Colts Release Josh Cribbs
The Colts have released return specialist Josh Cribbs, the team announced today in a press release. Because he’s a 10-year veteran, Cribbs won’t be subjected to waivers, and will immediately be free to sign with another team.
Cribbs, 31, was one of the most explosive punt and kick returners in the league earlier in his career, tallying 11 total return touchdowns — three on punts and eight more on kicks. After joining the Colts last year, the Kent State product didn’t make an impact on 19 punt returns, averaging just 6.6 yards, but his kick return average was an impressive 32.0 yards per return on 19 attempts.
The Colts drafted wide receiver Phillip Dorsett out of Miami last night, and I expect the first-round rookie to take over most – if not all – of the Colts’ return duties.
Draft Rumors: Gregory, Falcons, Bills, Saints
While Randy Gregory‘s failed drug test at the combine might not be enough to push him too far down draft boards on its own, there’s concern about the pass rusher’s ability to “handle the mental rigors of professional football,” according to Ian Rapoport and Albert Breer of NFL.com. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes, the NFL.com report is quite vague and short on specifics, but Rapoport and Breer suggest that multiple teams have removed Gregory from their draft boards entirely. According to the duo, Gregory’s issues might be manageable, but not fixable, which makes it crucial that he lands in the right situation.
“It all depends on the organization, and what they have in place for him,” said one NFC personnel executive. “There are quite a few players that have issues. It’s where you place football character over the things he can’t control. That’s the big thing to me.”
Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports indicated earlier today that he wouldn’t touch Gregory, alluding to the Nebraska defender’s “other issues” (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that those “issues” are a combination of mental health concerns and recreational drug use.
With players like Josh Gordon and Dion Jordan set to serve season-long suspensions, it makes sense that teams would be wary of a player like Gregory, who could potentially run into similar off-field trouble. It’ll be interesting to see which club eventually takes a chance on a player who has top-10 talent, and when exactly that happens.
Here are a few more draft updates:
- As rumors swirl suggesting that the Falcons could trade up from No. 8 for a top pass rusher, Rapoport tweets that most of the teams he has spoken to believe Atlanta will actually trade back and select an offensive lineman.
- According to Rapoport (via Twitter), Bills owner Terry Pegula initially planned to make the trip to Texas this week for the club’s meeting with Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty. It ultimately didn’t work out, but it could be a sign that Buffalo is serious about Petty.
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com identifies the Rams, Saints, Bengals, Cowboys, Colts, Patriots, and Seahawks as teams that may be willing to roll the dice on some of the prospects in this year’s draft class who have red flags related to character and/or off-field incidents.
- While the Saints earned a mention in La Canfora’s list, GM Mickey Loomis did say today that some players will be off New Orleans’ draft board because of character issues, tweets Brett Martel of The Associated Press. Still, Loomis noted that in many cases he’s more concerned about a player’s judgment than the incident itself, and said it’s important to be careful about labeling a player based on one incident (Twitter links).
- Loomis also said today that the Saints are unlikely to trade picks, but will listen to opportunities to move up or down. The overarching goal for the draft, according to the GM, is to make the team better “right now” (Twitter links via Martel).
- Penn State tight end Jesse James, a probable mid-round pick, worked out for the Ravens, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Draft Notes: Williams, Fowler, DGB
There are only five can’t-miss players in the 2015 NFL Draft, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes. La Canfora writes that he initially set out to identify the top ten players in this crop, but one scout that he respect immensely insists that there’s an upper crust of five prospects, followed by a major drop off in talent between them and the next tier. Those five can’t miss prospects, execs tell La Canfora, are Leonard Williams, Dante Fowler Jr., Shane Ray, Kevin White, and Amari Cooper. Here’s more draft news..
