Minor NFL Transactions: 10/25/15
Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves, with the latest news added to the top of the page throughout the course of the day:
- The Buccaneers have officially activated DT Akeem Spence from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and they have waived OT Jeremiah Warren, per a release from the team’s official website.
- The Chiefs continue to play musical chairs with wideouts Fred Williams and Kenny Cook. Per Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star (via Twitter), the team has re-signed Cook and has cut Williams.
East Notes: Pats, Bills, JPP
The Patriots are again among the league’s most legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and although their slow start to 2014 led some to believe that their dynasty was nearing its end, the fact that they brought home the Lombardi Trophy and have opened 2015 undefeated have silenced those talks. And, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, New England’s window of opportunity won’t be closing anytime soon.
Per La Canfora, there is no significant player on the Patriots’ roster whose contract expires at the end of this season, and the team projects to be at least $8MM under the 2016 salary cap. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski will count just $22MM against the cap, and no one will earn more than $10MM in 2016. That means that the team can supplement its already-talented roster with marquee free agents–something it has not frequently done in the past–and extend their reign of dominance for another few years. La Canfora also notes that, since New England will be without its first-round pick as a result of the DeflateGate scandal, it could look to move Jimmy Garoppolo for a high pick.
Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:
- Washington and the Jets are squaring off this afternoon, and as Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes, the Jets are looking across the field at two players who could be on their radar in 2016: Kirk Cousins and Robert Griffin III. The future for both players is up in the air, and New York, of couse, could be in the market for a quarterback. Jets head coach Todd Bowles was effusive in his praise for Cousins, but indicated that RGIII would not be a consideration for his club.
- There were reports this morning that E.J. Manuel could rekindle the Bills‘ quarterback competition with a strong showing today, but Joe Buscaglia of WKBW thinks differently (via Twitter). He notes that Buffalo coaches love Tyrod Taylor and that it would take more than a good performance for the team to even think about moving on from Taylor.
- La Canfora tweets that the Bills are “very concerned” that wideout Percy Harvin could miss significant time with his latest injury. Harvin has not played a significant role in the team’s offense this year, and this could represent yet another major setback for the once-explosive playmaker.
- Last Thursday, Sammy Watkins publicly bemoaned his lack of targets in the Bills‘ offense thus far in 2015, and Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com breaks down in detail what targets mean to a wide receiver from a contractual standpoint.
- Jay Glazer of FOX Sports tweets that Jason Pierre-Paul will report to the Giants this Tuesday so that the team can check in on his progress. Pierre-Paul is hoping to play soon, but as Jordan Raanan of NJ.com writes, there is still doubt that JPP will be cleared.
Latest On Chip Kelly, Sean Payton
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com created something of a stir this morning when he reported that Chip Kelly and Sean Payton are “among those who will be considered” for the head coaching vacancy at the University of Southern California (link via NFL.com’s Kevin Patra). Of course, just because USC is interested in a particular head coach does not mean that the interest is mutual; indeed, the University of Maryland is expected to make a run at Kelly, but no one actually expects Kelly to be on the Terrapins’ sideline next year. Plus, even if there is mutual interest, there are a whole host of contractual and other obstacles that both parties would need to clear.
Nonetheless, given recent reports that Payton would listen to other suitors, and given the Eagles’ struggles in 2015 under Kelly’s watch–not to mention Kelly’s excellent track record at the college level–the rumors connecting both high-profile coaches to one of the most prestigious college football programs are inevitable. As Rapoport points out, Payton’s daughter attends college at Pepperdine University, roughly 30 minutes away from USC, and Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune concedes (via Twitter) that if Payton is ready to move on from the Saints, USC makes a great deal of sense for him. Furthermore, a move to college would not require that compensation be paid to the Saints, whereas New Orleans would be in line for compensation if Payton were to move to another NFL club.
A source close to Kelly, meanwhile, says that the Eagles’ head coach “really likes to be liked and wanted,” which may explain at least some of his reported interest in the USC job. After all, as ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets, Kelly recently purchased a home in the Philadelphia area, and while that may not be overly significant in and of itself, Caplan opines in a separate tweet that Kelly is not thinking of anything but coaching the Eagles for the next several seasons. Les Bowen of The Philadelphia Daily News concurs in a series of his own tweets, in which he takes a not-so-subtle dig at the reports connecting Kelly to the USC position.
John Harbaugh has recently been mentioned as a candidate for the USC job as well, but he predictably and definitively shot down those reports. Moving forward, though, expect plenty of rumors connecting NFL head coaches to USC, and because of his apparent openness to a new opportunity, expect even more rumors about Payton.
