Minor NFL Transactions: 9/15/15
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..
- The Jets waived Oday Aboushi, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. Aboushi was suspended without pay for the first game of the season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
- The Bears cut quarterback David Fales, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
- The Patriots cut undrafted rookie wide receiver Chris Harper, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter).
- The Chargers signed offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins and dropped tight end Kyle Miller, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets.
- The Eagles placed center David Molk on IR, according to the team transactions page.
- The Cowboys officially signed Charles Brown and waived Darrion Weems, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer writes. Brown went to training camp with the Jets and was a former second round pick of the Saints.
- The Buccaneers announced today that they have waived (injured) linebacker James-Michael Johnson.
- The Texans placed tight end Ryan Griffin on IR-DTR with a sprained medial collateral ligament, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
- The Titans reached injury settlements with Zaviar Gooden and Yawin Smallwood, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets.
- The Colts signed Josh McNary to the active roster, Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes.
- The Raiders will release tight end Gabe Holmes but they’ll try to re-sign him to the taxi squad, Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports tweets.
Cowboys Acquire Brice Butler From Raiders
The Cowboys acquired receiver Brice Butler from the Raiders, according to Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram. If Butler is on the Cowboys’ 53-player roster for six games, Dallas will swap its fifth-round pick for the Raiders’ sixth-rounder in 2016, according to a source who spoke with Williams.
If Butler is on the Cowboys’ 53-man roster for six games, then the Cowboys will give up their fifth-round pick in 2016 but get the Raiders sixth-round pick next year in return as well, Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. With a bye week on the horizon, the Cowboys have seven weeks to make a judgment on whether to keep him.
Butler, 25, was a seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2013. The 6’3″, 210-pounder has shown flashes in the 25 games he’s played and also has a few impressive practice highlights floating around online. Butler has 30 compiled catches for 383 yards and two touchdowns over the course of his career.
Of course, the Cowboys are in need of wide receiver depth after losing star Dez Bryant to a foot injury. Butler now becomes the fifth active receiver on Dallas’ roster next to Terrance Williams, Devin Street, Cole Beasley, and Lucky Whitehead.
Cowboys Working Out Hakeem Nicks, Others
With Dez Bryant sidelined for at least the next month, the Cowboys are considering adding some extra roster depth at wide receiver, and the team is bringing in several free agents today for workouts. According to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com, the Cowboys are taking a look at Hakeem Nicks, Nick Toon, Austin Pettis, and Clyde Gates.
Nicks, who spent his first five years with the Giants, posting multiple 1,000-yard seasons in New York, caught just 38 balls for 405 yards and four touchdowns last year in Indianapolis. He found a new home in free agency when he signed with the Titans earlier in the year, but Tennessee opted to keep just four wideouts on the roster to start the season, cutting Nicks earlier this month. The veteran wideout has since worked out for the Saints as well.
While Nicks is obviously the biggest name in the group, all four wideouts have NFL experience, and each has at least one season with double-digit receptions on his résumé. Outside of Nicks, Pettis has the most career catches (95), including 38 for the Rams in 2013.
If the Cowboys do add a veteran free agent to their wide receiving corps, I wouldn’t expect the new player to have a major role in the offense during Bryant’s absence. Instead, players like Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Devin Street, and Jason Witten figure to get a few more looks until the club’s No. 1 receiver returns.
NFC East Notes: Dez, Washington, Eagles
The Cowboys are hoping Dez Bryant returns in four to six week after undergoing foot surgery, but ESPN’s Dr. Mark Adickes thinks eight to 12 weeks might be a more realistic recovery time frame for the star wideout (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). For now, the Cowboys have no plans to use their IR/designated to return slot on Bryant — such a move would sideline him for at least eight weeks.
Let’s round up a few more items from around the NFC East….
- With starting cornerback Chris Culliver set to miss Washington‘s Week 2 contest due to a one-game suspension, the club is bringing in free agent corner Will Blackmon for a visit today, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Blackmon, who was cut by the Jaguars earlier in 2015, signed with the Seahawks in March but was released by Seattle during the cutdown to 53 players.
