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Latest On Las Vegas, Raiders

May 12th, 2016 at 8:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The interest that Raiders owner Mark Davis is showing in Las Vegas isn’t a bluff, or an attempt to play one city against another, writes Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News. According to Bonsignore, Davis is becoming increasingly convinced that “the Oakland ship has sailed,” and is pushing to make Las Vegas the Raiders’ new home.

“It’s really a tremendous opportunity,” Davis said. “A fresh start in a growing market that’s easily accessible to areas of the country that are hot-beds for Raider Nation. But not just that, we want to be a member of the community. We want to build a strong, local fan base, and we believe we’ll do just that. And when people think about Las Vegas, it won’t just be for entertainment and vacations and casinos. They’ll think about the Raiders. The Las Vegas Raiders. That’s a game-changer in so many ways.”

While Davis sounds enthusiastic about the idea of moving his franchise to Vegas, he’s not the only owner interested in the possibility. One high-ranking NFL executive tells Bonsignore that Vegas would be “a great home for the Raiders,” and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones suggested publicly this week that he would likely be on board with the idea.

Jones didn’t specifically mention the Raiders when discussing the idea of an NFL team moving to Vegas, but as Todd Archer of ESPN.com details, the Cowboys owner indicated he would welcome the discussion, calling the city “one of the real crown jewels of communities” in America.

“As you well know, you have to have the right situation,” Jones said. “You have to have the right ownership, want to and then a lot of other considerations that have to come into play. For me, I think that certainly the fact that Las Vegas has a gambling aspect to it is far overshadowed by the entertainment value, if you will, family appeal, that you have, the convention appeal. So it does not have disfavor with me, in my opinion, relative to being an NFL city.”

Jones is just one owner out of 32, but he played an instrumental role in the Rams’ move to Los Angeles, throwing his support behind Stan Kroenke‘s project and getting other owners on board with the Rams’ relocation plan. If the Cowboys owner pushes equally hard for a Raiders move to Las Vegas, it would be a great sign for Davis’ franchise.

Still, although the Raiders look like the strongest candidate to consider a move to Las Vegas, mayor Carolyn Goodman suggested during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (SoundCloud link) that if it doesn’t work out with the Raiders, the city plans to continue to push forward with its stadium project in the hopes of attracting another NFL team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Notes: A. Brown, D. Walker, Tunsil

May 12th, 2016 at 7:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert doesn’t sound like a man who is in a rush to discuss a contract extension with star Antonio Brown.

“He does have two years left and we expect that to be honored without any issue,” the Steelers GM told Mike Florio of Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “Again, Antonio’s a unique player. We understand that and he understands our policies. I don’t ever see that changing as long as we still have the mindset that it’s been good for the organization. Again we understand that he’s a special player and we’re glad we have him for two more years anyway.”

As Florio notes, Steelers usually don’t extend players with more than two years to go on their deals, unless those players are quarterbacks. However, one has to imagine that an exception could be made for Brown given his status as one of the league’s most dangerous offensive players.

Here are a few more odds and ends from across the AFC:

Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link) has some additional details on Delanie Walker‘s new contract with the Titans. The tight end dropped his base salary in 2016 from $4.275MM to $2.7MM. He’ll have base salaries of $4.2MM in 2017 and $5.4MM in 2018.
Mark Schlabach and Nicole Noren of ESPN’s Outside the Lines have provided an update on the draft-night hacks to Dolphins offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil‘s social media accounts. The duo reports that Ole Miss officials have determined that a text message conversation published to Tunsil’s Instagram was legit — the conversation included Tunsil asking Ole Miss assistant athletic director John Miller for money to pay his rent and his mother’s utility bill.
Mike Tanier of Bleacher Report argues that the Colts should act now to lock up quarterback Andrew Luck for the long term, even if it means making him the league’s highest-paid player after a disappointing, injury-plagued 2015 season.

