Bills, Reggie Bush Nearing Deal?
5:32pm: No deal is imminent between Bush and the Bills, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), who adds that the two sides still have several “obstacles” blocking an agreement.
1:41pm: The Bills and Reggie Bush are “working out the deal points” of a contract, according to an NFL source who spoke with Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Bills’ Stephon Gilmore To Report To Training Camp]
As it stands, the Bills still have starter LeSean McCoy, 2015 breakout Mike Gillislee, and Dan Herron in the fold for the first month of the season. They may be without the services of rookie running back Jonathan Williams, however, after he was arrested for DUI earlier this month. McCoy appeared to be facing a suspension of his own, but last week the NFL decided against punishing Shady for his role in a February nightclub brawl.
Bush announced in February that he was intent on playing in 2016, though it was unclear at the time whether that feeling was being reciprocated back from any of the league’s 32 teams. Recently, the veteran indicated that there was at least a pair of clubs that would be interested in having him aboard. Thanks to the Bills’ unfortunate series of events in recent weeks, it seems that Buffalo is his most fervent suitor.
The Lions cut Bush prior to the 2015 season to save money after he missed much of the previous campaign with ankle injuries. Bush went on to sign with the 49ers, but he played just five games before tearing his left ACL on the concrete at the Edwards Jones Dome in St. Louis. Bush later sued the St. Louis Regional Convention and Stadium Authority over his injury, which capped his season’s statline at a grand total of 28 yards. Now, Bush says he has recovered from his ACL tear and is ready for action.
Earlier today, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) reported that Bush was still actively engaged in talks with Buffalo, though one other team was also said to be interested in him.
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AFC East Notes: Jets, Fitz, Jordan, Cromartie
It sounds like we shouldn’t expect much to change between the Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick this week. As training camp approaches, it doesn’t appear that the two sides are any closer to a deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Fitzpatrick has touched base with teammate Brandon Marshall after multiple weeks without contact, but it’s not clear when or if the two will be reunited on the field.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- If the NFL doesn’t reinstate Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan before his roster bonus due on the fifth day of camp, his representatives will file a grievance, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. Jordan’s camp will also push back if the Dolphins move to wipe out the $1.69MM payout (Twitter link). Jordan applied for reinstatement almost two months ago, but has yet to hear back from the NFL. Some execs in Miami’s front office do not want to give Jordan that kind of money following his third drug suspension.
- Although Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears that Antonio Cromartie‘s hip issues could end his career, the former Jets cornerback denies that he’s ready to hang up his cleats. “Hell, no. I’m not done,” Cromartie told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). “My hip wasn’t the problem last year.” Cromartie was highly ineffective in 15 starts for Gang Green last season, but he did earn an honorable mention on PFR’s list of the best available defensive free agents.
- Running backs LeGarrette Blount and James White could be on the roster bubble when the Patriots break camp in a few weeks, writes Doug Kyed of NESN.com. Blount has acted as New England’s power back for the past several years, and scored six touchdowns in that role last season, while White has been a valuable asset as a pass-catcher. But as Roster Resource shows, the Pats are well-stocked in their backfield, with Dion Lewis, Donald Brown, Brandon Bolden, and Tyler Gaffney among the club’s other options. Lewis, recovering from a torn ACL, could begin the year on the PUP list, which could open up a spot for another runner.
Titans Host Andre Johnson On Visit
The Titans are hosting Andre Johnson on a visit today, according to John McClain of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Johnson, of course, was released by the rival Colts early on in the offseason. 
After spending 12 seasons in Houston, Johnson signed a three-year, $21MM contract with the Colts a year ago, and looked poised to enjoy the benefits of catching balls from Andrew Luck after playing with a cavalcade of mediocre quarterbacks over the years with the Texans. However, Luck missed more than half the season, and Johnson struggled, averaging a career-low 31.4 receiving yards per game. For the season, he had 41 catches for 503 yards and four touchdowns, easily the worst full-season marks of his career. For a player who averaged more than 1,100 receiving yards per season during the first 12 years of his career, earning seven Pro Bowl nods during that time, last year’s drop-off was precipitous.
As shown on Roster Resource, the Titans currently have wide receivers Rishard Matthews, Tajae Sharpe, Kendall Wright, Dorial Green-Beckham, Harry Douglas, Justin Hunter, Tre McBride, and Andrew Turzilli (suspended for the first four games of the season) on the 90-man roster.
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Taylor Mays Handed Second Suspension
TUESDAY, 4:37pm: Mays will be suspended for an additional four games, giving him an eight-game ban in total, Howard Balzer of USA Today tweets.
MONDAY, 3:42pm: The Bengals signed safety Taylor Mays this spring knowing that he would be suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season due to a substance-abuse policy violation. Over the weekend, Cincinnati cut Mays before he could even suit up for training camp. The move was a head-scratcher for some, but it makes a lot more sense now. The Bengals dropped Mays because he is facing another drug suspension on top of his original four-game ban, according to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
The Bengals were counting on Mays to help support starters George Iloka and Shawn Williams at safety. Now that he’s out of the picture, the Bengals currently have a seventh-round rookie, a sixth-round 2015 pick, and a ’15 UDFA in reserve at the position, as Roster Resource details.
