Buccaneers Sign Gosder Cherilus
TUESDAY, 9:06am: The Buccaneers have officially confirmed the signing of Cherilus, announcing that they’ve cut FB/TE Evan Rodriguez to clear room on the roster (Twitter link). The details on Cherilus’ two-year deal can be found here.
MONDAY, 3:09pm: After hosting free agent offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus for a visit today, the Buccaneers have agreed to terms with him on a two-year contract, reports Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). As Stroud adds (via Twitter), Cherilus is poised to replace injured right tackle Demar Dotson, who could be sidelined for six to eight weeks with a sprained MCL.
Cherilus, who was released by the Colts in late July, started 29 games for the club at right tackle over the past two seasons. However, after a solid first season in Indianapolis, the 31-year-old struggled last year. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Cherilus 70th out of 84 qualified tackles, and he graded particularly poorly as a pass blocker. According to PFF’s data, he allowed six quarterback sacks, another 42 hits or hurries.
Despite his down year, Cherilus appeared to draw plenty of interest when he became a free agent. The veteran tackle reportedly visited the Bills and Lions, and Stroud tweets that the Chiefs and Vikings had some interest in him as well. Per Stroud, the Colts were also interested in bringing back Cherilus at a reduced salary.
While the financial terms of Cherilus’ new two-year deal with the Bucs aren’t yet known, he’ll certainly make less than he would have in Indianapolis, had the Colts held onto him. The former first-round pick signed a five-year, $35MM contract with the Colts back in 2013, and would’ve counted for $6.9MM against the team’s cap in 2015, including a $4MM base salary, if he hadn’t been released.
In Tampa Bay, Cherilus looks like the favorite to start the season at right tackle, though it’s not clear if he’ll continue to get regular playing time after Dotson returns from his MCL injury. Currently, second-round pick Donovan Smith is penciled in as the Bucs’ starter at left tackle, so his performance early in the season could determine whether or not there’s room on the line for Cherilus throughout the year.
Vikings’ Phil Loadholt Tears Achilles
SUNDAY, 9:09pm: An MRI has confirmed Loadholt’s Achilles tear, ESPN’s Ben Goessling reports (Twitter link). He’ll require season-ending surgery.
SATURDAY, 8:43pm: Vikings right tackle Phil Loadholdt was carted off the field during tonight’s preseason game against the Buccaneers, and a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) that Loadholt has suffered a torn Achilles. If confirmed, the diagnosis would mean Loadholt would miss the 2015 season.
This marks the second consecutive season of bad luck for the 29-year-old Loadholt, who was placed on injured reserve last November after tearing his pectoral. Reports indicated that Loadholt had looked good while working to return from that injury, so this latest news is especially devastating. A starter along Minnesota’s offensive line for six seasons, Loadholt is entering the third year of a four-year, $25MM contract that he signed in March of 2013.
Fourth-round rookie T.J. Clemmings replaced Loadholt at right tackle during the game, and he’s the favorite to do during the regular season, as well. Projected by some as a first-round pick, Clemmings — a Pitt alum — fell to Day 3 due to concerns about his polish. Mike Harris, currently slated to start at right guard, also has experience at tackle, so it’s possible that the Vikings could completely re-figure their front five.
If the Vikings preferred to look at the free agent market for a replacement, one intriguing option could be Anthony Collins, who was with the Bengals during current Vikes head coach Mike Zimmer‘s tenure as defensive coordinator.
Sunday Roundup: Loadholdt, Dotson, Broncos
The Buccaneers and Vikings played each other on Saturday night, and both teams lost their starting right tackles. Minnesota’s Phil Loadholdt suffered a torn Achilles and is likely done for the season, while Tampa Bay’s Demar Dotson sprained his MCL and will undergo an MRI today to determine the extent of the sprain. Today’s Sunday Roundup begins with some fallout from those two injuries.
- Greg Auman of The Tampa Bay Times notes that the Buccaneers could shift Kevin Pamphile from left tackle to right tackle to replace Dotson, or they could promote Patrick Omameh. However, if Dotson has anything worse than a sprained MCL, Auman expects Tampa Bay to look outside the organization to fill the void (Twitter links).
- Former NFL agent Joel Corry tweets that the Vikings could be forced into a tough early decision on Loadholdt next season. As Corry notes, Loadholdt will be due a $500,000 bonus if he is on the roster on the third day of the league year (March 17, 2016), which may be too rich for a player who has suffered two major injuries in 10 months.
