AFC East Notes: Richardson, Brady, Dareus
Tim Lohmar, the prosecuting attorney in Sheldon Richardson‘s case, didn’t feel he could get a conviction on a charge of child endangerment, and only charged the Jets defensive lineman with resisting arrest and traffic violations, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. Lohmar also couldn’t bring any drug charges against Richardson, despite his car smelling freshly burned marijuana, as he explains to Costello.
“The odor, according to the officer, was such that it was a fresh odor. The weed had just burned,” Lohmar said. “I think you can reasonably assume that had been taking place while they were driving and somewhere between that and the time they were pulled over, whatever was in the car was thrown from the car. We don’t know that, obviously.”
Given the lack of drug charges, the incident may not technically be a violation of the league’s drug policy, though that’s not certain, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com. Despite the lack of serious charges against Richardson, the NFL will conduct its own investigation and could penalize the Jets defender harshly based on the violation of the league’s personal conduct policy.
However the case plays out, Richardson embarrassed himself and the Jets by trying to hide his arrest, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.
Here’s more from around the AFC East:
- The NFLPA and NFL have requested an expedited schedule in the Tom Brady case, which would avoid the need for preliminary injunction and would give both sides more certainty, per Gabe Feldman (Twitter links). As Feldman explains (via Twitter), the league and the union agree that “no discovery is needed to adjudicate the motions” and proposed a schedule that would involve filing their motions by August 7, replying by August 14, then making their oral arguments and getting a decision before the start of the NFL regular season. The proposal could set the stage for a settlement between the two sides, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
- General manager Doug Whaley said today that his Bills have “exchanged proposals” with Marcell Dareus regarding a new contract, cautioning that “these things take time” (Twitter link via Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News).
- While the Dolphins have been the team most frequently linked to free agent guard Evan Mathis, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets that he has it “on good authority” that the club hasn’t even begun speaking to Drew Rosenhaus about a contract for his client. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports noted yesterday (via Twitter) that the Dolphins’ interest in Mathis had been overstated.
- Although he showed up for the Jets‘ training camp, Muhammad Wilkerson admits that it’s “a little frustrating” not to have a new contract in place yet, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. Wilkerson remains hopeful that the two sides can get something done before the season begins.
AFC Notes: Brady, Weddle, Lewis, Kromer
A U.S. District Court judge ordered the NFL and NFLPA to try to resolve their differences over Tom Brady‘s suspension without litigation, as ESPN.com writes. Of course, it seems unlikely that the two sides will peacefully resolve the conflict regarding the Patriots quarterback. Here’s more from the AFC..
- Chargers safety Eric Weddle says that he will not hold out from camp but added that he believes this will be his last year with the team, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. Weddle and the Bolts have been embroiled in a contract dispute all offseason and there has been no sign of the two compromising on an extension.
- Bengals coach Marvin Lewis wants to win a Super Bowl this season and “walk away” afterwards to leave the game on top, Paul Daugherty of The Cincinnati Enquirer writes.
- Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer entered a written plea of not guilty in a Florida court, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Kromer is scheduled for a September 2nd pre-trial hearing.
Free Agent Rumors: Bengals, Cherilus, Long
The Bengals are considering adding a veteran receiver to compete in training camp for a roster spot and playing time, and they worked out a couple interesting names today, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). Getlin reports that, in addition to Greg Little, Santonio Holmes and David Nelson also auditioned for Cincinnati. Holmes, a longtime Jet, played for the Bears in 2014, while Nelson has accumulated 138 receptions in five seasons with the Bills and Jets. So far, none of the three wideouts have signed with the Bengals.
Here are a few other notes, rumors, and updates on free agency around the NFL:
- Having visited the Bills and Lions, offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus headed home today without a deal in place, and will assess his options, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. If Cherilus is deciding between Buffalo and Detroit and doesn’t plan on making any more visits, I’d expect him to sign soon.
- Another veteran offensive lineman who made some visits this week also remains on the market, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, who writes that Jake Long‘s meeting with the Broncos ended without the club signing the former No. 1 pick. Long is also said to be drawing interest from the Falcons and Giants.
- The Cowboys have been linked to free agent running backs most of the offseason, but executive VP Stephen Jones says the team doesn’t have any plans to bring in another one at this point. The team will, however, add a couple linebackers, according to Jones (Twitter link via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
- Free agent cornerback Josh Victorian, who last played a regular season game for Houston in 2013, tried out for the Titans, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link).
AFC East Notes: Brady, Bills, Dolphins
Earlier today, we learned that a Minnesota judge ruled that the NFLPA’s appeal on behalf of Tom Brady will be transferred to Manhattan, where the NFL first filed its own lawsuit. According to NFLPA outside counsel Jeffrey Kessler, the union doesn’t view that as a big deal.