- Multiple coaches in the NFL are pushing to draft receiver Dorial Green-Beckham in the first round, but owners are not sold on him, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (video link). There are teams that could stretch for him in round one, but it’ll only happen in a case where the owner has a supreme level of trust in their coach. Miller speculates that the Ravens at No. 26 are the most likely to take DGB since GM Ozzie Newsome has so much trust from ownership. On the other hand, the Ray Rice situation might scare the Ravens away from taking someone with clear off-the-field issues.
- NBC’s Cris Collinsworth told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the wide receiver class this year features “up to eleven or 12, quality wise, who in any other year you would say, ‘That’s a first-round talent’.” That’s not to say that a dozen receivers will go in the first round, but there are a number of talented players at the position.
- Northwestern safety Ibraheim Campbell told SiriusXM NFL Radio (via Twitter) that he had visits with the Colts, Buccaneers, Texans, Bears, and Patriots.
Draft Rumors: Falcons, Gurley, Cowboys
The Falcons have long coveted a standout pass rusher, and the club could get the opportunity to draft one this year. The team currently has the No. 8 pick, but according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, GM Thomas Dimitroff will consider the possibility of moving up a few spots to land Florida edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. It would cost Atlanta an extra pick or two to trade up for Fowler, who is widely considered the top pass rusher in the draft, but the club hasn’t hesitated to make that sort of move in the past, most notably moving up to snag Julio Jones in 2011.
Here are a few more notes and rumors from around the NFL, as draft night approaches:
- With his ACL healing well, Todd Gurley now appears likely to be a top-20 pick, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. According to Breer, when he called around this weekend, the Browns (Nos. 12, 19), Dolphins (No. 14), and Chargers (No. 17) were all linked to the Georgia running back.
- The Browns may be considering Gurley with one of their two first-round picks, but the team figures to take a long look at receivers as well. Per Pro Football Talk (Twitter link), UCF wideout Breshad Perriman dined last night with Cleveland GM Ray Farmer and other team executives.
- While a consensus is forming for a few picks near the top of the draft, it’s not clear where USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams – viewed by many as 2015’s best prospect – will land, writes Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. As badly as the Raiders may need a wide receiver, I’d be surprised if Oakland passed on Williams at No. 4, assuming he’s available there.
- The Cowboys will have a hard time passing up Washington’s Marcus Peters or Wake Forest’s Kevin Johnson in the first round if either cornerback is still on the board at No. 27, says Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter).
- Colts owner Jim Irsay isn’t ruling out any possibility for his team on Thursday, suggesting that the Colts could easily trade up or down from No. 29, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
Colts Re-Sign Jerrell Freeman
Restricted free agent linebacker Jerrell Freeman has signed his one-year tender and will return to the Colts for the 2015 season, the team announced today in a press release. Because Indianapolis assigned him a second-round RFA tender, Freeman will be in line for a salary of $2.356MM.
Freeman, who turns 29 later this week, was one of a number of players around the league to skip his team’s voluntary workouts last week, apparently due to his contract situation. However, even if the linebacker would have liked to sign a more favorable, longer-term deal, his leverage was limited — Friday was the last day for RFAs to sign offer sheets with rival teams, so unless the Colts withdrew their tender, Freeman didn’t have any other viable options besides signing.
During the 2014 season, Freeman and D’Qwell Jackson saw the majority of the snaps for the Colts at the inside linebacker spots on the team’s 3-4 defense. After playing 781 defensive snaps in 2014, Freeman may have to fight to earn that many opportunities in 2015, since Indianapolis added free agent linebacker Nate Irving to the mix last month.
Irving and Freeman complement each other well, with Irving excelling as a run defender while Freeman’s is stronger in pass coverage. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the two players trade snaps depending on the situation, while Jackson continues to be a full-time contributor, or close to it.
South Notes: Bucs, Winston, Saints, Colts
Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is expected to selected first overall by Tampa Bay on Thursday night, and the Buccaneers have certainly done their research on the 2013 Heisman winner. General manager Jason Licht tells Joey Johnston and Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune that his club spoke with more than 75 people in an attempt to properly vet Winston. Curiously, the Bucs did not speak with the woman who accused Winston of sexual assault in 2013, but they did talk to a member of the Tallahassee State Attorney’s Office, which declined to press charges against Winston.
