Bills Activate Colt Anderson From IR
The Bills will welcome back another defender for their Week 17 matchup vs. the Dolphins. The team announced on Thursday afternoon that they had activated safety Colt Anderson from the injured reserve and released safety Trae Elston in a corresponding roster move.
Anderson, 32, last played for the Bills back in Week 4 against the Falcons. He fractured his forearm in the contest and has been recovering on IR for the majority of the season. It’s been a rough past few years for Anderson in terms of injuries. The eight-year vet missed most of last year after breaking his left arm early on in his 2016 campaign. However, he’s referred to by Bills coaches as a “core special teamer”, which should help to limit big plays in a game that has playoff implications for the franchise.
Anderson will back up safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde in the defensive backfield on Sunday. The Bills enter Week 17 with the possibility of making the playoffs for the first time since 1999 with a win and some help.
Saints Claim LB Kasim Edebali
The Saints have added a familiar face as the team gets ready for its first postseason appearance since 2013. The team has claimed linebacker Kasim Edebali off waivers from the Rams, according to Josh Katzenstein of the The Times-Picayune. To free up a roster spot, New Orleans has placed linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha on injured reserve.
Edebali, 28, had previously been employed by the Saints from 2014-16. His best year in New Orleans came in 2015 when he racked up five sacks in a full season of work. Edebali has bounced around a bit this season, having started the year with the Broncos, before making stops with the Lions, Rams and now the Saints after being cut on three different occasions.
The Saints likely made this move to help replace Kikaha as a reserve pass rusher for the remainder of the season. The third-year player out of Washington University had appeared in 12 games with the Saints, collecting four sacks behind the likes Manti Te’o and Michael Mauti on the depth chart. The former 2015 third-round pick had suffered an ankle injury in last week’s win over the Falcons, which surely prompted his move to the IR.
Latest On Jarvis Landry Negotiations
One of the highest profile free agents this offseason will be Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry. While there were rumors that the team could trade him during training camp and prior to the deadline, it appears that Miami is trying to keep their number one wideout. Over the last month, the Dolphins have exchanged contract figures with Landry hoping to make progress on a contract extension, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Anderson adds that while talks have been at a standstill over the past two weeks, it’s been Landry’s reps that have been making the “most recent recommendations”.
Even though the negotiations appear to be far away from an actual deal at the moment, it should be encouraging to both sides that there’s discussions taking place this close to the end of the regular season.
After the Dolphins took Landry in the second round of the 2014 draft, the fourth-year wideout has been steadily climbing the NFL’s tiers of receivers. More consistent than explosive, Landry has been one of the best wideouts in the league with the football in his hands. He ranks fifth among wideouts in yards after catch with 451 yards in 2017.
The 25-year-old has posted three straight seasons of at least 90 receptions and has caught a career-high eight touchdowns this year, even with a less than ideal quarterback situation. His yardage totals were superior in the previous two seasons, but much of that can be accounted for by shaky QB play and fellow receivers Kenny Stills and DeVante Parker needing to get in on the action.
Should the two sides not agree on a contract extension before the start of free agency, the franchise tag is always a possibility. Although, the Dolphins are projected to have the fourth fewest amount of cap space in the NFL for 2018, according to Spotrac’s calculations. Investing heavily in another pass catcher when the team already has receiving options under contract and other more urgent needs makes this a particularly interesting free agent situation.
Gruden, Shurmur, McDaniels and Reich Expected To Receive HC Interest
The league is expecting potentially double-digit head coaching jobs to open up this offseason. With so many openings that might become available, you can expect to see a number of offensive-minded head coaches get interviews with the way the current NFL is going. With that being said, current offensive coordinators Pat Shurmur, Josh McDaniels and Frank Reich expect to “draw the most interest” of the league’s highly regarded offensive minds, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Tomasson also mentions former Super Bowl winning coach and longtime ESPN analyst Jon Gruden as part of that group as well.
Gruden, 54, is clearly the biggest name on this list because of his media personality and previous success in the league. The former head coach won both in Oakland and Tampa Bay, posting six seasons of above .500 football during his 11 year tenure from 1998-2008. Teams have tried a number of times to snag him from the broadcaster’s booth over the years, but with no success. However, Gruden appears more intent to return to coaching this offseason and seemingly could be had if the right opportunity presented itself.
Shurmer, 52, was a head coach once before, guiding the Browns to a 9-23 record in two seasons in Cleveland. However, he’s had a ton of success with the Vikings since he became their offensive coordinator in 2016. Specifically this season, he’s helped Case Keenum come from relative obscurity to leading one of the best team’s in football.
