Dolphins Fire Joe Philbin, Promote Dan Campbell
12:33pm: The Dolphins have officially announced that former tight ends coach Dan Campbell is the team’s new interim head coach (Twitter link).
11:17am: Ross has issued a statement on the decision to part ways with Philbin, as Alain Poupart of Dolphins.com (TwitLonger link) passes along:
“This was a tough decision for me to make knowing how tirelessly Joe worked in his four years here to make this a winning team. He is a man of the highest character and integrity that I developed a close personal relationship with. I am extremely disappointed with how we have started the season, but I feel confident that we can improve quickly with the talent we have on our roster. We will soon be announcing an interim coach to lead the team going forward.”
Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that Coyle is expected to be let go as well, which doesn’t come as a surprise.
10:43am: Dave Hyde and Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter links) have confirmed that the Dolphins have fired Philbin, replacing him with Campbell, the former tight ends coach.
10:14am: As of last night, the Dolphins were preparing to part ways with head coach Joe Philbin, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Schefter cautions that owner Stephen Ross could reconsider and change his mind, but after yesterday’s loss in London, the team was leaning toward making a change as early as today.
According to Schefter, if the Dolphins do decide to fire Philbin, tight ends coach Dan Campbell would be the top candidate to be promoted to the head coach role on an interim basis. On Sunday, Albert Breer of the NFL Network identified special teams coach Darren Rizzi as another possible interim option for the Dolphins if they let go of Philbin.
Earlier today, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald wrote that Ross is more likely to fire defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle than Philbin, though he acknowledged that Philbin is unlikely to continue as the Dolphins’ head coach in 2016, barring a massive turnaround. Presumably, if the team were to fire its head coach, the offensive and defensive coordinators’ jobs would be in serious jeopardy as well, which explains why Campbell and Rizzi have been mentioned as interim HC candidates.
While interim coaches typically come from inside the organization, Salguero doesn’t view the Dolphins’ internal choices as great ones, and wonders (via Twitter) if the team might look at Jim Schwartz, who has a history with the team’s underachieving free agent prize, Ndamukong Suh. However, as Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link) observes, Miami would have to satisfy the Rooney Rule before hiring an outside interim coach, and it seems unlikely that the club would go through an extensive interview process during the season.
Of course, before identifying a replacement, the Dolphins will have to make an official decision on Philbin, which will likely happen sooner rather than later.
Colts Cut Josh Johnson, Host Ahmad Bradshaw
The Colts have made a change to their 53-man roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve cut quarterback Josh Johnson. The move creates an open roster spot for the team, though that opening remains vacant for now.
Johnson was added to the Colts’ roster last week as an insurance policy as Andrew Luck battled a shoulder injury. With Luck sidelined on Sunday and Matt Hasselbeck getting the start against the Jaguars, Johnson served as the club’s No. 2. The fact that the Colts are willing to release him appears to be a good sign for Luck’s availability this week, though the team could always re-sign Johnson or promote Alex Tanney from the practice squad if necessary.
In addition to cutting Johnson, the Colts are also hosting free agent running back Ahmad Bradshaw for a visit, according to Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). The 29-year-old was suspended for the first week of the NFL season due to a marijuana arrest, but has served that ban, and has reportedly healed from the broken leg that ended his 2014 campaign.
In 10 games with the Colts last season, Bradshaw compiled 425 rushing yards on 90 attempts and 300 receiving yards on 38 receptions. We heard in September that Indianapolis was interested in a potential reunion with the veteran back, with the team having parted ways with backups Boom Herron and Vick Ballard in recent weeks.
Currently, rookies Josh Robinson and Tyler Varga are backing up starting running back Frank Gore, with Zurlon Tipton – who was recently promoted from the practice squad – also in the picture.
Terrelle Pryor Working Out For Niners
The 49ers will become the latest team to take a look at Terrelle Pryor, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that Pryor is working out for San Francisco today. Getlin adds that the former Ohio State signal-caller will audition as a wide receiver rather than a quarterback.
Pryor, making the transition from quarterback to receiver this summer, impressed Browns coaches in training camp. However, after the team set its 53-man roster prior to Week 1, Pryor was essentially the 53rd man, making him expendable when other holes needed to be filled, and resulting in his release.
