Pete Carroll Tries To Clarify Irvin’s Comments
A few days ago, Bruce Irvin appeared to suggest that he was hoping to sign with the Falcons when he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2015 campaign. The Seahawks recently declined to exercise Irvin’s fifth-year option, thereby making the former first-round pick eligible for free agency when this season ends. As our Luke Adams pointed out, the Falcons are a good fit for Irvin, an Atlanta native who would (presumably) reunite with former Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and who would give the team a much-needed pass rusher.
But Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, speaking with reporters prior to his induction into the USC Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, claims Irvin’s comments were misinterpreted. Irvin had told Black Sports Online, “I’m going to be in Atlanta next season. I’m ready,” and “Atlanta is where I want to be. Believe that.” According to the Associated Press, Carroll tried to clarify those remarks by saying:
“We’ve been talking all along. [Irvin] has been working out in Atlanta for these three weeks, and he said (that) in response to the question ‘Do you want to come back home?’ He said everybody likes to come back home, and it’s a dream to come back home. It wasn’t in reference to leaving us and coming back (to the Falcons). He was really adamant about it, and I asked him to leave it and not go at it anymore.”
Carroll’s statements look like a valiant but unsuccessful attempt to quash the minor controversy that Irvin has created, and Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report has found some humor in that attempt. Freeman tweeted, “Carroll: No, no, no. Bruce Irvin didn’t say he wanted to go to Atlanta. He said he wanted to go to the city of Atlantis.”
According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Irvin has graded out as one of the league’s top 4-3 outside linebackers in each of the past two seasons. Interestingly enough, however, it was his run-stopping abilities that made him the 11th-most effective at his position out of 40 eligible players in 2014, as his pass rush efforts earned a meager grade of -2.1. In 2013, though, he received above-average grades in both areas, and he has posted 16.5 sacks in his three seasons in Seattle.
Of course, the mere fact that the Seahawks declined Irvin’s fifth-year option does not mean that Irvin will not continue his career in Seattle beyond 2015. But with the Seahawks having to make a number of difficult personnel decisions in the near future, including a long-term deal with Russell Wilson, Irvin may indeed wind up playing his home games elsewhere. Despite Carroll’s comments, Atlanta still appears to be the top choice.
Bills Sign 12 Undrafted Free Agents
FRIDAY, 12:49pm: The Bills’ deal with Barton fell through, leaving the club with one empty roster spot, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 3:17pm: The Bills have officially announced their UDFA signings, confirming the 11 players listed below and adding defensive end Erik Williams (Bethune-Cookman) and offensive tackle Jermaine Barton (Illinois State)
SUNDAY, 11:38am: Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News provides a list of the 11 undrafted free agents who have agreed to sign with the Bills (all Twitter links). There are no quarterbacks in the group:
- Clay Burton, TE, Florida
- Tyson Chandler, OT, N.C. State ($7,500 signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- Andre Davis, WR, Southern Florida
- Justin Hamilton, DL, Louisiana Lafayette
- Andrew Hudson, DE, Washington
- B.J. Larsen, LB, Utah State
- Merrill Noel, DB, Wake Forest
- Cedric Reed, DE, Texas
- Spencer Roth, P, Baylor
- A.J. Tarpley, LB, Stanford
- Cam Thomas, CB, Western Kentucky
Panthers, 10 UDFAs Reach Deals
MONDAY, 11:11am: The Panthers have officially agred to terms with 10 undrafted free agents, the team announced today in a press release. Of the eight names reported yesterday, seven are included in the team release — Blitch’s name isn’t in there, so it appears he’ll just be a rookie minicamp invitee for now. Here are the other three players signed by Carolina:
- Steve Miller, DE, Ohio State
- Brandon Wegher, RB, Morningside
- Matt Wile, P, Michigan
SUNDAY, 9:14am: The Panthers have agreed to sign eight undrafted free agents thus far. Jonathan Jones of The Charlotte Observer provides the list:
- Brian Blechen, OLB, Utah
- Daniel Blitch, OT, Charlotte
- Damiere Byrd, WR, South Carolina
- Darious Cummings, DT, Florida
- Dean Marlowe, S, James Madison
- Arthur Miley, DT, Southern ($15K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- Garry Peters, CB, Clemson
- Terry Redden, DT, Memphis
Sunday Roundup: Collins, AFC North, Pats
Let’s take a look at a few notes from around the league on this post-draft Sunday:
- The La’el Collins saga will be one of the more fascinating storylines to watch over the coming days. Gil Brandt of NFL.com tweets that if Collins is cleared of any wrongdoing after his meeting with Louisiana police tomorrow, he will sign as an undrafted free agent. Brandt adds that there will be a great deal of interest in Collins’ services if he is, in fact, cleared.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com looks at what Collins could make as an undrafted free agent,
- It appears that Browns ownership is “digging in” and committing to the Ray Farmer–Mike Pettine regime, writes Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com.
- Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer passes along Farmer’s and Pettine’s responses to questions as to why the Browns did not select a quarterback in this year’s draft. The GM and head coach simply reaffirmed their faith in the team’s current signal-callers while acknowledging that the group does not include an elite talent. However, Pettine simply stated, “We’re not going to over-prioritize the quarterback position.”
