Minor Moves: Saturday
Here are Saturday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with recent updates added to the top of the list:
- Defensive back Lowell Rose has been promoted to the Dolphins‘ 53-man roster, replacing defensive tackle Deandre Coleman, who was waived, the team announced today (Twitter link). Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes (via Twitter) that the return of defensive lineman Derrick Shelby and a hamstring injury to safety Jimmy Wilson likely spelled doom for Coleman.
- The Saints have released tight end Tom Crabtree and promoted linebacker Todd Davis to the active roster, according to the team’s official Twitter page.
- The Lions have placed linebacker Travis Lewis on the IR and promoted tight end Jordan Thompson from the practice squad to the active roster, reports Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- The Redskins have activated Stephen Bowen off the PUP list, reports Chris Russell of ESPN Radio 980 in Washington D.C. The team has placed linebacker Akeem Jordan on IR to make room, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).
- The Ravens have added safety Will Hill to the 53-man roster, and placed defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi on IR to make room, reports Jamison Hensley of ESPN.
- The Seahawks activated tight end RaShaun Allen off the practice squad, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). They also promoted safety Steven Terrell off the practice squad, and placed Cassius Marsh on IR to make room, reports Brian McIntyre of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- The Panthers have waived safety Robert Lester and promoted linebacker Adarius Glanton from the practice squad, tweets ESPN.com’s David Newton. Lester, a former standout at Alabama, had 21 tackles in 12 appearances last season.
- The Browns have signed defensive lineman Jacobbi McDaniel from their practice squad and have waived tight end Gerell Robinson, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. Robinson has bounced around the league since going undrafted in 2012. He played in his first career game against the Saints in Week 2.
- The Titans have signed tight end Brett Brackett from the practice squad, tweets Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. Brackett will replace injured tight end Craig Stevens, who was placed on the injured reserve.
- The Cowboys have signed linebacker Keith Smith from the practice squad, tweets Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. To make room, the team released their seventh-round pick in the 2014 draft, defensive tackle Ken Bishop. Archer notes in a following tweet that he expects Bishop to return if he clear waivers.
NFC Notes: Lions, Cowboys, Panthers, Seahawks
As Reggie Bush prepares for his reunion with the Saints this weekend, the former No. 2 overall pick reflected on his entrance and exit from New Orleans.
The current Lions running back was ushered into the business side of the league very quickly, as he was blindsided by not going first overall. Via ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein…
“I was preparing to go to Houston, and we found out the same way everybody else found out, on SportsCenter,” Bush said. “That was that. That was my first real introduction to the business side of football. I got an introduction really quick.”
Following five up-and-down seasons with the Saints, the two sides parted ways following the 2010 season. The 29-year-old said there is not bitterness or hard feelings over the “mutual decision.”
“It was nothing that was unexpected,” Bush said. “I don’t have any bitterness toward the team or anybody. It’s part of the business side, the business side of our sport.
“Sometimes it can be ugly, but at the end of the day we all sign on the dotted line and we understand how it works.”
Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFC…
- Rothstein opines that if the Lions don’t keep Ndamukong Suh, they could very well re-sign DeAndre Levy and Nick Fairley. While Levy’s contract doesn’t expire until 2015, the team could still theoretically try to lock him up. Rothstein also questions whether the team would actually extend Fairley following one productive season.
- In addition to Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray, Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain will also be in line for a payday this offseason, but an extension isn’t on his mind. “We haven’t talked about it and I’m not worried about it,” McClain told ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. “I’m getting ready for the Giants…I’m just happy to be with the Dallas Cowboys. I’m happy with our success so far. I’m having fun with my teammates. Having a good time, gelling together and playing some good ball right now.”
- At this point in time, the Panthers have no reason to trade for a cornerback, writes ESPN.com’s David Newton. The team still believes in Antoine Cason and Melvin White, as well as former fifth-round pick Josh Norman.
- Newton writes that there would be little incentive for the Panthers to cut Greg Hardy since the team would still owe him more than $13MM.
- Seahawks rookie Cassius Marsh broke his foot in practice this week and is expected to have surgery on Monday, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. While Rapoport estimates the defensive end will miss four or five weeks, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times says a six-to-eight week absence is more likely (via Twitter).
