Minor NFL Transactions: 1/15/18
Here are today’s NFL minor moves:
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: TE Kyle Carter
NFL Future/Reserve Contracts: 1/15/18
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Cleveland Browns
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
- S Jordan Dangerfield
- LB Matt Galambos
- LB Farrington Huguenin
- TE Jake McGee
- CB Dashaun Phillips
Tennessee Titans
- CB Jeremy Boykins
- WR Darius Jennings
- S Denzel Johnson
- OL Tyler Marz
- DE Johnny Maxey
- WR Zach Pascal
- TE Tim Semisch
- DE Julius Warmsley
- OL Cody Wichmann
- DL Antwaun Woods
Martavis Bryant Wants To Return To Steelers
In a turn from a few months ago, it appears as if Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant wants to return to his team in 2018. Coming off a stunning defeat at the hands of the Jaguars in the AFC Divisional round, the 26-year-old expressed that he has now moved away from trade demand that he made back in October, reports Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The former 2014 fourth round pick should’ve been eligible for free agency this offseason, but he’ll remain under contract for one more year after he sat out the entire 2016 season due to suspension. Bryant’s desire to be moved before the trade deadline stemmed from rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s increased role in the offense. However, Bryant expressed doubt that he would want to leave the only team he’s ever known because of the track record that Pittsburgh has for winning.
“What’s changed from mid season? For one, Bryant acknowledges it would be hard to start over and wants to win a Super Bowl here,” tweeted Fowler.
The change of heart should be refreshing for an organization that is about to undertake a rough contract negotiation with free agent running back Le’Veon Bell. But with Ben Roethlisberger saying he’ll return in 2018, the Steelers need all the weapons they can get if they hope to bounce back in the playoffs a year from now. Aside from Bell, Mike Tomlin‘s offense is set to return every starter from this past season.
Bryant was inconsistent for most of this season, catching 50 balls for just over 600 yards and three scores. All of which marked the lowest totals in his three seasons in the NFL.
Titans To Interview Rams OC Matt LaFleur
The Titans have another interview lined up for their vacant head coaching gig. The team will speak with current Rams offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, reports Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The interview is scheduled to take place on Thursday, adds Albert Breer of Sports Illustarted (Twitter link).
We learned earlier today that the Titans would have to start looking for a new head coach after the organization and Mike Mularkey agreed to part ways after the team’s blowout loss to the Patriots this past weekend.
Part of the split reportedly stemmed from Mularkey’s inability to get the most out of third-year quarterback Marcus Mariota. The decision to interview LaFleur certainly is a move to pivoting to a different brand of football moving forward.
The 38-year-old offensive coordinator was worked his way to his current position as a quarterbacks coach with both the Redskins and Falcons. LaFleur worked directly with Matt Ryan during his 2016 MVP campaign. LaFleur than brought much success to a breakout 2017 Rams offense.
While he did not call plays with head coach Sean McVay on the sidelines, LaFleur clearly had a big role in helping second-year quarterback Jared Goff bounce back from a rough rookie season with Jeff Fisher. The Titans might be hoping LaFleur can work some of his magic with Mariota and they’ll get a chance to see the young coach’s plans for him and the franchise face-to-face in short order.
LaFleur is the first offensive coach that the team is scheduled to speak with after news broke that defensive coordinators Steve Wilks and Mike Vrabel would get a chance to interview for the position. Although, there was hope that Josh McDaniels would prefer Tennessee to Indianapolis, even though that doesn’t appear to be the case at the moment.
Clemson DL Christian Wilkins Staying In School
With so many NFL draft declarations over the past few weeks, one of college football’s premier defensive lineman has gone against the grain and has decided to stay for his senior season. Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins has opted to try for another College Football Playoff Championship, the team announced on Twitter.
While the news is at least somewhat surprising considering that Wilkins was thought of by many as a sure bet to be selected in the first round, the motivation of getting beaten by Alabama has clearly fueled most of the team’s draft eligible players decisions to try and avenge that loss in 2018.
Wilkins was ranked as the number one defensive line prospect by Matt Miller of Bleacher Report before this decision became official. He also is coming off an outstanding junior season that saw the dominant defender rack up five sacks and help lead one of the defensive units in the country.