West Notes: Chargers, Freeney, Chiefs, Berry

May 12th, 2016 at 4:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chargers announced on Wednesday that they have named Louis Clark the team’s senior director of pro personnel. Clark most recently held the same position with the Eagles. Prior to joining the Eagles in 2013, Clark spent 16 seasons in the Jaguars’ player personnel department as a college scout, assistant director of pro personnel, and director of pro personnel. Clark and GM Tom Telesco have known each other for some time, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes.

Here’s more from out of the NFL’s West divisions, including a few notes on one of San Diego’s division rivals:

Veteran edge defender Dwight Freeney, who had eight sacks in 11 games for the Cardinals last season, identified Arizona as a team he’d like to play for in 2016 during an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter today. However, Freeney said that if the Cards don’t want to bring him back, he’d still like to get a chance to continue his career with another winning team. The 14-year veteran turned 36 in February.
Chiefs GM John Dorsey told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) says that he tried to move up in the first round of the draft, but the cost proved to be too high. Instead, Kansas City traded back, and Dorsey says he still got the guy he wanted in defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Dorsey expects contract negotiations with safety Eric Berry to be a “slow process,” but the two sides continue to have dialogue (link). Because Berry received the franchise tag, he and the Chiefs have until July 15th to work out a multiyear deal. If the two sides don’t reach an agreement by that point, Berry would be in line to play out the 2016 season on his $10.806MM franchise salary.
More from Dorsey (link): According to the GM, Chiefs seventh-round pick Dadi Nicolas will be converted from defensive end to outside linebacker.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Jaguars Sign Bjoern Werner

May 12th, 2016 at 9:35am CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 9:35am: Werner’s contract with Jaguars does not contain any guaranteed money and is basically a “prove it” deal, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Caplan does not specify the length of the deal, but I would surmise that it is a one-year pact.

WEDNESDAY, 3:30pm: The Jaguars continue to make changes on their defensive line this offseason, announcing today that they’ve signed defensive end Bjoern Werner. A former first-round pick, Werner was waived by the Colts about two months ago.

Werner, 25, appeared in 38 games over the last three years for the Colts, including 16 starts. In that time, the Florida State alum registered 77 tackles (61 solo), 6.5 sacks, five passes defensed, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. However, the majority of Werner’s production came in his first two years in the league — in 2015, he appeared in 10 games and picked up just 11 total tackles and one fumble recovery.

After being selected 24th overall in the 2013 draft, Werner never lived up to expectations with the Colts, but figures to be an inexpensive gamble for the Jaguars. Contract terms aren’t yet known, but I’d be surprised if Werner gets more than a minimum salary deal from Jacksonville.

The Jaguars added Malik Jackson in free agency, and will get Dante Fowler Jr. back from injury this season. The team also added Myles Jack, Yannick Ngakoue, Sheldon Day, Tyrone Holmes, and Jonathan Woodard on the third day of the draft, so there will be several new front-seven players vying for roles and roster spots in 2016.

In a corresponding roster move, the Jaguars also cut cornerback Chance Casey today.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/11/16

May 11th, 2016 at 4:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from across the NFL:

The Buccaneers have claimed safety Johnny Lowdermilk off waivers from the Vikings, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The team also waived rookie safety Traveon Henry and rookie wide receiver Dez Stewart (injured).
The Bengals made a minor change at the back of their 90-man roster, signing former Louisville offensive tackle Aaron Epps and waiving tackle Darryl Baldwin, per Coley Harvey of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Baldwin was an undrafted free agent in 2015 who has yet to appear in a regular-season NFL game, while Epps tried out for Cincinnati after going undrafted this year. Epps, who stands at 6’7″ and weighs 288 pounds, was a part-time starter at Louisville in 2014 and 2015. He started only 14 contests across his collegiate career.
After cutting former South Florida edge defender Eric Lee earlier this week, the Texans are expected to re-sign him today, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. As Auman explains, the club wanted to change some language in Lee’s contract.
The Buccaneers signed receiver Freddie Martino, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
The Rams signed cornerback Jabriel Washington and released wide receiver Nick Toon and defensive back Winston Rose, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com tweets.
Linebacker Uani Unga, waived yesterday by the Giants, cleared waivers and was added to the Giants’ injured reserve list, as Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News tweets.
Mike McFarland reverted to the Colts‘ IR after being waived-injured and clearing waivers (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle).
The Packers have reached an injury settlement with tight end David Grinnage, who was signed as a rookie free agent (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
The Patriots have cut linebacker Tony Steward, leaving them with an open roster spot, as Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal tweets.

