Breer’s Latest: Dolphins, Gronk, Cowboys, Texans
Dan Campbell‘s decision to jettison both his coordinators, with OC Bill Lazor being the second to go, as an interim coach likely stemmed from the tough-minded instructor’s dismay at the Dolphins being referred to as a “finesse team in a power division,” Albert Breer of NFL.com reports.
Miami ranks 27th in rushing yards per game but sixth in yards per carry at 4.6 and attempted just 23 combined runs the past two games. This led to a sense that Lazor was losing his players, per Breer.
Lazor and Ryan Tannehill began to have a less-than-ideal QB-OC relationship, and Breer now notes Campbell will take a more involved role in the Fins’ offensive approach. So, Lamar Miller will probably see more touches going forward.
Here are some more notes from the veteran NFL scribe.
- Rob Gronkowski‘s league-high five offensive-pass interference penalties stem from teams alerting officials to the Patriots‘ brand of pick routes against an increasing amount of man coverage, with Gronk’s size making separation at route stems noticeable. Defensive coordinators are torn on the degree of the All-Pro tight end’s level of infraction, with one saying “He pushes off on every play” and another categorizing the physical performer’s penalties as a product of his size. “It just looks extreme with him, because of size and strength. A 180-pound dude pushing off is different [than] a 260-pound dude pushing off,” the anonymous DC told Breer. Another coordinator falls in the middle of these characterizations, noting the Patriots’ volume of pick routes makes it logical they should be on the receiving end of the most OPI flags.
- With Tony Romo set for his age-36 season in 2016 and coming off more severe collarbone trouble, the Cowboys will explore taking a quarterback in the first round and signing a veteran, Breer reports. Romo being the starter for the foreseeable future gives the Cowboys some flexibility here by not having to reach for a player they don’t think can take the reins.
- The Los Angeles relocation project continues to point toward the Chargers and Rams, with Breer noting Dean Spanos carries the political capital in the owners’ eyes and Stan Kroenke possessing the finances to make this transition work.
- Bill O’Brien‘s cultivating a reputation as a players’ coach in leading the Texans, permitting open social media use and organizing a 12-player leadership council, Breer notes. Houston’s now tied for first in the AFC South with Indianapolis, but as far back as the Texans’ blowout loss in Miami in late October, players were behind O’Brien. “He’s not the problem. Very cool coach to play for and everyone enjoys the way he treats us,” one Texan told Breer after that 44-26 defeat.
- In projecting franchise tag figures for next year, Breer also gives predictions of players potentially being tagged. Moving past long-rumored names like Von Miller and Muhammad Wilkerson, NFL executives told Breer players like Josh Norman, Janoris Jenkins, Russell Okung, Mike Daniels and Kirk Cousins are tag candidates.
NFL Notes: Relocation, Chargers, Rams
The NFL has announced that the window to apply for relocation will open for teams on January 4th, 2016. The Chargers are expected to apply, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter).
Here are some more notes concerning NFL relocation:
- The NFL sent a letter to home town stadium efforts, announcing that it had extended the deadline for proposals by two days to December 30th, according to David Hunn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
- Hunn posted a picture of the letter on Twitter, highlighting that the NFL was asking for a “detailed outline” and “remaining risks” in regards to the local stadium projects.
- Missouri governor Jay Nixon released a statement regarding the NFL’s decision to extend the deadline, which would be beneficial to the city of St. Louis when it comes to keeping the Rams. Daniel Kaplan of the Sports Business Journal tweeted out that statement, which has been re-printed below:
“I appreciate the league for providing a clear timeline of its decision-making process. With action expected next week by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen following numerous public hearings, St. Louis is in a strong position to meet the December 30 deadline established by the NFL. This is especially important with the league formally accepting relocation applications as soon as January 4, and a decision on those applications anticipated at the special meeting scheduled for January 12 and 13. Our task force has presented a strong, fiscally-responsible proposal that will keep the Rams in St. Louis in a way that is consistent with our core principles of protecting taxpayers, creating jobs, and securing private investment to revitalize a distressed area.”
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.
Latest On Los Angeles
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell does not sound optimistic about the Chargers staying in San Diego. When asked if the city appears to be out of time to put together a plan to keep the Bolts, Goodell didn’t hesitate in his response.
