NFL Workouts/Visits: 1/8/16
As teams look ahead to formulating their offseason rosters, they’ve begun to bring in free agents for both workouts and visits. Let’s look at the latest:
Workouts
Chargers (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
- Freddie Bishop, DL
- Euclid Cummings, DE
- Cleyon Laing, DL
Chiefs (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Michael Buchanan, DE
- Jordan Kovacs, S
- Eze Obiora, DE
- Alameda Ta’amu, DT
Jaguars (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Brandon Fields, P
- Marvin Kloss, K
- Spencer Lanning, P
Ravens (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Jeff Fuller, WR
- Eric Rogers, WR (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN)
- Terrell Sinkfield, WR
Steelers (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Freddie Bishop, DL
- Dexter McCoil, LB
- Eric Rogers, WR
- Dustin Vaughan, QB
Washington (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Cleyon Laing, DL
- Eric Rogers, WR
Visits
Cardinals (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Toby Johnson, DT (prior to signing with Vikings’ practice squad)
Chiefs (Twitter links via Wilson)
- Kenny Cook, WR
- Adrian Hubbard, LB
Giants (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Jake Bequette, DE
Steelers (Twitter link via Wilson)
Titans To Interview Chris Ballard For GM
The Titans are scheduled to interview Chiefs director of football operations Chris Ballard for their general manager vacancy on Monday, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). We learned yesterday that Tennessee had requested and received permission to interview Ballard.
[RELATED: Patriots OC Josh McDaniels interested in Titans’ head coaching job]
Ballard, who just completed his third season with Kansas City, has been an NFL personnel man for 15 years, and was considered a strong candidate for the Bears GM job at this time last year. He’s one of several candidates for the Titans position, joining former Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist, Giants exec Marc Ross, and former Lions GM Martin Mayhew. The club also confirmed today that it had interviewed Jaguars director of player personnel Chris Polian and Buccaneers director of player personnel Jon Robinson.
As the Titans seek to replace Ruston Webster, there’s a question as to how their GM search will affect their hunt for new head coach. As Alex Marvez of FOX Sports notes (via Twitter), it’s a little surprising that Tennessee got such a late start; while the Dolphins, for example, have already completed seven head coaching interviews, the Titans have completed zero, as our head coaching search tracker shows.
Chiefs Sign TE Demetrius Harris To Extension
5:33pm: Harris is getting a three-year extension that can be worth up to $6.3MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The base value figures to be lower than that, and the guaranteed money will likely be modest, but it still looks like a nice deal for a player who had been in line to make the minimum again in 2016.
1:12pm: The Chiefs and tight end Demetrius Harris have agreed to a contract extension that will keep Harris in Kansas City for at least another season,
according to agent Buddy Baker (Twitter link). Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides were nearing a deal.
Kansas City’s second tight end behind Travis Kelce, Harris caught seven balls for 74 yards and his first career touchdown in 2015. The 24-year-old took an unlikely path to the NFL, having focused on playing basketball, rather than football, in college. The Chiefs nonetheless took a flier on him as an undrafted free agent in 2013, and after spending a season on the club’s practice squad, Harris made Kansas City’s active roster in 2014.
Harris had been on track to become an exclusive-rights free agent this offseason, so it’s possible the Chiefs just added one more year at the minimum salary to his contract. Details of the deal aren’t known yet, but if that’s the case, the tight end would be eligible for restricted free agency a year from now.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Extra Points: Dolphins, Gruden, Browns, Titans
As the Dolphins search for their next head coach, the areas they’re prioritizing when talking to candidates are quarterback and defense, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Dolphins brass wants to hear from prospective head coaches how they plan to help the two improve after an up-and-down fourth season from Ryan Tannehill and a year in which the defense finished 25th overall.
Further, per Salguero, interim head coach Dan Campbell‘s only chance to get a promotion to the full-time role is if he presents Miami’s hierarchy with two proven coordinators willing to join his staff. Whether it’s Campbell or someone else, the Dolphins want a coach who has real solutions to repair their problems on both sides of the ball.