- The Ravens have invited Maryland DE Andre Monroe to rookie mini-camp on a tryout basis, writes Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
- Paul Dehner, Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer describes how the Bengals passed on the “acrobatic athletes and track stars” in this weekend’s draft and instead focused on powerful linemen and strong tight ends.
- The Eagles may regret not selecting an offensive lineman in the draft, writes Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer. As we learned earlier today, however, four of the team’s 16 undrafted free agents are offensive linemen.
- Although they did not address their cornerback need in the draft, Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald believes the Patriots strengthened the secondary simply by adding some punch to the team’s pass rush.
- The Patriots passed on drafting a receiver for the second consecutive year, meaning that third-year wideout Aaron Dobson will still have a good chance to live up to his considerable potential, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com.
- With a draft class that most analysts agree is a strong one, and after an active free agency period, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union says the Jaguars are finally adding depth to their roster and creating some much-needed competition.
- Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune says the Saints‘ draft class, which does not include a single wide receiver or tight end, reaffirms their faith in Drew Brees, Sean Payton, and the offense as a whole.
Minor Moves: Sunday
We will keep tabs on today’s minor transactions right here:
- The Falcons have waived TE Kyle Miller, according to the team’s official Twitter account.
Lions Notes: Wright, Mayhew, Swanson
As this weekend’s draft dust continues to settle, let’s take a look at a few draft-related notes out of Detroit:
- The Lions ultimately drafted DT Gabe Wright in yesterday’s fourth round after trading a 2016 third-round pick to the Eagles to move up to the 113th-overall selection. As Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweets, one of the reasons they were comfortable in doing that was because they knew that they would likely be getting a fairly high compensatory selection in 2016’s draft as a result of losing Ndamukong Suh in free agency.
- Last season’s injuries played a major role in the Lions’ draft strategy this year, writes Carlos Monarrez of The Detroit Free Press. The team went through four right tackles and lost their top two nickel corners after Week 2, so GM Martin Mayhew drafted durable offensive linemen Laken Tomlinson and Corey Robinson. Detroit also added Stanford corner Alex Carter in the third round and Texas nickel corner Quandre Diggs in the sixth.
- Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com points out that, for the first time in his seven-draft tenure as Lions GM, Mayhew did not select a wide receiver. “There were a couple of times during the draft when a receiver’s name was up there,” Mayhew said. “But there was somebody else who was more of a reason to go in a different direction.”
- After hinting for the past few months that they wanted to shift to a more run-oriented offense, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com says the Lions took a definitive step in that direction this weekend by drafting a mauling guard (Tomlinson), a tailback (Ameer Abdullah), and even a fullback (Michael Burton).
- The Lions drafted Travis Swanson in the third round last year with intentions of having him take over for Dominic Raiola at center this season. But as Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press writes, Detroit, which has spent four high-round draft picks on offensive linemen in the last three years, is not willing to commit to Swanson as its starting center just yet. He was penciled into the starting lineup until Thursday night, when the Lions acquired veteran interior blocker Manny Ramirez in a trade with Denver.
Eagles To Sign 16 Undrafted Free Agents
Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer provides a list of the 16 undrafted free agents that have agreed to sign with the Eagles (Twitter links):
- Rasheed Bailey, WR, Delaware Valley University
- Brett Boyko, OG, UNLV ($10K bonus, plus $10K guaranteed salary, per Aaron Wilson)
- Malcom Bunche, OG, UCLA
- Mike Coccia, C, New Hampshire
- Devante Davis, WR, UNLV
- Jordan Dewalt-Ondijo, LB, Duke
- Andrew Gleichert, TE, Michigan State
- John Harris, WR, Texas
- Cole Manhart, OG, Nebraska (Kearney) ($5K bonus, plus $10K guaranteed salary, per Wilson)
- B.J. McBryde, DE, UConn ($5K bonus, per Wilson)
- Raheem Mostert, RB/KR, Purdue
- Travis Raciti, DE, San Jose State ($7.5K bonus, plus $10K guaranteed salary, per Wilson)
- Denzel Rice, DB, Coastal Carolina
- Kip Smith, P, Oklahoma State
- Eric Tomlinson, TE, UTEP
- Justin Tukes, TE, UCF
Sunday Roundup: Draft, Weddle, J. Houston
Let’s take a look at some notes from around the league on this Sunday afternoon, including one note on the first overall pick in Thursday’s first round:
- Multiple teams have reached out to the Buccaneers recently to determine what it would take to move up to the No. 1 overall pick, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). However, Getlin adds in a second tweet that although the Bucs have listened, no offer has been strong enough for the team to seriously consider trading down just yet.
- Similarly, Conor Orr of NFL.com writes that Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie has fielded calls on Oakland’s No. 4 overall selection.
- In a separate piece, Orr writes that the Chiefs are keeping the lines of communication open with star outside linebacker Justin Houston, who was slapped with the franchise tag in March. Kansas City has a little under three months to work out a long-term deal with Houston, and the fact that talks are still ongoing and are still progressing is a good sign that something will get done.
