DaVaris Daniels

NFL Workout Updates: 12/12/17

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

East Notes: Cowboys, Wake, Parker, Eagles

In an interview on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones identified the pass rush as his club’s top need heading into the draft, as Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. “Ultimately we want to find a dominant type of pass rusher,” Jones said. “Obviously that’s easier said than done.” If Dallas keeps the No. 4 overall pick rather than moving up or down, top pass rushers like Joey Bosa and DeForest Buckner will likely be available, so it will be interesting to see the club’s approach in the draft.

Let’s check out some other updates from out of the NFL’s East divisions…

  • Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald believes it makes sense for the Dolphins to gauge defensive end Cameron Wake‘s value on the trade market, arguing that not doing so would be “shortsighted.” In Salguero’s view, if Miami can land a second- or third-round pick for the veteran pass rusher, that would be more valuable in the long term for the club than keeping Wake.
  • Former Giants wide receiver Preston Parker, who appeared in two games for Big Blue last season, was arrested in Palm Beach on Monday night for possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana and resisting arrest, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Parker caught 36 balls for the Giants in 2014, but was the cut by the team last September, and this incident won’t help him find a new job.
  • The Eagles are bringing in four veteran free agents for tryouts this week, tweets Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Defensive tackle Ken Bishop, fullback Michael Zordich, wide receiver DaVaris Daniels, and wide receiver T.J. Graham will get a look at Philadelphia’s minicamp.
  • Patriots defensive lineman Alan Branch doesn’t agree with the notion that his former teammate Dominique Easley, who was cut by New England last week, was a problem in the locker room, as Chris Mason of the Boston Herald details.

Workout Notes: Titans, Brown, Johnson, Dixon

Just over seven months after he announced his retirement from the NFL, cornerback Cortland Finnegan had a workout today with the Patriots. Finnegan, 31, was one of the league’s worst cornerbacks in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. PFF ranked Finnegan 109th out of 110 qualified corners, with a grade of -19.7 in just seven games. As such, it came as a bit of a surprise when Miami inked the former Ram to a two-year, $11MM deal in 2014. He might not be worthy of that kind of pay, but he could make for an intriguing depth option for the Pats or another team.

Here’s a rundown of today’s other workouts from around the NFL, with all links going to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post on Twitter, unless noted otherwise..

Workout Notes: Patriots, Texans, Bucs, Eagles

Earlier today we learned that the Patriots worked out wide receiver Hakeem Nicks. As it turns out, they also auditioned two other players: running back Isaiah Pead and tight end Nick Kasa (via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter).

Pead, 26 in December, was once expected to become a leading rusher for the Rams as the heir apparent to Steven Jackson. Things never worked out that way for the 2012 second-round pick, but he did spent three years and change with the club, playing in 27 games with one start. This year, Pead appeared in just two games and notched two carries for three yards before he was released.

Here’s a rundown of today’s workouts and auditions from around the NFL..

Workout Notes: Jets, Brown, Chargers, Lions

The Jets auditioned running back Bryce Brown on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Brown has showed flashes of promise in the past, but he was unable to stick with the Bills in 2015. The Bills traded a 2015 fourth-round pick to the Eagles to acquire Brown before the start of last season and that’s a deal that GM Doug Whaley probably wouldn’t make again. In 2014, Brown ran for a grand total of 126 yards off of 36 carries.

Here’s a rundown of other notable workouts from around the NFL..

Extra Points: Wilkerson, Graham, Manziel, Brady

As Muhammad Wilkerson begins another standout season, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News begins wondering if he could be the trade chip that lands the Jets a quarterback.

After noting the Jets prefer the skill set of currently troubled 2013 defensive rookie of the year Sheldon Richardson to Wilkerson, Mehta speculates whether Wilkerson’s contract-year campaign could still benefit the Jets down the road by allowing them to keep the defensive end around for trade purposes. Using the Chiefs’ 2008 trade of Jared Allen to the Vikings as an example, Mehta proposes the Jets use a non-exclusive franchise tag on Wilkerson after this season and dangle him in trade talks, as Kansas City did seven years ago.

He continues in saying the only way the Jets could keep both of their star ends is one agreeing to take far less than their value, which will not happen. Of course, this talk of trading Wilkerson is contingent on Richardson re-routing his career, which is far from a certainty at this point.

Here is some other news from around the league.

