Detroit Lions Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Lions Re-Sign Darryl Tapp

September 6th, 2014 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY, 2:40pm: Tapp’s contract with the team will pay him $855,000 in base salary, and will count $570,000 agains the salary cap, reports Michael Rothstein of ESPN (via Twitter).

TUESDAY, 3:44pm: The Lions initially signed edge defender Darryl Tapp during the first week of free agency this offseason, and now the team is bringing him back during the first week of the regular season. According to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter), the club has re-signed Tapp, placing rookie linebacker Kyle Van Noy on the injured reserve list with the designation to return in order to clear an active roster spot.

Tapp, who turns 30 this month, is coming off his least productive season, as he recorded just 10 tackles and one sack for Washington in 2013, well below his respective career highs of 55 and seven. Although he saw plenty of playing time during stints with the Seahawks and Eagles earlier in his career, Tapp probably won’t be more than a reserve defender for Detroit.

As for Van Noy, the second-round pick will be eligible to begin practicing after Week 6, and can return to game action after Week 8.

AFC Links: Jaguars, Jets, Patriots, Browns

September 5th, 2014 at 9:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s round up some news from the AFC…

The Jaguars worked out a trio of kickers today, according to Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). Jay Feely, Alex Henery, and Derek Dimke all tried out for Jacksonville, which is likely updating its emergency list of kickers as incumbent Josh Scobee deals with a quadriceps injury.
Yates also notes that the Jets worked out linebacker Steve Beauharnais, who spent 2013 with the Patriots. Beauharnais, a Rutgers product, had a workout with the Giants on Tuesday.
In his latest piece for ESPN.com, Adam Schefter points out that while Golden Tate and Brandon LaFell have eerily similar statistics since both entered the league in 2010, Tate was guaranteed $10.5MM by the Lions over the offseason, while LaFell’s contract with the Patriots guarantees him just $3MM. While the pair’s traditional numbers are comparable, Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) strongly favored Tate, grading him as the 18th-best receiver in 2013 — LaFell, meanwhile, was ranked at No. 94 among WRs.
Without Josh Gordon in the fold, the Browns’ receiver corps seems to lack not only talent, but size — as Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer writes, the Browns’ average receiver stands 5’11”, 191.4 pounds. But general manager Ray Farmer isn’t second-guessing his decision to not add more WR depth, or to release veterans like Nate Burleson or Anthony Armstrong. “There’s no reason to waver,” Farmer said. “Talent is talent. I think that question everyone wants to know is ‘How come I don’t know him? How come I’ve never heard of that guy?’ I can’t answer that question. I don’t know the answer to it. I know that our scouts do a really good job of hitting the streets and figuring out who’s who on which roster and when we can pick up a guy and who’s out there to make our team better.”

11 PS Players Earning More Than The Minimum

September 5th, 2014 at 5:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Players on NFL practice squads are eligible to receive a minimum salary of $6,300 per week, which works out to a 17-week salary of about $107K if a player remains on his team’s practice squad for the entire season. In most cases, teams don’t pay more than the minimum to fill those practice squad spots, since clubs have much more leverage than the players vying for those 320 total openings.

In some cases though, if a team really likes a player, or if he’s drawing interest from several teams for their practice squads, a club will increase that weekly rate. So far this year, with all 32 teams having filled up their 10-man squads, at least 11 players are known to be receiving salaries worth more than the minimum. NFL writer Brian McIntyre rounded up all those players and their salaries for us in a series of tweets, so let’s check out the full list, sorted by weekly salary:

Brandon Magee, LB (Buccaneers): $29,117 (link)
Josh Bynes, LB (Ravens): $15,000 (link)
Rodney Austin, G (Lions): $11,765 (link)
Zac Dysert, QB (Broncos): $10,000 (link)
Charles Johnson, WR (Browns): $10,000 (link)
John Simon, OLB (Ravens): $10,000 (link)
Ahmad Dixon, S (Vikings): $9,300 (link)
Brandon Dixon, CB (Buccaneers): $7,500 (link)
Solomon Patton, WR (Buccaneers): $7,500 (link)
Jamell Fleming, CB (Ravens): $6,500 (link)
Ryan Jensen, C (Ravens): $6,500 (link)

Magee’s practice-squad salary is the most notable on this list — his weekly figure adds up to just below $495K for the full season, which is the minimum salary for a second-year player on an active roster. In other words, if he spends the entire season on the practice squad, Magee could still earn more money than some players on active rosters, which is a sign of how much the Bucs want to keep him around.

