49ers Put Ian Williams On IR, Activate Dorsey
The 49ers have officially activated defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey to their 53-man roster, placing defensive tackle Ian Williams on injured reserve in a corresponding move, the team announced today (Twitter link). Head coach Jim Harbaugh had suggested earlier today that Dorsey would soon be activated.
Dorsey has been sidelined for the entire 2014 season to date, having been placed on IR with the designation to return prior to Week 1 due to a biceps injury. Williams played well in Dorsey’s absence, but suffered a fracture in his leg during Week 10’s game against the Saints. Quinton Dial took over as the team’s nose tackle yesterday against the Giants, though according to Pro Football Focus, he played just 14 of 70 total defensive snaps.
Assuming Dorsey is ready to see regular action on defense for the Niners, he’ll be the second key player to return to the unit in the last two weeks. Linebacker Aldon Smith was activated following his nine-game suspension last week, and made his season debut on Sunday in the Meadowlands.
NFC West Notes: Dorsey, Gore, Cardinals
While the Seahawks couldn’t pull out a comeback win in Kansas City yesterday, it was a successful Sunday for the rest of the NFC West, with the Cardinals, Rams, and 49ers all notching impressive victories. In his look at players who improved their free agent stocks over the weekend, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap picks a player from each of those teams, identifying Cardinals cornerback Antonio Cromartie, Rams wideout Kenny Britt, and 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree as three players whose values got a bump after their respective performances on Sunday.
Here’s more from around the NFC West:
- The 49ers intend to activate defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey from off the injured reserve list this week, head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters today, including Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
- 49ers running back Frank Gore, who is in the final year of his contract, would like to return to the 49ers next season, but if that interest isn’t mutual, he’s intent on continuing his NFL career elsewhere, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com outlines.
- Addressing the contract extension the team gave defensive coordinator Todd Bowles last week, Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said today that he and his staff want to be “proactive and aggressive” with all their decisions, which means locking up quality assistants. Keim recognizes that Bowles could still explore head coaching jobs this offseason, but says “it will take a special opportunity for him to leave us.” Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com has the quotes and the details from the GM’s appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7.
- Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch may be facing a $100K fine from the league, as Peter King explains in his latest MMQB column.
Giants Activate Geoff Schwartz, Cut Anderson
The Giants have officially activated guard Geoff Schwartz from their injured reserve list, cutting linebacker Justin Anderson to make room on the 53-man roster, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun first reported earlier today that Schwartz would be added to New York’s active roster.
Schwartz, 28, signed a four-year deal with the Giants when he hit free agency in March, but has yet to make his regular-season debut for the club. Sidelined with a toe injury, Schwartz was placed on injured reserve with the designation to return prior to Week 1. The team had until today at 4:00pm eastern time to decide whether to place Schwartz on the 53-man roster or move him to long-term injured reserve, ending his season.
As for Anderson, he had been promoted from the Giants’ practice squad to the 53-man roster in advance of the team’s game against the 49ers. Assuming he clears waivers, Anderson appears to be a candidate to rejoin the taxi squad later this week.
NFC East Notes: Schwartz, Bryant, Melton
Let’s take a look at a few Monday items from out of the NFC East, where the Cowboys and Eagles are tied for first place at 7-3, with the 3-7 Giants tied with Washington in the cellar….
- The Giants are expected to activate guard Geoff Schwartz today based on the progress he has made in his recovery from a toe injury, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Head coach Tom Coughlin has since confirmed that Schwartz will be added to the roster in advance of today’s deadline, per Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
- Taking an in-depth look into Dez Bryant‘s contract situation with the Cowboys, Bob Sturm of the Dallas Morning News concludes that something in the range of six years and $84MM, with $28MM in guaranteed money, could make sense for both the team and the wideout.
- While the Cowboys have been known for their lavish spending in the past, the team’s recent deals have been more club-friendly, often offering protection against injuries or a decline in performance, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. That doesn’t mean that Bryant won’t get a long-term deal from the Cowboys, but it means that negotiations might be trickier than they would have been a few years ago.
- In a separate ESPN.com piece, Archer takes a look at defensive lineman Henry Melton, whose deal includes an option that the Cowboys will have to exercise or turn down this winter. Based on Melton’s performance so far, it looks like a sure thing that Dallas will pick up the option, but Melton tells Archer that he’s not thinking about his future for now.
- At OverTheCap.com, a pair of NFC East quarterbacks show up in Jason Fitzgerald’s weekly list of players whose stocks took a hit over the weekend. Fitzgerald identifies Giants QB Eli Manning and Washington signal-caller Robert Griffin III as players on the decline, suggesting Griffin’s “star hasn’t just dimmed, its completely burned out.”
