Malcom Brown To Enter Draft
Texas junior defensive tackle Malcom Brown has elected to enter the 2015 NFL draft, he told coach Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong (Twitter link via the Longhorn Network). Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net had reported last month that Brown was leaning heavily toward forgoing his final year of NCAA eligibility and turning pro.
In his third season at Texas, Brown compiled 69 tackles, and led the defense with 6.5 sacks and 14 tackles for a loss. He was a consensus All-American, as well as ESPN’s Big 12 defensive player of the year.
The 2015 draft class figures to see a number of defensive tackles come off the board early, with Brown expected to be a first-round pick. CBSSports.com ranks him as the fourth-best defensive tackle in the class, and the No. 25 overall prospect. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Todd McShay praises Brown’s motor and versatility, projecting him to come off the board with the 22nd overall pick.
Browns Notes: Shanahan, Manziel, Carter
The big news out of Cleveland today is the departure of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who reportedly asked to be released from his contract. With quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains also leaving the Browns, the team will revamp its coaching staff yet again heading into the 2015 season. Here are the latest updates on Shanahan, the newly-opened OC job, and other Browns-related topics:
- According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links), it’s not a surprise that Shanahan and the Browns decided to part ways, since he has heard there’s been “major friction” between the two sides. Per La Canfora, last Friday, after Shanahan approached the club about his issues and concerns, the team granted him permission to leave, even if it was a lateral move to another offensive coordinator position.
- A source tells Pat McManamon of ESPN.com that the split between Shanahan (and Loggains) and the team was caused by the fact that the offensive coaches didn’t see eye to eye with the front office on Johnny Manziel. According to McManamon, the front office wants Manziel to be the starter, and Shanahan and Loggains weren’t convinced the club could win with him. Said one source: “They are both smart to get out now.”
- Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com counters that report, tweeting that Shanahan “really liked” Manziel, and didn’t depart because of the rookie signal-caller.
- Cabot adds (via Twitter) that as of a couple days ago, the Browns hadn’t contacted Charlie Weis about their offensive coordinator job, but she acknowledged that could change soon. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported earlier this week that Cleveland had “reached out to guys like” Weis.
- Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) adds the Browns to the list of teams planning to work out CFL wideout Duron Carter, the son of longtime Vikings star Cris Carter.
Bears Hire Ryan Pace As General Manager
The Bears have hired Saints executive Ryan Pace to be their new general manager, the team announced today (via Twitter). New Orleans’ director of player personnel will replace Phil Emery, who was let go along with head coach Marc Trestman following Chicago’s regular season finale.
The Bears’ hiring of Pace is a bit of a surprise, after the team also spoke to Brian Gaine of the Texans, Lake Dawson of the Titans, and Chris Ballard of the Chiefs. Ballard was viewed by many observers as the favorite for the job, while at least one report indicated that Gaine would likely be the favorite of Ernie Accorsi, who is serving as an advisor for the Bears during their hunt for a new GM and head coach.
Although Ballard and Gaine were strong candidates, Pace is a highly-respected veteran executive is his own right, spending 14 years working with the Saints, including six as the team’s director of pro scouting before he became the club’s director of player personnel. The Jets were also interested in interviewing Pace for their GM opening, but he declined the opportunity to speak to the team about the position.
With Pace now installed as their general manager, the Bears can move forward with their search for a head coach, which had been delayed slightly because the team wanted a GM in place first. As our head coaching search tracker shows, Chicago spoke to Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase during last week’s bye, and also talked to Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles today. The Bears had originally been scheduled to interview Bowles on Saturday, but perhaps were willing to move it up since Pace’s hiring was imminent — Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that the new GM sat in on the team’s interview with Bowles today.
In addition to those candidates, former head coaches Doug Marrone and Mike Shanahan have been mentioned as possible candidates, and the Bears have requested an interview with Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, who won’t speak with any teams until Baltimore is eliminated from the postseason. It’s possible that Chicago will add some new names to its list of targets, now that the club has found its GM.
Mueller Releases Report On Rice Investigation
Investigator Robert Mueller released his full report on the NFL’s investigation into the Ray Rice incident today, and concluded that no one from the league possessed or watched the in-elevator footage of Rice hitting his then-fiancée prior to it becoming public.
