AFC Notes: Pouncey, Ravens, Fitzpatrick
As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes, Derek Newton‘s new five-year contract with the Texans, signed back in March, didn’t create the biggest headlines at the times, but it’s looking like one of the best moves of the team’s offseason. Although he’s penciled in as Houston’s starting right tackle, Newton has filled in at guard and left tackle as well, and offensive coordinator George Godsey praised his willingness to help out in any way he can.
“He has a ‘coach me, Coach’ attitude,” Godsey said. “Even though we coach that position, that whole group, (offensive line coach) Mike Devlin does a great job and coaches them hard. He’s come to work every day. I couldn’t ask any more from Derek this preseason.”
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- While head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers won’t commit to a specific timeline for center Maurkice Pouncey, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review suggests Pouncey will be back sometime after the club’s Week 11 bye. That would mean the veteran lineman will miss at least 10 games, making him a clear-cut candidate for the Steelers’ IR-DTR slot.
- In his latest round-up of Ravens news and notes, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun identifies several higher-profile players who could be on the team’s roster bubble, and writes that Dennis Pitta continues to work hard, intent on eventually returning and making an impact for the club.
- Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham didn’t just tear his ACL on the play that knocked him out of action for the 2015 season. As he tells John Kryk of the Toronto Sun. Suisham also tore his medial meniscus. The veteran kicker is glad the injury happened during the preseason rather than in November or December though, since it gives him a full year to recover for the 2016 season.
- As he heads into a contract year, Ryan Fitzpatrick will have an opportunity to start at quarterback for the Jets, and the veteran signal-caller tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that the possibility of a breakout year, even at age 32 (33 in November) isn’t out of the question. “So much of the game for the quarterback is the mental side of it,” Fitzpatrick said. “Everybody always talks about my arm and how horrible it is. I promise… you can put on some tape (and see) that I can make all the throws that you want me to make or that I need to make. … I see myself continuing to get better rather than declining.”
Key NFL Dates Remaining In Preseason
As of last night, there are officially just two more weeks until the 2015 NFL regular season gets underway, with the Patriots set to host the Steelers at Foxboro on Thursday, September 10. We may not know yet who will be playing quarterback for New England in that game, but we do know that there are still a handful of key dates to keep an eye on as the preseason winds down. Here’s a round-up of those dates:
Tuesday, September 1
Teams must reduce their 90-man rosters to 75 players by 3:00pm central time.
The first set of roster cutdowns for teams around the NFL must be made by next Tuesday, following the third week of preseason games. In most cases, the players released by Tuesday will be back-of-the-roster contributors, UDFAs, and players who aren’t fully healthy.
Prior to this date, players with less than four years of NFL experience can’t be placed on injured reserve without passing through waivers first, which would allow other teams to have a shot at picking up those players. After this date though, teams can freely place anyone on IR.
Saturday, September 5
Teams must reduce their 75-man rosters to 53 players by 3:00pm central time.
Any players on the active/PUP or active/non-football injury or illness lists may be moved to the reserve versions of those lists.
If Tuesday’s cutdown deadline was the opening act, next Saturday’s deadline is the main event, with teams removing 22 players from their rosters in order to get their squads set for the regular season. Generally, players whom a team wants to keep on its practice squad will be cut on this day, and some bigger-name veterans may also be released.
As for players on the physically unable to perform or non-football injury/illness lists, if they hope to play during the first six weeks of the season, they’ll have to be placed on the active roster as of this day. If they move to the reserve/PUP and reserve/NFI lists, they won’t be eligible to play until at least Week 7 of the regular season. Dennis Pitta is one player who will start the year on the reserve/PUP list, but he won’t be the only one.
Sunday, September 6
Claiming period for players waived during final roster cuts ends at 11:00am central time. After that time, teams may establish a practice squad of 10 players.
After 3:00pm central time, teams are permitted to place one player on the injured reserve list with the designation to return.
A flurry of activity occurs on Sunday morning during the last Sunday of the year that doesn’t feature any NFL games, as teams around the league place waiver claims, establish practice squads, and make their final cuts and roster moves in preparation for Week 1. Of course, those rosters and practice squads will undergo plenty of changes in the subsequent weeks – and even subsequent days – but if a player is still on his team’s roster after this date, he’s well-positioned to begin the regular season with the club.