- Mark Craig of The Star Tribune tweets that the Vikings are not panicking over Loadholdt’s injury or scrambling for outside help, as the team has confidence in its young tackles.
- John Keim of ESPN.com breaks down Washington‘s potential options at tight end as it seeks to build depth behind Jordan Reed.
- Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com observes (via Twitter) that the season-ending injury to Rams CB E.J. Gaines could open the door for someone like undrafted free agent Imoan Claiborne.
- Broncos WR Bennie Fowler, whom Denver signed as an undrafted free agent last year, might be a long-shot to make the roster, but as Mike Klis of 9News.com writes, Fowler’s impressive showing in training camp and in the first preseason game is giving the Broncos’ brass a lot to think about.
NFC Notes: Peterson, Giants, Evans, Lions
Despite all the rumors and news surrounding Adrian Peterson over the offseason, the Vikings running back always felt that he’d return to Minnesota, as he tells Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Deep down inside, I always knew I’d be back here,” said Peterson. “I like looking at situations and putting myself in other people’s positions. No way the Vikings were going to let me go.” Peterson will have to run behind a Phil Loadholt-less offensive line, as we learned earlier tonight that the Vikings right tackle tore his Achilles.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- The Giants have suffered a rash of injuries in their secondary, leading Paul Schwartz of the New York Post to wonder if the G-Men might be forced to make some additional signings. Rookie safeties Landon Collins and Mykkele Thompson each suffered injuries in last night’s preseason game (Thompson’s is more serious, as he’s expected to miss the season), and although head coach Tom Coughlin hopes that corner Prince Amukamara will return soon, he admits that new players may have to be brought in.
- The Saints extended guard Jahri Evans this offseason — mostly to create cap space — but Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune isn’t sure how much the 31-year-old has left. Comparing Evans to a pitcher who has lost his fastball and has become “craftier,” Holder nevertheless observes that Evans has been regularly beaten by opposing defensive lineman during camp.
- Offensive lineman Darren Keyton will miss the entire season after tearing his patellar tendon, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com, and according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, the Lions didn’t wait around to look for candidates to take Keyton’s role. Detroit held OL tryouts directly after today’s practice, but the names of the players involved were not released.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/14/15
Here are Friday’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL:
- The Eagles waived two players with injury designations, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve cut linebacker Brandon Hepburn (abdominal) and defensive end B.J. McBryde (foot). Both players figure to revert to the team’s IR list if they clear waivers. Meanwhile, the Eagles added former Winston-Salem St. defensive end Alfy Hill.
- The Vikings have waived/injured wide receiver Gavin Lutman, replacing him on their roster with defensive tackle Greg Hickman, per Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune (Twitter link).
- Wide receiver DeShon Foxx, who signed with the Seahawks in May, has been cut by the team (Twitter link). Seattle has signed linebacker Alex Singleton to take Foxx’s place on the roster.
- The Buccaneers are back up to 90 players after re-signing rookie safety Derrick Wells today, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
Latest On Greg Hardy
The NFLPA wants to see what happens at Thursday’s hearing on regarding Adrian Peterson before taking any action on behalf of Greg Hardy, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Hardy still hasn’t made a decision regarding a potential lawsuit against the league, a source with knowledge of the situation tells Florio.
On July 10th, the Cowboys defensive end saw his ten-game suspension lowered to a much more palatable four-game ban. However, Hardy’s camp reportedly decided from the outset that they would battle anything beyond two games since he already sat out the lion’s share of the 2014 season. Florio’s source says that Hardy has decided to follow the lead of the union on this one – he’ll proceed with action if the NFLPA wants to, but otherwise, he’s prepared to serve a four-game suspension.
For now, assuming Hardy accepts the four-game suspension, he’ll have the potential to earn up to about $10.628MM this season. The 26-year-old’s contract has a modest base salary, but features up to $9.25MM in per-game roster bonuses and about $1.8MM in incentives. By getting his penalty reduced from 10 games to four games, Hardy will have the opportunity to earn nearly $3.5MM in extra per-game roster bonuses.
As a refresher, Hardy allegedly assaulted and threatened to kill ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder in May of 2014. After being found guilty by a judge, Hardy was scheduled to get a jury trial, but due to a lack of cooperation by Holder, the charges against the defensive end were ultimately dismissed, as he reached a civil settlement with his accuser. While the case played out, Hardy spent the 2014 season on the commissioner’s exempt list for the Panthers, missing all but one game. The Cowboys signed Hardy earlier this offseason before word of his suspension broke, and a four-game ban is about what the team had initially expected.
