Patriots Sign Alan Branch
10:46am: The Pats formally announced the signing, Reiss tweets. To make room for Branch, rookie linebacker Deontae Skinner has been released. Skinner, a product of Mississippi State, was signed as a UDFA in May.
10:45am: Free agent defensive tackle Alan Branch is at Gillette Stadium today and finally he’s on the verge of joining the Patriots, according to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter). Branch is expected to practice with the team today and an official signing should be announced afterwards.
Branch and the Pats appeared to have struck agreement on a deal last week but the deal was put off until today. Branch should help to fill the void on the defensive line that was left by Chandler Jones‘ injury that will keep him out for an undetermined period of time.
The 29-year-old was released by the Bills after he was arrested for a DUI in August. Branch signed a three-year, $9.1MM extension ($3.1MM signing bonus) with Buffalo, only to see the deal terminated before the start of the 2014 season. Branch started 13 games for the Bills last season, and has started 47 during his career, racking up 112 tackles and eight sacks in total.
New England also acquired defensive end Akeem Ayers from the Titans last week to help fill the gap left by Jones.
Pats Acquire Jonathan Casillas From Bucs
3:59pm: The Bucs are getting a 2015 fifth-round pick in the deal in exchange for Casillas and a 2015 sixth-rounder, reports Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Meanwhile, the Pats have waived offensive lineman Chris Barker to make room on the roster for Casillas, says Field Yates of ESPN Boston (via Twitter).
3:02pm: After acquiring one linebacker (Akeem Ayers) from the Titans last week, the Patriots are finalizing a deal for another, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the Buccaneers are sending Jonathan Casillas to New England. The move is being completed in advanced of today’s 3:00pm CT trade deadline.
Casillas, 27, began his NFL career with the Saints in 2009 after going undrafted out of Wisconsin. He joined the Bucs in 2013 and has played for the team since then, starting seven of his 17 games with the club. In parts of five seasons, Casillas has accumulated 127 tackles in 55 contests, defending five passes and recovering a pair of fumbles. While he has played 109 defensive snaps so far this season, the Wisconsin product’s playing time has been on the decline since 2011.
Several Buccaneers had been cited as potential trade candidates, but according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), running back Doug Martin isn’t going anywhere, and it sounds as if Vincent Jackson will stay put as well.
AFC East Notes: Vick, Jets, Bills, Patriots
After suffering a 43-23 loss at the hands of the Bills yesterday, the Jets will make a change at quarterback, head coach Rex Ryan announced today (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Michael Vick will take over under center, while second-year signal-caller Geno Smith, who completed two of eight passes with three interceptions before being benched, will ride the pine for the forseeable future. While Ryan said this change wasn’t necessarily permanent for the remainder of the season (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News), it’s easy to see the implications of this move. Ryan needs to win games immediately to have any chance at saving his job, and while Vick, 34 and a free agent after the season, obviously isn’t the long-term solution for New York, Smith hasn’t proven that he should be the starter going forward, either. The transition from Smith to Vick will undoubtedly have implications for the 2015 offseason, as general manager John Idzik & Co. make their decisions on Ryan, Smith, and the rest of the roster. Here’s more from the AFC East.
- In addition to affirming his support for Ryan as head coach, Idzik took the blame for the Jets‘ 1-7 start during a press conference today. “Ultimately I am responsible for the performance of our team and the product that we put on the field,” Idzik told reporters, including Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today. “That lies with me. The buck stops here. My performance, to date, is unsatisfactory.”
- When asked if he would be involved in trade deadline talks, Bills coach Doug Marrone replied, “I would hope so… but I learned in this league you never know,” according to ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (on Twitter).
- There is no still official confirmation of a deal between Alan Branch and the Patriots, tweets Shalise Young of the Boston Globe. Reports of an agreement between the two sides surfaced three days ago, and though Branch has been assigned a number and a locker, New England has yet to announce the transaction.
- Though the Patriots did make a trade for ex-Titan Akeem Ayers, head coach Bill Belichick explains to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe why such midseason deals are “tricky.”
- James Walker of ESPN.com examines whether the Dolphins should buy, sell, or stand pat as tomorrow’s trade deadline approaches.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
King On Lynch, Fairley, Martin, Pats
Let’s check out some of the highlights from Peter King’s weekly MMQB column..
