Irsay: Colts Considering Trades
After serving a six-week suspension, Colts owner Jim Irsay was allowed to return to work last week, and he didn’t waste any time in getting involved again in the football operations of the club. As Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star writes, Irsay met this week with general manager Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano to discuss opportunities to improve the roster during the season.
“Obviously we’re taking it a game at a time, but this week Ryan and Chuck and I met and talked about anything we can do before the trade deadline [or] past the trade deadline in terms of having some young, ascending players who might be able to help us… and do whatever we can to get that edge,” Irsay said. “Obviously health is going to play a big role in how we move forward. If we can stay relatively healthy, I think this team really has something special. That’s what I’m focused on. It’s exciting to see.”
The free agent market doesn’t currently feature many potential difference-makers, so if the Colts intend to aggressively upgrade any position, it would likely have to happen by way of a trade. This year’s deadline is 12 days away, and as we saw last year, when the team sent a first-round pick to the Browns for Trent Richardson, Indianapolis won’t hesitate to make a major move if the opportunity arises.
Of course, as Holder points out, Grigson is aiming to stockpile draft picks for 2015 rather than giving them up, so dealing picks for an impact player isn’t as likely this time around. With pricey contract extensions on the horizon for a few players, including quarterback Andrew Luck, those draft picks will be valuable, since they’ll allow the club to collect inexpensive pieces to complement those high-priced players.
Still, with Irsay potentially pushing for upgrades, the Colts shouldn’t be overlooked as a possible player at the October 28 deadline. The Colts owner told reporters that he thinks his team has a chance “to do something special this year,” so if there’s a player available who could help Indianapolis in the second half and the postseason, expect the club to at least kick the tires.
AFC East Notes: Spiller, Revis, Jets, Bills
Bills running back C.J. Spiller is off to a slow start this season, having averaged a career-worst 3.4 yards per carry and failed to reach the end zone so far. However, as he looks to turn things around, Spiller insists that his looming free agency isn’t what’s affecting his performance.
“It has nothing to do with this being the final year of my contract,” Spiller said, according to Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News. “It’s just overthinking and trying to make that play when I should have just taken what they’re giving us … and kept us out of the negative plays.”
Spiller has also been the subject of trade rumors and speculation, but tells Skurski he’s been able to block out that talk. Although the former first-round pick would adjust to a new team if Buffalo decides to move him and recognizes that’s “part of the business,” he says he wants to remain a Bill going forward.
Here’s more from around the AFC East:
- Cornerback Darrelle Revis and the Patriots haven’t yet spoken about a new contract or an in-season extension, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. With Revis and the Pats focused on winning games and reaching the Super Bowl, the two sides aren’t expected to address the cornerback’s contract situation until after the season, writes Howe.
- After signing Michael Vick as a free agent this offseason and making him one of the highest-paid backups in the NFL, the Jets and head coach Rex Ryan should’ve been willing to turn to him earlier in the season to replace the struggling Geno Smith, says Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
- Bills long snapper Garrison Sanborn has been limited in practice with a knee injury, prompting the club to take a look at free agents at the position just in case. According to Mike Rodak and Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Charley Hughlett and Kevin McDermott worked out for Buffalo yesterday.
- While the Dolphins didn’t get a great haul when they traded Brandon Marshall to the Bears, it was the right move philosophically for the organization, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
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Ravens Maintain Interest In Champ Bailey
Defensive back Champ Bailey worked out for the Ravens last week, and while Baltimore chose not to sign Bailey at that point, the team hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bringing aboard the veteran free agent. A league source tells Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun that the Ravens still have interest in Bailey, and have maintained contact with him since last week’s meeting.
Jimmy Smith has played very well at right cornerback this year for the Ravens, and Lardarius Webb has held his own on the other side since returning to regular action in Week 5. However, with Asa Jackson having been placed on injured reserve with the designation to return, Baltimore doesn’t necessarily have regular, reliable third and fourth corners at the moment. As Preston writes, a veteran presence in a secondary that “lacks communication” at times could be useful, even if Bailey isn’t the same sort of difference-maker he once was.
