West Notes: Jenkins, 49ers, Chargers
After suggesting earlier in the season that he’d likely play out the final year of his rookie contract without a new extension in place, Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins confirmed as much this week, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. As Jenkins explains, once the team’s bye week passed without an agreement, he made the decision to shelve contract discussions.
“They knew what was going on,” Jenkins said. “I told them anything after the bye week, I ain’t listening, I don’t want to hear it. I want to focus on football. The bye week is gone, so I just want to play football.”
As Jenkins continues to improve his free agent stock with an impressive season, let’s check out a few more notes from around the NFL’s West divisions….
- Following up on an earlier report about a heated players-only meeting, Kyle McLorg of BayAreaSportsGuy.com identified 49ers tight end Vernon Davis as the player who called out quarterback Colin Kaepernick during that meeting, while offensive tackle Joe Staley stepped up to defend the QB.
- The 49ers have failed Kaepernick more than he has failed the team, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, who points out that other teams have performed well despite getting subpar quarterback play. Barrows also notes that the Niners haven’t made good on the promise they made to Kaepernick when he signed his deal, about using their cap flexibility to lock up key players to extensions.
- The Chargers took a look at a pair of free agent safeties this week, working out former Giants safety Stevie Brown, along with Brandian Ross, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link).
- Speaking to Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com, NFL executive Eric Grubman confirmed that the league feels the city of San Diego has made some progress on a stadium proposal. Whether or not that progress is enough to save the Chargers remains to be seen — as Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets, the league’s Los Angeles committee will meet on November 11-12 in New York to discuss relocation, and we’re moving closer and closer to possible resolution.
West Notes: Raiders, Cardinals, Broncos
After enduring three years of losing, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie is finally starting to see his rebuilding plan pay off a little, writes Josh Dubow of The Associated Press. With young players like Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, and Khalil Mack contributing significantly to an improved Raiders team, McKenzie suggests that he and the club has to “take the punches” for a few years.
“The key was really looking at the big picture, not get so down on myself and the team at that point knowing what was ahead of me,” McKenzie said. “It wasn’t easy. I’m used to being in the playoffs. I haven’t been since I’ve been here. That’s the goal.”
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s West divisions:
- Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes a look at how the Raiders‘ roster and cap management got the team to this spot, and speculates on what the next move is for Oakland.
- Cardinals GM Steve Keim told Arizona Sports 98.7 that he’s gearing up to speak to agents about contract extensions, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes. Keim didn’t specify which players he’ll be targeting, but one can speculate that veterans like Chris Johnson and Jermaine Gresham – both on one-year deals – are candidates. Defensive backs Justin Bethel, Rashad Johnson, and Jerraud Powers are also potentially heading toward the open market.
- Asked in a mailbag about the possibility of the Broncos and Bears working out a trade, perhaps for a player like running back Matt Forte, Mike Klis of 9News says he can’t see John Fox and Adam Gase wanting to do a deal that would help the Broncos win a Super Bowl. Fox and Gase, of course, are in their first year with the Bears, having left Denver last offseason.
- According to NFL executive Eric Grubman, the league as a whole is negotiating with the St. Louis task force about its stadium plan for the Rams, as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch details. Grubman on the NFL’s response to the task force’s term sheet: “We have some questions about the term sheet which we hope to get answered over the course of the next couple of days or week, and I think probably next week and the weeks after, we’ll be in discussions with the task force.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/27/15
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves:
- The Broncos released nose tackle Marvin Austin from injured reserve,Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post tweets.
- The Rams signed safety Christian Bryant, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Chargers released center J.D. Walton, as Eric Williams of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Texans promoted safety Kurtis Drummond from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, Mark Berman of FOX 26 tweets.
- The Rams have promoted defensive tackle Doug Worthington to the active roster from the practice squad and released Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets.
- The Colts have elevated wide receiver Quan Bray to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and waived safety Dewey McDonald, as Kevin Bowen of Colts.com tweets.
- The Vikings have promoted linebacker Brandon Watts to the active roster, as Andrew Krammer of 1500 ESPN tweets. In a related move, cornerback Jabari Price has been placed on IR.
