Extra Points: Lions, 49ers, Dalton, Draft
Longtime Lions scout Silas McKinnie is retiring after next week’s draft, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The retirement of McKinnie, who has been with the team as a regional and personnel scout since 2003, leaves the Lions with two vacancies in their front office. In January, Lions assistant director of pro personnel Miller McCalmon stepped down after five seasons with the team and 35 years in the NFL. Here’s more from around the league:
- While there has been a lot of attention placed on troubled defensive talent Aldon Smith, 49ers teammate NaVorro Bowman is an example of a player who turned things around despite off-the-field incidents in the past, writes Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- One NFL team exec spoke with CBSSports.com’s Joel Corry (on Twitter) about an interesting trade idea that won’t happen: a swap between the Bengals and Vikings centered on quarterback Andy Dalton and the Vikings pick at No. 8. Minnesota is said to be looking hard at quarterback options with their top pick, including UCF’s Blake Bortles.
- After talking to four GMs, Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports says (via Twitter) the consensus top five draft picks seem to be Jadeveon Clowney, Khalil Mack, Sammy Watkins, Greg Robinson, and Jake Matthews, in some order.
- Eastern Washington edge rusher Anthony Larry had private workouts with the Patriots and Eagles, and has also drawn interest from the Packers, Seahawks, Chargers, Ravens, and Browns, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Larry won’t come off the board early, but he’ll either be a Day 3 pick or a priority free agent, according to Wilson.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Titans, Bengals, Jags, Dolphins
Here are Friday’s minor transactions, covering signings and cuts of lesser-known and lesser-used players, with any additional moves added to the top of the list throughout the evening:
- Wide receiver Brian Robiskie, who we heard yesterday was participating in the Titans‘ minicamp on a tryout basis, has agreed to sign with the team, tweets Paul Duharsky of ESPN.com. It’s a one-year deal for the 26-year-old, who has spent time with the Browns, Jaguars, Lions, and Falcons since being drafted 36th overall in 2009.
- The Bengals announced that they have waived quarterback Zac Robinson, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter). The signal-caller, originally drafted in the seventh round in 2010 by the Patriots, was cut with a failed physical designation. Robinson has been on and off the Bengals’ practice squad since 2011. The move leaves the Bengals with Andy Dalton, Jason Campbell, and Josh Johnson on their QB depth chart.
- The Jaguars announced that they have cut guard Stephane Milhim and tight end Danny Noble, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter).
- The Dolphins have waived offensive lineman Jason Weaver with a non-football injury designation, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Draft Updates: WRs, Martin, Gilbert, Savage
The NFL and NFLPA have agreed to make a minor change to the CBA related to rookie contracts, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. According to Florio, once a player is drafted, he will automatically be deemed to have received a four-year contract offer worth the minimum salary. Previously, clubs were required to submit written notice of that tender offer before or immediately after the draft, so the change will remove a simple piece of bookkeeping, simplifying the draft process.
Here are a few more draft-related items, with less than a week remaining until the first round gets underway:
- In a separate PFT piece, Florio reads between the lines of recent comments by the Browns‘ and Raiders‘ general managers, and suggests that perhaps those teams are trying to push another club to jump up ahead of them to grab a wide receiver like Sammy Watkins or Mike Evans.
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com isn’t so sure there will be a big run on wide receivers in the first round, tweeting that he has heard from many teams that intend to wait until the second or third to snag a wideout.
- USC center Marcus Martin has been added to the list of players attending the draft next week, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today, noting that Martin worked out for the Saints this week.
- Within a profile of SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert, Pelissero adds the Bengals, Panthers, and Buccaneers to the list of clubs who had Gilbert in for a pre-draft visit.
- Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage has been one of the draft’s notable risers in recent weeks, so Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com explores why that has been the case.
- More than ever, NFL franchises are investing time and effort into making sure they identify potential character flaws that could dissuade them from drafting a prospect, as Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report details. Teams’ approaches include everything from psychological testing to combing through all of a player’s tweets.
- Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post has a few updates on prospects, writing that N.C. State tight end Asa Watson (Ben Watson‘s brother) has visited the Giants, and tweeting that a couple of NFL head coaches have called Old Dominion offensive lineman Jack Lowney within the last few days. Wilson also reports that Rutgers wide receiver Quron Pratt visited the Patriots and Dolphins and worked out for the Jets and Giants.