Bailey, 36, had been expected to contribute in New Orleans after signing with the Saints in the offseason, but he was a surprise roster casualty in the preseason, with the team eating some guaranteed money to let him go. Since then, Bailey has worked out for the Lions and Ravens, and has been linked to a handful of other teams in need of secondary help, though most of those connections have been merely speculation.
According to Preston, the Ravens continue to keep an eye on several free agent defensive backs that could help the team at some point this season, but Bailey is “high on the list.”
Jets Activate Antwan Barnes, Cut Josh Bush
The Jets have made a change to their 53-man roster in advance of tomorrow’s divisional matchup against the Patriots, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve activated linebacker Antwan Barnes and cut safety Josh Bush. Barnes had spent the first six weeks of the season on the PUP list.
Players who start the season on the reserve/PUP list aren’t eligible to begin practicing until after Week 6, so this week is the earliest that the Jets could’ve activated the ailing linebacker. As I explained last week, there’s a pretty sizable window in which PUP players can begin practicing and eventually return to game action, but it seems as if Barnes won’t need to be sidelined any longer.
As for Bush, the 25-year-old has been with the Jets since being selected by the team in the sixth round of the 2012 draft. A special-teamer and a reserve player in the secondary, Bush has been dealing with a quadriceps injury this year, which has limited him to just one game so far.
We passed along a few more Jets updates earlier this afternoon.
Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday
While we track today’s transactions relating to teams’ 53-man rosters in a separate post, we’ll use this space to keep tabs on the day’s practice squad signings and cuts. Here’s the latest:
- The Redskins signed wide receiver Rashad Ross to the practice squad, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. Washington liked Ross this summer and they scooped him up after he was discarded by the Bears.
- A day after being waived by the Bears, linebacker Terrell Manning has rejoined the team’s practice squad, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
- The Redskins have parted ways with practice squad wideout Marvin McNutt, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times.
- As the Giants weight their options at receiver on the 53-man roster, they’ve made a change to the wideouts on their practice squad — Jordan Raanan of NJ.com tweets that Chris Harper has replaced Travis Harvey.
- Wide receiver Patrick Edwards is the newest addition to the Lions‘ practice squad, replacing defensive tackle Derrick Hopkins, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- Linebacker Kaelin Burnett and cornerback Ross Weaver have found a new home, joining the Cardinals‘ practice squad, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link). The team had one opening on its squad, so linebacker Jonathan Brown has been released to make room for the second incoming player.
- The Dolphins have parted ways with wideout Marcus Thigpen, replacing him on their practice squad with defensive back Rod Sweeting, tweets Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- The Jaguars have signed tight end Michael Flacco, the brother of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union notes (via Twitter) that Flacco replaces tight end Marcel Jensen, who was put on the practice squad IR list.
- Wide receiver Lee Doss has been cut from the Browns‘ practice squad, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Tuesday is typically a busy in-season day for NFL transactions, so we expect to add several more moves from around the league to this list as the day goes on. For now, here are the the day’s minor transactions relating to clubs’ 53-man rosters:
- For now, to replace linebacker Danny Trevathan, the Broncos will promote Shaquil Barrett from their practice squad, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- The Seahawks have tweaked the back of their roster, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has cut safety Steven Terrell and signed defensive end Greg Scruggs.
- With the roster opening created by Ventrone’s release (noted below), the 49ers have re-signed quarterback Josh Johnson, who was cut a few days ago, the club announced today in a press release.
Earlier updates:
- The Browns have placed defensive lineman Armonty Bryant on injured reserve, signing another defensive lineman, Sione Fua, to take his spot on the roster, the team announced today (Twitter link). Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports first reported (via Twitter) that Fua was signing with the Browns.
- The Ravens have a roster exemption for previously-suspended safety Will Hill, which will last until next Monday, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. By that point, Baltimore will have to either waive Hill or cut someone else on the roster, creating space for the safety.
- A week after re-signing him to their active roster, the 49ers have released defensive back and special-teamer Bubba Ventrone, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Ventrone spent last season on San Francisco’s roster, but was cut prior to the 2014 regular season.
- Having lost cornerback Trumaine McBride during Sunday night’s game against the Eagles, the Giants are set to promote cornerback Chandler Fenner from their practice squad to the active roster, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Fenner, cut in July by Seattle, has shuffled back and forth between New York’s practice squad and active roster since the regular season began.
