Minor NFL Transactions: 12/16/15
Let’s round up Wednesday’s minor 53-man roster moves from around the NFL:
- To make room for Mostert (see below), the Browns waived wideout Darius Jennings, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. The writer expects Jennings to return to the team’s practice squad.
- After having claimed Davis (see below), the Colts released linebacker Edwin Jackson, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- Following a busy day of transactions, the Patriots signed defensive lineman Ishmaa’ily Kitchen (via Wilson on Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- The Colts have filled the 53rd spot on their roster by claiming safety and special-teamer Akeem Davis off waivers from the Seahawks (Twitter link via Kevin Bowen of Colts.com).
- The Dolphins have elevated quarterback Logan Thomas from their practice squad to their active roster, cutting veteran offensive lineman Jeff Linkenbach to accommodate the move, the team announced today (via Twitter). Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the move was motivated by a desire to protect Thomas from the Bengals, who attempted to sign him off Miami’s practice squad.
- The Bengals have officially announced a move that was reported yesterday, confirming (via Twitter) that they’ve promoted quarterback Keith Wenning from their practice squad. Wenning will provide some insurance at the position while Andy Dalton remains on the shelf.
- Former Colts cornerback Tony Carter is signing with the Saints, tweets Rand Getlin of the NFL Network. Meanwhile, Kristian Garic of WWL 870AM reports (via Twitter) that running back and kick returner Marcus Murphy will be placed on IR by New Orleans due to an ankle injury, so that may be the corresponding move for Carter’s signing.
- A day after he was cut by the Ravens, RB/KR Raheem Mostert has been claimed off waivers by the division-rival Browns, according to agent Brett Tessler (via Twitter). It’s been an eventful season for Mostert, who was signed by the Dolphins off the Eagles’ practice squad, then claimed off waivers from Miami by Baltimore.
- The Titans have officially placed injured running back Dexter McCluster on IR, using the open roster spot to sign safety Josh Aubrey from their practice squad, tweets Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com.
- The Chargers have filled their two open roster spots by bringing back a pair of familiar faces, re-signing safety Adrian Phillips and quarterback Brad Sorensen, according to a team release.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/16/15
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL, with the latest moves added to the list throughout the day:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: G Eric Herman (Twitter link via team)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: WR Michael Bennett (Twitter link via team)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB LaDarius Perkins (press release via team), LB Amarlo Herrera (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
New England Patriots
- Signed: LB Kevin Snyder (link via Dan Duggan of NJ.com)
- Cut: WR Austin Hill, DT Kelcy Quarles (Twitter link via Doug Kyed of NESN.com)
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Shane Wynn (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Mike Lee (Twitter link via team)
- Cut: S Craig Bills (failed physical)
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: S Matt Daniels, CB Keith Lewis (press release via team)
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR B.J. Daniels, DT Justin Hamilton (Twitter links via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Nick Harwell, QB Mike Kafka (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com)
Washington
- Signed: TE Ray Hamilton (Twitter link via Mike Jones of The Washington Post)
QB Rumors: Luck, Hoyer, Dalton, Cousins
The race for the AFC South title will take another interesting twist this week, as the starting quarterbacks for the division’s top teams have both been ruled out for Week 15. The Texans announced today that Brian Hoyer won’t play due to a concussion, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle details, while Colts head coach Chuck Pagano told reporters that Andrew Luck won’t play, though Matt Hasselbeck should (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
The two current leaders in the AFC South are, of course, scheduled to play each other this Sunday, so one of the two 6-7 clubs will almost certainly get back to .500. But they’ll have to attempt to do so without their starting QBs.
Here are a few more updates on quarterback situations around the NFL:
- Bengals players expect quarterback Andy Dalton to be sidelined for about four to six weeks, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. If he can heal quickly and return in four weeks, that would put Dalton on track to potentially start a game on Wild Card weekend for Cincinnati.
