AFC Notes: Browns, Ravens, Spikes
Sunday’s Week 6 slate includes several intra-conference games featuring AFC teams, but perhaps none of them will be more interesting than the Patriots visiting Buffalo to face the Bills. New England has dominated the AFC East for more than a decade, but both teams head into this weekend with 3-2 records, and the Pats have looked surprisingly shaky so far this season. While Buffalo enters the matchup as a three-point underdog, a home victory would bode well for the club’s chances of earning a playoff berth.
Here’s more from around the AFC, including a couple notes on a former Patriot who will face his old team this weekend:
- The Browns have a tough decision looming at quarterback, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Pending free agent Brian Hoyer is playing well enough to force the Browns to give him serious consideration for the starting job in 2015, which would mean keeping Johnny Manziel on the bench. If Hoyer leads the Browns to their first playoff appearance since 1999, then Florio feels it would be impossible to let him go. Yesterday, our own Luke Adams asked you to weigh in on the Browns’ QB situation. Roughly 58% of you predicted that Hoyer would be the starter in 2015.
- The Ravens had to cut Bobby Rainey a year ago due to a numbers crunch but they wish they could have retained him on the practice squad, writes Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. “We like Bobby, it was unfortunate that we lost him,” said head coach John Harbaugh. “We really wanted him to be here to be a part of what we were doing, but he was claimed and we had to make a move there. The rest is history. He’s put a bunch of yards up.”
- Former Patriots center Dan Koppen told CSNNE that he doesn’t think much of former New England linebacker Brandon Spikes as a locker room guy. “I think Brandon Spikes is a good football player,” Koppen said of Spikes, who left for the Bills in the offseason. “I think he’s a good run defender. I just don’t think he’s a good teammate.“
- Spikes, meanwhile, spoke to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald about the end of his time with the Patriots, expressing that he believes his IR placement at the end of last season was Bill Belichick‘s way of suspending him. Still, Spikes didn’t totally rule out the possibility of returning to New England at some point in his career, if the opportunity arises.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
AFC East Notes: Richardson, Browner, Ryan
Sheldon Richardson is less-than-thrilled with the way the New York media has covered the Jets, writes Newsday’s Kimberley A. Martin. “Every time I see my guy [Geno Smith] in the media, every time they talk about us in the media, it’s something negative,” Richardson said. “I know we’re 1-4, but even when we won one [against the Raiders in Week 1], it was all negative.” Here’s more out of the AFC East..
- Cornerback Brandon Browner was not activated Sunday against the Bengals because he has struggled to grasp the Patriots defensive system, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Browner opened the season with a four game suspension and many expected him to be in uniform in his first game back considering the contract he was given over the offseason. As Howe notes, the Seahawks didn’t put a lot of pre-snap responsibilities on Browner’s shoulders. Pats coach Bill Belichick, on the other hand, expects a lot out of his corners.
- Rex Ryan‘s demeanor used to be refreshing in a sport where coaches take their jobs too seriously, but it seems like a poor fit now for the Jets, writes Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post. Vaccaro points to Smith missing last week’s meeting and Michael Vick‘s admission of being ill-prepared for Sunday’s game in San Diego as examples of Ryan’s ineffectiveness.
- The Jets should be giving more carries to prized offseason acquisition Chris Johnson, opines Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Johnson is no longer the elite tailback he once was, but he can still breathe life into an offense in dire need of help, Mehta argues. CJ has only been on the field for 42% of the Jets’ snaps so far this season with Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell also getting carries.
AFC Notes: Irsay, Titans, Chiefs, Wright
The Broncos and Patriots were widely regarded before the season as the frontrunners to come out of the AFC this season, and while both teams are off to decent starts, it’s the 4-1 Chargers that currently sit atop the conference. Not only has Philip Rivers led San Diego to a league-best record, but the team’s +70 point differential is the NFL’s best by a wide margin — the Broncos and Pats have a combined +45 margin between them.
As we look forward to see if the Chargers can continue their winning ways against the 0-4 Raiders this weekend, let’s round up a few notes from around the AFC….
- Colts owner Jim Irsay will be back working – and presumably tweeting – later this week, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Irsay’s six-game suspension ends tomorrow, following the team’s appearance on Thursday Night Football.
- The Titans took a look at a handful of tight ends this week, working out Richard Gordon, Matthew Mulligan, Steve Maneri, and Jeron Mastrud, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Caplan adds that the club also auditioned quarterback Ricky Stanzi.
- The Chiefs had several players in for workouts this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), who lists the following free agents as having tried out for Kansas City: Tight ends Brandon Barden and Michael Flacco, linebackers Brandon Copeland and Carlos Fields, wideout Jamar Howard, and long snappers Jorgen Hus and Tyler Ott.