Victor Cruz Tears Patella Tendon
TUESDAY, 4:37pm: The Giants have officially placed Cruz on injured reserve, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 5:40pm: Cruz underwent patellar tendon repair surgery today, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
SUNDAY, 9:45pm: Sunday night’s game against the Eagles went from bad to worse for the Giants, who are currently being shut out by their division rivals, and have now learned that wide receiver Victor Cruz suffered a torn patella tendon while running a route in the third quarter. The injury, which was first reported by Michele Tafoya on NBC, has now been confirmed by the team (Twitter link).
Although the Giants have yet to announce a timetable for Cruz, it’s extremely likely that the injury will end his season. That’s very bad news for a Giants offense that has been up and down even with Cruz in the lineup, and was already missing another injured wide receiver, Jerrel Jernigan.
Among Giants wideouts, Cruz came into the evening trailing Rueben Randle in total receptions, with 21 to Randle’s 23, but Randle had averaged just 8.2 yards per reception compared to Cruz’s team-best 15.3 ypc and 321 total receiving yards. In Cruz’s absence, Randle, Preston Parker and rookie Odell Beckham Jr. will assume larger roles. Eli Manning has also developed a rapport with tight end Larry Donnell, who leads the team in catches.
Assuming Cruz’s injury is determined to be season-ending, as expected, the Giants figure to place him on injured reserve this week, and will likely add another wideout to the 53-man roster. While an outside free agent is a possibility, the Giants could also elect to promote a player from their practice squad, which currently features three receivers — Juron Criner, Travis Harvey, and Julian Talley.
Broncos Place Danny Trevathan On IR-DTR
The Broncos have become the latest NFL team to use their injured reserve slot with the designation to return, placing linebacker Danny Trevathan on IR-DTR today, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The move means Trevathan will be eligible to resume practicing in six weeks, and can return to game action in December, eight weeks from now.
Trevathan, 24, left this weekend’s game against the Jets with a knee injury, and was later diagnosed with a fracture above his left kneecap. While the original timetable for his recovery was about three to six weeks, it makes sense for Denver to play it safe with one of its key run defenders, allowing him plenty of time to get back to 100%.
Nate Irving sees most of the defensive snaps at middle linebacker for the Broncos, so he’ll continue to play that regular role. In Trevathan’s absence, someone like Steven Johnson, Corey Nelson, or Lamin Barrow could slide into that backup job to periodically spell Irving, but we’ll have to wait and see how the Broncos adjust.
Denver had been one of just eight teams that had yet to use its IR-DTR spot. Since the designation sidelines a player for eight games, we’re nearing the point where it will no longer be useful, so if those remaining teams are going to use it, it will likely happen soon. You can keep tabs on how the IR-DTR slots have been deployed so far, via our tracker.
Bengals Sign Greg Little, Put Jones On IR
2:06pm: The Bengals have announced a series of roster moves, including the signing of Greg Little. According to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the club also moved Marvin Jones to injured reserve, cut linebacker Khairi Fortt, and signed wide receiver Cobi Hamilton to replace Colin Lockett on the practice squad.
1:19pm: The Bengals have made a move to help fortify their ailing receiving corps, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has signed free agent wideout Greg Little. Little had been on the open market since being waived by the Raiders during roster cutdowns at the end of August.
Little hauled in 61 passes for 709 receiving yards in his rookie season, but has seen his totals in both categories decline in each year since then. In 2013, he grabbed just 41 passes for 465 yards, leading to his release by the Browns. The Raiders claimed Little off waivers at that point, but also cut him later in the offseason, and no workouts have been reported for the 25-year-old since then.
For the Bengals, the move comes on the heels of A.J. Green missing Sunday’s game with a toe injury. While Green isn’t likely to miss an extended stretch of games, teammate Marvin Jones is also dealing with a health issue. Coley Harvey of ESPN.com indicated earlier today that Jones is heading to North Carolina to have his troublesome right ankle examined by a foot specialist.
Cincinnati will need to make a corresponding move to open up a spot for Little on the 53-man roster.