- With Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins nearing the end of his rookie contract, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes a look at what a contract extension for Cousins might look like. As Corry observes, a Nick Foles-type deal could work for both sides, but Cousins should be in no rush to sign an extension if he finishes the season strong, since making Washington have to consider using its franchise tag would give him plenty of leverage.
- Cousins is one of a handful of potential free agent quarterbacks that Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks discuss in a piece for NFL.com, and the duo agrees that Washington should do all it can to hang onto the fourth-year signal-caller. Jeremiah and Brooks also examine Eagles QB Sam Bradford, Blaine Gabbert of the 49ers, and Broncos QB Brock Osweiler, among others.
- Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Jay Cutler are among the players whose teams – the Saints, Broncos, and Bears respectively – will face some tough cap decisions this offseason, writes Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Each case is a little different, but restructured contracts, trades, or cuts could be in play, as Robinson details.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/15/15
Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Dolphins announced (Twitter link) that they have claimed defensive end Damontre Moore off waivers from the Giants. To make room, center/guard Jacques McClendon has been waived.
- The Bengals are expected to promote practice squad quarterback Keith Wenning to the 53-man roster as a backup to A.J. McCarron, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter).
- The Bears announced (via Twitter) that they have promoted rookie linebacker John Timu from the taxi squad while waiving veteran defensive lineman Ziggy Hood.
- The Seahawks waived receiver B.J. Daniels and safety Akeem Davis while activating linebacker Brock Coyle from IR, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes.
- Adrian Phillips will be promoted off of the Chargers‘ practice squad and on to the 53-man roster, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego writes.
- The Saints waived veteran defensive end Phillip Hunt on Tuesday, as Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune writes.
- The Raiders have signed long snapper Thomas Gafford, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). In a related move, long snapper Jon Condo has been placed on IR.
- The Bengals (on Twitter) announced that they have waived linebacker Chris Carter.
- Tight end Chase Coffman has re-signed with the Seahawks, a source tells Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter).
- Washington announced the signing of veteran tight end Alex Smith (not to be confused with the quarterback of the same name). Smith, 33, is an 11-year veteran who has had previous stints in the NFL with the Bucs, Pats, Eagles, Browns, and Saints. In other roster moves Tuesday, the team waived safety Trenton Robinson from IR with an injury settlement.
- The Cowboys have released cornerback Tyler Patmon, according to a source who spoke with Charean Williams of The Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Terrance Mitchell will now be called up from the taxi squad and given an opportunity to play at nickel.
- The Rams waived kicker Zach Hocker and signed defensive tackle Louis Trinca-Pasat from the taxi squad, Howard Balzer of USA Today tweets.
AFC Notes: Manning, Tannehill, McCarron, Pats
Thanks to unimpressive showings over the last two weeks, including in Sunday’s 15-12 loss to Oakland, Brock Osweiler‘s hold on the Broncos’ starting quarterback job looks tenuous. Furthering the possibility of an eventual switch back to Peyton Manning is that head coach Gary Kubiak was reluctant Monday to name a starter for this Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh. Kubiak had announced Osweiler as the starter the previous four Mondays, and as Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today writes, he could be leaving open the possibility of Manning returning to practice this week and ultimately reclaiming the job.
Manning has been out since mid-November with a plantar fascia injury, but he is making progress in his recovery, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
More from the AFC:
- Since 2012, the Dolphins have invested a top 10 pick, a contract worth up to $96MM and 60 starts in quarterback Ryan Tannehill. However, they still don’t know whether he’s their solution under center, according to James Walker of ESPN. With Miami likely to bring in a new coaching staff and install a new offensive scheme during the offseason, Walker believes Tannehill needs to finish strong this year to impress the oncoming regime and avoid having to deal with competition for his job as early as next season. Walker does note, though, that Tannehill will likely to get one to two more seasons to prove to the Dolphins whether he’s their answer at QB.
- Even though Pro Bowl-caliber starting quarterback Andy Dalton is potentially out for the season, Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson isn’t going to stop relying on the team’s passing game down the stretch. On A.J. McCarron, who will fill in for Dalton, Jackson said (via Jim Owczarski of Cincinnati.com), “We pay him to win games. So whatever it takes for him to win, that’s what he’s going to do. If you guys think he’s going to turn around and hand it off 70 times to win a game, then you guys are mistaken.”
