HEADLINES

Christian Thompson

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Redskins, Eagles

April 9th, 2014 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

Let’s check in on the NFC East, where we have Wednesday morning updates on three of the division’s four teams….

  • The Rams are said to be considering the possibility of trading the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, but don’t count the Cowboys among the interested teams, says Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com. According to Watkins, while the Cowboys would be open to moving up for the right player, jumping from 16th to second overall is probably too big a leap.
  • Former Ravens fourth-round pick Christian Thompson will work out for the Redskins today, reports Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times. The 23-year-old safety, who was suspended for the first four games of 2013 for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy, didn’t see any regular-season action last season and was released by Baltimore in October.
  • Given how many snaps DeMeco Ryans played last season for the Eagles, the team may look to reduce his workload a little in 2014 by drafting an inside linebacker who excels in pass coverage, suggests Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com.
  • Rich Hofmann of the Philadelphia Daily News examines three issues facing the Eagles‘ offense now that DeSean Jackson is no longer in the mix.

NFC Notes: 49ers, Boldin, Pettigrew, Bears

February 18th, 2014 at 7:52pm CST by Matt Feminis

Yesterday morning, there was news of the 49ers and free agent receiver Anquan Boldin working on a long-term deal, but tonight, Pro Football Talk says not so fast. A source tells PFT no negotiations have taken place, though both sides are expected to talk at the Combine. Additionally, Boldin is the team’s top priority by virtue of him being on the verge of hitting the open market, but quarterback Colin Kaepernick and head coach Jim Harbaugh could also receive extensions this year.

Other NFC notes:

  • Brandon Pettigrew is the only reasonable candidate for the Lions franchise tag, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, but he says the team is unlikely to use the tag, probably for reasons explained by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Both writers seem to agree that Pettigrew is not worth the money given his inconsistency, injuries and inability to stretch the field. Furthermore, the team is sitting with just about $3MM in cap space.
  • There’s a good chance Bears running back Michael Bush will be a cap casualty, according to Dan Pompei. Bush is signed for two more years with cap hits of $3.85MM in 2014 and $4.6MM in 2015, but has been very average as Matt Forte‘s backup.
  • Former Ravens safety Christian Thompson worked out for the Bears, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). A good-sized, athletic prospect who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 draft, Thompson was released by the Ravens last season after he served a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.
  • The 49ers need a speedy receiver to compliment Michael Crabtree (and maybe Boldin) if they are to have more success against the big, physical Seahawks secondary, says Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.