Raiders Send Nate Allen To IR, Promote SaQwan Edwards
The Raiders have placed safety Nate Allen on injured reserve with a knee injury and promoted cornerback SaQwan Edwards from their practice squad, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com.
Allen, who picked off a career-best four passes in Philly in 2014, signed a four-year, $23MM deal with the Raiders last offseason. His first season in Oakland was an injury-riddled disappointment, as the 28-year-old appeared in only five games, totaling 11 tackles and an interception. Allen’s year got off to a poor start immediately when he tore his MCL in Week 1. He came back midway through the campaign but eventually reaggravated his knee and hasn’t played since Dec. 6.
The Raiders could move on from Allen this offseason, per Bair, which would make sense. Allen has no dead money left on the three years remaining on his contract. Cutting him would save the Raiders $5MM next season, $6MM in 2017 and another $5MM in ’18.
Extra Points: Stadium Proposals, Lions, Reece
The NFL officially confirmed today in a statement that it has received stadium proposals from the cities of Oakland, St. Louis, and San Diego in advance of the deadline, per Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.
“We are able to confirm that we have received submissions from Oakland, St. Louis, and San Diego as requested,” the league’s statement reads. “All three submissions are generally consistent with our most recent discussions with public officials and task forces. We appreciate the leadership that public officials have demonstrated on behalf of the three cities. There is a great deal of information for the three teams and all of NFL ownership to review and consider. At this point, no applications for relocation of a franchise have been filed.”
The announcement doesn’t come as a surprise — it would have been more noteworthy if one of the cities had not submitted a proposal. But it takes us another step closer to the NFL eventually making its decision on the Raiders, Rams, Chargers, and Los Angeles.
Here are a few more Wednesday odds and ends:
- If he had a vote in the matter, Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson would have head coach Jim Caldwell return to Detroit for the 2016 season, he told reporters today. According to Johnson, Caldwell is one of the best coaches he has had in his career, and he thinks the rest of the locker room wants to see him return for next season as well (Twitter links via Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com).
- In a statement to Pro Football Talk, Raiders fullback Marcel Reece explained why he failed a drug test, resulting in his four-game suspension. “I have NEVER, and would NEVER, ingest any banned substance that would result in a failed drug test,” Reece said. “What I did consume was a natural plant root extract by the name of ‘Umcka,’ which is a completely safe substance that is clearly legal by NFL policy, in terms of being acceptable to consume. What I didn’t know is that this plant root, once ingested in the human body, converts to the substance ‘methylhexanamine,’ which is a banned substance by NFL standards.”
- Pat McManamon of ESPN.com lays out four reasons why the Browns should retain general manager Ray Farmer, then turns around and provides four reasons why the team should move on from on its GM.
- The Ravens elevated defensive back Sheldon Price to their active roster on Tuesday, and head coach John Harbaugh explains that Price was receiving interest from another team, prompting Baltimore to promote him to avoid losing him (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun).
Cole’s Latest: Chip Kelly, Los Angeles, Colts
Jason Cole of Bleacher Report has provided updates on a handful of notable stories, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights from his latest video reports….
- Chip Kelly has interest in the Titans‘ head coaching job and believes he should have opportunities around the league, possibly in Tennessee, Cleveland, or Miami, sources tells Cole (video link).
- About half of the NFL’s team owners – members of the Los Angeles committee, the finance committee, and the stadium committee – are scheduled to meet next week at the league’s New York offices to discuss possible relocation to L.A., according to Cole (video link). The Bleacher Report scribe hears that there’s a consensus building among owners that the Chargers are the favorite to get approval to relocate, but those owners remain unsure about what to do with the Rams and Raiders.
- With the Colts potentially preparing to move on from head coach Chuck Pagano, there are those in the organization who wonder whether Andrew Luck will have a strong opinion on who the team’s next head coach will be, says Cole (video link). Luck is entering the final year of his contract with the club, so as he considers signing a long-term extension with Indianapolis, it makes sense that he’d want to have some input on who will be coaching him.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/29/15
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: QB Mike Kafka (Twitter link via team)
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DB Sean Baker (press release via team)
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DE Jordan Williams (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Jeff Luc (Twitter link via Wilson)
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: S Chris Hackett (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com), G Cole Manhart (press release via team)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: RB Kevin Monangai (Twitter link via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: S Ross Ventrone (Twitter link via Caplan)
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Kyle Sebetic (link via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com)
More Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/15
Tuesdays are generally the busiest day of the week during the NFL regular season for transactions, and on the last Tuesday of the 2015 campaign, that’s especially true. After rounding up several minor moves from around the league earlier today, we’ve got plenty more to pass along now. Here’s the latest:
AFC:
- After re-signing him three weeks ago, the Chargers confirmed today that they have released wide receiver Vincent Brown. The 26-year-old was active for just one game and caught only one pass, for 22 yards.