More from around the NFL:
- A report Thursday night stated that ex-head coach Jon Gruden is interested in the Eagles’ job, but CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora tweets otherwise. Gruden to the Eagles is “not happening and not discussed,” La Canfora offers.
- With perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas facing an uncertain future with the Browns, Cleveland.com took a look at which teams could be candidates to acquire the 31-year-old during the offseason. The list consists of the Packers, Broncos (who tried to acquire Thomas at this season’s trade deadline), Colts, Titans, Jaguars, Chiefs, Vikings and Patriots.
- It was reported earlier Thursday that the Titans received permission to speak with Chiefs director of football operations Chris Ballard regarding their vacant general manager job. The two are likely to powwow Monday, reports Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link).
- Marc Ross, another candidate for the Titans’ GM job, might make the most sense for Tennessee if the club is looking to promote interim head coach Mike Mularkey, notes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Ross, who’s currently the Giants’ vice president of player evaluation, was a member of Buffalo’s front office when Mularkey was its head coach from 2004-05.
- The NFL has chosen the staffs of the Cowboys and Jaguars to coach the 2016 Reese’s Senior Bowl from Jan. 25-30, according to a press release. The Cowboys will coach the North team against the Jags-led South squad.
Latest On Titans’, Lions’ GM Searches
The Titans have requested and received permission to interview Chiefs director of football operations Chris Ballard for their GM opening, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. While it’s not clear yet exactly when Ballard will meet with the team, Buccaneers director of player personnel Jon Robinson will interview for Tennessee’s GM vacancy on Friday, sources tell Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Giants vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross is meeting with the Titans about the position today, a day after the club announced that it had interviewed former Lions general manager Martin Mayhew for the job. In addition to those four candidates, Chris Polian of the Jaguars will interview with Tennessee at some point, though there has been no indication yet that Vikings assistant general manager George Paton will do so — the Titans put in a request to talk to him, but Paton rarely explores jobs outside his current role in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, the Lions, who also requested an interview with Paton, continue their GM search as well, and it’s beginning to sound more and more like they’ll wrap up the interview process by this weekend, which could allow the club to have a GM in place early next week, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Finalizing a decision on that job would allow the Lions to move on to determining whether coaches will be made to the coaching staff.
Kevin Abrams (Giants), Bob Quinn (Patriots), and Trent Kirchner (Seahawks) have been identified as outside candidates for Detroit’s GM job, with current interim GM Sheldon White also earning a meeting about the permanent position.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/5/16
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves:
- The Panthers announced that they have promoted practice squad cornerback Lou Young to the active roster after placing starting cornerback Charles Tillman on IR, as Max Hanson of Panthers.com writes. Carolina first signed Young to its practice squad in November of the 2014 season but he has yet to make his NFL debut. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder from Georgia Tech will give Carolina additional depth in the postseason.
- The Chiefs announced that they have signed offensive lineman Daniel Munyer to the 53-man roster from the taxi squad.
- The Texans officially placed tackle Duane Brown on IR with a torn quad tendon, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/5/16
Only the 12 teams in the playoffs can still make changes to their practice squads, so there were a handful of made by Wild Card clubs today. Here’s are today’s PS signings and cuts:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LB Jayson DiManche (Twitter link via Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer)
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: DT William Campbell (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
- Placed on PS-IR: DE B.J. McBryde
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: T Reid Fragel (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Abou Toure (Twitter link via team)
Washington
- Signed: CB Al Louis-Jean (press release via team)
- Cut: LB Derrick Mathews
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/5/16
Here are today’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the league. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2016 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ 90-man rosters.
