AFC East Notes: Jets, Patriots, Bills
Happy Thanksgiving to our American readers! While today’s slate of NFL action doesn’t include any AFC teams, there’s still some news coming out of the conference, so let’s check in on the AFC East to start the day….
- It came as a bit of a surprise that Geno Smith was named the Jets‘ starting quarterback this week over Michael Vick, since the team’s coaching staff was believed to prefer the veteran. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News confirms that offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg was among several people in the organization, including many players, who wanted to continue playing Vick.
- Head coach Rex Ryan also would have preferred to stick with Vick, but acquiesced with Jets management to avoid rocking the boat during what will likely be his last few weeks with the organization, according to Mehta. Sources tell the Daily News scribe that Ryan “wants to take the high road” before looking for his next job.
- Kevin Kernan of the New York Post outlines why, in his view, the Jets had to give Smith a second chance to run the offense.
- Sunday afternoon’s Packers/Patriots showdown looks like the best game of Week 13 and a potential Super Bowl preview. As Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald writes, the Pats are built for such a matchup with the pass-happy Packers after adding cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner in the offseason.
- A healthy inactive on Monday against the Jets, Bills wideout Marquise Goodwin now faces more competition from recent waiver pickup Marcus Thigpen, but tells Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News that he’s “just going to prepare and work hard and that’s it.” A third-round pick in 2013, Goodwin’s days in Buffalo may be numbered.
Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday
As usual, we expect plenty of Wednesday practice squad moves, as teams around the NFL add and subtract from their respective units in preparation for Week 13 action. Here are the latest practice squad signings and cuts:
- The Ravens signed tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi to the practice squad while placing Konrad Reuland on practice squad-injured list, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- The Seahawks re-signed defensive tackle Jimmy Staten to their practice squad today, cutting offensive lineman Andrew McDonald to make room, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. It’s a reversal of the move the team made over the weekend.
- The Cardinals filled the two openings on their practice squad today, signing linebacker Kion Wilson and re-adding running back Kerwynn Williams, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link).
- Former Georgia defensive tackle Garrison Smith, who spent time in the summer with the Dolphins, has signed to the Saints‘ practice squad, per his agent David Canter (Twitter link). New Orleans had a full unit, so a corresponding move should be announced shortly.
Earlier updates:
- Washington has added two defensive backs to its practice squad, announcing today that Trey Wolfe and Kenny Okoro have been added to the 10-man unit (Twitter link).
- After promoting defensive tackle Ricky Lumpkin from their practice squad to the 53-man roster, the Raiders signed cornerback Jansen Watson to fill the newly-opened spot, according to a team release. Watson signed with Oakland as an undrafted free agent this spring and was cut during the preseason.
- The Chargers have filled out their practice squad by adding center Jeff Baca, a 2013 sixth-rounder, the team announced today in a press release.
- Former Florida State safety Terrance Parks has signed with the Texans‘ practice squad, according to the team.
- The Dolphins have released defensive end Emmanuel Dieke from their practice squad, signing safety Ahmad Dixon to fill his spot, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Dixon, a seventh-round pick by the Cowboys in May, had spent most of the season with the Bears before being cut last week.
- The Titans have agreed to terms with outside linebacker Chaz Sutton, adding him to their taxi squad, the team announced today (Twitter link). Sutton fills the lone opening on Tennessee’s unit.
- Having already made one change to their practice squad (noted below), the Patriots announced several more, via a press release. Linebacker Deontae Skinner and defensive back Daxton Swanson have been cut, while tight end Xavier Grimble has joined the squad.
- After bringing him in for an audition, the Giants have signed offensive lineman Michael Bamiro to their practice squad, a source tells Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. New York had an opening on its unit, so no players need to be cut to accommodate the addition.
- Danny Aiken may have a little competition in New England, as the Patriots have brought back another long snapper, Charley Hughlett, re-adding him to their taxi squad, according to agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). The team will have to announce a corresponding move to make the signing official.