The IR-DTR slot, meanwhile, will be used by some – but not all – of the NFL’s teams on this date. A year ago, 27 of 32 franchises used the IR-DTR spot at some point, but only seven did so prior to Week 1.
Wednesday, September 9
After 3:00pm central time, all contracts for each team must fit under the salary cap (top-51 rule expires at 11:00pm central time).
A bookkeeping technicality more than anything, this deadline probably isn’t worth monitoring closely. But when it arrives, it will signal that we’re only about 24 hours away from the NFL regular season kicking off.
Cortland Finnegan Attempting Comeback
Veteran NFL cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who announced his retirement in March, is attempting a comeback, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport reports that Finnegan, who has hired Drew Rosenhaus as his agent, would be open to playing either corner or safety.
Finnegan, 31, was one of the league’s worst cornerbacks in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus advanced metrics (subscription required). PFF ranked Finnegan 109th out of 110 qualified corners, with a grade of -19.7 in just seven games. So it came as a bit of a surprise when Miami inked the former Ram to a two-year, $11MM deal in 2014.
Finnegan was a little better for the Dolphins last year, but still placed just 74th out of 108 corners, with a -4.4 grade in 2014, per PFF. Miami released Finnegan before free agency began this year, and the former seventh-round pick retired about a week later.
Any team interested in taking a shot on Finnegan this year will probably have to overlook his 2013 and 2014 numbers, though the veteran defensive back should come cheaper this time around than he has on his last couple contracts. A club that finds itself shorthanded in the secondary due to injuries – perhaps the Giants, for example – might decide to take a flier on Finnegan.
For his part, Rosenhaus isn’t willing to identify any potential suitors yet, telling Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter link) that he’s “working on teams for [Finnegan] right now.”
Letroy Guion Suspended Three Games
AUGUST 27: Guion has lost his appeal, meaning his suspension will remain at three games, the NFL announced today (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports).
JULY 23: The NFL has suspended Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion for the first three games of the regular season as a result of his offseason arrest, reports Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. According to Demovsky, Guion is planning to appeal the penalty, with his agent and lawyers preparing his case after they were notified of the suspension earlier this week.
Guion, who turned 28 last month, was arrested in February when police found 357 grams of marijuana and an unloaded gun in his truck. The case was settled in March when Guion accepted a plea deal, at which point the Packers re-signed the veteran defensive lineman to a one-year, $2.75MM contract.
Green Bay had been bracing for a possible suspension for Guion, though the club hoped it would just be for a game or two, notes Demovsky. Assuming the league’s decision stands, the Packers will be without multiple defenders to start the season, since Datone Jones was also suspended for the first game of the regular season due to a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
In his first season with the Packers in 2014, Guion started all 16 regular season contests as the team’s nose tackle, establishing new career highs in tackles (41) and sacks (3.5).
Niners GM: No Decision Yet On Ahmad Brooks
Within the last year, the 49ers have cut multiple impact defenders – Ray McDonald and Aldon Smith – following repeated legal run-ins. However, the team has yet to make a decision on whether or not to follow suit with Ahmad Brooks, the latest Niner to face charges. For now, Brooks remains on the roster, but is away from the club indefinitely.
“Ahmad is still a member of this team,” 49ers general manager Trent Baalke told reporters today, including Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “We excused him from team activities to get on top of this … Obviously, when you’re in a situation like this, it’s important that you get back to your family. It’s also important for him to start taking care of business on his end. And it’s our job to stay focused here on what we need to stay focused on
Brooks, who is facing a sexual battery charge, was accused of assault and battery, false imprisonment, and infliction of emotional distress by the same alleged victim in the McDonald case. The accusation against Brooks came about following a defamation lawsuit McDonald filed against his accuser in March.
At the time, McDonald was a free agent and claimed the woman defamed him and interfered with his livelihood as he struggled to find his next team. In a cross complaint filed in May, she alleges that Brooks “groped her person in a sexual manner” when she was passed out from hitting her head. Having known about Brooks’ alleged involvement since May, the 49ers knew the charges would likely be coming.
