Minor Moves: Tuesday
Tonight’s minor moves..
- The Raiders announced that they have claimed kicker Giorgio Tavecchio via waivers from the Lions. In a corresponding move, Oakland waived kicker Kevin Goessling. Tavecchio will likely serve as insurance in the event that Sebastian Janikowski isn’t ready to go in Week 1.
- The Bills have claimed punter/kicker Jordan Gay off waivers from the Panthers, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- According to the NFL transactions wire, the Seahawks have waived linebacker Marcus Dowtin and claimed center Patrick Lewis off waivers from the Jaguars, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Dowtin saw three games of action with the Giants in 2013 before being released in March.
- Safety Ty Zimmerman, receiver Andy Tanner, and tackle Ty Nsekhe were added to the Saints‘ injured reserve amidst today’s roster moves, tweets Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
- Rams linebacker Pat Schiller reverted to the club’s injured reserve after clearing waivers, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
Rams Place Bradford On IR, Roster Down To 75
The Rams have formally placed Sam Bradford on season-ending injured reserve, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). The move had been expected, but now – with this afternoon’s first cutdown deadline looming – it has been made official.
St. Louis came into the day with 79 players on its active roster, so in addition to putting Bradford on IR, the team also made three other roster moves. Thomas tweets that seventh-round center Demetrius Rhaney, who has a knee injury, will join the quarterback on the team’s injured reserve list. Additionally, safety Matt Daniels and defensive end Sammy Brown have been waived, according to Thomas (Twitter links).
The Rams’ final cutdown this weekend will draw a little more national attention than usual, as we wait to see whether seventh-round defensive end Michael Sam is among the 53 players the team will carry into the regular season.
West Notes: Hill, Farwell, Hayden
Let’s look at a few notes from the league’s west divisions to wrap up this Monday evening:
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, in the wake of Sam Bradford‘s season-ending injury, has reiterated that St. Louis has not engaged other teams in talks regarding a potential quarterback trade.
- On a related note, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com writes that Fisher emphasized that Shaun Hill will be the Rams‘ starting quarterback going forward.
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets that Colton Schmidt, who was waived by the 49ers earlier today, could draw interest from other clubs looking to make an upgrade at punter. Schmidt led all punters in net yards this preseason.
- Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes that Seahawks backup middle linebacker and special teams captain Heath Farwell will likely need surgery to repair the extensive groin damage that he suffered in Friday’s preseason game against Chicago. Farwell’s injury essentially locks up a roster spot for undrafted free agent Brock Coyle.
- Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego reports that Chargers‘ guard Jeromey Clary will begin the season on the PUP list, thereby forcing him to miss at least the first six games of the regular season.
- Bill Williamson of ESPN.com writes that the Raiders may have found a diamond in the rough in defensive back Neiko Thorpe, who was signed to a futures contract in January.
- Citing head coach Dennis Allen, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Raiders corner D.J. Hayden, who is recovering from foot surgery, looked a lot better today working with trainers on the sidelines. The team will not make a decision regarding whether Hayden should go on the PUP list until Saturday’s deadline.
Rams Trim Roster To 79
The Rams have lowered their roster count to 79, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The following players have been released:
- Jarrid Bryant, CB
- Bobby Cowan, P
- R.J. Dill, OT
- Jordan Harris, WR
- Jorgen Hus, LS
- Kadeem Jones, FB
- Johnny Millard, LB
- T.J. Moe, WR
- D.J. Morrell, OT
Additionally, linebacker Pat Schiller was waived-injured. The Rams will need to make four more cuts by 3pm tomorrow.
Reaction To Sam Bradford’s Season-Ending Injury
The Rams confirmed yesterday that quarterback Sam Bradford had re-torn his ACL, an injury that will end his season before it begins. It’s a tragic turn for the young QB, and it will force St. Louis to answer many questions in the coming weeks and months. Is Shaun Hill capable of leading a team? Are there better alternatives available? And will Bradford’s contract prevent him from staying with the Rams in 2015? Let’s look at some reactions to the news from around the league:
- While Jeff Fisher and the rest of the Rams’ staff will meet to discuss quarterback options available through free agency and trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported (Twitter link) they hadn’t done so as of yesterday afternoon.
- Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that St. Louis might simply be content with Hill, it feels it’s a defensive-oriented team with a strong running game. In fact, the “team believes it has more talent around the QB than [it has] in years.”
- Despite reports that there is “no chance” the Eagles trade Mark Sanchez, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that the Rams do want to acquire him, but accept that such move is a longshot. Cole continues, saying that the Rams are also considering Ryan Mallett.
- Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald thinks (on Twitter) that the Rams should call the Dolphins about Matt Moore‘s availability.
- Field Yates of ESPN Insider (subscription required) examines the Rams’ options both this year (possible trades for Kirk Cousins or Mike Glennon) and beyond (sticking with Bradford versus drafting a quarterback in 2015).