- Linebacker L.J. Fort has signed with the Bengals‘ practice squad, tweets Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Fort, who spent time with the Seahawks earlier this season, worked out for the Bengals and the Saints last week.
Patriots Extend Matt Slater Through 2016
9:39am: Slater’s new deal features $1MM base salaries in 2015 and 2016, along with $100K in incentives in each season, and a $2MM signing bonus, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
8:36am: Slater receives $3MM in guaranteed money as part of his new deal, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
8:13am: The Patriots and special teams ace Matt Slater have reached an agreement on a contract extension that will keep Slater under contract through the 2016 season, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Yates, the two-year extension is worth $4MM.
Slater, 29, has been with the Pats since being selected in the fifth round of the 2008 draft. Although he occasionally contributed in the return game and on offense in the past, he has played almost exclusively in kick and punt coverage in recent years, earning Pro Bowl nods in each of the last three seasons. According to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required), Slater has logged at least 13 special teams tackles in every full season since 2010 — so far this year, he has 11.
Slater is earning a base salary of $1.2MM in 2014, though his cap number is about $1MM higher than that figure due to bonuses and incentives. It’s not clear how the new deal breaks down, but an annual average value of $2MM seems about in line with the special teams captain’s previous deal.
AFC Notes: Broncos, Patriots, Mallett
As the Bills finish up their rout of the Jets in an impromptu Monday Night Football contest, let’s take a look at some assorted notes from the AFC…
- The Broncos scoring 39 points on Sunday without the services of Julius Thomas doesn’t help the tight end’s contract leverage, opines Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Without Orange Julius, Manning looked to Demaryius Thomas – also a pending free agent – in the red zone.
- Following the news that the Broncos auditioned a pair of kickers, John Fox clarified that it was business as usual (via ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold). “…We have tryouts every week, at a lot of different positions,” said Fox. “As far as my satisfaction with Brandon McManus, is kind of like our record, we’re 8-3, wish we were 11-0. But we are kind of where we are and we’re always looking to improve our team if we feel need be.” If the team ultimately decides to add a kicker, Legwold believe it would be wise for the Broncos to keep McManus as a kickoff specialist.
- Ryan Mallett‘s season-ending injury means that he won’t hit the playing time triggers that would have increased the Patriots‘ draft pick compensation for him, tweets Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. New England will now receive Houston’s seventh-round choice for the quarterback.
- Mallett’s season may be over, but that doesn’t mean his tenure with the Texans is finished. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the team wants the young quarterback to return next season, adding that the Texans will likely add a young player for competition.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
AFC East Notes: Jets, Ryan, Wright
The Dolphins brought it on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough to stop Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Ryan Tannehill threw for three scores in the first half and the offense was crisp on the whole, but the defense couldn’t contain Denver as C.J. Anderson ran for 191 yards on 31 carries. More from the AFC East as the 6-5 Dolphins try to hang on to their playoff chances..
- The Jets‘ respected veterans want coach Rex Ryan to return, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “My gut feeling? Yeah,” defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson said when he was asked if Ryan will be back in 2015. “Even though it’s dark and gloomy, I strongly do feel like that. We’ll see, though.” Counting this season, it’ll be four straight seasons without a playoff berth for the Jets under Ryan.
- Aside from Sheldon Richardson, the Jets aren’t seeing a whole lot of production out of their recent first round choices, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. Dee Milliner is out with a season-ending injury, Quinton Coples has regressed in his third year, and rookie safety Calvin Pryor has been a non-factor.
- The Logan Mankins trade is working out just fine for the Patriots and tight end Tim Wright, writes Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. Wright, a Rutgers product, hauled in two touchdown catches yesterday. The Pats have praised their No. 2 tight end for his hard work this season and he took advantage of the extra attention that was placed on Rob Gronkowski on Sunday.
Extra Points: Griffin, Glennon, DEA
Robert Griffin III has struggled since returning from injury this season, and Washington’s head coach Jay Gruden has the power to bench the former first-round pick, writes Conor Orr of NFL.com. In the past, Griffin had been protected by ownership, but patience could be running thin within the organization.