- Patriots linebacker Jonathan Freeny dislocated his right thumb and part of his wrist in the team’s 27-6 win over Houston on Sunday, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports. The Pats hope to have Freeny back by year’s end, per Reiss.
Bengals’ Andy Dalton Does Not Need Surgery
The Bengals got a bit of good news on Monday afternoon. Quarterback Andy Dalton does not need surgery on his thumb, a club source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Whether or not he returns at this point will depend on how quickly he heals. Had he went under the knife, Dalton likely would have been finished for the 2015 regular season and the postseason.
Though the Bengals essentially have a playoff berth (and probably, the AFC North) locked up, Dalton’s injury is a massive blow to their chances of receiving a first-round postseason bye. As it stands now, Dalton is hopeful for a Week 17 return, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), but nothing is certain given the nature of the injury. Dalton, coach Marvin Lewis, and the rest of the Bengals have suffered first-round exits in each of the last four playoffs, so a bye — and home-field advantage for much or all of the tournament — would be a big help. Dalton will assuredly miss next week’s contest against the 49ers, and even in a best case scenario, he’ll likely miss the following week’s game against Denver. If Dalton does return in Week 17, he’ll have a somewhat cushy against division foe Baltimore.
As it stands, second-year quarterback A.J. McCarron, Cincinnati’s fifth-round pick in last year’s draft, is expected to take over at QB while Dalton heals up. The 25-year-old did not play or practice last season, having been relegated to the non-football injury list all year. Until this week, McCarron had seen just three snaps in relief of Dalton. Against the Steelers on Sunday, McCarron completed 22 of 32 attempts for 280 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Luckily for McCarron, the Bengals have plenty of weapons to utilize. The club ranks first in offensive DVOA, and while much of that ranking can be attributed to Dalton posting the best season of his career, Cincinnati’s offense includes A.J. Green, Marvin Jones, Tyler Eifert, Jeremy Hill, and Gio Bernard. One issue, however, is that Eifert left Sunday’s game with a concussion, so his status for next week could also be in doubt.
Bengals Eyeing Ryan Mallett, Christian Ponder
In the wake of Andy Dalton‘s broken right thumb – widely thought to be a season-ender – the Bengals are considering their options at quarterback. The Bengals have reached out to both Ryan Mallett and Christian Ponder as they look for QB support, a league source told PFT.
At present, A.J. McCarron is the only other quarterback on the active roster and therefore is slated to take over as the starter. The Bengals also have Keith Wenning on the taxi squad and he seems like a candidate for promotion, but one that would be largely unproven should the injury bug bite McCarron. Last year’s No. 2 QB Jason Campbell could, theoretically, also get a call, but he has made it clear that he is staying retired.
Dalton will assuredly miss next week’s contest against the 49ers, and even in a best case scenario, he’ll likely miss the following week’s game against Denver. That contest, which had always loomed large on the schedule, has taken on extra importance as both clubs vie for those top two seeds. If Dalton misses the remainder of the regular season, he’ll also be be out for Cincinnati’s final regular season game against division foe Baltimore.
The man tasked with guiding the Bengals through that gauntlet in the absence of Dalton will be McCarron, Cincinnati’s fifth-round pick in last year’s draft. The 25-year-old didn’t play a single snap last season (and notably, was unable to even practice, having been relegated to the non-football injury list all year), and until this week, had seen just three snaps in relief of Dalton. Against the Steelers today, McCarron completed 22 of 32 attempts for 280 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
AFC Notes: Parker, Osemele, Bengals, Bills
Continuing a trend that the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero’s observed throughout this decade, a disconnect between the Dolphins‘ front office and coaching staff’s formed based on the usage of the team’s draft picks.