Adrian Peterson on Future, Vikings, Health
Adrian Peterson is trying to move forward following his tumultuous 2014 season. The Vikings running back only played in one game last season before being placed on the Exempt/Commissioner’s Permission list, compiling 75 yards on 21 carries.
It remains to be seen whether Peterson can return to MVP form, but when he last missed significant time in 2011, he returned with a record-breaking 2012 campaign.
The 30-year-old sat down with ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling to discuss his prospect’s for this season, his future, and his relationship with the Vikings. The whole interview is worth checking out, but we’ve compiled some of the more intriguing quotes for you below…
On whether he’ll try to catch Emmitt Smith‘s records, requiring him to play until he’s at least 35 years old:
“I think if I’m blessed to play [that long], I’ll get a feel. I think I’ll go off my gut feel. I think I can play for a long time, but I’m just going to take it one year at a time and see how I feel, because I did enjoy myself, realizing how much I was missing, as far as my kids. Just doing simple stuff, taking them to school, picking them up, that was fun to me. I missed that. Unfortunately, it’s during football season. So that could bring my career to an end earlier than expected.”
On whether he believes his relationship with the Vikings organization is strong enough to produce a new contract:
“I do. I do. I feel like the relationship is that good. The big thing is — because it is a business — is still being productive, being able to perform at a high level. I feel like if I do my part, they’ll do their part.”
On how his perspective has changed:
“Going through everything and realizing that hey, you can get kind of caught up when you’re the face of the franchise, and they’ve got you all over NFL Network. But one thing to put in perspective: You realize you’re just a small piece. In the big scheme of things, they’re going to do what’s best for them. It puts things in perspective. That’s kind of how I look at things now. It’s like, I don’t owe the NFL anything. It’s a privilege for me and every other guy that’s on this field. For them, without us, they don’t make a dime. That’s how I look at it now.”
On how he’s feeling heading into the preseason:
“I definitely feel stronger, having the extra time to let the body rest, for one, and then train even more. In season, you probably lift twice a week, just to keep things sharp and keep your strength up through the season. But having the type of time I had, I was able to push my body to the max, knowing I had enough time to recover and be ready for OTAs [organized team activities] and camp. I feel stronger. I feel more explosive. Mentally, that was the biggest thing. I was able to grow stronger mentally, and it’s been showing, when I’m in the weight room and when I’m out here as well.”
NFC Notes: Peterson, Sendlein, Guion, Saints, Sproles
The relationship between the Vikings and star-running back Adrian Peterson had seemingly become strained since he missed 15 games last season after a domestic violence charge. Even so, Peterson has stated that not only does he want to keep playing until he is in his late thirties, and said he would have no problem signing another long-term contract with the team, in a Q&A with Ben Goessling of ESPN.
Here are some more stories from around the NFC:
- Newly re-signed Cardinals center Lyle Sendlein said he had interest from other teams throughout the NFL, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter). “Deep down,” said Sendlein, “we wanted to come back here.”
- The appeal of Letroy Guion‘s three-game suspension stemming from an offseason arrest will be heard by the NFL on August 24th, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
- Tight end Jean Sifrin got a tryout with the Saints, according to Nick Underhill and Joel Erickson of the New Orleans Advocate (via Twitter).
- Former Saints defensive end Glenn Foster, who was released recently, said he needs about one month to complete the rehab on his knee, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN. Foster still plans to sign somewhere when healthy and play in 2015.
- Despite adding workhorse running back DeMarco Murray and former Charger Ryan Mathews, head coach Chip Kelly sees a bigger role in the Eagles’ offense for Darren Sproles. While that could be the result of a pair of running backs with injury history, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes the extra snaps and touches will like come as a receiver in 2015.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/2015
Here are Saturday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
- Wide receiver Cobi Hamilton, who was cut by the Bengals earlier this week to make room for Greg Little, was claimed off waivers by the Dolphins, tweets Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Miami waived another wideout, Kai De La Cruz, just three days after signing him in order to clear room on the roster for Hamilton.
- The Giants created two roster openings today by waiving two players with injury designations. Per Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), tight end Matt LaCosse (hamstring) and defensive end Brad Harrah (quad) were cut.
