Teams With Most Salary On Injured Reserve
On Friday, we took a look at the league’s highest-paid players to land on season-ending injured reserve. As I explained in that post, teams have control over how they use their cap space, but have little control over players’ injuries, so if highly-paid players end up on injured reserve, clubs may have limited flexibility to adequately replace them.
The next logical step then is to examine which teams have been the hit the hardest overall by season-ending injuries this year. Of course, a player’s cap number doesn’t necessarily reflect his importance – many of the league’s best players are underpaid – but when clubs devote significant chunks of their cap room to certain players, having those guys go down with injuries can be hard to overcome.
Listed below are the 14 teams who currently have more than $10MM in player salaries on season-ending injured reserve. Players who received the designation to return when they were placed on IR aren’t taken into account here, since those players could still contribute this season. Additionally, players on practice squad IR lists aren’t included, and cap numbers rather than base salaries are considered when adding up a team’s total IR cap hit. Here’s the top 14:
- St. Louis Rams: $30,605,636 (seven players)
- New York Giants: $22,033,726 (12)
- Oakland Raiders: $21,844,733 (8)
- Washington: $15,984,975 (7)
- Tennessee Titans: $15,202,696 (7)
- Atlanta Falcons: $14,885,479 (7)
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $14,617,538 (10)
- Arizona Cardinals: $14,230,500 (4)
- Philadelphia Eagles: $12,858,000 (5)
- Miami Dolphins: $12,567,956 (8)
- Chicago Bears: $11,210,500 (4)
- Cleveland Browns: $11,147,375 (4)
- Dallas Cowboys: $11,121,121 (7)
- San Diego Chargers: $10,316,892 (7)
So is there any correlation between a team’s “dead money” on the injured reserve list and its record? On the whole, the 13 clubs on this list combine for a 52-65 record thus far, which isn’t great. However, it gets a whole lot worse when we separate the top half from the bottom half — the first seven teams on this list have combined for an incredibly dismal 14-44 record.
Would some of those teams have been cellar-dwellers even without injury problems? Most likely. It’s hard to imagine a team like the Raiders, for instance, as even a .500 squad if they’d stayed completely healthy. Still, a few of those clubs were expected to compete for playoff spots, and the fact that they’ve fallen well out of contention likely has at least something to do with how much of their cap space is currently being devoted to players who aren’t actually playing.
Information from Over The Cap was used in the creation of this post.
Minor Moves: Saturday
Here are Saturday’s minor moves that affect teams’ 53-man rosters around the league:
- The Packers have signed offensive tackle Jamon Meredith, reports Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter). The team placed wide receiver Kevin Dorsey on the IR to make room on the roster. Meredith was the Packers’ 2009 fifth-round draft choice, and spent time with the Bills, Colts, Lions, and Buccaneers before returning, according to Jason Wilde of ESPN (via Twitter).
- The 49ers have promoted linebacker Chase Thomas to their active roster, reports Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Thomas will slide into the roster spot left open when the team released Demarcus Dobbs earlier this week.
- The Bears have placed guard Matt Slauson on the IR, replacing him on the roster with tight end Blake Annen, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Annen was promoted from the practice squad.
Wednesday Roundup: Peterson, Bryant, Briggs
After Adrian Peterson accepted a no-contest plea yesterday, the speculation surrounding if and when he would be allowed to take the field again predictably spiked. However, there has also been some speculation regarding if Peterson will be back with the Vikings next season, and Bob Sturm, special contributor to the Dallas Morning News, says he would not put it past Cowboys‘ owner Jerry Jones to go after Peterson in 2015.
Sturm says, “Reality says that if [Peterson] is free to play, Jerry will be interested. If you think about it, it might actually help you with leverage over [DeMarco] Murray if you choose to use it. I would stick with Murray for several reasons, but I would never rule out the possibility that Peterson is RB1 next fall. Jerry Jones has left too many bread crumbs to ignore on this front.”
Murray, who will be a free agent after this season, has been terrific in 2014, and the Cowboys will have a big decision to make regarding whether or not to bring him back. Jones, understandably, has long coveted Peterson, and he may be willing to let Murray walk if he can land AD a few months after the dust surrounding his child abuse case settles.
Now for a quick swing around the league on this quiet Wednesday evening:
- Speaking of big-name free agents in Dallas, Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News writes that super-agent Tom Condon will represent Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant in his contract negotiations. Our Dallas Robinson wrote several days ago that this would be a possibility after Bryant left his former agent to join Roc Nation.
- Lance Briggs, who is playing in his 12th season for the Bears, believes 2014 is his last year in Chicago, writes Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com.
- The Ravens have struggled mightily with their cornerback play this season, a situation dramatically worsened by the injury that Jimmy Smith suffered in Week 8. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun tweets that these problems were predictable after the club elected to allow players like Corey Graham and Cary Williams leave in free agency without investing a high draft choice on a corner since Smith himself was drafted in 2011.
- Tom Pelissero of USA Today writes that the NFLPA is pushing for a neutral arbitrator to decide all punishments for violations of the league’s personal conduct policy.