NFC Notes: Peppers, Hayne, House, Vikings
During a Sunday Night Football broadcast early last month, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth stated that Julius Peppers had been set to reunite with the Panthers over the offseason after being released by the Bears. While Carolina head coach Ron Rivera did acknowledge that his team was interested in signing the the 34-year-old, Peppers himself doesn’t seem to have viewed the Panthers as a serious suitor. “I was never over there for a visit,” Peppers said, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. “I never talked to any of the coaches. It didn’t get very far for me personally.” Of course, the North Carolina alum ended up inking a three-year deal with the Packers, and is playing quite well, grading out as the 10th-best 3-4 OLB among 46 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Here’s more from the NFC:
- We learned yesterday that rugby star Jarryd Hayne is attempting to make the jump to the NFL, and the Seahawks are one possible landing spot for the 26-year-old. Hayne took a visit with the team in September, and while head coach Pete Carroll was “coy” when asked about Hayne, it appears that the club does have some interest in signing him, according to Terry Blount of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Packers fourth-year cornerback Davon House will be an unrestricted free agent come March of 2015, and he’s set himself up to earn a significant amount of money on his second contract, writes Rob Reishcel of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. As Reischel notes, fellow corner Tramon Williams will also be a free agent after the season, and given that Green Bay already signed Sam Shields to a gaudy extension, the club might have to choose only one of House or Williams.
- The Vikings probably won’t make a deal before the October 28 trade deadline, writes Bo Mitchell of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, but the two most likeliest candidates to be sent out are probably Christian Ponder and Adrian Peterson. Ponder could appeal to teams in desperate need of a quarterback, and while Peterson probably won’t offer any value in 2014, he could be of interest to a club who hopes the star running back returns to the field in 2015.
Panthers Sign Robert Lester, Cut D.J. Smith
The Panthers have made changes today to both their 53-man roster and their practice squad, the team announced in a press release. According to the club, safety Robert Lester has been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster, linebacker D.J. Smith has been waived from the roster, and guard Chris Scott has been signed to the taxi squad.
Lester, 26, appeared in 12 contests for the Panthers a year ago, starting four of those games. He played reasonably well when he saw the field, contributing three interceptions and recovering a fumble, but so far this season he had been relegated to the practice squad.
Scott, Lester’s replacement on the practice squad, is also a familiar face in Carolina, having started eight games for the club last season. He was cut in August this year when the Panthers trimmed their roster down to 53 players.
As Bryan Strickland of Panthers.com notes in the team’s press release, the Panthers have relied heavily on their nickel package lately, often playing five defensive backs and two linebackers. As such, adding Lester, who can also contribute on special teams, at the expensive of a linebacker makes some sense, regardless of Carolina’s injury situation.
NFC Links: Sproles, Lions, Hardy, Packers
As we head to the second half of tonight’s game with the Rams leading the 49ers 14-10, let’s look at some notes from the NFC:
- A source tells Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com that Eagles running back Darren Sproles will miss a few weeks but he’ll be back this season after last night’s knee injury. The veteran injured his knee late in the third quarter and there was initially fear that he had torn his ACL. Considering that the injury could have been much worse and the Eagles are on bye this week, that’s fortunate news for the veteran.
- New Lions kicker Matt Prater missed two field goal attempts on Sunday but coach Jim Caldwell isn’t thinking about moving on to his fourth kicker in 2014. “I think (with) wind like we had today, you’re going to have an issue,” Caldwell said, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “He kicked a 52-yarder, which was great. We have all the confidence in the world in him. I mean, the guy’s got a great track record. We feel good about him.”
- Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy hasn’t been in contact with the team yet but he’ll be back in touch “at the right moment,” coach Ron Rivera told reporters, including David Newton of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Packers’ secondary took some hits on Sunday, as both Sam Shields and Tramon Williams left the game with injuries. Head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t offer any specifics on the duo’s ailments, or that of linebacker Jamari Lattimore, but did say that none of the three are facing a long-term absence, writes
- Ndamukong Suh is among the players whom Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap says raised their stock with their performance yesterday. Suh, whose contract with the Lions expires after the season, is playing at a level that will allow him to ask for a enormous deal come free agency, writes Fitzgerald.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
La Canfora’s Latest: Newton, Houston, Hoyer
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports has a number of interesting notes this morning, including several pieces on possible contract extensions for big name stars. Let’s jump right in:
- Although the Panthers have not talked with quarterback Cam Newton about a possible extension since this summer, and no such talks are imminent, La Canfora writes that Newton is not interested in a “pay as you go” contract like those signed by Colin Kaepernick and Andy Dalton. Joel Corry tweets that Newton’s agent, Bus Cook, will certainly not accept that type of deal for Newton given that he was able to procure $38MM in (virtually) guaranteed money for Jay Cutler.
- La Canfora writes that the Chiefs would like to extend outside linebacker Justin Houston during the season, but unnamed sources indicate that is unlikely. After locking up quarterback Alex Smith long term, Kansas City wants to revisit negotiations with Houston, which went nowhere in the preseason. However, the two sides do not currently appear likely to bridge that preseason gap, and Houston could be slapped with the franchise tag next year, which would be worth about $13MM. Even with Kansas City’s ample cap room, Joel Corry tweets that the mega-deals signed by J.J. Watt and Robert Quinn did not make it any easier for the Chiefs to extend Houston.
- La Canfora writes that the Browns have not yet begun contract talks with Brian Hoyer, but after his performance against the Titans last week, the time for locking him up at a reasonable rate may be running out. Joel Corry adds (via Twitter) that Cleveland may even consider an $18MM franchise tag for Hoyer for 2015, since the club has plenty of cap room to work with.
- Although new Bills owner Terry Pegula is not planning any immediate changes to his front office, La Canfora writes that Pegula ultimately wants to “bring in an experienced football man” to oversee the team’s transition. Ernie Accorsi, Mike Holmgren, and Ron Wolf have all been named as possibilities. Pegula would also like to see an organizational restructure to separate the football side and business side of the club.
- Many NFL owners, despite lauding commissioner Roger Goodell for his overall efforts, would like for him to allow others to handle disciplinary matters.
- La Canfora has the the value of 2015 franchise tags for each position.
NFC Mailbags: Lions, Saints, Cowboys
It’s Saturday morning, and you know what that means – new mailbags from ESPN’s NFL writers. Let’s check out some of the notes from the NFC…
- At the moment, Michael Rothstein doesn’t believe that Lions general manager Martin Mayhew or coach Jim Caldwell are on the hot seat.
- Following the release of Saints fourth-rounder Khairi Fortt this past week, many fans asked Mike Triplett about the team’s inability to develop linebackers. The writer acknowledges that the team’s last real success was Mark Fields in 1995, but he adds that the team hasn’t invested high draft picks into the position.
- If the Cowboys season continues on a similar path, Todd Archer could envision the team bringing back Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray and Rolando McClain. If there were to be one odd man out, however, the writer leans towards McClain.
- Even if the Cowboys were looking to promote a defensive lineman from the practice squad, Archer says that rookie Michael Sam wouldn’t be the team’s first choice. Instead, the Cowboys would likely bring up Kenneth Boatright.
- David Newton envisions the Panthers transitioning to their next group of running backs once DeAngelo Williams‘ contract expires following the season.
- Rom Demovsky says it’s likely that the Packers and representatives for Randall Cobb have already started discussing a new contract. The writer suggests that the wideout could be delaying the process until he begins compiling statistics that would warrant a larger payday.
PUP, IR-DTR Players Soon Eligible To Practice
Week 6 of the NFL season will come to an end after Monday night’s game between the 49ers and Rams, and when teams begin preparing for Week 7, many of those clubs may be welcoming some players back to practice. Six weeks into the NFL season, players who were placed on the physically unable to perform list or the injured reserve list with the designation to return prior to Week 1’s games will be eligible to return to practice.
Of course, just because those players are able to return to the practice field doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be healthy enough to do so. Players on the PUP list have a five-week window to begin practicing. Once they return to practice, they have three weeks to be added to their respective teams’ active rosters. In other words, a player on the PUP list could theoretically return for his team’s Week 7 game, or could return as late as for his team’s Week 15 contest. If the player doesn’t return to practice or game action in time, he’ll revert to season-ending injured reserve.
