East Notes: Carr, Brady, Blount, Jets
Brandon Carr will miss time after breaking a bone in his right hand during practice, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. The highly paid Cowboys cornerback will have surgery Monday in Dallas.
Although Jason Garrett didn’t want to speculate on a timetable, Moore doesn’t anticipate the ailment will keep him out out of Week 1.
“We don’t think it’s serious. It’s a similar injury to what DeMarco Murray had last year when he played in the game, four or five days later,” Garrett told media from Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, Calif.
Murray did not miss any games when he broke his hand last December, though the Cowboys were gunning for an NFC East title as the running back aimed toward a rushing crown. So Carr’s recovery probably won’t be as expedited.
Here are some more notes from the Eastern divisions.
- LeGarrette Blount sustained an MCL sprain and will undergo surgery, according to Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe. Since Blount’s regular season doesn’t start until Week 2 due to a suspension, the Patriots‘ top rusher is expected to be ready for his mid-September debut.
- With the Patriots juggling their starting backfield frequently, Blount’s injury does open up time for its younger, slimmer ball-carriers. The returning starter still has the leg up in the competition, but after failing a conditioning test due to showing up for camp out of shape and now suffering an injury, Blount could be challenged for the spot, Ben Volin of the Globe writes. The player Blount replaced last year due to an alarm clock-related absence, Jonas Gray, could push Blount while he’s out, per Volin. James White remains the favorite to take on the Shane Vereen passing-down role, but free agent acquisition Travaris Cadet has outshined each of the backs in camp, Volin writes.
- Volin also notes that Article 46, the now-controversial inclusion that continued to grant the commissioner disciplinary powers, now on full display in Deflategate, will replace player safety as the primary debate point in the next CBA negotiations in 2021.
- With Antonio Allen now jettisoned after his Achilles’ tendon injury, the Jets are going to give cornerback Darrin Walls some work at safety, reports Dom Cosentino of NJ.com. Supplanted at corner by Gang Green’s splurge at the position this offseason, Walls join Jaiquawn Jarrett and Rontez Miles as back-line backups to gain some reps in case of another blow to the Jets’ secondary.
Latest On Deflategate
The NFL relying on suspending Tom Brady for “conduct detrimental to the integrity of” the game is a slippery slope, writes Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio in analyzing both the league’s and NFLPA’s briefs issued Friday night (Twitter link).
While the NFL is aiming toward using this broad language to illustrate why Brady deserved the four-game suspension, the NFLPA can argue Brady’s punishment should reside in the realm of an equipment violation rather than a performance-enhancing drug-level ban. The 2011 CBA that grants Roger Goodell suspension leeway, however, the two sides negotiated points into the agreement that pertain to detrimental conduct.
Florio points to the fine schedule, which contains amounts for which players can be fined for certain offenses, such as taunting or various excessive roughness. The PFT writer compares this case to a player caught using stickum, which would bring a fine of less than $10,000, as opposed to the immense charges that have been levied here.
Here are some other observations from the latest Deflategate salvos.
- The NFL will point to legal precedents where judges didn’t overrule the decisions of arbitrators, writes Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). Citing those cases, the NFL’s argument could supersede Goodell’s potentially questionable tactics when upholding the 16th-year Patriots quarterback’s suspension.
- Whether or not Ted Wells needed to be viewed as an independent investigator poses another gray area, writes Michael McCann of SI.com. The NFL now argues Wells’ affiliation is immaterial, but McCann points out judge Richard M. Berman could look at previous statements praising the investigator’s impartiality in being assigned this case. Those optics wouldn’t look good for the league.
- In addressing the case Friday night in Canton, Ohio, Goodell pointed to the CBA in defending his decision. “Listen, he’s a great player and he’s a great young man. We issued the decision just last week. We’re in the midst of litigation to … ensure that that’s enforced the way we ruled on that, after a long process that is established in our collective bargaining agreement. That’s something we’ll play through,” the commissioner said via Ron Borges of Talk of Fame Sports. Inductee Ron Wolf also praised Goodell for his judgment, replaying “Way to go on that Brady thing,” which induced uproarious Goodell laughter. The former Packers executive clarified that he while it came out as a joke, he meant to merely congratulate the league boss on finally coming to a decision.