Workout Notes: Bengals, Saints, Lions, Bucs
As teams around the league assess themselves during the early part of the week, we’ll learn about the latest tryouts as clubs try to remake the back ends of their rosters. We’ll keep track of today’s audition notes here:
- The Bears worked out several players today: linebacker Jonathan Brown (link via Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post), running back Mikel Leshoure (Twitter link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune), and safety Mistral Raymond (Biggs on Twitter). Leshoure, 22, is the biggest name here — the 2011 second-round pick rushed for almost 800 yards and nine touchdowns with the Lions in 2012.
Earlier updates:
- The Bengals worked out tight end Michael Egnew, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Egnew, a third-round pick in 2012, has spent time with the Dolphins, Lions, and Jaguars. Cincinnati also brought in defensive back Josh Victorian, who was dropped from the Lions’ practice squad in early October, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- With fullback Austin Johnson nursing a knee injury, the Saints auditioned fellow FBs Michael Zordich and Ray Agnew, per Caplan (on Twitter). New Orleans also tried out ex-Washington safety Bacarri Rambo, who started three games last season, tweets Caplan. Wilson passes along a few more names (on Twitter), noting that the club brought in defensive backs Malcolm Bronson, Stan McKay, and Brandon Taylor, and running back Toben Opurum.
- The Lions worked out cornerbacks Trevin Wade and Robert Steeples, says Wilson (Twitter link). The duo worked out for the Panthers a few weeks ago.
- The Buccaneers auditioned linebacker Jeremy Grable, per Wilson (via Twitter). Grable was on Tampa Bay’s roster over the summer.
- Offensive lineman Maurice Hurt is one of 15 players whom Washington is trying out today, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter). We should learn the names of the other participants shortly.
North Notes: Peterson, Little, Browns
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has officially accepted a no-contest plea, meaning he’ll be placed on probation, will pay a $4K fine, and will be subject to 80 hours of community service. It also means that the legal process for his case has concluded, so the Vikings and the NFL will have to decide on the next step for the embattled running back.
The NFL doesn’t seem to be rushing a decision, with spokesman Greg Aiello telling Pro Football Talk today that the league will review the court documents and can’t speculate on a timetable for a ruling. Still, that decision should come by next week, when the Vikings return from their Week 10 bye. As ESPN’s Ed Werder observes, the NFLPA “expects that the league will punish Peterson as it would any other player determined to be guilty of a misdemeanor,” which suggests the Vikings star could be back on the field sooner rather than later.
As we wait to see how the Peterson situation plays out, let’s check in on a few more items out of the league’s two North divisions….
- For their part, Peterson’s Vikings teammates sound ready to welcome him back with open arms, as Ben Goessling of ESPN.com details.
- Wide receiver Greg Little, who was cut by the Browns earlier this year after an up-and-down three years with the team, is looking forward to facing his old team as a member of the Bengals this week, as he tells Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I was coming in to a new coaching staff I was growing towards and they were looking at me to come in and play well,” said the former second-round pick, discussing the end of his time in Cleveland. “I had a great relationship with them and the front office decided to go in another direction. Hopefully I’ll make them pay.”
- Asked today by reporters about the possibility of re-signing Josh Cribbs as a return man, Browns GM Ray Farmer didn’t express any interest in the idea, suggesting the team didn’t want to cut anyone on the current roster for a player whose value is exclusively linked to kick and punt returns (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer).
- Maggie Hendricks of USA Today identifies the Bears and Lions as a couple clubs that should have some interest in rookie defensive end Michael Sam, who has been a free agent since being dropped from Dallas’ practice squad.
Bears Place Lamarr Houston On IR
A week after a sack celebration gone wrong resulted in a torn ACL, defensive end Lamarr Houston has been placed on injured reserve by the Bears, the club announced today (Twitter link). The Bears have promoted defensive end David Bass from their practice squad to replace Houston the 53-man roster, signing tackle Jason Weaver to fill the newly-opened spot on the taxi squad.
Houston, one of the offseason’s most notable free agent signees, is in the first season of a five-year pact with the Bears, and has a sizable chunk of guaranteed money owed to him for next season, so he’ll be back with Chicago in 2015. Still, it was a disappointing first year in Chicago for Houston, who was brought in to help replace departing defensive end Julius Peppers — the sack Houston was celebrating when he tore his ACL was only his first of the season.
Only three Bears defensive ends – Houston, Jared Allen, and Willie Young – had logged more than eight defensive snaps this season. Allen and Young figure to continue seeing plenty of action, particularly as pass rushers, but Bass and fellow reserves Cornelius Washington and Trevor Scott could have their roles expanded in Houston’s absence.
NFC Notes: Romo, Bears, Barron, Rams
With teams around the league preparing for Week 9’s slate of Sunday games, let’s check in on a few Saturday links from across the NFC….
- Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has two transverse process fractures in his back, reports David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). Romo’s status for the next two games is questionable, but with two other QBs – Brandon Weeden and David Vaughan – already on the 53-man roster, the team shouldn’t have to make any moves even if Romo sits.
