NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/5/16
Here are today’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the league. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2016 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ 90-man rosters.
Arizona Cardinals
- Taylor Boggs, C (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)
- Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, C
- Mike Reilly, OLB
- Tyrequek Zimmerman, S
Baltimore Ravens
- Jerod Johnson, QB (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Zach Hocker, K (Twitter link via team)
- Dezmond Johnson, DE
- Floyd Raven, S
Green Bay Packers
- QB Ryan Williams (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Indianapolis Colts
- Burton Pierce, OT
- Ben Heenan, G
- Edwin Jackson, LB
- Kitt O’Brien, G
- Dezmen Southward, DB
- Joshua Stangby. WR
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Quanterus Smith, DE (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Kenny Cook, WR
- Dominique Davis, DE
- Cameron Gordon, LB
- Jordan Kovacs, DB
- Trey Millard, RB
- Alameda Ta’amu, DT
Miami Dolphins
- Jahwan Edwards, RB
- Robert Herron, WR
- Terrell Manning, LB
- Vinston Painter, G
- Anthony Steen, G
- Dax Swanson, DB
- Julius Warmsley, DE
- Jordan Williams, DE
New Orleans Saints
- Ashaad Mabry, DT (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune)
- Chris Manhertz, TE (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of The Advocate)
New York Jets
- Joe Anderson, WR (link via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com)
- Deion Barnes, LB
- Brandon Bostick, TE
- Jarvis Harrison, OL
- Julian Howsare, FB
- Wes Saxton, TE
- Kevin Short, DB
- Deon Simon, DL
- Julian Stanford, LB
Oakland Raiders
- Garrett Gilbert, QB (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
- Giorgio Tavecchio, K
San Diego Chargers
- Kasey Redfern, P (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego)
- Torrence Allen, WR
- Michael Huey, G
San Francisco 49ers
- Corey Acosta, K (link via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle)
St. Louis Rams
- David Arkin, OL (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com)
- Justice Cunningham, TE
- Zack Hodges, LB
- Zach Laskey, RB
- Deon Long, WR
- Matthew Wells, LB
49ers To Interview Mike Shanahan, Anthony Lynn
3:59pm: The scheduled meeting between Shanahan and the Niners is “on hold for now,” tweets Russini, who adds that talks between the two will continue over the phone.
3:35pm: As they search for a replacement for former head coach Jim Tomsula, the 49ers will meet again with a candidate they considered last year before hiring Tomsula. According to Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link),
Mike Shanahan is sitting down with the Niners on Wednesday to discuss the team’s coaching vacancy.
Shanahan, the former head coach in Washington and Denver, was one of several candidates who reportedly reached out to the Niners to convey interest in the job once Tomsula was dismissed. As Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee tweets, it was less than a year ago that San Francisco met with Shanahan for six hours to discuss its head coaching job, so no introductions should be required this time around.
In addition to interviewing Shanahan, the 49ers will also speak to Bills assistant head coach and running backs coach Anthony Lynn this week about their head coaching position, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com. The Niners are the second team with reported interest in Lynn — the Buffalo assistant has also lined up an interview with the Dolphins for their head coaching job.
Shanahan and Lynn join Hue Jackson and Sean Payton as likely candidates for the San Francisco job, with Chip Kelly and Mike Holmgren believed to have expressed interest as well. You can follow the latest developments with our head coaching search tracker.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
South Notes: Jaguars, Babineaux, Colts
The Jaguars became the first NFL team of the offseason to officially part ways with its defensive coordinator today, announcing that Bob Babich won’t return in 2016. With Babich no longer in the picture, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union has seven suggestions for potential replacements, including former head coaches Jim Schwartz and Mike Smith.
As we wait to see which direction Jacksonville goes for its DC opening, let’s check in on a few more items out of the NFL’s South divisions….
- An elite free safety would be a welcome addition to the Jaguars‘ defense, but GM David Caldwell suggested today that finding one could be even harder than finding a franchise quarterback, as John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets.