Extra Points: Mexico, Milliner, Walker, Nicks
As the NFL continues to expand its presence in London, the next step in forwarding the game internationally could be Mexico City. There has been a suggestion that the NFL will play five games there, starting in 2017, writes Conor Orr of NFL.com.
This has not been made official by the NFL as of yet, and spokesman Michael Signora had this to say in response to that report:
“We are pleased with the growth in fan demand and the increased partner support we have enjoyed in recent years. With this in mind, we are actively assessing the opportunity to play games in Mexico. We have visited several stadiums in recent months, and are analyzing what needs to be done to bring games to Mexico. It is premature to comment specifically as to when this will happen, let alone how many, if any, games might be played.”
Here are a few more notes from around the NFL this Friday:
- The NFL has reversed a long-standing policy that regulated practice squad contracts by prohibiting teams from negotiating non-salary items into those deals, reports Diana Marie Russini of ESPN (via Twitter). Organizations will now be allowed to offer signing bonuses, roster bonuses, and guaranteed money to practice squad players (via Twitter). Russini expects this to cause teams to aggressively pursue other franchises’ top practice squad players (via Twitter).
- With Dee Milliner‘s recent injury, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reminds fans that the Jets received a number of trade inquiries on the former first round pick. He adds that at least one team was still interested as recently as this week, before the injury (via Twitter).
- The Patriots have opened up talks with defensive tackle Casey Walker about a possible return to the team, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter).
- Former Super Bowl hero Hakeem Nicks is fighting for his NFL career after signing a one-year deal with the Titans, writes Teresa Walker of the Associated Press. The chance to start across from Kendall Wright is an open competition, and Nicks will have to prove himself against former-Falcon Harry Douglas, rookie second-round pick Dorial Green-Beckham, and Justin Hunter.
More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/7/15
We rounded up several minor transactions from around the league earlier today, but teams have been busy since then, so we’ve got many more moves to recap. Here’s the latest:
- The Cowboys have signed offensive tackle Cody Clay after a workout, reports Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter). The team waive/injured linebacker Will Smith, who was unavailable due to a groin injury.
- Isaiah Pead and the Rams have agreed a new deal for the final year of his contract on July 30th, reports Howard Balzer of FoxSportsMidwest.com (via Twitter). His base salary was reduced from $940,650 to $585,000 for 2015 (via Twitter).
- Veteran tight end Alex Smith – not to be confused with the quarterback of the same name – has signed with the Saints, who waived rookie tight end Jack Tabb with an injury designation, tweets Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
- The Steelers have placed defensive end Clifton Geathers on their injured reserve list, signing free agent defensive tackle Joe Okafor to take his place, the team announced today (via Twitter). As a veteran player, Geathers didn’t have to pass through waivers before landing on IR.
- In addition to confirming the previously-reported signing of running back Michael Ford, the Falcons also made a few more moves. As Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter), the club signed tight end D.J. Tialavea, waived wide receiver Freddie Martino, and waived/injured tight Beau Gardner, who injured his knee.
- Safety Robert Smith, waived yesterday by the Colts, has been claimed by the Seahawks, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). Seattle cut safety Ty Zimmerman to clear room on the roster.
- The Titans have made a change at the fullback position, signing Zach Boren and waiving undrafted rookie Connor Neighbors with an injury designation, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online (Twitter link).
- The Giants have signed rookie safety Justin Halley, waiving receiver Chris Harper with an injured designation to create an opening on the roster, per Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
- The Patriots have reached an injury settlement with defensive lineman Vince Taylor, removing him from their injured reserve list, tweets Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe.
AFC Notes: Foster, Brady, Colts, Nicks
As we inch close to the start of the NFL’s preseason schedule, let’s round up a few of the latest updates from around the AFC….
