Extra Points: Osweiler, Seahawks, Bills
As Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) explains, the Broncos have a pair of questions to answer in regard to Brock Osweiler. The first is whether the quarterback is capable of replacing Peyton Manning when the future Hall-of-Famer retires, and the second is whether the club will be able to retain Osweiler beyond the 2015 season.
According to Cole, John Elway and the Broncos decide they want to keep the young signal-caller around, they may try to work out a deal that’s heavy on incentives, meaning Osweiler would earn those bonuses if he eventually lands the starting job. However, it’s not clear yet if Denver would try to get something done with Osweiler in the next few weeks, or if the club is more inclined to wait until after the season to make its decision.
Let’s check out a few more Monday odds and ends from around the NFL….
- With Tarvaris Jackson dealing with a sprained ankle, the Seahawks may add another quarterback to their roster, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Per Condotta, the club worked out a QB today, though that player has yet to be identified.
- Having seen multiple players in their front seven go down injuries over the last few days, the Bills are bringing in several free agent defenders for workouts, according to Mike Rodak and Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Per the ESPN report, defensive lineman Red Bryant and edge defenders Marcus Benard and Quentin Groves are auditioning for Buffalo.
- Free agent running back Joe McKnight, who is recovering from a torn Achilles, has been fully cleared for all activities by foot/ankle specialist Dr. Robert Anderson, tweets Caplan. McKnight worked out for the Texans recently, but didn’t sign with the team.
- Peter King of TheMMQB.com covers a number of topics in his latest piece, listing Ahmad Bradshaw atop his list of the best available free agent running backs, and suggesting that new Bills DE IK Enemkpali will likely face at least a two-game suspension.
- Colts head coach Chuck Pagano refuses to let his contract status be a distraction as he enters the final year of his deal, telling ESPN’s Mike Wells that he has “the best job in the entire world right now,” and his focus is on getting the most out of his team.
- There were rumblings that the Falcons might consider re-signing linebacker Prince Shembo after his legal case was resolved, but D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that the team decided to pass on bringing back the former fourth-round pick.
East Notes: Powell, Giants, Eli, Brady
Earlier today, the Bills added another one of Rex Ryan‘s ex-Jets, signing cornerback Ellis Lankster to their roster. That’s just one of today’s stories out of the East though, so let’s round up the latest from around the league’s two East divisions….
- Ty Powell, who was a reserve linebacker and a special teams contributor for the Bills last season, may have a torn ACL, Ryan said today (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW). If that diagnosis is confirmed, it would end Powell’s season.
- There’s still a chance that the Giants could pursue a free agent offensive lineman like Jake Long or Evan Mathis, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. However, as Graziano suggests, it’s not as simple as making a contract offer, since there are concerns about Long’s health and Mathis’ asking price.
- With Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers having signed new contracts this offseason, a pair of New York reporters believe the other notable quarterback from the 2004 draft class should get an extension of his own. Steve Serby of the New York Post and Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News both make cases for why Giants signal-caller Eli Manning should get a new deal before the season begins.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains why Patriots quarterback Tom Brady shouldn’t sue investigator Ted Wells for defamation, like former Dolphins offensive line coach Jim Turner is doing.
- Before the Cowboys break training camp, owner Jerry Jones has several objectives he’d like to see the team meet, including deciding how to proceed on defense without Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain early in the season. David Moore of the Dallas Morning News has the details.
Bills Sign Ellis Lankster
Another player who spent time with Rex Ryan‘s Jets has made the move to Buffalo to join Ryan’s Bills. The Bills announced today (via Twitter) that they have signed cornerback Ellis Lankster, waiving cornerback Lavelle Westbrooks to clear a spot on the roster.
Lankster, 28, spent parts of four seasons with the Jets after initially being drafted by the Bills in 2009. From 2011 to 2014, the veteran corner appeared in 39 games for New York, recording 51 tackles, grabbing a pair of interceptions, and forcing two fumbles.
Lankster’s stint last season with the Jets was brief — he was released once during preseason roster cutdowns, then again later in September after being re-signed a week into the season. I’d expect him to have an outside shot to earn a roster spot with the Bills this year, particularly if the team has injury problems in the secondary. But for now he just looks like preseason depth.
Westbrooks, a seventh-round pick by the Bengals in the 2014 draft, has yet to play in a regular season contest. He spent less than a week with the Bills, having been signed last Tuesday.
Bills’ Jarius Wynn Likely Done For 2015
After tearing his ACL in Friday’s preseason game against the Panthers, Bills defensive end Jarius Wynn is likely to miss the 2015 season, reports Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. While Buffalo hasn’t officially announced anything regarding Wynn’s status, such a severe knee injury likely ensures that Wynn won’t see the field this year.
“Obviously that’s a devastating loss to us and to him,” coach Rex Ryan told Rodak today.
The 28-year-old Wynn appeared in 11 games in 2014, his first season with the Bills. He played on more than 300 snaps, acting as a key backup to starting defensive ends Jerry Hughes and Mario Williams. Wynn, who’s also spent time with the Packers, Titans, Cowboys, and Chargers, re-signed with Buffalo this March, agreeing to a two-year, $2.2MM deal.