Here’s more from the NFL’s South divisions…
- Of the 18 prospects who are known to have visited the Saints, 12 are defensive players, which could be an indication of which direction New Orleans is leaning with its two first-round picks, writes Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com. Of course, as Woodbery adds, each club is allotted 30 predraft visits, so there up to 12 Saints player meetings that the public isn’t aware of.
- Speaking of the Saints, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com doesn’t think the club will take a risk on players with off-the-field trouble, such as edge rusher Randy Gregory or receiver Dorial Green-Beckham.
- The Colts will likely have to trade up if they want a chance at a player like Alabama safety Landon Collins, according to Mike Wells of ESPN.com. Indianapolis owns nine picks, so they could have the draft capital to make such a move.
- Although a poor draft (and a similarly underwhelming 2015 season) would probably threaten the job of Titans GM Ruston Webster more than head coach Ken Whisenhunt, Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com thinks both could be in jeopardy if Tennessee struggles this year.
Jim Irsay Discusses Chuck Pagano’s Future
The Colts have had some incredible success since hiring Chuck Pagano prior to the 2012 season. The organization has won 11 games in three straight seasons, and they’ve advanced an extra round in the playoffs in each of his three years.
However, there was some skepticism surrounding the 54-year-old, particularly his inability to lead a talented roster to a Super Bowl appearance. News that the team wasn’t planning on extending Pagano only added fuel to the fire. However, owner Jim Irsay hushed any speculation on Friday evening, asserting that he wants Pagano, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season, to be the head coach going forward.
Stephen Holder of IndyStar.com compiled some quotes from Irsay, which we’ve collected for you below…
On previous negotiations between the organization and Pagano’s representatives:
“There were some efforts to talk about it. We just didn’t get there. Sometimes that happens. If you go back to the old days, there were no agents involved, either. Now general managers and coaches sometimes have agents. In fact, oftentimes … We’re real positive about Chuck Pagano and the things that he’s done. It’s not a sign of anything extremely negative. We just haven’t gotten anything done in terms of a long-term contract.”
On the two sides’ inability to agree on a contract extension:
“These things are ongoing a lot of times behind the scenes. We’re working on contracts, whether it’s management, coaches, players. We had discussions and it doesn’t mean that they won’t continue. It’s not a Super Bowl-or-bust season or anything like that.”
On Pagano’s accomplishments and contributions to the organization:
“We were proud of our (2014) season and I really feel positive about Chuck and what he’s done for us. There’s no question that he’s accomplished a lot since he’s been here. And we’re here tonight for this gala because he had that illness (leukemia) in 2012. Really, it’s only been two years, kind of, that he’s been coaching. So, he’s done a very good job and nothing rules out that we couldn’t have an extension done before the season. And if not, we can still, I’m sure, work things out.”
AFC South Notes: Colts, Greene, Titans, Jags
The Colts have thought outside the box as they’ve attempted to round out the bottom of their roster. As Stephen Holder of the Indy Star points out, the team currently has four former CFL players, two college basketball players and a Kenyan rugby player under contract.
The mix of different backgrounds isn’t unusual to general manager Ryan Grigson, who is willing to look anywhere to make his team better:
“If you have elite athletic traits, you can do this. This isn’t one of those specialized sports, like golf. If you have a level of toughness and you can move and you have instincts, if you have those at an elite level, you’re going to get a chance.”
Let’s take a look at more notes out of the AFC South, including additional whispers from Indianapolis…
- The Colts may have a tough time retaining both Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen, but ESPN.com’s Mike Wells opines that the team should hold on to the tight end pair. As the writer points out, the best case scenario would be for the duo to establish themselves as one of the best pairings in the league, forcing the team to re-sign both players.
- If Antonio Andrews has a solid showing in minicamp, Paul Kuharsky would anticipate the Titans cutting veteran running back Shonn Greene.
