East Notes: Bills, Coughlin, Ryan, Eagles
The Toronto-based group bidding on the Bills, which involves rocker Jon Bon Jovi, Larry Tanenbaum of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and the Rogers family, would keep the team in Buffalo, sources tell John Kryk of the Toronto Sun. While neither of the parties mentioned has even publicly confirmed interest in purchasing the team, it sounds like the group is not planning on relocating the franchise to Canada. However, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes, any talk of moving the team would be pointless as of right now, since the Bills can’t be relocated until at least 2020; anything potential buyers say in 2014 could just be lip service to placate Buffalo fans. More from the NFL’s two Eastern divisions:
- Giants owner John Mara on whether head coach Tom Coughlin has earned the right to leave on his own terms: “Does anybody ever earn that right? That’s just not the way this business is in this day and age. Let’s hope that it goes that way, but we haven’t even had that discussion yet,” Mara told Steve Serby of the New York Post. “We’re just looking forward to the next couple of seasons.”
- Jets head man Rex Ryan is never lacking confidence, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes. “Do I think that I’m a great coach? I absolutely know I’m a great coach,” said Ryan. “But it’s not just about me. What makes a great coach is the people that surround you, the people that are with you every day.”
- Chip Kelly is more of a strict disciplinarian than previous Eagles coach Andy Reid, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the new team attitude is showing itself during year two of Kelly’s reign.
- As Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland tells Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer, center Jason Kelce might be the most under-appreciated player in Philadelphia.
- Zuri Berry of the Boston Globe looks at some key questions for the Patriots as they head to training camp, including Rob Gronkowski‘s health and depth at receiver.
- The New England previews continue, as Tom Curran of CSSNE.com examines the Patriots’ offensive identity.
Patriots Sign Nate Byham
SUNDAY, 2:19pm: The Patriots have announced the transaction.
SATURDAY, 11:26pm: The Patriots have filled their 90th and final roster spot. Sources tell ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss that the team has signed tight end Nate Byham. The 26-year-old will likely compete with Michael Hoomanawanui and D.J. Williams for a chance to back up Rob Gronkowski.
Byham was taken by the 49ers in the sixth round of the 2010 draft. He appeared in 14 games as a rookie before joining the Buccaneers, where he spent the last two seasons. As Reiss points out, the tight end played under former Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano, who has a very good relationship with Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
The 6-4, 264-pounder is better known for his blocking skills, although Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rates him as a below-average run-blocker. Offensively, Byham has 11 career catches for 83 yards and one touchdown.
Byham had previously worked out for the Patriots, along with fellow tight ends Dustin Keller and Ben Hartsock.
AFC East Notes: Unga, McCourty, Jets
The Bills will be the first team to open training camp in 2014, with a 6pm practice this evening. And, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets, every team in the league will be in camp by this time next week. As the anticipation continues to build, let’s take a look at some Bills notes and swing around the rest of AFC East on this Sunday morning:
- Mike Rodak of ESPN.com wonders if the recently-signed Stevenson Sylvester can crack the Bills‘ roster. Rodak pegs Sylvester’s chances at 40%, writing that Sylvester’s best chance to make the club is as a contributor on special teams.
- Rodak also tweets that the Bills have removed guard J.J. Unga from the active/non-football injury list, but Marcell Dareus remains on that list.
- Rock star Jon Bon Jovi has been confirmed as a partner in a Toronto-based group interested in buying the Bills, writes Tom Precious of The Buffalo News.
- Mike Reiss of ESPN.com says a contract extension between the Patriots and Devin McCourty is not imminent at this time.
- Tom E. Curran of CSNNewEngland pegs Danny Amendola as the Patriots‘ top breakout candidate (as he is every year).
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com breaks down the Jets‘ current linebacker corps.
- Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News looks at five issues facing the Jets as training camp approaches, including whether the secondary can hold up and what newly-signed running back Chris Johnson has left in the tank.
- Adam H. Beasley of The Miami Herald writes that a renovation of Sun Life Stadium and a more aggressive sales force are helping the Dolphins regain their share of the local market.
AFC Notes: Bills, Patriots, Broncos, Texans
Let’s see what’s going on around the AFC on this Saturday evening…
- The Bills have activated cornerback Leodis McKelvin from the physically unable to perform list, the team announced today. The former first-round pick was recovering from offseason hip surgery. The team also placed defensive lineman Marcell Dareus and offensive lineman J.J. Unga on the active/non-football injury list.
- Rob Gronkowski is expecting to be ready for the Patriots season opener, telling ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss that he hopes to play all 16 games. “I’m planning on playing the whole season this year,” he said. “I just want to play football. I love playing the game.”
- Mike Klis of The Denver Post could envision the Broncos adding a veteran running back. The writer isn’t concerned about Montee Ball, but he is skeptical of backups Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson.
- Arian Foster‘s “future with the Texans and career arc are on the line in 2014,” writes the Houston Chronicle’s Brian T. Smith.
AFC East Notes: Williams, Thomas, Johnson, Kelly
Bills newcomer Mike Williams sat out portions of minicamp to rest his troubled hamstring, but the veteran wideout has no worries heading into training camp.
