Bears Sign Antone Smith, Place Jacquizz Rodgers On IR
A pair of former Falcons running backs were involved in two Bears transactions today. According to the team (Twitter links), Chicago has placed Jacquizz Rodgers on injured reserve due to a broken arm, with veteran free agent Antone Smith joining the Bears’ roster to fill the open spot.
After spending his first four NFL seasons in Atlanta, generally serving as the team’s No. 2 running back, Rodgers signed with the Bears this offseason. However, he got off to a slow start, averaging a career-low 2.9 yards per carry in the early going, and now will be sidelined for the rest of the year with his arm injury.
To replace Rodgers, the Bears added another former Atlanta running back — Smith was a big-play specialist for the Falcons over the last two seasons, racking up an incredible 289 rushing yards on just 28 carries (10.3 yards per attempt), adding another 232 yards through the air on 15 receptions. Smith found paydirt seven times on his 43 touches.
Smith and the Falcons worked out an injury settlement in September after he was cut by the club, allowing him to reach free agency and sign elsewhere.
Bills Activate IK Enemkpali; Cierre Wood To IR
12:52pm: The Bills have officially activated Enemkpali and placed Wood on IR, the team announced in a press release.
12:30pm: The Bills have decided to activate edge defender IK Enemkpali to their 53-man roster in advance of today’s deadline, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter links). To clear a roster spot for Enemkpali, Buffalo is placing running back Cierre Wood on injured reserve due to an ACL injury.
Enemkpali, who was claimed off waivers by the Bills after the Jets cut him for punching Geno Smith, was briefly moved to Buffalo’s 53-man roster earlier this year so that the team could store him on its reserve/suspended list while he served his four-game suspension. Now that the suspension is up, the Bills had a roster exemption for Enemkpali, giving them several days to decide whether or not to move him to the active roster — that decision was due by this afternoon.
As for Wood, the 24-year-old has seen a little action during the Bills’ last two games, with LeSean McCoy sidelined due to a hamstring issue, and Karlos Williams dealing with a concussion. Buffalo also has Boobie Dixon and Boom Herron on its roster, so adding another running back shouldn’t be necessary, particularly with McCoy and Williams hoping to return soon.
Cole’s Latest: Payton, Fells, Lions, Cowboys
Saints head coach Sean Payton is “intrigued” by the idea that teams like the Dolphins and Colts could pursue him after the 2015 season, a source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
That doesn’t mean Payton would leave New Orleans, or that he’d be able to get out of his contract even if he wanted to. However, Cole notes that there are some questions surrounding the ownership situation in New Orleans – presumably a reference to the Benson family’s legal drama – and Payton also may not be able to rebuild the Saints around Drew Brees quickly enough to compete again before Brees reaches the end of his career.
Payton’s situation will be one worth keeping an eye on over the next few weeks and months, as we wait to see how the season plays out in New Orleans, Miami, Indianapolis, and elsewhere. In the meantime, Cole has published several more video reports on noteworthy topics, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights…
- A weekend report indicated that Giants tight end Daniel Fells was at risk of losing his foot due to an MRSA infection, and Cole suggests that the issue has been even more serious than that, calling it “life-threatening.” While Fells is in good shape for the time being, he has undergone several procedures and had parts of his foot removed already, according to Cole, who says the tight end’s playing career is over.
- After a blowout home loss to the Cardinals, several Lions players expressed concern about the relationship between the team and head coach Jim Caldwell, says Cole. Per Cole, some Lions players were dissatisfied with the way Caldwell handled the aftermath of last Monday night’s loss to the Seahawks, when he didn’t appear to fight hard over the fumble call that cost the team the game. For what it’s worth, Caldwell said today that the club isn’t making changes to its coaching staff this week (Twitter link via Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com).
- Citing two sources, Cole reports that Matt Cassel is “highly likely” to be the Cowboys‘ starting quarterback in Week 7, following the team’s bye.
- The Chiefs are split on whether Knile Davis or Charcandrick West will be Jamaal Charles‘ primary replacement going forward, assuming the star running back is indeed out for the season. According to Cole, head coach Andy Reid prefers West, since his running style is similar to Charles’, but Davis has plenty of support within the organization from those who believe he’s a better overall back than West. We heard this morning that Kansas City is also bringing in veteran back Ben Tate for a workout tomorrow.
Ravens’ Will Davis Tears ACL, Out For Year
Just three weeks after he was traded from the Dolphins to the Ravens, cornerback Will Davis has seen his 2015 season come to an early end. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Davis has suffered a torn ACL, an injury that figures to land him on Baltimore’s IR list.
