Free Agent Notes: Vick, Barksdale, Spencer
As Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap outlines in his latest piece for The Sporting News, the Ravens are currently projected to earn three compensatory draft picks in 2016, which may not have been possible if the team had been active in free agency. Now that the May 12 deadline has passed though, veteran free agents are no longer tied to the compensatory pick formula, meaning we could see Baltimore and other clubs sign some veterans off the scrap heap in the near future.
In his Sporting News piece, Fitzgerald examines a few noteworthy names still on the market, including wide receivers Reggie Wayne and Wes Welker, running back Chris Johnson, and linebackers Lance Briggs and Brandon Spikes. Fitzgerald also mentions Michael Vick, and we’ve got an update on Vick in our latest round of free agent notes. Let’s dive in…
- Vick has been training with Chris Chambers at Chambers’ fitness center, and the former Dolphins receiver said he encouraged agent Joel Segal to let him work with the quarterback for a few weeks before Vick and Segal entertained offers. “There was a lot of political stuff with him and Geno Smith with the Jets last year,” Chambers said of Vick, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “Last two weeks, he has done phenomenal. There are several teams that want him. He wanted to be on a winning team. He wants to play three years. Eventually, he wants to start again.”
- As Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange observes (via Twitter), with the Falcons opting to sign Tyler Polumbus after working out Joe Barksdale earlier this month, Barksdale’s options may be dwindling. The Rams reportedly still have some interest in bringing back the free agent tackle, but didn’t tender him a contract offer at the May 12 deadline, Balzer tweets. For what it’s worth, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com details, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn says his team is still “actively talking to” Barksdale.
- Free agent offensive lineman Chris Spencer, who has 95 career starts on his NFL résumé, tore his Achilles the day before the draft and almost certainly won’t be able in 2015, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. While Spencer wants to continue his NFL career, he acknowledged that his top priority for now is getting healthy. “Before this happened, I was thinking I might sign back with the Titans at some point,” Spencer said. “But right now, football is on the back burner until I get through this and see where it stands.”
Steven Jackson Hopes To Join Contender
Veteran running back Steven Jackson has seen his numbers decline over the last several seasons, but he still hopes for the opportunity to continue his NFL career. And, as he tells Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, Jackson would prefer to join a contending team if possible.
“I don’t want to go to a team that is rebuilding and needs me to come on and teach guys how to be professional,” Jackson said. “I’ve done that. I’ve been more than vocal about wanting to help young guys, but at some point I have to be a little selfish. I want to be part of a winning team because when I do hang up my cleats, I can see a lot of people holding that over my head when a lot of it was out of my control.”
Jackson, who turns 32 in July, earned three Pro Bowl nods during his nine years with the Rams, and for his NFL career, he has racked up 11,388 rushing yards, plus another 3,663 through the air. However, as he alludes to in his conversation with Wagoner, the former first-round pick hasn’t made the postseason since his rookie year in St. Louis, on a Rams team that finished with a .500 record.
“I have all the things I’ve accomplished personally, but I’ve still never been on a team that won more than eight games,” Jackson said. “That would be definitely one of the things that I’m looking for is that opportunity in my next chapter.”
Released by the Falcons in February, Jackson had the opportunity to hit the free agent market early, before a number of other running backs became available. However, that didn’t result in a deal, and there haven’t been any reports suggesting the longtime Ram has even paid a visit to any teams over the last two and a half months. Given his declining production, Jackson wouldn’t necessarily be an upgrade for a contender in need of a running back – such as the Cowboys – so he may have to wait until a team gets hit with an injury or two before he finds an opportunity.
Wherever he ends up this year – whether that’s with a new team or at home – Jackson wants to return to St. Louis at some point to officially end his career as a member of the franchise where he spent the majority of his NFL years.
“I definitely want to retire as a Ram,” Jackson told Wagoner. “It’s definitely something I want and that would be to go back. … I’ll never forget standing in that meeting room and watching Isaac Bruce retire. When I saw that up close and personal, I said I want that for myself whenever I retire.”
NFL May Ask Rams, Chargers To Share Stadium
Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) heard that the NFL may push the Rams to share a stadium with the Chargers in Inglewood, California. The development comes as a surprise since the Chargers and Raiders have been working together to build a stadium in the Los Angeles area.
There’s still a long way to go before the Chargers and Rams shack up together, Cole adds, but it’s another permutation in the list of possibilities for the Los Angeles market. Rams owner Stan Kroenke has been pushing to build a stadium that would be occupied only by his team and while he has been viewed as the frontrunner, the league has made it known that it’s preference is to put two teams in L.A. Putting the Rams and Chargers together could be the best of both worlds for Roger Goodell & Co.
Just a few weeks ago, the Raiders and Chargers secured the approval of the Carson City Council for a privately funded NFL stadium. Regardless of which project/proposal wins out, neither the Inglewood nor the Carson stadium would be ready for several years. Therefore, any team moving to the nation’s second largest media market would need a temporary home in the interim.
The Rams, who have played in St. Louis’ Edward Jones Dome since 1995, are free to break their lease and relocate after next season. The same holds true for the Raiders and Chargers in their respective stadiums.