- Falcons veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, who just completed his eleventh season, says that he still has more football left in him, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes. “Maybe one to two [years left]. My goal always was to get to 12 and decide if I wanted to continue or retire then. I know I have a few more years left in me,” he said. Babineaux is signed through next season.
- The Colts have late-season additions Josh Freeman and Ryan Lindley signed through the 2016 season, so they plan on bringing back both quarterbacks in the offseason and evaluating them, tweets Mike Chappell of CBS4.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Jaguars Part Ways With DC Bob Babich
Just hours after general manager David Caldwell suggested there would likely be changes coming to the defensive staff, the Jaguars have parted ways with defensive coordinator Bob Babich, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Babich, like head coach Gus Bradley, was hired by Jacksonville in January 2013. Unlike Bradley, he won’t get return to the team in 2016.
While Bradley’s work as the defensive coordinator in Seattle from 2009 to 2012 contributed significantly to earning him the Jaguars’ head coaching job, he and Babich could never get Jacksonville’s defense firing on all cylinders. In each of the past three seasons, the team has ranked in the bottom 10 in the NFL in terms of points allowed and yardage allowed.
The Jaguars had the opportunity to add a standout player to their defense this past year, using their third overall pick to draft Florida pass rusher Dante Fowler. However, the first-round rookie tore his ACL on the first day of mini-camp last summer and missed the entire 2015 season.
Jacksonville’s next defensive coordinator will benefit from Fowler’s return, and it’s possible the Jags will use this year’s fifth overall pick on a defender as well. After seeing players like Blake Bortles and Allen Robinson enjoy breakout seasons in 2015, the team figures to focus more heavily on defensive reinforcements in the offseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
North Notes: Tucker, Tobin, Steelers, Bears
Veteran kicker Justin Tucker is eligible for free agency this offseason, but it sounds like the Ravens plan to keep him in the fold. Tucker confirmed on Monday that negotiations between the team and his agent have been ongoing for quite some time, according to Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun.
“My agent [Robert Roche] and these guys have been talking, on and off, for a better part of a year, year and a half,” Tucker said. “At this juncture, I’m kind of letting it all just unfold how it’s going to unfold.
“I’m optimistic that something will get done, but at the same time, like I said, the only thing that I can really concern myself with as a player is just improving and making sure that wherever I end up, I know I’m going to end up where, God willing, I’m supposed to end up, but the only thing that I can take care of is my own personal business, and that’s making myself the best kicker possible.”
Tucker, 26, has been a little shakier during the last two seasons than he was in his first two years, missing five field goal attempts in 2014 and seven in 2015. However, all but one of those misses came from 50+ yards, and he converted all 29 of his extra-point tries in 2015, so he’ll be in line for a nice raise from Baltimore.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s North divisions:
- Bengals personnel chief Duke Tobin received requests for general manager interviews from both the Lions and Titans, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Schefter though, Tobin intends to remain in Cincinnati long-term.
- DeAngelo Williams may not be able to play against the Bengals this weekend, but the Steelers don’t intend to bring in a veteran running back for the game, head coach Mike Tomlin said today. According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link), the Steelers would roll primarily with Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman if Williams can’t go.
- Bears general manager Ryan Pace, who is entering his second year as Chicago’s GM, says that he may have to rely on free agency more in the program’s early stages because of the team’s needs, tweets Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. Hopefully, the GM added, that reliance on free agency will diminish over time.
- Pace made some other interesting comments during his conversation this week with the media, giving quarterback Jay Cutler a vote of confidence and insisting there’s no rift between the team and tight end Martellus Bennett. Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times has the story on the Bears‘ plans to build around Cutler, while Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com passes along the GM’s comments on Bennett.
Bills, GM Doug Whaley Working On Extension
1:20pm: Dunne has published his full story on the Whaley extension talks, citing a source who says Pegula did not give a one-year ultimatum to the GM and head coach.
