NFC North Notes: Peterson, Bears, Lions
It was a good weekend for the Packers, who blew out the Vikings last Thursday, then got to watch the division-rival Lions and Bears lose their respective games on Sunday. After a sluggish start to the season, the Packers now sit in a tie for first place atop the NFC North, with a chance to extend their winning streak this weekend in Miami. Here are a few Tuesday updates from around the division:
- Adrian Peterson will be arraigned tomorrow, and a spokesperson for the Vikings running back says he’ll plead not guilty to child abuse, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. That means a trial is likely, and the process could “take a while,” says Cole.
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com also doesn’t expect Peterson’s case to be resolved anytime soon, as he hears from the DA’s office in Montgomery County, Texas that they don’t anticipate a trial date being set tomorrow (Twitter link). Assistant DA Phil Grant has expressed to La Canfora multiple times that it could be at least six months before Peterson’s case goes to trial, which would rule out the possibility of a return to the field in 2014 (Twitter link).
- We heard earlier today that kick returner Trindon Holliday isn’t drawing any interest from the Panthers, but at least one NFC North team is taking a look at him. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports (via Twitter) that Holliday worked out for the Bears today — Chicago has had trouble finding a consistent and reliable option in the return game so far this season.
- Wilson also provides another tidbit from out of the NFC North, tweeting that Dominique Franks was scheduled to work out for the Lions before he agreed to re-sign with the Ravens. Detroit is also taking a look at cornerbacks like Ellis Lankster and Curtis Marsh today, as we noted earlier.
Panthers Sign Dockery, Place Brockel On IR
The Panthers have made a change to their 53-man roster, according to Max Henson of Panthers.com, who writes that the team has signed cornerback James Dockery and placed tight end Richie Brockel on injured reserve.
Brockel, 28, has spent the last four seasons with the Panthers, and appeared in 36 offensive snaps this season before suffering an ankle injury in Week 4. While the move to IR doesn’t necessarily mean Brockel’s season is over, he’d have to be removed from the list with an injury settlement in order to sign elsewhere. If Brockel and the Panthers determine the injury is season-ending, he can remain on the team’s IR for 2014, and the club will have the opportunity to bring him back for the final year of his contract in 2015.
As for Dockery, who takes Brockel’s place on the roster, he’s another player who has spent plenty of time with the Panthers since 2011. The Oregon State alum figures to provide depth in Carolina’s secondary and perhaps contribute for the special teams unit as well. Josh Norman and Bene Benwikere both suffered injuries during Sunday’s game against the Bears, so adding a defensive back had been a priority for the team this week.
NFC South Notes: Panthers, Saints, Falcons
The 2-3 Falcons will have an opportunity to move into a tie for first place in the NFC South this weekend, as they head into Sunday’s home game against the Bears as a favorite. The 3-2 Panthers, meanwhile, will be in tough against a Bengals team that plays well at home and will be looking to bounce back from Sunday night’s blowout loss in New England. As we look forward to this weekend’s slate of games, let’s round up a few notes out of the South division….
- Wideout and kick returner Philly Brown will continue to handle punts for the time being for the Panthers, despite some ups and downs, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. A league source tells Person that Carolina has no interest in pursuing recently-released return man Trindon Holliday, preferring instead to stick with Brown, who has occasionally had trouble hanging onto the ball but has flashed explosiveness.
- Linebacker Paul Hazel, who played for the Browns in 2013, was in New Orleans to work out with the Saints, according to Sean Fazende of FOX 8 (via Twitter). After being cut by th Texans in August, Hazel has also auditioned for the Dolphins and Cowboys in recent weeks.
- With the Falcons having lost three of four games since a Week 1 win over the Saints, Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if head coach Mike Smith and GM Thomas Dimitroff may be nearing the end of the line in Atlanta.
- For his part, owner Arthur Blank gave his head coach a vote of confidence. Asked if he was left wondering about Smith as the Falcons’ head coach after last season, Blank replied, “.” Jeff Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the details.
Lankster, Marsh Working Out For Lions
There’s a good chance the Lions will have a new kicker on the roster by the end of the day, having scheduled auditions for veterans Matt Prater, Jay Feely, and Connor Barth. However, that’s not the only position at which the team is considering free agent options. According to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter), cornerback Ellis Lankster is working out for the Lions today, while Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports that the club is also taking a look at cornerback Curtis Marsh.