Vernon Davis, Jared Cook Generating Trade Interest
Although it will likely never compare to Major League Baseball’s action-packed trade deadline, the NFL’s trade deadline has the potential to generate more activity in 2015 and moving forward given that it has been pushed back to a later date. With the new deadline coming in the first week of November, teams have a better idea of where they stand and whether they have a legitimate chance at the postseason, which could prompt non-contenders to make more deals than in recent memory.
Tight end has the potential to be an especially fertile trading ground, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, who names Vernon Davis and Jared Cook as two players who could be on the move. Davis is perhaps the more likely candidate, for a number of reasons. He is in the final year of his contract, and there is little chance that he will return to San Francisco next season, given that his production has fallen off a cliff since his Pro Bowl performance in 2013. Additionally, the 49ers are in clear rebuilding mode, and it would make sense for them to at least recoup some value for Davis while they have the chance.
Of course, they will also need to weigh whether any potential compensation they receive from trading Davis would be more valuable than the compensatory pick they would receive when he signs with a different club. But as La Canfora writes, “landing a draft pick for Davis now–rather than waiting for a compensatory pick in 2017 should he leave as a free agent–would appeal to the 49ers.” Likewise, any team that trades for Davis would be in line for a compensatory pick should he sign elsewhere, thereby helping to offset the cost of trading for him right now. Davis has been battling injury, but he is nearing a return and would welcome a change of scenery. Any team dealing for him would be on the hook for roughly half of his $4.7MM salary, including weekly roster bonuses.
Cook, meanwhile, has two years and $14MM left on his contract beyond 2015, but all of his guaranteed money has been paid, so he could be released without any negative salary cap ramifications. Although his performance has been inconsistent, he does bring big-play potential to the tight end position, and given that the Rams have Lance Kendricks signed through 2018, other clubs will continue to call about Cook. The 2-3 Rams, though, are not exactly in rebuilding mode, which could make a trade for Cook less likely than a deal for Davis. But teams have expressed significant interest in both, and they could be headliners of the new trade deadline.
Bills’ QB Competition To Re-Open?
E.J .Manuel will get the start under center for the Bills this afternoon as starter Tyrod Taylor nurses a sprained MCL. Despite Taylor’s encouraging start to the season–through four games, he has completed over 70% of his passes for 1,097 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions, and he has added 31 carries for 187 yards and two scores–Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Kevin Patra) reports that the quarterback competition in Buffalo may be re-opened.
In training camp and the preseason, of course, Manuel, the Bills’ former first-round draft pick, lost the starting job to Taylor, who had served as Joe Flacco‘s understudy for four years in Baltimore. Both players performed well, but Taylor was just a bit better, and his preseason success has largely carried over to the regular season. Nonetheless, Rapoport says that Manuel still has several key supporters within the organization, including (potentially) GM Doug Whaley, who drafted the Florida State product. The well-publicized remarks recently made by top wideout Sammy Watkins suggest that Manuel also enjoys at least some locker room support.
As such, Rapoport believes Manuel has a chance to rekindle the quarterback battle with a strong performance today. And, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Manuel’s audition could last even longer, as Taylor’s injury could sideline him for next week’s game as well. But can Manuel actually deliver a strong performance? Manuel has started fourteen games in his career, compiling a 6-8 record, a 58.6% completion rate, and a 78.5 quarterback rating, throwing 16 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. He did develop a rapport with Watkins last season, who has not yet gotten on the same page with Taylor, and as someone who does not even have a full season’s worth of starts under his belt, it is not hard to believe that Manuel’s preseason performance this year could be a sign that he has begun to realize his potential.
Rapoport concedes, though, that it would a surprise if Manuel actually did unseat Taylor at this point in the season. But the door is slightly ajar, and if Manuel thrives this week (and potentially next), the Bills’ seemingly settled quarterback situation could get a lot more interesting.
Three Teams Inquiring On Roddy White
12:30pm: For what it’s worth, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says there is no truth to the trade rumors regarding White. Said one high-ranking official, “[We’ve] had no calls and most importantly [White] is a Falcon and an important part of this offense.”
8:33am: Three teams are interested in trading for Falcons wide receiver Roddy White, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (article via Conor Orr of NFL.com). Rapoport did not say which three teams have expressed interest, but it makes sense that receiver-needy clubs would be contacting Atlanta about the 33-year-old wideout, whose role in the Falcons’ offense has dwindled significantly this year.
Although his professional career got off to a slow start, White established himself as one of the best receivers in the league from 2007-2012, putting together six consecutive seasons of over 1,150 receiving yards and hauling in 49 touchdowns during that time. His best statistical season came in 2010, when he caught 115 passes for 1,389 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning First Team All-Pro honors in the process. He was hampered by injury in 2013, but played better towards the end of that season and then nearly hit the 1,000-yard mark again in 2014, making 80 catches for 921 yards and seven scores. Prior to the 2014 campaign, the Falcons reaffirmed their faith in White by extending his contract through 2017.