- Tight end Tim Wright, who was acquired by the Patriots via trade prior to the regular season, is starting to get comfortable within New England’s offensive system, as Howard Ulman of The Associated Press writes.
Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday
We’ll keep tabs on today’s practice squad signings and cuts right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- After the Seahawks plucked offensive lineman Patrick Lewis from their taxi squad, the Browns replaced him with fellow tackle Braxston Cave, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.
- The Bears re-signed defensive end David Bass to their practice squad, according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). Bass was dropped yesterday to make room for cornerback Al Louis-Jean‘s promotion.
- A day after cutting tight end Phillip Supernaw to claim Ryan Taylor off waivers, the Ravens have re-signed Supernaw to their practice squad, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Baltimore will have to cut a player from its squad in order to make the move official.
- Linebacker Marshall McFadden has taken the 10th and final spot on the Rams‘ practice squad, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- The Chargers have signed former Lions cornerback Aaron Hester to their practice squad, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Safety Adrian Phillips has also joined the unit, replacing injured running back D.J. Adams, says Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- In addition to confirming the signing of defensive lineman Joe Vellano to their practice squad, which was reported yesterday, the Patriots have also announced the addition of offensive lineman Chris Martin and the release of fellow offensive lineman Caylin Hauptmann.
- While the Broncos expect to be fine on Sunday with the running backs on their current 53-man roster, the team has added Jeremy Stewart to its practice squad “just in case,” tweets Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com.
- The Buccaneers have replaced tight end Taylor Sloat on their practice squad with wideout Eric Page, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter).
- Using the 10th and final opening on their taxi squad, the Bengals have added interior offensive lineman Jeff Baca, head coach Marvin Lewis told reporters today (Twitter link via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com).
- The Redskins signed linebacker Steve Beauharnais to their practice squad today, according to the club (via Twitter). That leaves one spot still open on the unit.
- Tight end Jacob Maxwell has been let go from the Dolphins‘ practice squad, according to Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, who tweets that running back Orleans Darkwa will fill the newly-opened spot.
- The Lions have swapped out one defensive lineman for another, with Derrick Hopkins replacing Xavier Proctor, who has been placed on the practice squad IR (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday
With practices resuming following the weekend’s games, and teams having a better of idea of how serious its players’ injuries are, Tuesdays are often a busy day for practice squad transactions, as clubs replenish their rosters and swap in players at potential positions of need. As such, we expect to update this post plenty of times throughout the day, with the latest news of practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL. Here’s the latest:
- Defensive tackle Joe Vellano, who was waived by the Patriots on Monday, has agreed to stay with New England on its practice squad, tweets Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. Vellano is the beneficiary of the new practice squad rules that allow a second-year player to be eligible despite playing in 16 games in 2013.
- Defensive back Chandler Fenner and wide receiver Julian Talley, both waived by the Giants yesterday, have been re-signed to the practice squad, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
- The Eagles re-signed linebacker Brandon Hepburn to their practice squad, according to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter).
- The Packers signed Joe Kruger, the brother of Paul Kruger, to their practice squad, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
- Former Ravens defensive tackle A.J. Pataiali’i has been added to the Browns’ taxi squad, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- As noted below, cornerback Mike Harris has signed with the Lions‘ practice squad, replacing fellow defensive back Josh Victorian, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
- The Jets have released cornerback LeQuan Lewis from their practice squad, signing another cornerback – Dashaun Phillips – in his place, the team announced today (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- One wide receiver has replaced another on the Cowboys‘ practice squad, tweets Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, as Tim Benford has been cut and LaRon Byrd has been signed.
- The Rams are down to nine players on their practice squad, having cut wide receiver Justin Veltung today, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
- The Lions have signed defensive back Mike Harris to their taxi squad, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Detroit had a full 10-man unit, so a corresponding cut will be necessary to finalize the move.
- Offensive tackle Ryan Miller has been cut from the Broncos‘ practice squad, reports Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter).
- The Browns have cut long snapper Charley Hughlett from their practice squad, per agent Brett Tessler (via Twitter). Hughlett was brought in to provide competition for the team’s regular long snapper, Christian Yount, but Cleveland has opted to continue on with Yount.
- The 49ers have swapped one offensive lineman for another on their practice squad, cutting tackle John Fullington in order to bring aboard guard Andrew Tiller, according to the club.