- The Falcons will bring back safety Charles Godfrey again and release linebacker Allen Bradford, who was inactive this weekend against the Titans, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
Practice Squad Updates: 10/27/15
Today’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Gus Johnson (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle), WR Devon Wylie (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com)
- Cut: RB Juhwan Edwards, LB Derek Akunne (link)
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: G Reese Dismukes (Twitter link via Panthers)
- Cut: C Eric Kush
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: FB Blake Renaud (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle), LB Terrance Plummer (Twitter link via Andrew Krammer of 1500 ESPN)
- Cut: WR Donte Foster (link)
New Orleans Saints
- To be signed: CB Sammy Seamster (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune)
- Signed: LB Henry Coley (via Woodbery)
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: LB Korey Toomer, DB Tevin McDonald (Twitter link via Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Isaiah Frey (Twitter link via Steelers PR spokesman Burt Lauten)
St. Louis Rams
- Signed: DE Gerald Rivers, LB/DE Zach Hodges (Twitter link via Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Andre Davis (Twitter link via Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune)
- Cut: CB Keon Lyn, CB Dax Swanson, T Martin Wallace (press release)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Rico Richardson (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of Titans Online)
Rams Place Alec Ogletree On IR-DTR
The Rams have placed linebacker Alec Ogletree on injured reserve with the designation to return, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Due to the timing of the move, Ogletree won’t be eligible to practice until after the club’s Week 13 game, and wouldn’t be able to return to the field until Week 16.
Ogletree, 24, suffered a right ankle injury several weeks ago, and underwent surgery to repair the damage. The former first-round pick, who had started each of his first 36 career games for the Rams prior to the injury, was viewed as potentially lost for the season, but the IR-DTR slot will give him an opportunity to return down the stretch, if his recovery moves quickly.
The fact that the Rams waited three weeks to place Ogletree on IR-DTR looks like poor roster management on the surface. However, as Wagoner explains (via Twitter), St. Louis knew the linebacker’s recovery period would be longer than eight weeks, so the team was waiting to see if it would need the IR-DTR slot for anyone else.
It’s still possible that a Rams player could suffer an eight-week injury, but if that were to happen this weekend, any player receiving the IR-DTR spot next week would only be eligible to return for Week 17, so it makes sense now to pull the trigger and use it on Ogletree.
The complete breakdown of how teams have used their IR-DTR slots in 2015 can be found right here.
East Notes: Bradford, Wake, Harvin
As part of the trade that sent Nick Foles to St. Louis and Sam Bradford to Philadelphia, the Eagles had a chance to acquire a 2016 draft choice from the Rams if certain conditions were met, conditions that the clubs did not reveal when the trade was consummated. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, those conditions pertain only to Bradford’s playing time. Once he plays 50% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps, Philadelphia will receive no compensation. If he plays fewer than 50% of the team’s snaps, the Eagles would garner a fourth-round pick in 2016 (had he played no snaps, the team would have been in line for a third-round selection in 2016).
With the season’s midway point fast approaching, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Eagles will not recover a 2016 draft choice from the Rams. Despite Bradford’s struggles this season, head coach Chip Kelly has remained steadfast in his support of his signal-caller, and although he could acquire an additional draft pick by reverting to Mark Sanchez now, all indications are that Bradford will remain under center for the foreseeable future.
Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:
- When former Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle was fired, a great number of the schematic complexities that had handcuffed some of the club’s best defensive players went with him. Relying more on individual matchups than scheme, Miami’s defense enjoyed its best game of the season last week, and defensive end Cameron Wake led the way with a whopping four sacks after recording zero in the team’s first four games. Of course, Wake won’t put up that kind of production every week, but if he goes on the type of tear he is capable of, he could be in for a big payday. Wake is scheduled to make $8.4MM in 2016, the final year of his contract, but he has significant escalators tied to his sack production. As La Canfora writes, “If [Wake] achieves 10-12 sacks he earns $750,000 more in base salary next year, while 13-14 sacks nets him an additional $1.75MM and 15 sacks earns him $3MM. Should he lead the league in sacks, the defensive lineman receives $5MM in additional base salary.”
- In keeping with reports from earlier this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Percy Harvin is not contemplating retirement at the moment. If his hip is healthy enough to allow him, Harvin will play for the Bills this season. Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News adds (via Twitter) that Buffalo wants Harvin to play and that the team does not want to place him on IR, as Harvin would then keep his $3MM signing bonus plus the remainder of his base pay.
- Giants tackle Will Beatty began practicing on Wednesday, which means he now has a little less than three weeks to be activated from the team’s PUP list or be placed on season-ending injured reserve. Per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, Beatty appears to be in good physical shape and is trending towards a return. He could suit up for the Giants when they take on the Saints next week, and with rookie Ereck Flowers just settling in to the left tackle position, the team could ask Beatty to shift to right tackle, especially since current right tackle Marshall Newhouse has been inconsistent in 2015. Beatty, who last played right tackle in his rookie season in 2009, has been receptive to the possibility.
Extra Points: NFLPA, Los Angeles, St. Louis
Here are a few other stories you might have missed from around the NFL this Friday,:
- The NFLPA has taken issue with a recent practice of teams monitoring players’ sleep habits, saying the usage of such technologies violates the Collective Bargaining Agreement, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
- The “point person” for the Chargers on their stadium issue, Mark Fabiani, has stated that the organization will file for relocation to Los Angeles when the league opens the application window in January, according to Eric D. Williams of ESPN. “At this point yes, because there’s no sign that the other team or teams are not going to file,” Fabiani said. “Everyone assumes all three teams will file, and in that case we can’t afford to lose our market in Los Angeles and Orange County.”
- The city of St. Louis has committed $150MM towards the proposed $1 billion stadium to keep the Rams in west Missouri, including $6 million per year and an unknown game-day tax rebate, writes David Hunn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. About $70MM of that will come directly from the city, while the rest will come from the public authority that owns the Edward Jones Dome.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/23/15
Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves:
- The Lions have claimed defensive tackle Khyri Thornton off waivers, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter). Thornton was cut by the Patriots yesterday. He will fill the spot opened when the Lions waived defensive tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen this morning.
- The Rams have promoted running back Trey Watts to the active roster, and waived safety Christian Bryant to make room for him, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter).
- The Panthers have also promoted a player from the practice squad to the active roster, bringing tight end Scott Simonson up, according to Max Henson of Panthers.com. The team placed tight end Richie Brockel on the IR to make room for Simonson.
- Washington has removed wide receiver Issac Blakeney from the IR with an injury settlement, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
West Rumors: Jenkins, 49ers, St. Louis
Three of the four Rams‘ starting defensive backs are eligible for free agency after the 2015 season, and cornerback Janoris Jenkins is perhaps the most notable of the free-agents-to-be. According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the team has had ongoing discussions with Jenkins’ agent since the spring, making a contract offer to the cornerback last week during St. Louis’ bye. Still, it sounds like Jenkins may want to test the market this winter.
“I’m not talking about the contract,” Jenkins said. “I ended that last week, when they gave me those numbers. It was something I didn’t want to hear. I ended it just like that. I’ll play it out. I’m gonna bet on myself.”
Let’s check in on a few other items from out of the NFL’s West divisions….
- The 49ers‘ loss to Seattle on Thursday night is the kind of game that “has to send people back to the drawing board,” according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who has heard whispers that “something big” could happen in San Francisco. “I don’t know what it’s going to be. I don’t know what they’re talking about, but clearly the 49ers can’t go on this way,” Maiocco said, adding: “There are a lot of very upset people in the 49ers organization.”
- After the 49ers‘ latest loss, it’s becoming clear that the club is in a rebuilding year, writes Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News.
- Several St. Louis aldermen are introducing a bill at a Friday board meeting that would call for a public vote before allowing the city to spend approximately $150MM on a new stadium, says David Hunn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. According to Hunn, the mayor’s office has cautioned that such a bill could kill plans to build a new stadium for the Rams or another NFL team.
- In his look at the most important additions of the Broncos’ offseason, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post identifies safety Darian Stewart as “a big upgrade” over former starter Rahim Moore, and praises defensive coordinator Wade Phillips for turning Denver’s D from good to great.
NFC West Notes: Kaepernick, Rams, LA
Here’s a look at the NFC West:
- Each game Colin Kaepernick plays this year will be a referendum on what the 49ers should do with him after this season, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com write. Kaepernick, who has looked shaky this year, is due $11.9MM in base salary and another $2MM in roster bonuses next season. If he’s traded or cut before April 1, the 49ers would save $14MM in cash and $9.4MM in cap space. The duo notes that the Lions are in a similar spot with Matthew Stafford, who could also be dealt. Stafford, like Kaepernick, has no guaranteed money on his contract beyond this season.
- An NFL source told Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter links) that there are two critical elements to the term sheet the St. Louis stadium task force submitted to the league ten days ago. One key part of it is that St. Louis promised to pay for the potential cost overruns on the project. The other is that the task force has come up with a way to exempt the stadium from being subject to property taxes. That’s potentially great news for the city of St. Louis and bad news for owner Stan Kroenke, who seems very keen on moving the Rams to Los Angeles.
- The Rams raised the salary of practice squad offensive tackle Isaiah Battle – a supplemental draft pick – to nearly $26K per week, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). That gives Battle, a Clemson product, the highest pay of any practice squad player in the NFL. Most taxi squad players earn about $6,700/week. The Rams used a fifth-round supplemental pick on Battle, which means that they gave up their 2016 fifth-round pick to get him. Even though they cut him from the roster in September, they were able to add him to their p-squad. As it turns out, Battle was the only player taken in this year’s supplemental draft.