12:51pm: General manager Doug Whaley and the Bills are working on a new contract that would lock up Whaley beyond 2016, according to Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News (Twitter link). Jeremy White of WGR and Adam Benigni of WGRZ (Twitter links) each reported today that the two sides were working out the final details of the new deal, though Dunne says it hasn’t yet been presented to ownership.
On the heels of a morning report from Dunne’s Buffalo News colleague Vic Carucci, who suggested that owner Terry Pegula was giving Whaley and Rex Ryan one more year to make the playoffs and secure their jobs, news of a possible extension for Whaley comes as a surprise — particularly since Benigni indicates Whaley’s new deal would coincide with Ryan’s, meaning it would run through 2019.
It’s possible that Carucci’s report was inaccurate, though it’s hard to believe the Bills would stand pat again if the team has a sub-.500 season in 2016. It’s also possible that Pegula would consider making changes a year from now even after extending Whaley. For someone who spent $1.4 billion to buy the franchise in 2014, eating a few extra million dollars to replace a GM is probably viable.
Still, if that’s the case, extending Whaley seems somewhat unnecessary, unless the team simply doesn’t want its GM entering the year as a lame duck. Even if Pegula wants to express confidence and optimism heading into 2016, there’s likely a less expensive way to do it.
As we try to sort out what’s happening in Buffalo, here a few more Bills-related updates:
- Speaking to reporters yesterday, Ryan was unwilling to say definitively that defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman would return in 2016, says Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.
- Veteran defensive tackle Kyle Williams has told the Bills he wants to continue playing next year, so as his long as his medical information checks out, he’ll likely be back, tweets Joe Buscaglia of WKBW.
- Whaley downplayed the importance of signings outside free agents this offseason, joking that reporters covering the team can probably go on vacation during the first week of free agency. However, he referred to re-signing tackle Cordy Glenn and guard Richie Incognito as a “major point of emphasis” (Twitter links via Dunne and Buscaglia).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
No Ultimatum For Rex Ryan, Doug Whaley?
1:19pm: Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News has contradicted his colleague’s report, citing a source who says Pegula did not issue a one-year ultimatum to Ryan and Whaley. The Bills and Whaley are reportedly working on an extension.
As I noted below, even if the Bills eventually do consider making changes a year from now, it would be unusual for such an ultimatum to be issued and reported at this point.
10:08am: Bills owner Terry Pegula announced last week that head coach Rex Ryan and general manager Doug Whaley would be returning to the team for the 2016 season. However, the duo shouldn’t get too comfortable in Buffalo just yet.
According to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News, Pegula has issued an ultimatum of sorts to Ryan and Whaley: If they can’t make the necessary improvements to the Bills to get the club into the postseason, they’ll be let go after the 2016 season.
The fact that Ryan and Whaley will enter the 2016 season in playoffs-or-bust mode perhaps doesn’t come as a real surprise, especially since Whaley has just one year left on his contract. The club had expected to make it into the postseason this year, and neither the head coach nor the GM was considered safe until Pegula’s announcement last week, so it makes sense that the Bills would explore other options if the team underachieves again in 2016. Still, it’s rare that this sort of ultimatum is reported so early, and so definitively.
While Ryan, who has four years remaining on the contract he signed last January with the Bills, will get at least one more season in Buffalo, the same can’t be said for all of his assistant coaches. A source tells Carucci that at least two changes will be made to Ryan’s coaching staff, though there are “strong indications” that defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman is safe.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Giants Notes: Gase, Reese, Coughlin, McAdoo
After confirming today that they’ll interview their coordinators, Ben McAdoo and Steve Spagnuolo, for their head coaching opening, the Giants have requested permission to speak to their first outside candidate, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Rapoport reports that New York has asked to interview Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, one of the week’s most popular targets. Before he meets with the Giants, Gase has a few other interviews lined up. He’ll reportedly meet with the Eagles today, the Browns on Wednesday, and the Dolphins on Thursday.
