North Notes: Bears, Hoyer, Jones, Bell
Field Yates of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d) reflected on the offseason’s top value signings. Bears defensive end Willie Young, signed to a three-year, $9MM deal, tops the list. Young has seven sacks so far, more than he had during the first four years of his career combined. One NFL coach told Yates that he’s quite impressed with Young’s improvement from last season to this season. “If you look at him from the Lions, he was a straight-line, situational rusher,” he said of Young. “Now he is not a straight-line rusher. Now he uses his hands and feet and has become a skilled pass-rusher.” More out of the AFC and NFC North..
- While there’s been plenty of speculation about a potential contract extension for Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer, the team has displayed “zero” interest so far in negotiating a new deal for him, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Yesterday a foot specialist told Marvin Jones that he’ll require surgery on his balky ankle, which is why the Bengals decided to place the wideout on injured reserve, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
- Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell waived his right to a preliminary hearing on marijuana possession and and DUI charges, writes Joe Mandak of The Associated Press. That means the 22-year-old won’t contest that police have enough evidence for the chargets to go to court, where he will either plead to all or some of the chargers or stand trial.
- Terrelle Pryor worked out for the Bengals as a quarterback, so it would seem that he’s not entertaining a position change, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports.
- Sunday was a rough day for Vikings GM Rick Spielman‘s recent first-round picks, as Michael Rand of the Star-Tribune explains (video link).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Bengals Sign Nico Johnson
The Bengals announced (via Twitter) that they have signed linebacker Nico Johnson off of the Chiefs practice squad. Johnson will join the Bengals’ 53-man roster, filling the final vacancy.
Johnson, a 2013 fourth-round pick out of Alabama, didn’t make the Chiefs’ final cut down to 53 in late August. He hooked on with KC’s practice squad soon after but as he told Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star, he was surprised that he didn’t land on someone else’s active roster.
“I hate it happened, me being cut,” Johnson said. “But everything happens for a reason. I’ve had to take my game to another level on the practice squad, and coach says I’m getting better every day, so that’s all I can do, just get better at my craft and work on technique and those things.”
Johnson attributed part of his improvement this season to a weight cut which saw him trim down to around 245 pounds. In his four years at Alabama, Johnson totaled 163 tackles with 16.5 tackles for a loss.
Workout Notes: Tuesday Night
Luke Adams rounded up the latest auditions earlier today and we’ll keep track of the newest ones right here..
- The Dolphins auditioned tight end Ted Bolser, Balzer tweets.
- The Bengals auditioned safeties Chris Clemons, M.D. Jennings, and Shiloh Keo as well as wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today (on Twitter).
- The Dolphins took a look at a few free agent long snappers today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, who reports (via Twitter) that the club worked out Brandon Hartson, Kevin McDermott, and Patrick Scales. Miami long snapper John Denney was banged up in Sunday’s contest against the Packers, but didn’t have to leave the game, so this may just be precautionary.
- The Lions worked out a whole bunch of people today, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (via Twitter links) writes. The auditions included running backs Terrance Cobb, Ben Malena, and Jordan Lynch, wide receivers Patrick Edwards (signed), Skye Dawson, L’Damian Washington, and Erik Lora, nose tackle David Carter, and defensive end Roy Philon.
- The Vikings tried out veteran tight end Ben Hartsock, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Howard Balzer of USA Today (on Twitter) adds tight ends Michael Egnew, Matthew Mulligan, and Zach Potter to the list.
Bengals Sign Greg Little, Put Jones On IR
2:06pm: The Bengals have announced a series of roster moves, including the signing of Greg Little. According to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the club also moved Marvin Jones to injured reserve, cut linebacker Khairi Fortt, and signed wide receiver Cobi Hamilton to replace Colin Lockett on the practice squad.
1:19pm: The Bengals have made a move to help fortify their ailing receiving corps, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has signed free agent wideout Greg Little. Little had been on the open market since being waived by the Raiders during roster cutdowns at the end of August.
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, and no workouts have been reported for the 25-year-old since then.