NFC Notes: Tate, Ellington, Boone

September 5th, 2014 at 12:42pm CST by Zachary Links

New Lions receiver Golden Tate is enjoying the offense in Detroit, writes Robert Klemko of the MMQB. “The offense is kind of a feel offense. You feel your way around. Obviously there are rules and depths, but at the end of the day you’ve got to play football and just be an athlete…Coach Lombardi’s thing is to just put guys in different places and let them make plays. In Seattle we might have thrown 15-20 times a game so it made it hard to get off there. I prefer what we have in Detroit,” Tate said.

Good news for Cardinals fans: the first prognosis on running back Andre Ellington‘s foot injury is that it’s a muscle injury, tweets Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. The team is still waiting on MRI results and a diagnosis from a foot specialist, however. If Ellington is sidelined, Jonathan Dwyer will presumably take the starting role with Stepfan Taylor and Robert Hughes in support.
During last night’s pregame show, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth said that Julius Peppers was prepared to return to the Panthers before Packers came along with an offer he couldn’t refuse, writes Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk. “He was getting ready to go to Carolina, thinking he’d just go home and finish his career there,” Collinsworth said. “Then the Green Bay Packers called and said, ‘How’d you like to be a stand-up, 3-4 outside linebacker?’ And he said, ‘I’ve been waiting my whole life to do that.’” Retaining Peppers became quite the longshot for Carolina once Green Bay offered up a three-year, $26MM deal.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap has the specifics on Alex Boone‘s new deal with the 49ers. The total contract value is $6MM over two years with another $2MM available in incentives. Those incentives are tied to being selected to the Pro Bowl and named first team All-NFL.

NFC Links: Sam, Bradford, Suh, Bailey

September 4th, 2014 at 10:08pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s look at the latest news from the NFC…

After Michael Sam failed to land with a team via waivers after being cut by the Rams, the NFL discreetly contact clubs around the league and asked them to evaluate him as a practice squad candidate, reported Peter King on NBC’s pregame coverage earlier tonight. Sam eventually joined the Cowboys’ PS.
In the wake of his second ACL tear in as many seasons, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford says he hasn’t yet coped with the future of his NFL career. “I haven’t even thought that far ahead,” Bradford told reporters, including Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “It’s still pretty hard to comprehend right now. I think it will be good once I have the surgery because the rehab process will give me something to focus on and something to put my attention towards.”
Ndamukong Suh was complementary of J.J. Watt following the latter’s extension with the Texans, but wouldn’t comment on what Watt’s deal would mean for him, Suh. “I have no clue,” Suh said, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free-Press. “It’s not up to me. Talk to my agent.” The defensive tackle is entering the final year of his contract with the Lions, during which he will count a league-high $22.413MM against the cap.
Lions head coach Jim Caldwell was coy about his team’s interest in adding Champ Bailey following the veteran’s workout today, but Detroit corner Rashean Mathis hopes Bailey will be joining him in the secondary, writes Birkett in a separate piece. “You can substitute for a lot of things, but knowledge is not one of them,” said Mathis. “[Bailey] knows the game, he knows football. When you have that much playing experience, the coaches know you know just as much as them when it comes to on-the-field stuff.”
In a piece for TheMMQB.com, former Packers employee Andrew Brandt details the contrasting personalities of two of his former colleagues — Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson, and Seahawks GM (and former Packers personnel man) John Schneider.