“It really doesn’t matter to us where the case is,” Kessler told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “What we finally have is a neutral forum. Before a neutral forum, we are very confident in our position.”
The NFLPA will have make some revisions when it re-files its appeal in New York, but “ostensibly we will be making the same arguments,” said Kessler, adding that the union is “very happy” to have Judge Richard M. Berman appointed to the case.
Let’s round up a couple more items related to the Brady situation, along with some other notes out of the AFC East….
- Kessler spoke yesterday to Tom Pelissero of USA Today, broadly addressing the NFLPA’s appeal on Brady’s behalf and explaining the case the union will be making in court. As Pelissero writes, the NFLPA’s appeal quotes Patriots owner Robert Kraft at length, and Kessler said of Kraft’s statement from earlier this week: “I’ve never more agreed with Robert Kraft in my life, about anything.”
- On the Dan Patrick Show today, NFLPA executive George Atallah said the NFLPA’s settlement offer involved Brady paying a fine instead of serving a suspension, and the NFL didn’t respond to that offer (Twitter link via Noah Coslov).
- Appearing at a “Business of Sports” breakfast in Buffalo on Thursday, Bills owner Terry Pegula said work on a new stadium for his team is “nothing urgent right now,” writes Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News. Commissioner Roger Goodell and some NFL owners have said that a new stadium will eventually be a necessity in Western New York, but Pegula pointed to several upgrades made on Ralph Wilson Stadium in recent years, suggesting it would be “foolish” to pursue a new stadium right after renovating the current one.
- Speaking today to reporters, including James Walker of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Dolphins owner Stephen Ross praised the talent on Miami’s 2015 roster, and said he and head coach Joe Philbin are expecting a payoff this year. While Ross didn’t specifically address Philbin’s job status, there has been plenty of speculation that the head coach will be on the hot seat if the Fins don’t make the playoffs this season.
Gosder Cherilus Visiting Bills, Lions
3:11pm: After visiting the Bills, Cherilus has left without signing a deal and is on his way to visit his old team, the Lions, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
10:11am: The Bills are working out free agent offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus, a source tells Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Cherilus, 31, was released by the Colts on Sunday after a disappointing run with the team.
Buffalo has a need along their offensive line following the retirement of tackle Wayne Hunter last week and the release of guard Chris Williams on Tuesday. They could really use a veteran tackle like Cherilus with 2014 second-round pick Cyrus Kouandjio and 2014 seventh-round pick Seantrel Henderson currently set to battle for the starting right tackle job.
Cherilus signed a five-year, $35MM contract with the Colts in 2013, and started 29 games for the club at right tackle over the past two seasons. However, after a solid first season in Indianapolis, he struggled last year. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Cherilus 70th out of 84 qualified tackles, and he graded particularly poorly as a pass blocker. According to PFF’s data, he allowed six quarterback sacks, another 42 hits or hurries.
Because he received a sizable signing bonus when he signed his deal back in 2013, Cherilus will still count for a decent chunk of dead money against the Colts’ cap. His $6.9MM hit in 2015 will be reduced to just $2.9MM, but he’ll count for another $5.8MM against the club’s 2016 cap. All that dead money will serve as the Colts’ latest reminder of a poor class of 2013 free agents — the club has since cut LaRon Landry and Ricky Jean-Francois as well.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/15
Today’s minor moves and signings..
- The Bills cut Deon Broomfield from injured reserve, Wilson tweets.
- The Browns announced that they have signed offensive lineman Erle Ladson while waiving defensive back Micah Pellerin, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets.
- The Panthers waived running back Darrin Reaves, who saw a good amount of playing time last season as the Panthers had issues with their backfield, ESPN.com’s David Newton writes. Meanwhile, Carolina inked tackles Tony Hills and Davonte Wallace.
Earlier Updates:
- Bengals wide receiver James Wright has been released with a waived/injured designation, according to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com (on Twitter). If he isn’t claimed tomorrow, he’ll be placed on the Bengals’ IR for the season.
- The Cowboys released running back Ryan Williams, linebacker Cameron Lawrence, and offensive lineman Ryan Miller while signing running back Gus Johnson, offensive lineman Ronald Patrick, and linebacker Justin Anderson, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Cardinals placed wide receiver Damond Powell on the reserve/NFI list, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets. The move creates a place for tight end Jermaine Gresham on the 90-man roster.
- The Jets announced that they have released kicker Andrew Furney. That move will create room for the addition of wide receiver Austin Hill, who was picked up yesterday. Furney was signed by the Jets last offseason as an undrafted free agent out of Washington State to compete with Nick Folk during the ’14 training camp. He signed a reserve/future contract to return to the Jets last Dec. 30.
- The Bears signed defensive lineman David Carter to a one-year deal, Adam Jahns of the Chicago Tribune tweets. To make room, linebacker Jonathan Brown has been waived.
