Welker, Scandrick, Others To Be Reinstated
Broncos wideout Wes Welker and Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick are among the players who will be reinstated when the term sheet for the league’s new drug policy is agreed upon, according to Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Facebook link). Welker and Scandrick are two of the estimated 20 players whose suspensions will be affected by the new policy once it’s approved by the NFL, which is expected to happen within the next 24 hours.
Besides Welker and Scandrick, Rams receiver Stedman Bailey, Giants offensive lineman Eric Herman, and former Vikings defensive end Spencer Nealy will also have the remaining games on their suspensions wiped out and will be reinstated immediately, according to the ESPN duo. Additionally, Browns wideout Josh Gordon and ex-Colts receiver LaVon Brazill will have their year-long bans reduced to 10 games.
That handful of players named by Schefter and Mortensen is far from the complete list of players who will be affected by the NFL’s new drug policy, but we may not get that full list of names until the agreement becomes official. In any case, it seems plenty of players who had originally been suspended through Week 3 will get the opportunity to return to their teams’ respective practices this week, and many of them could be active this coming Sunday.
Drug Suspension Not Lifted In Time For Week 2
The deadline to activate players for Sunday action was 4 P.M. ET today, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Without a new deal agreed to, teams will not have a chance to activate players who had suspensions about to be reduced in time for the games this weekend.
Those players will not have been reinstated into the NFL in time to play, and will now have to wait until next week to see their suspension lifted, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
The player representatives approved the new deal, but it has not yet been made official.
Some players, such as Wes Welker, Orlando Scandrick, Reshad Jones, and Dion Jordan have each been suspended four games, but could have those suspensions thrown out under the new policy.
Josh Gordon, who was suspended for the entire season, could see his ban reduced to only 10 games.
The entire group will have to wait until next week for these changes to take effect, reports Mike Garafalo of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter).
East Links: Cowboys, Redskins, Jets
Orlando Scandrick is currently serving a four-game suspension, but the Cowboys cornerback will likely be back soon. Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram writes that the 27-year-old will be eligible to play this weekend if a new league drug policy is agreed upon.
The former fifth-round pick expressed his beliefs that a suspension wasn’t necessary, but he’s still happy that the ordeal will soon be behind him.
“I’m relieved,” Scandrick said. “It feels good to be able to join back and play with my teammates and do what I love. It was the toughest two weeks of my life. It truly allowed me to appreciate the NFL, the game of football, my job and my career. I want to thank the Jones family, coach Jason Garrett and my teammates for their support. I want to assure everybody that this will never happen again. I will take the extra step so this never happens again. I’m just thankful the NFL and the union were able to reach a resolution. I’m speechless.
I got to realize I caught a break. When you catch a break you have to learn from it. It’s an eye opener to be banned from something you have done your whole life. I’m thankful and appreciative.”
- Unless something happens to linebacker Rolando McClain, the Cowboys wouldn’t have a reason to add free agent Pat Angerer, writes ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. However, the writer guesses that the former second-rounder is on the team’s “emergency board.”
- Archer also makes it clear that Jerry Jones will not be relinquishing his control of the Cowboys. “It’s his team, his money,” Archer writes. “He can do with it what he wants. He will not sell the team. He will not give up the general manager title.”
- In regards to the Redskins‘ linebacker depth, ESPN.com’s John Keim says the “best-case” scenario would involve Brian Orakpo having a big season and re-signing.
- Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson could have commanded a huge contract following his dominant 2013 season. The 24-year-old will be making $1.2MM this year, and Mark Canizzaro of the New York Post writes that a holdout was never in the picture. “If people treat me with respect and I treat them with respect then I guess my time will come,” Wilkerson said. “I’ve got to wait. If they respect me and they feel highly of me, then I guess they’ll take care of me, right? Time will tell…I guess I’m just different. I look at things differently. That’s how I was bought up. I’m a patient person. I’m going to just wait. I’ve just got to wait.”
NFC East Notes: Sam, Boyd, Parkey
Here’s today’s look at the NFC East, where the Eagles are the only team in the win column after Week 1..
- The Cowboys like what they’ve seen out of Michael Sam so far and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has complimented him on his “quickness and instincts,” writes Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News. Sam has mostly kept to himself in the Cowboys’ Valley Ranch locker room during media time and hasn’t taken questions since a five-minute introductory interview outside of the locker room earlier this month.
- The Giants are expected to work out Jets sixth-round pick Tajh Boyd, according to Art Stapleton of the Bergen Record. With Eli Manning and Ryan Nassib entrenched as the team’s top two quarterbacks, the Giants have been considering options at QB for the practice squad and the Clemson product could be a fit there.
- The Eagles were smart to get Cody Parkey via trade from the Colts, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Eagles gave up running back David Fluellen, whom they planned to waive anyway. Had they not made the deal, Parkey would have been up for grabs to the 21 teams ahead of them on the waiver wire. They also would have had to wait two extra days to watch him kick.
