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Author: Luke Adams

Extra Points: Rice, Chancellor, Cards, Walker

By | at September 22, 2014 2:11 pm

When the NFLPA filed an appeal of Ray Rice’s indefinite suspension on behalf of the running back, the union noted that Rice had the right to a hearing within 10 days. However, the NFLPA and Rice’s camp may be trying to postpone that process until after Robert Mueller completes his investigation into what the league did and didn’t know, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.

As Garafalo points out, it makes sense for Rice to want to wait until after the investigation concludes to move forward with his grievance, since it would only help his case if Mueller uncovered damning evidence against the league.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • Within Garafolo’s piece, the FOX Sports scribe also writes that Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor had been mulling a procedure to clean up bone spurs in his ankle, which would have sidelined him for several weeks. However, after his big game against the Broncos yesterday, Chancellor said that he felt “great,” and isn’t expected to miss any time.
  • Appearing on Arizona Sports 98.7 earlier today, Cardinals general manager Steve Keim indicated that his team is still on the lookout for help at outside linebacker, but that there aren’t many great options out there (Twitter link via Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic). The Cards are, of course, without John Abraham, who went on injured reserve last week.
  • Free agent guard Josh Walker, who was cut from the Colts’ practice squad last week, worked out for the Chiefs today and has an audition with the Packers up next, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • At Over The Cap, Jason Fitzgerald’s Week 3 list of players who boosted their stocks in key contract years is heavy on the NFC East — Fitzgerald names Nick Foles, Jeremy Maclin, and Dez Bryant as three players whose values are on the rise.
0 comments Arizona Cardinals Green Bay Packers Kansas City Chiefs Seattle Seahawks

Lions Sign Alex Henery

By | at September 22, 2014 11:23 am

11:23am: Speaking to reporters, including Birkett (Twitter link), head coach Jim Caldwell acknowledged today that the Lions have signed Henery and waived Freese.

10:27am: After using one of their eight draft picks this spring on a kicker, the Lions have decided to move on from that player – Nate Freese – after just three regular-season games. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter), the team plans to sign former Eagles kicker Alex Henery later today.

While Birkett doesn’t specifically say that Freese will be waived, that seems like the only logical corresponding move for the signing of Henery. Freese, a rookie out of Boston College, has struggled early in the NFL career, missing at least one field goal in each of the Lions’ games so far, including a 41-yarder yesterday against Green Bay. Detroit auditioned Henery and other free agent kickers last week to prepare for the possibility of replacing Freese, who has converted just three of his seven attempts this season.

Henery had struggles of his own during the preseason with the Eagles, ultimately losing out on the job in Philadelphia to rookie Cody Parkey. However, the 27-year-old was fairly effective in three previous seasons with the club. From 2011 to 2013, Henery made 86.0% of his field goal tries and all but one of 117 extra-point attempts.

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Steelers Notes: Taylor, Shazier, Jones

By | at September 22, 2014 10:09 am

The Steelers headed into Carolina as underdogs last night, but thoroughly outplayed the home team en route to a 37-19 victory. However, Pittsburgh didn’t escape the game unscathed. A handful of players left the contest with various injuries, and while we’re still waiting for official updates from the club, a few reports have surfaced today on the severity of those injuries. Let’s check in on the latest updates….

  • Cornerback Ike Taylor suffered a broken forearm last night, as Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. While Robinson doesn’t specify a timetable, suggesting that Taylor will be sidelined “indefinitely,” Mark Kaboly of the Tribune-Review tweets that the recovery time will likely be six to eight weeks. As our tracker shows, the Steelers have yet to use their IR spot with the designation to return, so Taylor would appear to be a strong candidate for that.
  • A pair of linebackers also sustained injuries last night, and according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Ryan Shazier has a strained MCL, while Jarvis Jones will likely require wrist surgery that will keep him out indefinitely. Shazier is undergoing an MRI today, and we should know Jones’ status with more certainty soon, but it looks as if the club may need to add some reinforcements to their linebacking corps.
  • One longtime Steelers linebacker announced his retirement recently, but could be a good candidate to rejoin the team if he’s open to restarting his career. However, Scott Brown of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears from James Harrison‘s agent Bill Parise that the club has not reached out at this point.
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King’s Latest: Stanton, Ravens, Bowles

By | at September 22, 2014 8:59 am

As usual, Peter King of TheMMQB.com tackles a number of topics in his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback column, and we’ll round up several of the highlights from his latest piece below. Let’s dive in….

