East Notes: Coples, Lewis, Cruz, Alonso
Jets outside linebacker Quinton Coples played only 15 of 64 defensive snaps in the Sunday win over the Dolphins and Rich Cimini of ESPN.com wonders if that could be a bad sign for his future in New York. The Jets have exercised the fifth-year option for 2016 at $7.8MM, but the salary is guaranteed for injury only. Through four games, Coples is at 53% of the snaps, down from his 2014 share, 68%.
Here’s more from the AFC and NFC East..
- The Patriots signed Dion Lewis this offseason when few teams were even looking at him and that helps explain why he was willing to sign a contract extension this week, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. Lewis, who has stepped into Shane Vereen‘s former role as the team’s top “passing” back, opted for security over a potentially larger payday in free agency. Lewis’ deal features base salaries of $800K (2016) and $1.2MM (2017) along with a signing bonus of $600K and if he continues to produce at this pace, he’ll be one heck of a bargain for New England. Through three games, Lewis has tallied 146 yards on the ground and another 179 through the air, with a pair of touchdowns.
- Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz told reporters (including Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger via Twitter) that he’s “thoroughly convinced” that he’ll be back on the field at some point “playing at a high level.” Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (via Twitter) says that the IR is not being discussed for Cruz, who has yet to see the field in 2015.
- Eagles linebacker Kiko Alonso confirmed that his ACL was not injured in Week 3, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Alonso, who has thus far avoided the IR in 2015, doesn’t have a timetable for his return just yet.
AFC East Notes: Brady, Campbell, Wilkerson
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday he had no regrets about the way he acted throughout the Deflategate drama, as Christopher Price of WEEI.com writes. Goodell was complimentary of Brady but also made it clear that he was never interested in giving him special treatment.
“I have a lot of respect and admiration for Tom. I know him personally,” Goodell said. “As I say, I admire him tremendously. He is a future Hall of Fame player. But our rules apply to everybody. They apply to every single player. And every single player expects those rules to apply to everybody. Every coach does, every fan does, every partner, every team does.”
Here’s more from the AFC East..
- It sounds like the Dolphins are going to give interim coach Dan Campbell a chance to win the permanent job in Miami, as Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. “That’s why we did this with 12 games left, not two,” a source told Werder. Presumably, the Dolphins will consider outside options at season’s end, but a strong finish for Campbell would give him a leg up on his competition.
- New Bills kicker Billy Cundiff told reporters, including ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (on Twitter), “I’m here to kick off. Everything else is on a need-to-know basis.” Of course, after kicker Dan Carpenter missed a 30-yard try on Sunday, many are wondering if that plan might change.
- Muhammad Wilkerson has been an “absolute beast” so far this season for the Jets, and Brian Costello of the New York Post suggests that the team has to find a way to lock up one of its best defensive players to a long-term deal.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Patriots Work Out Boom Herron
The Patriots worked out former Colts running back Boom Herron on Monday, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter). The Patriots may have been taking a look at Herron in an effort to keep their emergency lists fresh, as Reiss insinuates, but his previous body of work could have New England interested in a deal. Of course, the Pats are also facing the Colts in two weeks and, as teams often do, the Patriots could be looking at Herron as a source of useful information.
Herron, who suffered a sprained AC joint in the Colts’ final preseason game, was waived by the Colts in September. The 26-year-old, who was competing for a role as one of Frank Gore‘s backups, was a sixth-round pick of the Bengals in 2012 and spent the last two years with the Colts. He played in all 16 of the Colts’ regular-season contests in 2014 and rushed for 351 yards and a touchdown, adding 21 catches.
East Notes: Philbin, Coyle, Murray, Patriots
Despite falling to 1-3 after today’s loss to the divisional rival Jets, Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin said he plans to retain defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Of course, Philbin himself might not be around for much longer, and even if does stay on, the call on Coyle’s status might not fall to Philbin.
Here’s more from Miami and the rest of the NFL’ two East divisions:
- Rumors have swirled that Philbin could be fired if the Dolphins lost in London today, but now that they have, Philbin still didn’t express any worries about his fate, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. “We still can’t panic,” Philbin said. “It all seems like the walls are closing in on you. We all realize that. So we gotta look at things and be honest about where we are, what we’re doing well and what we’re not doing well.”