- The Jets worked out Adams State kicker David Van Voris today, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
Draft Notes: Rams, Texans, Easley, Fleming
The Rams, armed with the second and 13th overall picks in the draft, will head to College Station to work out top Texas A&M prospects Johnny Manziel, Mike Evans, and Jake Matthews, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (via Twitter). ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan notes (via Twitter) that the workouts should happen on Friday, which will also give GM Les Snead, coach Jeff Fisher and company the opportunity to stop tomorrow in Alabama to work out quarterback A.J. McCarron, as Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets. Let’s round up a few more draft notes, including another one on the Rams….
- Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Ohio State are also expected to be among the Rams‘ stops before May 8 as they work out a number of top draft prospects, tweets Mortensen.
- John McClain of the Houston Chronicle believes that if the Texans don’t trade down from No. 1, the team’s choice will come down to Manziel vs. Jadeveon Clowney. If Houston moves down and those players are off the board, Blake Bortles and Khalil Mack might be the club’s top two choices, says McClain.
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) has heard from two top scouts who believe Florida’s Dominique Easley will be selected in the first round despite the fact that the defensive lineman is recovering from a torn ACL.
- Adam Caplan (Twitter link) adds the Titans to the list of teams visited by Stanford tackle Cameron Fleming, and the Bengals to the list of clubs that worked him out. As Caplan tweets, Fleming, who had one of the highest Wonderlic scores among this year’s offensive linemen, is projected to come off the board on the second day of the draft.
- Ohio State wideout Corey Brown visited the Browns and worked out for the Patriots and Panthers, tweets Caplan.
- More from Caplan: He tweets that South Dakota edge defender Tyler Starr visited the Patriots and had a private workout with the Colts, and reports (via Twitter) that San Diego State safety Eric Pinkins visited the Dolphins and Seahawks.
Minor Moves: Bengals, Browns, Lions, Packers
We’ll keep tabs on Monday’s minor transactions right here — that includes free agents accepting contract tenders, notable CFL signings, and roster moves involving players who haven’t seen much or any NFL action lately. Here are the day’s minor moves, with any new transactions added to the top of the list throughout the evening:
- The Bengals have cut center Scott Wedige, the team announced today (Twitter link). Wedige, who didn’t appear in a regular-season game for Cincinnati last season, saw his only NFL action in 2012, briefly appearing in a pair of contests for Arizona.
- Kicker Brandon Bogotay has been waived by the Browns, the club announced today (via Twitter). The move leaves Billy Cundiff as the only kicker on Cleveland’s roster.
- The Lions have signed tight end Jordan Thompson, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Thompson’s signing was first broken by his old high school coach, who tweeted a congratulatory message on Friday.
- Wilson also tweets that the Packers have cut running back Orwin Smith. The Georgia Tech product was on Green Bay’s practice squad last season before inking a futures deal with the team.
Sunday Morning Notes: Ravens, Suh, Visits
Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore wonders if the Ravens should be wary of Alabama defensive players in the draft, including top prospects like Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and C.J. Mosley. Baltimore GM Ozzie Newsome is an Alabama alumnus and has close ties with the school, ties that may have contributed to the Ravens’ selections of players like Jarret Johnson, Terrence Cody, and Courtney Upshaw.
Although Johnson was a standout performer in Baltimore, Cody has largely been a disappointment, and after a promising rookie season, Upshaw fell off in 2013. That’s not to mention, of course, non-Raven Alabama products like Kareem Jackson and Mark Barron who have failed to live up to expectations. As ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. observed, Alabama defenders play in an elite system with top-flight coaching and consequently “come into the league thinking they pretty much are as coached as they can be and basically they’ve hit the ceiling.”
Will the trend of Crimson Tide defensive standouts who fizzle in the NFL deter Newsome from drafting players like Clinton-Dix and Mosley if he feels they represent the best fit for his club? Given Newsome’s skill and reputation, probably not. But it is another storyline to consider as the first round of the draft unfolds in a couple of weeks.
Now for some more early morning notes:
- Notre Dame offensive tackle Zack Martin has been generating a lot of buzz in recent weeks, and we recently heard that Martin is expected to be off the board within the first 17 picks. Now, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah tweets that he would not be surprised if Martin went in the top 10, with Buffalo (No. 9 overall) being a potential landing spot.
- As our own Luke Adams wrote several days ago, although the Lions might be willing to trade Ndamukong Suh, any such deal would be riddled with obstacles. As such, Suh seems likely to stay put in Detroit for at least 2014, but if he were to be traded, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk names the Jaguars and Raiders as the likeliest candidates.
- Although the Falcons have shown a great deal of interest in Jadeveon Clowney and visited with the top prospect last week, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes that interest is a “smokescreen” to drive up the price for teams like Detroit that might want to move up in the draft. Ledbetter writes that Atlanta has too many holes to mortgage the future to move up for Clowney as they did for Julio Jones several years ago.