- Regarding Cousins, a source tells Mike Jones and Liz Clarke of the Washington Post that the Redskins are wary of trading Cousins while Robert Griffin III continues to struggle with Jay Gruden’s offense.
- Because the Rams can save almost $13MM against the cap in 2015 by releasing Bradford, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap writes that it’s impossible to conceive him sticking on the Rams after this season.
- Bill Barnwell of Grantland agrees, writing that it would be a massive mistake for the Rams to keep Bradford around for next season.
- St. Louis might have trouble trading for a quarterback (specifically, a QB’s salary) as they rank last in the NFL with just $1.678MM in cap space, per Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Corry points (on Twitter) to Chris Long and James Laurinaitis as candidates to have their contracts restructured in an effort to free up cap room.
NFC Notes: Cassel, Brent, Packers, Garrard
Even after the Vikings traded back into the first round of May’s draft to select Louisville product Teddy Bridgewater, the prevailing wisdom was that Matt Cassel would be the Week 1 starter at quarterback in Minnesota. Per Jay Glazer of Fox Sports 1 (Twitter link), that notion has held, as head coach Mike Zimmer has informed the Vikings’ players that Cassel will indeed open the season as the team’s No. 1 QB.
Zimmer himself confirmed the news to reporters, including Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (on Twitter), saying that Cassel was the favorite in the competition from the start. “Matt did not do anything to lose the job this preseason,” said Zimmer. “I think he’s played great. The team has a lot of confidence in him.” Through three preseason games, Cassel has completed 26 of 39 passes for 367 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception, while Bridgewater has completed 26 of 40 pass attempts for 266 yards, four scores, and no picks.
On a macro level, this news means that no rookie quarterback will be his team’s Week 1 starter (unless Matt Schaub‘s injury lingers and David Carr is forced to take the reins for the Raiders). Chad Henne was chosen to start over Blake Bortles in Jacksonville, and Johnny Manziel lost out out Brian Hoyer in Cleveland. Still, I’d be surprised if two or three (or perhaps all four) of said rookies aren’t starting games by season’s end.
More notes from the NFC:
- While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones appears ready to save a roster spot for Josh Brent, the defensive tackle likely won’t require an active roster spot when the NFL reinstates him. According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com, the league is expected to suspend Brent if and when he’s reinstated. “He’s not just going to walk back onto the field,” a source tells Werder.
- Even after B.J. Raji‘s season-ending biceps injury, Green Bay has enough depth along the defensive line that it won’t be signing ex-Packer Ryan Pickett, writes Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- Unhappy with incumbent Alex Henery, the Eagles had been scouting teams with a surplus of kickers, tweets Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Berman points to Dustin Hopkins, released by the Bills this morning, as one option for the Birds.
- It’s unclear if he was simply being humorous, but David Garrard lobbied the Rams (via Twitter) to give him a call following Sam Bradford‘s season-ending injury. Garrard is 36 and has dealt with numerous injuries in the last few years — it’s highly doubtful St. Louis would be interested.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
King’s Latest: Rams, Cardinals, Texans, Ravens
Despite his belief that the Seahawks remain the premier team in the NFL, Peter King of TheMMQB.com isn’t picking them to win the 2015 Super Bowl. Since the Patriots’ back-to-back titles a decade ago, no Super Bowl-winning team has garnered even a single playoff victory, writes King — history simply isn’t on Seattle’s side. Let’s sort through the most intriguing items from King’s column:
- Following Sam Bradford‘s season-ending injury, the Rams do have interest in Eagles backup Mark Sanchez, but they won’t sacrifice a second- or third-round pick to acquire a player who is playing on a one-year contract.
- The Rams will monitor the waiver wire for quarterback depth, but King’s sense is that they are comfortable will Shaun Hill as their starter, given that he has been learning St. Louis’ offense for five months.
- The Cardinals had strong interest in three players in May’s draft — Ryan Shazier, Zack Martin, and Calvin Pryor — who all went within five selections before Arizona’s pick at No. 20. Instead, the Cards traded back to pick No. 27, drafted Deone Bucannon, and used their extra third-round pick to select unheralded receiver prospect John Brown, who has been a preseason surprise.
- Because they had the worst record in the league last season, the Texans will have first priority on all waived players as cutdown dates approach, and general manager Rick Smith isn’t going to be shy about using that advantage. “Our roster is a living, breathing thing,” said Smith. “And if there’s a player we see out there who is better than what we have, we’re going to act.”
- King believes the Ravens, whose secondary is quite thin, will make a trade for a corner this week.
- It might be tough for the Rams to pass Michael Sam through waivers, as he’s shown much more quickness during the preseason than he did in college.
“No Chance” Of Mark Sanchez To The Rams
With Sam Bradford out for the season with a torn ACL, the Rams will have to turn to backup quarterback Shaun Hill to lead them through the season in a brutal NFC West.
Other options have been open, including Eagles’ backup quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez spent three years under the tutelage of Rams’ offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer during their time with the Jets, with the duo advancing to two AFC Championship games in three seasons.
