AFC Rumors: Titans, Revis, Collins, Broncos
On their third head coach in four years after employing just one during the previous 15, the Titans are working diligently to find a full-time replacement for the recently fired Ken Whisenhunt.
GM Ruston Webster, controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk and interim president/CEO Steve Underwood to find the team’s next coach as Mike Mularkey helms the Titans through another disappointing season.
“I’m working with Steve every day along those lines and also talking to Amy,” Webster told ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky. “I talked to her for a long time yesterday. Yeah, we’re right in the middle of it. Right now it’s mostly background work, building lists.”
Tennessee is 23-42 since their 9-7 season in 2011, Mike Munchak‘s first before he was fired after the 2013 campaign.
Webster told Kuharsky in working on this search he assumes he’ll be part of the power structure once a coach signs on.
Here are some other items coming from the AFC as Week 13 Sunday looms.
- With Darrelle Revis set to miss Sunday’s Jets-Giants game with a concussion, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes the 30-year-old All-Pro’s future isn’t as certain as people may think, considering he’s now suffered head injuries in each of his past four seasons. Revis sustained official concussions this season and in Sept. 2012 and missed time with concussion-like symptoms in December 2013 and in January of this year.
- Jets cornerback Marcus Williams‘ emergence points toward him ascending to the starting lineup full-time next season in place of Antonio Cromartie, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. Cimini expects the Jets to strongly considering cutting Cromartie after one season of a three-year deal, with the nine-year veteran having no dead money on his contract after this season. A second-year UDFA, Williams will make just $600K in 2016.
- Expected to return after a four-week absence, Patriots outside linebacker Jamie Collins provided little on the illness that sidelined him. “I was sick,” Collins told media, including Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. “That’s all I know. I was just feeling real bad. I don’t want to talk about it, bring up memories.” The athletic linebacker’s lack of interest in disclosing what was behind a mysterious absence falls in line with the Patriots’ M.O. That notwithstanding, New England figures to need his services now that it’s expected to be without Dont’a Hightower for a bit.
- The Broncos delaying their season-defining decision on whether to officially bench Peyton Manning should be put off as long as possible, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes. Renck notes that while Osweiler’s inspired more confidence among his teammates than Brian Griese had when he was prematurely promoted in 1999, an injury or subsequent struggles from the career backup would make a Manning return awkward if the team had already declared him the backup.
West Notes: Osweiler, Reich, Kaepernick
Although he has just two career starts under his belt, Brock Osweiler‘s success over the past couple weeks has prompted plenty of discussion about how he’ll fit into the Broncos‘ future plans. One high-ranking executive tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today that it’s a good problem for Denver to have, but cautions that “it’ll be very, very difficult to navigate on multiple fronts.”
“They’re the only ones who are going to know if he’s their guy or not,” another NFL exec said. “But if he lights it up, and he thinks he’s your future, and you’ve already been there with him — I won’t say you’re going to pay him top market (value), but you’re going to have to pay him.”
It’s hard to know how much the Broncos will be willing to invest in Osweiler, or how much value he’ll have, before seeing how he finishes the season. But if he plays well down the stretch, he could command in the neighborhood of $15MM per year, that first executive estimates. Considering they’ll want to avoid using the franchise tag on Osweiler instead of Von Miller, the Broncos will be under some pressure to get something done with the quarterback before free agency, assuming they want to extend him.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s West divisions:
- Within his column, Pelissero wonders if offensive coordinators will be popular targets for NFL head coaching vacancies this offseason, since many teams with potential openings have young quarterbacks under contract. One possible candidate is Chargers OC Frank Reich, who confirmed to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he interviewed with Maryland – his alma mater – about the school’s head coaching job before the Terps decided on D.J. Durkin. “With interviews, if they come and when they come, I want to be selective about those things,” Reich said. “But you never want to take them for granted.”
- Matt Bowen and Mike Sando of ESPN.com (Insider link) are the latest to break down potential landing spots for quarterback Colin Kaepernick, in the event that the 49ers part ways with him. Both Bowen and Sando identify the Rams as one possibility.