Since then, Pryor has tried out for a handful of teams interested in seeing what he looks like as a receiver. The Patriots, Seahawks, Jets, and Steelers are among the clubs that have brought Pryor in for at least one workout.
Of course, even though the Niners view him as a receiver, Pryor’s workout in San Francisco may fuel various theories and speculation in the Bay Area about the quarterback position, given Colin Kaepernick‘s poor performance through the season’s first four weeks. As Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports writes, despite initially being billed as a $126MM extension, Kaepernick’s current contract doesn’t offer much long-term security — Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap also explained today why Kaepernick’s deal doesn’t assure him of the Niners’ starting job beyond 2015.
Still, while Pryor’s ability to throw the ball may be a bonus for any team that decides to take a flier on him as a receiver, there’s no indication that the Niners are looking to move on from Kaepernick at this point, and it’s unlikely that Pryor would be their first choice in that scenario anyway.
According to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, linebacker Parys Haralson is also working out today for the 49ers.
Giants To Place Daniel Fells On IR
11:31am: The Giants have confirmed that Fells will be placed on injured reserve due to a staph infection in his ankle, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.
9:15am: Giants tight end Daniel Fells was hospitalized over the weekend, dealing with a foot infection that required multiple surgeries, a source tells Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. The foot injury is expected to end Fells’ season, according to Raanan and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who first tweeted that Fells underwent unexpected surgery and will likely land on IR.
Fells, who turned 32 last month, is in his second year with the Giants. While he wasn’t used much as a receiver in 2014, he did reach the end zone four times on his 16 overall receptions. He also recorded six receptions in the early going this season before being sidelined.
With Jerome Cunningham having also dealt with some injury issues this season, the Giants have been quite thin at tight end behind starter Larry Donnell. The team promoted Will Tye from its practice squad to back up Donnell in Week 4, but if Fells heads to the injured reserve list, New York may decide to pursue outside help to fortify the position.
As for Fells, it’s possible he has played his last game with the Giants. He’s eligible for free agency after the season, so we’ll have to see how he recovers from his foot problems before assessing whether or not the team would be interested in re-signing him for the 2016 season.
Buccaneers Waive Kyle Brindza
11:26am: The Buccaneers have officially cut Brindza, the team announced in a press release.
11:09am: The Buccaneers have decided to part ways with kicker Kyle Brindza after he missed three more attempts yesterday, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). Stroud reports that the club met with Brindza this morning to inform him of the decision.
Brindza, who beat out Connor Barth for the Buccaneers’ kicking job a month ago, struggled mightily over the last couple weeks. After making all four of his extra point attempts and four of five field goals in his first two games, Brindza missed two extra points and converted only two of seven field goal attempts in Weeks 3 and 4.
The Bucs will hold kicker auditions tomorrow, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, suggesting the team has yet to decide on Brindza’s replacement. Barth remains available, and there are several other veteran free agents available, including Kai Forbath, who was reportedly the runner-up when the Texans and Eagles signed new kickers last week.
Gates, Hardy, Others Return From Suspensions
With four weeks of the NFL season now in the books, several players – and one general manager – are eligible to return from their four-game suspensions, as Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes. While Yates’ list isn’t exhaustive, he includes the most notable names who will be eligible to suit up for their teams’ next games:
- Martavis Bryant, WR (Steelers)
- Antonio Gates, TE (Chargers)
- Greg Hardy, DE (Cowboys)
- Rolando McClain, LB (Cowboys)
- Sheldon Richardson, DL (Jets)
- Derek Wolfe, DE (Broncos)
- Ray Farmer, general manager (Browns)
In most cases, teams will be given a roster exemption for their returning players, so they won’t have to immediately make room for them on the 53-man roster today. However, teams will have to create an opening on their rosters by Thursday if they intend to activate these players, and there aren’t any players on this list that look like release candidates.
The Cowboys could get the biggest boost this week, with two of their best defensive players – Hardy and McClain – set to return. McClain’s career production has been somewhat up and down, and Hardy hasn’t played since Week 1 of the 2014 season, so it’ll be interesting to see if either player is able to make an immediate impact for Dallas.