Davis, a 2013 third-round pick, also tore his ACL last November, prematurely ending his 2014 campaign. While he made an impressive recovery from that injury, Davis didn’t have a real role in Miami, leading to the trade that sent him to Baltimore last month. The 25-year-old had been impressive in the early going for the Ravens, so his season-ending injury figures to be a significant blow to the team’s secondary.
Cornerback Lardarius Webb also sustained an injury during yesterday’s loss to the Browns, and while his thigh issue doesn’t appear to be as serious as Davis’ ACL tear, the injuries are starting to pile up for Baltimore. It’s the second consecutive season that the Ravens’ secondary has had a hard time staying healthy.
East Notes: Giants, Dolphins, Enemkpali
Ex-Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor on Sunday night, and while he was in town, Umenyiora weighed in on his former teammate, Jason Pierre-Paul. As Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes, Umenyiora thinks JPP is “just happy he’s alive” after his fireworks accident, but he remains very optimistic about a comeback.
“If anybody could do it, it’ll be him,” Umenyiora said. “He’s a powerful, athletic football player. I relied more on technique: He was just more athleticism. A guy like that, he’d be able to [come back]. … He’s still young. He’s going to be able to play football. I don’t know if it’s going to be this year, but he’s going to be able to play.”
As we wait to see when Pierre-Paul might be able to return to the field, here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Sunday night’s performance was a quintessential example of why the Giants extended Eli Manning with a lucrative new contract prior to the season, writes Ian O’Connor of ESPN.com.
- The Dolphins announced today in a press release that special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi has been elevated to an assistant head coach position. According to the team, Rizzi will continue to oversee the special teams unit while working with new head coach Dan Campbell.
- Speaking of Campbell, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald identifies the 10 biggest issues that the Dolphins‘ interim head coach must fix in order to turn the team’s season around.
- As Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets, the Bills will have until 3:00pm central time today to either add IK Enemkpali to their 53-man roster or cut him. If the club chooses to activate Enemkpali, who is returning from a four-game suspension, another player would need to be removed from the roster.
Colts Sign Marcus Thigpen, Cut Josh Johnson
Another week means another roster move involving Josh Johnson in Indianapolis, as the Colts announced today (via Twitter) that the quarterback has been cut once again. Taking Johnson’s place on the roster is wide receiver and return man Marcus Thigpen, whose deal with the Colts was first reported by Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
Johnson has been shuttled on and off the Colts’ roster over the last two weeks, as Andrew Luck battles a shoulder injury. With Luck unable to play, Johnson served as the club’s backup quarterback behind the veteran Matt Hasselbeck. While today’s move could be a signal that Luck’s prognosis for Week 6 is promising, Indianapolis could also re-sign Johnson later in the week, if necessary.
As for Thigpen, he started the season with the Bills, but was cut last week to make room for the newly-signed Denarius Moore. Before being cut by Buffalo, Thigpen had been acting as the team’s primary return man, though his numbers weren’t particularly impressive — he returned nine punts for 47 yards and three kicks for 29 yards.
Rookie Phillip Dorsett was expected to handle the Colts’ return duties this year, but some fumbling issues early in the season cost him that job, at least for now. Thigpen figures to challenge Griff Whalen for reps in the return game.
Roddy White Wants To Be “Falcon For Life”
Asked on Sunday about the trade rumors that have swirled around him over the last week or so, Falcons wideout Roddy White said he hadn’t heard about anything like that. As D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution details, the veteran receiver said that, despite some unhappiness with his role early in the season, he wants to remain with the Falcons for the rest of his NFL career.
“I’m a Falcon. I’ll be a Falcon for life,” White said. “I’ve dedicated everything I’ve got to this team and this organization. I’m going to continue to do that. I’m going to continue each and every week to get better, be a better football player and try to win.”
White, who turns 34 next month, has seen his usage in Atlanta’s offense drop significantly this season. After earning at least 125 targets in each of his last seven healthy seasons, White has been targeted just 17 times through five games, catching eight balls for 115 yards. After the receiver expressed some frustration with his role in the offense, multiple reports surfaced suggesting that there are a few teams with interest in the former first round pick.
However, Ledbetter reported yesterday that there’s no truth to the idea that White is on the trading block. While Ledbetter’s source denied that the Falcons have even received any calls about the wideout, I wouldn’t be surprised if a couple clubs at least inquired — those conversations would have been brief though, as it doesn’t make much sense for Atlanta to move one of its longtime players and shake things up when the team is riding a five-game winning streak.