Wilkins’ decision to return to school pushes the likes of Michigan’s Maurice Hurst and Washington’s Vita Vea as the best interior defenders in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Seahawks Hire Ken Norton Jr. As DC
The Seahawks have made another coaching change, but this time on the defensive side of the ball. The team has parted ways with current defensive coordinator Kris Richard in favor of bringing in the recently hired 49ers linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. to lead their defense next season, reports Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (Twitter link).
It’s an odd turn of events because Richard had not been officially relieved of duties as of today, although there had been rumblings that the Seahawks were ready to move on from their once highly-touted defensive coordinator. Richard had been with Seattle since 2010, where he’s worked with the defense in a variety of roles. However, the 38-year-old coach had served as defensive coordinator for the past three years.
To add onto the twist, Norton Jr. comes over from San Francisco where he just agreed to become an assistant head coach/linebacker coach for Kyle Shanahan. Although, the move is reportedly in-play because there is an out in his deal that allows him to take this gig in Seattle, Garafolo adds. It’s an odd decision in a sense because Norton Jr. was fired as the Raiders defensive coordinator this past year because of the clear struggles that his defense had throughout the early portion of the season. In his favor, Norton Jr. does have familiarity with the Seahawks organization as he was the team’s linebackers coach from 2010-14.
The news does put Richard in limbo in terms of where he lands next season. He has clear credentials in the NFL community as he did land a head coach interview with the Colts last week, but being that Indy is expected to hire Josh McDaniels, Richard’s options seem somewhat limited. There’s currently no open defensive coordinator positions available, but a few should open up as new head coaches are officially brought in.
Coming off a year without a postseason appearance, head coach Pete Carroll has been aggressive in re-shaping his staff. They have already hired Brian Schottenheimer to replace Darrell Bevell as offensive coordinator, so this move represents another decision to move away from the status quo that failed the franchise in 2017.
Steelers Agree With Grimble, Canaday On Extensions
A day after the Steelers were shockingly bounced from the playoffs, the team has already begun shaping their 2018 roster. The team announced this afternoon that they have signed backup tight end Xavier Grimble and long snapper Kameron Canady to one-year contract extensions.
Grimble, 25, played in his second season in the NFL this past year. The tight end had a minimal role on the offense, catching just five passes for 32 yards and a touchdown this past year. He’s firmly behind fellow tight ends Jesse James and Vance McDonald on the Steelers’ depth chart entering the offseason.
Canaday, 24, signed with Pittsburgh last February, but was released in May after the team drafted another long snapper this past April. However, the Canaday was ultimately brought back for training camp and went onto win the job in the preseason, going on to play in all of the Steelers games in 2017.
AFC Notes: Raiders, Broncos, Dolphins
Now that newly-hired Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has begun filling out his staff, a lot of his work will now shift to the personnel side of the franchise. Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Journal-Review previewed many of the decisions that Gruden and the front office will have to work through this offseason.
Gehlken starts by stating that the team is likely to move on from number one wide receiver Michael Crabtree and cornerback Sean Smith. Releasing both players would save money and allow the team to continue to get younger at both positions.
However, a more difficult decision may lie with soon-to-be 32-year-old running back Marshawn Lynch. His salary will jump from $1.35MM to $4MM in 2018. On March 18, he will receive a $1MM roster bonus if he is still on the roster. Lynch’s season was rather inconsistent and running backs that play into their 30’s don’t have the best track record, but it would still be difficult to move on from a talent like Lynch.
“You know, I’ve never met Marshawn Lynch,” Gruden said. “Even as a broadcaster, I asked for Marshawn Lynch in production meetings and I never got to meet him. So I’m anxious to sit down with Marshawn and meet him. We’ll talk about his future and the Raiders. I can’t wait. He came back to the Raiders for similar, I think, reasons that I did.”
In recent seasons, the Raiders have used free agency as a primary source of getting key players, and while the defense has been arguably the main area of concern, Gehlken passes along that Gruden is also is looking to bring new ideas to the offensive side of the ball.
