Workout Updates: 10/16/15
We’ve passed along a few of the more notable updates from the last few days on workouts and free agent visits, including the Giants trying out wide receivers like Terrelle Pryor and the Cowboys bringing in running back LaMike James. However, there are plenty more tryout updates from this week to round up, and we’ve got them all below. All links point to the Twitter account of Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, unless otherwise indicated.
Arizona Cardinals
- Sean Baker, S (link)
Dallas Cowboys
- Kenrick Ellis, DT (link)
- Darius Eubanks, LB
- Zaviar Gooden, LB
- Chuka Ndulue, DT
- Isaiah Pead, RB
- Casey Walker, DL
- Jerel Worthy, DL (link)
Detroit Lions
- David Arkin, OL (link)
- Connor Hamlett, TE
- Eric Herman, G
- Eric Hipolito
- Rich Ohrnberger, C
Indianapolis Colts
- Michael Palardy, P (Twitter link via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star)
- Byron Stingily, T (link)
- Colton Underwood, LB
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Marion Grice, RB (link)
Kansas City Chiefs
- George Atkinson III, RB (link)
- Bryce Brown, RB
- Bronson Hill, RB
- Brandon McGee, DB
- Steven Means, LB (link)
- Isaiah Pead, RB
- Greg Scruggs, DE
- Quanterus Smith, DE
Miami Dolphins
- Devin Gardner, WR (link)
- Josh Harper, WR
New England Patriots
- Bill Bentley, DB (link)
- Matt Daniels, DB
New Orleans Saints
- Vaughn Martin, DT (link)
- Matt Shaughnessy, OLB
- Quanterus Smith, DE
- Kevin Vickerson, DT
New York Giants
- Devin Gardner, WR (link)
- Bryn Renner, QB
- Mike Williams, WR (link)
New York Jets
- Jordan Dewalt-Ondijo, LB (link)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Steven Means, DE (link)
San Francisco 49ers
- Martin Wallace, T (link)
Tennessee Titans
- Josh Keyes, LB (link)
- Michael McAdoo, OLB (link)
- Markus Pierce-Brewster, LB
- Mike Reilly, LB
- Julian Stanford, LB
- Jeff Tarpinian, LB
Ravens Extend Marshal Yanda Through 2019
4:26pm: Yanda’s deal is worth nearly $32MM, including a $9MM signing bonus and $17.8MM in guaranteed money, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The disparity between these figures and the ones reported earlier could be related to the deal’s base value vs. its max value. We’ll have to wait for the complete details on the extension to know exactly how much money is fully guaranteed, and what the per-year average is.
3:55pm: Yanda’s new deal averages $7.1MM per year, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That’s a raise on his old annual average salary, but not quite as expensive as some previous reports speculated. Wilson adds (via Twitter) that the contract features about $15MM guaranteed.
1:29pm: The Ravens have officially announced Yanda’s extension, which keeps him locked up through the 2019 season.
12:40pm: Yanda and the Ravens have reached an agreement on a new deal, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It’s a four-year extension, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
12:33pm: The Ravens are closing in on a contract extension with veteran guard Marshal Yanda, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, who reports (via Twitter) that an agreement between the two sides should be finalized soon.
Yanda, who turned 31 last month, is one of the steadiest and most reliable guards in the league, having started all but two regular season games for the Ravens since the start of the 2011 season. He has also earned four consecutive Pro Bowl nods, and was named to his first All-Pro First Team in 2014.
Per Over the Cap’s data, Yanda’s previous contract placed him among the league’s highest-paid guards. According to OTC, no right guard earns a higher annual salary than Yanda’s $6.4MM average, while only four left guards make more than the Ravens standout — Logan Mankins ($8.5MM), Mike Iupati ($8MM), Orlando Franklin ($7.3MM), and Josh Sitton ($6.75MM) all have slightly higher annual averages, and two of those players signed new free agent contracts earlier this year.
Yanda’s contract had been set to expire at the end of the 2015 season, and his new deal figures to average just as much as his old one, if not more. I can’t imagine the former third-round pick getting a huge raise, since he’s in his early-30s now, but the Ravens clearly like him enough to make sure he didn’t reach free agency this winter. When Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Rumors examined the Ravens’ guards as extension candidates in June, he suggested something in the range of four years and perhaps $32MM might make sense for Yanda.
Of course, Yanda’s new deal leaves Baltimore’s other starting guard, Kelechi Osemele, as the possible next man up for an extension of his own. However, there has been some skepticism in recent months that the Ravens will have the cap flexibility to take care of both players, since clubs typically don’t devote significant chunks of cap space to guards. One July report suggested that Osemele could be the odd man out when the Ravens started locking up potential free agents.
AFC Notes: Texans, Watkins, Boykin
With the NFL eyeing locations beyond the United Kingdom for international games in future seasons, the Texans are targeting a potential game in Mexico City in 2016, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. Of course, like most other teams that express interest in playing an international contest, Houston would prefer to be the road team in such a game.