Per Rodak, Wynn’s absence could aid fellow defensive end IK Enemkpali — recently claimed off waivers from the Jets — in his effort to make the 53-man roster. Another offseason addition, Michael Buchanan, could see more time, as could veteran Alex Carrington, as he’s capable of playing all along the defensive line.
East Notes: Giants, Murray, Petty
One New York-area scribe opined last night that the Giants may be forced to scour the free agent market in an attempt to bolster their injury-ravaged secondary. Today, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com examined New York’s options in that regard, which are less than inspiring. Cornerbacks Chris Cook and Alfonso Dennard are available, but both come with their fair share of question marks, and the veteran safety options like Thomas DeCoud and Quintin Demps are not much better. Raanan expects the Giants to bring in younger, less familiar players with some upside to fill out their depth chart.
Now let’s have a look at a few more notes from the league’s east divisions:
- Rainer Sabin of The Dallas Morning News says the biggest reason the Cowboys were willing to let DeMarco Murray leave in free agency is the talent of its offensive line, which the team believes can pave the way for its current, less expensive crop of running backs. Thus far, the line has picked up right where it left off in 2014.
- Washington GM Scot McCloughan has made it clear that Chris Cooley is not an option as the team seeks to add depth to its decimated TE corps (Twitter link to Zac Boyer of The Washington Times).
- Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News believes rookie QB Bryce Petty could be the Jets‘ long-term answer under center, but he will need to be brought along slowly for that to happen.
- Dolphins left tackle Branden Albert is steadily increasing his workload in training camp, according to Omar Kelly and Chris Perkins of The Sun-Sentinel. Albert is getting closer to his goal of starting Miami’s regular season opener, and may even see some preseason game action.
- The Bills currently have 11 wide receivers on their roster, and they will have to cut roughly half of them by the time the regular season opens. Per Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News, the team’s coaching staff believes at least one of the players that will be cut will be a significant contributor elsewhere, which speaks to the depth of Buffalo’s receiving corps. It’s a good problem to have, but it will create a number of difficult decisions in the coming weeks.
East Notes: Carr, G. Smith, IK, Brady
After having surgery on Monday to repair a broken bone in his hand, Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr seems to be pleased with both the operation and the state of his health. “If I had to play today, you wouldn’t even know I was hurt,” Carr told Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “It feels all right. Not much discomfort, not much pain right now, it’s just the healing process. It hurts more that I’m not out there with the guys. I got to take care of business, take care what’s necessary with myself.” Though neither Carr nor head coach Jason Garrett would provide a timetable on the corner’s return, it sounds as if he’s likely to suit up for Week 1.
Here’s more from the NFL’s East divisions…
- Jets quarterback Geno Smith was released from the hospital yesterday, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Smith, of course, suffered a broken jaw after being punched by IK Enemkpali and is expected to miss six-to-ten weeks.
- Speaking of Enemkpali, Ben Shpigel of the New York Times provides an interesting profile of the former Jets (and current Bills) linebacker, adding a few more details on the infamous incident. Per Shpigel, Enemkpali not only was stiffed by Smith for $600, but repeatedly was the butt of teammates’ jokes over his failure to get reimbursed.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe offers his take on the Smith/Enemkpali incident, the new-look Bills, and the Patriots‘ signing of backup quarterback Ryan Lindley, who has studied with the same QBs coach employed by Jimmy Garoppolo.
- In a separate article, Volin argues that a settlement between the NFL and the NFLPA in the Tom Brady case is unlikely, noting that not only is money not a motivating factor (as it is in most arbitration cases), but each party has too much to lose PR-wise.
East Rumors: Giants, Taylor, Rex, Patriots
The Giants‘ already-thin secondary worsened after their first preseason clash on Friday, with four defensive backs lost to injuries.
While Landon Collins‘ leg injury is considered minor, fellow rookie safety Mykkele Thompson‘s is not. The 2015 fifth-rounder is expected to miss the rest of the season after what is believed to be an Achilles’ tendon tear, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
“Big concern” is the phrase Tom Coughlin used in describing Thompson’s outlook. Thompson represented much-needed depth for Big Blue’s back line, making his way onto the Giants’ second team at strong safety behind converted cornerback Bennett Jackcson. Sixth-year veteran Jeromy Miles resides as the Giants’ third-string strong safety presently.
Jayron Hosley and Trumaine McBride also left the game, but their setbacks aren’t expected to be regular-season-altering.
As the first full weekend of 2015 NFL action continues, let’s look at some news coming out of the Eastern divisions, continuing in Buffalo.
- Tyrod Taylor‘s push for becoming the least-likely Week 1 starting quarterback in the league received a boost after his Bills debut, with Rex Ryan announcing the former Virginia Tech product will start in Buffalo’s next preseason game — Thursday against the Browns — per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. While this comes in an attempt to give the one-time sixth-round pick a shot against a starting defense, as Taylor flashed his “excellent” speed against the Panthers’ second-stringers, it doesn’t cement a Taylor ascent. Matt Cassel started in the Bills’ first preseason tilt, with EJ Manuel doing so in the team’s intrasquad scrimmage.