- Stanford DE Ben Gardner visited with the 49ers and Raiders this weekend, according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- The Bengals worked out Tusculum QB Bo Cordell, who also threw for the Eagles, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
North Notes: Suh, Lions, Browns, Bengals
There has been talk that the Lions are shopping Ndamukong Suh, but Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report writes that Detroit is really just doing its due diligence. “What the Lions are doing is standard operating procedure,” one team executive said. “Just in case they don’t think they can sign him, they’re preparing for worst case. It’s smart.” Team officials that have spoken with the Lions believe that the two sides will work out an arrangement and the defensive tackle will stay in Detroit. Meanwhile, as you might expect, clubs from around the NFL love Suh’s talent but are very concerned about his behavior. More out of the NFC and AFC North…
- The Lions should hang on to Suh if they want to win now, opines Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. The best move for the Lions would be to let things play out in 2014 and then work out a new contract, in McCosky’s view.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap offers his thoughts on the Browns‘ job in free agency. Fitzgerald didn’t like the Browns’ handling of the Alex Mack situation and gets the impression that they didn’t have a concrete plan regarding the center heading into the offseason. Additions Karlos Dansby, Donte Whitner, and Andrew Hawkins could give the team a boost, but they’re all overpaid. All in all, Fitzgerald gives the Browns and GM Ray Farmer a C grade.
- Fitzgerald also offers up his thoughts on the Bengals‘ work in free agency. In short, he feels that the Bengals didn’t do nearly enough to improve their situation despite having plenty of cap room to make changes.
AFC North Notes: Ravens, Browns, Steelers
In the latest installment of Over The Cap’s team-by-team breakdown of free agency, Jason Fitzgerald examines the Ravens. While Arthur Jones‘ departure leaves a big hole on defense, losing offensive tackle Eugene Monroe would’ve been a more significant blow to the team, says Fitzgerald, adding that he liked Baltimore’s pickup of Owen Daniels quite a bit. Factoring in the loss of James Ihedigbo to the Lions, Fitzgerald assigns the Ravens a grade of B- for their work over the last several weeks.
Here’s more from around the AFC North:
- As our fifth-year option tracker shows, no decision has been announced or reported yet on the Browns‘ 2015 option for defensive tackle Phil Taylor. Speaking to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal, Taylor suggested he’s not sure what the team plans to do with that option, but he hopes it gets picked up: “I would love to be here, but that’s not up to me. So we’re going to wait and see what [the front office] is going to do about it.”
- South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw is visiting the Browns today and tomorrow, and will work out for the club on Saturday, reports Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Wilson also links several other clubs to Shaw, writing that the signal-caller has met or worked out with the Falcons, Titans, Patriots, and Buccaneers, and interviewed with the Seahawks, Packers, Raiders, and Jaguars.
- The Steelers are hosting Boise State edge defender Demarcus Lawrence and Georgia Southern running back Jerick McKinnon for pre-draft visits today, tweets ESPN.com’s Scott Brown.
- Cumberlands running back Terrance Cobb is visiting the Bengals today, tweets Aaron Wilson.
Draft Visits: Falcons, Bryant, Martin, Jets
Teams only have until Sunday to bring in draft prospects for pre-draft visits, so even though workouts are still permitted after that date, plenty of clubs are hosting players this week. Here’s a round-up of several of the latest reports on these visits:
- According to reports from ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure (Twitter link), Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the Falcons have worked out Vanderbilt receiver Jordan Matthews and Connecticut linebacker Yawin Smallwood, and are heading to Columbia, South Carolina tomorrow to work out wideout Bruce Ellington.
- Florida State linebacker Telvin Smith has visited the Broncos, Eagles, and Panthers, as well as worked out privately for the Panthers, Falcons, Patriots, and Buccaneers, according to Wilson.
- Martavis Bryant has been extremely busy over the last few weeks, with a combined total of 22 visits and private workouts, writes Wilson at the National Football Post. According to Wilson, the Buccaneers are one team that has hosted and privately worked out the Clemson wide receiver.
- Wilson, who has been busy lately himself, also passes along updates on two more prospects: USC center Marcus Martin has met with the Chargers, Panthers, Saints, and Eagles, while Kansas State safety Ty Zimmerman is visiting the Bengals.
- Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin is among the players visiting the Jets today, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). We heard last night about several other prospects the Jets are hosting this week, including Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
- Cornerback Justin Gilbert‘s previously reported visit with the Lions is happening today, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
- McGill offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is projected to be the first overall pick in the CFL draft, but he’s also drawing plenty of interest from NFL teams. As Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com details, the 49ers are the latest club to host the Canadian prospect for a visit.
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).