For the Bengals, the move comes on the heels of A.J. Green missing Sunday’s game with a toe injury. While Green isn’t likely to miss an extended stretch of games, teammate Marvin Jones is also dealing with a health issue. Coley Harvey of ESPN.com indicated earlier today that Jones is heading to North Carolina to have his troublesome right ankle examined by a foot specialist.
Cincinnati will need to make a corresponding move to open up a spot for Little on the 53-man roster.
Workout Notes: Bengals, Titans, Giants
The Bengals signed one former Raider earlier today, reportedly adding wideout Greg Little to their roster. And according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), Cincinnati recently took a look at another ex-Raider as well, working out free agent quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Here are a few more notes on workouts, visits, and auditions from around the NFL:
- With Michael Roos out for the season, the Titans are working out veteran offensive lineman Winston Justice, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN (Twitter link). Since entering the league as a second-round draft pick in 2006, Justice has had some injury problems and provided inconsistent production, but he has also logged 43 starts, primarily at right tackle.
- As the Giants try to determine how to plug the hole left by Victor Cruz‘s season-ending patella tendon tear, the team is working out free agent wideout Kevin Ogletree, says Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (TwitLonger link). Ogletree had his best season in 2012 for one of the Giants’ divisional rivals, when he grabbed 32 balls and four touchdowns for the Cowboys.
- Cornerback Lavelle Westbrooks, who was drafted in the seventh round in May by the Bengals and was subsequently cut by the team, visited the Jaguars this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
- Josh Thomas was the first cornerback to sign with the Jets in the wake of Dee Milliner‘s season-ending injury, but the team has considered other options as well. Wilson tweets that Drayton Florence, Jacob Lacey, and R.J. Stanford all auditioned for the club.
- In addition to considering Justin Jones, whose workout with the team was previously reported, the Dolphins are also taking a look at tight end Jamie Childers, writes Wilson for the National Football Post.
- Wilson also reports (Twitter links) that several players visited and/or worked out for the Buccaneers this week. That list includes fullback Lonnie Pryor, defensive end George Uko, and defensive backs Brandon Burton, Richard Crawford, Isaiah Frey, and Trevin Wade.
AFC Notes: Burfict, Hoyer, Jets, Patriots
The NFL will review film of Sunday’s game between the Bengals and Panthers and look for evidence that Cincinnati linebacker Vontaze Burfict tried to intentionally injure Carolina players, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). As detailed by David Newton of ESPN.com earlier today, Panthers tight end Greg Olsen complained that Burfict is something of a head-hunter. “At some point, if the NFL wants to really say they care about guys’ safety, they’ve got to start putting guys out for weeks,” said Olsen. “Me and Cam (Newton) are lucky we aren’t out for weeks, or Kelvin (Benjamin) isn’t out for weeks. If you’re going to start putting guys on other teams out, then the ramifications need to equal that.” One play that will probably be analyzed can be viewed here. For his part, Burfict suffered another concussion on Sunday, so he will probably be out of action for some time, regardless of any disciplinary action.
Let’s close out the night with more from the AFC:
- In response to speculation that Brian Hoyer wouldn’t be interested in an extension with the Browns unless Johnny Manziel was no longer on the roster, Hoyer’s agent, Joe Linta, told Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald: “No talks at this time, and Johnny Manziel’s presence will have no impact on any talks that we might have.”
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap looks at some questions Jets owner Woody Johnson might be facing this offseason, including whether John Idzik and Rex Ryan are the right men for their respective jobs. It’s fair to assume something of an overhaul will occur in New York once the season concludes, and Fitzgerald’s piece raises some valid points.
- More Jets: In the wake of several injuries sustained in yesterday’s contest, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes Phillip Adams and Darrin Walls will act as Gang Green’s starting corners going forward, while Oday Aboushi will make his first career start in place of Brian Winters at left guard.
- Now that Stevan Ridley is out for the rest of the season, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe wonders (via Twitter) if Bill Belichick and the Patriots regret letting LeGarrette Blount walk in free agency. There’s obviously no way New England could have predicted the loss of Ridley, but Blount would fit in nicely as the power back in the Pats’ offense right now.