McDaniels, 41, was also a head coach for two seasons, leading the Broncos to a .500 record in 2009, before being fired midseason the next year after going 3-9 in his first 12 games. Since latching on with the friendly confines of New England once again, McDaniels is hoping that his second foray as a head coach will go better than his first. The current Patriots offensive coordinator is clearly a smart offensive mind that should be sought after by any organization looking to develop a young quarterback this offseason.
Reich, 56, is the only member of this group who has no previous head coaching experience. However, his two-year tenure with Eagles QB Carson Wentz has demonstrated the former quarterback’s ability to lead an offense. In his second year at the offensive controls in Philadelphia, the team has seen better improvements in every area of the game, with him showing a clear aptitude to use a variety of different players effectively throughout a game.
Texans Sign QB Josh Johnson
With the Texans suffering more injuries to their quarterback depth chart on Monday, the team has signed veteran signal caller Josh Johnson for their regular season finale, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Houston placed safety Corey Moore on injured reserve with a sprained medial collateral ligament to make room for Johnson on the active roster.
Texans QB’s T.J. Yates and Taylor Heinicke both suffered concussions in the team’s blowout loss to the Steelers in Week 16. While Yates was able to return to the game after Heinicke was forced to exit, Houston obviously wanted more insurance on the roster to able to take some snaps should another injury occur this weekend.
At 31 years old, Johnson hasn’t seen regular season playing time since 2013 with the Bengals. His most extensive game action came in 2009 with the Bucs as the former fifth round pick completed 63 of 125 pass attempts for four touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Johnson has been a journeyman QB for most of his career was cut by the Giants before the start of this regular season. He had since signed with the Texans in the middle of the year before being released in November.
Breer’s Latest: Black Monday Preview
With the final week of the NFL’s regular season approaching, that only means two things; 12 teams will soon be focusing on reaching the Super Bowl, while the rest will start to look ahead to next season. One major part of looking forward is addressing who on the coaching staff will be returning in 2018. Many of these coaching questions are answered on the day following Week’s 17 conclusion, conveniently called “Black Monday”.
Veteran reporter Albert of Breer of Sports Illustrated, gave a preview of the coaches he expects to stay and the ones that will likely be shown the door in his most recent column. Breer ranked the potential firings as “Likely/Done”, “We’ll See”, and “It’s Complicated”. In total, there were 15 head coaches mentioned who could see their situations change starting next week.
Here’s a quick look at Breer’s takes on some of the league’s hottest coaching questions:
- There were five head coaches included in the “likely/done” category including: Bears‘ John Fox, Bengals‘ Marvin Lewis, Lions‘ Jim Caldwell, Colts‘ Chuck Pagano and and the Giants‘ interim coach Steve Spagnuolo. The four full-time head coaches on this list have all had their fair share of success in the league. In fact, three of them led their current teams to multiple playoff appearances during their tenure. However, Caldwell and Lewis have been unable to win a postseason game with Pagano and Fox having failed at continuing the past success they have shown during their careers in football. Breer notes that while the “expectation is that Fox will be gone”, the decision on the fate of general manager Ryan Pace is true question facing the franchise this offseason. There’s been rapid speculation about Lewis, Caldwell and Pagano throughout the year, so their inclusion on this list is no surprise. Finally, the Giants are currently interviewing general manager candidates who will almost certainly be looking to lead their own head coaching search once hired.
- Breer puts six current head coaches in the ‘we’ll see” part of the list. This portion mentions the Cardinals‘ Bruce Arians, Broncos‘ Vance Joseph, Raiders‘ Jack Del Rio, Buccaneers‘ Dirk Koetter, Titans‘ Mike Mularkey and the Redskins‘ Jay Gruden. There’s a variety of situations going on here with Breer noting that Arizona could see Arians retire, which could lead them to other current NFL head coaches: Todd Bowles and Bill O’Brien. Del Rio and Gruden have had their fair share of success because of quality quarterback play, but both have managed to decrease confidence because of an inconsistent 2017 season. However, Breer points out that both are signed long-term so their owners would have to eat the remaining years of their current deals. Mularkey and Koetter were rewarded for the relationships they formed with their QB’s, but there’s been disappointment with how this season has unfolded for their teams. Breer notes that should Mularkey lose this Sunday, he could be on the chopping block come Monday morning with the team looking to hire an offensive-minded coach like Josh McDaniels. Finally, Joseph has forced himself to the hot seat even in his first year of coaching the Broncos, though Breer says himself that this situation is “unpredictable” given that team president John Elway is just “not pleased with how the season’s gone”.
