AFC East Notes: Jets, Bills, Dolphins
The Jets look awfully thin at cornerback after three of their top four players at the position went down with injuries, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. In Mehta’s view, that lack of cornerback depth could eventually lead to Rex Ryan‘s ouster in New York if it becomes a significant and ongoing problem during the regular season. Mehta doesn’t think John Idzik should be on the hot seat, but says the GM’s inactivity in addressing the position during the offseason shouldn’t be swept under the rug either.
Here’s more on the Jets’ cornerback woes, along with a couple other items from out of the AFC East:
- Discussing Ryan’s and Idzik’s comments to the media yesterday, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com describes the duo as in “damage control” mode, “covering their butts” after not doing more in the offseason to strengthen the Jets‘ cornerback depth. As Cimini points out, the club failed to re-sign Antonio Cromartie after indicating he’d be welcome back, didn’t pursue Darrelle Revis despite Revis saying he wanted to return to the Jets, and couldn’t lock up Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in spite of having him in for a visit. The Jets also opted for safety Calvin Pryor over cornerback Darqueze Dennard in the first round of the draft, and have now resorted to playing safety Antonio Allen at corner during practice.
- Led by Jon Bon Jovi, the Toronto group bidding on the Bills has been approved as a finalist in the sale process for the franchise, reports John Kryk of the Toronto Sun. The only surprising thing about that development is how long it took to happen — the group’s initial bid was viewed as uncompetitively low, and the group was also asked to provide greater assurances that it would keep the club in Western New York. The Toronto group, Donald Trump, and any other finalists are still considered underdogs in a process where Sabres owner Terry Pegula appears to be the frontrunner.
- Despite the fact that the Dolphins have shown interest in other quarterbacks – and signed Brady Quinn yesterday – Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) expects the team to retain Matt Moore as its backup this season. Moore, who has a $4MM base salary and a $5.5MM cap hit, is one of the league’s most highly-paid backups, but he’s also one of the more reliable No. 2 options out there.
Minor Moves: Monday
Here are Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- In addition to releasing Andre Brown, the Texans have also cut running backs Dennis Johnson (via tweet from ESPN’s Tania Ganguli) and Tim Cornett (via tweet from Fox Houston’s Mark Berman).
- The Texans have added a running back, as ESPN’s Josina Anderson tweets that the team has added William Powell on a two-year deal.
- Former Redskins cornerback Peyton Thompson has cleared waivers and is now a free agent, tweets Zac Boyer of The Washington Times.
Earlier updates:
- According to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter), tight end Richard Quinn has been placed on the Saints‘ reserve-retired list, so it appears the former second-round pick has elected to end his playing career.
- Wide receiver Quintin Payton was cut by the Lions today, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). The move clears a spot for new wideout Conner Vernon, who Detroit claimed off waivers from the Bengals, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.
- The Chiefs have signed safety Jonathon Amaya, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- Per a series of tweets from Wilson and ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson, the following players have cleared waivers and been placed on their respective teams’ IR lists: Ben Malena (Cowboys), Daniel Adongo (Colts), Jeris Pendleton (Colts), Dezman Moses (Chiefs), Alvin Scioneaux (Chargers), Mike Taylor (Seahawks), and Chuck Jacobs (49ers).
- Less than a week after signing him, the Browns have waived tight end Kyle Auffray, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.
- Tight end Brad Smelley, who was on the Rams‘ roster briefly at the end of last season, has been re-signed to take the place of Mason Brodine, who sustained a fractured ankle (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner).
- As the Dolphins explore the free agent market for quarterbacks, they parted ways with one of their undrafted rookies, former North Dakota State signal-caller Brock Jensen (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). With the open roster spot, the club re-added running back Cameron Marshall.
- The Colts have signed defensive end Gannon Conway, cutting offensive lineman Eric Pike to make room on the roster, tweets assistant director of communications Matt Conti.
- Running back Jawan Jamison has been waived by the Steelers, according to the team’s PR man Burt Lauten (on Twitter).
- With the empty 90th spot on the roster, the Cowboys will sign Australian punter Tom Hornsey, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. Incumbent punter Chris Jones ranked in the league’s top ten last season according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and has had a solid camp, so Hornsey seems unlikely to make the team.