- Former Browns general manager Phil Savage believes Kaepernick would probably draw the most interest around the league if Johnny Manziel, Robert Griffin III, and the 49ers quarterback all become available this offseason, as he tells Mark Maske of the Washington Post.
- Center Drew Nowak spoke to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times about being waived by the Seahawks and then re-joining the team’s practice squad.
NFC West Notes: Fangio, CJ2K, Osweiler
Here’s a look at the NFC West:
- Vic Fangio was the first of nine known candidates to interview for the 49ers’ head-coaching vacancy, but he quickly faded out of the process. For his part, Fangio says there are no hard feelings, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. “That’s their decision and their choice,” Fangio, the Bears’ defensive coordinator, said. “I have nothing to do with that.” When asked if it was hard to accept, Fangio answered, “No, I’ve just always accepted it’s their decision, their team. They do what they want with it.”
- Losing Chris Johnson doesn’t spell doom for the Cardinals, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic writes. With 814 rushing yards, CJ was fourth in the NFL and his 4.2 yards per carry average is the highest of any Arizona lead back since 2011. However, Johnson’s longest gain in the past three weeks was nine yards and Somers believes that he was starting to fade.
- Brock Osweiler has a tremendous opportunity to cash in with the Broncos, Jason Fitzgerald of The Sporting News writes. Not long ago, it was a given that they would use their franchise tag on Von Miller to maintain negotiating leverage, while allowing Osweiler to hit free agency. Now, they probably see Osweiler as deserving of a contract similar to Nick Foles’ $12.2MM per year extension with the Rams.
West Notes: 49ers, Manning, Broncos
The deadline for the 49ers to activate Daniel Kilgore is fast approaching. For his part, the center says that he’s good to go, as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee writes.
“I’d like to have something to build off of for the offseason, see where I am,” Kilgore said Wednesday. “It’s been over a year now. And I’ve been doing all this training. So I’d like to do something. I don’t want to do all this training for nothing.”
Kilgore’s fill-in, second-year player Marcus Martin, has struggled so far through 11 games with Pro Football Focus rating him as the NFL’s worst center in 2015.
Here’s more out of the West divisions:
- When asked about his future beyond 2015, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning told reporters that he hasn’t arrived at a decision or even pondered it, as Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets. “This is when ‘they’ and ‘sources’ seem to show their heads. I haven’t thought about anything but getting healthy,” Manning said.
- Broncos linebacker Shaquil Barrett for has hired agents Drew Rosenhaus and Jason Katz of Rosenhaus Sports for representation, per Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). Barrett, 23, is earning a paltry $435K this season and will make $525K in 2016 under the contract he signed as a UDFA in 2014. In 2015, the Colorado State product has appeared in 11 games with 4 starts, racking up 33 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
- The Seahawks auditioned tight end Anthony McCoy on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). McCoy could be an option to help fill the role of star tight end Jimmy Graham.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/2/15
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from across the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Abou Toure (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)
- Cut: TE Brandon Bostick
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Chuck Jacobs, RB Terrence Magee (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun)
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Dan France (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal)
- Cut: OL Ronald Patrick
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Ben Malena, CB Terrance Mitchell, DE Efe Obada (Twitter link via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Dan Light (link via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post)
- Cut: TE Arthur Lynch
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: OT Reid Fragel (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Chris Harper (Twitter link via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald), DT Kelcy Quarles (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DB Dewey McDonald (Twitter link via Scott Bair CSNBayArea.com)
- Cut: S Chris Hackett
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: WR Shane Wynn (Twitter link via Eric Williams of ESPN.com)
- Cut: WR Donte Foster
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Deshon Foxx, DT Justin Hamilton, C Drew Nowak (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
- Cut: WR Douglas McNeil
Workout Notes: Steelers, Broncos, Bears
The Steelers, who have been leaning heavily on DeAngelo Williams since Le’Veon Bell went down for the year, worked out former Rams and Jets running back Daryl Richardson, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). It doesn’t appear Pittsburgh will sign Richardson at this point, but it’s worth keeping an eye on the free agent market, considering Jordan Todman and Fitzgerald Toussaint – Williams’ current backups – have combined for just four carries this season.
