two years. As O’Halloran writes, just five of former general manager Gene Smith’s 26 draft picks still remain on the roster after this most recent purge. Jacksonville still needs to make four more cuts before Tuesday’s deadline.