It makes sense that White’s role in the offense would take a hit as he gets older and as Julio Jones continues to put his otherworldly abilities on display. However, White has become quarterback Matt Ryan‘s third option this season, behind Jones and the surprising Leonard Hankerson. At the moment, White is on pace for just 52 targets, which would easily set a new career low.
As trade rumors have picked up steam, White has said all the right things, indicating that he has no complaints as long as the team is winning (although he did naturally concede that he would like to see more passes thrown in his direction, and it has been reported that White would not be averse to a trade). Plus, any potential deal for White would be complicated by the extension that he signed last summer. White is slated to earn $5MM this year, and the Falcons would likely be unwilling to eat any of that salary, considering how much of a weapon White represents (indeed, no other club has a receiver of White’s caliber matching up against the third-best corner on opposing defenses). But teams are doing their due diligence just in case, with Carolina and Baltimore looking like two of the most likely landing spots if the Falcons ultimately decide to pull the trigger.
East Notes: Hardy, Fins, D. Lewis
Greg Hardy is set to make his Cowboys debut today, though it will not come without some extra controversy. On Tuesday, in his first media session since he signed a one-year deal with Dallas this offseason, Hardy made some bizarre and ill-timed comments regarding Tom Brady‘s wife and returning to the field with “guns blazin,'” and a rap video heavy on strippers and guns–which Hardy made during his suspension–surfaced just yesterday. The NFL’s first vice president of social responsibility, Anna Isaacson, recently issued the following statement:
“I couldn’t disagree more with Greg Hardy’s comments, and they do not reflect the values of the league. We are working hard to bring attention to the positive role models many other players represent and also to continue our education with all members of the NFL family.”
As the early Week 5 games approach, let’s take a quick swing around the league’s east divisions, including more notes on Hardy:
- Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett reportedly admonished Hardy for his comments, but on Friday, owner Jerry Jones took to the airwaves to defend his player. In so doing, says Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News, Jones undermined his head coach and further enabled the apparently oblivious Hardy.
- In a bit of Twitter repartee this morning, ESPN’s Ed Werder and former Packers executive Andrew Brandt discussed the Hardy signing. Brandt points out that, in normal circumstances, Hardy would have generated interest from 12-15 clubs, but given his impending suspension, only one or two teams were interested. Werder says that, had teams known Hardy would have agreed to the team-friendly terms that the Cowboys offered him, there would have been at least 15 clubs in the running. The lack of interest, Werder says, was not based upon morality.
- The Dolphins might have just fired Joe Philbin, but it was not that long ago that owner Stephen Ross was determined that Philbin would lead his club for the foreseeable future. Per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Miami vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum pushed Ross to at least pursue Dan Quinn, who was ultimately hired by the Falcons, but Ross would have none of it, and the Dolphins never even made an effort to contact Quinn.
- Whether or not the Dolphins are able to land Sean Payton in the offseason–and all indications are that Payton will remain in New Orleans—James Walker of ESPN.com says the interest in Payton makes it clear that Miami will be seeking an experienced head coach at season’s end.
- Ben Volin of The Boston Globe explores why the Patriots, who rarely invest in running backs, recently signed Dion Lewis to a contract extension through 2017 after just three games. As Volin points out, the Pats got tremendous value out of the deal, as Lewis has no guaranteed money for 2016 or 2017, and his cap number for 2017 will be the second-lowest among all starting running backs. New England is privately shocked that Lewis accepted a deal so far below market value.
Daniel Fells Could Have Foot Amputated
Giants tight end Daniel Fells, who was placed on IR last week with a staph infection, is in danger of having his foot amputated, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Fells has been hospitalized for over a week and was moved to an intensive care unit on Friday. He has since been moved to a private room to permit a nurse to focus solely on his care.
Fells is battling a Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection that has required five surgeries to date, and Rapoport notes that more surgeries are coming as doctors attempt to save Fells’ foot. Per Rapoport, Fells was given a cortisone shot to treat toe and ankle injuries, and after a week of ankle and foot pain, Fells’ had a temperature of 104 degrees and was taken to the hospital by his wife on October 2. It was then that doctors diagnosed him with an MRSA infection, which is resistant to many antibiotics. And if the possibility of losing his foot was not bad enough, there is also the concern that the MRSA has penetrated the bone and could travel to the blood, which would put Fells’ life in jeopardy.
While the football-related aspects of this injury of course take a backseat, it should be noted that the Giants have worked to prevent the further spread of MRSA by scrubbing their locker room, training room, and meeting rooms. They have also consulted with several infectious disease specialists, per a report from ESPN.com.
