Bengals To Sign Greg Little
5:12pm: In related moves, the Bengals have waived wide receiver Cobi Hamilton and placed LB Rey Maualuga on the active/NFI list, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets.
4:18pm: Greg Little has signed a one year deal with the Bengals, a source tells Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). The wide receiver will provide depth for Cincinnati after James Wright was waived.
Little, who played three seasons for the Browns, spent most of last season with Cincinnati. However, the former second-round pick was cut by the Bengals back in February. Now, he has circled back after a season in which he had just six catches on 12 targets, for a total of 69 yards.
Little hauled in 61 passes for 709 receiving yards in his rookie season, but has seen his totals in both categories decline in each year since then. In 2013, he grabbed just 41 passes for 465 yards, leading to his release by the Browns. The Raiders claimed Little off waivers at that point, but also cut him later in the offseason.
Free Agent Rumors: Bengals, Cherilus, Long
The Bengals are considering adding a veteran receiver to compete in training camp for a roster spot and playing time, and they worked out a couple interesting names today, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). Getlin reports that, in addition to Greg Little, Santonio Holmes and David Nelson also auditioned for Cincinnati. Holmes, a longtime Jet, played for the Bears in 2014, while Nelson has accumulated 138 receptions in five seasons with the Bills and Jets. So far, none of the three wideouts have signed with the Bengals.
Here are a few other notes, rumors, and updates on free agency around the NFL:
- Having visited the Bills and Lions, offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus headed home today without a deal in place, and will assess his options, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. If Cherilus is deciding between Buffalo and Detroit and doesn’t plan on making any more visits, I’d expect him to sign soon.
- Another veteran offensive lineman who made some visits this week also remains on the market, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, who writes that Jake Long‘s meeting with the Broncos ended without the club signing the former No. 1 pick. Long is also said to be drawing interest from the Falcons and Giants.
- The Cowboys have been linked to free agent running backs most of the offseason, but executive VP Stephen Jones says the team doesn’t have any plans to bring in another one at this point. The team will, however, add a couple linebackers, according to Jones (Twitter link via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
- Free agent cornerback Josh Victorian, who last played a regular season game for Houston in 2013, tried out for the Titans, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link).
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/15
Here are today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL…
AFC:
- The Browns have re-signed undrafted rookie defensive back Landon Feichter, as Nate Ulrich of the Beacon-Journal writes. The 5’11”, 201-pound Feichter originally signed with the Browns on May 11 after participating in the team’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. He was waived on June 22. Feichter appeared in 45 games as a safety at Purdue University and tallied 234 career tackles, 10 interceptions and eight passes defensed.
- The Steelers have removed linebacker Shawn Lemon from their roster, waiving him from the PUP list and signing defensive back Jordan Sullen to take his place, tweets PR man Burt Lauten.
- The Ravens have waived undrafted rookie wide receiver Cam Worthy and signed Tom Nelson, who is converting from safety to wide receiver, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Colts have signed cornerback Raymon Taylor, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Taylor played collegiately at Michigan.
- The Chiefs have parted ways with running back Cyrus Gray, who finished last season on the team’s injured reserve list, tweets Wilson.
- The Dolphins have signed defensive tackle Calvin Barnett, wide receiver Kai De La Cruz, offensive tackle Chris Martin, and waived defensive lineman Ellis McCarthy, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).
- Fullback James Develin, who received an exclusive rights qualifying offer from the Patriots way back in March, has finally signed it today, according to Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).
- After clearing waivers, wide receiver James Wright has been placed on the IR by the Bengals, tweets Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
NFC:
- The Falcons have signed offensive lineman Demarcus Love, bringing the roster up to 90 players, the team announced today in a press release. Love, who finished last season on the Broncos’ practice squad, worked out for the Browns yesterday, and inked a two-year deal with Atlanta, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
- The Buccaneers, entering the day with one open roster spot, created two more openings by cutting defensive backs Deshazor Everett and Derrick Wells, according to a team release. To get back up to 90 players, the Bucs added rookie defensive backs Jude Adjei-Barimah and Al-Hajj Shabazz and free agent safety Kimario McFadden, who spent time on the Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Carolina practice squads in 2014
- The Bears announced that guard Chad Hamilton, who missed a lot of time in the spring, is retiring from football, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Hamilton has been placed on the reserve/retired list.