- NFL Network’s Mike Mayock believes it would be difficult for a team to acquire the Titans first-round pick unless an established veteran quarterback becomes available. “Trading up to 2 is a big deal, because if you look at the old trade value chart, 1 through 4 have by far the highest values, and then there’s a precipitous drop to No. 5 and it gets a lot easier to start trading,” Mayock said (via Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean). “So trying to get up to 2 is really hard, unless you have an existing player like San Diego has with Philip Rivers or perhaps Philadelphia has with Sam Bradford.”
- Michael DiRocco is the under the impression that Jaguars wideouts Tandon Doss, Bryan Walters and Ace Sanders will all be fighting over one roster spot, with the writer giving punt return specialist Doss the early advantage.
AFC South Notes: Titans, Gurley, Mariota
Earlier today, we learned that the Titans are going to pick up Kendall Wright‘s fifth-year option. Wright, 25, grabbed a career-low 57 balls last season, though a career-high six of those receptions went for touchdowns and his struggles can be partially blamed on the team’s unstable quarterback situation. More from the AFC South..
- Georgia running back Todd Gurley was one of the 30 pre-draft visit for the Titans, Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean tweets. Recently, sources from five different teams told Albert Breer of NFL.com that Gurley has a great shot to be ready by Week 1 of the NFL season. The Rams are said to be among the teams that are fond of him and it has been speculated that they could trade back from No. 10 with an eye on grabbing him.
- Wyatt wouldn’t be surprised if the Titans have a change in mindset regarding Marcus Mariota and select him at No. 2 if he’s available. While sticking with Zach Mettenberger and building around him is an option, the Titans may have no choice but to take Mariota if they view him as a franchise quarterback. Wyatt also feels that the Titans should keep their ears open on a Philip Rivers trade in the event that the Chargers would also be willing to part with the No. 17 selection.
- Colts GM Ryan Grigson is building to win both now and later, Mike Chappell of FOX 59 writes. This offseason, the Colts invested heavily in four players that are undoubtedly past their primes: Andre Johnson, Frank Gore, Trent Cole, and Todd Herremans. Meanwhile, most of the team’s core – including stars Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton – are youngsters still building towards their primes. The Colts will look to infuse even more young talent in the upcoming draft.
Extra Points: Rivers, Brown, Johnson
A federal judge has approved a plan to resolve thousands of NFL concussion lawsuits that could cost the league $1 billion over 65 years, Maryclaire Dale of The Associated Press writes. The awards could reach $1MM to $5MM for those diagnosed in their 30s and 40s with Parkinson’s disease or Lou Gehrig’s disease, or for deaths involving chronic brain trauma. NFL actuaries estimate 6,000 of nearly 20,000 retired players to someday suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or moderate dementia. The settlement between the two sides ends a four-year legal battle. Here’s more from around the league..
- A possible trade of Philip Rivers to the Titans is complicated by the fact that Tennessee would have to work out a contract extension in the days prior to the deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. A deal couldn’t begin and end while the Titans are on the clock at No. 2 since Tennessee would need permission from the Chargers to work on Rivers’ contract (link).
- Antonio Brown took to Twitter to explain his absence from the Steelers‘ voluntary offseason program. “Just enjoying my new born Ali can not wait to get back with my teammates! I am dad first and working to be best player I can be,” Brown tweeted. It’s very possible that Brown is holding out for a new contract too, but that’s apparently not the sole reason.
- Andre Johnson insists that he didn’t sign with the Colts just to get revenge on his former team, as Stephen Holder of the Indy Star tweets. “I didn’t come here because we play against the Texans twice a year..I have bigger goals than just playing against the Texans,” the wide receiver said. Johnson signed with the Colts on a three-year, $21MM deal.
- Former Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla working out this spring and is a player worth watching, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets.
- Washington defensive tackle Danny Shelton feels that he could form an “unstoppable” duo with Haloti Ngata if the Lions draft him, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets.