Minor NFL Transactions: 9/11/15
Today’s minor moves:
- The Titans reached an injury settlement with linebacker Zaviar Gooden and subsequently placed him on waivers, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).
- The Bills reached an injury settlement with receiver Deonte Thompson, who was previously on IR, per ESPN’s Mike Rodak (Twitter link).
- The Texans reached injury settlements with linebackers Lynden Trail and Tony Washington, both of whom were on injured reserve (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- The Bengals waived linebacker Jayson DiManche and fullback Mark Weisman from injured reserve, according to ESPN’s Coley Harvey (via Twitter). DiManche got an injury settlement.
- The Jaguars signed third-year long snapper Carson Tinker to a contract extension that will keep him in Jacksonville for the next four seasons, reports Hays Carlyon of Jacksonville.com.
IK Enemkpali Suspended Four Games
FRIDAY, 5:44 pm: The league could have suspended Enemkpali for six games, but it was reduced to four and Enemkpali then opted against an appeal, Rapoport tweeted. Enemkpali’s reps issued a statement Friday (Twitter link comes courtesy of Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo):
“Upon learning of the NFL’s originally proposed suspension, we contacted them and requested a conference. As a result of the conference, the suspension was reduced to 4 games which will commence immediately. We have discussed all of IK’s options with him and he has decided not to appeal the 4 game suspension. IK wants to put this matter behind him as quickly as possible and focus on playing football. He is very appreciative of the confidence that the Bills and Coach Ryan have shown him and does not want this matter to be a further distraction for him or his teammates. He just signed to the Bills 53 man roster and can’t wait to become a productive member of the team.”
THURSDAY, 5:53pm: Enemkpali will be suspended for the first four games of the season, according to The Associated Press.
THURSDAY, 10:50am: The NFL is leaning toward suspending outside linebacker IK Enemkpali for at least four games, and up to six games, for breaking Geno Smith’s jaw in the locker room when he was with the Jets, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). According to Rapoport, Enemkpali is appealing the suspension, which will be for a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy.
After being cut by the Jets and claimed off waivers by the Bills, Enemkpali was cut by Buffalo during the team’s reduction to 53 players. However, he landed back on the Bills’ practice squad, and continues to practice with the team this week while his suspension is under appeal.
Enemkpali only saw the field sparingly in his rookie season, playing 40 defensive snaps and contributing a little on special teams as well. Rex Ryan, heading into his first season as the head coach in Buffalo, held the same position in New York a year ago when the Jets used a sixth-round pick to draft Enemkpali out of Louisiana Tech. Ryan cited Enemkapli’s character and took responsibility for the roster move when he and the Bills claimed the 24-year-old off waivers.
Bills Promote IK Enemkpali, Release Andre Fluellen
4:39pm: The Bills have officially added Enemkpali to their 53-man roster, tweets The Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci. To make room, they released defensive tackle Andre Fluellen.
3:30pm: The Bills will activate edge defender IK Enemkapli, placing him back on their 53-man roster, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Enemkpali was on Buffalo’s roster a week ago, was waived during the cutdown to 53 players, and then landed back on the team’s practice squad earlier in the week.
By promoting Enemkpali to their practice squad, the Bills will have the opportunity to move Enemkpali to the reserve/suspended list when his suspension is officially confirmed and announced by the NFL. That means he wouldn’t count toward the Bills’ 53 players, and rival teams wouldn’t be able to poach him from Buffalo’s practice squad. A report yesterday indicated that Enemkpali’s suspension will likely be for four games.
Enemkpali only saw the field sparingly in his rookie season, playing 40 defensive snaps and contributing a little on special teams as well. His roster spot in New York disappeared after the punched quarterback Geno Smith in the locker room, breaking his jaw. That incident, of course, is the one for which Enemkpali will serve his looming suspension.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/10/15
Here are Thursday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DE Anthony Steen (via Darren Urban on Twitter)
- Placed on PS-IR: T Rob Crisp
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: C Asa Jackson (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec)
- Cut: WR Daniel Brown
Buffalo Bills
- Cut: DE Cedric Reed (via Vic Carucci on Twitter)
New York Giants
- Cut: LB Cole Farrand (via Ralph Vacchiano on Twitter)
Bills Sign Marcell Dareus To Extension
5:00pm: Dareus’ deal calls for $42.9MM fully guaranteed at signing, Rand Getlin of NFL Network tweets. That puts him second only to Ndamukong Suh for defensive players and well north of the guarantees given to quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Cam Newton.
He’ll make a whopping $28MM in the first year of his deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
9:54am: As is often the case with new contracts, it appears the initial reports on Dareus’ extension overvalued the deal a little. Per Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (all Twitter links), the base value for Dareus’ six new years is around $95MM, though he could earn up to about $100.35MM via incentives. That sounds similar to Mario Williams‘ six-year deal with the Bills, which is worth $96MM, or up to $100MM in incentives.
Carucci adds, as expected, that the $60MM in guarantees aren’t all full guarantees.
9:30am: Ian Rapoport of NFL.com provides an important detail on Dareus’ deal, tweeting that the $108MM figure includes the 2015 season, so the six new years are worth about $100MM — right in line with Watt’s deal.
9:17am: With just three days to go until their regular season opener, the Bills have locked up star defensive lineman Marcell Dareus to a new contract, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. According to Schefter (via Twitter), the Bills and Dareus have agreed to a six-year extension worth $108MM.
The agreement is the result of negotiations that appeared to be ongoing for a good chunk of the offseason, with Bills GM Doug Whaley indicating after the draft that getting Dareus signed to a new contract was the team’s top priority this summer. Dareus had been set to play out the final year of his rookie contract, with a fifth-year option salary of $8.06MM.
A defensive tackle under old head coach Doug Marrone, Dareus appears likely to continue playing on the inside under Rex Ryan, occupying the nose tackle role in Dennis Thurmond’s 3-4 scheme. Interior defensive linemen typically don’t post huge sack numbers, but Dareus has done an impressive job getting after the quarterback in his first four seasons, recording 28.5 career sacks, including 10 in 2014, a total that matched teammate Jerry Hughes‘ output. That number may decline for the first time in 2015 as Dareus moves to nose tackle, but the Bills value his ability to stop the run at least as much as his ability to bring down the quarterback.
Without extensively studying Dareus’ game tape, his overall impact against opposing run games is hard to quantify, particularly since the Bills were outside of the top 10 run defenses in 2014, allowing 106.4 yards per game and 4.1 yards per carry. However, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Dareus first among the league’s defensive tackles as a run defender, giving him a +20.7 grade. By comparison, Ndamukong Suh was second, with a +17.6 mark.
Speaking of Suh, when Dareus addressed his contract situation last month, he cited the Dolphins’ defensive star when he expressed his frustration with his own negotiations. At that point, the Bills had reportedly offered Dareus an extension worth $90MM over six years, and when he was asked what sort of figures he was seeking, the Bills’ star replied, “I’ll just say, ‘Thank you, Suh.’”
His new extension doesn’t quite match Suh’s deal with Miami, but Dareus appears to have done very well, surpassing J.J. Watt‘s six-year, $100MM contract with the Texans. According to Schefter (via Twitter), Dareus’ contract features $60MM in guaranteed money, which would be the highest guarantee for a non-quarterback deal in NFL history. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets that the extension includes $65MM in injury guarantees, along with a $25MM signing bonus.
At this stage, many of those figures are coming from the player’s camp, so we’ll have to see how much of the contract is fully guaranteed. But it sounds like a massive deal for Dareus, and one that will keep him in Buffalo for the next several years. It could also pave the way for other defensive lineman extensions, with players like Muhammed Wilkerson of the Jets and Dontari Poe of the Chiefs among the extension candidates at the position.
Dareus will serve a one-game suspension to start the 2014 season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/9/15
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: G Ben Garland (press release)
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: TE Nick O’Leary (via Mike Rodak on Twitter)
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: C Shane McDermott (Twitter link via Joseph Person)
- Cut: CB Carrington Byndom (Twitter link via Person)
Chicago Bears
- Signed: RB Bronson Hill (Twitter link)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Kendrick Ings (Twitter link via Dave Birkett)
- Cut: WR Andrew Peacock (Twitter link via Birkett)
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Jonathan Dowling (Twitter link via Adam Caplan)
- Cut: QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson (Twitter link via Caplan); RB Rajion Neal (Twitter link via Adam Beasley)
New York Giants
- Signed: QB G.J. Kinne; LB Gerald Rivers (press release), WR Myles White (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: T Martin Wallace (press release)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Jason Ankrah; LB Justin Staples (Twitter link via Terry McCormick)
Contract Details: Cassel, F-Jax, J. Jones, Solder
With teams getting their rosters in order for Week 1, a handful of free agents have signed with new – or old – clubs, and players around the league are having their contracts extended. Here are the latest details on a few notable contracts that have been recently signed:
- Matt Cassel‘s base salary on his new deal with the Bills is down to $2MM from the $4.15MM he was set to earn on his previous pact, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. However, according to Yates, the veteran quarterback can earn up to $4.15MM via incentives on the new contract. Presumably, Cassel would have to reclaim the starting job to achieve any of those incentives.
- The Seahawks‘ deal with running back Fred Jackson is a one-year pact worth $900K, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). The minimum salary for a player with Jackson’s experience is $870K, so unless Pelissero is simply rounding up, it looks like there’s a small bonus included.
- There’s no signing bonus on James Jones‘ new contract, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Demovsky says Jones’ deal with the Packers is worth the veteran’s minimum of $870K, so the veteran wideout will count for just $585K against the cap.
- Offensive tackle Nate Solder got a $12.5MM signing bonus as part of his two-year extension with the Patriots, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (all Twitter links). As part of the agreement, Solder had his 2015 base salary reduced by $6MM to $1.438MM, and had his 2016 salary ($6MM) fully guaranteed.
Extension Rumors: Bradford, Eli, Dareus
The Patriots locked up left tackle Nate Solder to an extension earlier today, but Solder is unlikely to be the last notable player to sign a new contract this week. With regular season openers right around the corner, teams will be looking to wrap up negotiations with key extension candidates, getting something done with them before the real games begin, since many of those players won’t want to continue talks during the season.
Here’s the latest on a few noteworthy extension candidates:
- The Eagles are no longer engaged in discussions regarding a short-term extension for Sam Bradford, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The two sides were exploring a bridge deal that would give the former first overall pick some security while still allowing him to hit free agency in a couple years. However, it appears Bradford’s preseason success has made him less enthused about signing a below-market deal at this point.
- Jordan Raanan of NJ.com reported earlier this week that the Giants and Eli Manning were making progress on an extension, and Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News hears the same thing, writing that there’s optimism a deal can be reached “relatively quickly,” though there’s still some work to be done.
- Contract talks between the Bills and defensive lineman Marcell Dareus have continued, a league source tells Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (Twitter link). There were indications in August that Dareus and the Bills were far apart in negotiations, but the team still hopes to get something done by Sunday.
- The Jets would like to get their own standout defensive lineman, Muhammad Wilkerson, locked up to an extension, but it’s unclear whether something will happen this week, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. A July report indicated that Wilkerson would play out the final year of his current contract if he and the Jets can’t finalize an agreement by the start of the regular season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/8/15
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed:
- RB Jahwan Edwards (press release)
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed:
- CB Charles James (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec)
- Cut:
- TE Konrad Reuland (Twitter link via Zrebiec)
Buffalo Bills
- Signed:
- CB Merrill Noel (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
- Cut:
- QB Alex Tanney (Twitter link via Vic Carucci)
Chicago Bears
- Cut:
- RB Paul Lasike (Twitter link via Brad Biggs)
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed (press release):
- RB Gus Johnson (previously reported)
- WR Vince Mayle (previously reported)
- QB Kellen Moore (previously reported)
- WR Rodney Smith
- LB Joe Thomas
Detroit Lions
- Signed:
- WR Saalim Hakim (Twitter link via Tim Twentyman)
- QB Ricky Stanzi (Twitter link via Twentyman)
Green Bay Packers
- Signed:
- WR Ed Williams (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed:
- LB Amarlo Herrera (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
- Released:
- G David Arkin
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed:
- WR Rashad Lawrence (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran)
New Orleans Saints
- Signed:
- DT Ashaad Mabry (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery)
New York Jets
- Signed:
- DE Mike Catapano (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed:
- TE Andrew Gleichert (press release)
- Initially announced, but not signed:
- TE Chris Pantale (press release)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed (press release):
- TE Cameron Brate
- T Reid Fragel
- WR Rannell Hall
- Cut (press release):
- T Edawn Coughman
- T Terren Jones
Tennessee Titans
- Signed (via Ian Rapoport on Twitter):
- CB B.W. Webb
Washington
- To be signed:
- CB Deshazor Everett (Twitter link via Jenna Laine)
Extra Points: JPP, Chancellor, Colts, Saints
In the wake of Judge Richard Berman’s Deflategate ruling, Steelers linebacker James Harrison suggested he might try to recoup the salary he lost in fines over the years, and his agent, William Parise, tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com that his client wasn’t joking.
“Certainly there’s an open door because of the courts overturning the commissioner’s ability to hear his own appeals,” Parise said, adding that he has discussed the issue with Harrison and with the NFLPA.
Of course, it’s not likely that Harrison gets that fine money back, but as Fowler notes, the fact that anyone’s even talking about such a possibility is a signal of what a big impact Judge Berman’s decision could have on the league going forward.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL:
- While Jason Pierre-Paul‘s camp has been optimistic about the Giants defensive end getting back on the field soon, a league source tells Tom Rock and Bob Glauber of Newsday that it’s unlikely to happen right away. Pierre-Paul and the Giants still need to work out a contract agreement before JPP can play in a game for the team.
- Seahawks players are planning for Week 1 as if safety Kam Chancellor will continue his holdout and won’t play in the game, with one telling Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link), “I don’t think we’re going to have him at all this season.”
- In the wake of recent reports about tension between the Colts‘ head coach and GM, Chuck Pagano and Ryan Grigson predictably dismissed the idea of a rift, suggesting that they’ll work together and always do what’s best for the team. However, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star hears that Grigson has a tendency to make decisions that run counter to Pagano’s wishes, including lineup decisions. While Holder stops short of calling it a “rift” between the two decision-makers, he acknowledges that there are issues.
- In addition to working out Nick Novak today, the Saints are also bringing in Caleb Sturgis for a look, says Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. However, Triplett and Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link) both agree that Zach Hocker‘s job is probably safe for now, with New Orleans simply building a list of potential options.
- Despite being demoted to third on the Bills‘ quarterback depth chart, E.J. Manuel isn’t seeking a release or trade, sources close to the QB tell Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (Twitter link).