LeSean McCoy Accused Of Assaulting Police Officers
TUESDAY, 8:45am: ESPN’s Mike Rodak and Mark Schwarz have a few more details on the incident, reporting that arrest warrants are expected to be issued in the coming days. Rodak clarifies (via Twitter) that those warrants aren’t expected today, but could be issued later in the week.
MONDAY, 10:35am: The brawl didn’t involve any current members of the Eagles, sources tell Les Bowen of the Daily News (on Twitter).
10:17am: The police report indicates that former NFL running back Curtis Brinkley was also involved, per John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com.
10:05am: Apparently, the investigation goes beyond McCoy. Detectives are investigating four NFL players for their alleged involvement in the brawl, per Dave Schratwieser of FOX29 (on Twitter). Sources tell Schratwieser (via Twitter) that the list of injuries includes a fractured skull, broken ribs, and a broken nose. It’s not immediately clear whether both officers have suffered those same injuries or if that injury list is a mash-up of what happened to the two men.
The argument apparently started when bottles of champagne were delivered to police officers before the players (link).
9:53am: Bills running back LeSean McCoy is under investigation for allegedly assaulting two off-duty Philadelphia police officers, sources tell ABC6. The incident is said to have occured around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday in Philly. McCoy has not been arrested, however, and neither has his friend who was also said to be involved in the altercation. 
McCoy played for the Eagles from 2009-14 before a blockbuster trade brought him to the Bills last year. McCoy, 28 in July, was held back by injuries in his first season with the Bills. The tailback ran for 895 yards off of 203 carries, good for 4.4 yards per contest. He also had three rushing touchdowns and two receiving scores. However, he missed one-quarter of the regular season, breaking his two season streak of playing in all 16 regular season games.
Although McCoy was not the electrifying playmaker in 2014 that he was in 2013, he still had a very productive season in terms of traditional stats for the Eagles, with 1,319 rushing yards and a 4.2 YPC average. The advanced metrics, meanwhile, showed a much sharper contrast between the two campaigns. That, in part, led to former coach Chip Kelly shipping him to Western New York for linebacker Kiko Alonso.
In 2013, McCoy was rated as the very best tailback in football according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), racking up a 27.3 overall rating which was more than 8 points higher than the runner-up, Jamaal Charles. In 2014, however, McCoy was near the bottom of all qualified tailbacks with a fairly terrible -9.3 grade thanks in large part to his poor showing in the passing game.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rex Ryan On Draft, QBs, Defense, Rob Ryan
Fresh off an 8-8 season, his first with the Bills, head coach Rex Ryan spoke Friday with The Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci about the team’s plans going forward. Here are some of the highlights…
On possibly drafting a quarterback this year:
“Like anybody, we’re trying to add to our football team. If somebody can help us make us better, you don’t shut yourself off to any position. That’s something that you’ve got to be open for. It is a quarterback-driven league.”
On whether selecting an early round QB would set starter Tyrod Taylor back: 
“No, no way, that’s not going to distract him. He’s worried about, he’s focused on winning and improving every day. And I think that’s who Tyrod is.”
On maligned backup QB EJ Manuel:
“I’m not done with EJ Manuel, either (as a backup to Tyrod Taylor). I think EJ’s got the talent, the size and all that stuff. Sometimes, guys just take a little bit longer to develop, so we’ll see how that goes.”
On Buffalo’s defense, which fell from fourth in the NFL under Jim Schwartz in 2014 to 19th with Ryan and Dennis Thurman at the helm in 2015:
“I’m excited to get this group together. I think you’re going to (have) the natural maturation going into your second year in a system. I think it’s going to help us. I just think guys are ready to get back and ready to say, ‘You know what? We’re going to find a way to get it done, regardless.’ How that’s going to look, we’ll see. But I’m definitely more confident. I know I feel better about the guys, how people adjust, flexibility of players, different things.”
On the hiring of his brother Rob Ryan as the assistant head coach/defense:
“My brother’s a great football coach. He’s inherited a ton of terrible defenses, some of the worst in the history of the game, and he’s flipped them. Was he handcuffed a certain time last year (as defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints)? You’re dang right he was. But you know what? I don’t think it got better when he left.”