- The Ravens have placed wide receiver Marlon Brown on season-ending injured reserve due to a back injury, replacing him on the roster with defensive back Sheldon Price, the team announced today (via Twitter). Brown, the 20th player Baltimore has placed on IR this year, is eligible for restricted free agency, and he may not be tendered a contract this winter, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
- The Broncos have cut safety Shaun Prater, who was inactive on Monday, the team announced in a press release. Prater was signed as insurance after David Bruton was placed on IR, but with T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart back in action, his services weren’t required.
- The Patriots have filled their roster by signing linebacker and special-teamer Dekoda Watson, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s the third contract signed with New England this year by Watson, who has been off and on the Pats’ roster.
- The Texans have officially confirmed the previously-reported transaction that sent cornerback Charles James to IR, elevating safety Corey Moore to the active roster from the practice squad to replace James, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- The Raiders have signed safety Dewey McDonald from off their practice squad, according to the team. McDonald has also spent time with the Colts and Patriots this season.
NFC:
- The Buccaneers are ending Major Wright‘s season, placing the safety on injured reserve prior to Week 17, tweets Rand Getlin of NFL Network. In a corresponding move, Tampa Bay is elevating tight end Tevin Westbrook from its practice squad to the 53-man roster, according to agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link).
- Washington has made a change at the back of its 53-man roster, announcing that tight end Je’Ron Hamm has been waived to make room for cornerback Jeremy Harris, who received a promotion from the practice squad.
- The Lions have once again waived cornerback Bill Bentley, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Bentley, a third-round pick by Detroit in 2012, was cut by the team in the summer before re-signing last month.
- The Saints are promoting tight end Rashaun Allen to their 53-man roster from the practice squad, tweets Aaron Wilson. As Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link) observes, a corresponding move will be required to make the signing official, which could mean moving tight end Josh Hill to IR.
- Wilson also passes along details on a couple players who have been cut from their respective teams’ injured reserve lists, reporting (via Twitter) that the Cardinals have cut defensive back Cariel Brooks with an injury settlement, while the Packers have released defensive end Jermauria Rasco from their IR.
Latest On Los Angeles Relocation
Oakland has until Wednesday to present the NFL with a financing plan to give the Raiders a new stadium, but city officials say that no plan is forthcoming, Rachel Swan of The San Francisco Chronicle writes. Instead, Oakland will send a letter to league officials simply updating them on the city’s efforts to persuade the Raiders to stay in town. The NFL has been looking to pressure Oakland (as well as St. Louis and San Diego) into coughing up tax dollars to finance new stadiums, but right now it looks like Oakland is not willing to play ball.
Here’s more on the Raiders, Chargers, Rams, and Los Angeles:
- A decision on Los Angeles will happen within the month of January, an NFL source tells Vincent Bonsignore of the Daily News (on Twitter). A path to the 24 votes needed to relocate a team, he adds, will happen one way or another.
- The St. Louis Stadium Task Force announced that it has submitted its official proposal to the NFL today, a day ahead of the deadline to file, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. The proposal calls for the Rams to contribute “no less than $250MM to the project, with the NFL investing $300MM.” Meanwhile, the plan calls for the city and state to invest $400MM through “traditional public funding sources.” The local stadium authority would work with the Rams to design a stadium that would include PSLs. The proposal calls for the Rams to hold a 30-year lease to go along with an “enforceable non-relocation agreement.” The plan also calls for the Rams to “accommodate a MLS tenant under a market rate lease term.” The total cost of the project? – a cool $1.1 billion.
Raiders’ Marcel Reece Suspended Four Games
The Raiders announced that fullback/running back Marcel Reece has been suspended for four games by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs. Reece can participate in all offseason and preseason practices and games, but he is no longer eligible to play in the 2016 Pro Bowl.
The Raiders, of course, are not headed to the playoffs, so Reece will serve his suspension in Week 17 and sit out the first three weeks of the 2016 season. As it stands, Reece is slated to make his NFL return with Oakland still as he is under contract with the club for next season at a cap number of $3.53MM. In 2015, Reece caught 30 passes for 269 yards and three TDs and also added 36 rushing yards. Most importantly, he served as a solid blocker for quarterback Derek Carr and running back Latavius Murray in the backfield.
It’s not immediately clear whether Reece will still collect on the $100K roster bonus he received for making the Pro Bowl. This season marked the fourth consecutive year that Reece earned a Pro Bowl nod.
Latest On Los Angeles Relocation
Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf is exuding confidence as the league’s relocation vote nears, telling Raiders fans to “keep the faith” and noting that owner Mark Davis wants to stay in Oakland, according to a Bay Area News Group report.
