AFC East Notes: Bills, Pats, Satele, Salas
While Jon Bon Jovi may have been trying to endear himself – and his group of bidders – to Western New York by writing in the Buffalo News over the weekend that he wanted to see the Bills succeed in Buffalo, that letter appears to have violated the non-disclosure agreement he signed with the franchise, says Tim Graham of the Buffalo News. In fact, by speaking publicly about their bids, both Bon Jovi and Donald Trump may be in violation of that agreement, leaving Terry Pegula as the only bidder who hasn’t breached it. As Graham writes, “ramifications for confidentiality breaches are not spelled out within the document,” but it’s still an ominous start for Bon Jovi and Trump as they pursue a purchase of the Bills.
Here’s more from around the AFC East, including another note on the Bills’ sale:
- New York senator Charles Schumer remains optimistic about keeping the Bills in Buffalo, as Denise Jewell Gee of the Buffalo News details. However, Schumer added, “Words are nice, but they are not sufficient. We need an iron-clad commitment for whoever buys the team to keep the Bills in Buffalo.”
- The Patriots were one of at least four teams to place a claim on former Seahawks tackle Michael Bowie when Seattle tried to sneak him through waivers and onto injured reserve, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The Pats, of course, made a similar move last month, claiming rookie running back Tyler Gaffney when the Panthers tried to move him to their IR. Per Florio, the Saints and Cowboys also submitted claims for Bowie, who was ultimately awarded to the Browns.
- Veteran center Samson Satele, who last played for the Dolphins during the 2008 season, is happy to have come “full circle” after signing with Miami this weekend, as he tells James Walker of ESPN.com.
- Greg Salas‘ path to a roster spot with the Jets got a little more difficult after the team addressed the position in free agency this offseason by signing Eric Decker and Jacoby Ford. But as Dennis Waszack Jr. of The Associated Press writes, Salas has been making a case this summer that the Jets ought to keep him around for the regular season.
Minor Moves: Sunday
We’ll round up the day’s minor transactions from around the NFL right here, with additional moves listed at the top of the page throughout the afternoon and evening:
- The Redskins have filled the roster spot previously held by Jerry Rice Jr. with defensive end Jeremy Towns, tweets Mike Jones of The Washington Post. Towns is an undrafted rookie out of Samford.
Earlier Updates:
- The Redskins have waived injured wideout Jerry Rice Jr., tweets Zac Boyer of The Washington Times. The player tore the labrum in his left shoulder and will be placed on injured reserve if he clears waivers.
- The Colts have signed undrafted wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The embattled rookie attended three colleges and was charged with armed robbery.
- The Colts have also cut wide receiver Greg Moore and waived cornerback Brandon Burton, tweets Aaron Wilson of The National Football Post.
- To make room for Brock Jensen, the Dolphins have waived wide receiver Rantavious Wooten, reports the Miami Herald’s Adam Beasley (via Twitter).
- Five players cleared waivers and will be placed on their respective team’s injured reserve (via Aaron Wilson’s Twitter): Cowboys offensive lineman Darius Morris, Jaguars wideout Damian Copeland, linebacker John Lotulelei and defensive tackle Jordan Miller and Jets safety Brandon Hardin.
- The Texans have claimed center Sam Longo from the Dolphins, tweets Brian McIntyre. To make room on the roster, the team waived offensive lineman Brice Schwab.
- Jaguars wideout Damian Copeland, linebacker John Lotulelei and defensive tackle Jordan Miller have all cleared waivers and will go on the team’s injured reserve, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
- The Chiefs have made a series of roster moves, signing defensive lineman Jairus Campbell and waiving fullback James Baker and cornerback David Van Dyke, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
- The Patriots have re-signed linebacker James Morris, according to Pat Harty of the Iowa Press-Citizen (h/t: Christopher Price of WEEI.com). Morris, an undrafted free agent out of Iowa, was waived by New England in May with a failed physical designation, but is apparently healthy now.
- The Dolphins re-signed quarterback Brock Jensen on Saturday night, just four days after cutting him, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Fellow signal-callers Matt Moore and Pat Devlin are both hurt at the moment, so Miami needed additional depth at the position as they prepare for Friday’s preseason opener. If Moore is healthy, he will of course serve as the team’s primary backup in 2014, and his injured shoulder is currently not a major concern for the club.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
NFC Notes: Saints, Carr, Barr, Hyde
Writing about the Saints, OverTheCap.com’s Jason Fitzgerald says, “On one end of the spectrum they do a pretty poor job with planning for tomorrow due to restructures, void years, etc… but on the other end of the spectrum they also find these really good bargains on players.” Fitzgerald references Marques Colston, Zach Strief and Junior Galette chief among those bargains, deeming Galette the team’s best contract. On the flip side of the coin, however, is Curtis Lofton. Fitzgerald says the veteran linebacker’s guaranteed money is out of whack, and his deal is “littered” with prohibitive roster bonuses and a potentially costly voidable year.
