Jets Notes: Holmes, Amaro, Vick
Bears wideout Santonio Holmes will be making his return to New York this weekend, but it won’t be your typical homecoming. The former Jets standout told Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he hasn’t heard from one of his former teammates this week, so he won’t be shaking any of their hands following the game.
Members of the Jets organization understand where Holmes is coming from. In fact, defensive coordinator Dennis Thuman expects the player to be angry.
“He probably has a little revenge on his mind,” Thuman said (via Brian Lewis of the New York Post). “We know who he is and what they’re going to come and try to do. [But] we can’t get caught up in the one-on-one part of it.”
Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is also aware of Holmes’ extra motivation:
“He doesn’t need to say much. We know what happened with him there and how important this game is to him,” said Cutler. “At the same token, it’s another game for us, and we can’t get wrapped up in that.
“He hasn’t said anything to ruffle anybody’s feathers yet [in Chicago]. He has been in early, he stays late. He has had to catch up with everybody else in learning this offense, and I thought he has done an incredible job. He communicated with me of what he likes, what he doesn’t like. He gets in games and he just does exactly what we want him to do.’’
Let’s see what else is going on in the Big Apple…
- Rookie tight end Jace Amaro has only played 30 percent of his team’s snaps, and ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini speculates that the lack of use could be because Amaro doesn’t have a solid grasp on the offense. Cimini also suggest that offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg could still be trying to distinguish the rookie’s “niche.”
- Cimini believes the team’s two best trade options are quarterback Michael Vick and nose tackle Damon Harrison.
- When asked about the prospect of acquiring a cornerback, Cimini says the Jets would need to give up a “premium” draft pick.
- According to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com, a pair of Jets were fined for unnecessary roughness in their loss to the Packers: Muhammad Wilkerson ($20K) and Sheldon Richardson ($8,268).
Minor Moves: Friday
Here are Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, including teams adjustments to the backs of their 53-man rosters and to their practice squads:
- The Giants have waived offensive lineman Eric Herman, tweets Jordan Ranaan of NJ.com. Herman was reinstated from suspension this week, with the team receiving a two-day roster exemption for him. The Giants have elected to cut him rather than place him on the 53-man roster, but if he clears waivers, he’s a candidate for the practice squad.
- The Lions are set to promote defensive back Mohammed Seisay from their practice squad to their active roster, says Justin Rogers of MLive.com (via Twitter). The club will have to remove a player from its 53-man roster to make it official though, so the move hasn’t yet been finalized. According to Rogers (via Twitter), the team is still mulling that corresponding move, with the IR a possibility for a couple players.
- Linebacker Terrell Manning has joined the Bears‘ practice squad, replacing wide receiver Greg Herd on the unit, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
- The Rams have signed cornerback Jemea Thomas to their practice squad, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). To make room, wide receiver and returner Justin Veltung has been cut by the club (Twitter link).
- Defensive end Shelby Harris has rejoined the Raiders‘ practice squad after clearing waivers, tweets Bill Williamson of ESPN.com. The team will have to cut a player to open up a spot for Harris.
NFC Notes: Hester, Sproles, Graham, Bears
Devin Hester was one of many Falcons to reach the end zone last night, scoring on a record-setting punt return and a running play. However, it’s his role as a wide receiver that has him more happy with the Falcons than he was in his last few seasons with the Bears.
“I wasn’t happy the last three or four years in Chicago because things wasn’t going the way I expect,” Hester said yesterday, according to Adam Hoge of WGN Radio (Twitter link). “I would always have a great camp, have all the receivers saying and coaches saying I had the best camp of all the receivers. And once the season start off, I’m not there.”
As Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets, there were a few teams eyeing Hester in free agency that felt the veteran wasn’t worth the $10MM contract he signed with Atlanta, but it’s looking like a good investment for the Falcons so far. Here’s more from around the NFC:
- So far, the deal that saw Darren Sproles land with Philadelphia in exchange for a fifth-round pick looks like a steal for the Eagles, and the veteran running back is happy with his situation. As he told reporters on Thursday, including Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com, Sproles wasn’t initially informed of his impending release by the Saints, but when it turned out that the Eagles were one of a handful of teams interested in trading for him, he told his agent to “make that happen.” Per Sproles, five teams explored acquiring him, and the Eagles were one of the three with serious interest.