The city and the Raiders have not generated a functional stadium plan yet, but Oakland will present its next proposal to the league on Dec. 29 or Dec. 30, the News Group’s report indicates. Although the league is not expecting a final proposal at that time.
The Raiders’ Los Angeles relocation proposal is expected to be heard by the NFL on Jan. 12 or Jan. 13.
Schaaf indicated she’s committed to keeping the Raiders in Oakland in a feasible way for taxpayers. While the mayor said the city won’t help the Raiders directly pay to build a new stadium, it will make payments for infrastructure enhancements on the 120-acre Coliseum site set to be publicly owned.
“We won’t put any public funds at risk,” Schaaf said. “… We have two things that no other city has: a fully entitled site and a team ownership that consistently says it wants to make it work in Oakland.”
Most current reports have the Raiders lagging behind the more financially sound Chargers and Rams in the Los Angeles pursuit, but a recent report listed the Raiders-Chargers Carson proposal as the preferred relocation plan of the Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities — the six-owner coalition with the most sway on this matter.
Here are some more updates on the Western-division teams’ pursuit of an LA move.
- Oakland and the Raiders are engaging in frequent talks, but with nothing imminent, the city may be in need of the NFL voting down the Raiders’ relocation effort to create more substantive stadium negotiations, Matthew Artz of the Bay Area News Group reports. “We have to play this out,” Oakland Assistant City Administrator Claudia Cappio told Artz. “If the vote is not in their favor for Los Angeles, we come to the table with different leverage and needs, and I think we can begin to have talks in a different way.” The Rams are seen as having best plan from a funding standpoint, with the Chargers holding the most trust from the owners, Ohio University sports business professor Robert Boland told Artz. “Keeping the Raiders in Oakland is probably the least-difficult scenario for the NFL,” Boland said. Only four teams — the Packers, Bears, Saints and Bills — sport a stadium older than the Raiders’, which opened in 1966.
- San Diego runs a greater risk of losing its team and now is contending with millions being lost in the mere research for a potential stadium site, Jeff McDonald of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The city’s spent $1.6MM in research for the Mission Valley site. However, $2.35MM has been set aside for such expenditures, as the team prepares to potentially play its final two games as the San Diego Chargers. Should the Chargers leave for Los Angeles, the aforementioned research could be used to woo another team in the future. “Regardless of what ultimately happens with the NFL, this environmental impact report is valuable to taxpayers,” Craig Gustafson, a spokesman for mayor Kevin Faulconer, told McDonald. “The environmental studies and analysis in the report can be used for a new NFL stadium, demolishing the current stadium or other future projects on the site.”
AFC Notes: M. Williams, Wallace, Hopkins
We rounded up several NFC notes earlier this afternoon. Now, let’s shift our focus to the AFC….
- Speaking today to reporters, including ESPN’s Mike Rodak, Bills defensive end Mario Williams insisted that he hasn’t tried to be outwardly critical of Rex Ryan’s defensive scheme, and that he’s just giving honest answers when asked about it. It seems somewhat unlikely, given the issues Williams has had this year, that he’ll be back in Buffalo next year when his cap hit increases to nearly $20MM.
- Unlike Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Steelers center Cody Wallace won’t receive a suspension for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Broncos safety David Bruton Jr. on Sunday, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Wallace’s hit, which came after the play, was arguably worse than Beckham’s shot at Josh Norman, but it sounds like he’ll just be fined to the tune of $23K+ for the play, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
- DeAndre Hopkins‘ agent, Hadley Engelhard, met with the Texans recently, and spoke about – among other things – how his client has already played with eight quarterbacks during his three-year NFL career, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The QB turnover hasn’t slowed down Hopkins’ production at all, but it figures to be something that comes up again between Engelhard and the Texans when the wideout becomes extension-eligible next month.
- Before he retires, Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson has scored one last payday. As Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, Woodson gets a $250K bonus for being named to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday night.
Raiders Place Mario Edwards On IR
2:48pm: The Raiders have placed Edwards on IR and promoted linebacker John Lotulelei from their practice squad, according to CSNBayArea.com.
2:34pm: The Raiders are placing rookie defensive end Mario Edwards on season-ending injured reserve, per Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). The move will become official before Oakland faces San Diego on Thursday night, with a corresponding transaction to fill Edwards’ spot on the 53-man roster.
Edwards, the 35th overall pick in this year’s draft, sustained a neck injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Packers, and didn’t return to the game. Per Tafur (Twitter link), head coach Jack Del Rio said today that the injury is significant, and may require surgery.
It’s an unfortunate end to what was a solid rookie season for Edwards. In 14 games (10 starts) for Oakland, the Florida State product compiled 41 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. He looks like another one of the many early draft picks that the Raiders have gotten right in the last couple years.