Read on for several more NFC news and notes:
- Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr hasn’t joined the Cowboys for training camp yet because he’s been with his cancer-stricken mother, who passed away on Wednesday.
- Another player who has been sidelined for training camp is 49ers tight end Garrett Celek. He missed four games last season because of a hamstring injury, and is dealing with a back injury right now. Division III product Derek Carrier stands to benefit, writes SFGate.com’s Eric Branch, as Carrier and Celek are the contenders for the third tight end job behind Vernon Davis and Vance McDonald. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman believes in Carrier’s ability: “He’s got a chance to be a productive player in this league. There’s no doubt. Derek’s got a nice feel for the passing game, he’s got good hands, and he can cover some ground now – he can really run. I don’t like to put timetables on people, but this a big year for him. He’s got a hell of an opportunity this year to really take a big step.”
- Meanwhile, 49ers coaches are raving about the mental prowess of rookie runner Carlos Hyde, going so far as to call him savant-like, writes Matt Barrows in the Sacramento Bee.
- Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer says there is a “strong” chance first-rounder Anthony Barr could start the season opener, reports Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune.
- Bears rookie linebacker Christian Jones was one of the highest-profile undrafted free agents because he was key member of the national champion Florida State Seminoles, because he’s an impressive athlete who garnered second-round grades from draft evaluators and because he failed a drug test at the Combine. Not surprisingly, he’s made early waves in training camp for the linebacker-needy Bears, writes ESPN’s Michael C. Wright, who says it would be a surprise if Jones didn’t make the team: “The question now is whether Jones can maintain the momentum. Through the first seven practices, Jones appears to be one of the most athletic linebackers on the team, and probably the only true strongside linebacker at the position.”
- ESPN’s Pat Yasinkas checks in on a handful of Buccaneers position battles, including the worrisome guard spots: “This one remains wide open. Jamon Meredith, Oniel Cousins, Patrick Omameh and Kadeem Edwards have been taking turns working with the first team and it doesn’t look like anyone has pulled ahead of the pack yet.”
Minor Moves: Friday
We’ve already posted one roundup of today’s minor moves, but there are even more transactions, so we’ll start a new list here. Any new updates will appear atop the post.
- The Cowboys signed defensive end Adewale Ojomo, and because of their earlier addition of Kenneth Boatright, were forced to make two roster moves. As such, Dallas cut guard Darius Morris and receiver L’Damian Washington (Twitter link via Bryan Broaddus of Cowboys.com).
- The Jets have released safety Brandon Hardin, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post. Hardin was the Bears’ third-round pick in 2012.
- The Steelers waived running back Alvester Alexander and signed fellow RB Jawan Jamison, per Pittsburgh’s PR man Burt Lauten (via Twitter). Jamison was a 2013 Redskins seventh-rounder, but was waived by Washington in March.
Minor Moves: Friday
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here..
- The Seahawks removed Taylor Price from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Wilson tweets. The Seahawks put the wide receiver on the IR earlier this week.
- The Chiefs cut linebacker Ben Johnson and the Giants waived-injured defensive back Travis Howard, Wilson tweets.
- The Dolphins announced that they have signed linebacker Ryan Rau, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. To make room for Rau on the 90-man roster, Miami waived/injured Tariq Edwards, tweets Bryan McIntyre.
- Former Buccaneers running back Michael Smith is signing with the Jets today, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- The Cardinals signed linebacker Derrell Johnson, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (on Twitter). Johnson, a UDFA out of East Carolina, was cut by the Dolphins just days ago.
- The Giants signed cornerback Chandler Fenner, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (on Twitter). Fenner was waived by the Seahawks when they signed ex-Giants corner Terrell Thomas.
- The Cowboys signed defensive end Kenneth Boatright to a two-year contract this afternoon, according to agent Brett Tessler (on Twitter). Boatright was previously a member of the Seahawks.
- The Falcons signed defensive tackle Theo Agnew, tweets Wilson.
- After practice today, Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crenell announced that the team has released Trevardo Williams, according to ESPN.com’s Tania Gangull. Williams, a fourth-round outside linebacker from last season, never saw a regular season snap.