- One reason that Philbin’s job might be safe is that the Dolphins lack a viable candidate to take over on a interim basis, per Salguero in a separate piece. Neither the offense nor the defense has played well enough where it would make sense to elevate Coyle or OC Bill Lazor to the top job, and no one on Miami’s staff has any head coaching experience. Linebackers coach Mark Duffner and assistant offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. each have led teams at the collegiate level, however.
- DeMarco Murray ran for 36 yards against Washington today, more than tripling his season total entering the contest, but the Eagles running wants more work. “No, I’m not. I don’t think I am,” Murray told Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) when asked if he was getting enough touches. Murray did allow that he knew he signed up for something of a timeshare with the Eagles, but still expects to see the ball more.
- In his latest notes piece, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe looks at how several teams — including, notably, the Patriots — have taken to trading for players rather than finding similar free agents. Since the preseason ended on September 4, notes Volin, there have been 17 NFL trades — four more than the past four years combined. We at PFR certainly won’t complain about the uptick in player movement.
AFC Notes: Mohamed, Steelers, Davis, Pats
The Texans placed linebacker Mike Mohamed on injured reserve this week, despite the fact that he says he has almost recovered from his calf injury. Mohamed tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle that he’ll talk to his agent, Ken Landphere, to determine what happens now — they may pursue an injury settlement with Houston, allowing the linebacker to reach free agency.
“I want to play this season,” Mohamed said. “It won’t be here, but I want to play somewhere and get back on the field. I’m almost back from the injury, so it’s kind of frustrating to go on injured reserve, but I understand that they didn’t feel like they could wait.”
While the Texans would like to bring back Mohamed when he’s healthy, an injury settlement prevents a player from re-signing with his old team for at least six weeks. During that time, Mohamed is a good bet to find a new job with another team.
Here’s more from across the AFC:
- After missing a pair of field goals in the Steelers‘ loss last night, Josh Scobee has now missed four field goals and an extra point through four games with his new team. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that finding someone who can convert kicks on a consistent basis should be a top priority for Pittsburgh moving forward. Meanwhile, longtime Steelers kicker Jeff Reed, who hasn’t played an NFL game since 2010, still wants to make a comeback and says he’d love a shot to try out for Pittsburgh (link via CBS Pittsburgh).
- Less than two weeks into his stint with the Ravens, cornerback Will Davis already looks better than he ever did with the Dolphins, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. As Salguero outlines, it’s the latest case of a player becoming more productive with a new team after leaving Miami, a worrisome trend for the Dolphins.
- The Patriots have been active on the trade market during the last few weeks, and acquired two more defensive players this week. With the November 3 trade deadline just over a month away, Andy Hart at CSNNE.com wonders if Bill Belichick will look to land some help at cornerback as well.
Extra Points: Jets, Bears, Cardinals, Pats
The Jets are in London this week, but head coach Todd Bowles was quick to remind his team that it’s all business while they’re overseas.
“They’ve got enough money, they can make it in the offseason,” said Bowles, who is prepping for the Dolphins. “They will be OK, they’ll be all right. They get a little bit of free time, they can do their tour. We’re on a business trip. They want to go back in the offseason, hey, have at it.”
Here’s more from around the NFL as Gang Green looks to advance to 3-1..
- The Bears are faced with having to rebuild their roster after a series of misevaluations, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com writes. Their trades of Jared Allen and Jonathan Bostic earlier this week netted the Bears a pair of sixth-round picks, but that barely scratches the surface of what they need to do in order to become a contender, he opines. Our Community Tailgate post from earlier today asked PFR readers if they think the Bears will continue trading.
- Cardinals corner Justin Bethel was one of the reasons the team let Antonio Cromartie walk in free agency after last season, but it still took him three games to see the field this season. That’s because the Cardinals have tremendous depth at cornerback and other defensive positions, as Zach Buchanan of The Arizona Republic writes.
- The Patriots worked out linebacker Jayson DiManche and Josh Allen, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
- James Walker of ESPN.com wonders if Jonas Gray, who has been moved around on the Dolphins‘ roster a few times this season, could see an increased role in Miami’s offense.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/1/15
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..