Draft Pick Signings: Bills, Broncos, Titans

May 11th, 2016 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

More than half of the players selected in the 2016 NFL draft have signed their rookie contracts within the last week and a half. As rookie deals have become more rigid, and more dependent on draft slots, holdouts have become a thing of the past for draftees, and more and more teams are securing their entire draft classes faster than ever.

Here are the latest draft pick signings from around the league:

The Bills have signed the first of their seven draft picks, and the first player to sign was the last one to be drafted. The team announced today on its website that it has locked up sixth-round cornerback Kevon Seymour. “Now that I’ve got this out of the way and can focus now on doing what I really love,” Seymour said. “I’m just blessed to be here and thankful.”
Like Buffalo, Denver also seems to be working backward with its draftees. The first Broncos pick to sign is the team’s seventh-round selection, punter Riley Dixon (Twitter link via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com). Dixon is expected to push Britton Colquitt – who has a $4MM cap hit – for the starting job this summer.
The Titans have agreed to terms with sixth-round guard Sebastian Tretola, the 193th overall pick out of Arkansas, writes Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com. Tretola, the seventh of 10 Tennessee draftees to sign, is in line for a four-year contract worth $2.473MM, with a signing bonus of nearly $133K, per Over the Cap.

Eagles Hire Joe Douglas As Personnel Chief

May 11th, 2016 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

MAY 11, 2:49pm: The Eagles have made the hirings of Joe Douglas and Andy Weidl official, announcing that Douglas is the new vice president of player personnel, while Weidl will be the assistant director of player personnel.

“I have known Joe for several years and have admired his work with both the Ravens and the Bears,” Howie Roseman said in a statement. “He is a guy that we had targeted from the outset. I feel that we are very fortunate to have him lead our player personnel department. (Ravens GM) Ozzie Newsome and (Bears GM) Ryan Pace spoke very highly of him and his work. He is passionate about football, passionate about scouting and he played a vital role in the success of the Ravens over the last decade.”

MAY 8, 7:32am: The Eagles are set to hire Douglas as a head of their personnel department, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Enquirer reports. The move is expected to become official on Monday, according to McLane.

MAY 4, 3:55pm: The Eagles are interviewing Joe Douglas for their personnel chief job, and there’s a very good chance the Bears executive will be hired following that meeting, according to multiple reports. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune first reported that Douglas, the Bears’ scouting director, would interview for the job opening in Philadelphia.

While Biggs referred to Douglas as a “very strong candidate,” several reporters since then have gone even further. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that the interview is “believed to be a mere formality,” while Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic (Twitter link) has heard from multiple sources that the job is Douglas’ if he wants it. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com adds (via Twitter) that the Bears are “bracing” for Douglas’ departure.

Having parted ways with head coach Chip Kelly and top personnel executive Ed Marynowitz at the start of the 2016 offseason, the Eagles handed the reins back to Howie Roseman, but had been on the lookout for an outside hire to head up their personnel department, replacing Marynowitz. After interviewing candidates like Brandon Hunt, Morocco Brown, Dwayne Joseph, and Mark Dominik in the winter, the Eagles decided to put their search on hold until after the draft. Now, they appear to have identified their preferred target, in Douglas.

Douglas, who joined the Bears approximately a year ago, spent the previous 15 years with the Ravens, serving as Baltimore’s national scout from 2012 to 2015. Assuming he is offered the Eagles’ job and accepts it, Douglas is expected to bring Ravens East Coast scout Andy Weidl with him, assigning him a prominent scouting role, tweets Mosher.

