AFC East Notes: Patriots, Garoppolo, Jets
A look at the AFC East:
- Patriots owner Bob Kraft did not force Bill Belichick‘s hand in trading Jimmy Garoppolo to San Francisco, Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link) hears. However, Belichick “desperately wanted” to keep the young QB, which could be an indication that the team simply could not go far enough to sign him to an extension. Garoppolo looks like a star in the making with the Niners while the Pats came away with a 2018 second-round pick in the swap.
- Cornerback Morris Claiborne wants to return to Jets next season, as Calvin Watkins of Newsday writes. “I hope to be back here,” Claiborne said. “That’s my plan, that’s what I want to do. I like it here. I like the coaching staff, the trainers, I like everything about the Jets organization, since I’ve been here. It’s been nothing but love. I would rather go nowhere else, I would rather stay here.” Claiborne joined the Jets on a cheap a one-year deal in the offseason worth $2.5MM with a $500K roster bonus. So far, he has 37 tackles, seven pass breakups, and one interception to his credit. Claiborne also says that he wants to see Todd Bowles return as head coach.
- Could you imagine Eli Manning as the Jets‘ next quarterback? Bob Glauber of Newsday can. He hypothesizes that the Giants will take a QB at No. 2 overall in the draft, displacing Manning. The Jets, who are expected to look for a new signal caller this year, could have interest in Manning winds up on the open market. Meanwhile, Glauber expects Kirk Cousins to stay with the Redskins, meaning that he would not be an option for Gang Green.
Colts Place TE Brandon Williams On IR
The Colts have placed tight end Brandon Williams on injured reserve. To take his place, the team is elevating safety Ronald Martin to the active roster. 
Williams suffered a scary head injury against the Broncos in Week 15. He was taken off the field on a backboard, but fortunately was able to rejoin his teammates at the Colts’ practice facility days later. Hopefully, he’ll be ready for offseason activities in 2018.
Injury aside, this has been a strong year for Williams. As the Colts’ No. 2 TE, Williams hauled in 13 catches for 121 yards, topping his combined totals from the previous four seasons.
The 3-11 Colts round out the season against the Ravens and Texans.
Redskins Place Trent Williams On IR
The Redskins have formally placed tackle Trent Williams on injured reserve. Williams recently told reporters that he was due to undergo knee surgery, so he’ll now get a head start on the operation and recovery. 
Last year, Williams gutted it out to play ten games on his injured knee. Finally, the injury has caught up with him. The 6-8 Redskins aren’t playing for much in these final two games, so it didn’t make sense for them to put him out on the field.
The Redskins face the Broncos on Sunday before wrapping up their season against the Giants. Against Denver, the Redskins will be shorthanded as running back LeShun Daniels and linebackers Zach Brown and Ryan Anderson have also been ruled out. Meanwhile, the status of running back Samaje Perine is up in the air after he suffered a groin injury in practice this week.
Panthers Promote WR Mose Frazier
The Panthers are promoting wide receiver Mose Frazier from the practice squad to the active roster. Frazier will take the roster spot of Thomas Davis, who is serving a one-game suspension. 
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It’s possible that Frazier could not only dress, but he may also see some playing time. Fellow wide receiver Russell Shepard is listed as questionable with a shoulder injury, leaving a void near the top of the team’s WR group. If Shepard cannot go, Brenton Bersin, Kaelin Clay, and Damiere Byrd will all move up a spot to support Devin Funchess, leaving Frazier as the WR5.
Frazier, 24, first entered the league as a UDFA with the Broncos in 2016. Since then, he has bounced around a bit, but he has been exclusively with the Panthers since January.
For his collegiate career at Memphis, Frazier totaled 135 catches for 1,599 yards and eight touchdowns in 38 games.
Extra Points: Fisher, Sherman, Packers
Jeff Fisher may have his eye on the Browns, Colts, and Bears vacancies, but does any NFL team want him? Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders aloud if Fisher could be back as an NFL head coach. Fans have scoffed at the idea that Fisher – he of many 7-9 and 8-8 seasons – could get another chance, but Florio rightly notes that it only takes one owner to side with Fisher’s experience over the potential of a younger candidate. Conversely, Florio wonders if the fan backlash that prevented Greg Schiano from joining the University of Tennessee could scare an owner away from an unpopular choice like Fisher.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- The Raiders, Bengals, Buccaneers, Titans, and Bears are the teams that will have the most cap flexibility this offseason, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap writes. If the Raiders want to make a splash, they can create up to $91MM in cap room by slashing the roster while only taking on $12.6MM in dead money. The Packers missed the top five cut, but they’re roughly in the same category as the others – they can free up $73MM with $29MM in leftover obligations.
