NFC West Notes: Cardinals, Floyd, Rams, Fisher
The Cardinals‘ need for a wide receiver has now amped up their need for a wide receiver in this year’s draft, ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss writes. Larry Fitzgerald‘s career is coming down the home stretch and neither J.J. Nelson nor John Brown are above 5’11”. Right now, the Cards are projected to pick just outside the top ten and there are a handful of receivers they could grab in that range. Clemson’s Mike Williams, for example, offers great size at 6’3″ and is widely regarded as one of this year’s best WRs. Other tall options include Western Michigan’s Corey Davis and USC’s JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Here’s more on Floyd and other stuff out of the NFC West:
- Floyd’s career never reached its full potential with the Cardinals, Weinfuss writes. When Arizona took Floyd No. 13 overall in 2012, the thinking was that he would eventually take the torch from Fitzgerald. Instead, he had only one 1,000-yard season and never emerged out of Fitzgerald’s shadow. He seemed to be on the right track in 2013, but a groin injury in 2014 coupled with Carson Palmer‘s absence derailed him. In 2015, Palmer returned, but a gruesome hand injury hampered him early. He finished ’15 strong, but Floyd could not stop dropping passes in 2016. After his DUI, the Cardinals turned the tables and dropped him from the roster.
- The style of football that Jeff Fisher was known for – tough defensive teams with strong running games on offense – never made its way to the Rams, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch writes. Known as the master of the 7-9 season, the Rams slumped into mediocrity and worse after a solid start to the year. Ultimately, after going 31-45-1 in nearly five seasons, the Rams decided to kick Fisher to the curb.
- The 49ers were one of four teams to try and claim running back Darius Jackson off waivers. Unfortunately for them, the Browns were ahead of them in waiver wire priority and snagged him instead.
Browns’ Alvin Bailey Handed Two-Game Ban
The NFL announced that Alvin Bailey has been suspended for two games. The offensive lineman violated the league’s substance abuse policy when he was arrested for a DUI in late September. 
As a part of his plea deal, Bailey paid a small fine and had his license suspended for six months. His suspension begins immediately and takes him out of the Week 15 and 16 games against the Bills and Chargers. He’ll be eligible for the team’s season finale against the Steelers on Jan. 1.
The 25-year-old joined the Browns on a free agent deal after spending previous years as a depth player with the Seahawks. This year, he took on a larger role while Cameron Erving was sidelined. For his 13 games (five starts), Pro Football Focus has Bailey ranked as just the No. 60 offensive guard in the NFL out of 78 qualified players.. According to the advanced metrics, Bailey’s pass blocking has been fairly strong while his run blocking has been downright atrocious.
North Notes: RGIII, Lacy, Packers, Lions, Boldin
Like Bills coach Rex Ryan, Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III seemingly has a lot in the line in this week’s Cleveland-Buffalo tilt.
“There needs to be a jump in performance,” said head coach Hue Jackson, who gave Griffin a pass for his subpar showing in a 23-10 loss to the Bengals last Sunday (link via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com).
Griffin, who hadn’t played since Week 1 (exactly three months) because of a shoulder injury, completed 12 of 28 passes for 104 yards and an interception. Now, with three games left in the season, RG3 might be playing for his future with the Browns. In the event Griffin doesn’t impress during that time frame, the club could release him in the offseason and take on just $1.75MM of his $9.25MM cap hit for 2017.
Here’s a look at the North divisions:
- Eddie Lacy‘s lost season could help foster a return to the Packers in 2017, ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky writes. Had Lacy stayed healthy, he would have boosted his stock and drawn several suitors on the open market. Now, he’s not as much of a hot property and that could help Green Bay’s chances of retaining him.For his part, Lacy says he wants to remain with the Packers.
- If Anquan Boldin is interested in playing another season, the Lions should be interested in retaining him, ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein writes. Besides him, other priority free agents include wide receiver Andre Roberts and defensive end Armonty Bryant, a player that could be retained on a discount because of his knee injury. The biggest question marks are guys like right tackle Riley Reiff and right guard Larry Warford, who may be in line for lucrative free agent deals. In the case of Reiff, he’d have to be willing to play right tackle in Detroit since rookie Taylor Decker has shown that he will be the team’s left tackle of the future.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
AFC East Notes: Brady, Watkins, Bills, Revis
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says that playing until he’s 45 years old is a “great goal” of his, as WEEI.com’s Ryan Hannable writes.