“I think (Rob) helps us because this guys’s a great football coach. He’s been a coordinator for 12 years. He’s got two Super Bowl rings as an assistant coach, as a position coach. I think that’s only a plus and not a negative. And people who look at it as a negative have no idea what they’re talking about.”
Rex Ryan also added that the Bills could focus more on offense than defense in the draft, citing QB and wide receiver as potential need areas, according to Carucci. Taylor, 26, held his own this past season, his first as a starter, but the Bills don’t appear sold on him as a franchise-caliber signal caller. As for wideout, other than Sammy Watkins, they’re lacking game-breaking talent.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
East Notes: Murray, Morris, Bills, Dolphins
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com wrote earlier today that the Eagles and DeMarco Murray are headed toward a “stare-down” this offseason, but even though that may be the case, the running back likely isn’t going anywhere, says Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com. Rapoport’s report suggested that the Eagles hanging onto Murray is the most likely outcome, and Kempski goes into a little more detail explaining why that’s the case, despite the fact that it might not be the preferred outcome for both sides.
If Murray is released or traded at some point this year, it sounds like we can count Dez Bryant among those who would like to see the ex-Cowboy return to Dallas. “Come on home D.Moe,” Bryant wrote this afternoon in a tweet directed to Murray, Jason Witten, and Tony Romo.
- Washington general manager Bruce Allen appears prepared to let Alfred Morris depart as a free agent this winter, as Liz Clarke of the Washington Post writes. “Free agency is going to be a great test for him,” Allen said of Morris, during an appearance on ESPN 980. “If he gets a great contract, we’re going to applaud him. If not, we’ll see what happens with us.”
- The Bills don’t have a ton of cap flexibility this offseason, and are expected to simply focus on re-signing their own free agents rather than bringing in outside veterans. If the team needs to free up a little space though, it could potentially do so by extending the contract of cornerback Stephon Gilmore, lowering his $11.082MM cap number and ensuring that a talented player at a premium position remains in the fold. Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News explores the possibility – and the importance – of a Gilmore extension.
- Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman didn’t draw any head coaching interest this offseason, but veteran tight end Vernon Davis, who played under Roman in San Francisco, believes his former OC will make a “great head coach one day,” as Dunne writes in a separate Buffalo News piece.
- With 2015 first-rounder DeVante Parker waiting in the wings to take Rishard Matthews‘ spot in the Dolphins‘ lineup, James Walker of ESPN.com believes it’s unlikely that the free agent receiver will re-sign with Miami, putting the odds at just 20%.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/3/16
Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
- The Bengals have signed tight end John Peters to a reserve/futures deal, the team announced today (on Twitter). Peters spent time with Cincinnati last summer after being signed as an undrafted free agent, but was waived by the club before the regular season began.
Earlier updates:
- After striking gold a year ago with Delvin Breaux, who was New Orleans’ most reliable cornerback in his first season with the club, the Saints have signed another defender from the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Linebacker Erik Harris has inked a contract with the Saints, according to Drew Edwards and Justin Dunk of 3DownNation.com. Harris, who played with Breaux in 2014, recorded 43 tackles and a pair of interceptions this past season.
- The Bills have signed cornerback Javier Arenas to a reserve/futures contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). A former second-round pick, Arenas has logged a total of 69 career regular season games, including 12 starts, during stints with the Chiefs, Cardinals, and Falcons. However, he didn’t play for an NFL team in 2015 after being cut by the Jets last August.
AFC East Notes: Tannehill, Campbell, Whaley
With the Senior Bowl wrapped up and all four AFC East teams in offseason mode as Super Bowl 50 nears, let’s look at the latest news coming out of the division, starting with the Dolphins.
- Ryan Tannehill‘s inconsistency notwithstanding, Mike Tannenbaum‘s seen enough from the fifth-year quarterback to avoid spending a draft pick or signing a free agent for legitimate competition, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. This isn’t too surprising. Miami gave Tannehill $77MM in new money last May to be their franchise quarterback, and ending a year that began with playoff expectations at 6-10, the team has other pressing needs.