- The Chargers have signed cornerback Lowell Rose, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The Jets cut Rose late last month when they signed free agent Jason Babin.
- The Giants signed rookie free agent Adam Gress after placing tackle Troy Kropog on injured reserve, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
- The Seahawks announced that they have released wide receiver Randall Carroll and signed linebacker Marcus Dowtin, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (on Twitter). Dowtin saw three games of action with the Giants in 2013 before being released in March.
- The Cardinals announced that they have signed offensive tackle Max Starks, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The 6’8″, 345 lineman spent time with the Rams and Chargers in 2013 after playing for Pittsburgh from 2004-2012. To make room for Starks, the Cardinals cut tackle Cory Brandon and kicker Danny Hrapmann, tweets Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com.
- The Texans signed wide receiver Joe Adams and offensive tackle Brice Schwab, writes John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. Adams, 24, played at Arkansas and was drafted in the fourth round by Carolina in 2012. Schwab, 24, played at Arizona State. He signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent last year. The Texans waived-injured Bryan Witzmann to make room for Adams, Wilson tweets.
NFC Notes: Falcons, Bryant, Finley, Nelson
In the wake of Sean Weatherspoon‘s season-ending Achilles injury, the Falcons added a pair of veteran free agent linebackers, signing Pat Angerer and Tim Dobbins to minimum salary contracts. However, the team hasn’t ruled the possibility of making further changes, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, who reports that former Packer Nick Barnett remains on Atlanta’s radar.
Per McClure, the Falcons were impressed with Barnett’s workout earlier in the offseason, but opted to sign Angerer and Dobbins instead. After Angerer left Tuesday’s practice complaining of headaches though, there was concern he may have sustained a concussion, which may prompt the Falcons to turn to Barnett.
As we wait to see whether the Falcons make any roster moves, let’s check in on a few other NFC teams….
- Having extended Tyron Smith, the Cowboys will now have the franchise tag available next year for Dez Bryant, but team executive vice president Stephen Jones said today that Dallas is “totally committed” to locking up the star receiver for the long term (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Ed Werder).
- After Anthony McCoy suffered an apparent torn Achilles tendon in practice earlier this week, the Seahawks may be looking for some tight end depth, but the team won’t be revisiting the possibility of signing Jermichael Finley, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (link via PFT’s Curtis Crabtree).
- Florio also has the full breakdown of Jordy Nelson’s new extension with the Packers, suggesting that the deal should secure the wideout’s place on the roster through at least 2016.
- Insider linebacker will be a position to watch for the Eagles this year, after the club didn’t really address the position in free agency or the draft, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- A federal court hearing will take place in California this Monday to determine whether Redskins wideout DeSean Jackson will have to repay agent Drew Rosenhaus $516K+, as an NFLPA arbitrator previously ruled, reports Alex Marvez of FOX Sports.
Cowboys Notes: Smith, Bryant, Jones
Earlier tonight, we learned that former Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent is set to meet with commissioner Roger Goodell next week. Here’s the latest on the Cowboys..
- Some people are wondering what Tyron Smith was thinking in signing an eight-year, $98MM deal with the Cowboys, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “There’s no way you can do a deal that long,” a league source with extensive experience negotiating player contracts said. “I’m stunned. . . . 10 years is nuts.” He’ll have no power to get more money over the course of his deal, no matter how well he performs. And if he struggles, the only security he’ll have is the fully-guaranteed money that he received when committing himself to the Cowboys for the next decade.
- Meanwhile, Smith released a statement through his reps at Costa Sports Marketing to explain why he signed the long-term extension. “Late last week, the Cowboys approached me with a deal I told my agents I wanted to sign. My agents explained the pros and cons of this deal versus one that may be shorter term and/or higher guarantee. After careful consideration, I decided this long term deal was exactly what I wanted. Over the past three years, the Cowboys organization and Jones Family have helped me through trying times and I felt this was my opportunity to return the gratitude. I am beyond grateful for the Cowboys staff, my teammates, and the fans, and wanted to ensure I was locked in as a ‘Cowboy for Life’. I want to thank everyone for their support and look forward to having a star on my helmet for the remainder of my career,” Smith said.
- While the Cowboys and Dez Bryant don’t appear to be close on a new deal at the moment, that could change quickly if Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas agrees on a deal soon, writes David Moore of The Dallas Morning News. Thomas and Bryant are very close statistically and that will likely give both sides a common reference point.