“I’m fully ready to go,” Williams told Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News. “I trained this whole offseason. There was really no offseason for me. I kinda had to get my leg better. I had to get back to feeling like Mike again, like my mom always tells me. Today running that conditioning test made me feel like I was Mike again.
“At the start of camp, just did the conditioning test and I feel real good. I feel great. I feel I got an A-plus, if there was a grade for it. I feel I’m ready to go.”
Williams finished 2013 with 22 catches for 216 yards and two touchdowns – all career lows. The Buccaneers traded the wideout to the Bills in early April for a sixth-round pick.
Let’s look at some more notes from the AFC East…
- Mike Rodak of ESPN.com gives Bills wideout Marcus Easley an 80 percent chance of making the team, especially considering the 26-year-old’s contributions on special teams. Easley could potentially be squeezed out by receivers Chris Hogan and T.J. Graham or fullback Evan Rodriguez.
- Graham, tight end Chris Gragg and punter Brian Moorman are notable omissions from Rodak’s projected Bills roster. In his scenario, offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio would beat veteran Erik Pears for a starting gig, resulting in the 32-year-old’s release.
- The Dolphins would like somebody to challenge running back Daniel Thomas for a roster spot, and ESPN.com’s James Walker thinks that player could be undrafted rookie Damien Williams.
- If Jets running back Chris Johnson proves that his surgically repaired knee is not 100 percent, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini says it may be in the team’s best interest to carry a fifth running back. The competition for that final spot would likely include Daryl Richardson and Alex Green.
- If there were to be a surprise cut on the Patriots defense, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss thinks it could be defensive tackle Tommy Kelly. The 33-year-old is coming off an ACL injury and recently restructured his contract, leading the writer to say that Kelly is “anything but a sure-fire lock to stick.”
- Safety Patrick Chung and offensive guard Dan Connolly were notable snubs on Reiss’s projected Patriots roster.
Extra Points: Clowney, Glenn, Shembo
- Texans No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney’s status for the beginning of training camp is still up the air, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. Clowney, who is recovering from June sports hernia surgery, remains day-to-day with no timetable established for his return.
- The Ravens placed backup nose tackle Terrence Cody on the physically unable to perform list for the beginning of training camp, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Cody, who is recovering from hip surgery, can be be activated whenever he’s healthy enough to resume practicing.
- In minor transaction news, the Bills signed receiver Tori Gurley and cornerback Kamaal McIlwain to fill empty roster spots, according to BuffaloBills.com insider Chris Brown.
- Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn is on the Active/Non-Football Illness list, but GM Doug Whaley doesn’t think Glenn will be lost long-term, according to WGR 550’s Joe Buscaglia. Said Whaley: “We don’t think so at this time. It’s just gonna have to see on how he progresses. We hope not. We’re still waiting on some reports on him, but it looks like it’s gonna be one of those day-to-day things and we’ll see how it progresses.”
- In the meantime, highly publicized rookie Seantrel Henderson will man left tackle in Glenn’s stead.
- Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union takes an in-depth look at the Jaguars’ new-look offensive line, including quotes from offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch praising the athleticism of Luke Joeckel and the leadership of Zane Beadles. “He’s certainly as advertised and then some,” Fisch says of Beadles.
- Falcons fourth-round outside linebacker Prince Shembo has a realistic chance of earning starts, writes Orlando Ledbetter in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Ledbetter says the team will “force-feed” information to Shembo, whom head coach Mike Smith is “very excited” about. “He’s picked up the system very well,” said Smith. “He doesn’t have any experience, but we will get him a lot, I can assure you that in the preseason.”
- James Harrison, Jermichael Finley and Santonio Holmes headline AP writer Dennis Waszak Jr.’s list of 13 notable, veteran free agents still looking for work with training camps getting underway.
- The Patriots issued a press release saying Bill Belichick and Aaron Hernandez exchanged 34 total text messages, not 33 pages worth. According to Boston Globe correspondent Dan Adams, filings released Monday did not reveal the contents of the text messages or what Patriots employees shared with authorities, but did reveal that Belichick, Robert Kraft were interviewed by investigators, who also searched the locker of a player.
- The NFL is moving swiftly to address the issue of underqualified underclassmen flooding the draft, reports NFL.com’s Albert Breer. In an effort to deter potentially undraftable players from declaring, the league’s advisory committee will streamline (simplify) its evaluation grades to include first round, second round or neither. Additionally, colleges will be restricted to five evaluation requests unless an abundance of talent dictates the need for more (e.g. Alabama, LSU, Florida State, etc.). Writes Beer: “At the heart of the changes are staggering statistics stemming from the 2014 draft class — of the record 107 who declared, 45 went undrafted. A majority of those 45 remain unsigned by NFL teams as undrafted free agents.”
Minor Moves: Lions, Patriots
Today’s minor moves:
- The Lions were awarded receiver Reese Wiggins off waivers from the Patriots, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). The East Carolina product signed with New England after going undrafted.
- In a corresponding roster move, the Lions waived receiver Naaman Roosevelt (per Wilson on Twitter), who had his best season with the Bills in 2011, catching 16 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown.