Lankster, who spent three seasons with the Jets from 2011 to 2013, saw a little action for New York this season, but has been cut twice by the team since the start of September. A free agent for the last couple weeks, Lankster now seems to be out actively seeking another job rather than waiting to see if the Jets require his services again.
As for Marsh, the 26-year-old was selected in the third round of the 2011 draft by the Eagles and has spent most of his career since then in Philadelphia. Since being waived by the Eagles during roster cutdowns at the end of August, Marsh has also worked out for the Titans.
The Lions have tried out several veteran defensive backs during the first few weeks of the 2014 season – including Champ Bailey and Chris Clemons – but so far have mostly relied on internal options and younger, under-the-radar free agent pickups. So far, the secondary has held up fairly well — through the season’s first four weeks, Football Outsiders had the Detroit defense ranked second in DVOA, including fourth against the pass.
Extra Points: Smith, McClain, Prater, Saints
Time is running out to determine if Geno Smith is the answer for the Jets, writes Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. It’s starting to feel as if the Smith era is in the process of mirroring the Mark Sanchez era, but the key difference is that Sanchez got the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship games. Sanchez got four years before the Jets finally pulled the plug, and the Jets don’t have that kind of time. More from around the NFL..
- Rolando McClain is having a career renaissance in Dallas and Cowboys COO Stephen Jones says he’d like to keep the linebacker beyond this season, writes Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News. In four games, the starting middle linebacker has 23 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception. McClain is a former top ten pick and Jones feels that he’s finally starting to realize that potential.
- While the move saves money, Broncos GM John Elway is taking a risk with his release of Matt Prater, who is arguably the best kicker in the game, writes Peter King of The MMQB. Even though Brandon McManus has a great leg, he hasn’t really been tested on field goals in 2014.
- Former Packers tight end Tom Crabtree has a workout scheduled with the Saints, according to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (on Twitter).
- Patriots coach Bill Belichick says that recent acquisition Tim Wright still has “a long way to go” to learn the Pats offense, but he is impressed with his work ethic and intelligence, writes Phil A. Perry of CSNNE.com.
- If there’s a hot seat for Rex Ryan, there needs to be one for Jets GM John Idzik as well, writes Steve Serby of the New York Post. So who should take over? Bill Polian, who built Super Bowl teams in Buffalo and Indianapolis, is Serby’s suggestion.
- Agent David Canter (via Twitter) issued a statement regarding the suspension of Dolphins defensive end Derrick Shelby.
Injury Updates: Monday
As is typically the case on Mondays, teams around the NFL are receiving updates on injured players, and while in some instances that news is reassuring, that’s not always the case. Here are a few items related to injuries that may force clubs to make roster moves:
- As feared, Titans safety Bernard Pollard has a ruptured Achilles and will miss the rest of the season, tweets Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. While the team has yet to officially make a move, we can expect Pollard to hit IR at some point this week.
- A pair of Ravens are expected to miss multiple weeks, according to Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com, who writes that cornerback Asa Jackson suffered a severly sprained toe, while defensive end Chris Canty is dealing with an infection in his wrist. Head coach John Harbaugh indicated today that the club’s current plan is to place Jackson on the injured reserve with the designation to return. The team will also look to add a cornerback in his absence, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- Broncos running back Montee Ball suffered a strained groin, and could miss up to three weeks, head coach John Fox said today (Twitter link via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com).
- The Giants figure to be without running back Rashad Jennings for the near future, as the offseason signee confirmed today that he sustained a sprained MCL (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News). While Jennings should remain on the 53-man roster, the team could bolster the running back position by promoting Michael Cox from the practice squad, notes Vacchiano (via Twitter).
- The Jets got a scare when linebacker David Harris injured his shoulder, but an MRI showed no structural damage and he’s considered day-to-day, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post.
Raiders Claim Kenbrell Thompkins
The Raiders have claimed Kenbrell Thompkins off waivers from the Patriots, a league source tells Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter). At 0-4, Oakland was near the top of the waiver priority list, so it’s possible that the club beat out other interested teams for Thompkins’ services.