Josh Brent To Meet With Roger Goodell
Former Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent will meet with commissioner Roger Goodell by the end of next week in an effort to gain re-entry into the NFL, agent Peter Schaffer tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Brent, of course, has been out of action since December 2012 when he drove under the influence and caused a car wreck that tragically killed teammate Jerry Brown.
Brent went to Brown’s family to get its blessing on resuming his NFL career, and Schaffer said the family extended it, Schefter tweets. Since the tragedy, Brent has failed multiple drug tests and served time in prison. For his part, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently told WFAA-TV’s Dale Hansen that he’s considering bringing Brent back to Dallas.
“First of all, Josh Brent before he was involved in his tragic mistake, and it was a mistake, he did some really fine things as a football player. By the way, he was a great teammate. As witnessed by the fact his teammates and many of the Brown family members have continued to support him. He is the kind of guy that you would like to see make up for his mistake and support him in a great rehab. The NFL is a great place to make up for a mistake,” Jones said.
In a recent PFR poll, 66% of readers said that Brent should not return to the Cowboys. Brent played in 39 games for the Cowboys between 2010 and 2012, recording 44 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
AFC Notes: Alex Smith, Gordon, Raiders
Alex Smith and the Chiefs have both expressed optimism about reaching a long-term contract agreement before the 2014 season gets underway, but the quarterback indicated today there will come a time when a resolution must be reached one way or the other, so that it’s not a distraction during the season (link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star).
“You’re finally gonna cross a line where it’s like, it’s just football from here on out and I’m done not only talking about it with you guys, but even behind the scenes as well,” Smith said. “We talk about eliminating distractions and that’s a part of it. The focus needs to be on ball.”
Smith didn’t give an indication of when this deadline would arrive, but it’s probably safe to assume that he doesn’t want talks dragging past opening day, which would give the two sides a few more weeks to work something out. Here’s more from across the AFC:
- After reports surfaced suggesting Josh Gordon‘s reps would argue that his failed drug test was a result of second-hand smoke, the NFL has countered by pointing out that the agreement in place between the league and NFLPA dictates that players are responsible for what is in their bodies. ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon has the details.
- Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that Gordon’s potential suspension will be an all-or-nothing scenario, since the appeal hearing officer can’t arbitrarily land on a penalty between zero games and a full season. A compromise could still be negotiated, but once the process reaches the point where the hearing officer makes a decision, that ruling will stick.
- The owners of nearby franchises weighed in on the Raiders‘ possible interest in San Antonio, with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones not making much of the story (link via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram), while Texans owner Bob McNair suggested that Texans fans would make up half the crowd at a San Antonio game (link via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle).
- Perhaps responding to Mark Davis‘ visit to San Antonio, Oakland mayor Jean Quan took to Twitter last night to announce that the city is “seeing progress” on a new stadium for the Raiders as well as MLB’s Athletics.
- After signing an extension through 2015 today, Bills running back Fred Jackson suggested he’d like to play for three or four more seasons, tweets ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap is a fan of the Colts’ offseason signing of Hakeem Nicks, identifying the wideout’s contract as the best one on the team’s books. Linebacker Erik Walden gets the dubious honor of least team-friendly deal for Indianapolis, according to Fitzgerald.
East Notes: Bryant, Lawrence, Fins, Bradham
The big news out of the NFL’s two East divisions today relates to Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith, who reached an agreement with the club on a $98MM extension that will keep him under contract through 2023. We have a few other East notes to round up though, including an item on how Smith’s new deal could affect one of his teammates. Let’s dive in….
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) believes that, after extending Smith, it would be “nearly impossible” for the Cowboys make a big long-term commitment to Dez Bryant now. The signing bonus on Smith’s contract isn’t massive, so I think the Cowboys would still have the flexibility to get something done this year if they really wanted to. Still, Rapoport adds that there hasn’t been much progress between the two sides, and that Bryant may benefit from playing out the season without a new deal.
- 34th overall pick Demarcus Lawrence suffered a fractured foot in practice this week and is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. That’s a significant blow for the Cowboys, who liked Lawrence enough that they traded their third-round selection in May’s draft to move up and snag the young edge defender.
- Free agent center Samson Satele remains on the Dolphins’ radar, and the team still may return to him at some point, but the team continues to hope its internal options can handle the position in Mike Pouncey’s absence, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
- Bills linebacker Nigel Bradham has been suspended for the first game of the regular season for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, per Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Considering it’s just a one-game suspension, it’s likely for Bradham’s 2013 arrest for marijuana possession, rather than a failed test, Garafolo notes.