This season, Miami’s front office wanted first-round pick DeVante Parker to play more often than he did prior to becoming a regular down the stretch, Salguero reports.
Previous philosophical differences involved 2013 first-rounder Dion Jordan and 2013 fourth-round selection Dion Sims, whom then-GM Jeff Ireland wanted Joe Philbin to play more than he was, with a similar disconnect occurring two years prior in the form of Tony Sparano and Ireland disagreeing on which players the team would cut prior to the start of the 2011 season.
Such disharmony has been new to the Dolphins, with previous coaches Don Shula, Jimmy Johnson or Nick Saban having full decision-making autonomy. Salguero adds that new personnel man Mike Tannenbaum did not escalate this push for Parker to see the field sooner as Ireland did with Sparano and Philbin regarding former prospects.
Let’s look at some more AFC items as Week 14 shifts into its night-game sector.
- Kelechi Osemele ventured back to tackle Sunday in place of the underwhelming James Hurst and wants to stay there, Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun reports. Osemele, who began his career at the Ravens‘ right tackle before becoming one of the NFL’s premier left guards over the past two-plus seasons, moved to left tackle in a Ravens effort to increase their line’s overall talent level. This is significant because the former second-round pick will be one of the top offensive linemen available in free agency if he does not reach an accord with the Ravens before the new league year begins. The former Iowa State cog started 38 games at left tackle for the Cyclones. Osemele expressed desire to be Baltimore’s left tackle of the future. “I sure hope so,” Osemele told media about a desire to stay on the edge. “I would definitely love to be the guy for the Ravens into the future, as long as I can keep performing at a high level.” Baltimore placed high-priced, but injury-prone left tackle Eugene Monroe on IR on Saturday. Signed to a five-year, $37.5MM contract in 2014, Monroe has $6.6MM worth of dead money left on his deal.
- If Andy Dalton misses the rest of the season as he’s expected to, it will cost him a chance at a $5MM escalator in his contract, according to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry (on Twitter). The Bengals‘ starting quarterback needs to play at least 80% of the snaps, which he’s done for four straight seasons, to earn this bonus.
- Conversely, Michael Crabtree‘s enjoying a better week financially. The Raiders‘ newly extended wideout earned an additional $400K by catching four passes Sunday, ESPN.com’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter), giving him 70 for the season.
- An unpenalized threat resided at the root of the Bengals-Steelers pregame fight, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. After Vontaze Burfict‘s tackle of Le’Veon Bell resulted in the star Pittsburgh runner’s season-ending knee injury in the teams’ previous meeting, Steelers linebacker Vince Williams sent out a tweet that Burfict and other Bengals regarded as a death threat, Florio writes. Burfict confronted Williams, who previously deleted the tweet and apologized, before the game and took action because the NFL didn’t, Andrew Whitworth told PFT. Florio writes that Williams’ social media threat violates the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.
- The 15 penalties whistled against the Bills in their loss to the Eagles riled up the coaching staff to the point that one of them can be heard screaming at the officials while walking to the locker room that the 15 infractions — for 101 yards — were a “disgrace to the NFL,” Joe Buscaglia of WKBW reports (on Twitter). Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk points out Bills first-year defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman as the likely culprit.
Andy Dalton’s Season In Jeopardy
6:18pm: Updating his earlier report, Holtzman tweets a return by the playoffs represents Dalton’s best-case scenario, according to multiple team sources who still tell the ESPN.com reporter the injury is probably season-ending.
4:36pm: While there isn’t yet certainty about Dalton’s injury, the “feeling in the [Cincinnati] locker room is that it’s likely a season-ender,” tweets Bob Holtzman of ESPN.com.
4:18pm: The Bengals’ excellent start to the 2015 season was driven, in part, by an unprecedented streak of good luck when it came to injuries. That string of good fortune has ended, as Marvin Lewis confirmed to reporters, including Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network (Twitter link), that quarterback Andy Dalton suffered a fractured right thumb during today’s loss to the Steelers. It sounds like the Cincinnati staff is still gathering information on the injury, but Lewis did say Dalton will be “out for a bit.”