Still, if White hopes to play out his contract with the Falcons and eventually retire with the team, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan may have to find a way to get the veteran a little more involved in the team’s game plan going forward. White has two years remaining on his contract after 2015, with cap hits exceeding $6MM in 2016 and 2017 — that’s not a price any team would want to pay for a player averaging under two receptions per game.
Extra Points: 49ers, Chargers, Washington
With a busy slate of Sunday games around the corner, let’s round up a few Saturday evening odds and ends from around the NFL….
- The 49ers‘ decision to cut Shareece Wright today is bad news for San Diego, according to Nick Korte of Over the Cap. Korte tweets that, based on his compensatory pick formula, the move should result in an extra 2016 sixth-round pick for the 49ers, and a lost compensatory pick for the Chargers.
- Two new offensive coordinators – Adam Gase of the Bears and Geep Chryst of the 49ers – are struggling to turn around their respective units early this season. Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune examines how Gase is dealing with the Bears’ injury woes, while Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle looks at the adjustments Chryst is making to try to help Colin Kaepernick get going.
- With Jim Harbaugh no longer in the picture in San Francisco, Kaepernick is being set up as the fall guy for the 49ers, opines Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Washington will be bringing in former Titans defensive back Ri’Shard Anderson on Monday, according to agent Brett Tessler (via Twitter). Based on Tessler’s tweet, it’s not clear if Jay Gruden and company will be signing Anderson, or simply working him out — I’d assume the latter, since the team’s roster needs could change depending on how tomorrow’s game goes.
- This weekend’s game could be a turning point for Mike Pettine‘s career in Cleveland, writes Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. After tomorrow’s contest against the Ravens, the Browns don’t face a team with a losing record until Week 12 (Baltimore again), so they’d face a significant uphill battle to salvage their season if they fall to 1-4.
Following Specific Players On PFR
As we’ve outlined before, there are a number of different ways to follow Pro Football Rumors via Facebook, Twitter, and RSS. If you don’t want to follow all the site’s updates, you can subscribe to team-specific or transaction-only Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds. Although we don’t have Facebook pages or Twitter feeds for specific players, it’s easy to follow all our updates on your favorite player.
If, for instance, you want to keep track of all the latest news and rumors on Muhammad Wilkerson as he plays out the final year of his contract with the Jets and approaches free agency, you can visit this page. If you’re interested in keeping tabs on the latest rumors involving Matt Forte in case the Bears decide to make him available for a trade, you can find Forte’s page right here. In addition to dedicating pages to players, we also maintain archives for certain specific topics. For example, all our posts relating to the city of Los Angeles can be found here.
Every player we’ve written about has his own rumors page, and each of those players also has his own RSS feed, making it even easier to follow the latest updates. Links to RSS feeds for specific players are all located on this page. You can also find links to RSS feeds for various miscellaneous categories there. For instance, if you only want to receive one update every Sunday recapping the week’s notable headlines, you can subscribe to our Week in Review RSS feed, right here.
Patriots Extend Dion Lewis Through 2017
SATURDAY, 2:07pm: Lewis’ official extension is for two years and $3MM, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Cap charges for Lewis’ deal are $791K for 2015, $1.2MM in 2016 and $1.6MM in ’17, per Howe. The latter number as of now represents the second-lowest cap figure for any running back for the 2017 campaign, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports.
Additionally, the newest Patriots backfield contributor can earn $12.5K per game in roster bonuses in 2016.
Another such bonus comes from Lewis’ snap count, Howe notes, with the running back set to collect $200K for participating in 40% of New England’s plays next season. That number could rise to $400K if Lewis plays in 60% of the Pats’ snaps. He’s played in 67.8% of them through three games this season, doing so after Shane Vereen‘s number came in at 52.6% in 2014.
THURSDAY, 10:15am: The Patriots have locked up running back Dion Lewis to a new contract, signing him to a two-year extension that keeps him under team control through the 2017 season, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Lewis’ minimum-salary pact had been set to expire after this year.
Yates reports (via Twitter) that the deal features base salaries of $800K (2016) and $1.2MM (2017), along with a signing bonus of $600K, so it sounds like the base value will be at least $2.6MM. The contract also comes with up to $1.8MM in incentives that Lewis could earn in 2016 and 2017, says Yates. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds (via Twitter) that the contract could be worth up to about $5MM in total.
Lewis, 25, hadn’t seen the field in a regular season game since December 2012 coming into this year, but he has quickly become a key component of the Patriots’ offense. Through three games – all wins – Lewis has tallied 146 yards on the ground and another 179 through the air, with a pair of touchdowns.
If Lewis hadn’t received a new contract from the Patriots, the former fifth-round pick would have been eligible for restricted free agency at the end of the 2015 campaign.