Arizona Cardinals
- Taylor Boggs, C (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)
- Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, C
- Mike Reilly, OLB
- Tyrequek Zimmerman, S
Baltimore Ravens
- Jerod Johnson, QB (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Zach Hocker, K (Twitter link via team)
- Dezmond Johnson, DE
- Floyd Raven, S
Green Bay Packers
- QB Ryan Williams (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Indianapolis Colts
- Burton Pierce, OT
- Ben Heenan, G
- Edwin Jackson, LB
- Kitt O’Brien, G
- Dezmen Southward, DB
- Joshua Stangby. WR
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Quanterus Smith, DE (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Kenny Cook, WR
- Dominique Davis, DE
- Cameron Gordon, LB
- Jordan Kovacs, DB
- Trey Millard, RB
- Alameda Ta’amu, DT
Miami Dolphins
- Jahwan Edwards, RB
- Robert Herron, WR
- Terrell Manning, LB
- Vinston Painter, G
- Anthony Steen, G
- Dax Swanson, DB
- Julius Warmsley, DE
- Jordan Williams, DE
New Orleans Saints
- Ashaad Mabry, DT (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune)
- Chris Manhertz, TE (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of The Advocate)
New York Jets
- Joe Anderson, WR (link via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com)
- Deion Barnes, LB
- Brandon Bostick, TE
- Jarvis Harrison, OL
- Julian Howsare, FB
- Wes Saxton, TE
- Kevin Short, DB
- Deon Simon, DL
- Julian Stanford, LB
Oakland Raiders
- Garrett Gilbert, QB (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
- Giorgio Tavecchio, K
San Diego Chargers
- Kasey Redfern, P (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego)
- Torrence Allen, WR
- Michael Huey, G
San Francisco 49ers
- Corey Acosta, K (link via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle)
St. Louis Rams
- David Arkin, OL (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com)
- Justice Cunningham, TE
- Zack Hodges, LB
- Zach Laskey, RB
- Deon Long, WR
- Matthew Wells, LB
2016 Home And Away Opponents Named For All 32 NFL Teams
Coaching Updates: 1/3/16
After learning this morning that the 49ers are expected to fire Jim Tomsula and that Jim Caldwell is more likely than not to return to the Lions in 2016, let’s dive into a few more notes on the league’s head coaching carousel:
- A “plugged-in source” tells Pro Football Talk that Chip Kelly could be headed to the Browns (Twitter link).
- Before that somewhat mysterious tweet from PFT, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeted out a list of a few candidates the Browns are expected to interview in the coming days after they formally fire Mike Pettine. That list includes popular targets Adam Gase, Teryl Austin, and Doug Marrone. Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that the team is especially interested in Gase and has already laid the groundwork for an interview with the Bears’ offensive coordinator. It was something of a surprise that Gase did not land a head coaching job last year, but it looks like 2016 will find him in charge of his own club.
- Rapoport also passes on some news on the Colts (via Conor Orr of NFL.com), reporting that if Indianapolis parts ways with Chuck Pagano, the team will make Sean Payton and Nick Saban say no before turning its search in another direction. Although the presence of franchise quarterback Andrew Luck could alter his thinking somewhat, Saban, as Rapoport tweets, has been approached by NFL clubs countless times in recent years and always says no.
- Current Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson is “a name to watch” as the Eagles attempt to fill their new head coaching vacancy, per Albert Breer of the NFL Network, who adds that the team would have to do some “fence-mending” to lure Sean McDermott, one of the hottest head coaching candidates, away from Carolina (Twitter links). ESPN.com news services confirms the team’s interest in Pederson, who spent four seasons as an offensive assistant under Andy Reid in Philadelphia, and adds that interim head coach Pat Shumur has not been ruled out.
- The Titans will look at interim head coach Mike Mularkey as a legitimate candidate to become the team’s permanent head coach, as Rapoport writes in his Black Monday primer.
- In the same piece, Rapoport writes that Mike McCoy has a much better chance to stay with the Chargers than originally anticipated. The NFL.com scribe reports that San Diego brass will step back and look at factors like the injuries the team has endured, the close losses it has suffered, and the omnipresent Los Angles dilemma before making a final decision. While McCoy could still be fired, it appears as though he will at least get a thorough evaluation before that happens.