Fells, who turned 32 last month, is in his second year with the Giants. While he wasn’t used much as a receiver in 2014, he did reach the end zone four times on his 16 overall receptions. He also recorded six receptions in the early going this season before being sidelined. Needless to say, his football career is very much in doubt at the moment. Over six plus seasons with the Rams, Broncos, Patriots, and Giants, Fells has tallied 114 receptions for 1,334 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Multiple Teams To Pursue Sean Payton
Multiple teams are expected to inquire about Saints head coach Sean Payton at the end of the season, per ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Schefter mentions the Dolphins as one of those teams, and the Colts are a possibility as well. Payton is signed through the 2017 season, but that does not mean that clubs with a head coaching vacancy will not pursue a trade for Payton, who has been with New Orleans for 10 years and who may not want to oversee the rebuilding process that the Saints appear to be headed for.
As Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (via Twitter) and Schefter point out, however, Payton was the subject of similar rumors last year, and he has repeatedly shot them down. He was even mentioned as a possible candidate for the University of Michigan post last December, but his response has always been that he is not interested in any other position and that he is not, like his mentor Bill Parcells, beginning to feel the stirrings of wanderlust. Payton is 81-51 during his tenure with the Saints, and he has captured a Super Bowl championship during that time.
Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune speculates (via Twitter) that the Giants and a franchise that moves to Los Angeles could join the Dolphins and Colts as potential suitors for Payton’s services. The Dolphins, having just fired Joe Philbin, will be in the market for a head coach, and they have pursued big-name candidates in the past, including Jeff Fisher, Jon Gruden, and Jim Harbaugh. The Colts, meanwhile, are not expected to bring back Chuck Pagano, and it has been rumored that owner Jim Irsay could go “big-game hunting” at the end of the 2015 season.
Nonetheless, given Payton’s unwavering stance on the matter and what it would cost to trade for him–multiple draft picks, including at least one first-rounder, would certainly be involved–it is unlikely that he finds himself on another sideline in 2016. That is not to mention, of course, Payton’s contract: he earns $8MM per year, making him the highest-paid head coach in the league. As Adam Beasley of The Miami Herald simply tweets, “He won’t come cheap.”
Miami would likely be the most aggressive suitor, and Payton does have ties to the club. Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell was a tight end for the Cowboys when Payton served as Dallas’ offensive coordinator, and Campbell ended his career playing for Payton in New Orleans. Plus, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, “[t]he influence of Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells remains significant within Miami’s organization and Payton is one of his prized pupils.”
But it is that familiarity with the Dolphins that could harm, rather than help, Miami’s pursuit of Payton. As Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets, Payton now works with Jeff Ireland, who is currently a college scout for the Saints’ after serving as the general manger of the Dolphins from 2008 through 2013. Payton also remains close with Parcells, so he is intimately familiar with all of the Dolphins’ internal issues that have hindered the club in recent seasons. Salguero adds in a separate tweet that if Payton should leave New Orleans in the future, it will be for a team that would give him control over football operations. The Dolphins currently have Mike Tannenbaum in that role, and Salguero says that is unlikely to change.
However, it only makes sense that Miami, along with a number of other teams in the league, would make a run at Payton, whose tenure with the Saints has been a largely successful one and who could bring the type of schematic and cultural change that teams crave. As of now, though, unless the Saints receive an offer too good to turn down, Payton and New Orleans appear to be in it for the long haul.
NFC Notes: Cousins, Welker, Patterson, Rams
Connor Orr of NFL.com (via colleague Albert Breer) says Washington is fully committed to Kirk Cousins as its long-term starter under center. As head coach Jay Gruden says, “We’re all sticking by the plan and we’re showing Kirk that we have confidence in him. And hopefully it pays off and he’ll get better every game.” As Orr writes, the team never made such a statement about Robert Griffin III, who remains an “organizational window dressing.”
Now for some more links from around the NFC:
- After trading Chris Givens to Baltimore in exchange for a future seventh-round draft pick, the Rams have an open spot on their roster. Per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, RB Trey Watts is eligible to return from suspension after today, and he would be the logical choice to fill that spot (Twitter link).
- Wes Welker was very impressive in his recent workout with the Giants, and if Big Blue does not generate much production from the slot against Buffalo today, Gary Myers of The New York Daily News says the team may sign Welker to a contract, despite the obvious health concerns.
- Vikings WR Cordarrelle Patterson has not had much opportunity to live up to his promising 2013 rookie campaign, when he hauled in 43 receptions for four touchdowns and added three rushing touchdowns and two kickoff return TDs to his final tally. However, given the injuries to Charles Johnson and Jarius Wright, Chris Miller of The Star Tribune writes that Patterson may finally get a chance to prove to head coach Mike Zimmer that he can be a productive member of the team’s offense.
- With the Saints having traded Akiem Hicks to the Patriots last week, Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com looks at who might replace Hicks at defensive end, pointing to Bobby Richardson and Tavaris Barnes as linemen who could see more playing time.