Here are some other notes from around the NFL:
- Speaking of quarterbacks getting benched, Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times argues that the Buccaneers need to return Josh McCown to the sidelines. McCown is not playing well, and although Mike Glennon has failed to perform well either, the young quarterback at least deserves a chance to prove himself as the team’s starter.
- The DEA has continued its investigation of NFL medical staffs this week, focusing on the alleged mishandling of prescription drugs, writes Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Although the investigation is ongoing, there will likely not be any more post-game searches.
- San Antonio is a long shot to obtain the Raiders from Oakland, but they will still attempt to lure an NFL franchise to their city, writes Tom Orsborn of ExpressNews.com.“I’ve seen stranger things happen when parties stay in the game. If staying in the game is a low-cost option, I wouldn’t walk away if I were San Antonio,” said Marc Ganis, a league consultant and president of SportsCorp. “Now, that doesn’t mean I’d pour lots of resources into it, or raise people’s hopes dramatically. But I certainly wouldn’t walk away, because you never know what happens in these things. These things can turn in odd ways.”
- We have looked at top head coaching candidates a number of times so far this season, and will do so again as Adam Caplan of ESPN compiles a comprehensive list of assistant coaches who will be sought after for interviews this offseason (subscription required). At the top of his list are Patriots‘ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Seahawks‘ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, and Cardinals‘ defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Caplan also highlights Baylor’s Art Briles, Stanford’s David Shaw, and Auburn’s Gus Malzahn as college coaches who could make the jump to the NFL.
East Notes: Manning, Shurmur, Ryan
Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post takes an in-depth look into how the Giants can be contenders again in 2015 as they play out the string in 2014. The good news, Hubbuch writes, is that New York will be in great shape vis-a-vis the salary cap after being in “cap jail” not too long ago. The Giants figure to have just over $118MM in cap commitments next season, and thanks to highly-lucrative television deals, the salary cap could reach over $140MM for 2015. That leaves New York plenty of room to quickly fortify their roster, especially considering next year’s free agent class looks to be especially deep.
There is, of course, one caveat to all of this: Eli Manning. Hubbuch quotes former NFL agent and current salary cap guru Joel Corry, who noted that “I would think the next six games will decide where the Giants go with Eli. It’s probably going to be a big stretch for him. I know the Giants pride themselves on loyalty, but you can’t have your quarterback out there throwing five interceptions.” However, as Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com tweets, the Giants do not really have a choice when it comes to their 34-year-0ld signal caller next season; his contract makes him virtually untouchable at this point.
So it appears as though New York will have to rebuild around Manning and hope that their vast amount of salary cap room, which could continue to grow if the team decides to part ways with players like Mathias Kiwanuka and Jon Beason, will allow them to acquire the talent to return to relevancy in the NFC East.
Now for several more items from the league’s east divisions:
- In the same piece, Hubbuch suggests five specific moves that would help turn the Giants around, which include hanging onto Manning for one more season while turning 2015 into a contract year by not extending his current deal and drafting his potential replacement in May.
- Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) released a list of top head coaching candidates for 2015, a list that includes former head coaches in the Patriots‘ Josh McDaniels and the Eagles‘ Pat Shurmur.
- Mike Pouncey, although he has agreed to play guard for the Dolphins this season, wants to return to his natural center position after the 2014 season and Miami is aware of that desire, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com believes a Jets loss to a “displaced and distracted” Bills squad this week would be “the final nail in [Rex Ryan‘s] coaching coffin.”
- We looked at Robert Griffin III‘s uncertain future in Washington earlier today.
North Notes: Blount, Gordon, Cobb
Although he acknowledges that there is no evidence to suggest that LeGarrette Blount wanted to get himself released from the Steelers when he left the field prior to Pittsburgh’s Monday night win over the Titans, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wonders if Blount “walk[ed] out on the Steelers so he could walk right back to the New England Patriots.” Bouchette notes that, with no ramifications whatsoever–although the Steelers certainly could have penalized him instead of essentially rewarding him for his behavior–Blount “went from a team fighting to make the playoffs to one among the favorites to win it all, one where he had success last season and was used more often than he was with the Steelers.” Even if it sounds a bit like a conspiracy theory, Bouchette believes it is fair to think that Blount knew exactly what he was doing and that everything played out according to plan for him and for New England.