Per Mosher (via Twitter), Philadelphia’s official interview with Douglas will take place on Thursday, so we should have an update soon on whether he’ll be leaving Chicago to take the Eagles’ job.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Brees, Goff, Pettigrew, Giants

May 11th, 2016 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

For most of the offseason, NFL observers have assumed that the Saints and Drew Brees will negotiate an extension that locks up the quarterback beyond the 2016 season and frees up some cap room for the team. However, agent Tom Condon said during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show that the Saints seem to be satisfied with Brees at his current cap number, per Joel A. Erickson of The Advocate.

According to Over the Cap’s data, New Orleans currently has less than $2MM in cap room, and that appears to be without factoring in the team’s draft picks. There are ways that the Saints could lock up all their picks and get through the 2016 season without reworking Brees’ deal, but it would almost certainly require adjusting another contract or two.

Brees, who is entering the final year of his deal, currently has a $30MM cap charge, with only one other player on the Saints’ books for a number larger than $6.35MM in 2016 — Jairus Byrd has a $10.9MM cap hit, which could be reduced via a restructure, if necessary.

As we wait to see whether New Orleans is serious about standing pat on Brees, here’s more from around the NFC:

Defensive lineman David Onyemata has been drafted for the second time in two weeks, writes Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com. After being selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Saints, Onyemata came off the board in the fourth round of the CFL draft as well, snatched by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Of course, Onyemata went 120th overall in the NFL draft, as opposed to 35th in the CFL draft, and he would have gone higher in the CFL draft had the Saints not selected him last month — he was viewed as the No. 1 Canadian prospect for 2016, but the Roughriders won’t get him as he long as he remains with New Orleans.
The Rams don’t want to rush No. 1 pick Jared Goff into anything, but as Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com writes, there’s a good chance the former Cal quarterback will be under center for the team sooner rather than later — perhaps even by Week 1.
Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew, who suffered a torn ACL near the end of the 2015 season, said on Tuesday night that he expects to be ready to go for the start of training camp in July, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
When the Giants waived wide receiver Ben Edwards earlier this week, the team did so with an injury designation. As Jordan Raanan of NJ.com explains, the injury Edwards suffered was a torn ACL. Since the wideout went unclaimed he’ll revert to IR — Big Blue can either keep him there for the 2016 season, or negotiate an injury settlement if he has a chance to return before the end of the year.

2016’s Major NFL Coaching Changes

May 11th, 2016 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Because most NFL coaching changes happen in January, those moves can often be overshadowed by the postseason and – subsequently – by the major moves that teams makes in free agency and during the draft. However, those coaching changes shouldn’t be overlooked.

A year ago, more than half of the league’s 32 teams made changes at at least one of their head coach, offensive coordinator, or defensive coordinator spots, and many of these hirings turned into major stories throughout the 2015 season. New Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase was lauded for his work with Jay Cutler, and new Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter had similar success with rookie Jameis Winston. Both Gase and Koetter turned their one-year OC gigs into head coaching jobs.

Meanwhile, in Denver, Gary Kubiak and Wade Phillips enjoyed a ton of success in their first year as the Broncos’ head coach and defensive coordinator, respectively. Phillips’ impact on the defense, in particular, buoyed the Broncos to a Super Bowl win despite mediocre quarterback play.

Which new coaches could make a similar impact this year? We may have to wait to find out, but there are certainly plenty of candidates. The full breakdown of 2016’s major coaching changes from around the league is below. Interim coaches who were promoted to a permanent job, such as Mike Mularkey with the Titans, aren’t included.

Head coaches:

Cleveland Browns: Hired Hue Jackson to replace Mike Pettine.
Miami Dolphins: Hired Adam Gase to replace Dan Campbell (interim).
New York Giants: Promoted Ben McAdoo to replace Tom Coughlin.
Philadelphia Eagles: Hired Doug Pederson to replace Pat Shurmur (interim) / Chip Kelly.
San Francisco 49ers: Hired Chip Kelly to replace Jim Tomsula.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Promoted Dirk Koetter to replace Lovie Smith.