AFC Notes: Jones, Texans, Raiders, Browns
The Bengals will be without wide receiver Marvin Jones for at least “a few weeks,” according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Jones broke his foot and had a pin put in his fifth metatarsal. The timetable for Jones’ return isn’t clear yet, but Hobson suggests (via Twitter) that placing him on the short-term IR isn’t entirely out of the question — I doubt the Bengals make that move, but we probably shouldn’t expect to see the wideout back on the field by the time Cincinnati’s regular season gets underway.
Here’s more from across the AFC:
- The Texans worked out veteran running backs Ronnie Brown, Brian Leonard, and William Powell today, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). None of the three were immediately signed by the club.
- While a move to San Antonio by the Raiders already seemed very unlikely, a new report may further reduce Mark Davis‘ interest in South Texas. According to Tom Orsborn and Josh Baugh of the San Antonio Express-News, the Spurs’ ownership group would want a controlling interest in any NFL franchise that moved to San Antonio.
- Only about a week after he was claimed off waivers from Seattle by the Browns, offensive lineman Michael Bowie suffered a shoulder injury that may sideline him for the season. Head coach Mike Pettine says no decision has been made yet, though it’s looking like Bowie will be out for the year, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.
- Ulrich was also among the reporters who spoke to Jordan Cameron today, and the tight end said talks with the Browns on a contract extension have been ongoing and positive. Cameron is hopeful that something can be worked out in time for the regular season (Twitter link).
- Although they auditioned a few veteran quarterbacks today, it seems the Dolphins wanted a look at those players just in case they need one down the road, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, adding that the club doesn’t necessarily need to bring one aboard right now (Twitter link).
- After rewarding him in the offseason with a lucrative four-year contract extension, the Colts are hoping for elite play out of cornerback Vontae Davis in 2014 and beyond, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
Steelers Working To Extend Marcus Gilbert
The Steelers are working on a contract extension for offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert, and an agreement could be reached as soon as this week, reports Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter). Gilbert had previously confirmed that his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was talking to the team about a new deal, though he wasn’t sure if it would get done this month or if the two sides would “wait it out.”
Gilbert, 26, has been the Steelers’ regular starter at right tackle since entering the league in 2011. Because he was a second-round pick, his rookie contract didn’t feature a fifth-year option for 2015, meaning he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency after this season. As such, he has a little more leverage, and the club will be a bit more motivated to work something out.
As our Rory Parks pointed out when he examined Gilbert as an extension candidate in June, the young tackle hasn’t been exceptional during his stint with the Steelers, at least according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics. Still, non-elite tackles made out reasonably well on the open market back in March, and it wouldn’t be a surprise for Gilbert to sign a deal in the same neighborhood of the ones inked by Austin Howard, Breno Giacomini, and Michael Oher. Those three players will have annual salaries between $4.5-6MM on their multiyear pacts, with guarantees ranging from $6MM to $10MM.
AFC East Notes: Jets, Dolphins, Bills, Tyms
Let’s round up a few Monday items from around the AFC East….
- In the wake of injuries to multiple cornerbacks, the Jets will bring in some free agents for workouts, Rex Ryan confirmed today to reporters, including Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Meanwhile, GM John Idzik said he has “no regrets whatsoever” about his free agent decisions at the cornerback position, tweets Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post.
- Despite working out for the Dolphins today, Rex Grossman is unlikely to sign with the team, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. According to Salguero, Grossman has a visit lined up with another club.
- Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald adds (via Twitter) that the Dolphins also probably won’t sign John Skelton. Brady Quinn remains a possibility, though the team could explore other options or simply stand pat.
- As the sale process for the franchise continues, commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL have renewed their push for the Bills to build a new stadium in Western New York, according to Jerry Zremski of the Buffalo News. In recent conversations with Governor Andrew Cuomo and Senator Charles Schumer, Goodell has said he’d like to see the team remain in Buffalo, but that a new stadium would have to be part of the equation.
- Patriots wideout Brian Tyms, who had a strong preseason debut with the team, is facing a four-game suspension to start the regular season if he earns a spot on the roster, explaining to Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com that the ban is a result of testing positive for Adderall. “I’ve had a prescription for it since I was nine,” Tyms said. “It costs money to get all that stuff situated. Money which I didn’t have to spend. It was my fault. I should have brought it to the NFL and said, ‘Hey, I take this from time to time’ before it got to that point. But it wasn’t like I’m using it as something to boost my ratings.”