- Before Washington signed free agent kicker Dustin Hopkins yesterday, the team also worked out former Dolphins kicker Caleb Sturgis, along with punter Brandon Fields, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
- The Eagles auditioned tight ends Connor Hamlett, Brian Leonhardt, and Jacob Maxwell, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter). Presumably, those workouts took place before the club was certain that Zach Ertz – coming off groin surgery – would be ready for such a significant role on Monday night.
- Cornerback Byron Maxwell, the Eagles‘ biggest free agent addition of the winter, was also the team’s biggest disappointment in Week 1, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. McLane also notes that the offensive line – featuring Allen Barbre and Andrew Gardner in starting roles – was overmatched by Atlanta’s defensive front, which could raise questions about Philadelphia’s decision to cut both Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans in the offseason.
Forbes Releases NFL Franchise Valuations
Forbes has unveiled its annual franchise valuations for all 32 NFL teams, with the Dallas Cowboys once again sitting atop the list. According to Forbes, the Cowboys are worth a staggering $4 billion, unseating soccer’s Real Madrid ($3.26 billion) as the world’s most valuable sports franchise. Overall, the average NFL team is worth $1.97 billion, per Forbes — that’s a 38% increase over last year’s $1.43 billion average, which itself represented a 23% increase over 2013’s figures.
All 32 teams saw their values rise this year, and each team’s valuation is now well over $1 billion — a year ago, seven teams fell short of that mark, but this time around, the Bills’ $1.4 billion figure ranks last in the NFL. Of course, that was the exact amount Terry and Kim Pegula paid for the franchise when they bought it in 2014.
While Forbes’ figures shouldn’t be taken as gospel, they at least provide a general idea of the league’s most valuable and least valuable franchises, as well as a baseline for the sort of money owners would be seeking if they decided to sell their teams. Here’s the complete list of Forbes’ franchise values:
- Dallas Cowboys: $4 billion
- New England Patriots: $3.2 billion
- Washington: $2.85 billion
- New York Giants: $2.8 billion
- San Francisco 49ers: $2.7 billion
- New York Jets: $2.6 billion
- Houston Texans: $2.5 billion
- Chicago Bears: $2.45 billion
- Philadelphia Eagles: $2.4 billion
- Green Bay Packers: $1.95 billion
- Denver Broncos: $1.94 billion
- Baltimore Ravens: $1.93 billion
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $1.9 billion
- Indianapolis Colts: $1.88 billion
- Seattle Seahawks: $1.87 billion
- Miami Dolphins: $1.85 billion
- Atlanta Falcons: $1.67 billion
- Minnesota Vikings: $1.59 billion
- Carolina Panthers: $1.56 billion
- Arizona Cardinals: $1.54 billion
- Kansas City Chiefs: $1.53 billion
- San Diego Chargers: $1.525 billion
- New Orleans Saints: $1.52 billion
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $1.51 billion
- Cleveland Browns: $1.5 billion
- Tennessee Titans: $1.49 billion
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $1.48 billion
- St. Louis Rams: $1.45 billion
- Cincinnati Bengals: $1.445 billion
- Detroit Lions: $1.44 billion
- Oakland Raiders: $1.43 billion
- Buffalo Bills: $1.4 billion
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/14/15
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves…
- The Packers have removed wide receiver Larry Pinkard from their IR with an injury settlement, and the Chiefs have done the same with tight end Richard Gordon, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter links).
Earlier updates:
- Not long after claiming him off waivers from the Bears, the Cowboys have cut offensive tackle Jordan Mills, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link), taking Mills’ spot on the roster is another offensive tackle, Charles Brown, who worked out for Dallas last week.
- The Bears have made a change on defense, re-signing outside linebacker Sam Acho and placing defensive end Cornelius Washington on injured reserve, according to Caplan (Twitter links). Acho was cut by Chicago on Saturday with a non-football illness designation, but it didn’t take him long to make his way back to the roster.
- The Saints are signing safety Kenny Phillips, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Phillips was with New Orleans all summer before being released last week as a late cut. After free safety Rafael Bush suffered a chest injury on Sunday, Phillips will help provide New Orleans with additional depth.
- The Saints have also re-signed two players they cut on Saturday, adding running back Tim Hightower and offensive lineman Mike McGlynn back to their roster, tweets Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune. New Orleans waived fullback Toben Opurum and wide receiver Seantavius Jones to accommodate the returning players.