Now for some more notes from the league’s north divisions:
- The Browns expect star receiver Josh Gordon to be on the field for 20-30 snaps in his first game of the 2014 season this afternoon, according to ESPN.com staff.
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that a ruling on Ray Rice‘s appeal hearing is expected by tomorrow. Even if the former Ravens running back is reinstated, of course, it will be difficult for him to find a job in the league this season.
- Even though they have been publicly silent on the issue, ESPN’s Ed Werder tweets that Vikings ownership and management were pushing throughout the season to get Adrian Peterson back on the field. Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that Minnesota’s coaching staff would love to have Peterson back, and Werder adds in a full-length piece that head coach Mike Zimmer believes Peterson has not played his last game in a Vikings uniform.
- Although he believes the Packers will work out an extension with Randall Cobb, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes that Cobb’s excellent 2014 season is driving up his price, possibly out of Green Bay’s budget. On the other hand, even though the Packers have a number of young wideouts on the roster, Demovsky notes that none of those players have proven they are capable of filling Cobb’s shoes.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe describes how Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh has finally paired excellent play with clean play in his free agent season.
Minor Moves: Saturday
Here are today’s minor transactions. We’ll update the list throughout the day, with the most recent moves added to the top…
- The Seahawks have added offensive lineman Andrew McDonald to their practice squad, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). The team released defensive lineman Jimmy Staten to make room.
- The Chiefs have placed receiver A.J. Jenkins on the injured reserve, reports Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The team signed former Panther and Eagle Jason Avant to replace Jenkins, who has had nine catches this season.
Earlier Updates
- The Chargers have signed offensive lineman Ryan Miller to their active roster from the practice squad, reports Michael Gehlken of the U-T San Diego (via Twitter). Chargers’ center Rich Ohrnberger is injured and might not play on Sunday. The team has waived cornerback Richard Crawford in order to make room for Miller (via Twitter).
- With Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman out this week, the Broncos have promoted running back Jeremy Stewart from the practice squad, reports Mike Klis of the Denver Post. The team waived running back Kapri Bibbs to make room for Stewart.
- The Patriots have signed Casey Walker to their practice squad, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter). The team waived the defensive tackle to make room for LeGarrette Blount, but were able to bring him back after Walker cleared waivers.
- With only two runnings back on the roster, the Colts have promoted Zurlon Tipton from their practice squad, reports Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). To make room on the roster, the team waived receiver/returner Griff Whalen.
- The Cowboys have promoted cornerback Micah Pellerin and released defensive tackle Davon Coleman, reports ESPN.com’s Todd Archer (via Twitter). Coleman has compiled three tackles this season after joining Dallas as an undrafted free agent.
Minor Moves: Friday
Here are Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, as teams ready their 53-man rosters and practice squads for Week 12:
- The Seahawks cut offensive tackle Andrew McDonald on Tuesday, but he’s cleared waivers and been added to Seattle’s practice squad, tweets McDonald’s agent, Brett Tessler. Per Tessler, McDonald received several offers from other interested clubs, but opted to remain in the Northwest.
Earlier updates:
- After spending the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, wide receiver Drew Davis has been activated by the Falcons, the team announced today in a press release. Atlanta waived wideout Freddie Martino to make room for Davis, who caught 12 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns last season for the Falcons. The 25-year-old had been sidelined since the summer after undergoing foot surgery, and began practicing earlier this month.
- Having passed through waivers unclaimed, defensive lineman Casey Walker, who was cut yesterday when the Patriots signed LeGarrette Blount, is set to rejoin New England’s practice squad, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Walker played 159 defensive snaps in five games for the Pats, recording 10 tackles and a sack.