- Paola Boivin of The Arizona Republic believes Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon would be the perfect first-round choice for the Cardinals, who hold the No. 24 overall pick.
- Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post feels the Broncos should take an offensive tackle in the first round, even if they have to trade up a couple of spots to do it. Renck goes on to examine some of the prospects that could be available when Denver is on the board.
- Chargers safety Eric Weddle feels “highly disrespected” by the team’s refusal to engage in contract talks despite his desire to retire with the organization, but Matt Calkins of U-T San Diego believes the Chargers are taking the right approach.
- Given that the Jaguars feel better about their roster than they have in the past two seasons, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union would not be surprised if the team traded a couple of picks to move into the back of round 1 or up in rounds 2-3.
- Continuing a theme among NFL beat writers, Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean looks at the offensive side of the Titans‘ roster heading into the draft and offers his predictions as to what the team will do to address its deficiencies on that side of the ball during draft weekend.
- Washington GM Scot McCloughan‘s history suggests he will select an edge rusher with his top pick in this year’s draft, writes Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com. Although Tandler says Randy Gregory‘s red flags will probably keep him off McCloughan’s board, Vic Beasley and Dante Fowler, Jr. would both be good bets.
NFL Clears Ray McDonald
Former 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald, who signed a modest one-year deal with the Bears this offseason, has been cleared of any violation of the league’s personal conduct policy for the domestic violence incident that landed him in jail last year, according to Adam Jahns of The Chicago Sun Times. McDonald was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence on August 31, 2014, but due to insufficient evidence, no charges were filed. As Jahns writes, the league completed its investigation of the incident on Friday, and NFL general counsel Jeff Pash released the following statement:
“We have completed that [domestic-violence] investigation. [Special counsel for investigations] Lisa [Friel] and her team completed that investigation [and] did not establish a violation of the personal-conduct policy. We informed the player and the [NFL] Players Association.’’
However, the league continues to investigate an alleged sexual assault that involves McDonald. Again, no charges have been filed in that matter, but the incident did prompt the 49ers to release the 29-year-old in December despite his promising 2014 campaign. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), McDonald was the league’s 12th-best 3-4 defensive end in 2014, grading well both against the run and as a pass rusher.
It is unclear when the second investigation will conclude, though as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk wrote last month, McDonald has announced his intention to sue the woman who accused him of sexual assault.
Eagles Could Still Trade Bradford
After making one of the more surprising trades in recent memory when they dealt for Sam Bradford last month, the Eagles have insisted that they are not planning on using Bradford as a trade chip to move up in the draft to select Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. However, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, Philadelphia has done nothing to dispel that rumor since the deal was completed.
Specifically, the team has engaged in no contract talks with Bradford, who is entering the final year of his current deal and is owed nearly $13MM in 2015. Of course, Bradford could have some say in that as well. One team that could deal for Bradford would be the Browns, who are in desperate need of a franchise signal-caller and who have already tried to acquire the Oklahoma product this offseason. Under the framework of a three-team deal that Florio has put together, Cleveland would receive Bradford, Philadelphia would move up high enough in this year’s draft to select Mariota, and a third team could receive multiple high-round draft picks from bot the Eagles and Browns.
But if Bradford had his druthers, he surely would not want to be shipped to Cleveland, and if he were to sign a new multi-year deal with the Eagles, he would only become more valuable to a team like the Browns, which could keep him under club control beyond 2015. And that’s not to mention the financial aspect of a new contract, which would certainly require extensive negotiation. Bradford, after all, is hoping to play his way into a big payout in 2016 and is not willing to accept a “substandard” contract.
So the saga continues, despite the Eagles’ insistence that Bradford is not a stepping stone to Mariota. However, if a trade were to happen, one would think that the parameters would already be in place, or at least preliminary discussions would have been held. But just as there has been no chatter surrounding a new deal between the Eagles and Bradford, there have similarly been no substantiated rumblings about Philadelphia trading him. In any event, it looks like all possibilities remain on the table, and only Thursday night will bring any real clarity.
In addition to the Bradford piece, there are a few more Eagles nuggets to pass on today:
- The Eagles cannot hide their interest in UConn CB Byron Jones, and Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer examines the case for Philadelphia to grab the speedy, physical corner with the No. 20 overall pick.
- In a separate piece, McLane examines the size, speed, and other physical measurables that head coach Chip Kelly–whose “big people beat up little people” mantra has become a catchphrase–and vice president of player personnel Ed Marynowitz use to weed out certain players from their draft board. Although scheme, position, fit, and intelligence of course remain important components of the team’s evaluation process, if a player does not have the right build, the odds are he will not wind up on the Eagles’ radar. McLane wonders if that process is unnecessarily restricting the crop of talent from which Philadelphia picks.
- Speaking of Marynowitz, Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer examines the challenges that await the newly-promoted 31-year-old.
- Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com writes that the Eagles will not be selecting Alabama safety Landon Collins with their first round selection. Collins is widely regarded as the best safety in an otherwise weak class.