- Texans running back Arian Foster underwent successful surgery on his groin this morning in Philadelphia, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that there’s some hope Foster’s recovery period will be less than three months. The star running back still appears to be a strong candidate for the club’s IR-DTR slot to open the regular season.
- The settlement conference between the NFL and NFLPA is scheduled to take place at 11:00am eastern time next Wednesday, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and commissioner Roger Goodell will both attend the meeting in Judge Richard M. Berman’s courtroom.
- The Colts snagged cornerback Tevin Mitchel off waivers from Washington this week, despite the fact that he’s expected to miss the season with a shoulder injury, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. As Holder explains, the Colts were targeting Mitchel in the draft this year before Washington grabbed him in the sixth round, and the club now has the opportunity to stash him on its IR for the season.
- Teresa M. Walker of The Associated Press examines Hakeem Nicks‘ efforts to earn a roster spot in Tennessee after signing a one-year deal with the Titans this offseason.
More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/16
We rounded up some of the minor signings and moves in the NFL earlier today. Below, we’ll round up the very latest..
- The Bills are signing former Eastern Michigan running back Bronson Hill, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Hill should provide Buffalo with more depth as they get set to install a run-heavy offense. To make room, the Bills cut defensive end Erik Williams, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Colts were awarded cornerback Tevin Mitchel off waivers from Washington and waived safety Robert Smith to make room for him, Wilson tweets.
- The Steelers waived-injured Rob Blanchflower and claimed tight end Ray Hamilton off waivers from the Cowboys, Wilson tweets.
- The Patriots announced today that they have signed offensive lineman Mark Asper and tight end Mason Brodine. To make room, offensive lineman Harland Gunn has been let go. Asper, 29, originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick by the Bills in 2012.
- The Cardinals waived/injured guard John Fullington (knee) and released tight end Ted Bolser, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets.
- The 49ers have waived/injured offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk, Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group tweets.
- The Saints waived defensive end Glenn Foster with a failed physical designation, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets. To fill his spot, New Orleans inked undrafted rookie cornerback Travis Manning.
AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Mathis, Jets
Since Evan Mathis was released by the Eagles, there have been conflicting reports on the Dolphins‘ level of interest, with some stories painting them as Mathis’ most likely suitor, while others suggest their interest has been overstated.
According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Miami’s interest in Mathis is almost entirely dependent on his price. The Dolphins would be willing to do a deal similar to what they’ve done in the past with veteran offensive linemen, paying an annual salary of $2-3MM, with no guarantees beyond the first year. However, Mathis is seeking a salary close to the $5.5MM figure he would have made in Philadelphia.
For now, Mathis is content to wait, knowing that if a team has a starting guard suffer a serious injury, or if a team’s starting guards significantly underperform in the preseason, he may come closer to get the sort of money he’s seeking.
Let’s check in on a couple more AFC East teams….
- Having read Tom Brady‘s appeal hearing transcript, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that Ted Wells was an “independent” DeflateGate investigator in name only. Florio points to specific excerpts from the transcript that suggest NFL general counsel Jeff Pash had some input on Wells’ report.
- Following his recent arrest, Sheldon Richardson, who is already set to serve a four-game suspension to open the season, may face additional discipline from the NFL. In fact, Jets head coach Todd Bowles sounded today like he’s resigned to the fact that Richardson will be suspended further, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Richardson’s uncertain future in New York won’t lead to a “massive about-face” in the Jets‘ stance with Muhammad Wilkerson, sources tell Albert Breer of NFL.com. The team plans to stick to its guns in regard to Wilkerson’s contract negotiations.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/15
Here are Thursday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Broncos have re-signed nose tackle Sione Fua for another stint in Denver, per Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The former third-round pick, who played for Cleveland last season, last spent time with the Broncos in 2013. Denver waived punter Karl Schmitz in a corresponding move. The Broncos have also reached an injury settlement with rookie offensive tackle Connor Rains, removing him from their IR, tweets Mike Klis of 9News.