- In a reversal of the team’s weekend transactions, Washington signed defensive end Frank Kearse and cut linebacker Houston Bates, as John Keim of ESPN.com writes.
- The Jets have officially activated backup offensive lineman Oday Aboushi from their reserve/suspended list after he missed Week 1 due to a substance abuse violation, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. For now, the Jets have a roster exemption for Aboushi, but they’ll have to decide this week whether to cut him or to move him to their 53-man roster, removing someone else.
- According to Caplan (Twitter links), the Raiders have released safety Brandian Ross off their injured reserve list, and the Lions have done the same with wide receiver Greg Salas, giving him an injury settlement.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
NFC Notes: Ellington, Cowboys, Eagles
Cardinals running back Andre Ellington suffered a PCL sprain in Sunday’s game, as first reported by Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) and confirmed by head coach Bruce Arians (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). While Anderson suggested a recovery timetable of two to three weeks for Ellington, Arians indicated his running back could just miss one week, and the team hasn’t ruled him out for its Week 2 game yet.
If Ellington isn’t able to practice by Friday, it will likely lead to a flurry of roster moves for the Cardinals, according to Arians. As ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss tweets, the team could promote running back Kerwynn Williams to its roster for next Sunday’s game against the Bears.
- With Dez Bryant expected to miss at least a month, the Cowboys will sign a wide receiver for depth purposes, tweets Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link), on the other hand, hears that the team is still undecided on whether to sign a receiver. If Dallas signs a wideout, I wouldn’t expect him to play a major role in the offense in Bryant’s absence.
- Sam Bradford‘s start in tonight’s game eliminates the possibility of the Eagles getting the Rams‘ 2016 third-round pick, as Adam Schefter of ESPN notes. Philadelphia would have received that pick if Bradford hadn’t been able to play a game this season due to injury. Now, it’s worth watching whether or not the former first overall pick will play 50% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps — if he doesn’t, Philadelphia will get St. Louis’ 2016 fourth-rounder.
- Former Eastern Washington offensive tackle Jake Rodgers, cut earlier this month by the Falcons, has a tryout with the Saints on Tuesday, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link).
- Three defensive backs – former Rams cornerback Montell Garner, ex-Seahawks safety Ryan Murphy, and former Bengals safety Floyd Raven – worked out for the Packers, tweets Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com. Green Bay also auditioned defensive end Martin Ifedi, a 2015 seventh-round pick who was cut by St. Louis.
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News examines 49ers CEO Jed York‘s legacy in San Francisco.
- If St. Louis wants to keep the Rams, one critical issue to work through is who will pay cost overruns, a source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).
Dez Bryant Out At Least Four Weeks
5:16pm: According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN (Twitter link), Bryant actually underwent his procedure today, getting a screw inserted in his foot. The wideout’s recovery time is fluid, and could range from four weeks to eight weeks, says Mortensen.
3:44pm: The team does not plan on using the IR-DTR designation on Bryant, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). With rehab, the team is hoping that his timetable will be closer to four weeks than six.
9:14am: Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his right foot, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Bryant will have surgery on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Bryant was off to a solid start in 2015 as he caught five passes for 48 yards in the Sunday night win over the Giants. However, he’ll have to wait until October to resume play under his lucrative new five-year, $70MM deal. With Bryant sidelined, the Cowboys will be relying even more heavily on tight end Jason Witten as well as receivers like Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley.
Bryant, 26, has established himself as an elite, durable wideout during the first five seasons of his career. The former first-round pick has racked up 381 catches and 56 touchdowns while appearing in 75 of a possible 80 regular-season games since Dallas selected him 24th overall out of Oklahoma State in 2010. Bryant hasn’t missed a game since 2011 and is coming off his third straight season with at least 88 catches and 12 TDs.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder set a new career high for touchdowns in 2014 by reaching the end zone 16 times, and he also tied his previous best yards-per-catch mark (15.0). As a result, Bryant earned First-Team All-Pro honors and his second consecutive Pro Bowl invitation.
In addition to Bryant, Cowboys rookie defensive end Randy Gregory suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s game and will miss four to six weeks, according to Clarence Hill of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter).