Offensive coordinators:

Chicago Bears: Promoted Dowell Loggains to replace Adam Gase.
Cincinnati Bengals: Promoted Ken Zampese to replace Hue Jackson.
Clevleand Browns: Won’t hire formal OC to replace John DeFilippo.
Kansas City Chiefs: Promoted Brad Childress and Matt Nagy to replace Doug Pederson.
Miami Dolphins: Hired Clyde Christensen to replace Zac Taylor.
New York Giants: Promoted Mike Sullivan to replace Ben McAdoo.
Philadelphia Eagles: Hired Frank Reich to replace Pat Shurmur.
San Diego Chargers: Hired Ken Whisenhunt to replace Frank Reich.
San Francisco 49ers: Hired Curtis Modkins to replace Geep Chryst.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Hired Todd Monken to replace Dirk Koetter.
Tennessee Titans: Hired Terry Robiskie to replace Jason Michael.

Defensive coordinators:

Cleveland Browns: Hired Ray Horton to replace Jim O’Neil.
Indianapolis Colts: Hired Ted Monachino to replace Greg Manusky.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Hired Todd Wash to replace Bob Babich.
Miami Dolphins: Hired Vance Joseph to replace Lou Anarumo.
Philadelphia Eagles: Hired Jim Schwartz to replace Billy Davis.
San Francisco 49ers: Hired Jim O’Neil to replace Eric Mangini.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Hired Mike Smith to replace Leslie Frazier.
Tennessee Titans: Hired Dick LeBeau to replace Ray Horton.

Special teams coordinators:

Houston Texans: Hired Larry Izzo to replace Bob Ligashesky.
New York Jets: Hired Brant Boyer to replace Bobby April.
San Francisco 49ers: Hired Derius Swinton to replace Thomas McGaughey.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Hired Nate Kaczor to replace Kevin O’Dea.
Tennessee Titans: Hired Bobby April to replace Nate Kaczor.

Other 2015 head coaches with new jobs:

Indianapolis Colts: Hired former Dolphins HC Joe Philbin as offensive line coach.
Minnesota Vikings: Hired former Eagles interim HC Pat Shurmur as tight ends coach.
New Orleans Saints: Hired former Dolphins HC Dan Campbell as assistant head coach and tight ends coach.
University of Illinois: Hired former Buccaneers HC Lovie Smith as head coach.

Other 2015 OCs, DCs with new jobs:

Baltimore Ravens: Hired former Buccaneers DC Leslie Frazier as secondary coach.
Miami Dolphins: Reassigned former DC Lou Anarumo to defensive backs coach.
Philadelphia Eagles: Hired former Browns OC John DeFilippo as quarterbacks coach.
San Diego Chargers: Hired former Jaguars DC Bob Babich as linebackers coach.
Tennessee Titans: Reassigned former OC Jason Michael to quarterbacks coach.
University of Cincinnati: Hired former Dolphins OC Zac Taylor as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Washington: Hired former Colts DC Greg Manusky as outside linebackers coach.

Recap Of Undrafted Free Agent Signings

May 11th, 2016 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after the 2016 NFL draft ended, teams begin to issue press releases announcing which undrafted players had agreed to – and subsequently signed – contracts with them. All 32 teams have now officially confirmed their undrafted free agent signings, and we’ve rounded them all up below to make it easier to find your favorite team’s UDFA class, along with whatever bonus info has been reported.

It’s worth noting that some of these announcements are now a little outdated, as many clubs made changes to their groups of undrafted free agents following their rookie minicamps, signing new rookies and cutting players that they’d just added a few days earlier. To catch up on those newer signings, you can check out our transactions page or go to a specific team’s page for all the latest news.

Here are the original 2016 UDFA classes for all 32 teams:

AFC East:

AFC North:

AFC South:

AFC West:

NFC East:

NFC North:

NFC South:

NFC West: