AFC West Links: Raiders, Chargers, Chiefs
Matt Schaub struggled to lead the Raiders‘ first team offense in their first preseason game, but head coach Dennis Allen was “not displeased” with the performance, writes Vic Tafur of SFGate.com. He noted that while Schaub did not play well, his receivers dropped two passes and the coach and quarterback had a miscommunication on a third down play.
Here are some other links from around the AFC West:
- Another Raider to watch was first-round pick Khalil Mack, who flashed his enormous talents at times in the first game, according to Tafur (via Twitter). Allen did say that Mack was “a little bit late reacting” in his NFL debut.
- The Chargers are dealing with a number of minor injuries as they head back to practice, preparing for their next preseason game, and Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com discusses them in his Training Camp Report.
- The Chargers are moving closer to deciding on their 53-man roster, and Kevin Acee and Michael Gehlken of the U-T San Diego predict who will make the team. They expect the Chargers to load up on skill positions, keeping three quarterbacks, four running backs, six receivers, and four tight ends. That of course will leave the team thin at other spots.
- Chiefs‘ tight end Travis Kelce made a huge play on a 69-yard catch and run in the preseason opener, flashing some of the talent Kansas City missed with him missing 2013 with an injury, writes the Associated Press on USA Today. Both quarterback Alex Smith and head coach Andy Reid were impressed with the second-year playmaker.
- Even with running backs Montee Ball and C.J. Anderson currently nursing injuries, head coach John Fox does not see a pressing need for the Broncos to add another back to the depth chart, writes Lindsay Jones of the USA Today (via Twitter).
Minor Moves: Saturday
You can find Saturday’s minor transactions from around the NFL below, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the afternoon and evening….
- The Falcons have signed linebacker Darin Drakeford, according to the team’s official Twitter account. The team waived kicker Sergio Castillo to make room for the signing.
- The Cowboys will place running back Ben Malena on the waived/injured list, reports Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter). The team then signed running back D.J. Adams, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter). The Cowboys also released punter Cody Mandell and will look to sign a kicker to replace him, reports Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter).
- The Redskins have signed safety Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith, reports Mike Jones of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Smith is the younger brother of former fullback Terrelle Smith and is cousins with both the Cardinals’ corner Antonio Cromartie and Giants’ corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The team waived cornerback Peyton Thompson to make room for Smith, reports Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (via Twitter).
- The Bengals have announced that they have signed quarterback Tyler Wilson, according to the team’s official Twitter account. Wilson was recently waived by the Titans, reports Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).
Earlier Updates:
- The Chargers announced they have signed linebacker Victor Aiyewa to replace Alvin Scioneaux, who suffered a torn ACL. Aiyewa, 25, saw limited action in five games for the Packers last season. Scioneaux, an undrafted free agent from Wofford, will be placed on IR if he clears waivers.
- The 49ers have waived injured receiver Chuck Jacobs (ACL), and signed receiver Lance Lewis (Twitter link). Lewis went undrafted out of East Carolina in 2012. He appeared in three games for the Redskins last year, and was released by the Cowboys in May.
- The Chiefs waived Dezman Moses, a third-year linebacker, and replaced him with linebacker Devan Walker, a Southeast Louisiana product who was waived with an injury settlement by the Chargers before last season (Twitter link).
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
Alex Smith Wants A Deal He Will “Play Out”
In the wake of Andy Dalton‘s contract extension, Alex Smith and the Chiefs have reopened their own extension talks, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Dalton’s six-year, $115MM extension could have served as the baseline for Smith’s deal, although the 30-year old former first-overall pick might have been in line for a shorter deal. In terms of annual salary, Smith’s value is similar to Dalton’s.
Smith is now on the record saying he would not accept a similar deal. The major reason he would resist is the ability for the Bengals to get out from under the contract each year.
Smith’s replacement in San Francisco Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers agreed on a contract that also served as a pay-as-you-go deal earlier this offseason.
While these deals may make sense for the younger players who are betting on themselves, the older Smith knows this could be his last big contract. If it does not work out with the Chiefs on a pay-as-you-go structure, it is likely one-year deals as a backup the rest of his career. Smith is looking for enough guarantees to keep him in Kansas City for the long haul.
“I want to get something that’s right that I’m going to play out,” said Smith. “Absolutely, and that’s definitely a focus of mine.”
Smith also addressed the contracts signed by Dalton and Kaepernick directly, noting the differences between their situations and his.