  • In the wake of Drew Stanton‘s second straight victory for the Cardinals, King takes a look at how Stanton ultimately ended up in Arizona. The signal-caller signed with the Jets in 2012 expecting to be Mark Sanchez‘s backup, but when the team signed Tim Tebow, Stanton was sent to the Colts, where he began working with offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. As King writes, “Stanton loved the guy, and Arians loved him back,” which led to the Cardinals head coach bringing the quarterback with him to Arizona.
  • Asked by King if he pushed to have the Ravens release Ray Rice back in February, head coach John Harbaugh didn’t answer yes or no. “That is such an unfair characterization,” Harbaugh said. “It is not fair to the organization. We said all along that the facts would determine the consequences, and that was my stance from the start of this.”
  • Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has emerged as a head-coaching candidate based on the job he’s doing with the team’s defense, which is missing several key pieces, says King.
  • King expects commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith to meet early this week – likely Tuesday – to discuss the new personal conduct committee Goodell vowed on Friday to create. In King’s view, it will likely be made up of former players, current players, an owner or two, and others from the business world who have past experience constructing similarly complicated personal conduct policies.
  • The fact that Goodell was willing to give up decision-making power in the drug appeals process in the league’s new policy bodes well for the future relationship between the NFL and the NFLPA, according to King, who breaks down how that new policy was a win for both the league and the players.
  • In light of Jameis Winston‘s off-field issues at Florida State, there’s a possibility he won’t be a first-round pick when he enters the draft, writes King.
0 comments Arizona Cardinals Baltimore Ravens NFL Players Association

Week In Review: 9/14/14 – 9/21/14

By | at September 21, 2014 6:45 pm

Here are the notable headlines you may have missed during the last week at PFR:

Major news:

Signed:

Waived/Released:

Placed on IR:

Other significant injuries:

Extended:

Other news:

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Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

By | at September 20, 2014 9:30 pm

We’ve detailed how you can follow Pro Football Rumors on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or using an RSS reader to ensure that you receive all of our updates, 365 days a year. If you prefer to only receive news about your favorite NFL team, PFR has you covered. Below are links to our Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds for all 32 teams.

AFC East

AFC North

AFC South

AFC West

NFC East

NFC North

NFC South

NFC West

Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

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NFC North Links: Peterson, Packers, Lions

By | at September 20, 2014 7:58 pm

While the Vikings travel to New Orleans and the Bears prepare for a Monday night contest against the Jets, the Packers and Lions will square off in Detroit in what could be an important early-season battle between division rivals. At the moment, the NFC North is the league’s only division in which all four teams are 1-1, so the winner of that Green Bay/Detroit showdown will be guaranteed at least a tie for first place, and considering Minnesota and Chicago head into their respective games as underdogs, it’s possible that either the Packers or Lions could be sitting alone atop the division on Tuesday morning.

Here are a few Saturday notes from around the division:

  • With Adrian Peterson seemingly on the outs for the Vikings, Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press wonders if the club will use a high draft pick to land a running back in 2015. Walters also adds that, in his view, “it still looks like” Peterson will end up playing for the Cowboys in 2015. A report last month indicated that the veteran running back expressed some interest in eventually heading home to Texas to play for the Cowboys, though of course that was before he was indicted and placed on Minnesota’s exempt list.
  • “Everyone with even minimal interest in the Packers understands [Ted] Thompson will live and die with his draft and develop philosophy,” writes Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In his piece, McGinn explores how the Green Bay general manager settled on that philosophy, and how it has worked out for the club.
  • In his latest mailbag, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com fields Lions-related questions, addressing why Corey Fuller continues to be active over Ryan Broyles, among other topics.
0 comments Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings

Chargers Place Melvin Ingram On IR-DTR

By | at September 20, 2014 6:03 pm

The Chargers have used the designated to return spot on their injured reserve, placing linebacker Melvin Ingram on the list, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). Ingram, who suffered a hip injury, will now miss at least the next six weeks of practices and eight weeks of games.