- Browns head coach Hue Jackson, and the two previously mentioned O’Brien and Bowles of the Texans and Jets, find themselves on the “it’s complicated” section of Breer’s roundup largely because of just the many factors are at play in regards to their situations. Jackson got a vote of confidence from owner Jimmy Haslam himself, but new general manager John Dorsey could have his sights on implementing his own guy after a winless season. O’Brien has made the playoffs before, but has struggled committing to a QB even after the team selected Deshaun Watson in the first round. Bowles has done a lot with a little in New York this season, but ownership could go in a different direction with a new starting signal caller likely walking into the building next year. Also, there is the potential that all three coaches could move onto new head coaching gigs with the number of openings that could be available this offseason. The final and definitely most surprising inclusion on this list was Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who Breer mentions could retire at age 66 with a roster about to see major turnover in the next few years. Although, I would venture that nothing he’s said this season would indicate that being the case.
Jay Cutler On 2018: “I Want To Play Football”
The Dolphins seemed to sign veteran quarterback Jay Cutler as more of a place holder until Ryan Tannehill returned from injury in 2018. However, it looks like Cutler is intent on suiting up once again for a team next season.
When asked by reporters on Wednesday about his football future, Cutler simply responded, ““I want to play football” (via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald on Twitter).
Cutler will be entering his age 35 season in 2018, but will be a free agent after signing a one-year contract with Miami in training camp. The veteran signal caller’s openness to keep playing is rather surprising given that he was already set to retire as a broadcaster after a long 11-year career with the Broncos and Bears. His play has been inconsistent for a majority of his time in the NFL, but only appeared in five games in 2016 because of a shoulder injury.
This season has shown more of the same with Cutler throwing 19 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. He’s only completing 62% of his passes and has accumulated a QBR of 43.3 in the 13 games he’s played in this season. These are not quality starting QB numbers and I wouldn’t expect Cutler to be very sought after on the open market with how many promising signal callers are becoming available this offseason.
We’ll just have to wait and see whether Cutler follows through on his intentions, but it appears even if he does, it’ll likely be with another organization as the Dolphins already have their presumptive starter returning in Tannehill.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/26/17
Here are today’s practice squad transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Robert Nelson Jr.
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DT Marquavius Lewis
- Signed: LB Xavier Woodson-Luster
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR C.J. Board
- Placed on PS IR: WR Kasen Williams
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Brandon Barnes
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Jake Kumerow
Houston Texans
- Signed: TE Jevoni Robinson
New York Giants
- Signed: OL/DL Kristjan Sokoli
Ravens Work Out WR Jeremy Kerley
With starting wide receiver Jeremy Maclin‘s status for this Sunday’s game uncertain, the Ravens worked out veteran free agent wideout Jeremy Kerley on Tuesday, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The team did promote wide receiver Quincy Adeboyejo from their practice squad today, so this workout could merely just be the Ravens seeing all available options.
Kerely, 29, has had a few productive seasons since being drafted by the Jets in the fifth round back in 2011. He played for New York for five years before agreeing to join the 49ers for their 2016 campaign. He was then released this offseason, resurfacing with the Jets before being cut by the team last week. Kerley had previously been activated from a four-game suspension by Gang Green for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Running back Alex Collins has been the main weapon on this offense, but wideouts Mike Wallace and Chris Moore have quietly been asserting themselves more and more in recent weeks. Should Maclin not go because of the knee injury he suffered in Week 16, the Ravens now have five other receivers in Wallace, Moore, Adeboyejo, Michael Campanaro and Breshad Perriman to get snaps in his place. Although, adding a veteran receiver like Kerley would bring much needed depth and experience to the unit.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/26/17
Here are today’s minor moves around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted from PS: LB Edmond Robinson
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted from PS: WR Quincy Adeboyejo
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted from PS: DT Rickie Hatley
- Promoted from PS: WR Malachi Dupree
- Promoted from PS: RB Marcus Murphy
- Released: DT Deandre Coleman
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: LB Tre’Von Johnson
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: OG Don Barclay
- Promoted from PS: TE Hakeem Valles
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted from PS: TE Emanuel Byrd
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted from PS: WR Monday Crockett
New England Patriots
- Released: LB Trevor Reilly
New York Giants
- Promoted from PS: LB Derrick Matthews
Washington Redskins
- Released: RB Kenny Hilliard