Despite the obvious connection, Tom Pelissero of USA Today is told there is “no chance” of Sanchez being moved to the Rams this season. Sanchez has a chance at a fresh start under Chip Kelly’s offense, and is no interested in grabbing a starting job on a Rams team expected to finish last in their division (via Twitter).
Head coach Jeff Fisher is adamant that the team is content going forward with Shaun Hill, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). “Shaun (Hill) is our guy,” said Fisher. “We have around our QB position as much talent as we’ve had since we’ve been here.”
Fisher did respond to the rumors that the team would look outside the organization to find help at quarterback, as reported on the teams official Twitter page. “That’s not true. It doesn’t mean to say that we won’t, but we haven’t done it to this point.”
Fisher and his staff will eventually evaluate the quarterback market to gauge who is available, reports Rapoport (via Twitter). However, Rapoport also notes that the team had the option to sign Sanchez in the offseason, and elected to go after Shaun Hill instead (via Twitter).
Another big name backup, Christian Ponder, was not called when Bradford went down last year, and Pellissero would be surprised if anything had changed that would make the Rams interested this time around (via Twitter).
According to our Pro Football Rumors readers, Redskins’ Kirk Cousins is still the best quarterback by trade.
Sam Bradford Tears ACL, Will Miss 2014 Season
A MRI has revealed Rams quarterback Sam Bradford has suffered a torn left ACL, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN (via Twitter). Bradford will miss the entire 2014 season. The Rams will hold a news conference later today to confirm the news.
The injury, which occurred in last night’s contest preseason game against the Browns, afflicts the same ACL which Bradford tore during Week 7 last season. Bradford, the 2008 Heisman winner and the No. 1 overall pick in 2010, has had trouble staying healthy in his career, starting only 49 out of a possible 64 games. Additionally, he hasn’t been very successful when he has played, averaging just 2,766 yards through the air, with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over four years, while his career completion percentage sits at just 58.6%.
Rumors of Bradford’s release surfaced over the offseason, and though he was ultimately retained, there’s virtually no scenario in which he returns to St. Louis in 2015. The Rams could save nearly $13MM against the cap next year by releasing Bradford, who is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract. For his part, Bradford’s 2015 potential free agency prospects look grim — as Evan Silva of Rotoworld tweets, Bradford will likely enter the market not only coming off back-to-back ACL tears, but having missed 31 of out a possible 80 games.
The Rams will presumably turn to backup Shaun Hill, who was signed to a one-year deal over the offseason, to take over as their starting quarterback. If St. Louis wants to look to bring in depth behind Hill, it could either look to find a trade partner, or scan the list of available free agent quarterbacks.
Adam Schefter of ESPN was the first to report the Rams’ concern that Bradford might have re-torn his ACL.
NFC West Links: Sam, Williams, Harvin, Brown
As the final cut from 75 to 53 is only a week away, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch takes some time to break down where everyone on the Rams’ roster stands. Thomas divided each player on the roster into one of three categories: safe and sound, on the bubble, or probably not. The big name that is still on the bubble is rookie defensive end Michael Sam. With a crowded defensive line, Sam has only a week left to make his final impression and land on the team’s roster.
Here are some other links from around the NFC West:
- While Brian Hoyer has earned the starting job for the Browns, Rams‘ head coach Jeff Fisher is looking forward to seeing a lot of Johnny Manziel, writes Steve Korte of the Belleville News-Democrat. “I’m hoping he gets to play a lot,” Fisher said. “He’s an outstanding athlete, and he’ll test our defense if he breaks the pocket and takes off running.”
- 49ers‘ Ian Williams had won the starting nose tackle job last season before being sidelined with an injury, but he is healthy again and head coach Jim Harbaugh thinks he looks better than he did before the fractured leg, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “Just in the movement, in the quickness, the burst of separation, driving to the ball,” Harbaugh said. “He looks better than before. That’s what I’ve seen so far.”
- Seahawks‘ receiver Percy Harvin has flashed his playmaking ability this preseason, and has fans imagining what he could do if he stays healthy for a full season, writes Dave Boling of the News Tribune. “The Seahawks finished 18th in the NFL in offensive gains last season,” writes Boling. “Harvin will get them near the top 10 with his efforts alone.”
- Harvin has drawn praise from his fellow Seahawks as well, with quarterback Russell Wilson touting his top target, writes Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “What Percy brings to the offense is grit, and a desire to get into the end zone, a desire to get the ball in his hands and make something happen,” said Wilson. “Every time he touches the football, he’s either going to run over you or run by you, one of the two. That’s what he brings to the table, his explosive mentality.”
- Cardinals‘ rookie receiver John Brown has taken camp by storm, and Peter King of Sports Illustrated is the latest to join the bandwagon of praising the young Division II wideout. King notes that he has had success working in a number of different packages and should be heavily involved in the offense this season.