“We found no evidence that anyone at the NFL had or saw the in-elevator video before it was publicly shown,” reads the press release from Mueller. “We also found no evidence that a woman at the NFL acknowledged receipt of that video in a voicemail message on April 9, 2014.
“We concluded there was substantial information about the incident – even without the in-elevator video – indicating the need for a more thorough investigation,” the statement continues. “The NFL should have done more with the information it had, and should have taken additional steps to obtain all available information about the February 15 incident.”
While Mueller chides the league for not pursuing information and evidence more aggressively, the report clears commissioner Roger Goodell and his staff of any more serious violations, and casts doubt on an Associated Press that suggested a female league employee confirmed receipt of the video in April. In the wake of the report’s release, Giants co-owner John Mara and Steelers owner Art Rooney II, who were overseeing the investigation, issued a statement reiterating their support of Goodell.
“This matter has tarnished the reputation of the NFL due to our failure to hand out proper punishments,” the statement reads. “It has been a wake-up call to all involved and we expect the changes that have been made will lead to improvements in how any similar issues are handled in the future…. It is clear to us that Commissioner Goodell was forthright in the statements he made to the owners about this matter, and we have every confidence that Roger Goodell is the right person to lead the league as we move forward.”
While it may come as no surprise that an NFL-led investigation conducted by a former NFL employee exonerates the league from any serious wrong-doing, it further strengthens Goodell’s position as a commissioner who isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Jeromey Clary Announces Retirement
Longtime Chargers offensive lineman Jeromey Clary has announced his retirement, according to a press release from the team. Clary spent the 2014 season on the team’s reserve/PUP list after undergoing hip surgery.
“Honestly, it has been a long time coming now with the two hip injuries,” Clary said. “San Diego was a great place to play, and I couldn’t have asked for a better organization to play for. All the coaches and all the players I was with, and the friendships I’ve built … I’m honored to have played for an organization like this. It means the world to me. I’ve processed this decision a lot and gone through it a lot, and to be honest with you, I’m really excited about the future. I look forward to getting back to Texas and being around my family.”
Clary, 31, was selected by the Chargers in the 2006 draft out of Kansas State. Although he was a sixh-round pick, Clary soon became a mainstay in San Diego’s lineup, starting 93 of the 103 games he played for the team during his career, primarily at right tackle. In his final season with the Chargers, the veteran lineman accepted a pay cut that reduced his base salary from $4.55MM to $1.6MM. He’d be eligible for unrestricted free agency in March if he were continuing his career.
Amari Cooper, T.J. Yeldon To Enter Draft
Earlier today, we learned that Alabama safety Landon Collins would be entering his name in the 2015 NFL draft, and it appears two noteworthy teammates will join him. According to ESPN’s Alex Scarborough and Chris Low, junior wide receiver Amari Cooper and junior running back T.J. Yeldon will also forgo their remaining college eligibility and enter the ’15 draft.
Of the two, Cooper is the bigger name — he is widely considered the best wideout available among 2015 prospects, and is considered likely to come off the board within the first few picks this spring. He racked up an incredible 1,727 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns on 124 receptions in 2014 for Alabama, averaging 123+ yards per game. Both ESPN.com and CBSSports.com consider Cooper a top-five prospect, though the first mock draft from ESPN’s Todd McShay has the young receiver coming off the board at No. 6, to the Jets.
As for Yeldon, his yards per carry slipped to 5.0 in 2014 after he topped 6.0 as a freshman and sophomore, but the 21-year-old still had a strong junior season, compiling 979 yards and 11 TDs on the ground. He grades as ESPN’s sixth-best running back and 49th-best overall prospect, while CBSSports.com isn’t quite as bullish, ranking Yeldon seventh among RBs and 80th overall.
Coach Notes: Philbin, Ryan, Bowles, Trestman
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross announced last month that the team would be retaining head coach Joe Philbin for the 2015 season, and the next step is to lock up Philbin with an extension. As Aramando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes, the Dolphins will indeed make an extension offer to Philbin, to ensure that he doesn’t enter 2015 as a lame-duck coach, and to make sure his price tag doesn’t go up if Miami has a strong ’15 campaign. Of course, if the Dolphins take a step back next season, Philbin could still be dismissed — Ross and the team would just have to eat the remaining cost of his deal.
