NFC North Rumors: Bears, Reynaud, Lions
With the draft rapidly approaching, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune looks at the wide receivers the Bears might target. With wide receiver being a position of moderate need, Thompson suggests they could look at South Carolina’s Bruce Ellington, Saginaw Valley State’s Jeff Janis, and others.
- Kick returner/running back Darius Reynaud worked out for the Bears yesterday, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Reynaud, 29, could be brought in to fill the sizable shoes of Devin Hester as a return man. Last season, the veteran spent time with the Titans and Jets.
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) has the goods on George Johnson‘s one-year deal with the Lions. The defensive end gets $730K with no guaranteed money. He’ll have a $570K cap number thanks to the minimum salary benefit.
- The Lions hosted former BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy on a pre-draft visit today, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Van Noy, who has gotten first-round and second-round grades from analysts, has also met with the Ravens, Jaguars, and Falcons.
Pauline’s Latest: Dolphins, Donald, Latimer
In past years, we’d be gearing up for the NFL draft to begin in a matter of hours, but with this year’s event pushed back into May, we still have two more weeks of build-up until the big night. Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net is helping to bridge that gap by continuing to pass along noteworthy tidbits on this year’s prospects. Here’s the latest from Pauline, with these notes coming from his latest blog entries unless otherwise indicated:
- The Dolphins like offensive lineman Zack Martin, but don’t expect him to be available when they pick in the first round. Sources tell Pauline that Miami could end up trading down and targeting a player like Nevada’s Joel Bitonio — Alabama’s Cyrus Kouandjio isn’t expected to be a first-round option for the club. Bitonio, meanwhile, is also drawing interest from the Panthers and Buccaneers.
- Pittsburgh defensive lineman Aaron Donald figures to come off the board somewhere between picks No. 6 and 16, according to Pauline, who identifies the Falcons (6th), Giants (12th), Bears (14th), and Cowboys (16th) as potential landing spots.
- At least 23 teams will travel to Bloomington, Indiana tomorrow for Cody Latimer‘s on-campus workout. Pauline hears that the receiver is one of the draft’s fastest risers, and even has a shot to be selected in the first round.
- Fresno State wideout Davante Adams is working out with the Panthers for a second time. Adams has also visited the Lions, Chargers, and Falcons, and worked out for the Titans.
- The Colts brought in Wisconsin safety Dez Southward for a pre-draft visit, according to Pauline.
- The Steelers, Colts, and Eagles are displaying the most interest in Oregon defensive end Taylor Hart.
- Wake Forest linebacker Justin Jackson is paying a visit to the Chiefs today, Pauline reports in a tweet.
- The Jets have reps at Clemson today to work out quarterback Tajh Boyd, running back Roderick McDowell, and linebacker Quandon Christian, tweets Pauline.
- Pauline also reports (via Twitter) that the Packers, Patriots, and Chiefs are at Mississippi State today to work out quarterback Tyler Russell and safety Nickoe Whitley.
Recent Signings Facing Former Teams In 2014
The 2014 NFL schedule has been released, and it gives us an interesting chance to see some players face their former teammates for the first time. Some of these players were traded or otherwise unwanted by their former teams, and others spurned their hometown fans for greener pastures elsewhere. In all cases, there are some fans or players who must be licking their chops to finally treat these players in their new colors as enemies for the first time.
The following players will get the chance to play against their former teams in 2014:
- Matt Schaub will either get a chance to show up his replacement in Week 2, or possibly hope to avoid getting tormented by Jadeveon Clowney when the Texans visit the Raiders on September 14th (4:25 EST, CBS).
- DeSean Jackson would love a chance to show the world the Eagles made a mistake, and he will return to Philadelphia for Week 3 on September 21st (1:00 EST, FOX). Jackson will get a second chance on Saturday, December 20th (4:30 EST, NFL Network/CBS).
- Branden Albert got see Tamba Hali and Justin Houston in practice for years. He will get them in a game for the first time when the Dolphins host the Chiefs on September 21st (4:25 EST, CBS).
- Julius Peppers can wreak some havoc in a new system in his former stadium when the Packers visit the Bears on September 28th (1:00 EST, FOX). Peppers will get a second chance in Green Bay on November 9th in primetime (8:30 EST, NBC).