“The one thing that we have to realize is this is not a new matter,” Baalke said. “This is a new development within that matter. Our players are well aware of the consequence that go along with their actions and are supportive of it. But they also understand that every situation is different.”
In 2014, Brooks arrived at 49ers’ camp out of shape and was benched twice during the season for off-the-field actions. This year, there was some speculation that his legal situation, coupled with the presence of young linebackers, could put Brooks on the roster bubble. Now that charges have been filed, with roster cutdowns around the corner, the team will soon have to make a decision one way or the other on the outside linebacker.
NFC Notes: Galette, Chancellor, Falcons
The hits keep coming for Junior Galette, as the Saints are claiming that the veteran outside linebacker voided the guarantee on his base salary of $1.25MM for this season and don’t intend to pay any of that money, according to two sources who spoke with Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
It’s not clear exactly how the team believes Galette voided that guarantee, and there’s no indication the Saints are trying to get back any of the $12.5MM they paid him in the spring, but that $1.25MM figures to be a point of contention. Galette, who signed with Washington in the offseason, suffered a torn Achilles and has been ruled out for the season.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- While it hasn’t received the sort of attention that a quarterback’s holdout would, the Kam Chancellor situation is drawing plenty of interest around the NFL, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who writes that teams – and even some agents – don’t want to see the Seahawks cave to their star safety. In La Canfora’s view, the club has to be willing to see if Chancellor will give up game checks.
- According to former agent Joel Corry (via Twitter), Chancellor’s holdout has cost him his salary guarantee for this season, unless his contract language is different from other Seattle deals. Meanwhile, former team executive Andrew Brandt suggests (via Twitter) that he thinks the Seahawks will waive Chancellor’s fines if and when he reports, but the team can’t say that now, since there’d be no incentive for Chancellor to end his holdout.
- Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports has some details on the Eagles‘ new deal with Mychal Kendricks, tweeting that the linebacker got a signing bonus worth $8MM and will get $16.9MM over the next three years.
- The Falcons considered signing offensive guard Evan Mathis, but elected not to pull the trigger on a deal, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “We certainly did evaluate him,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “Thomas [Dimitroff] and I both did.” Mathis, of course, signed with the Broncos on Tuesday. A deal with the Falcons would have marked a homecoming of sorts for the Birmingham native.
- In an effort to cut back on his day-to-day involvement, 72-year-old Falcons owner Arthur Blank will hire a CEO to oversee all of his for-profit businsess, including the Falcons, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Mike Daniels, Packers Far Apart On Contract
With defensive lineman Mike Daniels heading into a contract year, the Packers identified the fourth-year defender as a player they wanted to lock up to a new deal this offseason. However, with the regular season just two weeks away, Daniels and the Packers are “far apart” on extension negotiations, according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Daniels, 26, became a starter on Green Bay’s defensive line last season for the first time, and responded with an excellent year, compiling 47 tackles and 5.5 sacks. According to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required), Daniels was the league’s eighth-best 3-4 defensive end, recording a grade of +18.8, which placed him right between Jurrell Casey and Haloti Ngata.
Set to earn a base salary of $1.542MM in 2015, Daniels is seeking a significant raise on any new deal. Per McGinn, the former fourth-round pick is looking for a salary in the neighborhood of $10MM annually, while the Packers have made multiyear proposals averaging “several million less” per year. With the two sides in disagreement over Daniels’ value, negotiations recently broke off, though they could resume at any time, since the Iowa product has indicated he doesn’t mind negotiating into the regular season, writes McGinn.
$10MM per year for an interior defensive lineman with just one season as a starter under his belt may seem excessive, but recent extensions for similar players suggest Daniels could make a case for such a salary. Corey Liuget and Cameron Heyward recently signed five-year extensions with the Chargers and Steelers respectively for annual salaries of $10.25MM+, and Daniels’ reps may point to those players as comparables.
On the other hand, the Packers could point to players like Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga, who have recently signed new below-market contracts to remain in Green Bay, and argue that to keep the team’s core intact, Daniels and other players may have to be willing to accept similar deals. If Daniels doesn’t see it that way, and the Packers are reluctant to increase their offer substantially, the team may have to decide in 2016 whether to franchise the defensive lineman or let him walk — and I expect the franchise tag would be a little too pricey for the team’s liking.