- The Saints have signed long snapper Chris Highland, according to Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune (on Twitter).
- Having cleared waivers, Cameron Lawrence, and offensive lineman Ryan Miller have been placed on the Cowboys‘ injured reserve list, per Wilson (Twitter link).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
AFC Notes: S. Smith, Weddle, Bengals, Pats
While some players like the idea of going out on top, veteran receiver Steve Smith thinks he might continue playing even if the Ravens win the Super Bowl this season, per Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com.
“You still have the same bills, the same issues, you’re the same person,” Smith said, joking, “You don’t all of a sudden get free cable for life because you’ve won a Super Bowl.”
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- As expected, Chargers safety Eric Weddle doesn’t have a new contract in place as San Diego’s training camp gets underway, so expect him to play out the 2015 season with an eye toward free agency in the winter, says Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- With James Wright done for the year, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com expects the Bengals to add one more receiver via free agency. Harvey ran down some notable names that are still available, including Reggie Wayne, Wes Welker, James Jones, and Dane Sanzenbacher. Greg Little, who will audition with the team this week, earned an honorable mention on his list.
- Cornerback Tarell Brown got a one-year, $1.5MM deal from the Patriots, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets. Brown will receive a $100K bonus if he makes the team in Week 1, to go along with a $400K signing bonus and a $1MM base salary.
- There was some confusion this week when the Dolphins re-signed quarterback Josh Freeman just four days after cutting him. However, as Field Yates of ESPN.com explains (via Twitter), Freeman’s new contract includes a split salary, which would allow the team to save money if the signal-caller gets hurt and lands on injured reserve.
- After meeting with San Diego officials earlier this week to discuss the stadium situation there, NFL executive Eric Grubman was in East Bay today to talk about the Raiders‘ stadium progress, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/15
Today’s minor moves and signings..
- The Bills cut Deon Broomfield from injured reserve, Wilson tweets.
- The Browns announced that they have signed offensive lineman Erle Ladson while waiving defensive back Micah Pellerin, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets.
- The Panthers waived running back Darrin Reaves, who saw a good amount of playing time last season as the Panthers had issues with their backfield, ESPN.com’s David Newton writes. Meanwhile, Carolina inked tackles Tony Hills and Davonte Wallace.
Earlier Updates:
- Bengals wide receiver James Wright has been released with a waived/injured designation, according to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com (on Twitter). If he isn’t claimed tomorrow, he’ll be placed on the Bengals’ IR for the season.
- The Cowboys released running back Ryan Williams, linebacker Cameron Lawrence, and offensive lineman Ryan Miller while signing running back Gus Johnson, offensive lineman Ronald Patrick, and linebacker Justin Anderson, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Cardinals placed wide receiver Damond Powell on the reserve/NFI list, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets. The move creates a place for tight end Jermaine Gresham on the 90-man roster.
- The Jets announced that they have released kicker Andrew Furney. That move will create room for the addition of wide receiver Austin Hill, who was picked up yesterday. Furney was signed by the Jets last offseason as an undrafted free agent out of Washington State to compete with Nick Folk during the ’14 training camp. He signed a reserve/future contract to return to the Jets last Dec. 30.
- The Bears signed defensive lineman David Carter to a one-year deal, Adam Jahns of the Chicago Tribune tweets. To make room, linebacker Jonathan Brown has been waived.
WR Rumors: Hilton, Jones, Green, Hunter
Earlier today, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported that some executives around the league believe that the price tag on Andrew Luck‘s eventual extension could make it tricky for the Colts to commit $12MM or so annually to T.Y. Hilton as well. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), however, the team is currently engaged in extension discussions with the wideout.