Extra Points: Murray, Gresham, Mays
Cowboys star running back DeMarco Murray continues to say that he’s not worried about his next contract, as Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News writes. “It is a business, so you can’t get [upset] over things like that,” Murray said. “You got to have thick skin, I would say. Like I’ve said before, I love being here. I love playing with 9, 82 and 88. I love playing for Coach Garrett and this organization as a whole, so it’s something I’ll continue to strive for, continue to work hard for. Hopefully it happens. We’ll see.” More from around the NFL..
- Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham said that he likes it in Cincy and while he wants to stay long term, he’s not worried at all about being in his contract year, tweets Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer. The tight end says he’s focused only on getting better and making his coaches happy (link). “[We] never got into a contract thing, really. I don’t know how things go. Right now they got me signed so I’m happy.”
- The recovery time for Chiefs inside linebacker Joe Mays is eight to ten weeks, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Mays, who will undergo wrist surgery and has been placed on the IR with a designation to return, should be able to begin practicing in mid-to-late October.
- Former Dolphins offensive line coach Jim Turner is anxious to get back into the NFL and has launched his own investigation to counter the Wells report, writes Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. “Coach Turner is a good man and a great coach with an excellent reputation among his players,” the report states in its conclusion. “It would be wrong for that reputation to be unfairly tarnished by the events leading up to and following Martin’s departure from the Dolphins. During those difficult times Coach Turner was, as he has been throughout his career, a caring and supportive colleague to the people with whom he worked.”
- Before cutting Leon McFadden this afternoon, Jets coach Rex Ryan told reporters that he was “disappointed” that there were practice squad and lower-end players blowing assignments in practice, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.
East Auditions: Bills, Pats, Jets, Eagles
While not every NFL team is making adjustments to its 53-man roster this week, many clubs are at least auditioning free agents to get a sense of which players might be worth revisiting later in the season, as injuries begin to take their toll. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun has passed along word of several of those auditions, via Twitter, so let’s take a look at which free agents are working out for teams in the NFL’s two East divisions….
- The Bills tried out quarterback Tajh Boyd, running backs Maurice Hagens and Franklyn Quiteh, wide receiver Jeremy Kelley, tight end Kyle Auffray, tackle Michael Bamiro, linebackers James Davidson and Jerrell Harris, defensive backs Ross Weaver and Junior Mertile, and defensive tackles Jeremy Towns, Derek Landri, and Abe Koroma.
- A handful of defensive players auditioned for the Patriots, including defensive tackles Sione Fua and George Uko, defensive end Brian Sanford, and linebackers Moise Fokou, Chris Young, and Adrian Tracy.
- The Jets took a look at a few special teams players, including punters Bobby Cowan and Jake Dombrowski, along with long snapper Patrick Scales.
- We heard yesterday that the Eagles hosted Eric Winston and Wade Smith, and ultimately decided to sign Smith. The team also had a few other players in: linebackers Brandon Hepburn and Jake Doughty, as well as tackle Tyler Hoover.
- Wide receiver Devon Wylie and defensive back Keelan Johnson worked out for the Cowboys.
- Finally, a long list of players tried out for the Redskins this week. We’ve heard a few names reported already, but there are plenty of new ones from Wilson, including defensive tackles Isaako Aaitui and Ricky Heimuli, and wide receivers Marcus Davis, Chris Matthews, Mike Davis, Je’Ron Hamm, and L’Damian Washington.
Injury Notes: Lions, Raiders, Browns, Cowboys
We don’t cover every single injury here at Pro Football Rumors, but we’ll always keep tabs on the more significant ones that may force a team to make a roster move or two to add reinforcements. Let’s round up the latest injury news that falls into that category…
- Lions offensive lineman Corey Hilliard is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season with a foot injury, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). That helps to explain why the club re-signed Garrett Reynolds this morning, and it means Hilliard will likely head to IR. Having already added a lineman to the 53-man roster today, the Lions could fill Hilliard’s roster spot by signing a cornerback, since the secondary is a little short-handed as well.
- Raiders special teams ace Taiwan Jones became the first 2011 draftee to sign a contract extension earlier this offseason, but now he’s set to miss a month or two of action. According to Bill Williamson and Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, the recovery timeline for Jones’ foot injury will be about four to eight weeks. If Oakland believes the timeline will be closer to eight weeks than four, Jones could be a candidate for the team’s IR-DTR spot.
- The Browns expect running back Ben Tate to be out for two to four weeks with a knee sprain, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Cleveland might add another back to the active roster or practice squad for depth purposes, but I doubt any major move is coming, since Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell played well after Tate left Sunday’s game.
- Having already lost Sean Lee for the season, the Cowboys saw another linebacker go down on Sunday, as Justin Durant figures to miss the next three or four weeks with a groin injury, a source tells David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. An outside addition is possible for Dallas, though the club could also turn to in-house options like Kyle Wilber or the recently-claimed Korey Toomer.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Mathis, Barbre
Dez Bryant and the Cowboys appeared to be making progress toward a contract extension in the weeks leading up to the regular season, but the two sides didn’t reach an agreement before the team’s opener against the Niners yesterday. According to Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News, Bryant said he still intends to table discussions during the season, but seemed disappointed that he and the team couldn’t work something out before that unofficial deadline.