- The Jets signed tight end Wes Saxton off of their taxi squad, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. Saxton will provide the Jets with depth while Jeff Cumberland is sidelined.
- The Patriots promoted defensive tackle Khyri Thornton from the practice squad to the active roster, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. New England wanted to beef up its defensive front and they had an open spot to use.
- The Colts added running back Zurlon Tipton to the active roster, as Mike Chappell of FOX59 tweets. To make room, defensive lineman Earl Okine was waived. The move likely means that running back Tyler Varga will not be ready to go this weekend.
- The Patriots removed Ryan Groy from their injured reserve with an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/1/15
Here are the practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL for the first day of October:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Erle Ladson (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal)
- Cut: QB Matt Blanchard
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Kenny Cook (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
- Cut: WR Fred Williams
New England Patriots
- Signed: DB Brandon Dixon, OL Sean Hickey, WR Austin Hill, LB Eric Martin (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
New York Jets
- Signed: DL Deon Simon (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News)
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: CB Carrington Byndom (press release)
- Cut: QB Brad Sorensen
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Mike James (Twitter link)
- Cut: LB Orie Lemon
East Notes: Bills, Giants, Welker, Pats
The Bills were one of the league’s most active teams this past offseason, bringing in players like LeSean McCoy and Matt Cassel via trades, signing Charles Clay and Percy Harvin in free agency, and locking up Jerry Hughes to a lucrative long-term contract. Still, while the team’s new additions have played a part in Buffalo’s early-season success, it’s the players in contract years that have contributed even more significantly, writes Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News.
As Dunne outlines, linebacker Nigel Bradham is among the Bills who have performed well in the early going and will be eligible for free agency after the season. And Bradham agrees that it’s “most definitely” a motivator to be playing for a new deal.
“It can keep you focused knowing you have to continue to play well,” Bradham said. “Because you want that — especially when you’ve never had an opportunity to get it. For me, I just play. That’s what I tell myself. Just play.”
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:
- The Giants brought wide receiver Wes Welker in for a workout this week, and head coach Tom Coughlin said the veteran free agent looked healthy and “very quick.” New York hasn’t signed Welker, but Coughlin acknowledged that there’s “always a chance” if the need arises (Twitter links via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News).
- By trading from a position of strength, the Patriots were able to add another player at a position that’s generally hard to fill, says Mike Reiss of ESPN.com in his assessment of the team’s swap of TE Michael Hoomanawanui for defensive lineman Akiem Hicks. As Reiss observes, there’s no guarantee Hoomanawanui would have even earned a post on New England’s initial 53-man roster if fullback James Develin hadn’t broken his leg.
- With the Jets and Dolphins prepared to play one another for the first time this season, George Willis of the New York Post suggests that Jets head coach Todd Bowles is already making the Dolphins regret passing him over. Bowles was Miami’s interim head coach at the end of 2011, but the team opted to hire Joe Philbin in the offseason, rather than having Bowles continue on in the role.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/30/15
Here are Wednesday’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from across the NFL:
- The Patriots released linebacker Dekoda Watson, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. The veteran played primarily on special teams in the last two games.
Earlier Updates:
- It was a busy day for the Texans, who overhauled their linebacker corps in an effort to improve the club’s special teams play. According to a press release, the Texans promoted ILB Max Bullough from their own practice squad, signed ILB Brian Peters from the Vikings’ practice squad, and signed OLB Kourtnei Brown from the Bucs’ practice squad. As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets, the club placed linebackers Mike Mohamed and Carlos Thompson on injured reserve.
- The Jets have parted ways with one of their draft picks from this past May, waiving seventh-round defensive tackle Deon Simon today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Simon, 25, has yet to see any action in a regular season NFL game.
- Having cut running back Mike James earlier in the week, the Buccaneers had an open roster spot, and used that opening to promote tackle Reid Fragel from their practice squad, according to a team release. Fragel initially survived Tampa Bay’s cutdown to 53 players, but was dropped and signed to the practice squad after the Bucs claimed several players off waivers.
- The Steelers made a change to their defense today, announcing that they’ve cut defensive end Caushaud Lyons, promoting linebacker Anthony Chickillo to their active roster to replace him.