Still, there’s plenty of time before that point to agree to terms on an extension, so we’ll see if the two sides can bridge that gap in the coming weeks.
Browns Sign Pat Devlin, Cut Ryan Seymour
8:39am: The Browns have made the Devlin signing official, announcing in a press release that they’ve waived offensive lineman Ryan Seymour to make room for the quarterback.
8:12am: With Johnny Manziel experiencing some arm soreness, the Browns will bring in another quarterback for insurance purposes, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is signing former Dolphin Pat Devlin, pending a physical.
Devlin, 27, has never played in a regular-season NFL game, but he spent parts of three seasons with the Dolphins, either on the team’s practice squad or active roster. Last year, he signed to the Vikings’ practice squad in November and spent the last couple months of the season on Minnesota’s unit.
Adam Caplan of ESPN.com first reported last night (via Twitter) that Devlin would be working out with the Browns today. Garafolo added (via Twitter) that the club also “nosed around” Josh Johnson, but Cleveland didn’t bring in Johnson for an audition of his own. With the Browns no longer an option, Johnson will work out today for the Jets, tweets Garafolo.
An MRI on Manziel’s shoulder revealed no structural damage, but the Browns intend to shut down the second-year quarterback for the rest of the preseason, given his elbow soreness, as Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland writes. A broken thumb has also sidelined Connor Shaw, so adding Devlin to the roster should help the team finish out the preseason — the newly-added QB seems unlikely to earn a spot on the 53-man squad.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/15
Here are today’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL:
- The Patriots cut cornerback Jimmy Jean, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The rookie was signed by the Pats as a rookie free agent out of Alabama-Birmingham on May 8, 2015. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder, played both safety and cornerback over two seasons at University of Alabama- Birmingham.
- The Buccaneers have signed punter Jacob Schum, waiving safety Derrick Wells in the corresponding roster move, the team announced today (via Twitter). Schum just became a free agent last week after being cut by the Jets.
- The Lions have signed former Arena League center Joe Madsen, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link). Madsen, who finished last season on Green Bay’s practice squad, has spent time with the Packers and Browns this year.
- The Seahawks have cut quarterback Jake Waters, leaving just three quarterbacks on their roster, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. The move seems to suggest that the club isn’t too worried about Tarvaris Jackson‘s health. To fill Waters’ roster spot, the Seahawks signed wide receiver Deontay Greenberry.
East Notes: T. Williams, Jets, Cowboys, Wayne
Washington offensive tackle Trent Williams isn’t worrying about his contract situation, focusing instead on giving Washington “one of the best years of my career” in the final season of his current deal, as he tells John Keim of ESPN.com.
Keim suggests that if the two sides don’t reach an agreement on an extension, the franchise tag will be an option for Washington, but Williams’ cap hit this year is $14.23MM, so franchising him would mean committing to a salary north of $17MM for 2016. As such, it’s in Washington’s best interest to work out a longer-term arrangement, and Williams should have plenty of leverage in those negotiations.
Let’s round up a few more notes from out of the NFL’s East divisions…
- Speaking today to reporters, including Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter links), Osi Umenyiora said he got an offer from a team yesterday, but didn’t want to continue his career if he wasn’t playing for the Giants. According to Garafolo, the Jets contacted Umenyiora yesterday, but didn’t make a formal contract offer — they were just checking to see whether he was really retiring. The veteran pass rusher paid an informal visit to the Jets earlier this year.
- Although an earlier report suggested the Cowboys were poking around for cornerback help, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets that the team has no plans to add a corner in the wake of Orlando Scandrick‘s ACL injury. I’d expect the Cowboys to keep an eye on defensive backs who are cut next week, but it doesn’t sound like the club is in the market for a starter at all.
- Field Yates of ESPN.com passes along some specific details on Reggie Wayne‘s one-year contract with the Patriots, tweeting that the wideout will earn a base salary of $1.1MM to go along with a $450K signing bonus. The pact also features $750K in per-game roster bonuses, plus additional bonuses if Wayne reaches 55 receptions ($250K) and 65 receptions (another $250K).