Agent Drew Rosenhaus told Cole that the Colts and Hilton are unlikely to reach any sort of agreement before training camp begins, but Cole appears confident that the two sides could work something out within the next several weeks. He also adds that Hilton is expected to seek upwards of $14MM annually on a new deal.
Hilton is a very productive player, but he’s not the sort of prototypical No. 1 receiver that guys like Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas are, so I’d be pretty shocked if the Colts inked him to an extension in that neighborhood. If the two sides do get something done before the season begins, something closer to Randall Cobb‘s four-year, $40MM pact makes more sense to me.
Here are a few more notes on wide receivers from around the league:
- Those Bryant and Thomas contracts figure to have more of an impact on A.J. Green and Julio Jones. According to Cole (video link), the Bengals‘ and Falcons‘ stars will look to exceed the $14MM average salaries landed by Bryant and Thomas, and get something in the neighborhood of $15MM per year. Both Green and Jones have missed time with injuries, but that’s not expected to be a huge roadblock in either contract negotiation, says Cole.
- Justin Hunter‘s arrest is currently “under review” by the NFL, writes Terry McCormick of 247Sports.com. It will likely be some time before the NFL announces any discipline for the Titans receiver, who was charged with felonious assault for allegedly breaking a man’s jaw in a bar fight.
- In search of some wide receiver depth, the Jets worked out former second-round pick Greg Little, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Little, who played three seasons for the Browns, spent most of last season with Cincinnati.
La Canfora On WR Extensions, Colts, JPP, Jets
After addressing a few burning questions on DeflateGate, the Marcus Mariota contract negotiations, and Junior Galette‘s release, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com takes a look around the rest of the NFL, passing along several noteworthy tidbits from all over the league. Let’s dive right in and check out a few of the highlights from La Canfora’s newest piece…
- La Canfora expects both Julio Jones and A.J. Green to sign new deals before the 2015 season begins, and estimates that both deals will fall in the range of $13MM per year. I’m guessing that figure takes into account their current $10.176MM salaries for 2015, so the annual average of the new money would be closer to the $14MM per year that Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas received.
- Several executives around the league believe that Andrew Luck‘s price tag may end up being so high that it puts the Colts in a bind with T.Y. Hilton. La Canfora thinks Hilton’s extension could come in at close to $12MM per year, and some observers aren’t convinced Indianapolis would go that high.
- Jason Pierre-Paul and the Giants will likely come to terms on a one-year contract agreement that features per-game roster bonuses, says La Canfora, adding that New York also hopes to get something out of Will Beatty in the season’s second half.
- La Canfora suggests that Muhammad Wilkerson and the Jets should consider working out a short-term extension – perhaps for two or three years – that gives the standout defensive lineman a nice chunk of guaranteed money and buys the team some time to make long-term decisions on Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams. Wilkerson would be “very open” to the idea, per La Canfora.
- Some team executives around the league raised an eyebrow at the Steelers‘ big-money extension for Cameron Heyward. However, Pittsburgh likes Heyward more than a lot of clubs do and was willing to take a “calculated gamble” on his upside, writes La Canfora.
AFC North Notes: Rice, Green, Beachum
Tony Porter and Ted Bunch – the co-founders of a national organization that encourages men to end violence against women – are among those advocating that former Ravens running back Ray Rice get a second chance in the NFL, writes Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
“We have been around a lot of abusive men, but our experience with Ray has been tremendously positive,” Porter said. “We feel strongly about him having the opportunity of having a second chance. He’s deserving of it.”
While we wait to see if an NFL team takes a flier on Rice this summer, let’s check in on some others notes from out of the AFC North….
- We heard yesterday that the Bengals would like to get a new deal done with A.J. Green in 2015, and Coley Harvey of ESPN.com confirms, via a source, that the team is “happy to have that discussion now” with the star wideout. However, the club isn’t sure whether Green wants to get something done right away, or if he prefers to wait until after the season.