“I believe there’s a chance,” Texans president Jamey Rootes said of playing in Mexico City. “We’ve always expressed that we have an interest in participating internationally as a road team. … We’ve made it clear that we’re most interested in doing that in Mexico. It’s an amazing opportunity for the team and the league. But it’s a league decision, and it would be on their timing.”
Let’s check out a few more odds and ends from around the AFC….
- With Bills wideout Sammy Watkins having expressed a desire to have more passes thrown his way, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines the situation in Buffalo, discussing the role that targets play in contract discussions for wide receivers.
- The Steelers sent a fifth-round pick to Philadelphia when they acquired cornerback Brandon Boykin, but Pittsburgh seems unwilling to play Boykin, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com details. Presumably, the Steelers will want to get some value out of Boykin eventually, to warrant giving up that draft pick, but Fowler looks into why the ex-Eagle has only seen one defensive snap in the last three weeks.
- Patriots cornerback Tarell Brown has a potentially serious foot injury and is seeking a second opinion, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. For now, Brown’s availability appears to be week to week, but if the injury is determined to be significant, he could end up on the IR list.
- The Dolphins aren’t happy about starting the season with a 1-3 record, or having to make coaching changes, but football czar Mike Tannenbaum tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that he likes the team’s roster.
North Notes: Bengals, Ravens, Bears
According to head coach Marvin Lewis, the Bengals won’t make any roster moves next week involving linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who is on the PUP list, or offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, who remains on the NFI list (Twitter link via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com). Both players are eligible to be activated after Week 6, but it makes sense that Cincinnati would hold off, even if they’re close to being ready, since the club has a bye in Week 7.
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s North divisions:
- Running back Raheem Mostert, claimed off waivers by the Ravens earlier this week, said he was “shocked” when he found out he was heading to Baltimore, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun writes. When he got the call, Mostert was standing in the Dolphins‘ training facility, ready to re-sign to Miami’s practice squad after the team cut him. Now, the 23-year-old is ready to contribute and hoping to find a new home with the Ravens.
- Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, with an assist from the team’s official website, shut down any speculation that he might be a candidate for USC’s coaching job. “I love the Ravens. It’s not a consideration,” Harbaugh said today, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com.
- Asked by a reader if the Bears made a mistake by trading Jared Allen and Jon Bostic for late-round draft picks, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune suggests that neither player was a good fit in Vic Fangio‘s 3-4 defensive scheme, so he has a hard time imagining the moves hurting the club this season.
- Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards said there’s a “possibility” safety Anthony Harris could soon be called up to the 53-man roster, tweets Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.
Santonio Holmes Hoping To Continue Career
Santonio Holmes‘ name hasn’t been mentioned on Pro Football Rumors since July, when a report indicated he had worked out for the Bengals. While one might assume that the apparent lack of interest since then would discourage Holmes’ desire to continue his playing career, that’s not the case, according to the veteran receiver.
“I’m just waiting for that call,” Holmes tells Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. According to Starkey, the former Steeler said he has been training for the past year in Florida and is in “tip-top shape.” However, despite the fact that he’s just 31 years old, Holmes hasn’t drawn much interest after some underwhelming seasons with the Jets and Bears.
Most recently, Holmes played in nine games for the 2014 Bears, catching just eight balls for 67 yards. Both marks were career-lows, and it was the first time in nine NFL seasons that the former first-round pick didn’t find the end zone.
With Holmes’ on-field production on the decline in recent years, it’s also worth noting that he hasn’t always been viewed as the most positive influence on a team’s locker room. So any interested suitors would have to weigh the potential off-field impact of signing Holmes at a time when his on-field impact seems to be increasingly limited. The Ohio State product clearly doesn’t have retirement plans yet though, so we’ll see if he catches on anywhere in the coming months, or in time for the 2016 season.
NFC West Notes: Coleman, Davis, Rams
Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman was arrested this week for his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run incident, and has been suspended by Seattle as the investigation plays out. According to Coleman’s attorney, Stephen Hayne, he’s looking into whether a concussion may have played a role in why Coleman left the scene, adding that the fact that the fullback is legally deaf may have caused police to believe he was inebriated (link via Travis Pittman of KING 5 News).
“He was clearly not in his right mind after the accident, and that would probably be due to a concussion, but that’s speculation as well. We don’t know,” Hayne said. “But his walking away from the accident is absolutely out of character for who he is and how he would normally respond to a situation like that.”
As we wait to see how the investigation into the incident plays out, let’s round up a few more notes from out of the NFC West….
- A trade involving 49ers tight end Vernon Davis isn’t currently viewed as likely, but it’s possible that will change if a contending team loses a tight end due to an injury within the next couple weeks, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. If San Francisco decides to explore a potential Davis trade, the team would have until November 3 to get something done.
- St. Louis city comptroller Darlene Green said this week that she has concerns about the city’s new Rams stadium proposal, which could create a roadblock for the plan, according to a CBS St. Louis report. “They need my approval,” Green said. “They need my approval and my signature to move forward, and if there’s parameters that have been disregarded – like if there’s any tax increase – I can’t abide by that. That would jeopardize the city’s credit and I would have to say no.”