Minor Moves: Wednesday
Today’s minor moves..
- The Broncos signed guard Andre Davis and wide receiver David Porter, both undrafted rookies, Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post writes. Both tried out for other NFL teams recently before the Broncos landed them. Davis played guard for the University of Buffalo after originally playing defensive tackle early in his college career.
- The Rams have released defensive end/tight end Mason Brodine, Nick Wagoner of the Post-Dispatch tweets. Brodine sat out the 2014 season with a fractured ankle.
- The Seahawks have signed safety Ace Clark as an undrafted free agent following the team’s invitation to tryout, according to NFL Draft Bible. Clark finished his Western Carolina career with 340 career tackles including 169 solo stops, ranked second in the school record books for career tackles.
- The Falcons waived Azusa Pacific offensive tackle Cody Clay today, according to Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com (via Twitter). Atlanta’s roster now sits at 89 players.
- The Lions released wide receiver Skye Dawson today, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter).
- The Rams signed former Virginia Tech center David Wang, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
Minor Moves: Monday Night
Given the rash of minor transactions that have gone down today, we’ll be keeping track of the rest here in a brand new post. The latest minor moves from around the NFL..
- The Dolphins announced that they have been awarded offensive lineman Donald Hawkins off waivers from the Cowboys, James Walker of ESPN.com tweets. To make room, offensive lineman Mark Asper has been cut.
- The Rams have signed two of their tryout players in long snapper Tyler Ott and wide receiver Daniel Rodriguez, Howard Balzer of USA Today tweets. The 27-year-old Rodriguez, who walked on the football team at Clemson, served with the U.S. Army between 2006 and 2010, in both Afghanistan and Iraq, earning a Purple Heart during his service.
- The Bears claimed tight end Chris Pantale, who was waived by the Jets a few days ago, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Pantale’s first NFL contract came with the Jets when he was signed as a UDFA in 2013.
- The Jets, meanwhile, inked two tryout players from this past weekend in quarterback Jake Heaps and fullback J.C. Copeland, Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. To make room for both players, the Jets cut Greg Henderson and safety Demarkus Perkins (link).
- The Texans announced that UDFAs Jake Cotton and James Rouse (waived-injured) have been let go, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). Both players were signed as UDFAs by Houston earlier this month. In their stead, the Texans have signed Mack Brown, Corey Moore, and Joseph Treadwell, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- The Raiders waived linebacker Braylon Mitchell, running backs Terrance Cobb and Gus Johnson, defensive backs Chance Casey, Vernon Kearney, and return specialist Jeremy Gallon (waived/injured), according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Steelers placed Nigel Crawford on waivers with a left squad designation, Wilson tweets.
- The Chiefs signed Georgia Southern center Garrett Frye as a UDFA, per the NFL’s transactions report, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets.
Draft Notes: Vikings, Rams, Patriots, Bears
The Vikings could have an exciting offense next season, and that’s because the front office dedicated last year’s draft picks to improving their team on that side of the ball. Although the organization had acquired some foundational players, including quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, head coach Mike Zimmer said his team was still considering offensive weapons in the first round of this year’s draft. Via Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune…
“The Teddy thing was huge because that was really the number one priority of the organization. We had to get a quarterback we thought could take us to the next level. Honestly, we didn’t go into this draft saying this was going to be a defensive draft. We went in and we had offensive guys targeted, but they might have gotten picked before we could pick them.
When we picked Trae Waynes, there were three or four guys there we thought we would be happy with, but part of it with Trae was the position he plays. Typically when you draft those corners, you draft pretty high. Once it gets down lower, to the second round, they don’t produce like the higher picks. Knock on wood — we hope we’re drafting a little lower next year.”
Let’s take a look at some more draft notes from around the NFL…
- The Rams were involved in the bidding for undrafted free agent La’el Collins, head coach Jeff Fisher told ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner. “Yeah, we were involved in it,” Fisher said. “There were some things, we still had some unanswered questions at the time in which he made his decision but we were involved. We were told by them that we were in the final four, which is not necessarily a consolation but we were involved, yes.”
- Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and Colts quarterback Andrew Luck contacted Collins to recruit him to their respective teams, tweets Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez. The reporter adds that the lineman seriously considered the Dolphins‘ pitch.
- Mike Reiss of ESPN.com believes the Patriots would have willingly traded their first-rounder if an inquiring team had sweetened their offer. Ideally, the Patriots would have preferred an early second-round pick and a third-round pick in return. Reiss clarifies that the team is still please with their selection of Malcom Brown.
- The Bears had been eyeing quarterback Shane Carden during the draft, and ESPN.com’s Jeff Dickerson writes that the team was thrilled about the opportunity to sign the player as an undrafted free agent. “He was actually a guy that we had good grades on, a guy that could have potentially been a draft pick,” Bears coach John Fox told Dickerson. “Our scouts, obviously, saw a lot more of him than the coaching staff. But he was productive, smart. He has good moxie, being able to execute in a pass offense that throws the ball quite a bit and was very productive.”