NFC East Notes: Hardy, Cowboys, LA, RGIII
Defensive end Greg Hardy is expected to play a large role on the Cowboys‘ defense when he returns from a four-game suspension, but because he signed a one-year deal, Dallas will have to make a decision on whether to retain Hardy at season’s end. The Cowboys recently locked up Hardy’s linemate Tyrone Crawford to a long-term extension, but team owner Jerry Jones says the club hasn’t yet discussed such a deal with Hardy.
“We haven’t really broached it up to this point,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan’s Ben and Skin show. “But it certainly is something, like we said, any young players that only have a year on their contract, then that becomes something that we look at.
“We obviously know the circumstances that were out there when we brought Greg in here. Boy, he’s just been a model guy for our football team and is as hard a worker as anybody that we have out there. He certainly has demonstrated day-in and day-out, night-in and night-out how important football is to him.”
- Jones could play a key role in the NFL-to-Los Angeles saga, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who notes that Jones is a major supporter of Rams owner Stan Kroenke‘s Inglewood project. Jones and Kroenke are business partners — the two are working on a land development deal in Texas — but a source told La Canfora that the Jones’ business ties play no role in his stance. “Jerry will follow the money (in terms of how he votes for NFL matters), and Jerry is very attracted to the mega-rich,” said the source.
- David Moore of the Dallas Morning News provides an interesting of profile of Jones’ son Stephen Jones, the Cowboys; chief operating officer. The entire piece is a good read, and paints Stephen as something of a calming influence throughout the organization, especially when it came to selecting offensive lineman Zack Martin over Johnny Manziel in last year’s draft.
- Multiple sources tell Jeff Darlington of NFL.com that Washington has used Robert Griffin III — who is now listed as the club’s third-string quarterback — as the scout team safety, a curious decision on multiple levels. For one, RGIII’s 2016 $16.1MM option is guaranteed for injury only, and has seemingly forced Washington to demote him in order to stave of the risk of injury. To employ him as a safety merely for practice’s sake, then, seems like an odd choice.
Extra Points: Cowboys, Wilkerson
The Cowboys made the wise decision to select ex-Notre Dame offensive guard Zack Martin 16th overall in the 2014 draft, but they did so against owner Jerry Jones’ wishes, chief operating officer Stephen Jones – Jerry’s son – told David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.
“Let’s go over this quarterback thing one more time,” said Jerry Jones, despite hearing endorsements of Martin from Stephen Jones, senior director of college/pro personnel Will McClay, head coach Jason Garrett and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.
The Cowboys then tried – and failed – to move down in the draft before settling on Martin.
“Son, if you want to do special things in life, you can’t keep picking and doing things down the middle,” Jerry said to Stephen afterward. “What we just did was down the middle.”
Martin did special things as a rookie, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. Quarterback Johnny Manziel, whom Dallas could have taken instead of Martin, had a poor first year both on and off the field and enters his second season backing up journeyman Josh McCown in Cleveland.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported earlier Saturday that the Jets and defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson are far apart on contract talks and unlikely to continue negotiating when the season starts Sunday. However, there is not – nor has there ever been – a hard Sunday deadline to get a deal done, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). That means the two sides could still hammer out a long-term extension during the season.
- Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt, speaking to SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link), showered praise on rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota. “It was amazing how quickly our team bonded with Mariota. He has a businesslike professional approach. Doesn’t get rattled.” Mariota, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, will square off against the No. 1 selection, Bucs QB Jameis Winston, on Sunday.
- The Browns won’t improve on their 7-9 record from 2014 without another big year from their defensive backfield, writes Tom Reed of Cleveland.com. The group includes three Pro Bowlers in Joe Haden, Tashaun Gipson and Donte Whitner. Gipson believes he’s part of the best secondary in the league. “Any time you get together this kind of talent nothing bad can go wrong in our eyes,” he said. “If we execute the game plan and play fast I feel there’s no better secondary out than us.”
- The five-year, $45MM extension the Cowboys signed Tyrone Crawford to Saturday makes the Eagles’ recent four-year, $29MM pact with Mychal Kendricks look better, opines former Eagles and Browns executive Joe Banner. Kendricks’ deal is the best one any team has given out this year, Banner thinks (Twitter link).