- The Dolphins have quite a few issues to sort out over the coming offseason, but chief among them will be overhauling their linebacking unit, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Kelvin Sheppard proved enough at middle linebacker, but per Salguero, the club is aware that it needs an upgrade at that spot. Further, Miami is likely to replace one of its two outside linebackers, with Koa Misi being the most obvious candidate to be cut given his 2016 cap charge of roughly $4.88MM (the Dolphins could save $4.3MM by making him a post-June 1 release). For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus graded Misi as the highest of Miami’s three ‘backers (No. 21), while Jelani Jenkins and Sheppard rated Nos. 38 and 84, respectively, among 97 qualifiers.
- Although interim coach Dan Campbell reportedly did not take losing out to Adam Gase with the Dolphins well, the team’s interim coach last season still could have joined Gase’s staff but instead chose to join the Saints’ staff as assistant head coach/tight ends coach, Jackson writes. The Dolphins, however, prevented multiple teams from hiring special teams coach Darren Rizzi.
- The Bears denied outside linebackers coach Clint Hurtt to speak with Gase about becoming the Dolphins’ defensive line coach, Jackson reports, but Hurtt coming to Miami once his contract expires after this season could still be on the table. A former Miami Hurricanes assistant, Hurtt would be an attractive option, per Jackson, if the Fins’ front falters under Terrell Williams, who got the job after Chicago chose to block Hurtt’s path.
- One GM told Lisa Wilson of the Buffalo News the Bills are trapped in “8-8 limbo” without certainty at quarterback and little money to spend this offseason. Another informed the reporter he applauded the team’s patience regarding Doug Whaley and resisting the urge to start over as many teams do in the Bills’ situation. Owners of the longest NFL playoff drought, the Bills are currently $3.4MM over the salary cap, per OverTheCap, but have strung together their most wins in a two-year span (17) since 1999-2000, the former season representing Buffalo’s last playoff advancement. Tyrod Taylor will also only count $3.13MM against the Bills’ cap next season.
- Whaley also justified bringing in embattled veteran DC Rob Ryan as an assistant to help enhance Rex Ryan‘s productivity while helping unite the brothers against their critics. “If you look at it, Rob and Rex, they’ve had some troubles,” Whaley told media, including Wilson. “Their name is kind of like, ‘Hey, they’re the Ryans, what happened to their defense?’ So why not bring in your brother and try to reclaim that name? That’s the way I look at it. And who’s going to have your back more than your brother? I think it’s a positive. I know it’s a positive. Everybody in the building feels it’s a positive. It’s a positive for Rex, too. It can help him expand his horizons as the head coach and get into some other things.”
Dallas Robinson contributed to this report
East Notes: L. Johnson, Patriots, Bills, Cowboys
Although perennial Pro Bowler Jason Peters currently mans left tackle in Philadelphia, the Eagles‘ extension of Lane Johnson indicates that the club clearly views him at its left tackle of the future. Johnson’s new deal, which locks him up through 2021, makes him the highest-paid right tackle in the league, and would put on him par with the most well-compensated left tackles, as well. For his part, Johnson agrees that his time on the blindside will come eventually.
“I think that’s what they drafted me for,” Johnson tells Zach Berman of Philly.com. “Obviously, Jason Peters is probably the best tackle of all time. One of them. Him and Walter Jones, in my opinion. Having him here, he’s taught me so much. I’m going to continue to [play right tackle] until that time comes.”
Here’s more from the NFL’s East divisions:
- The Patriots‘ offensive struggles were on full display during the AFC Championship Game, and the club will have some work to do to improve the unit in 2016. But one lineman who is unlikely to be retained is swing tackle Marcus Cannon, whom Matt Dolloff of CBS Boston believes will be a salary cap casualty. Releasing Cannon would save New England about $3.69MM (the Patriots currently project to have only ~$4MM in 2016 cap space).
- If the Patriots opt to make outside additions to its offensive line, someone like Browns right tackle Mitchell Schwartz will probably be outside of their comfort level financially. But Chiefs free agent Jeff Allen would be more affordable, and as Dolloff notes, Allen’s ability to play both guard and tackle could be intriguing to Bill Belichick.