Jaguars To Activate Lewis; Robinson To IR
Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles will get one pass catcher back in the lineup this week while another one has officially been ruled out for the rest of the season. According to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the team is activating tight end Marcedes Lewis from injured reserve and will place wideout Allen Robinson on IR, formally ending his rookie season.
The team announced last week that Robinson had sustained a stress fracture in his foot and would miss the rest of the year, but since the Jags were on their bye week, they didn’t immediately place the first-year receiver on the injured reserve list. Robinson, who hauled in 48 passes for 548 yards and pair of touchdowns this season, is scheduled to undergo surgery soon on that injured foot, per John Oehser of Jaguars.com (via Twitter).
Head coach Gus Bradley initially said he expected to promote a player from the practice squad to take Robinson’s spot on the roster, but with Lewis set to get back on the field, it makes sense that the veteran tight end would slide into that opening instead. Lewis has been sidelined since Week 2 with an ankle injury, having received the designation to return when the team placed him on IR.
Bills Sign Baccari Rambo, Put McKelvin On IR
12:29pm: The Bills have announced the signing of Rambo in a press release, confirming that moving McKelvin to injured reserve is the corresponding transaction.
10:43am: The Bills are adding a pair of defensive backs today, signing one to the 53-man roster and one to the practice squad. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that the team is signing safety Bacarri Rambo to its roster, while Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets that cornerback Brandon Smith is joining the practice squad.
Rambo, 24, was a regular contributor in the Washington secondary last season, starting three games and appearing in 11. For the season, he totaled 42 tackles and added a sack. Since being released by Washington about two months ago, he has worked out for several teams, including the Saints, Titans, Bucs, Colts, Giants, and Bears, but hadn’t found a new NFL home until now.
The Bills had an open spot on their taxi squad, so no one will need to be dropped to make room for Smith, but with no openings on the 53-man roster, a corresponding move will be required to make the signing of Rambo official. It appears that move will be to place injured cornerback Leodis McKelvin on injured reserve. McKelvin fractured his ankle during last Thursday’s game, and head coach Doug Marrone indicated today that the team was “finalizing” a roster move related to the cornerback (Twitter link via Rodak).
Colts Fear Ahmad Bradshaw Fractured Ankle
Colts running back Ahmad Bradshaw left last night’s game against the Patriots early after hurting his ankle, and it appears the injury could sideline Bradshaw for a significant time. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the veteran running back is undergoing tests today to determine the severity of the injury and whether surgery is needed, but early indications are that it’s a fractured ankle for Bradshaw.
While Trent Richardson has tallied more carries this season than Bradshaw, the ex-Giant has been Indianapolis’ most effective running back, leading the team with 425 yards on the ground and 4.7 yards per carry. Bradshaw has also been extremely effective as a pass catcher out of the backfield, grabbing 38 receptions and scoring six touchdowns through the air.
With Bradshaw potentially sidelined for the rest of the 2014 season, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) wonders if Ray Rice, who could be reinstated soon, would be an option for the Colts, given his relationship with head coach Chuck Pagano. Even if Rice becomes eligible to return to the field though, it’s extremely unlikely that any club would take a shot on him this year, in my opinion. Indianapolis figures to lean more heavily on Richardson and Dan Herron, and perhaps add another less notorious back for depth purposes.
Bradshaw’s injury wasn’t the only notable one suffered by the Colts in yesterday’s loss to New England. Per Schefter (via Twitter), the team believes tight end Dwayne Allen suffered a high ankle sprain. If that diagnosis is confirmed, Allen will likely be out for a few weeks, though Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears it’s a low ankle sprain, which would allow for a quicker recovery.
Bay Area Notes: Bowman, Harbaugh, McKenzie
A Friday report indicated that there’s a possibility injured 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman won’t return to the field this season, but he shouldn’t be ruled out quite yet. A league source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that Bowman has been cleared to practice next week, and intends to return to the practice field at that time. Assuming Bowman does indeed being practicing next week, the 49ers will have three weeks to add him to their active roster — if the team isn’t ready to activate him at that point, he’ll sit for the rest of the season.
As the Niners look forward to the possibility of seeing another standout linebacker return to their lineup, let’s check in on a few more items out of San Francisco and Oakland….
- Within his Saturday mailbag, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com responds to a question about the likelihood of 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio receiving a contract extension. As Maiocco points out, while a new deal for Fangio – who is signed through 2015 – is possible, his future will likely be tied to that of Jim Harbaugh and the rest of the club’s coaching staff.