- Guard William Campbell and defensive tackle Jeremy Towns are the newest members of the Bills‘ practice squad, replacing fullback Lonnie Pryor and tight end Jamie Childers, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- Three days after cutting him from their active roster, the Jaguars have re-signed tight end Mickey Shuler to their practice squad, the team announced today in a press release. To make room on the squad, wide receiver Kerry Taylor has been cut.
- Last week’s promotion of quarterback Chandler Harnish to the active roster suggested the Vikings were more confident in him than McLeod Bethel-Thompson in an emergency scenario, and the team’s moves today reflected that as well. The Vikes announced in a press release that Bethel-Thompson has been let go from the practice squad, with Harnish, wideout Donte Foster, and defensive back Pierre Warren joining the unit.
- To keep tabs on all 32 practice squad rosters, be sure to check out our complete list.
East Notes: Rolle, Giants, Thompkins, Eagles
Giants safety Antrel Rolle is slated to hit the open market after this season but he’s not going to make a lot of noise about it right now, as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post tweets. “I’ve never been a guy to speak about contracts. I’ll let my play do the campaigning for me,” said Rolle. More out of the East divisions..
- Patriots coach Bill Belichick says that he hoped to re-sign wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins to the practice squad, writes Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. “It’s always tough to release a player, especially one like KT who works extremely hard and is really a dedicated athlete and certainly had a lot of good moments of performance for us,” Belichick said. “We have other players at that position that also work hard that are talented. In the end, we had to . . . in order to get a guy on the roster, we had to take a guy off. It’s just getting down to that decision. It’s a hard decision to make, you know?“
- Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis has no plans to make a change at cornerback, writes Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. The play of starting corners Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher has many Eagles fans wishing they would go out-of-house for an upgrade after the team’s ugly near-collapse at home against the Rams on Sunday.
- Former LSU product Spencer Ware was among the running backs auditioning for the Giants today, writes Jordan Raanan of The Star-Ledger. Terrance Cobb and Stephen Houston also worked out for Big Blue. With Rashad Jennings banged up and Michael Cox promoted from the taxi squad to the active roster, the Giants could have a spot for another tailback.
Extra Points: Smith, McClain, Prater, Saints
Time is running out to determine if Geno Smith is the answer for the Jets, writes Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. It’s starting to feel as if the Smith era is in the process of mirroring the Mark Sanchez era, but the key difference is that Sanchez got the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship games. Sanchez got four years before the Jets finally pulled the plug, and the Jets don’t have that kind of time. More from around the NFL..
- Rolando McClain is having a career renaissance in Dallas and Cowboys COO Stephen Jones says he’d like to keep the linebacker beyond this season, writes Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News. In four games, the starting middle linebacker has 23 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception. McClain is a former top ten pick and Jones feels that he’s finally starting to realize that potential.
- While the move saves money, Broncos GM John Elway is taking a risk with his release of Matt Prater, who is arguably the best kicker in the game, writes Peter King of The MMQB. Even though Brandon McManus has a great leg, he hasn’t really been tested on field goals in 2014.
- Former Packers tight end Tom Crabtree has a workout scheduled with the Saints, according to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (on Twitter).
- Patriots coach Bill Belichick says that recent acquisition Tim Wright still has “a long way to go” to learn the Pats offense, but he is impressed with his work ethic and intelligence, writes Phil A. Perry of CSNNE.com.
- If there’s a hot seat for Rex Ryan, there needs to be one for Jets GM John Idzik as well, writes Steve Serby of the New York Post. So who should take over? Bill Polian, who built Super Bowl teams in Buffalo and Indianapolis, is Serby’s suggestion.
- Agent David Canter (via Twitter) issued a statement regarding the suspension of Dolphins defensive end Derrick Shelby.
Minor Moves: Monday
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here….
- The Packers will welcome back offensive lineman Jordan McCray on their practice squad, according to the FXFL’s Twitter account. Wes Hodkiewicz of the Press Gazette (on Twitter) notes that the Packers had a spot open on the practice squad, so no corresponding move is necessary.
- The Giants have promoted running back Michael Cox from their practice squad to their 53-man roster, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. The move provides some backfield insurance, with Rashad Jennings expected to be sidelined through the team’s Week 8 bye.
- After seeing another center go down with an injury, the Chargers are set to sign center Trevor Robinson off the Bengals’ practice squad, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). San Diego opened up a roster spot today by placing Doug Legursky on the injured reserve list, as noted below.
- The Rams have waived linebacker Ray Ray Armstrong, who had been a key contributor on the special teams unit, tweets Brian McIntyre.
Earlier updates:
- Wideout Kevin Dorsey has been promoted to the Packers‘ 53-man roster from their practice squad, tweets Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Former Utah State defensive back Tay Glover-Wright is taking Dorsey’s spot on the taxi squad, per Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).