“I think that — they kind of brought that up and I said that would be a great goal,” Brady said. “I certainly think I can do it. It’s just about how long I want to make the commitment to doing the things that get me ready to go. Look, I love playing. I would love to play the game for as long as I can. There are a lot of things that aren’t up to me, but I am going to do everything I can to keep playing at this level for as long as I can. I think I can do it. Why would I stop now? I’ve worked to get to this point and this is I think when I can really capitalize and really try to make the most of everything that I have learned over the years with who I have been fortunate to be around. If I can keep doing it, I certainly think I can.”
Brady is signed through 2019, when he will be 42 years old. Will the Patriots sign him to another deal? That depends on a lot of factors, including his performance and whether they have a succession plan in place involving Jimmy Garoppolo. Last year, we saw Peyton Manning decline sharply in his final season when he was only 39, so Brady will have his work cut out for him.
Here’s more out of the AFC East:
- Speaking to reporters – including Mike Rodak of ESPN.com – on Wednesday, Bills receiver Sammy Watkins implied that the team could fire head coach Rex Ryan with a loss to 0-13 Cleveland on Sunday. “We know if we lose, something crazy might happen immediately,” he said. “We need to go out there and win this game.” A loss would drop the Bills to 6-8 this year and 14-16 during the Ryan era.
- It has been speculated that the Jets could eventually move Darrelle Revis to safety, but it won’t be happening this season, coach Todd Bowles says (link via Brian Costello of the New York Post). Revis says he would consider moving to safety, possibly as soon as next season. But Bowles says that’s not a transition that should happen in the middle of the season. “It’s not a thought process right now,” Bowles said. “That’s something we may talk about in the offseason. It ain’t going to happen in the next three games.” Revis is under contract through 2019 thanks to the ill-advised deal given to him prior to the 2015 season. Already, Revis has declined sharply and the Jets have to be giving serious thought to taking a dead money cap hit and releasing him before the start of the 2017 season.
- The Jets need a quarterback and they reportedly have their eye on UNC signal caller Mitch Trubisky.
- This week, the Dolphins passed on activating Dion Jordan.
Four Teams Tried To Claim RB Darius Jackson
When the Cowboys released Darius Jackson, the league took notice. The Browns, of course, used their top waiver priority to snag the rookie running back, but they weren’t the only team to put a claim in on him. The Eagles, Giants, and 49ers all tried to snag Jackson off waivers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
The Giants have had issues in the backfield all season long and there’s a lot of uncertainty about the position headed into next season. Rashad Jennings was initially brought to New York with the idea that he would be the team’s workhorse in the backfield. Instead, he has struggled to stay on the field thanks to various injuries. There has been talk about Paul Perkins, but he hasn’t gotten a lot of opportunities this year and he hasn’t done much with the few chances given to him. Bobby Rainey has been used as an effective pass-catching weapon and blocker, but he doesn’t have the makings of a No. 1 RB. Shane Vereen recently returned to action, but his status is up in the air after suffering a concussion. All in all, the Giants were curious to see what they could get out of Jackson and they were willing to either cut Rainey or carry five tailbacks to find out. Of course, given their record, the Giants faced long odds of landing Jackson.
While the 9-4 Giants are in line for a playoff spot, the 49ers and Eagles are pretty much playing with an eye on 2017. At 1-12, the Niners are No. 2 in waiver priority behind Cleveland. The Eagles, meanwhile, are no higher than seventh in the queue.
The Niners are currently carrying four running backs in Carlos Hyde, Shaun Draughn, DuJuan Harris, and Mike Davis. Davis, a 2015 fourth-round pick, may have been expendable given his lack of usage this season. In eight games this year, he has only 19 rushing attempts for 50 yards.
The Eagles are dealing with multiple injuries at running back. Recently, Wendell Smallwood was shut down for the year with a knee injury and Darren Sproles is in concussion protocol. If Sproles is unable to go against Baltimore this week, the team will start Ryan Mathews and use Kenjon Barner and the newly-promoted Byron Marshall in support. With a successful claim, Jackson could have slotted in as the team’s No. 4 RB with the Eagles attempting to sneak Marshall through waivers and back on to the practice squad.
Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch first reported that the Niners put in a waiver claim on Jackson.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/14/16
The latest practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: Marvin Hall Jr.
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Ryan White
- Cut: OL Kevin Graf
Buffalo Bills
- Signed OLB Greg Townsend Jr.
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Josh Shirley
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Zac Brooks
- Cut: RB Terrell Watson
Houston Texans
- Signed: T Laurence Gibson, WR Tevin Jones
New York Giants
- Signed: RB Russell Hansbrough
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: FB Austin Johnson
Browns Claim RB Darius Jackson
The Browns claimed promising rookie running back Darius Jackson off waivers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Cowboys dropped Jackson from the roster yesterday in order to make room for the return of Darren McFadden. 
Jackson, a sixth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan, did not see playing time this year as he was buried behind talented backs like Ezekiel Elliott and Alfred Morris. The Cowboys were likely hoping to sneak Jackson through waivers this week and sign him to the practice squad, but word has been out on Jackson for some time now. If Jackson has been as solid in practice as coaches have been saying, then the Cowboys could come to really regret losing him.
Jackson stayed all four years at Eastern Michigan and seized a starring role in his senior year. In 2015, the 6’0″, 221-pound tailback rushed for 1,088 yards off of 208 carries with 14 touchdowns. He also added 21 catches for 201 yards and two scores.
Jets High On UNC QB Mitch Trubisky
The Jets are giving Bryce Petty an opportunity to show what he can do to close out the season, but no matter how well he does in this short audition, it’s likely that they will add a quarterback this spring. Looking ahead to the draft, the Jets have their eye on UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky, Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears. 
“They got their eyes set on the North Carolina quarterback,” one rival scout said. “The Jets are all over this kid. All over him. They’ll probably deny it if you ask, but they love that kid. That’s their guy. They’re not going to get him though, because I think that kid is going to get over-drafted.”
Of course, the Jets aren’t the only team with a fondness for Trubisky. Last month, we learned that the Browns are eyeing the Tar Heel QB and they are on course to pick No. 1 overall. The 49ers and Bears also hold picks in the top five and could target a quarterback. In a weak year for QBs, all signs point to Trubisky being the highest-ranked of the bunch.
Cardinals Release WR Michael Floyd
Early Monday morning, Michael Floyd was arrested on DUI charges. Less than 72 hours later, he’s out of work. The Cardinals announced that they have released the wide receiver. 
At this stage of the offseason, all released players are subject to waivers. Floyd was considered a promising talent in the not-too-distant past and it stands to reason that he could be claimed. He is slated to hit the open market after the season, so there could be several teams interested in bringing him in for a low-risk three-game audition.
The Cardinals are on the hook for Floyd’s Week 15 salary, so any team claiming him will be responsible for just two weeks of his pay. Floyd gets $430/K per week on his $7.32MM salary, so claiming him would cost $861K.
So far this year, Floyd has 33 catches for 446 yards and four touchdowns. Once regarded as the heir apparent to Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona, Floyd has slipped down the depth chart in the last couple of years.
In an interview yesterday, coach Bruce Arians indicated that he wanted to sternly punish Floyd but he could not go as far as he wanted to because of restrictions in the collective bargaining agreement. It now seems like the Cardinals have figured out their workaround.
In related moves, the Cards have signed wide receiver Jeremy Ross, and elevated offensive lineman Givens Price from the practice squad.
49ers’ Trent Baalke Could Land With Broncos
According to several reports out of San Francisco, 49ers GM Trent Baalke will likely be pushed out this offseason. If that’s the case, then he may not be out of work for long. Baalke, who has a good relationship with John Elway, could wind up with the Broncos, sources tell Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. 
[RELATED: 49ers Place Center Daniel Kilgore On IR]
Baalke and Elway have spent time considerable together while the two teams held joint practices each of the past two summers. Elway figures to continue as the Broncos’ lead decision-maker, but Baalke could be brought in with some type of consultant title.
Although the 49ers are struggling with just one win so far this year, the team isn’t too far removed from success. In Baalke’s first three seasons at the helm, the 49ers made deep playoff runs. The Niners made it to the conference championship round in the 2011 and 2013 seasons and reached the Super Bowl following the 2012 season.
Baalke may not get to run another team right away, but he is highly respected as a college talent evaluator and could bring that expertise to Denver next year.