Richardson, meanwhile, could be a candidate for additional discipline — he’ll have his pre-trial hearing on street-racing charges today, but the legal process is expected to continue for about a month, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). The NFL could step in and hand out another suspension for Richardson before his trial, but it’s more likely that the league will simply wait until after it concludes to make a decision.
As for Farmer, the Browns GM, who was suspended for texting coaches on the sideline during games last season, will be able to resume making roster decisions today, though Cleveland wasn’t exactly closed for business over the last four weeks — with interim GM Bill Kuharich at the helm, the team locked up quarterback Austin Davis to a two-year extension last week.
Cowboys Fear Lance Dunbar Out For Season
Cowboys running back Lance Dunbar is scheduled to undergo an MRI today to determine the extent of the damage to his left knee, but the term isn’t overly optimistic. According to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com, the Cowboys fear Dunbar tore the ACL and MCL in his knee, which would sideline him for the rest of the 2015 season.
Dunbar, 25, has been a key part of the Dallas offense through the first month of the season, establishing a new career high already in receptions (21). He racked up 54 yards on the ground on just three carries before leaving Sunday’s game against the Saints.
While DeMarco Murray‘s departure opened the door for Dunbar to get a little more playing time, his receiving ability out of the backfield would have helped him carve out a role even if Murray had re-signed with the Cowboys in the offseason.
If Dunbar is sidelined for the year, Dallas would still have Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden, and Christine Michael could take on a larger role. However, the team may want to add another receiving back to the mix, particularly to help alleviate the pressure on Brandon Weeden – or Matt Cassel – until Tony Romo returns.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/2/15
Here are Friday’s practice squad signings and cuts from across the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Brandon Bostick (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)
- Placed on PS-IR: TE Joseph Fauria
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: QB Brad Sorensen (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune)
St. Louis Rams
- Signed: CB Eric Patterson (Twitter link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Dolphins Considering Coaching Changes?
After a Week 1 victory over Washington, the Dolphins have dropped two straight games in disappointing fashion, and if the club loses again this weekend in London against the Jets, significant changes could be in store. According to Rand Getlin of NFL.com, the Dolphins are mulling a shake-up of the coaching staff if they lose to New York.
After adding top free agent Ndamukong Suh and making several other offseason moves to bring in talent, the Dolphins were viewed as a strong playoff contender, with anything less than a postseason berth viewed as a disappointment. Through three weeks, however, the Patriots, Bills, and Jets have all looked like stronger squads, which could mean an uphill battle for Miami to earn that playoff spot.
According to Getlin, multiple sources “inside and around the franchise” have indicated that there’s widespread frustration among Dolphins players with certain members of the coaching staff. As Getlin details, some players are unhappy with that they consider to be flawed offensive and defensive play-calling.
“We’ve been going out there, and practicing our (tails) off every day, but as players, we’re tired of being embarrassed,” one member of the Dolphins told Getlin. “If we get beat in Europe, (players) are going to throw in the towel. It isn’t the players. We have all the talent in the world.”
While another loss might not mean the end of Joe Philbin‘s tenure in Miami, defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle definitely appears to be on the hot seat. Even after adding Suh, the Dolphins’ defense hasn’t been effective, and the team’s free agent prize hasn’t been producing like he did in Detroit. As for Philbin, owner Stephen Ross has shown confidence in the past in his head coach, extending Philbin last year when it seemed just as likely that he’d be let go.
“[Ross] is a remarkably loyal person,” one source told Getlin. “But I don’t think that loyalty is limitless.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/2/15
Here are today’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL, as 28 teams prepare for their Week 4 contests….
- The Rams have cut cornerback Brandon McGee, promoting safety Christian Bryant from their practice squad to take his place, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). McGee didn’t last long on the active roster, having just received a promotion from the taxi squad himself on Tuesday.
- The Bills have also promoted a player from their practice squad, announcing today that they’ve added running back Cierre Wood to the 53-man roster to provide some depth with LeSean McCoy out this weekend. Buffalo released veteran defensive lineman Andre Fluellen to make room on the roster for Wood, who will act as the club’s third running back in Week 4 behind Karlos Williams and Anthony Dixon.
- With a number of offensive linemen battling injuries, the Chargers are expected to promote G/T Michael Ola from their practice squad to the 53-man roster, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The club has yet to make the move official, and would have to remove a player from the roster.