- Free agent linebacker Nigel Bradham clearly won’t be a priority for the Bills as they seek to re-sign Cordy Glenn and Richie Incognito, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, who predicts that Bradham won’t return to Buffalo if he asks for $4-5MM annually. One potential replacement could be Jets linebacker Demario Davis, according to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com, who says Buffalo could circle back to Davis after the first wave of free agency.
- While reports have indicated that Johnny Manziel — who is in the news again for an off-field incident — would like to play for the Cowboys, Todd Archer of ESPN.com doesn’t think it would be a good move. Returning to the state where he is the biggest celebrity would not be a positive for the 23-year-old, opines Archer.
East Rumors: A. Williams, Eagles, Cox, Jordan
Bills safety Aaron Williams is coming off a neck injury that sidelined him for most of the 2015 season, and he won’t know for sure if he’ll be able to continue playing in the NFL going forward until he gets back on the field in training camp, as he explains to John Murphy at BuffaloBills.com.
“After that first hit, if you feel like you can sustain those hits week in and week out, then continue to keep playing,” Williams said, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “But if it’s one of those where I hit it and it’s just like, ‘Man, this doesn’t look good,’ then I’ll have to reconsider.”
Here’s more from around the NFL’s East divisions:
- Former Browns executive Morocco Brown, mentioned on Thursday as a candidate for the Eagles‘ top personnel job, has indeed interviewed with Philadelphia, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Brown was let by Cleveland along with Ray Farmer and Bill Kuharich at season’s end.
- It appears there’s mutual interest between Fletcher Cox and the Eagles in getting an extension done, with Cox telling Around the NFL on Thursday that he wants to be in Philadelphia “for the long haul,” adding that he believes “everyone wants me there from the owner all the way down” (link via Conor Orr of NFL.com). At the rate the Eagles are getting their players locked up, it would almost be a surprise if Cox doesn’t sign a new contract soon — Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, and Lane Johnson have all been extended by Philadelphia this week.
- The Dolphins aren’t counting on him to be a 2016 contributor, but the team is open to giving defensive end Dion Jordan another shot if and when he’s reinstated from his suspension, as long as “he’s clean and has a good attitude,” writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
- The Bills are focusing on Ralph Wilson Stadium for the time being, rather than working on a new stadium, team president Russ Brandon said on Thursday. Mike Rodak of ESPN.com has the details and the quotes.
East Rumors: Wentz, Eagles, Giants
The Bills were the team North Dakota State quarterbacks coach Randy Hedberg recalled being the most enamored with Carson Wentz, staging several visits to the Fargo, N.D.-based Division I-FCS school to gauge the first-round prospect, Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News reports.
Bills representatives attended several Bison practices and were a constant in North Dakota State’s football facility, Hedberg told Dunne, to look at the rare non-FBS first-round quarterback prospect. Dunne notes, however, that at this rate the fast-rising Wentz won’t be available when the Bills select at No. 19, as the 6’5″ signal-caller has impressed this week in Senior Bowl workouts.
Buffalo still has Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manuel under contract for 2016.
Here is the latest on the most unlikely top-tier quarterback prospect in a while and other news from around the Eastern divisions.
- Even though the Jets are set to negotiate an extension with Ryan Fitzpatrick, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News notes they are pondering first-round quarterbacks, with Wentz being the most intriguing. “Every NFL team probably goes into the draft — with maybe a few exceptions of people who have really well-established quarterbacks — looking at that position as a position of interest,” Jets GM Mike Maccagnan said. “We’ll be no different than them.” The Jets pick at No. 20.
- The Eagles will meet with Steelers executive Brandon Hunt for a second interview Friday for their director of player personnel position, Philly.com’s Jeff McLane tweets. Steelers owner Art Rooney II gave the 35-year-old Hunt permission to interview with the eastern-Pennsylvania franchise. He’s already met with Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman.
- Although Hunt is their only confirmed candidate, McLane reports former Browns VP of player personnel Morocco Brown is on the Eagles’ radar for this job. Eagles director of pro scouting Dwayne Joseph looms as an internal candidate, per McLane.
- The Giants are planning to add Patriots linebackers coach Patrick Graham as their defensive line coach, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The 37-year-old Graham’s been with the Patriots since 2009 and prior to taking over the Pats’ linebackers in 2014, he supervised their defensive linemen in 2012-13.