“It certainly appears that is the case, yes,” he said, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The league will hold meetings on Jan. 12-13 in Houston, Texas and at that time, they’ll be voting on which team — or two — among the Raiders, Chargers, and Rams will be allowed to move to Los Angeles. Multiple owners expressed confidence that the league will be bringing at least one team to L.A. with 49ers owner Jed York saying that the “momentum” is moving towards “a decision on one or two teams in L.A.”
Here’s more on the rush to Los Angeles:
- The three cities that stand to lose teams must submit their latest plans to keep their franchises by Dec. 28, as Nate Davis of USA Today writes. “What are the home markets willing to do?” Goodell asked. “That has been a big focus of the committee.”
- Colts owner Jim Irsay says that no team has the necessary support of three-fourths of the league’s owners at this time, as Michael David Smith of PFT writes. For his part, Irsay supports the idea of two teams moving to L.A. and he doesn’t feel that any owner is averse to moving two teams.
- Raiders owner Mark Davis reiterated to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) that he is not going to St. Louis or going to Santa Clara with the 49ers. It’s Oakland or L.A. for his Raiders, he says.
- A source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) that if the Rams are not allowed to relocate to L.A. and if they don’t like the St. Louis deal, the team could remain year-to-year at Edward Jones Dome and maintain their free agency each offseason.
Latest On Los Angeles Relocation
3:37pm: The word from today’s league meetings indicates that NFL owners will likely meet again in Houston on January 12th and 13th, perhaps voting on relocation at that time, says Jim Trotter of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The Chargers and Raiders would like a vote to happen sooner rather than later, and it appears their support for resolution is increasing, according to Trotter, who adds that there’s “zero chance” of a Kroenke/Spanos partnership at this time.
12:46pm: The NFL will set a date today for its special January meeting, but won’t set a date yet for the L.A. relocation vote, tweets Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. That vote may happen in January, but it may not.
11:21am: In a letter to the Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities last week, the Rams proposed a 50/50 partnership with either the Chargers or the Raiders in Inglewood, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. According to Acee, the Chargers are viewed as a more likely potential partner for the Rams, but “it could be the Raiders.”
Throughout the process, Rams owner Stan Kroenke has expressed a reluctance to enter an equal partnership with another team on the proposed Inglewood stadium, and the Chargers and Raiders haven’t had any interest in becoming a tenant at that stadium, preferring instead to pursue a stadium plan in Carson instead. The fact that Kroenke and the Rams are willing to propose a 50/50 partnership is a sign of progress.
Still, one issue with the Rams’ latest proposal is that it wouldn’t allow that second team to be involved in the “surrounding development, stadium design, and other points that would certainly be an issue,” writes Acee. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes, the fact that Chargers owner Dean Spanos has already agreed to partner with Mark Davis and the Raiders could also create legal issues if Spanos wants to get out of that partnership. In Florio’s view, it may only work if Davis is given the money he needs to go toward the cost of a new stadium in Oakland.
In any case, the fact that the involved parties in potential Los Angeles relocation are considering new scenarios suggests they’re aware that decisions will have to be made soon. Here’s the latest on the L.A. situation:
- Scott M. Reid of the Orange County Register has more on the Rams‘ willingness to take on a partner, writing that some of Kroenke’s “allies” have begun to lobby for a deal that would have the Chargers joining the Rams in Inglewood.
- While there were some rumblings in recent weeks that a move to Los Angeles might get delayed until 2017, that possibility has “all but evaporated,” says Acee. “I just don’t see it,” one team owner tells Acee. “This is going to done.”
- At least two members of the league’s Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities – Giants owner John Mara and Chiefs owner Clark Hunt – would like to see a relocation vote take place in January, per Sam Farmer and Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times. According to the L.A. Times report, the date and locale of that January meeting is still being discussed — the NFL is considering January 12th in Dallas or January 19th in Houston.
- Farmer suggests (via Twitter) that he expects a January meeting on relocation, followed by a February vote, and NFL.com’s Judy Battista (Twitter link) agrees with that assessment. Battista adds (in a series of tweets) that team owners would like to set a date for a January vote by the end of today, but wouldn’t necessarily enter that January meeting with a solution set in stone. As Battista outlines, that scenario would result in plenty of negotiations and side meetings before the vote, and potentially an attempt to broker a deal before that meeting.
- Spanos and the Chargers will almost certainly have a stadium solution at the end of this process, whether it’s in Los Angeles or San Diego, says Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter links). That makes a Rams/Raiders partnership a long shot, since the league wouldn’t want three teams in Southern California (two in L.A., one in San Diego).
Practice Squad Updates: 12/1/15
Today’s practice squad updates from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: S D.J. Swearinger (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com)
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB A.J. Tarpley (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW)
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Brian Blechen (Twitter link via Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: OT Pierce Burton (Twitter link via Mike Chappell of CBS4)
- Cut: OT John Wetzel
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Mike Hull and DT Deandre Coleman (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: S John Lowdermilk (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of The Star-Tribune)
- Cut: LB Terrance Plummer
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Austin Hill (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Julian Stanford (Twitter link)
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: LB Colton Underwood, DB Chris Hackett (Twitter link via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Rajion Neal (Twitter link)
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: TE Jamie Childers (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com)
- Cut: LB Kevin Snyder
Seattle Seahawks
- Cut: WR Tyler Slavin, DL Julius Warmsley (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
St. Louis Rams
- Signed: TE Justice Cunningham (Twitter link via Howard Balzer of USA Today)
- Cut: LB Matthew Wells
NFC Notes: Cowboys, Seahawks, Panthers
In an appearance today on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he thinks Tony Romo has another four or five years left in him, but stressed the importance of having both a veteran backup and a young quarterback to groom behind Romo (Twitter links via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
Matt Cassel isn’t under contract for the 2016 season at this point, but he looks like a candidate to return as that veteran backup, depending on how he plays down the stretch. It also sounds as if the Cowboys will likely target a QB at some point in the ’16 draft, if the team wants to get that young QB in the mix sooner rather than later.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Having lost Jimmy Graham for the rest of the season, the Seahawks will likely add a tight end to the roster, per head coach Pete Carroll (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). Seattle doesn’t currently have a tight end on its practice squad, but could target a player who has been with the team somewhat recently, like Rashaun Allen or Anthony McCoy.
- The Panthers‘ signing of cornerback Cortland Finnegan on Monday was motivated by growing concern about the lack of progress Charles Tillman has made in recovering from his knee injury, a source tells Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott figure to be head coaching candidates for other NFL teams at season’s end, but both assistants say they aren’t thinking about that possibility for now, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
- Eagles head coach Chip Kelly may be irked by the college speculation and rumors that have followed him around, but skepticism for his denials is warranted, says Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Speaking to reporters on Monday, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said wide receiver Stedman Bailey – who underwent surgery after being shot in the head – continues to improve, as Joe Lyons of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch details. “He’s still in intensive care recovering,” Fisher said.
Rams Owner Meets With Missouri Governor
Governor Jay Nixon met with Rams owner Stan Kroenke on Monday at Rams Park, multiple sources tell Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Kroenke is set to attend a key NFL owners meeting in Dallas on Tuesday, so the timing of the meeting is very interesting and could be an indication that Kroenke is warming up to staying in St. Louis rather than relocating to Los Angeles.
To Thomas’ knowledge, today’s powwow may be the first time that Kroenke and Nixon have met face-to-face on anything related to relocation to Los Angeles or the St. Louis stadium project. One source said that Kroenke wanted to make sure he had a “complete understanding of things” before he met with his colleagues in Texas. Ostensibly, the Rams owner was looking for an update on the current status of the St. Louis stadium plan and the financing of the stadium.
For months now, it has seemed that Kroenke is intent on taking his team back to Los Angeles, regardless of what the city of St. Louis might be able to offer. Recently, we learned that Kroenke was willing to “help” the Raiders and the Chargers reach deals with their respective host cities in an effort to take them out of the running for relocation to L.A. Meanwhile, people within the NFL expect the relocation fee to be $500MM+ for any team going to Los Angeles.
Dave Peacock, co-chair of the St. Louis stadium task force, was also at Rams park, though it’s not believed that he took part in the meeting, Thomas writes.