- The Patriots have filled one of their open roster spots by signing receiver Tyler McDonald, according to his agency ARN Sports and Entertainment (via Twitter). McDonald went undrafted out of South Carolina State.
- More from New England and Detroit: Wilson tweets that Jeremy Johnson (Patriots) and J.B. Shugarts (Lions) went unclaimed off waivers.
AFC Notes: Tebow, Watt, Jaguars, Ware, Bills
Tim Tebow, who has been frequently linked to the Jaguars over the years, purchased a $1.4MM home in Jacksonville, according to Andrew Thurlow of the Jacksonville Business Journal. Of course, the Jaguars have their quarterback of the future in Blake Bortles and there is zero indication that they’d be interested in bringing Tebow aboard, who last played in the NFL in 2012. But, if they ever want to audition a backup, the former Florida QB will be a hop, skip, and a jump away. Here’s more out of the AFC..
- With speculation that a new deal for Texans defensive end J.J. Watt could get a contract extension in the ballpark of $23MM per year, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap takes a stab at what kind of contract the disruptive DE could fetch. Ultimately, Fitzgerald concludes that a four year contract worth $57.6MM could make sense for both sides. As the Texans are going through a remake of their roster, it could make both football sense and PR sense to hammer out a new deal with Watt this year.
- Jaguars coach Gus Bradley expects the club’s offense to be more balanced this year. Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union says that new RB Toby Gerhart will be a huge key towards making that happen.
- Thanks in part to cupping therapy, new Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware says that he’s feeling great, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post. “I feel better than I did the last two years going into the season,” Ware said. “Stronger, faster. I feel flexible.”
- The Bills have waived wide receiver Cordell Robinson and cornerback Darius Robinson, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Patriots re-signed wide receiver Derrick Johnson, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
East Notes: Brady, DeSean, Eagles
Many have been critical of the NFL’s Thursday night games, but Patriots coach Bill Belichick isn’t among them. Pats owner Robert Kraft says Belichick “likes the Thursday night games and would be happy to have more than one in a season,” writes Sam Galanis of NESN.com. Perhaps if Belichick was playing in the games rather than coaching them, he’d feel differently. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC East..
- Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com writes that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is at a crossroads. While Curran says that Brady is far from finished, Belichick has openly acknowledged that rookie Jimmy Garoppolo was drafted with an eye on the future of the club’s QB position.
- Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com finished their top-to-bottom rankings of every player on the Redskins and high-profile newcomer DeSean Jackson lands at the No. 2 spot, second only to Robert Griffin III. If the 27-year-old speedster stays healthy and focused, they write, he’ll add another dimension to an already talented offense. That speed was enough for Jackson to zoom past last year’s No. 1 target, Pierre Garcon (ranked No. 5).
- Sheil Kapadia of Philadelphia Magazine looks at Eagles‘ inside linebacker roster crunch. Najee Goode has the inside track on one of the backup spots while the other will likely come down to Jason Phillips, Jake Knott, and Emmanuel Acho and special teams will probably be the determining factor. Knott was an undrafted free agent last year and will miss the first four weeks of the season for violating the league’s PED policy. Phillips was signed last offseason to provide a special-teams boost, but tore his ACL during training camp. If he’s healthy, he could have the edge. If not, Acho could steal the spot.
AFC Notes: Pats, Flowers, Raiders, Chiefs
The Patriots made a pair of roster moves today in advance of training camp, parting ways with two undrafted rookie receivers. According to a press release, Jeremy Johnson and Reese Wiggins were cut by the team, and will become free agents assuming they clear waivers. The cuts give New England three total openings on the club’s 90-man roster, so it shouldn’t be long before we get word on which players will be occupying those open spots.
Let’s round up a few more items from around the AFC….
- Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio today (Twitter links), Brandon Flowers said he signed with the Chargers because he saw while he was with the Chiefs that the AFC’s other Wild Card team was close to being a legit contender. The veteran cornerback also downplayed the idea that he was a poor fit in Bob Dutton’s defense last year in Kansas City, pointing to injury woes instead as the reason for his 2013 struggles.
- Oakland City Council voted last night to approve the Athletics’ lease to remain at O.co Coliseum, but only if a handful of small tweaks to the agreement were agreed upon by the MLB club. Will Kane of the San Francisco Chronicle and Matthew Artz of the Oakland Tribune have the details on the latest developments, and how they could affect the Raiders.
- We haven’t heard any concrete updates lately on the progress made by Alex Smith and the Chiefs toward an extension, but Smith reiterated today that he loves the city, his coaches, and his teammates, and would like to get something done (Twitter link via Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star).
- The Jaguars committed twice as much guaranteed money this offseason to Zane Beadles as they did to any other free agent, prompting Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union to explore what kind of impact the team’s new offensive lineman will make.
- As was the case a year ago, Cameron Wake and Mike Wallace were once again Jason Fitzgerald’s selections for the best and worst contracts on the Dolphins‘ books (link via OverTheCap.com).
- The pressure will be on Eric Decker to produce like a No. 1 receiver for the Jets in 2014 and beyond, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post, who takes a closer look at the club’s top free agent addition.