Champ Bailey Worked Out For Lions

September 4th, 2014 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

12:01am: Bailey’s workout went well and the Lions liked what they saw, but it doesn’t seem that any signing is imminent, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

11:26am: The Lions appear to be on the lookout for veteran help in their secondary, and will bring in cornerback Champ Bailey for a workout today, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter). Bailey was let go over the weekend by the Saints as New Orleans cut its roster down to 53 players.

Bailey’s visit to the Lions comes on the heels of the team trying out several other free agent defensive backs. Roc Carmichael, Tommie Campbell, Chris Clemons, and Anthony Walters are among the players to audition for Detroit so far this week. The secondary, which lost 2013 starters Chris Houston and Louis Delmas this offseason, appears to be the weakest part of the Lions’ roster, or at least the group with the most question marks.

Bailey has a few question marks himself, after failing to earn a roster spot with the Saints despite receiving a $500K signing bonus when he signed with the club in April. The 12-time Pro Bowler appeared in just five regular season games in 2013 due to a foot injury, and his exorbitant cap hit made him a cap casualty for the AFC champion Broncos. He’s said to be healthy, but it remains to be seen how much he has left in the tank at age 36.

Extra Points: Watt, Galette, Lions, Dez

September 3rd, 2014 at 10:21pm CST by Zachary Links

In a piece for the Sporting News, Jason Fitzgerald looks at the far-reaching impact of J.J. Watt‘s $100MM contract with the Texans. The large cash payouts on the front end of his contract and the virtually guaranteed nature of those payouts, despite the lack of contract leverage, should have an impact on rookie contracts of all positions going forward. So for the extensions for the 2011 class have come with minimal guarantees and protection in the contracts but this deal, which basically treated Watt as a veteran free agent, could change that. More from around the NFL..

Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter) confirmed with a league source that Junior Galette‘s $41.5MM deal with the Saints is all new money. That’s in addition to the $4MM he was already due in 2014 and ’15. Triplett adds that value could increase to $48MM if Galette notches 12 sacks this year (link). He got a $3.5MM signing bonus in the contract and is due a $12.5MM bonus next year.
The Lions are worked out cornerback Roc Carmichael today, a league source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Carmichael last played for the Eagles. The Lions also tried out fellow defensive backs Tommie Campbell, Chris Clemons, and Anthony Walters, Howard Balzer of USA Today (Twitter link).
Dez Bryant is talking about a new deal with the Cowboys, but he insists his focus in on beating the 49ers in Week 1, writes David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “Man, look, it’s like this,’’ Bryant said. “My mind is focused on San Fran. It’s the only thing it’s focused on. All the other stuff is going to take care of itself, I promise.’’
The Bengals worked out Brendon Kay, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

NFC North Notes: Suh, Bennett, Packers

September 2nd, 2014 at 8:25pm CST by Zachary Links

J.J. Watt‘s new contract could affect their Lions and their plans regarding Ndamukong Suh, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Watt arguably has been the NFL’s most destructive player the last two seasons. He had 20.5 sacks and 16 pass deflections in 2012, 10.5 sacks last year, and is two years younger than Suh. Still, Suh has the threat of free agency as leverage for a new deal. Here’s tonight’s look at the NFC North..

When asked why free agent wide receiver Earl Bennett wasn’t called to replace the injured Marquess Wilson, Bears GM Phil Emery said, “Don’t assume that Earl was not called,” according to Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter).
The Packers have worked out offensive linemen Michael Bamiro, Manase Foketi, and Adam Gettis, as well as cornerback Robert Steeples, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Earlier today Green Bay worked out quarterbacks Jeff Mathews, Pat Devlin, and Jon Jennings.
The Bears auditioned linebacker Nate Askew and defensive backs Shamiel Gary and Josh Thomas, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

Minor Moves: Tuesday

September 2nd, 2014 at 5:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are the latest minor transactions from around the NFL:

5:17pm:

The Browns have cut offensive lineman Caylin Hauptmann with a failed physical designation, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). That clears a roster spot for Vinston Painter, whose signing was noted below.
The following players have been removed from their teams’ respective IR lists with injury settlements, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (all Twitter links): Ryan McKee (Chiefs), Larry Asante (Raiders), Greg Jenkins (Raiders), and Eric Ward (Titans). C.J. Davis (Seahawks) has also been removed from IR with a settlement, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

4:44pm:

The Jets have signed linebacker Jeremiah George and wideout Quincy Enunwa to their practice squad, the team announced today (via Twitter). New York selected the duo in the fifth and sixth rounds of this year’s draft, respectively.