- Within the same piece, McManus takes a look at the unusual case of Eagles linebacker Brandon Graham, who has a chance to make $2.5MM in not likely to be earned incentives, but will need to see a few more snaps to have a chance at that money.
- The Bears worked out a long list of free agents this week, and Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com passes along the names in a pair of tweets: Blake Annen (TE), Derek Cox (CB), Brandon Ghee (CB), Mike Harris (CB), Lavelle Hawkins (WR), Kendall James (CB), Derrick Martin (S), David Paulson (TE), Brad Sorensen (QB), Jordan Sullen (CB), Asa Watson (TE), Damian Williams (WR), and Kyle Williams (WR).
- Linebacker Jamar Chaney tried out for the Saints this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). We heard yesterday that New Orleans also took a look at veteran linebacker Pat Angerer.
Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday
In addition to today’s transactions involving 53-man rosters, several teams are also shuffling players on and off their practice squads. Here’s the latest news:
- The Bears have filled the three openings on their practice squad by signing tight end Blake Annen, cornerback Jordan Sullen, and wide receiver Chris Williams, the team announced today (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- Having been cut by the Raiders earlier this week, linebacker Bojay Filimoeatu has cleared waivers and rejoined the club’s practice squad, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). With the re-addition of Filimoeatu, the team is now back up to a full 10-man squad.
- After clearing waivers, defensive tackle Matt Conrath has made the move from the Rams‘ 53-man roster back to their practice squad, says Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
- The Dolphins have signed cornerback Rod Sweeting to their practice squad, releasing linebacker Terrell Manning from the unit to clear a spot for the new addition, tweets Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday
We’ll round up Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts right here, with the latest news added to the top of the list throughout the day….
- The Chiefs have signed fullback Jordan Campbell and tight end Justin Jones to the practice squad, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). To make room, they have released cornerback Robert Steeples.
- The Cowboys announced (via Twitter) that they have released cornerback Jemea Thomas from the p-squad and re-signed fullback Nikita Whitlock.
- Running back Edwin Baker has replaced cornerback Trevin Wade on the Saints‘ practice squad, tweets Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
- Defensive end James Davidson, who was in camp with the Bengals, is set to fill the 10th and final spot on the Giants‘ practice squad, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- The Rams have removed linebacker Kevin Reddick from their practice squad, says Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
- The Chiefs have cut tight end Adam Schiltz from their practice squad, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- Besides confirming the previously reported re-signing of linebacker Darius Fleming to their practice squad, the Patriots also announced several more moves today. Offensive lineman Caylin Hauptmann and defensive lineman Kona Schwenke are now part of the club’s 10-man unit, while defensive lineman Cam Henderson and running back Marcus Thigpen have been cut.
- The Browns have signed linebacker Allen Bradford to their practice squad, cutting wideout Ifeanyi Momah, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- Safety Josh Aubrey has taken the place of wide receiver Travis Labhart on the Texans‘ practice squad, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link).
- The Redskins announced today (via Twitter) they’ve signed defensive lineman Hebron Fangupo to their practice squad, cutting another defensive lineman, Dennis Hopkins, to clear an opening.
- Defensive tackle Roy Philon has re-signed with the Bears‘ practice squad, leaving the team with three openings on the taxi squad, the team confirmed (via Twitter).
- The Panthers have signed former Redskins’ sixth-round running back Lache Seastrunk to their practice squad, the team announced today (Twitter link).
- Offensive lineman Emmett Cleary has joined the Bengals‘ practice squad, replacing tight end Ryan Otten on the unit, according to the club (via Twitter).
- The Colts have swapped one guard for another on their practice squad, dropping Josh Walker and signing David Arkin, the team announced in a press release.
- After promoting tight end Marcel Jensen to their 53-man roster, the Jaguars have filled the 10th and final spot on their practice squad by adding offensive tackle Cody Booth, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
- Fullback Zach Line, waived from the 53-man roster over the weekend, has joined the Vikings‘ practice squad, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
- The 49ers made several changes to their practice squad last night. In addition to confirming the signing of tight end Xavier Grimble, which was previously reported, the club also signed cornerback Leon McFadden, dropping linebacker Shayne Skov and defensive back Chance Casey to make room, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).