Here are a few more Thursday coaching updates from across the league:
- Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle is hearing that Rex Ryan‘s first choice is the 49ers, followed by the Falcons (Twitter link). However, it’s not clear if Ryan would be atop the Niners’ list as well.
- The Falcons pushed their interviews for Teryl Austin and Todd Bowles back to Friday and Saturday, respectively, due to the passing of Molly Blank, tweets D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. That’s why Bowles is meeting with the Bears today instead of Saturday.
- Meanwhile, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says (via Twitter) that the Raiders have been “knocked off” Bowles’ list, while Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears the Cardinals defensive coordinator is making a “very strong impression” in his head coaching interviews. Bowles met with the Jets yesterday, and had the Bears on tap today, before he moves on to the 49ers on Friday and Falcons on Saturday.
- Following Kyle Shanahan‘s departure from the Browns, Marc Trestman‘s name has come up as Cleveland considers new candidates, and the former Bears head coach would be interested in talking to the team, tweets Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.
- The Jaguars, on the other hand, aren’t leaning toward Trestman to be their new offensive coordinator, per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter).
- The Giants have requested permission to interview Washington defensive backs coach Raheem Morris for their defensive coordinator position, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Noting that the contract of Raiders defensive coordinator Jason Tarver expires in less than two weeks, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) says Tarver is a DC target for some head coaching candidates around the league. The Raiders would like to keep him, but Tarver could choose to pursue a DC job under a new head coach for another team, depending on who lands where.
Benardrick McKinney To Enter Draft
Mississippi State linebacker Benardrick McKinney has decided to enter the 2015 draft, forgoing his final year of NCAA eligibility, reports Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
McKinney, a redshirt junior, nearly entered the draft a year ago, tweets Matt Miller of Bleacher Report. The 22-year-old linebacker accumulated 66 tackles in 11 games during his final year at Mississippi State, including 10 in the team’s Orange Bowl loss to Georgia Tech.
Per CBSSports.com, McKinney ranks as the best inside linebacker in the 2015 class by a fairly wide margin, and comes in as the 24th-best prospect overall, making him a probable first-round pick. Todd McShay of ESPN.com has McKinney coming off the board 28th to the Packers in his first mock draft, and offers the following assessment of the young defender:
“He has very good speed and closing burst for his size, and while he isn’t a huge hitter in general, he has the strength to occasionally deliver a big blow. He also flashes upside as a pass-rusher.”
Landon Collins To Enter Draft
Alabama safety Landon Collins has decided to forgo his final season of college eligibility and enter the 2015 NFL draft, league sources tell Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Getlin had reported last month that Collins was viewed as a “lock” to declare for this year’s draft.
Collins, who turns 22 this Saturday, racked up 90 tackles during his junior year at Alabama, as well as snagging three interceptions. He projects as a potential top-10 pick, ranking seventh on CBSSports.com’s big board of 2015 prospects, and first among safeties. In his first mock draft, ESPN.com’s Todd McShay has Collins being selected by the Bears with the No. 9 overall pick.
With a week still remaining for NCAA underclassmen to declare their intent to enter the 2015 draft, Collins is the latest addition to our list of early entrants.
Minor Moves: Wednesday
We’ll recap today’s minor transactions from across the NFL in the space below, with any new moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Chiefs also signed wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- It appears that quarterback Terrelle Pryor has signed with the Chiefs, based on his Sqor post from this evening. The Ohio State product auditioned for KC earlier today exclusively as a quarterback. A source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter) that’s a one-year deal.
- The Lions have added another reserve/futures contract signing to the list of players they announced yesterday, with Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweeting that defensive back Crezdon Butler has inked a deal with the club. Butler spent most of the season with the Buccaneers before being waived by the team in December.
Earlier updates:
- Former Southern Connecticut State defensive end Ike Igbinosun, who finished the season on the Bills’ practice squad, has signed a reserve/futures deal with the Jaguars, according to John Oehser of Jaguars.com (Twitter link).
- Washington has signed outside linebacker Austin Spitler to a reserve/futures contract, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times. Spitler most recently spent time with the Ravens, but was cut near the end of the 2014 preseason.
- The Giants are signing kicker Chris Boswell, who worked out for the team early in the season, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Boswell signed with the Texans as an undrafted free agent out of Rice this spring, and spent a little time on Houston’s practice squad in September.