Thompkins, 26, stuck with the Patriots in 2013 after being signed as an undrafted free agent, impressing at times during his rookie campaign. He caught 32 passes for 466 yards and four touchdowns in eight starts last season, but wasn’t a major part of New England’s passing attack early this season, and was cut on Saturday.
Weekend reports suggested the move was the result of the Patriots’ roster crunch rather than Thompkins’ talent, and indicated that New England may have interest in re-signing the wideout to its practice squad. However, Bill Belichick and the Pats didn’t receive that opportunity.
As Adam Caplan of ESPN.com observes (via Twitter), Oakland was in need of a receiver with speed, and Thompkins fits that bill nicely. No corresponding roster move will be necessary for the Raiders, since they had been carrying just 52 players on their roster.
Cards To Put Matt Shaughnessy On IR-DTR
A defensive unit that has been decimated by injuries and suspensions this year took another significant blow this weekend, as the Cardinals will be without linebacker Matt Shaughnessy for an extended period. Head coach Bruce Arians confirmed today that Shaughnessy suffered knee cartilage damage, and will be placed on the injured reserve with the designation to return, tweets Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic.
The Cardinals’ linebacking corps took its first hit in the offseason when Karlos Dansby left for Cleveland. Since then, the club has also lost Daryl Washington to a year-long suspension and placed John Abraham on injured reserve after he suffered a concussion.
It’s not just the linebacker position where the Cardinals are shorthanded — already dealing with a season-ending injury for Darnell Dockett, the club saw defensive end Calais Campbell go down with a knee injury of his own on Sunday. According to Arians (per Somers, via Twitter), Campbell didn’t suffer a tear, but sprained his MCL and will be sidelined for one to three weeks.
As for Shaughnessy, the designation to return means he’ll be eligible to resume practicing six weeks from now, and can return to game action in eight weeks. For the full breakdown of how teams have used that IR-DTR slot this year, be sure to check out our tracker.
Minor Moves: Thursday
Here are the latest minor transactions – including practice squad signings and cuts – from around the NFL, with any additional moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Bears re-signed wide receiver Rashad Ross to their practice squad, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). To make room, Chicago has released cornerback Jordan Sullen.
- The Vikings have promoted quarterback Chandler Harnish, formerly of the Colts, from the practice squad to their 53-man roster in advance of tonight’s game in Green Bay, the team announced today. Wide receiver Rodney Smith has been cut to clear room for Harnish. The move may not bode well for the odds of Teddy Bridgewater playing against the Packers, though Minnesota has yet to rule him out.
- The Packers are also signing a player to their roster from their practice squad before tonight’s contest, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that defensive lineman Luther Robinson is being elevated. The club had an open roster spot, so no corresponding move will be necessary.
- The NFC North is a busy division today, as the Bears are expected to finalize a move this afternoon as well. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets that the team is set to fill the 10th and final spot on its practice squad by signing guard Conor Boffeli, who was in camp with the Texans in August.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
NFL Sets Dates For 2015 Draft
4:28pm: The 2015 draft will be held in Chicago, a source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
8:33am: The NFL has set dates for the 2015 draft, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who reports that next year’s event will get underway on Thursday, April 30, and will run through Saturday, May 2. There had been speculation this past summer that perhaps the league would extend 2015’s draft to make it a four-day affair, but Schefter’s report suggests that it will be the usual three.
After scheduling the 2014 draft for two weeks later than usual, 2015’s event will strike a balance between the usual schedule and 2014’s change — the draft will be held one week later than normal, but one week earlier than 2014’s. Additionally, it appears the NFL is still strongly considering locations besides New York. According to Schefter, the location for 2015 hasn’t been finalized, but there’s a “strong sense” that Los Angeles and Chicago will each receive an opportunity to host the draft in the near future.
Last year’s two-week delay for the draft was met with decidedly mixed reviews, with writers, fans, and team officials all complaining that the schedule resulted in an unnecessarily long gap between the start of free agency and draft day. While clubs had an extra couple weeks to host and work out players, the delay also resulted in draftees getting a later start on working with their new teams in the spring.
From the NFL’s perspective, it makes sense to schedule the event a little later in the spring, since it provides an extra couple weeks of hype, rumors, and speculation, further establishing the league as one worth following for all 12 months of the calendar year. However, with 2015’s event moving up a week, it appears the gripes about last year’s schedule didn’t fall entirely on deaf ears.