As the Giants eye candidates to become their new head coach, the team said goodbye to its old head coach during a press conference earlier today. Here are a few highlights from that session, which included co-owner John Mara and former head coach Tom Coughlin:
- General manager Jerry Reese kept his job this week, and Mara expressed some confidence in his GM today, but he also made it clear he expects improvement from Reese. As Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets, Mara said there are many holes to fill on the roster, particularly on defense. The Giants co-owner also acknowledged that poor draft classes have had a role in the team’s slump, and suggested changes could be made on the personnel side (Twitter link via Albert Breer of the NFL Network).
- Asked if he has coached his last NFL game, Coughlin confirmed what has been reported since his ouster: “I’m not necessarily done with coaching,” he told the media, including Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
- Mara said today that he asked Coughlin to consider staying with the organization in some non-coaching capacity, and the 69-year-old said he’d consider it (Twitter link via La Canfora). I imagine that might become a more realistic possibility if Coughlin doesn’t find a head coaching job he likes.
- Mara and Reese will conduct the initial interviews for the Giants’ head coaching search, and will the recommend finalists for expanded interviews, tweets La Canfora. Mara also admitted that he can’t completely rule out the idea of trading a pick for a coach, which means someone like Saints head coach Sean Payton could be in play (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of NJ.com).
- The Giants would prefer not to lose McAdoo, but Mara conceded he can only make “recommendations” to a new head coach — he won’t force the new coach to keep the current offensive coordinator on board (Twitter link via Raanan). Of course, McAdoo himself is also a candidate for the head coaching position.
Browns Eyeing McDermott, Bengals Assistants
1:06pm: In addition to targeting Jackson, the Browns are also considering the Bengals’ coach on the other side of the ball. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Cleveland will interview Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther next week.
12:06pm: The Browns, who already reportedly have plans to interview at least four head coaching candidates, have added two more names to their list of potential targets. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link), the Browns have requested permission to interview Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, while Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Cleveland will interview defensive coordinator Sean McDermott on Thursday.
Because Jackson’s Bengals are playing on Wild Card weekend, he won’t be free to interview with any interested teams this week. After the team’s first playoff game though, whether or not Cincinnati wins, Jackson will be eligible to talk to possible suitors, and it sounds like he’ll have a few — the Dolphins and 49ers have already asked for permission to interview him as well.
As for McDermott, he’s eligible to talk to teams about head coaching jobs this week since the Panthers have a bye. His interview is scheduled to take place on the same day the Browns will reportedly talk to Doug Marrone, and a day after the team is set to meet with Teryl Austin and Adam Gase. Cleveland also is said to have received permission to speak to Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.
Any candidate considering the Browns job will certainly have taken notice of the club’s hiring announcement today. In an outside-the-box move, Cleveland added New York Mets executive Paul DePodesta to its front office, suggesting the club will have a significant focus on analytics going forward.
DePodesta will join Jimmy and Dee Haslam, Sashi Brown, and Jed Hughes during the team’s head coach and general manager interviews, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Titans’ General Manager Search
The Titans don’t appear to have lined up any head coaching interviews yet, but the team has been active in pursuing possible candidates for its general manager opening. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Giants vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross will interview for the Titans’ GM position.
[RELATED: Titans part ways with general manager Ruston Webster]
Ross, who is believed to be under consideration for other jobs, is in charge of the Giants’ draft, which has had its share of misses in recent years — particularly when Odell Beckham is removed from the equation. Still, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com writes that Ross is well regarded by the Fritz Pollard Alliance and by former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi, who has consulted for multiple teams hiring GMs within the past few years.
In addition to Ross, Colts VP of football operations Jimmy Raye III is being targeted by the Titans, who hope to bring him in for an interview, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Tennessee is also aiming high by requesting to interview Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter links). DeCosta has long been considered the potential GM of the future in Baltimore, and has repeatedly turned down opportunities to interview with other clubs, preferring to remain with the Ravens. We’ll see if he contemplates interviewing for the Titans’ job, which has its pros (Marcus Mariota, the No. 1 overall pick) and cons (an uncertain ownership situation).