East Notes: Dolphins, Marino, Bills, Incognito
The Bills have indicated that they’ll prioritize re-signing Richie Incognito in the coming weeks, and that interest in a new deal is mutual, according to the veteran guard (link via Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com):
“My goal is to come back and play in Buffalo,” Incognito said during an appearance on The John Murphy Show. “I love it there. I love my teammates and I love playing for coach Rex and Greg Roman. I really think that my personality and my hard work approach and physical nature really resembles the spirit of Buffalo. A blue collar town and a bunch of hard working people up there, and they just want to win. That’s my number one goal is just to win and restore the glory of Buffalo.”
Here are a few more items from out of the NFL’s East divisions:
- Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino was a part of the Dolphins‘ contingent at the Senior Bowl and he’s becoming more and more involved in the team’s personnel decisions, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Originally, Marino was more involved in the PR side of things than the front office. Ultimately, he wants to work his way into more of an executive role and the current higher-ups say they’re delighted with him.
- At a press conference today, Steelers president and co-owner Art Rooney II revealed that the Eagles have received permission to interview Steelers executive Brandon Hunt for their director of player personnel job (Twitter link via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). According to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter links), Hunt has already met with Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie, and will meet with Tom Donahoe on Friday — Donahoe, a former Steelers GM, is having a major impact on Philadelphia’s search for a top personnel exec, tweets Mosher.
- Eagles left tackle Jason Peters turned 34 this month, and his cap hit will rise to nearly $10MM in 2016, but new head coach Doug Pederson doesn’t want Peters to go anywhere, as Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com writes. “I think J.P.’s got several good years left in him,” Pederson said. “I think that he does the right things in the offseason to get himself ready to go for another year.”
- Former Bengals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, now the defensive coordinator in Miami, admitted today that he felt responsible for Adam Jones‘ penalty against the Steelers in the Wild Card game, referring to Pacman as his “guy.” As Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter links) observes, Joseph’s new role means Jones might be on the Dolphins‘ radar in free agency this winter.
Bills Notes: QBs, Glenn, Incognito, Defense
Bills GM Doug Whaley says he would “absolutely” consider drafting a quarterback early on, as Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News writes. Tyrod Taylor exceeded all expectations in his first year as a starter, but the Bills won’t close the door in taking another promising signal caller, since there’s no guarantee Taylor will remain in Buffalo for years to come.
“We’ll do it because if you look at it, unfortunately we have two quarterbacks on the roster and both of them are entering the last year of their contract,” Whaley said, referring to Taylor and EJ Manuel. “If it presents itself, it makes sense and it’s a guy we like, and we believe in, absolutely.”
Taylor completed 63.7% of his passes last season for 3,035 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also set a new record for Bills quarterbacks with 568 rushing yards on the season. On the other hand, the former Raven had a hard time staying healthy, and detractors have noted his reluctance to throw over the middle of the field.
Here’s more out of Buffalo:
- While he may consider drafting a quarterback this spring, Whaley isn’t convinced anyone in this year’s group is ready to step in and contribute immediately: “I think it’s a deep crop and I think it’s a crop that’s going to need some time. Now, it depends on their situation, who takes them and what they do. But I would say it’s not as top-heavy as last year where those top two guys would still be the top two guys. How quickly these guys can matriculate into the league, I think it’s going to take a little bit of time. Maybe a year, maybe a half of a year.”
- Jim Overdorf, the Bills’ cap specialist, is expected to reach out to the agents for potential free agents Cordy Glenn and Richie Incognito soon, Dunne writes in a piece for The Buffalo News. One in-the-know source at the Senior Bowl tells Dunne that the floor for a new deal for Glenn could be about $10MM per year, so the franchise tag will be a viable option for the Bills’ left tackle.
- Despite receiving a contract extension earlier this month, Whaley knows that there’s some urgency in Buffalo to make the Bills a contender in the near future. Still, as Dunne details in another column, the GM is confident that the club is headed in the right direction.
- Despite the problems the Bills had in defense in 2015, the team doesn’t think it needs three or four new starters on that side of the ball, tweets Dunne. “I don’t think we need a major overhaul like we did last year with the offense,” Whaley said.