- Steve Smith told the fans to “Put your goggles on cause there’s going to be blood and guts everywhere,” when he signed with the Ravens. Well have your goggles ready for Week 4, when the Ravens host the Panthers on September 28th (1:00 EST, CBS).
- Alex Smith didn’t get to see Jim Harbaugh last year, but will finally get his shot to go after his former coach when the Chiefs travel to face the 49ers on October 5th (1:00 EST, CBS).
- Eric Decker will get to watch Peyton Manning and the Broncos’ offense churn on without him when the Broncos play the Jets at MetLife Stadium on October 12th (1:00 EST, CBS).
- Brandon Spikes will have to be prepared for the Patriots after a contentious offseason, as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have been known to pick on players before. The Bills host the Patriots on October 12th (1:00 EST, CBS) and travel to New England on December 28th (1:00 EST, CBS).
- Darrelle Revis will get to feast on a passing offense that struggled in 2013, and will likely invite Eric Decker to Revis Island when the Patriots host the Jets on Thursday Night Football on October 16th (8:25 EST, CBS/NFL Network). Revis will then get to return to a stadium filled with jeering fans on December 21st (1:00 EST, CBS).
- Jared Veldheer seemingly couldn’t leave Oakland quick enough, and the Raiders will host his Cardinals on October 19th (4:25 EST, FOX).
- Jason Hatcher had a career season with the Cowboys in 2013, and now returns to a 3-4 defense hoping to build upon his great season against his former team when the Redskins head to Dallas for Monday Night Football on October 27th (8:30 EST, ESPN). His second meeting with the Cowboys will be in Week 17, when the Redskins host their rivals on December 28th (1:00 EST, FOX).
- Aqib Talib took the money to switch from the AFC runner up to the AFC champion, and he will take part in his third Brady-Manning matchup, his first as a Bronco, on November 2nd (4:25 EST, CBS).
- Hakeem Nicks looked like he hated playing with the Giants in 2013, and this is his chance at revenge after feeling mistreated by the Giants organization and fans when the Colts visit MetLife Stadium for Monday Night Football on November 3rd (8:30 EST, ESPN).
- Jared Allen gets to tee off against the Vikings offensive line he has been practicing against for the past six years, and for the first time since 2007 will finally get to share the field with Adrian Peterson on November 16th when the Bears host the Vikings (1:00 EST, FOX). Allen will head back to Minnesota on December 28th (1:00, FOX).
- Lovie Smith gets his shot to beat the team that fired him, and will bring former Bear Josh McCown with him to move the football against a no longer feared Bears defense on November 9th (1:00 EST, FOX).
- Mike Pettine left the Bills to coach the Browns, and will have to return to Buffalo on November 30th (1:00 EST, CBS).
- Michael Johnson left the Bengals to be the featured pass rusher for the Buccaneers, and he will get his chance to beat Andrew Whitworth and the Bengals offensive line to get a hit on Andy Dalton on November 30th (1:00 EST, CBS).
- Rodger Saffold can show the Raiders exactly how healthy he is after the team signed him to a huge money deal and subsequently failed him on his physical, voiding the deal. The Rams host the Raiders on November 30th (1:00 EST, CBS).
- Henry Melton got hurt after receiving the franchise tag by the Bears, and will get a chance to prove he is still an effective player when the Cowboys visit the Bears for Thursday Night Football on December 4th (8:25 EST, NFL Network).
- Chris Johnson will get to face the Titans for the first time, as he tries to show the team he still has some miles left on his tires when the Jets go to Tennessee on December 14th (4:05 EST, CBS).
Bears Sign Shaun Draughn
1:39pm: The team has officially announced its signing of Draughn, via Twitter.
1:14pm: The Bears are signing free agent running back Shaun Draughn, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, citing agent Sean Stellato. It’ll be a one-year contract for the former Chief and Raven.
Draughn saw his most significant NFL action in 2012 in Kansas City, accumulating 233 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 59 carries for the Chiefs. The 26-year-old also caught 24 balls out of the backfield for 158 yards and returned 23 kicks for the team that season. However, he didn’t play much of a role for the Ravens last year, and was cut by the club in October. Draughn caught on briefly with the Colts before hitting the free agent market again.