“We are going to have to look at our roster carefully and see, do we have a fullback? Who is the feature back? Who are the receivers?” Gruden said Tuesday. “A lot of things have to be determined, and I think you have to have an offense that is adaptable, that is versatile and can adjust to a number of certain areas. That is what we need to do. Get through today, lock the doors and get to work.”
Here’s more stories from around the AFC:
- In news from another AFC West club, the Broncos recently inked former head coach Gary Kubiak to a larger front office role. However, Kubiak could still draw interest from teams looking for a new offensive coordinator, speculates Mike Klis of 9News. Though Klis mostly shuts down that notion because the former Super Bowl winning coach is currently under contract for one more year in Denver, which would force a prospective team to pay up a draft pick in order to pry him away.
- The Broncos also have a decision to make regarding star wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. The 30-year-old pass catcher has two years remaining on his current deal should his $4MM option for next season be picked up before the first day of the 2018 league year, reports Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post (Twitter link). However, if the Broncos do decline the option, the final two years would voided and he would become a free agent this offseason. This would also result in $3.1MM of dead money. His salary figures for the next two years are $12.03MM and $17.5MM, respectively. The Broncos need to get younger at the wide receiver position and could be served well letting Thomas walk as he enters the wrong side of his 30’s.
- The Dolphins offensive line could undergo somewhat of a makeover this offseason and one part of that could come from one of their veterans switching positions. Ted Larsen played in the team’s final eight games at left guard after missing the first half of the season with an injury. However, the 30-year-old would like to switch to right guard in 2018, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Larsen told Jackson “That’s my preference, I played there since 2014.” Jackson notes that fellow starting guard Jesse Davis has shown no reservations about changing roles, so it’s a real possibility that Larsen could have his wish granted in training camp. Although, the writer did add that the team will likely bring in some competition through the draft or free agency. Miami is also not likely to hold onto right tackle Ja’Wuan James for his $9MM 2018 salary figure. Veteran tackle Jermon Bushrod was injured at the end of the year and will be a free agent this offseason as well. This could open up a spot for a prospective high round draft pick with the Dolphins currently holding the 11th overall selection.
Bills Won’t Hire Mike McCoy As OC
Since learning that the Bills will be moving on from Rick Dennison as the team’s offensive coordinator, former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy had surfaced as a potential candidate to fill his shoes in 2018. However, McCoy will not be hired by Buffalo for the role, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).
McCoy was once a hot NFL coaching candidate for his work with Denver as their offensive coordinator back in 2010-2012. The 45-year-old coach fell out of favor with the Chargers after another down year in 2016, which gave way for new head coach Anthony Lynn to be hired this past offseason. McCoy caught on this past year in his second stint as the Broncos offensive coordinator, but was let go during the season after the offense struggled with a rotation of quarterbacks.
With McCoy out of the picture, the only other candidate that has been mentioned thus far for the newly open position is current Colts offensive coordinator Rod Chudzinski. Chudzinski will likely be moving on from Indianapolis with the team actively looking for a new head coach. More names will certainly surface as the Bills begin their search for the new leader of their offense. Buffalo is just one of three teams that have a vacancy at the offensive coordinator post at the moment. Make sure to stay up-to-date with all coordinator news with our 2018 Coordinator Tracker.
Patriots Don’t Activate Malcolm Mitchell For Divisional Round
While the Patriots have been without second-year wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell for the entire season, the 2016 fourth round pick has been inching closer to a return in recent weeks. However, the team chose not to activate him for this weekend’s playoff matchup vs. the Titans, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.
Mitchell, 25, had a productive rookie campaign, collecting 32 catches for 401 yards and four touchdowns. He was set to become even more impactful for this past regular season, but was forced to the injured reserve during the preseason because of a nagging knee injury.
Since Mitchell returned to practice on December 27, that means he has until next week for the team to make a decision on his availability should they move onto the AFC Championship next Sunday. The team can place him on the active roster as a player designated to return from injured reserve.
Even without Mitchell, the Patriots are now mostly healthy in terms of playmakers entering Saturday’s contest. While the team is missing Mitchell and Julian Edelman, Tom Brady will have the likes of Brandin Cooks, Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola, Kenny Britt, Dwayne Allen and Chris Hogan, who will be returning from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for seven of the team’s final eight games.