- Speaking of Harbaugh, amidst speculation that the head coach could part ways with the 49ers at season’s end, Bob Glauber of Newsday writes that Harbaugh would be the best option to coach the Jets next season, if he becomes available.
- Even with the club at 0-9, people within the Raiders organization think general manager Reggie McKenzie could keep his beyond this season, says Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. As Tafur explains, McKenzie appears to have “hit a home run” with the team’s 2014 draft class, and you could make the case that some of Oakland’s shortcomings this season have been the result of injuries. When I looked last Saturday at teams with the most salary on injured reserve, the Raiders ranked third.
Workout Updates: Holmes, Pryor, Lewis
After having been released by the Bears earlier this week to make room for Marquess Wilson, wide receiver Santonio Holmes passed through waivers unclaimed and is on the lookout for a new job. And according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), the veteran wideout has already paid a visit to Kansas City to meet with the Chiefs, a team that could use a receiver — through nine games, no Chiefs wide receivers have a touchdown this season.
While we wait to see if Holmes ends up signing with Kansas City or another club, let’s round up a few more Saturday updates on free agent visits, workouts, and auditions around the league….
- With Nick Foles on the shelf, the Eagles just have two healthy quarterbacks on the active roster, and while a move is unlikely, the team is keeping an eye on free agent options just in case. According to Florio (via Twitter), Philadelphia worked out signal-callers Terrelle Pryor and Thad Lewis.
- Lou Young, who was cut from the Jaguars’ practice squad earlier this week, was one of a handful of defensive backs to try out for the Cowboys, along with Robert Steeples and Jonte Green, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- In addition to the previously-reported punters that worked out for the Buccaneers this week, punter Jake Dombrowski and long snapper Charley Hughlett also auditioned for the club, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
- Defensive tackle Kenny Horsley, who auditioned for the Packers earlier this week, also worked out for the Bears, per Wilson (via Twitter).
Latest On Adrian Peterson, NFLPA
The hearing for the grievance filed on behalf of Adrian Peterson by the NFL Players Association is scheduled for Monday, but the Vikings running back didn’t appear at another hearing that was supposed to happen yesterday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Monday’s hearing is related to whether or not Peterson should be immediately reinstated as part of his agreement to be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list until his legal case was resolved. Yesterday’s meeting was a disciplinary hearing, intended to help the NFL decide what sort of penalty – if any – to assess for Peterson’s violations of the league’s personal conduct policy. Having initially been set for Tuesday, yesterday’s scheduled disciplinary hearing had already been moved back once by the league.
“We informed the union that we were unwilling to postpone the hearing beyond this week given that the player and union had both expressed a strong desire to resolve this matter as soon as possible and we had been given no meaningful reason why Adrian and the union could not appear and participate,” said a league official. “We offered other alternatives for this week, but those also were not acceptable. We also have yet to receive more than cursory materials in response to our requests for information on the case. Accordingly, we went forward with the review on Friday as scheduled.
“We had hoped that Adrian would take advantage of his opportunity to be heard and present whatever information he believes should be considered before a decision on discipline, counseling and services is made,” the official continued. “Because he and the NFLPA elected not to do so, we will have to address this based on the information currently available to us.”
While the NFL expressed disappointment with the apparent lack of cooperation by Peterson and the NFLPA, the running back, his lawyer Rusty Hardin, and the union don’t seem happy with league’s approach to the situation. According to Hardin, it’s against Texas state law to give the NFL all the documents it requested, and Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports that Peterson informed the league on Thursday he wouldn’t attend the hearing because the league hadn’t clearly answered questions about the role of outside experts in the process. Meanwhile, NFLPA spokesperson George Atallah said the Players Association never agreed to Friday’s meeting.
“The league office seems more focused on creating an arbitrary disciplinary process for Adrian instead of honoring a signed agreement to remove him from the commissioner’s list,” Atallah said. “They are simply making stuff up as they go along. They should commit their efforts to meeting us at the table to collectively bargain a new personal conduct policy.”
On the subject of collectively bargaining a new conduct policy, the NFLPA submitted a proposal to the league this week, making several suggestions involving discipline for personal conduct violations. As Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun outlines, the union doesn’t want to see players punished based on simply an arrest or pending charges — instead, the proposal calls for discipline to be meted out once a matter is adjudicated, with a neutral third-party – rather than the commissioner or a team – deciding on the penalty.
If the union’s proposal were applied to Peterson’s case, the running back either wouldn’t have been forced to sit out the eight games he has already missed while his case was pending, or – if he had agreed to take a take a paid voluntary leave of absence – those games would qualify as time served.