- The Saints have waived 2014 fourth-round pick Khairi Fortt, a source tells Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link). It’s a somewhat surprising move, since Fortt hasn’t really had an opportunity to play yet, and his release won’t open up a roster spot, since the club had used its injured reserve/designated to return spot on him.
- Safety Jakar Hamilton was activated today by the Cowboys, who waived linebacker Keith Smith to make room on the 53-man roster, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. The team previously had a roster exemption for Hamilton, who missed the season’s first four weeks due to a suspension.
- The Dolphins have made a series of moves, signing wide receiver Damian Williams to their 53-man roster and waiving running back Orleans Darkwa to make room (Twitter link). The team also announced that the roster exemption for previously-suspended safety Reshad Jones has been lifted, meaning he’s now officially a part of the 53-man roster (Twitter link).
- Linebacker Marcus Benard has re-signed with the Cardinals, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Benard was initially signed during John Abraham‘s absence from the team, and now takes the place of Matt Shaughnessy, who was placed on injured reserve with the designation to return today.
- In a surprising transaction, the Packers have parted ways with tight end Ryan Taylor, who hasn’t been a huge part of the club’s passing game since being drafted in the seventh round in 2011, but has been with the team since then and contributed on special teams. Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette has the details on the move, which brings the Packers’ roster count down to 52.
- The Chargers have lost another center, announcing today (via Twitter) that Doug Legursky is heading to injured reserve with a knee injury. Longtime San Diego center Nick Hardwick was previously placed on IR with an injury of his own.
- Cornerback Brandon Browner and wideout Brian Tyms are both being formally activated by the Patriots, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). To make room for the duo, whose roster exemptions expire today, the Pats had to cut a pair of players — Shalisa Manza Young of the Boston Globe initially reported that defensive lineman Joe Vellano would be one of the two to go (Twitter link), and the team has since announced that defensive lineman Michael Buchanan is the other. Vellano has been waived, while Buchanan was placed on IR.
- The Eagles have made a change to their practice squad, cutting wide receiver Cobi Hamilton and replacing him with safety Jordan Kovacs, the team announced today (Twitter link).
- The Giants are releasing Trindon Holliday from IR, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). The veteran kick returner was placed on IR in August with a hamstring injury.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Raiders Claim Kenbrell Thompkins
The Raiders have claimed Kenbrell Thompkins off waivers from the Patriots, a league source tells Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter). At 0-4, Oakland was near the top of the waiver priority list, so it’s possible that the club beat out other interested teams for Thompkins’ services.
Thompkins, 26, stuck with the Patriots in 2013 after being signed as an undrafted free agent, impressing at times during his rookie campaign. He caught 32 passes for 466 yards and four touchdowns in eight starts last season, but wasn’t a major part of New England’s passing attack early this season, and was cut on Saturday.
Weekend reports suggested the move was the result of the Patriots’ roster crunch rather than Thompkins’ talent, and indicated that New England may have interest in re-signing the wideout to its practice squad. However, Bill Belichick and the Pats didn’t receive that opportunity.
As Adam Caplan of ESPN.com observes (via Twitter), Oakland was in need of a receiver with speed, and Thompkins fits that bill nicely. No corresponding roster move will be necessary for the Raiders, since they had been carrying just 52 players on their roster.
Tension Between Patriots, Tom Brady
There’s palpable tension between Tom Brady and the Patriots’ coaching staff and multiple sources told Chris Mortensen of ESPN they believe it could influence whether he finishes his career with the team. Meanwhile, two sources say that rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was drafted as Brady’s successor and the move could happen “sooner than later,” though none of the sources suggested that change could happen during the 2014 season. For his part, Brady refuted the notion of a rift between him and management after last night’s game.
“I love all those guys, my coaches,” Brady insisted. “I’ve never had any tension with them, truthfully. It’s unfortunate that some things get said and talked about, especially when they don’t come from me, and I think that’s the — when you’re in the middle of an especially tough week with our team to deal with things that are really outside football that are very personal — very personal relationships that I’ve built up for a long time.”
Meanwhile Mortensen writes that Brady is upset over the questionable personnel decisions that led to the downsizing of the Pats offense and the retirement of longtime offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia after the 2013 season. With Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins being traded before the season, Brady’s input into game plans and pre-snap adjustments has significantly diminished in favor of a more conservative approach that’s easier to follow for the novice linemen. Internally, a source says some have cited Brady’s declining performance as the reason for the conservative line strategy.
The Patriots are now 3-2 after last night’s 43-17 win over the Bengals, which may help to ease tensions all around.