For the Bears, Draughn figures to be a depth piece with a chance to earn a spot on the roster.
NFC North Notes: Packers, Bears, Raiola
Rob Reischel of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ranks the Packers‘ positional needs on a scale of 1-10. The safety position tops the list as Green Bay has been searching for a solution there ever since losing Nick Collins to a career-ending neck injury in Week 2 of 2011. The Packers haven’t drafted a safety in the first round since 1993, but there’s a good chance they snap the streak this year. More from the NFC North:
- Many third-round picks in Packers franchise history have been major successes, writes Martin Hendricks of the Journal Sentinel. To give you an idea of how well Green Bay has done in the third round, tight end Jermichael Finley occupies the tenth spot on the top 10 list.
- The Bears have a big weapon in tight end Martellus Bennett, but GM Phil Emery could be looking for depth and a little competition in the upcoming draft. Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune looks at the tight ends Chicago could consider, even though the team’s need at the position is relatively low.
- The Bears probably aren’t going after defensive ends following their additions of Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston, and Willie Young, but, hey, you never know. Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com looks at some potential fits for Chicago on the bookends to help give them insurance in case of injury. Injuries ravaged the Bears in 2013, so they know the overall importance of depth.
- Longtime Lions center Dominic Raiola is okay with the Lions drafting his successor, writes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. The Lions have already met with USC’s Marcus Martin, widely considered the top center in the draft, as well as Colorado State’s Weston Richburg.
Draft Visits: Matthews, Colts, Aikens, Bills
The Texans continue to do their due diligence on every player near the top of the draft board, as they’re set to host Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews for a visit this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that the Texans’ myriad pre-draft visits with top prospects could be designed to keep teams guessing about which player Houston actually wants, laying the groundwork to potentially trade down from No. 1. Meanwhile, Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that Matthews will visit the Falcons before heading to Houston later in the week for his Texans visit.
Here are a few more miscellaneous draft notes, as we inch a little closer to May 8:
- After meeting with the Dolphins on Monday, Clemson wideout Martavis Bryant is visiting the Colts today, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Wilson also adds the Panthers and Steelers to the list of clubs that have hosted Bryant for visits so far.
- In a separate NFP report, Wilson provides an update on Liberty cornerback Walt Aikens, who is visiting the Colts, Packers, and Bengals this week. According to Wilson, in addition to previously reported visits and workouts, Aikens has also visited the Dolphins, Chiefs, and Buccaneers, and worked out for Cowboys and Jaguars.
- According to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago (via Twitter), the Bears traveled to Los Angeles late last month to conduct a private workout with UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr.
- The Bills hosted Texas A&M receiver Mike Evans, USC offensive lineman Marcus Martin and Georgia Southern running back Jerick McKinnon today, says Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
- Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton has visited with a long list of teams, including the Patriots, Cardinals, Rams, and Lions, tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan.
- Auburn cornerback Chris Davis worked out for the Falcons, Colts, and Patriots, among other clubs, according to Caplan (via Twitter).
Extra Points: Orton, Roos, Savage
Today marked the first day of voluntary offseason workouts for the Cowboys, and backup QB Kyle Orton was absent, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Given conflicting reports earlier this offseason concerning whether Orton wanted to retire from the game, Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com writes that it is a “strange absence.”
However, Watkins points to earlier statements made by Orton’s agent, David Dunn, who said retirement was not an option for his client. And, as Williams points out, these are voluntary workouts, and the Cowboys remain hopeful that Orton will return (Twitter link). Nonetheless, this will be an interesting story to keep an eye on in the coming days, much more interesting than most stories involving backup signal-callers.
Now for some some quick notes from around the league to close out the evening:
- In the midst of their respective legal concerns, 49ers stars Colin Kaepernick and Aldon Smith were present for the team’s first day of offseason workouts, according to Cam Inman of InsideBayArea.com.
- Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean tweets that there have been no extension talks between the Titans and LT Michael Roos, who is entering the final year of his contract.
- The Bears are open to drafting a QB that head coach Marc Trestman can groom behind Jay Cutler and current backup Jordan Palmer, writes Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net tweets that the Patriots are “very high” on Pittsburgh QB Tom Savage and that some refer to him as “Tom #2.”