- The Buccaneers have signed former Arena League quarterback Sammuel Lamur, the team announced today in a press release. Lamur, the brother of Bengals linebacker Emmanuel Lamur, will be moved to linebacker in Bucs camp.
- The Titans have made a change in their secondary, signing safety Josh Aubrey and waiving safety Cody Prewitt with an injured designation, per a team release.
- The Cowboys swapped one tight end for another this week, signing Brandon Barden and cutting Ray Hamilton, tweets Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. As Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post tweets, the club also moved linebacker Justin Anderson and offensive lineman Reshod Fortenberry to its injured reserve list.
- Patriots tight end A.J. Derby and Eagles outside linebacker Travis Long landed on their respective teams’ injured reserve lists after going unclaimed on waivers, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
- The Panthers have moved retired offensive tackle Jonathan Martin from the reserve/retired list to the reserve/did not report list, tweets Wilson.
East Notes: Cowboys, Brady, Giants, McDaniel
In an interview on KESN-FM 103.3, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones left the door open for signing a free agent running back. “I do think we’re a popular place for a running back right now. There’s backs out there that I think still have some gas left in their tank. If we need to go get one, then we can get one,” Jones said (transcript via The Dallas Morning News). Here’s more from the East divisions..
- After poring over the entire 457-page transcript of Tom Brady‘s appeal hearing, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports just wants to see a settlement take place. One could poke holes in the argument of either side, but none of which could be big enough to blow the whole case wide open. The NFL won’t allow Brady to avoid a suspension and the Patriots quarterback won’t admit guilt, but they can still meet in the middle for a reduced suspension.
- Newly-acquired wide receiver James Jones signed with the Giants for the veteran minimum, according to a person with knowledge of the contract who spoke with Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger. Jones had 73 catches for 666 yards and six touchdowns last season with the Raiders in 2014.
- There hasn’t been much talk about the Cowboys making a play for Tony McDaniel, but the team could take a hard look at him because he played in a defense that is similar to Dallas’, Rainer Sabin of The Dallas Morning News writes. McDaniel was released by the Seahawks earlier this week due to financial constraints.
AFC Notes: Brady, Patriots, Hunter, Texans
Earlier today, a mammoth 457-page transcript of Tom Brady‘s testimony was released. As Jimmy Golen of The Associated Press writes, the Patriots quarterback denied under oath to Roger Goodell that he tampered with footballs before the AFC title game. Meanwhile, investigator Ted Wells apparently never warned the Brady he would be punished if he didn’t turn over his cellphone. Brady denied discussing air level with the ballboys or even thinking about how inflated the footballs were when he selected them. He also said he’s never asked anyone from the Patriots to tamper with footballs. While we wait to see how that all shakes out, here’s more out of the AFC..
- The transcript also contains confirmation that the Ravens tipped off the Colts on the Patriots‘ alleged doctoring of footballs, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets.
- The NFLPA filed its counterclaim and amended answer in federal court in Manhattan today, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. As a part of the counterclaim, the union brought forth the Brady appeal transcript, which led it it becoming public.
- Titans receiver Justin Hunter is facing a felonious assault charge following a bar fight last month, but his attorney is confident that the case will “end will” for Hunter, as John Glennon of The Tennessean writes. “I can tell you I’m confident that Justin didn’t do what he’s been charged with and that I have significant concerns about the credibility of the accuser,” attorney Toby Vick said. The NFL is also looking into the incident, and will likely wait for resolution in court before deciding on possible discipline for the wideout.
- Former University of Texas wide receiver Mike Davis recently worked out for the Chiefs and has also worked out for the Panthers, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link).
- Arian Foster‘s groin issue isn’t the only bad injury news the Texans received today. According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter), sixth-round rookie OLB Reshard Cliett went down with a knee injury in the club’s first practice, and is expected to be sidelined for the year.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.