4:13pm:

The Panthers have signed former Jets wideout Stephen Hill to their practice squad, cutting linebacker D.J. Smith, the team announced today (Twitter link). According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Redskins will also interested in bringing Hill in for a workout, but Carolina offered him a deal.
The Cardinals have added wideout Kevin Cone, defensive tackle Christian Tupou, and running back Dominique Williams to their practice squad, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter).
Tight end Jerome Cunningham has signed with the Giants‘ practice squad, according to agent Howard Shatsky (via Twitter).
The Chargers filled their practice squad by adding running back Marion Grice, who cleared waivers after being cut yesterday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
The Cowboys have also filled their 10-man squad, adding offensive lineman John Wetzel and defensive back Jemea Thomas, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Presumably, one of the 10 players on the unit will be cut tomorrow if the team intends to bring Michael Sam aboard.
A.J. Jefferson of the Seahawks and Justice Cunningham of the Rams have both been removed from injured reserve lists with settlements, according to Caplan and Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter links).

3:28pm:

According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter), the Browns are signing offensive lineman Vinston Painter off the Broncos‘ practice squad, which will open up a spot on the 10-man unit for long snapper Kevin McDermott, whose signing was noted below. Cleveland will need to make a corresponding roster move to clear room for Painter.
The Redskins made a series of changes to their practice squad today, signing offensive lineman Braxston Cave and linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat. Linebacker Chaz Sutton and offensive lineman Tevita Stevens were cut.
Offensive lineman Matt Patchan has been removed from the Buccaneers‘ injured reserve list with a settlement, says Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).

1:23pm:

A number of teams have filled their 10-man practice squads by adding a player. The Jaguars signed tight end Marcel Jensen, per John Oehser of Jaguars.com (via Twitter); the Bills signed tight end D.J. Tialavea, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com; the Bengals signed wide receiver Cobi Hamilton, according to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com (via Twitter); and the Browns officially announced the signing of fullback Kiero Small, which had been previously reported by Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
A pair of clubs also swapped in one player for another on their practice squads. The Dolphins signed defensive end Gerald Rivers and dropped defensive end D’Aundre Reed, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). And the Vikings signed offensive lineman Austin Wentworth to their squad to replace cornerback Kendall James, the team announced (via Twitter).
The Broncos are also making an addition to their practice squad, in long snapper Kevin McDermott, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter). But Denver already had a full 10-man unit, so we’ll have to wait to hear about the corresponding move.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap and Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) provide the respective details for Ray McDonald‘s contract restructure with the 49ers and Glover Quin‘s reworked deal with the Lions.
The Buccaneers intend to open up a roster spot by placing running back Charles Sims on their injured reserve list with the designation to return, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Teams can begin to use that IR spot as of 3:00pm central time today.
Cornerback Bobby Felder has been removed from the Bills‘ injured reserve list after reaching a settlement with the team, tweets Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550.

NFC Notes: Sam, Van Noy, Gettis, Guion

September 1st, 2014 at 10:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After being waived by the Rams on Saturday, defensive end Michael Sam wasn’t claimed by another team, meaning he is now a free agent. By our count, nine teams still have at least one practice squad spot open, so Sam might yet find NFL work. It’s just my speculation, but the Bills, Bengals, or Giants, each of whom has a practice squad opening, could be schematic fits for Sam. If Sam wants immediate playing time, however, he could look to latch on with the CFL, where the Montreal Alouettes control his rights. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the team has reached out to Sam, the first openly gay player drafted by the NFL, but has not heard back. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is more blunt, saying (via Twitter) that “there is nothing to…the CFL talk.”

Detroit Lions News & Rumors