NFC Notes: Hester, Felton, Bailey, Cards
Longtime Bear Devin Hester would have liked to continue – and eventually end – his career in Chicago, but when he became a free agent earlier this year, the team didn’t have much interest in re-signing him, as he tells Patrick Finley of the Chicago Tribune.
“It’s not like I had a choice to sign with them again,” Hester said. “They didn’t even call me to let me know they were willing to bring me back. I didn’t hear from them at all. It made it a lot easier for me to say, ‘OK,’ and then go look for another team.”
When he hit the open market, Hester considered the Cardinals and Lovie Smith’s Buccaneers, but ultimately landed with the Falcons. Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Like Hester, wide receiver Stevie Johnson expected to eventually finish his career with the team he started with, but the Bills opted to trade him to the 49ers in May. Johnson spoke to Don Banks of SI.com about his offseason and about playing for the team he grew up rooting for in San Francisco.
- With new offensive coordinator Norv Turner now leading the offense in Minnesota, the Vikings aren’t expected to utilize a fullback as often, meaning Jerome Felton‘s roster spot could be in jeopardy just two years after he made the Pro Bowl. Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press has the details, including quotes from the veteran fullback, who expressed confidence in his place on the team’s 53-man roster.
- Veteran cornerback Champ Bailey appears to have suffered some sort of injury in training camp, but the Saints haven’t indicated whether or not it’s serious, writes Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, who wonders if the team will strongly consider cutting ties with Bailey.
- Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com rounds up a few notable comments from Cardinals GM Steve Keim‘s latest appearance on 98.7 FM in Arizona.
King’s Latest: Locker, Chiefs, Cousins, Mallett
Having been involved in some of the best seasons of the careers of Ben Roethlisberger, Kurt Warner and Philip Rivers, new Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt will look to develop Jake Locker this season, as the Tennessee signal-caller enters a contract year. Asked by Peter King of TheMMQB.com if he believes Locker is the team’s quarterback of the future, Whisenhunt was cautiously optimistic.
“I hope so,” Whisenhunt said. “I feel good about what I see out here [in practice]. But you’re not getting hit out here either. The question is, can you do all the right things when you’re about to get hit?”
The Titans chose not to exercise their fifth-year option on Locker for 2015, so if he shows enough in 2014 to convince the team he’s the long-term answer, the two sides will have to negotiate a new agreement to keep him around.
Here’s more from King’s column:
- Before teams cut down their rosters for the regular season, look for Chiefs GM John Dorsey to shop one of his tight ends and one of his kickers in an effort to land a late draft pick for 2015, says King, who suggests the Giants as a potential suitor for a tight end.
- Evaluating a pair of backup quarterbacks who have been mentioned in trade rumors this year, King suggests that Kirk Cousins of the Redskins should be worth a second-round pick to a quarterback-needy team, but says Ryan Mallett may not net more than a seventh-round for the Patriots. In fact, King adds that he wouldn’t be shocked if the Pats could end up cutting Mallett.
- King passes along a Jaguars-related anecdote from last season to illustrate another reason why having an NFL franchise in London would be difficult: General manager David Caldwell wanted to claim linebacker Martez Wilson off waivers last season, but the Jags were in London, and Caldwell didn’t want to cut one of his own players and send him home from Europe before the London game. The GM also wasn’t sure what kind of game shape or mental shape Wilson would be in if he arrived in London on the Friday before Sunday’s game. The linebacker was ultimately claimed by the Raiders.
Jets Notes: Vick, Milliner, Samuel
While Geno Smith still appears on track to start the Jets’ first regular season game, reports have suggested the team could use Michael Vick as a change-of-pace/Wildcat quarterback, and Smith thinks that idea is “definitely something to look into,” as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News details.
“I don’t know how much we’ll do it or if we’ll do it at all,” Smith said. “But every time he’s on the field, [Vick] brings that run-pass option.”
Here’s more on the Jets, who are dealing with a couple injuries to key players at the cornerback position:
- Dee Milliner, who suffered a high ankle sprain, is expected to miss three or four weeks, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter). That timetable would still give the cornerback a chance to return for the Jets’ Week 1 game against the Raiders.
- Although Milliner should return for the regular season, rookie Dexter McDougle will miss the season with a torn ACL, so the Jets are still on the lookout for cornerback depth. In a report for the Daily News, Mehta writes that the club has reached out to veteran free agent Asante Samuel, though the 33-year-old is unlikely to be signed. Rex Ryan‘s team is more likely to add a younger player, per Mehta.