Here are the players currently on the physically unable to perform list who can begin practicing as soon as next week:
- 49ers: NaVorro Bowman (LB), Garrett Celek (TE), Kaleb Ramsey (DT)
- Chargers: Jeromey Clary (OL)
- Colts: Stanley Havili (FB)
- Falcons: Drew Davis (WR), Zeke Motta (S)
- Jets: Antwan Barnes (LB)
- Lions: T.J. Jones (WR)
- Panthers: De’Andre Presley (WR)
- Raiders: D.J. Hayden (CB)
- Ravens: Terrence Cody (DT)
- Redskins: Stephen Bowen (DE), Leonard Hankerson (WR)
- Saints: Cheta Ozougwu (OLB)
Players who began the season on the PUP list didn’t participate in any preseason practices, but that’s not the case for players on the injured reserve list with the designation to return. Teams can use this spot on one player per season, placing him on the injured reserve list without necessarily ruling him out for the season. As we explained in an earlier post, players given this designation can begin practicing after six weeks and can return after eight weeks.
That means that players who were placed on IR-DTR prior to Week 1 can begin practicing next week. A player who was placed on IR-DTR after – for instance – Week 2 will have to wait another two weeks to return to practice.
Here’s the list of players currently on IR-DTR who can begin practicing as soon as next week:
- 49ers: Glenn Dorsey (DT)
- Bears: Marquess Wilson (WR)
- Buccaneers: Charles Sims (RB)
- Chiefs: Joe Mays (LB)
- Colts: Xavier Nixon (T)
- Cowboys: Demarcus Lawrence (DE)
- Giants: Geoff Schwartz (G)
- Lions: Kyle Van Noy (LB)
- Packers: J.C. Tretter (C)
Bears Notes: Hester, Allen, White
The latest from Chicago..
- Devin Hester joined the Falcons this offseason on a three-year, $9MM deal and the belief was that the Bears just couldn’t match it. However, the veteran claims he wasn’t offered a contact at all, writes ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright. “Chicago didn’t offer me anything,” Hester said. “They didn’t offer me [a] contract. They didn’t call me period, pretty much. I didn’t hear from Chicago. They didn’t say they were going to re-sign me. All I know is they were just going in a different direction.” Hester isn’t dwelling on the past, however, and he insists that he’s happy in Atlanta.
- Bears coach Marc Trestman is happy to have free agent addition Jared Allen healthy and in the fold, writes D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s been kind of an odd season for him. He missed a game for the first time in his career. He missed a lot of training camp. He had a family situation that he had to contend with. He’s coming back strong and he adds a big spark for us,” the coach said. “He’s done a good job for us running to the football and mixing it up. He’s gotten his strength back from being out over a week ago now. I believe that he’s back at full strength.”
- Before signing with the Panthers in 2013 as a UDFA, cornerback Melvin White also had interest from the Bears, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports 1 (on Twitter). The Bears probably wish that they landed him. White proved to be a solid find for Carolina and quickly morphed into a starter. In 20 games for the Panthers, White has amassed 69 tackles and three interceptions. Of course, White’s Panthers beat Chicago on Sunday, 31-24.
Panthers Sign Dockery, Place Brockel On IR
The Panthers have made a change to their 53-man roster, according to Max Henson of Panthers.com, who writes that the team has signed cornerback James Dockery and placed tight end Richie Brockel on injured reserve.
Brockel, 28, has spent the last four seasons with the Panthers, and appeared in 36 offensive snaps this season before suffering an ankle injury in Week 4. While the move to IR doesn’t necessarily mean Brockel’s season is over, he’d have to be removed from the list with an injury settlement in order to sign elsewhere. If Brockel and the Panthers determine the injury is season-ending, he can remain on the team’s IR for 2014, and the club will have the opportunity to bring him back for the final year of his contract in 2015.
As for Dockery, who takes Brockel’s place on the roster, he’s another player who has spent plenty of time with the Panthers since 2011. The Oregon State alum figures to provide depth in Carolina’s secondary and perhaps contribute for the special teams unit as well. Josh Norman and Bene Benwikere both suffered injuries during Sunday’s game against the Bears, so adding a defensive back had been a priority for the team this week.