- King agrees with ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and feels that this is the end for Marshawn Lynch in Seattle. However, he doesn’t see him getting moved by Tuesday’s deadline unless the Seahawks are blown away by an offer. Even a team desperate for a running back isn’t going to give the Seahawks anything like the third-round pick that they would need to start considering a deal, King opines. Lynch is set to earn $6.5MM in 2015 but Seattle might cut him loose instead.
- The Lions initially believed that defensive tackle Nick Fairley hadn’t suffered a season-ending knee injury in London on Sunday, but King is now hearing that the injury is bad. Fairley’s MRI results should be in later today.
- King notes that on NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast, Mike Florio noted that the Patriots could be in the market for Buccaneers running back Doug Martin. Martin is in the midst of a down year and injured his ankle yesterday.
- John Brown was the Cardinals‘ hero on Sunday and that may have surprised some, but not Cardinals GM Steve Keim. When Keim traded the No. 20 pick in the draft to New Orleans for the Nos. 27 and 91, he was hoping and praying Brown would fall to him at No. 91. Brown, who doesn’t have a big program pedigree, was available, and it would appear that the Cards made one heck of a selection.
Patriots Notes: Belichick, Revis, Browner
The latest out of New England..
- Patriots coach Bill Belichick doesn’t see a ripe trade market out there on the eve of the deadline, tweets Shalise Manza Young of The Boston Globe. Because of injuries around the league, he says, there are fewer guys to trade for, and teams are more reluctant to let their healthy guys go. It’s a typically guarded Belichick response, but on the surface, he doesn’t sound enthused about the idea of making a deal. There was speculation that the Pats could go for a receiver but after their drumming of the Bears on Sunday, they might be happy to stick with what they have.
- The Patriots coach went on to say “I wouldn’t say there’s a real heavy back and forth” between teams around the NFL regarding trades, tweets Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald.
- The Patriots’ pass defense used to be among the worst in the NFL, but those days are gone thanks to the additions of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, writes Ben Volin of The Boston Globe. Currently, New England is No. 2 in the NFL at 210.9 yards per game and stands as the only team in the league that hasn’t given up a pass of 40 yards of more this season. More on the Pats..
AFC East Notes: Jets, Ryan, Brady, Pats
Tonight’s look at the AFC East..
- Rex Ryan‘s job may be on the line, but Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson doesn’t blame him or anyone else on the staff for their poor performance, writes Newsday’s Kimberley A. Martin. “When your coaches are putting together the game plan and you don’t go out there and execute . . . that’s a problem. I put this on us. We lost this game. That was terrible. That wasn’t Jets football. And it [stinks],” Wilkerson said.
- Ryan will probably get fired by the Jets, but Idzik should follow him out the door, writes Gary Myers of the New York Daily News.
- With Tom Brady clicking, the Patriots should stand pat at the deadline, writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com. There has been talk of the Pats going after Bucs receiver Vincent Jackson and while they could use a deep threat, today’s blowout of the Bears shows that they don’t need to make any addition. Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Brandon LaFell gave the Pats plenty of offensive firepower, leading New England to a 51-23 win.
AFC East Notes: Jackson, Chandler Jones, Jets
The Patriots are rumored to be on the lookout for help at running back and wide receiver in advance of Tuesday’s trade deadline, and Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald believes such an addition would be ideal. Although the team recently acquired Akeem Ayers via trade, Guregian says “Band-Aids” like Ayers and Isaac Sopoaga, who came to New England at the 2013 trade deadline, are not enough to make the Patriots realistic contenders for the AFC Crown.
Instead, she believes the team needs to make a deal similar to the one it swung for Aqib Talib back in 2012. Guregian mentions a series of pipe dreams, like the Texans‘ Andre Johnson and the Redskins‘ Pierre Garcon, but while she does not mention Vincent Jackson, it appears as if he could be a realistic option. Jackson would give Tom Brady a dynamic target whose size and physicality complements the speed and shiftiness of Julian Edelman, and, as James Walker of ESPN.com tweets, his presence would give New England a real chance of upsetting the Broncos if the two teams should meet again in the playoffs.
Now for some more notes from the AFC East:
- CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reports that Patriots defensive lineman Chandler Jones will not need surgery on his injured hip. He will be out, however, for at least four weeks, though he does hope to be ready for the stretch run.
- Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News opines that the Jets are better off tanking in 2014 to assure themselves of the chance to draft a true difference maker in 2015.
- Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes that the Dolphins have a deep roster without glaring weaknesses–unlike their division rivals–and rather than make a big addition, Miami simply needs more consistency to make a legitimate run at the AFC East.
More Trade Rumors: Bucs, Eagles, Pats
Let’s take a look at a couple more trade-related items to add to this morning’s rumors:
- In addition to fielding calls for star wideout Vincent Jackson, the Buccaneers may also be willing to deal Doug Martin, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (citing ESPN’s Adam Schefter). Florio adds that Tampa Bay could see Martin as expendable given that rookie Charles Sims is close to a return from his ankle injury.
- Florio writes in a separate piece that the Eagles are looking for safety help, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the Buccaneers Dashon Goldson and the Titans‘ Michael Griffin could be had at the right price.
- In yet another article, Florio writes that the Patriots are shopping for a running back. Might Tampa Bay’s Martin be a fit?
Trade Buzz: V-Jax, Rams, Vikings
There seems to be more buzz surrounding this year’s NFL trade deadline than in years past, and Michael Fensom of the National Desk points out that Week 8 will be the final “audition” for those players who have generated the most interest, including the Buccaneers‘ Vincent Jackson and the Bengals‘ Jermaine Gresham. Fensom also observes that, since January 2012, the teams that have made the most trades are also among the most successful clubs on the field.
Of course, as CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes, the odds that a major trade comes to fruition are pretty slim, especially since so few teams are clearly out of the hunt at this point in the season. That does not mean, however, that it is not worth your while to take a look at some of the latest trade buzz. The trade deadline is Tuesday, October 28:
- NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the Eagles, Patriots, and Seahawks are among the teams calling about Jackson. He adds (via Twitter) that the Chiefs are also involved. He points out, however, that the Buccaneers are looking for real value in any trade involving Jackson, and Rapoport defines “real value” as a second-round pick (Twitter link).
- Rapoport tweets that another player that could be on the move is Rams DT Kendall Langford, who has generated some interest. La Canfora believes that St. Louis may have also fielded some calls on RB Zac Stacy.
- La Canfora writes that the Raiders are willing to deal Matt Schaub, but there is unsurprisingly not much of a market for him.
- La Canfora adds that players who had previously been discussed as trade possibilities, like the Eagles‘ Brandon Graham, have since been taken off the table.
- Fensom reasons that, given the Seahawks‘ reported interest in tight ends, Seattle is a potential landing spot for Gresham.
- Our Zach Links recently wrote that Titans WR Nate Washington has been made available via trade, but Fensom writes that other Tennessee players like Wesley Woodyard and Michael Griffin are also rumored to be available.
- There is also speculation that the Vikings are looking to sell, and Fensom lists Adrian Peterson, Chad Greenway, and Greg Jennings as potential trade chips.
AFC East Notes: Jets, Harvin, Jones, Pats
New acquisition Percy Harvin should make an immediate impact for the Jets, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The Jets probably won’t overload the 26-year-old playmaker in his first game, but he should have a ripple effect on the rest of the offense. In Mehta’s mind, Harvin is the Jets’ only pass-catching option that puts a scare into opposing defenses. Here’s more out of the AFC East…
- The Jets made waves with their acquisition of Percy Harvin this year, but they could have had him in the 2009 draft, as Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News writes. After selecting Mark Sanchez, the Jets thought about trading for another first-round choice to get Harvin, who ultimately went to the Vikings at No. 22. “No,” Ryan replied when asked if he wonders whether he and then-GM Mike Tannenbaum could’ve pulled it off. “Why spend that kind of time? You should be looking at what you have right now. (There will be) time to reflect maybe 20 years from now or something.”
- Bad news for Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones. The team is fearing that in a worst-case scenario, his hip injury could keep him out of the lineup for the rest of the regular season, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. The best case for the Pats is that he’ll be out six weeks from the point on injury, which would allow him to return for Week 13 against the Packers. The Pats traded for Titans’ defensive lineman Akeem Ayers in the wake of Jones’ injury.
- When the Patriots signed Brandon Browner in the offseason, many believed that he was brought aboard to stifle bigger receivers at the line and make the matchups easier for Darrelle Revis. As the Patriots look ahead to a matchup against Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey, Browner doesn’t neccessarily agree with that idea, writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com. “I wouldn’t say anything like that. I’m here because they wanted me here,” Browner said. “It’s a good matchup for me this week, me and [Revis].”