- CFL’s Montreal Alouettes announce the hiring of Mike Sherman as the team’s new head coach. Sherman coached the Packers from 2000 to 2005
- The Chiefs worked out punter Taylor Symmank on Friday, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
AFC East Notes: Jets, Wilkerson, Dolphins
Last offseason, the Dolphins signed safety T.J. McDonald, traded for defensive end William Hayes, signed linebacker Lawrence Timmons and extended/re-signed several key members of the defense. Unfortunately, their maneuverings have not paid off, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes.
The Dolphins also spent a great deal of money to keep key contributors in-house. Despite extensions for defensive end Cameron Wake, linebacker, Kiko Alonso, and safety Reshad Jones plus a new deal for defensive end Andre Branch, the D is simply not producing.
“I think in general, this will apply to Kiko but also to sum up some of the other guys from Sunday,” defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “Our good players can’t miss on plays. He missed a couple of tackles that he can’t miss. Period. If we want to be the defense that we want to be and we want to win games that we want to win, he can’t miss a couple of those plays. Reshad can’t miss a tackle. Cam can’t miss a sack. That’s just facts.”
This offseason, the 6-8 Dolphins will have to re-evaluate their roster, but they won’t have much flexibility thanks to the moves they made in 2017.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- It sounds like we shouldn’t bank on seeing Christian Hackenberg on the field before the season is through. The Jets quarterback split scout team work with practice squad QB Joel Stave this week while Bryce Petty got every first team rep, Connor Hughes of NJ.com hears. Hackenberg, a second-round pick in 2016, has yet to make his NFL debut. If the Jets do not kick the tires on him over the next two games, one has to wonder if he’ll get cut in the offseason.
- The Jets won’t say whether they’ll play Muhammad Wilkerson, but the only logical move is to leave him off the field, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com argues. If Wilkerson were to suffer a serious injury in the final two games of the season, the team would be on the hook for his $16.8MM salary next year. Alternatively, the Jets could send a powerful message by cutting Wilkerson right now, but they would still have to pay him for the final two contests of the season and they would lose the opportunity to use the June 1 designation on him. One far out scenario raised by Cimini would be for the Jets to suspend Wilkerson without pay for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
- Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia were among the head coaching candidates recommended by the NFL’s Career Development Advisory Panel.
- Bills safety Micah Hyde cashed in with his Pro Bowl selection.
Titans Place LeShaun Sims On IR
The Titans have placed cornerback LeShaun Sims on injured reserve, the team announced. To fill his spot on the roster, Tennessee signed fellow corner Demontre Hurst. 
Sims appeared in 13 games this season as the team’s No. 3 corner behind Logan Ryan and Adoree’ Jackson. It’s an unfortunate loss for the Titans as they fight for a playoff spot in the final two weeks of the season.
Sims’ season ends with 36 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble. He rates as Pro Football Focus’ No. 72 cornerback in the NFL, well behind Jackson (No. 37) and Ryan (No. 51), but well ahead of Brice McCain (102) who now advances to the No. 3 CB spot on the depth chart.
Hurst was with the Titans in camp but did not make their Week 1 cut. He could now have an opportunity to suit up for the playoffs and show that he is a fit for the team in 2018.
The Titans have a 66% chance of making the postseason, according to the New York Times‘ playoff odds calculator.
Jets, Kony Ealy Discussing Extension
The Jets and Kony Ealy‘s camp have discussed an extension, the defensive end tells Darryl Slater of NJ.com. Ealy says he’s not focused on a new deal, but he made it clear that he wants to stay with Gang Green.
“Definitely,” he said. “Just got to wait and see. You never know what happens. It’s a long way from that now. Just got to worry about finishing out the year.”
Ealy, 26, was a second-round pick of the Panthers in 2014. His rookie deal is set to expire after the season, meaning that he is scheduled for unrestricted free agency in the spring.
Ealy fell to the Jets at a time when his stock was extremely low. In March, the Panthers shipped him to the Patriots in order to move up from the No. 72 pick to the No. 64 selection. Much to the Patriots’ dismay, Ealy struggled in practice and he was waived at the end of August. The Jets took a low-risk flier on him and it paid off.