“Truly, I really understand that this is a business,” Bryant said. “I only worry about the things that I can control.”
Here’s more from around the NFC East:
- Peter King of TheMMQB.com, who reported last week that the NFL encouraged multiple clubs around the league to consider Michael Sam as a practice squad candidate, writes today that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones denied that the league reached out to him to consider the rookie defensive end.
- An MRI on Eagles guard Evan Mathis revealed an MCL sprain of his right knee, a source tells Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The injury isn’t expected to end Mathis’ season, but it should sideline him for an extended period, so he may be a candidate for the IR list with the designation to return.
- Allen Barbre, who was stepping in for the suspended Lane Johnson, suffered a high ankle sprain during Sunday’s game and is also expected to miss multiple weeks, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. With Johnson slated to miss the next three games, and Mathis and Barbre likely out for those contests as well, the Eagles will likely be forced to feature a makeshift offensive line for at least the rest of September.
- Ex-Falcons wideout Darius Johnson is looking for another shot with an NFL team, and has a workout lined up with the Giants this week, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
NFC Notes: Cowboys, Mathis, Bucs, Vikings
Jerry Jones and the Cowboys won’t face tampering charges resulting from Jones’ June conversation with Adrian Peterson, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN. Late last month, Don Van Natta of ESPN.com reported that Jones and Peterson had spoken over the phone, and the Vikings running back expressed interest in playing for Dallas. As our Luke Adams noted at the time, if a team is contacted by a player who is under contract with another club, that team must immediately report the contact to the club which holds the player’s rights. Sources tell Mortensen that Jones asked the Cowboys’ legal team to call the Vikings after the story came out, and Minnesota agreed not to file any charges. More from the NFC:
- An injury forced Evan Mathis from today’s game against the Jaguars, but early indications are that the Eagles guard didn’t tear his ACL, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Losing Mathis, who will have an MRI tomorrow, would be devastating for the Eagles — Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated him as the best guard in the league last season.
- Buccaneers offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford will join the team for today’s game after revealing that he recently underwent a coronary angioplasty. “I had a couple stents,” Tedford told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “…It’s nice just to be up and around. We’ll see how much I can do next week and kind of ease back into it.” Quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo will call plays for the Bucs for the time being.
- Christian Ponder was inactive as the Vikings No. 3 quarterback against the Rams today, and Jason La Canfora wonders (via Twitter) if a trade for the 2011 first-rounder makes sense for a QB-needy team.
- The 49ers will use Lawrence Okoye, currently a member of San Francisco’s practice squad, at both defensive end and offensive tackle, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, who notes that long-limbed Okoye might fit better along an offensive line than on a defensive front.
- In a piece for the National Football Post, Joel Corry looks some key questions heading into the 2014 season, including whether the 49ers can overcome absences from contributors like Aldon Smith, NaVorro Bowman, and Glenn Dorsey.
East Notes: Tannehill, Jets, Bryant
For Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, 2014 may well be the season that determines his future in the league. As Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes, the Dolphins must decide by May 2015 if they want to exercise Tannehill’s fifth-year option for 2016. Since Tannehill was a top-10 pick, that option would pay him the average salary of the 10 highest-paid quarterbacks in the league (about $15MM).
However, if Tannehill and the Dolphins offense thrive this season under the leadership of new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, Miami could offer their young-signal caller a long-term extension, which the Bengals gave to Andy Dalton and the 49ers gave to Colin Kaepernick after their third seasons in the league.
Statistically, Tannehill’s second season compares favorably to Matt Ryan‘s, which is certainly encouraging for Miami fans. On the other hand, out of the 18 quarterbacks drafted in the top 10 from 2000-2011, seven saw their quarterback ratings drop in their third season.
Whether Tannehill takes a third-year leap like Ryan or a third-year tumble like Mark Sanchez will of course play a significant role in his own fortunes, but it will also go a long way in determining the fate of the franchise. As Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes, “This is going to be one of those defining seasons that either settles the franchise for the near future or points the whole place in a completely different direction.” And so much of that hinges on Tannehill’s right arm.
Now for a couple more notes from the league’s east divisions:
- In the same piece linked above, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that the Dolphins made an inquiry, but not an offer, to former starting safety Chris Clemons after he was released by the Texans. Reshad Jones is serving a four-game suspension to begin the season, and if the Dolphins do not like what they see from their secondary in today’s opener against New England, they could bring Clemons back into the fold next week and would not have to guarantee his salary for the remainder of the season.
- Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes that, given the Jets‘ ample salary cap space, created in large part by GM John Idzik‘s failure to adequately address the team’s cornerback position this offseason–along with the holes stemming from those failures–head coach Rex Ryan should not be worried about his job security at the end of the season.
- I wrote up the latest piece of news on the Bills‘ ownership saga earlier today.
- Kevin Patra of NFL.com writes that, since the Cowboys and star wide receiver Dez Bryant were unable to hammer out an extension before today’s season opener, Bryant will be a logical candidate to get the franchise tag.