Here are more workout notes from Wilson:
- The Broncos had a huge group of players in for tryouts this week, and Wilson (Twitter links) has the full list:
- FB Ray Agnew
- TE Brandon Barden
- DT Alex Bienemann
- TE Cameron Clear
- WR Jace Davis
- WR Antwan Goodley
- WR R.J. Harris
- C Alex Hill
- T Cameron Jefferson
- WR Jordan Leslie
- QB Seth Lobato
- WR Levi Norwood
- QB Bryn Renner
- T Jack Rummells
- WR Demetrius Wilson
- Tight end Rob Housler was part of the Bears‘ latest workout group, which also featured tight end Nick Kasa and wide receiver Marcus Lucas, according to Wilson (Twitter link). Chicago’s starting tight end, Martellus Bennett, is expected to return to action this weekend, so I wouldn’t expect the team to add another player at the position.
- The Cardinals auditioned linebackers Josh Francis, Quayshawn Nealy, Markus Pierce-Brewster, and Mike Reilly, along with cornerback Jalil Brown, tweets Wilson.
- In addition to working out offensive tackle Pierce Burton, who signed to the team’s practice squad, the Colts also took a look at defensive end Nordly Capi and defensive back Terrance Mitchell, says Wilson (via Twitter).
- The Raiders tried out safety Dewey McDonald, tweets Wilson. McDonald was signed by the Patriots last week, but only lasted two days on New England’s roster.
NFL To Allow Comp Pick Trades Starting In 2017
DECEMBER 2, 12:42pm: The NFL has voted to allow trades of compensatory draft picks, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. However, the new rules will apply for picks in 2017 and beyond, rather than 2016. That avoids giving a competitive advantage to the teams that deliberately attempted to land comp picks for ’16 during last year’s free agent period.
NOVEMBER 19, 11:35am: Beginning in 2016, the NFL is expected to start allowing teams to trade compensatory draft picks for the first time, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). These selections, which begin at the end of the third round, have traditionally not been movable.
[Related: Click here for the full list of the 2016 draft picks that have already been traded.]
Compensatory draft picks are rewarded to teams that had the most significant losses in free agency the previous year, with a formula determining how the 32 available selections are divvied up. Typically, teams like the Ravens have taken advantage of the system by allowing players to walk in free agency and collecting multiple compensatory picks, often using those picks to draft inexpensive potential replacements.
Now, it appears teams like Baltimore will be able to use those picks in trades going forward. Because there are no compensatory picks until the draft begins approaching the 100th overall pick, these selections may not be centerpieces of major deals, but being able to move them will give teams extra flexibility when making moves. As I noted when I took a closer look at all the trades made in the NFL in 2015, 64 of the 69 deals completed this year included at least one draft pick.
According to projections by Over the Cap, the Browns, 49ers, Cowboys, and Patriots are all in line to potentially land four compensatory picks for 2016, the maximum allowed for a single team. The Ravens, Broncos, Seahawks, Packers, and Lions are also projected to land multiple picks, though that’s not set in stone yet.
As Brian McIntyre notes (via Twitter), there’s a case to be made that any changes to the compensatory picks should be postponed until the 2017 draft, since changes for 2016 favor teams that attempted to stockpile those selections for the coming year. However, for now, it seems the league is ready to institute those changes sooner rather than later.
AFC Notes: M. Williams, Reich, Broncos, Jets
There are only 10 NFL players who will have higher cap hits than Mario Williams in 2016, and eight of those players are quarterbacks. As such, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com thinks it would be wise for the Bills to give serious consideration to moving on from the standout defensive end in the offseason. Buffalo could use the cap room, and simply releasing Williams would give the club much more flexibility than trying to restructure his contracts.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who received consideration for a couple NFL head coaching positions last winter, interviewed this week for the head coaching job at the University of Maryland, according to Don Markus of the Baltimore Sun.