Bears Sign Josh Morgan
The Bears have added another receiver to their current group, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed unrestricted free agent Josh Morgan to a one-year contract.
Morgan, 28, spent the first four seasons of his career with the 49ers before moving on to Washington and spending two years with the Redskins. Morgan had interest in re-signing with the club this offseason, but that interest wasn’t mutual, as we heard last month.
Although Morgan started 15 games and grabbed 48 balls during his first year with the Redskins, he played a reduced role last season, hauling in just 20 passes for 214 yards and zero touchdowns. In Chicago, he’ll fight for playing time with a number of other wideouts – including fellow 2014 signee Domenik Hixon – behind starters Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.
Draft Notes: Jets, RBs, Latimer, Donald
On this date in 1964, future NFL kicker John Carney was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Carney, a three-time All-Pro, would go on to play for eight teams, most notably the Chargers from 1990-2000. He played in four different decades, making him only the third player to do so (along with Jeff Feagles and George Blanda). Carney last played in 2010 with the Saints, the team with which he won a Super Bowl the prior season.
Carney, however, was undrafted, which differentiates him from the players discussed below in our latest edition of draft notes:
- We noted earlier today that the Jets will meet with a trio of receiver prospects, and Mike Garafolo of FoxSports.com adds (in a series of tweets) that two more pass-catchers will be visiting with the team tomorrow: Texas A&M’s Mike Evans and Murray State’s Walter Powell. Evans is highly unlikely to last until pick No. 18, so the Jets would have to trade up to acquire him. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News thinks (on Twitter) it would take a trade involving Jets’ top four picks to move ahead of the Buccaneers at No. 7, who are rumored to be interested in the young wideout.
- Late last month, PFR’s Rory Parks penned a piece discussing the degradation of the running back position in the modern NFL; today, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star takes a look at the same issue, and how it will affect the draft prospects of some collegiate RBs. For example, Arizona tailback Ka’Deem Carey said he was advised to leave school following his junior year: “They definitely were in my ear, saying you have a limited numbers of hits and running backs, you need to go while you have the chance,” said the 21-year-old.
- Within the same post, Paylor cites an interesting quote from NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who observes that the Patriots could be surprising come draft day: “…[T]he Patriots are always kind of one step ahead of the curve and trying to be creative,” said Jeremiah. “I wouldn’t be shocked if they just sit there and said, ‘OK, everybody else wants to pass on all these running backs ― Carlos Hyde is a really good player. LeGarrette Blount is not here anymore, we’re going to pluck him, and we’ve got ourselves a back of the future.’” The Patriots hold the 29th overall selection.
- In a Bears-centric post, the CSNChicago.com staff profiles Indiana receiver Cody Latimer, noting that while he may not be a fit in Chicago (what with the Bears’ depth at the position), the consensus among draftniks seems to be that Latimer lacks separation speed. Their fourth-to-fifth-round projection for Latimer is obviously outdated, however, as the wideout could possibly be a first-round-pick.
- Speaking of the Bears, they are listed along with the Texans among several teams that could look to draft a defensive tackle in the draft in a piece by Nate Davis of USA Today.
- In a separate piece, Davis adroitly profiles the top defensive tackles available in the draft, including Aaron Donald (“models his game after Bengals All-Pro Geno Atkins) and Timmy Jernigan (“lacks elite athleticism and size and probably is a bit short to play end for a 3-4 team”).
North Notes: Lions, Haden, Bears
Let’s round up a handful of Saturday afternoon updates out of the NFL’s two North divisions….
- The Lions, who have been eyeing draft prospects likely to be off the board by No. 10, will host another one this week, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, who says Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack will visit the club. When we asked earlier in the week about the likelihood of the Lions trading up, more than half of you expected the team to do so, though you were split on exactly how far up.
- According to Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the upcoming contract negotiations between the Browns and cornerback Joe Haden will be of particular interest to other teams and players around the NFL. If Haden gets less than $12MM per year, it will be harder for players like Richard Sherman and Patrick Peterson to make a case for more.
- Finding a safety next month in the draft looks like the Bears‘ top priority, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. It’s possible that one or both of the top safeties in this year’s class – Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Calvin Pryor – will still be on the board when Chicago picks 14th overall.