- Despite investing nearly $30MM in their O-line this season, the Titans are in the middle of the pack in rushing and are 29th in sacks per pass play, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. While those are simple measures, they show that the Titans are getting the worst bang for their buck on the offensive line in the NFL. The Titans last two first-round picks (Taylor Lewan and Chance Warmack) were offensive linemen and Andy Levitre and Michael Oher were signed to significant free agent deals.
- As our Luke Adams recently noted, Raiders cornerback D.J. Hayden is among the players on IR-DTR who can resume practicing this week. Per Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link), that’s the plan with Hayden, as Oakland head coach Tony Sparano says all systems are go for the second-year player.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
AFC North Notes: Browns, Hoyer, Zuttah, Green
The AFC North was just one of several divisions that saw a star player go down in Week 6, as Browns center Alex Mack suffered a broken fibula and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. Let’s take a look at more out of Cleveland and the rest of the division, which as Bill Barnwell of Grantland writes, has the best record in out-of-division contests so far in 2014:
- We learned earlier today that usual right guard John Greco will slide over to man center for the Browns in Mack’s absence, but as Tony Grossi of ESPN.com writes, his shift will create a void at RG. Paul McQuistan played there on Sunday, but Cleveland might prefer to leave him in his reserve, swing tackle role. Head coach Mike Pettine allowed that second-year lineman Vinston Painter is a candidate to start at right guard.
- In a video for Bleacher Report, Jason Cole speculates that Brian Hoyer may not want to sign an extension with the Browns unless Johnny Manziel is no longer on the team. Cleveland could opt to place the franchise tag on Hoyer in 2015, says Cole, and look to rid themselves of Manziel, presumably through trade.
- Ravens center Jeremy Zuttah played for the Buccaneers for six years before he was traded to Baltimore during the offseason, and he admits that playing against his former team on Sunday brought up some complicated emotions. “There was a time when I was bitter,” Zuttah told Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. “Once I got to Baltimore, that was out the window. I’m just happy to be a part of this organization.”
- A.J. Green was inactive for the Bengals yesterday while dealing with a toe injury, but head coach Marvin Lewis isn’t ruling out Green returning for next week’s game against the Colts, according to Richard Skinner of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Meanwhile, fellow receiver Marvin Jones still hasn’t shown any progress while attempting to recover from an ankle ailment.
Injury Updates: Sunday
While we don’t cover every injury here at Pro Football Rumors, we will keep track of injuries to key players that could force teams to make important roster moves. We’ll update the following list throughout the day:
- Giants nickel back Trumaine McBride told reporters tonight, including Kieran Darcy of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link), that he has a dislocated thumb, which figures to sideline him for multiple weeks.
- Eagles running back Darren Sproles left tonight’s game against the Giants with a knee injury, and as Doug Farrar of SI.com tweets, NBC’s Michele Tafoya reported that the tests adminstered to Sproles’ MCL and ACL by the team left the running back “pretty unhappy.” We should have a clearer idea of the prognosis for Sproles on Monday.
Earlier updates:
- The Jets fear that starting right guard Brian Winters will be sidelined for the season with a torn ACL, a sources tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). The team will conduct tests tomorrow morning to determine whether or not that’s the case.
- Sam Shields believes he avoided a major knee injury today, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Losing Shields would’ve been a costly blow for the Packers, who re-signed the cornerback to a lucrative long-term deal during the offseason.
- Milliner is believed to have torn his Achilles, tweets Rapoport; the second-year corner would obviously miss the remainder of the season if true.
- The Browns believe Mack has suffered a significant leg injury, and expect him to “miss extended time,” reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Currently, the Browns have moved right guard John Greco to center, with Paul McQuistan taking over at RG. We’ll certainly have more on this situation as more news is relayed.
- Patriots running back Stevan Ridley has been ruled out for the day with a knee injury. Per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter), Ridley’s “ankle bent in a way no one wants their ankle to bend.”
- The Bengals linebacking unit has taken another hit, as Rey Maualuga had to be carted off the field with a leg injury, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of the the NFL Network (Twitter link).
- Speaking on FOX, Jay Glazer provided an update on Broncos running Montee Ball, who will miss an additional 3-4 weeks with a groin injury.
- The Browns excellent offensive line has taken a hit, as center Alex Mack had to be carted off the field with a left ankle injury, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal. ESPN.com’s Tony Grossi adds (on Twitter) that an air cast was applied to Mack’s ankle, an indication that the injury could be serious.
- Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo is out for the day after suffering a knee injury that forced him to be carted off the field, according to John Clayton of ESPN (via Twitter).
- After suffering two concussions already this season, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict left today’s game after taking a hit to the head; another concussion could shelve Burfict for some time.
- 2013 first-rounder Dee Milliner is out for the rest of the Jets’ game against the Broncos after suffering a non-contact injury to his ankle.
AFC Notes: Fortt, Oliver, Vick, Jets
Khairi Fortt was placed on the Saints’ IR even though his hamstring has been fine for weeks, writes Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. Amidst reports that Fortt was cut loose for missing team meetings, the Bengals linebacker won’t get into why he was dropped by the Saints. “They just went a different route and [Bengals] coach [Marvin] Lewis, he gave me another opportunity, and I’m grateful for it,” Fortt said. “I know coaches know that I have the ability, it’s just all about getting the playbook down now. And then from there, I’ll just move forward in trying to be a great linebacker.”
- There’s a good chance that you learned Branden Oliver‘s name just days ago, but the Chargers have been excited by the running back for some time now, GM Tom Telesco told NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah (audio link). “We probably missed on him because we probably should have just drafted him,” Telesco said. “We should have hit on him … Really, the first couple of OTA practices, he jumps off at you.” The former University of Buffalo star generated more yards from scrimmage than any Chargers running back since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2007 with his breakout performance against the Jets.
- Michael Vick has taken some flack for admitting he was ill-prepared on Sunday, but Jets coach Rex Ryan appreciates the honesty of his free agent pickup, writes Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “I wanted guys to take a stand and admit that, ‘You know what? I can do more,‘” Ryan said. “I think that’s what Mike is doing. He knows what’s going to be said about him, yet he chose to take that stand.“
- Former Jets coach Bill Parcells is decidedly less impressed with Vick, as Cimini tweets. “I certainly don’t think he’s answer to their problems,” Tuna told ESPN Radio in New York. “Mike was a pretty good player for a while, but if you look at his history, it has been just OK, certainly nothing spectacular.”
Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday
We’ll keep tabs on today’s practice squad signings and cuts right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- After the Seahawks plucked offensive lineman Patrick Lewis from their taxi squad, the Browns replaced him with fellow tackle Braxston Cave, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.
- The Bears re-signed defensive end David Bass to their practice squad, according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). Bass was dropped yesterday to make room for cornerback Al Louis-Jean‘s promotion.
- A day after cutting tight end Phillip Supernaw to claim Ryan Taylor off waivers, the Ravens have re-signed Supernaw to their practice squad, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Baltimore will have to cut a player from its squad in order to make the move official.
- Linebacker Marshall McFadden has taken the 10th and final spot on the Rams‘ practice squad, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- The Chargers have signed former Lions cornerback Aaron Hester to their practice squad, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Safety Adrian Phillips has also joined the unit, replacing injured running back D.J. Adams, says Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- In addition to confirming the signing of defensive lineman Joe Vellano to their practice squad, which was reported yesterday, the Patriots have also announced the addition of offensive lineman Chris Martin and the release of fellow offensive lineman Caylin Hauptmann.
- While the Broncos expect to be fine on Sunday with the running backs on their current 53-man roster, the team has added Jeremy Stewart to its practice squad “just in case,” tweets Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com.
- The Buccaneers have replaced tight end Taylor Sloat on their practice squad with wideout Eric Page, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter).
- Using the 10th and final opening on their taxi squad, the Bengals have added interior offensive lineman Jeff Baca, head coach Marvin Lewis told reporters today (Twitter link via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com).
- The Redskins signed linebacker Steve Beauharnais to their practice squad today, according to the club (via Twitter). That leaves one spot still open on the unit.
- Tight end Jacob Maxwell has been let go from the Dolphins‘ practice squad, according to Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, who tweets that running back Orleans Darkwa will fill the newly-opened spot.
- The Lions have swapped out one defensive lineman for another, with Derrick Hopkins replacing Xavier Proctor, who has been placed on the practice squad IR (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).
Zach Links contributed to this post.