- Even if Brock Osweiler continues to have success for the Broncos down the stretch, the quarterback could likely be signed on a multiyear deal worth about $10MM per year, Mike Klis of 9News suggests in his latest mailbag. In Klis’ view, there’s virtually no chance that Von Miller doesn’t get the franchise tag from the Broncos.
- When Osweiler took over as the Broncos‘ starting quarterback, Troy Renck of the Denver Post thought the team may look to bring back James Casey as a fullback. However, he concedes that adding a fullback would be a luxury for Denver at this point.
- With Brandon Marshall having emerged as the “go-to guy” for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Costello of the New York Post writes that the Jets‘ acquisition of the veteran receiver is looking like a steal for general manager Mike Maccagnan.
- New Patriots slot wide receiver Damaris Johnson will probably factor into the mix in 2016 if things go well, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. Johnson inked a two-year deal with the Patriots on Tuesday and he’s ostensibly being brought aboard for his return skills.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/1/15
Here are Tuesday’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Seahawks signed tight end Chase Coffman and released center Drew Nowak, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets.
- The Patriots claimed running back Trey Williams off waivers from the Cowboys, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). In a related move, defensive end Trey Flowers has been moved to IR.
- The Broncos waived tight end Richard Gordon and promoted safety Josh Bush from the taxi squad, as Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets.
- The Patriots are expected to sign return specialist Damaris Johnson, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a two-year deal for Johnson, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
Earlier Updates:
- The Bills created two openings on their 53-man roster with a pair of Monday moves, and opened up a third vacancy by officially placing Kyle Williams on IR today, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. The move had been expected since last week.
- To fill those three spots on their roster, the Bills signed defensive end Lavar Edwards off the Cowboys‘ practice squad, defensive lineman T.J. Barnes off the Jets‘ practice squad, and linebacker Kevin Reddick via free agency, per Rodak (all Twitter links). The series of signings helps the team fortify its banged-up defensive line, while also re-adding Reddick, who was cut prior to the regular season.
- The Dolphins have re-signed center/guard Jacques McClendon to their 53-man squad as an insurance policy for Mike Pouncey, the team announced today (via Twitter). Pouncey is dealing with a minor foot sprain and is considered day to day for now. Miami waived linebacker James-Michael Johnson in a corresponding move.
Workout Notes: Raiders, Colts, Packers
Today’s workouts from around the league:
- The Raiders worked out linebacker Emmanuel Acho, safety Stevie Brown, safety Chris Clemons, defensive back Chris Hackett, defensive end/outside linebacker Adrian Hubbard, and linebacker Colton Underwood, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
- The Colts worked out tight end Cameron Clear, cornerbacks Jeremy Harris and Corey White, and safety Chris Hackett last week, Wilson tweets.
- The Packers worked out wide receiver Ify Umodu, quarterback Matt Behrendt, cornerback Brandon McGee, wide receiver Denarius Moore, and wide receiver Larry Pinkard, Wilson tweets.
- The Bengals worked out defensive backs Brandon Ghee, Robert McClain, and Corey White, Wilson tweets.
- The Chiefs worked out linebackers Thomas Keiser and Andy Studebaker, Wilson tweets.
- The Lions worked out former Falcons linebacker Joplo Bartu, Wilson tweets.
- The Broncos worked out offensive lineman Isaiah Shelton last week, Wilson tweets.
- The Browns worked out safety Sean Baker and linebacker Colton Underwood last week, Wilson tweets.
- The Jets auditioned linebacker Ryan Mueller last week, Wilson tweets.
- Washington worked out defensive back Al Louis-Jean, Wilson tweets.
- The Jaguars worked out defensive back Brandon McGee, according to Wilson (on Twitter).