- The Bears will get receiver Marquess Wilson back from a broken collarbone he suffered in early August, potentially as early as November 9th against the Packers, writes Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Santonio Holmes and Josh Morgan have combined for only 12 catches and fewer than 100 yards filling in for Wilson. However, Wilson only had two catches in 10 games in 2013, so his return alone won’t guarantee an improvement on offense.
- In his weekly notes piece at NFL.com, Albert Breer of the NFL Network spoke to a Rams source about the team’s decision to acquire safety Mark Barron from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline. “We thought he was a good system fit,” the source said. “And he’s just 25, so there’s plenty of room for growth.” Breer also points out that, considering the Rams already have the league’s youngest roster, it doesn’t necessarily need to keep adding a ton of the young middle-of-the-roster talent that fourth- and sixth-round picks usually become.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
NFC Mailbags: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Olsen
It’s Saturday morning, and that means a fresh batch of NFL mailbags from ESPN.com’s writers. Let’s start off the weekend with some interesting notes out of the NFC…
- Michael C. Wright thinks that the Bears may not be enamored with the 2015 contracts of Shea McClellin and Lance Briggs. Briggs’ injury history and McClellin’s inflated salary could make both of the linebackers release candidates.
- Rob Demovsky opines that the Packers should focus on their biggest need (inside linebacker) in the upcoming draft.
- Meanwhile, Ben Goessling believes that the Vikings should focus on middle linebacker and safety in the draft. The writer also points to wide receiver and offensive line as areas of need.
- When asked about Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula‘s job security, David Newton doesn’t give a definitive answer. However, he does question some of Shula’s play-calling, particularly his misuse of Greg Olsen.
Bears Chairman Discusses Slow Start
Appearing on Comcast SportsNet’s “Bears Huddle” on Wednesday, Bears chairman George H. McCaskey addressed the team’s underwhelming first half, which sees the club sitting at 3-5, several games back of the Lions and Packers. According to McCarskey, he’s “very disappointed” about how the season has gone so far, but is hopeful that a turnaround is on the horizon, as Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com details.
“Bears fans and everybody in the building was expecting this team to contend for a Super Bowl and now we’ve dug ourselves a little bit of a hole,” McCaskey said. “But I think every team faces some adversity at some point in the season and the measure of the team is how they react to that adversity. So we’ll see what these guys are made of. We have every confidence in Phil and Marc and the players to pull us out of this.”
Although it’s not unusual for high-ranking team executives to express disappointment over poor results and optimism about the future, McCaskey’s comments are somewhat notable for their mention of GM Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman. As Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com observes (via Twitter), McCaskey’s vote of confidence for Emery and Trestman seems unsolicited and somewhat premature.
At this point, McCaskey’s comments should simply be taken at face value, since it’s unlikely that either Emery, who has been the team’s GM since January 2012, or Trestman, hired in 2013, are on any sort of hot seat just yet. But if the Bears continue to struggle in the second half, it may be a situation worth keeping an eye on as the 2015 season approaches. The team hasn’t earned a playoff berth since the 2010 campaign, and Emery’s massive investment in Jay Cutler is the kind of move that could eventually cost him his job if the Bears don’t become a legit contender with Cutler at the helm.
Monday Roundup: Cutler, Trades, Landry
Our Zach Links wrote earlier that Bears GM Phil Emery is not currently thinking about parting ways with head coach Marc Trestman, and Emery and Trestman both reaffirmed their support for embattled quarterback Jay Cutler one day after Chicago’s embarrassing Week 8 loss to the Patriots. As Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com writes, Emery and Trestman remain committed to Cutler, attempting to accentuate the positives in their signal caller’s performances while acknowledging the struggles.
Emery claimed that his club’s decision to stick with Cutler has nothing to do with Cutler’s salary, but ESPN’s John Clayton is understandably skeptical. In his “Clayton Minute” video segment, Clayton says that, given the Bear’s $18MM annual commitment to Cutler, Chicago simply has no other choice than to hope that Cutler can right the ship.
- Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times writes that Emery has been approached with “two or three interesting” trade proposals, but nothing that helps the Bears win in 2014. As Emery stated that the team is far from giving up hope on this season.
- Derek Carr is showing tremendous promise and the Browns have to be second-guessing their decision to target Johnny Manziel in the draft instead of him, writes Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer.
- Browns head coach Mike Pettine says that the team’s phones are ringing but cautions that the deadline brings few trades in comparison to the amount of talk that happens, tweets Nate Urlich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.
- Citing ESPN’s Adam Schefter, CSNBaltimore.com staff reports that the league has levied a $1.4MM salary cap charge on the Ravens as a result of Ray Rice‘s grievance against the club. According to Schefter, it is normal practice for the NFL to make such a move when a grievance is pending. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun writes that the cap charge reduces the Ravens’ cap room to about $4.1MM. Baltimore may need to utilize some of that room, as star cornerback Jimmy Smith is expected to miss “a few weeks” with a left foot sprain, according to Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com.
- Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt said that his club is unlikely to make any more trades,according to Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com (via Twitter).
- The Colts are in no hurry to bring back LaRon Landry after his four-game PED suspension, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com looks at how Jon Beason‘s salary, and the Giants‘ salary cap, will be affected by Beason’s season-ending injury.
Zach Links contributed to this post