Minor Moves: Tuesday
We’ve devoted one Tuesday post to the practice squad shuffling being done by teams today, but many clubs around the league are also tweaking their 53-man rosters. We’ll round up a handful of those transactions right here, with new moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Cardinals have cut linebacker Marcus Benard, a source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Benard was added to the roster last week when John Abraham left the team, so Abraham will assume his old roster spot now that he’s returning to the club.
- The Cardinals have also signed outside linebacker Victor Butler and cut punter Drew Butler, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter).
- Linebacker Ricky Sapp has replaced fellow linebacker Jason Ankrah on the Texans‘ 53-man roster, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- In addition to the moves noted below, the Bears have also promoted defensive back Isaiah Frey to their active roster from their practice squad, and cut running back Shaun Draughn, as well as tight end Matthew Mulligan (Twitter link). The series of transactions leaves the club with 52 players on its roster.
- Former Vikings linebacker and special-teamer Larry Dean has signed with the Bills, the team announced today in a press release. To make room for Dean, Buffalo placed safety Jonathan Meeks on injured reserve with a neck injury.
- A week after placing tight end Tyler Eifert on IR with the designation to return, the Bengals have placed another tight end on injured reserve, and Alex Smith won’t be eligible to return the season (Twitter link). The team also announced that tight end Kevin Brock has been signed to take Smith’s roster spot.
- The Bears have promoted practice-squad wideout Rashad Ross to the 53-man roster, cutting receiver and returner Chris Williams to clear room, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
- Linebacker Dan Fox is set to be called up to the Giants‘ active roster from their practice squad, tweets Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News, suggesting that placing Jon Beason on injured reserve may end up being the corresponding move.
- The Colts announced in a press release that they’ve signed defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles off the Patriots‘ practice squad, waiving running back Dion Lewis to create roster space.
Not “End Of The Road” For Charles Tillman
Charles Tillman suffered a triceps injury in the Sunday Night Football matchup with the 49ers, which forced the Bears to place him on the injured reserve list, ending his 2014 campaign early. The injury is the same one that forced him to miss the second half of the 2013 season.
Tillman is among the best corners in the team’s history. However, at 34 years old there has been much speculation as to how much longer Tillman can play, writes Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.
“I appreciate the kind words of encouragement and support from all the Bears fans who have reached out to me,” said Tillman. “I know this feeling way too well, but this isn’t the end of the road for me.”
Jahns notes that whether or not Tillman continues his career with the Bears next year, his presence has been felt. He is the franchise leader in defensive touchdowns, interceptions returned for touchdowns, and third in interceptions.
Tillman was playing 2014 out on a one-year deal, worth $3.25MM. He’ll earn a little less than that amount for the season, since a portion was tied up in per-game roster bonuses.
“As I rehab my injury, my role will transition to helping coach and support my teammates” said Tillman. “I will be at Halas Hall and do everything I can to help our team reach its goals.”
Minor Moves: Monday
We’ll round up Monday’s minor transactions right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Two days after promoting him to their 53-man roster, the Lions have waived safety Nate Ness, says Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Ness was placed back on the practice squad this evening, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter).
- The Bears announced that they have signed sixth-round rookie quarterback David Fales to their practice squad and re-signed fullback Tony Fiammetta to the active roster, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter).
- The 49ers are set to sign Xavier Grimble to their practice squad, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
- The Buccaneers have finalized a little roster shuffling, promoting linebacker Brandon Magee to their 53-man roster and signing linebacker Ka’Lial Glaud to take his place on the practice squad. To create an opening for Magee, the club has waived-injured cornerback Rashaan Melvin (Twitter link via Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com).
- Defensive tackle Matt Conrath has been cut by the Rams, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). No corresponding move has been reported yet, but the team could be opening up a roster spot for wideout Stedman Bailey, who appears poised to be reinstated.
- Bengals cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris, who is returning from a suspension this week, has joined the team’s roster, tweets Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. Cincinnati gets a two-day exemption for Lewis-Harris, though by our count the club had an opening on its 53-man roster anyway.