“I look at both Andy and Kap and they’re both on their rookie deals,” said Smith. “They’re both second-round picks in the new rookie wage scale, so what were their salaries? It’s a very different situation for me.”
Due to the rookie wage scale, both of those players were set to make a little over $1MM this season. Their deals significantly increased their 2014 salaries, but because of the short term raises the teams were able to grab long term control. Smith was scheduled to make $7.5MM next season, and would be less inclined to sacrifice control long term for a raise in 2014.
While contract talks have been complicated, Smith still hopes the two sides could reach an agreement before the beginning of the regular season.
Steve Gregory To Retire
Safety Steve Gregory has announced his retirement from the NFL, releasing a statement through his agent and DEC Management (via Twitter).
Gregory was recently signed by the Chiefs on the heels of an injury to star safety Eric Berry. He played two seasons with the Patriots, famously recovering the Mark Sanchez “Butt-Fumble” and returning it for a touchdown on Thanksgiving of 2012. Gregory was released early this offseason.
The bulk of Gregory’s playing career came with the Chargers, where he signed as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played five seasons with the team, appearing mostly as a backup and special teams player. He started 31 games for the Chargers between 2006 and 2011.
AFC West Notes: Smith, Houston, Gates
Here’s the latest out of the AFC West:
- With Alex Smith and Justin Houston both facing potential free agency next March, the Chiefs may have a dilemma on their hands if they have to decide which player to use the franchise tag on, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. As Joel Corry of CBSSports.com observes (via Twitter), Kansas City may not be inclined to franchise either player, since the tags would be very pricey — about $18MM for a quarterback and $14MM for an outside linebacker.
- Florio follows up that piece on Smith and Houston by providing an update on Houston’s contract negotiations with the Chiefs. According to PFT’s source, there’s a “huge” gap between Houston’s asking price and Kansas City’s current offer, which was made by the team when the linebacker reported to training camp. The Chiefs may not be eager to break the bank on Houston, since their other starting outside linebacker – Tamba Hali – has an $11MM+ annual cap hit, and the club also invested a 2014 first-round pick on pass rusher Dee Ford.
- Robert Klemko of TheMMQB.com believes this will be Antonio Gates’ last year with the Chargers. The longtime San Diego tight end will carry an $8.2MM cap number in 2015, and is being pushed for playing time and targets by 24-year-old Ladarius Green.
Andy Dalton Leftovers: Negotiations, Fallout
Head coach Marvin Lewis said yesterday that he and the Bengals “never wavered” on making Andy Dalton the team’s long-term quarterback, according to Peter King of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). Meanwhile, as Coley Harvey of ESPN.com tweets, Bengals owner Mike Smith said at yesterday’s press conference that his daughter, Katie Blackburn, negotiated the quarterback’s deal. Smith has been Cincinnati’s de facto GM for some time, but he has recently let Lewis and Blackburn handle more of the football decisions.
Here are a few more links relating to the fallout of the Dalton deal, including how it could affect other quarterbacks who are extension candidates:
- In an extended piece on the Dalton contract at TheMMQB.com, King praises the deal for being team-friendly, allowing the Bengals to evaluate their quarterback for the next two or three years — if he doesn’t eventually achieve playoff success, the club can get out of the pact fairly cheaply and draft a new QB in 2016 or 2017.
- King also notes that the pressure is on new Cincinnati offensive coordinator Hue Jackson to max out Dalton’s potential. If Dalton has success under Jackson, it could result in the former Raiders coach getting another opportunity at a head coaching job.
- After Dalton signed, Lewis texted A.J. Green encouraging him to tell his agent to get extension talks going with the club, tweets King, adding that the Bengals head coach wants to get the team’s core secured.
- While Dalton was eligible for free agency following the 2014 season, Carolina has Cam Newton locked up through 2015, so Dalton’s extension doesn’t mean the Panthers will push to get anything done with their quarterback, writes David Newton of ESPN.com. However, the ESPN scribe wonders if the recent deals for Dalton and Colin Kaepernick will help provide the parameters for Newton’s second contract.
- Alex Smith, on the other hand, is heading into 2014 on an expiring contract, but Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star doesn’t think Dalton’s deal means a lot for the Chiefs‘ signal-caller. As Mellinger observes, agent Tom Condon isn’t likely to let Kansas City lock up Smith at an overly team-friendly rate — in Mellinger’s view, if the Chiefs try to use the Dalton/Kaepernick framework in negotiations with Smith, it may actually hold up negotiations.
La Canfora On Chiefs, 2011 Draftees, Smith
In his latest edition of training camp notes, CBS’ Jason La Canfora provided an update on negotiations between the Chiefs and Alex Smith, saying talks “are ongoing, with the dialogue maintaining on a regular basis and the team looking for creative ways to secure him for the future, according to several sources. To this point, however, they haven’t been able to bridge a few gaps, but the Chiefs are willing to cut into their considerable cap space to strike a deal, and there are no plans to stop exchanging proposals.”
La Canfora adds talks have “remained cordial” and there is mutual desire to find common ground. Common ground would seem to be a “middle-tier” deal that would place Smith’s contract somewhere between the elite passers and the lower-paid, “bridge starters” group. From the team perspective, the Chiefs don’t want to overpay for Smith in the event a younger QB is ready to vie for the job, especially given Andy Reid‘s ability to develop quarterbacks.
More tidbits from La Canfora:
- The Chiefs have revived talks with Justin Houston, who is also a priority. La Canfora does not expect a deal to get hammered out before the season, however, since the sides are far apart financially playing out the season could make the most sense for Houston.
- La Canfora publicized first-year tight end Demetrius Harris as a “deep sleeper” and potentially “the next college basketball player to make the jump to tight end.”
- Do not expect many more 2011 first-rounders to be extended for a while. This group includes Cam Newton, J.J. Watt, Robert Quinn, Cameron Jordan and Muhammad Wilkerson, among others. La Canfora quoted an agent for one prominent pass rusher, who said, “The money is going to be so high, these teams don’t really have an incentive to do it now. I’m not sure any of these guys get new deals this year. If there’s any movement going on I’m not aware of it.”
- Some agents are outraged over the Cowboys’ eight-year extension to Tyron Smith because “he essentially gave the Cowboys two contracts for the price of one, locked up until age 32.” Those agents believe Jerry Jones might have used his “father figure” relationship with the young Smith to take advantage of him in negotiations.
Minor Moves: Sunday
We’ll round up the day’s minor transactions from around the NFL right here, with additional moves listed at the top of the page throughout the afternoon and evening:
- The Redskins have filled the roster spot previously held by Jerry Rice Jr. with defensive end Jeremy Towns, tweets Mike Jones of The Washington Post. Towns is an undrafted rookie out of Samford.
Earlier Updates:
- The Redskins have waived injured wideout Jerry Rice Jr., tweets Zac Boyer of The Washington Times. The player tore the labrum in his left shoulder and will be placed on injured reserve if he clears waivers.
- The Colts have signed undrafted wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The embattled rookie attended three colleges and was charged with armed robbery.
- The Colts have also cut wide receiver Greg Moore and waived cornerback Brandon Burton, tweets Aaron Wilson of The National Football Post.
- To make room for Brock Jensen, the Dolphins have waived wide receiver Rantavious Wooten, reports the Miami Herald’s Adam Beasley (via Twitter).
- Five players cleared waivers and will be placed on their respective team’s injured reserve (via Aaron Wilson’s Twitter): Cowboys offensive lineman Darius Morris, Jaguars wideout Damian Copeland, linebacker John Lotulelei and defensive tackle Jordan Miller and Jets safety Brandon Hardin.
- The Texans have claimed center Sam Longo from the Dolphins, tweets Brian McIntyre. To make room on the roster, the team waived offensive lineman Brice Schwab.
- Jaguars wideout Damian Copeland, linebacker John Lotulelei and defensive tackle Jordan Miller have all cleared waivers and will go on the team’s injured reserve, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
- The Chiefs have made a series of roster moves, signing defensive lineman Jairus Campbell and waiving fullback James Baker and cornerback David Van Dyke, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
- The Patriots have re-signed linebacker James Morris, according to Pat Harty of the Iowa Press-Citizen (h/t: Christopher Price of WEEI.com). Morris, an undrafted free agent out of Iowa, was waived by New England in May with a failed physical designation, but is apparently healthy now.