- The Vikings have a full roster again after signing wide receiver Ryan Whalen, a former sixth-round pick, tweets Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune.
- The Jets cut fullback J.C. Copeland today after a poor showing in practice, according to Connor Hughes of the Journal Inquirer and Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
Earlier updates:
- A sixth running back is coming to the Eagles, with rookie free agent Kevin Monangai signing with the team, per Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. Monangai starred at Villanova, scoring 29 career touchdowns in four years with the Division I-FCS Wildcats.
- The Patriots‘ roster stands at 87 players following the cutting of cornerback Justin Green and linebacker D.J. Lynch, reports WEEI’s Mike Petraglia. Green signed with New England as an undrafted free agent in 2013, playing in two games since, with practice squad time in between. Lynch came to the Pats this offseason as a rookie free agent from Bowling Green.
- The Bills‘ roster now sits at 89 players after the team claimed Terren Jones off waivers from the Titans, ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak reports, on Twitter. An undrafted free agent who signed with the Falcons in 2013, the 6-foot-7, 341-pound Jones becomes the fifth offensive tackle on Buffalo’s roster. He’s spent time with the Titans, Ravens and Washington, playing in one game in two seasons.
- To clear space for wideout Trent Steelman, the Ravens cut quarterback Jerry Lovelocke, according to CSNBaltimore.com’s Clifton Brown (Twitter link). Levelocke came to the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in May from Prairie View A&M. A former Army quarterback, Steelman will vie for a roster or practice squad spot at wide receiver. Eligible for the 2013 draft and a participant in the Ravens’ rookie minicamp that year, Steelman was released from active duty in Dec. 2014 in order to pursue an NFL career.
- The Falcons swapped out one offensive lineman for another, in signing Pierce Burton and waiving Harland Gunn, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). The Vikings originally signed Burton as an undrafted free agent last offseason, while Gunn played in 13 games for Atlanta from 2012-14 after signing there as an undrafted rookie in 2012.
- Washington signed rookie cornerback Deshazor Everett and released fellow first-year player Dasman McCullum, a linebacker, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (on Twitter). Everett is an undrafted product from Texas A&M and will serve as secondary depth while Bashaud Breeland recovers from a torn MCL.
- The Cowboys signed Will Smith, a linebacker taken by the team in the seventh round of the 2014 draft before spending his rookie campaign on Dallas’ practice squad, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter).
NFC Notes: Vikings, Saints, 49ers, Packers, Hill
As we head into Saturday night, here’s the latest from around the NFC.
- Panthers wideout Stephen Hill‘s bad week worsened Saturday in the form of a right leg injury that resulted in him being carted off the field, according to Steve Reed of the Associated Press. This comes a few days after his marijuana-related citation. Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer tweeted Hill’s status “doesn’t look good.” He has to be considered a longshot to play in North Carolina this season, considering what’s happened this week and the players residing ahead of the former second-round pick on the Panthers’ depth chart.
- A starter at right tackle in Minnesota’s final five games last season, Mike Harris will receive the first crack at earning the Vikings‘ starting right guard job, coach Mike Zimmer confirmed to media (via Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune). Rookie T.J. Clemmings also figures to factor in there, but Harris has started 17 games since arriving in the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2012.
- Adrian Peterson‘s game-action drought will likely continue until the Vikings take the field for the regular season, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com reports. Although this means the running back’s time without having suited up for a game will last more than a year, with the Vikings’ opener coming Sept. 14, Peterson hasn’t carried the ball in a preseason game since 2011.
- Saints coach Sean Payton was not surprised by the suspension given to tight end Orson Charles‘ one-game suspension for a road-rage incident, telling media (including NOLA.com’s Evan Woodberry), “We were on top of all of that. None of that was a surprise, “Payton said. “He’s been very forthright in communicating. He’s been very open with the league and with ourselves.” Charles has started six games in three seasons, each coming with the Bengals as a rookie in 2012.
- As part of his reworked contract, fifth-year 49er Aldon Smith collected a $300K roster bonus Saturday. The perpetually afoul-with-the-league linebacker’s earned $800K in bonuses since April 1, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- Sean Richardson‘s eventful offseason continued Saturday, with the safety receiving a $200K bonus for being on the roster on the third day of Packers training camp, per ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky (via Twitter). The Packers matched the Raiders’ $2.55MM contract offer and kept Richardson in Green Bay for another season.