Despite the headaches Mays has caused, the Bengals have not ruled out giving hm another shot if he is ready to play football after his suspensions are served, Rapoport hears (Twitter link).
Mays bounced all around the NFL last year and was yo-yo’ed on and off of the Raiders’ roster multiple times. The 28-year-old recorded 23 tackles and 5 passes defensed in his 14 Raiders games. Mays, entering his seventh-year in the NFL, was selected in the second round of the 2010 draft by the 49ers. Needless to say, the USC product has not exactly fulfilled his expectations.
For his career, Mays has appeared in 80 games and made 15 starts. In total, he has 107 tackles, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries, and 11 passes defended to his credit.
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Justin Houston May Miss Games With Injury
As he recovers from ACL surgery, Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston may not be ready to take part in training camp. Because he is still working his way back, the expectation is that he will have to miss time at the start of the season, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Eric Berry Will Not Report To Chiefs Camp]
Houston underwent postseason arthroscopic surgery on his knee, at which point his ACL was found to be “intact but not functioning.” Earlier this offseason, when asked exactly when the 27-year-old would be back, GM John Dorsey was noncommittal:
“When is a good [question]. Not being a medical expert, I really can’t definitively tell you that answer,” Dorsey said.
One of the league’s top outside linebackers, Houston inked a six-year, $101MM extension with the Chiefs roughly one year ago, but was hampered by injuries in the first season of his new deal. Houston still played very well in 2015, but totaled just 7.5 sacks in 11 games, a fraction of what he turned out in the year prior. The outside linebacker also showed some versatility by grabbing a pair of interceptions, including one for a touchdown.
In 2014, Houston led the league in sacks, racking up 22 en route to his first All-Pro nod. From 2012 through 2014, the 27-year-old terrorized opposing quarterbacks, accumulating 43 sacks in 43 games — he also forced four fumbles in 2014, totaling 68 tackles. The advanced numbers back up Houston’s dominance as well, as he has ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 outside linebacker in ’13 and ’14. In 2014, his +51.1 grade nearly doubled the +26.0 mark posted by PFF’s second-best 3-4 OLB, Pernell McPhee.
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Cowboys’ Gregory Enters Treatment Facility
2:45pm: Gregory’s reps are still working on an appeal of Gregory’s potential 10-game suspension, Werder tweets.
1:30pm: Gregory’s coming suspension will be for at least ten games, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. There is concern on the Cowboys’ part that he may not play again.
12:57pm: Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory has entered a treatment facility and is not expected to report to training camp this week, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Gregory had another violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy and is now facing a longer suspension than he was originally slated for, sources tell ESPN.com’s Todd Archer and Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 
Gregory, 24 in November, didn’t see a ton of action during his first NFL season — he was slowed by an early-season ankle sprain and ended up recording 11 tackles over the course of 250 defensive snaps. Viewed as a surefire first-round pick – and a potential top-10 selection – based on talent, Gregory slipped in last year’s draft to 60th overall, where he was snatched up by the Cowboys. Off-field concerns, including a failed drug test at the combine, contributed to his slide. While Gregory didn’t make any off-field headlines during his first year in Dallas, he apparently failed several drug tests, leading to his initial suspension.
Recently, Cowboys COO spoke about Gregory’s four-game suspension and expressed disappointment. Now, Gregory will be out for even longer:
“It’s disappointing, but at the same time, sometimes these things don’t get fixed overnight. Anybody who has ever been involved in this type of situation knows that sometimes it takes time. We’re there, but he’s going to have to buckle down, which he is. He’s working hard at it, but he’s got to get over the hump here. You have to be concerned. That’s the risk you get when you go there. It’s all about that risk-reward deal, but at the end of the day, we got the infrastructure in place to continue to help him. We think he’s utilizing it, but at the same time, it’s disappointing that we had this go far enough that it resulted in a suspension.”
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Eric Berry Will Not Report To Chiefs Camp
Because he has yet to sign his franchise tender, Eric Berry is not obligated to attend the Chiefs’ training camp. Apparently, the standout safety will exercise that right and stay home when training camp convenes later this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
[RELATED – Impact Rookies: Kansas City Chiefs]
Now that the July 15th deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign extensions has come and gone, Berry and the Chiefs are not allowed to sign a new deal until next offseason. Ultimately, the only way that Berry can play in 2016 is if he signs his one-year, $10.8MM offer sheet. However, Berry could be pushing KC to make other concessions, like an agreement that the Chiefs will not hit him with the franchise tag again for the 2017 season, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) speculates.
Berry, who earned Pro Bowl nods in three of his first four NFL seasons, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014, raising some doubts about his future in the league. However, the veteran safety was declared cancer-free in 2015 and enjoyed one of his best seasons this past year for the Chiefs. Appearing in all 16 games for Kansas City in 2015, Berry logged 61 tackles to go along with a pair of interceptions and 10 passes defended. Pro Football Focus ranked the Tennessee product sixth among 88 qualified safeties, and the standout season earned Berry his fourth Pro Bowl berth, along with a spot on the NFL’s All-Pro first team.