  • Jimmy Graham‘s level of happiness with the Seahawks has been one of the key points of discussion in the NFL this week, and the sixth-year tight end might not experience a morale uptick, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk offers. While noting satisfaction could come in time as Graham and Russell Wilson increase their rapport, Florio suggests Graham is not a fit for what the Seahawks do. Graham’s begun to lobby for Wilson to not shy away from throwing his way, even if he’s covered. “Obviously, Drew (Brees) wasn’t running the read options, Graham told media. €œIf (Wilson) is in trouble, he was going to read me, and I was the option. … I tell Russ every day, it don’€™t matter (if coverage is tight) and sometimes just throw it because sometimes it just doesn’€™t matter.”
  • Sufficiently recovered from a high-ankle sprain, Eric Fisher will return to the Chiefs‘ starting lineup against the Packers, doing so at right tackle now, after sitting behind waiver pickup Jah Reid in the first two games, reports Kevin Patra of NFL.com. Although Andy Reid denied the speculation Fisher delayed his recovery in order to not have to face J.J. Watt in the Chiefs’ opener, Fisher hasn’t remotely lived up to expectations as a No. 1 pick and will begin a critical campaign in hopes of rescuing his career.
  • Nick Toon‘s workout itinerary now includes a stop in St. Louis, as the Rams examined the former Saints backup, per Florio. The Rams also worked out wideouts Issac Blakeney, Kain Colter, DaVaris Daniels, Jordan Leslie, Tyler Rutenbeck and Taylor Washington. Florio opines that the Rams, who carry six healthy receivers presently, are sending a message to some in the unimpressive group. Toon also worked out for the Cowboys and Titans this month after being waived by the Saints.
  • After news emerged on the timeline for the Tom Brady case, Michael Coyne of the Massachusetts School of Law explains to CSNNE.com how that will affect the 38-year-old quarterback’s season, should the Patriots return to the playoffs as expected. While distractions are inevitable given how this has unfolded, Coyne points out Brady will not have to be present for the appeal hearings.
  • Johnny Manziel fumbling twice in each of the Browns‘ first two games was the driving force behind them opting to relegate him back to the bench in favor of Josh McCown, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com writes. The Browns lost possession on both mishaps against the Jets and recovered each loose ball against the Titans. “The No. 1 thing when you play quarterback is you have to protect the football,” Browns OC John DeFilippo told media. “. . . If you don’t protect the football, then you’re not giving yourself the best chance to win.”
  • A knee injury this week during practice will keep Trent Cole from traveling with the Colts to Nashville, Tenn., for their Week 3 tilt with the Titans, reports Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (on Twitter). Robert Mathis‘ workload will increase as a result, Holder reports.

Workout Notes: 9/23/15

Teams around the NFL are bringing in players for workouts, surveying the free agent landscape for possible practice squad additions or 53-man roster players, either for the near future or down the road. Here are a few of the latest auditions from across the league, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (all links go to Twitter):

AFC:

NFC:

AFC Notes: Steelers, Browns, Castonzo

After all the talk about DeflateGate that dominated the NFL news wire for the majority of the 2015 calendar year, last night’s season opener was supposed to return the conversation to what happened on the field. However, two off-field incidents stole headlines from Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com has updates on both stories.

According to Schefter, Steelers tight end coach James Daniel is being investigated by the Steelers and the NFL for allegedly assaulting and verbally accosting a Patriots fan on the way to the locker room before halftime. According to witnesses, Daniel kicked the Pats fan in the back of his leg and yelled at the fan. Depending on what the investigations by the team and the league turn up, Daniel could be facing a suspension and/or fine.

Meanwhile, after head coach Mike Tomlin complained about issues with the Gilette Stadium headsets, the Steelers opted not to file a formal complaint with the NFL. However, according to Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten, via Schefter, the team provided league reps with information regarding those communications issues.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • Asked today about the Browns‘ decision to cut Terrelle Pryor, head coach Mike Pettine said the team initially held onto the former Raiders quarterback because of his potential as a receiver. However, he was occupying the 53rd roster spot, and the club likes running back Robert Turbin too much to have passed up on him (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal).
  • Several players around the league are putting the finishes touches on contract extensions as the regular season approaches. However, it doesn’t appear that Browns safety Tashaun Gipson or Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon will sign new deals with their respective teams anytime soon, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com and Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter links).
  • Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports provides some additional details on Anthony Castonzo‘s new extension with the Colts, tweeting that the left tackle received a $14MM signing bonus.
  • Free agent wide receiver DaVaris Daniels is working out for the Jaguars today, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). Daniels was claimed off waivers by the Patriots after being dropped by the Vikings, but didn’t survive New England’s cutdown to 53 players.

Patriots Waive Nine, Trim Roster To 66 Players

In addition to cutting quarterback Ryan Lindley and signing cornerback Justin Coleman on Friday, the Patriots announced nine other moves, reducing their roster to 66 players. Here’s the list of players who were waived by the team, according to a team release:

  • RB Tony Creecy
  • WR Zach D’Orazio
  • WR DaVaris Daniels
  • OL Ryan Groy
  • OL Caylin Hauptmann
  • OL Chris Martin
  • LB James Morris
  • DL A.J. Pataiali’i
  • DL Casey Walker

New England also released tight end Jake Bequette from the club’s injured reserve list, making him a free agent.

The Patriots will move running back LeGarrette Blount to the reserve/suspended list for Week 1 as part of their cutdown to 53 players, so the team will have to make 12 more roster moves by today’s deadline.

Patriots Claim DaVaris Daniels Off Waivers

The Patriots announced several roster moves to get down to the 75-man limit today, including one addition to the roster. Here’s the full list:

Claimed off waivers:

  • DaVaris Daniels, WR (waived by Vikings)

Waived:

  • Chris Barker, G
  • D.J. Lynch, LB

Placed on IR:

  • James Develin, FB
  • Darryl Roberts, CB

PUP list:

  • Dane Fletcher, LB
  • Chris Jones, DT