- Here’s Ryan on the cornerback issue, via Mehta: “I’ve had to deal with those kinds of situations in the past. Adversity to some comes opportunity for others. … We’ll be able to play defense. We have a lot of good football players. So we’ll be fine. … I’ve been talking about our depth. And now we’ll get to see it.”
- While John Idzik can’t be blamed for injuries, the Jets GM didn’t aggressively address the team’s lack of cornerback depth this offseason, says Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. The club replaced the departing Antonio Cromartie with Dimitri Patterson, who has dealt with several injuries of his own in recent years.
Dolphins Auditioning Grossman, Quinn, Skelton
9:31am: Brady Quinn and John Skelton are among the other quarterbacks being considered by the Dolphins, according to Jackson (via Twitter).
8:46am: Former Bears and Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman will audition for the Dolphins today, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus, who confirmed in a WSVN-Fox segment on Sunday that his client will be among the quarterbacks working out for the club (link via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald).
While Grossman hasn’t seen regular-season NFL action since starting 13 games during the 2011 season, he has spent the last several seasons in Washington. There were rumblings earlier in the offseason that the veteran signal-caller may land in Cleveland, where former Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is now running the Browns’ offense, but a deal never materialized, and Grossman has remained on the free agent market all year.
For the Dolphins, Ryan Tannehill is firmly installed as the starter, but backups Matt Moore and Pat Devlin have battled various ailments this summer, increasing the potential need for veteran insurance. Moore, who is well-paid for a backup, still appears likely to enter the season as the club’s No. 2 quarterback, but Devlin’s roster spot could be in jeopardy.
Although it’s not clear yet which QBs will be joining Grossman for the Dolphins’ tryout today, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald suggests the team should take a look at Tim Tebow. Tebow, who has been working out and staying in shape, has seemingly drawn no interest from NFL teams this summer, prompting Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk to explore why the former Bronco can’t even get a look on a 90-man offseason roster.
Latest On Bills’ Sale
As Morgan Stanley, the investment firm tasked with heading the sale of the Bills franchise, continues to meet with bidders for the team, a few more details have surfaced regarding the latest developments in the process. Let’s dive in and round them up….
- In an update, Graham notes that the Pritzker family, owner of Hyatt Hotels, could be a candidate to buy the Bills. The Bills trust met with the family as recently as this week, but it’s not known whether they signed a non-disclosure agreement.
- Francesco Aquilini, chariman of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, expressed interest in purchasing the Bills, and even signed the required non-disclosure agreement in order to view the franchise’s financials. But, according to Graham, Aquilini and his family have removed themselves from consideration. “I’m always exploring potential business opportunities, and I’m passionate about sports. So this is something that interested me,” Aquilini said in a statement to the Buffalo News. “However, we are not planning to pursue the opportunity further.”
Earlier updates:
- Another source confirms to Graham what he heard last week, that Terry Pegula‘s initial bid was far less than the $1.3 billion figure widely reported (Twitter link).
- Former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and bond investor Jeffrey Gundlach met with the franchise’s trust on Thursday, according to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News. The duo is interested in getting involved in the purchase of the team, but Gundlach may not have the money to take the lead on making a bid himself, per Graham. As such, he and Kelly may look to catch on with another suitor as minority partners.
- In a separate report for the Buffalo News, Graham writes that Jon Bon Jovi‘s group isn’t the only Canadian-based suitor involved in the process. Sources tell Graham that the Aquilini family (owners of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks) and John Bitove (founder of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and president of Toronto’s 2008 Olympic bid) at least signed a non-disclosure agreement with the Bills, though it’s not clear if they submitted actual bids.
- Food-and-beverage magnate Dean Metropoulos, who was the runner-up to Shad Khan for the Jaguars in 2011, also signed the team’s non-disclosure agreement, says Graham. The Buffalo News scribe additionally identified the Chicago-based Pritzker family as a possible suitor, though it’s not clear if they signed a non-disclosure agreement.
- Bon Jovi’s Toronto group had still not been invited to participate in the final phase of the sale as of Thursday, according to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun, who says the group has once again been asked to clarify its non-relocation intentions.
- As for reports that up to eight bidders are now involved in the sale process, one source tells Kryk, “I don’t know if it’s real. We’re in weirdo world at this point.” Another was blunt with his skepticism, telling Kryk, “It’s all crap.”