During talks with Berry, the Chiefs reportedly proposed that he pay for a disability policy that named the club as the beneficiary. One has to imagine that the request did not sit well with the 27-year-old.
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Falcons’ Trufant Pushing For Extension
Cornerback Desmond Trufant wants to hammer out an extension with the Falcons, sources close to the situation tell Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). However, the Falcons are not in any rush to extend the 2013 first-round pick. 
[RELATED: Roddy White, Devin Hester Plan To Play In 2016]
The Falcons surely want to keep Trufant for the long haul, but they also want to maintain consistency with regards to how they deal with their high-level players. When Julio Jones and Matt Ryan were coming to the end of their respective contracts, the team waited until they were one year out with both players to get down to brass tacks. With Trufant, there is some talk between the two sides about what a new deal might look like, but Atlanta has no plans of extending Trufant right now. Next offseason, however, we can expect to see more momentum. Trufant, predictably, is looking to become one of the highest-paid players on the Falcons and in the NFL overall.
The 25-year-old cornerback (26 in September), who hasn’t missed a game (or a start) in his three seasons in Atlanta, earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2015. Trufant recorded 42 tackles, an interception, a sack, and a pair of fumble recoveries last season, and placed 13th out of 111 qualified cornerbacks according to Pro Football Focus’ grades. PFF also ranked Trufant as a top-five defender against the run, among corners.
Trufant’s 2017 option salary will be worth $8.026MM, though he and the Falcons could reach a long-term agreement at any time before or during the ’17 season.
So far today, we have had an influx of Falcons news. Atlanta released veteran return man Devin Hester and the team is reportedly considering veterans Dwight Freeney and O’Brien Schofield. Hester and former Falcons star Roddy White both plan continuing their playing careers.
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Redskins Considering Greg Hardy?
1:18pm: One source says that the Redskins will not be signing Hardy, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets.
12:18pm: The Redskins won’t be signing Dwight Freeney to replace the injured Junior Galette, but they could be interested in another notable defensive end. The team has had internal discussions about adding embattled free agent Greg Hardy, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Cornerback Josh Norman – a former teammate- would vouch for the controversial defensive end, Werder adds. 
[RELATED: Junior Galette Suffers Torn Achilles]
Following a well-publicized domestic violence incident (and a subsequent suspension) back in 2014, Hardy played 12 games for the Cowboys last season. The lineman compiled 35 tackles, six sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble in 2015. In terms of traditional numbers, that was a far cry from Hardy’s production with the Panthers. Between 2011 and 2013, the former sixth-round pick averaged 56 tackles and 10 sacks a season. Still, Hardy ranked as the league’s 28th-best edge defender out of 110 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Heading into the offseason, we here at PFR ranked Hardy No. 21 on our list of top 50 free agents.
Whether it was due to his off-field issues or his drop in production, Hardy hasn’t generated much interest this offseason. Jerry Jones made it clear that Hardy wouldn’t be back with the Cowboys, and there was a “prevailing opinion” around the league that no organization wanted the defensive end. Recently, the Jaguars auditioned Hardy, but they’ve decided to pass on signing him – for now.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jets Notes: Fitzpatrick, Bowles, Hester
In his first season as the Jets’ head coach, Todd Bowles didn’t attend offensive meetings and didn’t have sit-downs with Ryan Fitzpatrick until later in the season. Even though the Jets’ quarterback situation is up in the air for 2016, the defensive-minded coach tells ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini that he doesn’t plan on changing his approach with signal callers.
“I know what’s going on and I trust [offensive coordinator Chan Gailey] completely. I know the plays we run and I know what everybody is supposed to do, right or wrong. I understand busted assignments and things like that,” Bowles explained. “I’m up to speed because I’ve been in the offense a year as well. I’m still a defensive guy, but I have an overall game mentality. When you get experience like I did the first year, you get a better feel for situations before they come up.”
Here’s today’s look at Gang Green, including more on the team’s quarterback situation:
- Recently, Jets receiver Brandon Marshall said that he had not heard from Fitzpatrick in weeks. Last night, however, Marshall posed for a picture with Fitzpatrick and his sons and posted it on Instagram. This doesn’t tell us much about the state of talks between Fitzpatrick and the Jets, but it does mean that the QB is back in contact with one of his best friends on the team.
- Should the Jets sign return man Devin Hester? Hester, who was released by Atlanta on Tuesday morning, could be a fit since the Jets are in the market for someone to return both kickoffs and punts, NJ.com’s Darryl Slater opines. Right now, the Jets are looking at wide receivers Jeremy Ross and Jalin Marshall (an undrafted rookie) as potential options.
- The Jets need to sign Fitzpatrick, but their offer sheet must come with an expiration date, Cimini writes.
- Dexter McDougle, a 2014 third-round pick of the Jets, is on the roster bubble, Cimini writes. For a complete look at the players competing for work in the Jets’ secondary, check out their depth chart on Roster Resource.
- The Jets have yet to sign first-round pick Darron Lee and the two sides are reportedly butting heads over the linebacker’s fourth-year guarantee.