- Linebacker Darius Fleming (Patriots) and defensive end Chris Smith (Jaguars) have passed through waivers and re-signed with their respective clubs’ practice squads, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald and Caplan, respectively (Twitter links).
- The Giants have removed defensive end Jordan Stanton from their practice squad, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- The Ravens have signed cornerback Lou Young to fill the 10th and final spot on their practice squad, according to a team release.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Bears To Place Charles Tillman On IR
The Bears looked impressive last night in San Francisco, fighting back for a road win against a Niners team that led by 13 points after three quarters. However, the Bears certainly didn’t leave the Bay Area entirely healthy. According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the club intends to place veteran defensive back Charles Tillman on season-ending injured reserve with a triceps injury.
Tillman, 33, has been with the Bears since he was selected by the team in the second round of the 2003 draft, and has long been a disruptive force in the team’s secondary. Tillman has grabbed at least three interceptions and forced at least three fumbles in eight of his last nine seasons, and is a year removed from forcing an incredible 10 fumbles in 2012. Still, he was limited to just eight games in 2013 due to a triceps injury that’s apparently similar to the one he suffered last night.
Because he re-signed with the Bears in the offseason on a one-year contract, Tillman figures to hit free agency next March. Heading into this age-34 season, he may be hard-pressed to find a starting role after sustaining back-to-back season-ending injuries.
The Bears will have an open spot on their 53-man roster to fill when they formally place Tillman on IR.
Major Injuries: Week 2
Here at Pro Football Rumors, we tend to stay away from injury news and report instead on issues concerning player movement, transactions, etc. However, when there is a major injury to a star player, the potential roster impacts of such an injury are readily apparent. As such, we will update this post with those injuries from Week 2 that could significantly alter a team’s personnel decisions going forward.
- Chiefs‘ star players Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry were both ruled out of today’s 24-17 loss to the Broncos (via Twitter). Head coach Andy Reid said both players had suffered ankle injuries, reports Field Yates of ESPN (via Twitter). Charles will have an MRI tomorrow to test the seriousness of his injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Earlier, we saw that Bengals‘ receiver A.J. Green went down with a toe injury. Green said after the game that his toe is not broken and that he hopes to play next week, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter). Pro Football Talk reports that a league source believes Green should Dr. Anderson in Charlotte to rule out a Lisfranc injury (via Twitter).
- Chargers‘ running back Ryan Mathews suffered a sprained MCL in the team’s impressive 30-21 victory over the Seahawks, reports Michael Gehlken of the U-T San Diego. He will undergo further tests to see the extent of the injury.
- The Rams‘ versatile playmaker Tavon Austin exited today’s 19-17 win over the Buccaneers with a knee injury, reports Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter). The extend of the injury is unknown, and Austin will have more tests tomorrow.
- Buccaneers‘ defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was also injured in that game, reportedly breaking his hand, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). It has yet to be determined whether or not McCoy will be able to play through the injury.
- Bears‘ star cornerback Charles Tillman left the Sunday Night Football game with a triceps injury, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune notes that it was a right biceps injury just like this one that forced Tillman to miss a huge chunk of the 2013 campaign (via Twitter).
- Giants‘ cornerback Walter Thurmond suffered what is thought to be a strained pectoral muscle in the team’s 25-14 loss to the Cardinals, reports Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Post (via Twitter). He will receive an MRI tomorrow to confirm.
- Another key piece to the Giants‘ defense, Jon Beason, suffered a toe injury, according to Vacchiano (via Twitter). Vacchiano notes that the team is worried considering a toe injury on the same foot caused him to miss nearly the entire offseason.
Earlier Updates
- Dolphins RB Knowshon Moreno has suffered a dislocated elbow and is expected to miss four to eight weeks, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
- We learned earlier today that Griffin suffered a dislocated ankle and could miss the remainder of the season, depending on the severity of the injury.
- Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III suffered an injury to his left ankle, and Washington receiver DeSean Jackson injured his shoulder in today’s game against the Jaguars. The team announced (Twitter links) that neither player will return to the game.
- Meanwhile, Bengals receiver A.J. Green suffered a toe injury in today’s game against the Falcons and will not return, tweets Coley Harvey of ESPN.com.