In Ingram’s absence, players like Jarret Johnson, rookie Jeremiah Attaochu, and perhaps Tourek Williams could be in line for expanded roles, though it won’t be easy for them to replicate Ingram’s production as a pass rusher. Like fellow starting outside linebacker Dwight Freeney, Ingram recorded a sack and 10 overall quarterback pressures during the season’s first two games, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required).

The Chargers haven’t made a corresponding move to fill Ingram’s spot on the roster, so for now, San Diego is the NFL’s only team carrying 52 players, by our count.

To keep tabs on how teams around the league have used their IR-DTR spot this season, be sure to check out our tracker.

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Minor Moves: Friday

By | at September 19, 2014 4:45 pm

Here are Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, including teams adjustments to the backs of their 53-man rosters and to their practice squads:

  • The Giants have waived offensive lineman Eric Herman, tweets Jordan Ranaan of NJ.com. Herman was reinstated from suspension this week, with the team receiving a two-day roster exemption for him. The Giants have elected to cut him rather than place him on the 53-man roster, but if he clears waivers, he’s a candidate for the practice squad.
  • The Lions are set to promote defensive back Mohammed Seisay from their practice squad to their active roster, says Justin Rogers of MLive.com (via Twitter). The club will have to remove a player from its 53-man roster to make it official though, so the move hasn’t yet been finalized. According to Rogers (via Twitter), the team is still mulling that corresponding move, with the IR a possibility for a couple players.
  • Linebacker Terrell Manning has joined the Bears‘ practice squad, replacing wide receiver Greg Herd on the unit, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
  • The Rams have signed cornerback Jemea Thomas to their practice squad, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). To make room, wide receiver and returner Justin Veltung has been cut by the club (Twitter link).
  • Defensive end Shelby Harris has rejoined the Raiders‘ practice squad after clearing waivers, tweets Bill Williamson of ESPN.com. The team will have to cut a player to open up a spot for Harris.
0 comments Chicago Bears Detroit Lions Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Rams New York Giants Transactions

Cardinals Place John Abraham On IR

By | at September 19, 2014 4:18 pm

4:18pm: Head coach Bruce Arians indicated today that doctors told Abraham to sit out for a year after his most recent concussion test, tweets Urban. At this point, it seems likely that the linebacker is headed toward retirement, though no official decision has been made yet on that front.

11:29am: Just days after he returned to the club following a brief hiatus, veteran linebacker John Abraham has been placed on injured reserve by the Cardinals due to concussion-related issues, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter), the team has re-signed punter Drew Butler to take Abraham’s roster spot.

Abraham, 36, suffered a concussion during Arizona’s Week 1 game against the Chargers, and took some time away from the team to consider the possibility of retiring. At that time, Schefter reported that Abraham had been suffering from memory loss during the last year, so it was somewhat surprising when the linebacker returned to the Cardinals this week.

Despite rejoining the club, Abraham didn’t pass concussion tests, so it makes sense that he and the team would make the decision to play it safe and shut him down for the year. Given the veteran’s health issues and age, it’s possible he has played his last NFL snap. Abraham, who is due a base salary of $3MM this season, is in the final year of his contract with the Cards.

The loss of Abraham is the latest blow to a Cardinals defense that has its handful of them so far this year. In addition to seeing linebacker Karlos Dansby head to Cleveland in free agency, the Cards also had defensive lineman Darnell Dockett go down with a season-ending ACL injury and linebacker Daryl Washington suspended for the entire 2014 season. We’ll have to wait to see if the Cardinals attempt to address their pass rush with an outside addition, or whether the club tries to get by with its current in-house options.

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