This season, Ealy has one sack, one interception, seven quarterback hits, and nine pass breakups. His traditional stat line isn’t overly impressive, but the Jets like the pressure that he provides. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus also show that he is playing quality football. Ealy has a career-best 75.6 overall score from PFF and ranks as their No. 50 edge defender in the NFL.
NFC East Notes: Giants, Manning, Eagles
Two years ago, Louis Riddick spoke to the New York Post about the Giants‘ coaching search that resulted in the promotion of Ben McAdoo. Riddick indicated that if he were in charge of the search, he would make a strong play for Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
“I tell you this, if I was a GM, I was a team president, I was an owner, I would definitely make the call,’’ Riddick said (via Paul Schwartz of the NY Post). “I would try. Because I’m not one of those people who believe he was a failure in the NFL. I would be making that call, and I would be saying what would it take to come get you to come talk to me and how much money will it take? “I would have my plane gassed up and down in Tuscaloosa going ‘Will you talk to me?’”
Saban is one of the most successful coaches in college football history, but his time in the NFL with the Dolphins did not go as planned. For what it’s worth, Riddick believes that he would do a lot better if he was given another chance. Now that Riddick is up for the Giants’ GM job, one can’t help but wonder if he could bring Saban to New York.
Riddick was also highly complementary of Patriots offensive Josh McDaniels in that conversation. Some anticipate that Riddick would bring McDaniels on board if hired by the G-Men.
“He’s a guy, based on my research and knowing him a little bit, I think he’s gonna be fantastic,’’ Riddick said. “I think he’s gonna blow it out of the water and be dynamite in his second shot.’’
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- With roughly eight head coaching positions expected to be available, the chances are high that one of the Eagles‘ assistants gets plucked, Tim McManus of ESPN.com writes. In particular, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz are expected to garner a lot of interest. Schwartz may have to shed the “retread” label, but DeFilippo has been largely responsible for the development of quarterback Carson Wentz and at the age of 39, he is viewed as a coach on the rise in the mold of Sean McVay. When all is said and done, the Eagles are likely to have to fill at least one vacancy on the staff.
- When speaking as a TV analyst recently, Riddick said that the Giants should consider taking a quarterback with their top pick, regardless of whether or not they keep Eli Manning. “Drafting a young player has to be on the ticket anyway, just by virtue of the fact that you know [Manning] is closer to the end than the beginning,” Riddick said (via Schwartz). “There’s a lot of different moving parts here. But I think everybody will win in the end. I think Eli will get what he wants, and I think the Giants will just move on into the future.”
- A new deal for Cowboys guard Zack Martin will not come cheap.
- Is Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther destined to join the Redskins?
NFC West Notes: Cardinals, Fitzgerald, Lacy
Larry Fitzgerald recently signed a one-year extension with the Cardinals to take him through next season. Still, the Cardinals star isn’t sure whether he wants to continue playing.
“I don’t know,” Fitzgerald said (via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). “I’m going to take some time, figure it out.”
So far, Fitzgerald has 92 catches for 982 yards and five touchdowns on the season. The receiver, who will celebrate his 35th birthday in August, has accomplished a great deal in the league and would leave the game with few regrets if he decides to call it a career. Still, his performance this year indicates that he still has plenty left in the tank.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Seahawks coach Pete Carroll admitted that things haven’t really worked out with offseason addition Eddie Lacy “for a number of reasons,” (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times). However, he says that Lacy and teammate Thomas Rawls are still “battling” to see if either can get time this week. Lacy, who is scheduled for free agency after the conclusion of his one-year deal, has a career-low 2.6 yards per carry average.
- Safety Cody Davis has been cleared to practice, meaning that he will be eligible to return off of injured reserve for the Rams in the final week of the regular season (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Alden Gonzalez). Davis is a key reserve for L.A. and his return could allow free safety Lamarcus Joyner to help out at cornerback now that Kayvon Webster has been lost for the season. The Rams round out the regular season with games against the Titans and 49ers. With a two-game lead over the Seahawks, they have virtually locked up the NFC West crown.
- The 49ers did not have Leonard Fournette ranked as a top-three prospect in this year’s draft, but coach Kyle Shanahan insists that he is not against taking running backs with a high pick. The 49ers are currently in position to have a top five pick, and Penn State standout Saquon Barkley could be there waiting for them.