- The Dolphins re-signed quarterback Brock Jensen on Saturday night, just four days after cutting him, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Fellow signal-callers Matt Moore and Pat Devlin are both hurt at the moment, so Miami needed additional depth at the position as they prepare for Friday’s preseason opener. If Moore is healthy, he will of course serve as the team’s primary backup in 2014, and his injured shoulder is currently not a major concern for the club.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Sunday Roundup: Bon Jovi, Orton, Browns
Let’s round up some links from around the league as Sunday morning turns into Sunday afternoon:
- In order to stem concerns from Bills‘ fans that the Toronto-based group led by rocker Jon Bon Jovi would like to ultimately move the team to Toronto if its ownership bid is successful, Bon Jovi himself wrote a letter published in the Buffalo News on Sunday morning stating that he hopes to make the Bills successful “in Buffalo.” As John Wawrow of the Associated Press writes, however, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told the AP several weeks ago that he has no doubts regarding Bon Jovi’s group’s long-term intentions to move the team to Toronto.
- Bears‘ GM Phil Emery is open to a reunion with Kyle Orton if Orton wants to play in 2014, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com. Orton, who was released by the Cowboys last month, began his career in Chicago and the Bears have twice tried to re-sign him since trading him to Denver in the Jay Cutler deal five years ago. Orton would represent an upgrade at backup quarterback over Jimmy Clausen and Jordan Palmer.
- Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer thinks that it is a “good sign” that Browns‘ receiver Josh Gordon and his attorneys are heading back to New York on Monday to resume Gordon’s appeal hearing. Cabot believes that Gordon will still be suspended, but perhaps not indefinitely.
- In the same piece, Cabot opines that Browns‘ second-year pro Barkevious Mingo could produce double-digit sacks in 2014. George M. Thomas and Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal similarly believe that Mingo looks poised for a breakout campaign.
- In a separate piece, Ulrich writes that Browns‘ rookie QB Johnny Manziel could be gaining ground on presumed starter Brian Hoyer.
- Scott Brown of ESPN.com writes that Steelers‘ head coach Mike Tomlin is paying particularly close attention to the unheralded running backs fighting to make the team’s 53-man roster, including Tauren Poole, Miguel Maysonet, and Josh Harris.
- I posted an article earlier today regarding a potential contract extension for 49ers‘ head coach Jim Harbaugh, and Eric Branch of the San Fransisco Chronicle adds to that discussion. He writes that CEO Jed York believes he and Harbaugh are “on the same page” in their contract talks and that both parties will assess where they are after the 2014 season.
- Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune writes that Buccaneers wide receiver Tommy Streeter has been the pleasant surprise of training camp thus far.
- Herbie Teope of ChiefsSpin.com tweets that Chiefs‘ star safety Eric Berry returned to practice today.
- ESPN.com has created a chart detailing the first impressions that the first-round picks of 2014 have made.
AFC West Notes: Hillman, Allen, Jackson
Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman ended last season fourth on the depth chart, but he’s rebounded with an impressive, encouraging offseason, reports NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling. Hillman’s position coach Eric Studesville praised the third-year back, saying, “From when we started this spring in April forward, he has been unbelievable. He’s a completely different guy in the best possible way and I’m just excited about what he’s doing, how he’s approaching it, how he’s making plays on the field.”
Here’s a few more AFC West links:
- The Broncos need to improve in the punt return game, writes the Denver Post’s Troy Renck, who takes a look at the players vying for the role, including Isaiah Burse and Jordan Norwood. The team can also use veteran Wes Welker if the “safe” option is the best option.
- Donnie Avery had just 40 catches and two touchdowns in his first season with the Chiefs last year, but he remains the team’s best option to be the No. 2 receiver opposite Dwayne Bowe, says ESPN’s Adam Teicher.
- The Chiefs’ offensive line is the focus of team reporter BJ Kissel, who writes about the impressive camp third-year blocker Jeff Allen is having. Allen is proving versatile and effective, and his teammates are noticing. Says Pro-Bowl pass rusher Tamba Hali: “I’m very impressed with [Allen]. He’s able to play guard and he’s able to play tackle and I’m going against him and he’s stoned me a couple times. I’m very impressed with him.”
- There’s no more ambiguity about the type of offensive line the Raiders want to field, writes InsideBayArea.com’s Jerry McDonald, who says rookie guard Gabe Jackson “represents a changing of the guard for the Raiders in ways that go beyond inserting the rookie third-round draft pick into the starting lineup.” Jackson has work to do in pass protection, but the Raiders envision the third-rounder as a powerful road grader with long-term starter potential.
- The Chargers’ depth chart for their first preseason game looks like this. Notre Dame rookie Chris Watt will start at right guard, while free-agent acquisition Donald Brown is listed as the primary kick returner.