- Ryan saw his exit from New Jersey coming entering his sixth and final season there, according to an upcoming Real Sports segment with Andrea Kremer (per Brian Costello of the New York Post), with the current Bills coach knowing the Jets were going to “stink” after not doing much in free agency last year. “100 percent I knew I was done,” Ryan told Kremer. “… (Jets owner Woody Johnson) couldn’t [keep me]. There’s no chance that he could have brought in another GM and kept me again. It wouldn’t have worked in New York, they weren’t going to allow it. The media wouldn’t allow it; it wasn’t going to work.“
- Many NFL owners will be upset if Roger Goodell loses in the Deflategate saga, offers CSNNE.com’s Gary Tanguay. “I think this is personal,” Tanguay said. “I think there are some owners, for whatever reason, want to get at Robert Kraft and the Patriots organization. I think they sent Goodell to be their whipping boy. The way the NFL has looked so far, they’ve looked so bad even though I think the Patriots are guilty, if Goodell loses this, he will take heat from the owners.”
Extra Points: J. Thomas, Chargers, Rex, Jets
Let’s take a look around the league as preseason action continues on this Friday evening…
- Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas fractured a finger during tonight’s preseason game against the Steelers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). It doesn’t sound like he’ll miss any regular season action, however, as Rapoport says the hope is the injury will affect Thomas — Jacksonville’s top free agent addition — “minimally.”
- More injury news, this time out of San Diego, where head coach Mike McCoy confirms to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter) that guard Johnnie Troutman (broken arm) and linebacker Tourek Williams (broken foot) “will be out for some time.” However, the club doesn’t plan to place either player on injured reserve at this time.
- Former Jets — and current Bills — head coach Rex Ryan blames the media for his firing, telling Andrea Kremer of HBO that he and Jets owner Woody Johnson‘s friendship couldn’t overcome pressure from the outside. “We talk like brothers. I know Woody never wanted to fire me,” Ryan said. “I could’ve been his coach for 20 years, that’s what Woody wanted. There’s no question Woody wanted that.”
- On the subject of the Bills claiming linebacker IK Enemkpali (who broke Jets QB Geno Smith‘s jaw), Jets guard Willie Colon wasn’t surprised. “Rex is Rex,” Colon told Brian Costello of the New York Post. Colon played under Ryan from 2013-14.
More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/14/15
Earlier in the day, we rounded up several of Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, but there have been a number of moves since then. Here’s the latest:
- The Broncos have claimed punter Spencer Lanning off waivers from the Buccaneers, increasing their roster to the maximum 90 players, tweets Mike Klis of 9News. For Lanning, who can also handle kickoffs, it’s the second time this offseason he has been claimed off waivers — the Bucs snatched him up in June after he was cut by Cleveland.
- Defensive tackle Casey Walker has rejoined the Patriots, the team with which he saw the most action last season, the club announced today in a press release. According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link), after being cut by the Ravens earlier this month, Walker visited the Pats and Rams and received interest from other clubs as well.
- Washington has swapped one linebacker for another, waiving Trevardo Williams and signing Sage Harold, tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Williams, who’s dealing with a hamstring issue, will revert to the team’s injured reserve list if he clears waivers.
- The following players have been removed from their respective teams’ IR lists with injury settlements, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (all Twitter links): WR Caleb Holley (Bills), DB Shamiel Gary (Dolphins), and LB Quinton Alston (Buccaneers).
- After being waived/injured by the Steelers earlier this week, running back Cameron Stingily is now on the team’s IR, tweets Wilson.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/13/15
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL..
- The Buccaneers announced today that they’ve waived punter Spencer Lanning, as Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com tweets. In 2014, only two punters had more attempts than the 93 punts Lanning made for the Browns. However, Lanning’s performance wasn’t great, so Cleveland cut him after trading for Andy Lee in June, at which point he was claimed by the Bucs. Today’s move leaves Tampa Bay with two punters still on the roster.
- The Falcons announced that they’ve waived rookie safety Damian Parms, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
- Defensive back Ryan White has re-signed with the Packers, as Weston Hodkiewicz of the Press Gazette tweets. White was in camp with Green Bay last summer.
- The Bills removed Justin Brown from the injured reserve with an injury settlement, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Wilson adds (via Twitter) that the Titans did the same thing with safety Cody Prewitt, removing him from their roster.
- The 49ers have also waived a player with an injury settlement, cutting offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk from their IR, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
- The following players landed on their respective teams’ injured reserve lists after clearing waivers, per Wilson (Twitter link): DT Ricky Havili-Heimuli (Falcons), TE Clay Burton (Bills), WR Caleb Holley (Bills), DT Chris Whaley (Cowboys), CB Jason Wilson (Cowboys), and RB Tyler Gaffney (Patriots).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.