- On the same day the Steelers extended general manager Kevin Colbert through 2018, we heard that the team had also begun discussing a new deal with left tackle Kelvin Beachum. Beachum tells Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he isn’t concerned about his contract situation, suggesting that he’ll “let the business people take care of the business stuff.” As Fittipaldo observes, if the Steelers decide to extend Beachum and guard David DeCastro, the club would likely have the most expensive offensive line in the NFL.
- After signing a new four-year extension with the Steelers this offseason, Ben Roethlisberger may be playing on his final NFL contract, but he’s not ready to consider his long-term future or his legacy quite yet, says Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I treat my legacy the same way [as] when people ask me how much longer I am going to play,” Roethlisberger said. “Do I think about stats and Hall of Fame? No, because that is thinking about the end. If I think about the future, then I am cheating about right now.”
Bengals Want A.J. Green Deal Done In 2015
Less than two weeks ago, Bengals receiver A.J. Green told Coley Harvey of ESPN.com that he expected to play out the 2015 season on his current contract, and likely wouldn’t discuss a new deal with the Bengals until at least 2016. However, as of late, Green has sounded a little more optimistic, telling Fox10 that he expects the team to get something done at some point.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Green’s increased optimism regarding a new contract likely stems from the fact that the Bengals have told him he’s their top priority. Rapoport suggests that the club wants to get Green locked up this year, rather than letting the situation drag out.
When Green made his comments earlier this month, Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas remained unsigned, and it wasn’t clear if either of the franchised wideouts would ink a long-term deal this year. Now that both players are under contract on similar five-year, $70MM extensions, there’s an obvious point of reference for Green and the Bengals, which has perhaps increased the club’s motivation to work something out.
Cincinnati will have a number of players eligible for unrestricted free agency next winter, including both of their starting offensive tackles – Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith – along with defensive backs Leon Hall and Reggie Nelson. Signing Green to an extension now would give the Bengals a better idea of how much cap flexibility it has for those other potential free agents when the time comes.
North Notes: Peterson, Bengals, Tucker
In the wake of Adrian Peterson‘s new deal with the Vikings yesterday, Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports took an in-depth look at Peterson’s offseason. According to Robinson, before the Vikings running back rejoined the team and got his new contract, he thought at length about a trade, retirement, and even the possibility of returning to his sprinting roots and making a run at the 2016 Olympics. That last idea may have been more of a dream than a plausible alternative, but it’s a moot point now, as Peterson ultimately decided to return to the Vikings for at least the 2015 season.
Of course, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman ensured that returning to Minnesota was the most viable solution for Peterson, with sources telling Robinson that Spielman “never wavered” on his stance to hang on to the former MVP. While Spielman’s position may have been a result of a lack of legit trade offers for Peterson, Robinson says that some inside the franchise believe that even a massive offer wouldn’t have made the GM change his mind.
Let’s check in on a few more items from out of the NFL’s two North divisions….
- Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter) feels that the Bengals failed to address their tight end depth this offseason. While Tyler Kroft could be capable of producing in 2015, it’s hard to count on a rookie to contribute right out of the gate. The lack of depth for the Bengals puts added pressure of Tyler Eifert to give the Bengals a full, healthy season, something he hasn’t been able to do so far, Dehner tweets.
- Now that Stephen Gostkowski has received a long-term deal from the Patriots, it should just be a matter of time before the Ravens and Justin Tucker work out a similar deal, writes Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll happen soon though, as Hensley observes, noting that the franchise tag is a possibility for the Baltimore kicker in 2016, if he has yet to sign an extension by March.
- The Packers opened up their own books this week and that info revealed that NFL teams each received $226.4MM from the NFL as part of revenue sharing from the 2014 fiscal year, Darren Rovell of ESPN.com writes. The total surpassed $7.2 billion and comes mostly from the league’s television deals.
- Earlier today, we continued our Offseason in Review series with an examination of the Bears‘ moves over the last few months.
Zach Links contributed to this post.