Coaching Notes: USC, Payton, Fisher, Fins
It wasn’t an NFL coaching job, but the USC head coaching position was expected to have an impact on the NFL, since a number of the school’s potential candidates were current coaches or coordinators around the league. However, the Trojans announced today (via Twitter) that interim coach Clay Helton will become the team’s permanent head coach going forward, meaning that Chip Kelly and other coaches around the NFL can be crossed off the list.
It sounds like USC did reach out to Kelly to gauge his interest before deciding to move forward with Helton though. According to FootballScoop.com (Twitter link), USC officials met with Kelly last week, but the Eagles head coach prefers to remain in the NFL. Similarly, USC checked in on Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio, who told the Trojans he’s not leaving Oakland, tweets Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News.
Here are a few more coaching-related items from around the league:
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com believes that the Saints should “go ahead and start sniffing around” for teams that may be interested in giving up a draft pick or two for head coach Sean Payton, since this winter looks like a good time for an overhaul. La Canfora identifies the Browns, Colts, Dolphins, and Titans as teams that might have interest in Payton, and suggests that the draft pick return could be “substantial.”
- Having lost four games in a row, Jeff Fisher‘s Rams are in a downward spiral, and Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com believes it’s time for the team to make coaching change at season’s end.
- Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) hears that the decision to fire offensive coordinator Bill Lazor was made by Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell, who had “shown signs of displeasure” with the offense during the club’s last few games.
- The Giants could have taken a commanding lead in the weak NFC East division with a win over Washington on Sunday, but the fact that the team couldn’t get it done puts head coach Tom Coughlin on the hot seat, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
- Several weeks ago, with his team scuffling along at 2-5, head coach Bill O’Brien didn’t exactly look safe in Houston. Four wins later though, Texans owner Bob McNair is giving O’Brien credit for the team’s success, telling Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, “I think he’s doing a fine job.”
Sunday Roundup: Marrone, Martin, Keenum
As the afternoon games get underway, let’s take a look at some news and notes from around the league:
- We heard earlier today that Jaguars OL coach Doug Marrone will be viewed as a top head coaching candidate this offseason, and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com explains why. As Florio writes, Marrone, who became available after opting to terminate his relationship with Buffalo last year, came on the market “a little too unexpectedly” for teams to scrap their existing plans at the time. Now, however, with a high number of potential head coaching vacancies and a relatively small number of truly qualified candidates, Marrone will be an attractive option, especially given that the Bills are doing less (record-wise) with more talent under Rex Ryan than they did under Marrone.
- Former NFL agent Joel Corry tweets that there is no need to speculate as to whether the Buccaneers will put the franchise tag on Doug Martin, as the nearly $12MM cap number for a franchised running back is too steep in today’s NFL. The last time the tag was used on an RB was in 2012, when the Ravens tagged Ray Rice and the Bears tagged Matt Forte. The cap number for a franchised RB at the time was $7.7MM.
- ESPN’s Chris Mortensen tweets that, even though the NFL has apparently closed the book on whether the Rams should be penalized for last week’s concussion controversy surrounding Case Keenum, the NFL Players Association is continuing its own investigation.
- In his latest mailbag, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com looks at what the Browns might expect to receive if they were to trade Johnny Manziel at this point, and he notes that the best the Browns could hope for is a future pick conditioned on Manziel’s active status and number of starts.
- After the Lions promoted Isa Abdul-Quddus to a starting role and moved James Ihedigbo to the bench, they began to see a noticeable improvement from the back end of their defense, as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com observes. Abdul-Quddus is not as physical as Ihedigbo, but he covers much more ground and has established himself as a quality option in the team’s secondary, particularly in light of the recent injury to Glover Quin. Adbul-Quddus, who signed a one-year deal with Detroit last year, may be putting himself in line for a multi-year pact this offseason.
- David Moore of The Dallas Morning News examines the futures for Cowboys defensive backs Byron Jones and Morris Claiborne, predicting that Dallas plans to move Jones to safety moving forward, thereby increasing the likelihood that the team retains Claiborne.
- In a series of three articles, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com reexamines the Eagles‘ offseason decisions, offers his thoughts on the Jets‘ rebuilding process, and previews the 2016 class of free agent tight ends.