Lewis didn’t get into any more specifics on the projected length of Dalton’s absence, but he did say that Dalton won’t necessarily miss the remainder of the season (Twitter link via Kinkhabwala). Dalton himself told the Bengals radio network that he’ll see a surgeon tomorrow for a consultation, per John Kryk of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link), at which point the club will likely learn more about the exact nature — and timetable — of the injury.
Though the Bengals essentially have a playoff berth (and probably, the AFC North) locked up, Dalton’s injury is a massive blow to their chances of receiving a first-round postseason bye. Infamously, Dalton, Lewis, and the rest of the Bengals have suffered first-round exits in each of the last four playoffs, so a bye — and home-field advantage for much or all of the tournament — would have been a big help. However, Cincinnati is now probably looking at the No. 3 seed, as the Broncos and Patriots look like the favorites for byes.
Dalton will assuredly miss next week’s contest against the 49ers, and even in a best case scenario, he’ll likely miss the following week’s game against Denver. That contest, which had always loomed large on the schedule, has taken on extra importance as both clubs vie for those top two seeds. If Dalton misses the remainder of the regular season, he’ll also be be out for Cincinnati’s final regular season game against division foe Baltimore.
The man tasked with guiding the Bengals through that gauntlet in the absence of Dalton will be second-year quarterback A.J. McCarron, Cincinnati’s fifth-round pick in last year’s draft. The 25-year-old didn’t play a single snap last season (and notably, was unable to even practice, having been relegated to the non-football injury list all year), and until this week, had seen just three snaps in relief of Dalton. Against the Steelers today, McCarron completed 22 of 32 attempts for 280 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Luckily, the Bengals have plenty of weapons for McCarron to work with as he steps into the starting role. The club ranks first in offensive DVOA, and while much of that ranking can be attributed to Dalton posting the best season of his career, Cincinnati does possess an offense chock full of talent, and A.J. Green, Marvin Jones, Tyler Eifert, Jeremy Hill, and Gio Bernard will all be expected to pick up the slack in the absence of Dalton. One issue, however, is that Eifert also left today’s game with a concussion, so his status for next week could also be in doubt.
The Bengals had only been carrying two quarterbacks on the active roster, so they’ll need to make a move to bring in a backup to serve behind McCarron. Keith Wenning, currently on Cincinnati’s practice squad, is the most obvious candidate to move into thar role, but it’s always possible that the club goes the free agent route.
AFC North Notes: Whitner, Pryor, Ravens, Bengals
Between a league-worst record and the mishandling of Johnny Manziel, Browns head coach Mike Pettine is definitely a candidate to be replaced this offseason in Cleveland. At least one veteran doesn’t want to see that happen, in Donte Whitner, who believes the staff deserves another year to right the ship, writes Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.
“Sometimes it’s not greener on the other side. Sometimes you have to stick it out to get to where you want to get to,” Whitner said. “Who’s to say we couldn’t come out next season with the same coaching staff being in the third year in the system and run off a streak like the Carolina Panthers?”
Here are some more notes from around the AFC North:
- Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor will make his first appearance this season at wide receiver for the Browns this Sunday against the 49ers, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.“Terrelle looks good, I don’t know if he’s ready to take on a full role, but there’s a chance that there will be some involvement in the plan there,” said Pettine. “He’s just got to play (to get some experience). The credit to him, he came back in great shape, came back in really, really good shape and retained a lot of what we’re doing. You say, ‘Hey, it’s going to be sooner than later.’ More than likely, it’s going to be sooner.”
- Matt Schaub hasn’t been ruled out of the Ravens’ game against the Seahawks this weekend, but signs are pointing to him not being able to play, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The team has already promoted quarterback Bryn Renner to the active roster, and Jimmy Clausen is expected to start.
- The Bengals will leave cornerback Adam Jones inactive this week, according to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). The corners on the roster will be Leon Hall, Josh Shaw, Dre Kirkpatrick, and Troy Hill this week.