Rams Notes: Collins, Barksdale, Rodriguez
Although he signed with the Cowboys, the Rams expressed interest in La’el Collins after not being selected in the 2015 NFL Draft. Head coach Jeff Fisher said the team was “involved” in talks, and that Collins told him they were among the four finalists for his services, according to Howard Balzer of LockerDome.com (via Twitter).
Balzer adds that Fisher said the Rams might have pursued Collins harder had the team not been so successful during the draft (via Twitter).
Here are some other notes surround the Rams during the post-draft portion of the offseason:
- Fisher also addressed the ongoing talks with offensive tackle Joe Barksdale, who has not yet been re-signed by the team and is currently a free agent, although there was not much to update on, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter). “We’ve been talking to Joe,” said Fisher. “We’ve had some conversations.”
- One of the players the Rams have brought in for a tryout is 5’8″ receiver Daniel Rodriguez, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 27-year-old Rodriguez, who walked on the football team at Clemson, served with the U.S. Army between 2006 and 2010, in both Afghanistan and Iraq, earning a Purple Heart during his service. He now is trying to make the Rams, as an unlikely undrafted free agent.
- Rookie orientation for the Rams has come to an end, but the team will keep the rookies at Rams Park until late June, writes Thomas (via Twitter). The team will mix them in with the veterans starting on Thursday.
Rams Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents
FRIDAY, 2:33pm: The Rams have officially announced their undrafted free agent signings, adding five more players to the list of 10 below, bringing their total to 15. Here are the five new names:
- Isiah Ferguson, WR, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
- Montell Garner, DB, South Alabama
- Matt Longacre, DL, Northwest Missouri State
- Cameron Lynch, LB, Syracuse
- Keshaun Malone, LB, Bacone
SUNDAY, 4:41pm: After adding nine picks in the 2015 NFL draft, the Rams have agreed to sign another 10 undrafted players, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
- Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas
- Imoan Claiborne, CB, Northwestern State
- Terrence Franks, RB, Texas State
- Jacob Hagen, S, Liberty
- Jay Hughes, S, Mississippi State
- Zach Laskey, FB, Georgia Tech ($3K bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun)
- Bradley Marquez, WR, Texas Tech
- Tyler Slavin, WR, New Mexico-Highlands
- Louis Trinca-Pasat, DT, Iowa ($15K bonus and $10K of base salary guaranteed, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press)
- Darrell Williams, T, South Florida
NFC Notes: Jones, Peterson, Eagles
There have been no contract talks between Julio Jones‘ agent and the Falcons, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes. Still, GM Thomas Dimitroff says that the star wide receiver is a priority. “There is no question that our focus in the future will be on Julio Jones and where we are,” Dimitroff told ESPN.com. “I don’t want to get into specifics about the timing of that, obviously. But now that the draft is over and we continue to build this football team, we understand that Julio is a very important part of our building and evolving as a championship-type team.” Dimitroff also claimed that Jones’ foot problems were not an issue for him. Here’s more from the NFC..
- Recently, the agent for Adrian Peterson hinted that the Vikings running back wanted extra financial incentive to continue playing with Minnesota. When asked about whether he’d meet those demands, GM Rick Spielman declined to comment, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Peterson is under contract for the next three seasons but none of his money is guaranteed.
- After the Eagles fired three members of their scouting department, there has been speculation that former GM Howie Roseman will be the next to go, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
- When asked if the Rams may be trying to copy the Seahawks’ with strengths in defense, the running game, and the passing game, GM Les Snead acknowledged that wouldn’t be a bad strategy, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes.
Minor Moves: Monday
With the draft now in the books, we can expect plenty of roster shuffling in the coming days and weeks, as teams ready their 90-man rosters for training camp. Here are Monday’s minor moves from around the league:
4:20pm:
- The Broncos have waived offensive tackles Paul Cornick and Jeremy Kelley, according to the Denver Post (Twitter link). Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link) expects the Bears to have interest in Cornick, who started six games in Dener last season. Of course, new Bears head coach John Fox and OC Adam Gase were previously with the Broncos.
- The Falcons have signed former Titans fullback Collin Mooney, the team announced today (Twitter link). It’s a multiyear pact for Mooney, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Syracuse linebacker Cameron Lynch is the latest rookie free agent to join the Rams, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).
- The 49ers have waived linebacker Chase Thomas with a non-football injury designation, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Thomas tore his ACL in the offseason.
- The Buccaneers have claimed offensive lineman Reid Fragel off waivers from the Falcons, per Wilson (via Twitter). The move reunites the ex-Falcon with his old offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter.
- The Packers have cut offensive lineman Joe Madsen, tweets Wilson. Madsen finished the year on the team’s practice squad before signing a futures contract.
10:46am:
- The Colts have cut several players from their roster today, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, who tweets that the team waived wide receiver Kadron Boone, defensive end Gannon Conway, offensive lineman Matt Hall, and former Olympic medalist Jeff Demps.
- Washington has parted ways with veteran edge defender Gabe Miller, according to his agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). The former fifth-round pick saw his first regular-season NFL action last season.
- Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter link) adds Maryland linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil to the list of UDFAs signed by the Titans.