Bills Release Chris Williams
The Bills have terminated the contract of guard Chris Williams with a designation of failed physical, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Mike Rodak on Twitter). Williams’ future with Buffalo has been in question this offseason and the rumblings only intensified when he was absent for the start of OTAs.
Williams signed a four-year contract worth a total of $13.5MM with $5.5MM guaranteed with the Bills in March of 2014. The former Bears and Bills offensive lineman has experience at tackle, but in recent years he has played mostly on the interior. The former No. 14 overall pick has appeared in 79 games throughout his career with 57 starts.
Saturday Mailbags: Bills, Colts, Panthers, Washington
The last round of offseason mailbags are emerging today. Here is some of the top conjecture from around the league.
- One of the flashy new offensive weapons to join the Bills this offseason, Percy Harvin may still have trouble re-establishing the form he displayed with the Vikings, writes Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Despite the well-traveled Harvin being the most accomplished wideout the Bills possess, Carucci does not think he’ll be able to usurp Sammy Watkins or Robert Woods in the team’s target hierarchy. With LeSean McCoy and Charles Clay also present in a ground-oriented offense, Carucci doesn’t see a satisfactory amount of work coming Harvin’s way for the quarterback-limited squad.
- Even with the possibility that Jack Mewhort relocates to right tackle from left guard, Kevin Bowen of Colts.com notes the Colts don’t seem interested in pursuing Evan Mathis. Instead, Bowen expects Lance Louis and Hugh Thornton to jostle for the job that the still-present yet injury-besieged Donald Thomas vacated in 2013.
- Rookie Cameron Artis-Payne should outshine Fozzy Whittaker in training camp and claim the Panthers‘ No. 2 running back job this preseason, opines ESPN.com’s David Newton. Taking over for Tre Mason in Auburn’s unique rushing attack, Artis-Payne led the SEC in rushing last season with 1,608 yards. Although Jonathan Stewart finally has the gig to himself, securing talent behind him is paramount, considering the 28-year-old has not played a full 16-game season since 2011.
- Dwight Freeney is not a realistic candidate to sign with Washington, writes John Keim of ESPN.com, but the team is still looking for linebacker depth.
- Keim also sees Andre Roberts securing Washington’s No. 3 wide receiver spot ahead of rookie Jamison Crowder and 2014 fifth-rounder Ryan Grant, although the team views Grant as a third receiver in the future.
East Notes: Brady, Kromer, Randle
After speaking to multiple sources, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) says the NFL believes Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will ultimately accept a reduced suspension in order to avoid having the DeflateGate saga continue to be a distraction into training camp and the preseason. We’ll see if that’s ultimately the case, but we probably won’t find out today — a report this morning indicated there was “no chance” of an announcement on Brady from Roger Goodell before the weekend.
Here’s more from Cole on Brady, along with a couple other items out of the NFL’s East divisions:
- According to Cole, the wording of Brady’s penalty could be crucial — the Patriots signal-caller would be more inclined to accept a penalty for not cooperating with the league’s investigation, but would likely continue to fight any penalty that’s based on his perceived involvement in deflating footballs.
- The Bills are likely to part ways with offensive line coach Aaron Kromer following his arrest earlier this month, sources tell Joe Buscaglia of WKBW. For now, the team is weighing its options while Kromer remains on indefinite paid leave as his legal case plays out.
- After stealing $123 worth of cologne and underwear from a Texas mall last October, Cowboys running back Joseph Randle has been put on six months of probation, according to an Associated Press report. At the time of the incident, the Cowboys opted to fine – but not suspend – Randle, who could still face additional discipline from the league now that the case has been resolved.
Bills To Decide On Aaron Kromer Soon
The Bills are wrapping up their investigation into the arrest of offensive line coach Aaron Kromer and a decision on his future with the team could be known before the end of the week, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News writes. Kromer, of course, allegedly punched a teenage boy in a dispute over beach chairs.
If Kromer is dismissed, the Bills would likely promote assistant offensive line coach Kurt Anderson to offensive line coach, an NFL source told Carucci. Carucci also hears that if Kromer is canned, they’ll follow a course of firing him with cause and, therefore, not pay him his salary, believed to be slightly more than $1MM annually. Kromer then could file a grievance, but from the outside, that would seem like an uphill battle at that point.
Kromer is due in court on August 12th, when he is expected to enter a plea. However, the Bills are not obligated to wait for that or any plea deal the coach might work out with prosecutors, according to Carucci’s NFL source, and there are strong indications they won’t.
The 48-year-old was at the center of another story in Chicago last season, when he admitted to being the leak for a report in which an anonymous Bears source criticized the play of quarterback Jay Cutler. Having gone from an interim head coach in New Orleans to an offensive coordinator in Chicago to an offensive line coach in Buffalo, Kromer had already seen his coaching career trending in the wrong direction in recent years.