- The Cardinals‘ newest pass rusher, Dwight Freeney, admits to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report that playing football “becomes really addictive,” and he decided to sign continue his career with Arizona because he couldn’t “turn off” his desire to keep playing. The former Colt and Charger added that he believes he’s in “great shape” and still has plenty left in the tank.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/15/15
Here are Thursday’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL:
- The Raiders have waived former Seahawks safety – and Kam Chancellor‘s brother – Keenan Lambert, the team announced today in a press release. Oakland, on its bye week, will have more than a week to make more roster moves to fill the two openings on the team’s roster.
- Using the roster spot they opened up when they placed offensive lineman Rodger Saffold on injured reserve earlier today, the Rams have promoted tight end Justice Cunningham from their practice squad to their active roster, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- After moving fullback Derrick Coleman to the reserve/suspended list this afternoon, the Seahawks had an opening on their 53-man roster, and have re-signed wide receiver B.J. Daniels (Twitter link via John Boyle). Daniels was just cut by Seattle two days ago.
- Former Ravens cornerback Rashaan Melvin has been claimed off waivers by the Patriots, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). As Zrebiec points out, the Patriots’ offense went after Melvin frequently during last season’s playoff game, so the move is an interesting one.
AFC Notes: Broncos, Mingo, Revis, Brady
In a mailbag this week, a reader asked Troy Renck of The Denver Post whether the Broncos should consider benching Peyton Manning in favor of backup Brock Osweiler. Manning is off to a rough start in 2015 and the concerns about him are understandable, but Renck says it’s not time to panic, especially with Denver at 5-0.
Manning, 39, had another excellent season for the Broncos in 2014, putting up 4,727 passing yards to go along with 39 touchdown passes. However, he was hampered by injuries late in the season and struggled down the stretch, particularly in the team’s divisional playoff loss to the Colts, in which he totaled just 211 passing yards on 46 attempts.
This offseason, Manning agreed to a contract restructuring that included a no-trade clause. However, in theory, Denver would be free to deal the future Hall of Famer after the season.
Here’s more from across the AFC:
- Jeff Guerriero, the agent for Browns linebacker Barkevious Mingo, expressed some unhappiness with his client’s playing time, telling Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter links) that Mingo “is an impact player and needs to be on the field.” According to Cabot, Guerriero wouldn’t say whether or not he’d ask the Browns to trade Mingo — if he and his client want a deal, they’ll have a couple more weeks to make that request, with the trade deadline coming up on November 3.
- In an interview scheduled to air this weekend, Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis spoke to 60 Minutes about the fact that he has signed five contracts in seven years, suggesting that the best players should be willing to take some risk to maximize their value (Twitter links via Brian Costello of the New York Post).
- Jimmy Smith joked about it, but cornerback Shareece Wright says that he actually chose to sign with the Ravens, in part, for chance to be reunited with his good friend, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun writes. The opportunity to play with Smith “played a big role” in him choosing Baltimore, but not the only one. “We always talked about if we had the opportunity to play on the same team, and be playing corner on the same team one day like we did in high school, it’d be a blessing,” Wright said.
- In a sitdown with The Associated Press, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was asked about how much longer he sees himself playing. “I’ve got a lot of football left,” the 38-year-old said. “Football is a contact sport and there’s a lot that goes into it. But I have committed myself for a long time to doing it, and because I love doing it so much I want to make that commitment.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.
AFC South Notes: Mount, Worthy, Texans
While Week 6’s Thursday night game features two NFC South teams squaring off, we’ll head over to the AFC, and round up the latest news, rumors, and other items out of the AFC South division. Let’s dive in….
- Titans rookie linebacker Deiontrez Mount, the first player drafted in the sixth round last spring, has torn his ACL, per Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter links). According to head coach Ken Whisenhunt, Tennessee will likely wait until Saturday to make a roster move involving Mount — the team could promote practice squad linebacker Jason Ankrah to replace Mount.
- Having been cut from the Texans‘ active roster this week, wide receiver Chandler Worthy received multiple practice squad offers, including one from the Jaguars, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). However, Worthy chose to return to Houston, replacing Alan Bonner on the team’s taxi squad.
- Texans practice squad wide receiver Josh Lenz is looking to prove himself, Wilson writes. The Iowa State product ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds at his pro day workout and had a 38 1/2 inch vertical leap, so he has shown that he has the athleticism to make an impact at the NFL level.
- Defensive tackle Brandon Dunn‘s two-year with the Texans is worth $960K, Wilson tweets. Dunn will earn $360K for the remainder of this season and is slated to make $600K in 2016.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/15/15
Thursday’s practice squad signings and cuts are listed below. You can check out the full 10-man practice squads for all 32 teams right here.
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Vince Mayle (Twitter link via Rob Phillips of DallasCowboys.com)
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: RB Bronson Hill (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Brandon McGee, OL Xavier Proctor (press release)
- Cut: OL Adam Gettis, TE Dominique Jones
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Tyrell Adams, LB Eric Pinkins (press release)