Extra Points: Gabbert, Pitta, Archer
No surprise here, but 49ers coach Jim Tomsula announced that Blaine Gabbert will start for SF once again when the Niners take on the Seahawks in Week 11, as Taylor Price of 49ers.com writes. Gabbert completed 15 of 25 passes for 185 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in Sunday’s Week 9 home win over the Falcons and, at least for now, it sounds like former starter Colin Kaepernick should make himself comfortable on the bench.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- A decision will be made by Wednesday on whether tight end Dennis Pitta makes a comeback this season from his second serious hip injury, as Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. According to Ravens coach John Harbaugh, the decision comes down to Pitta’s long-term health, not his ability to play again. “He did look good in practice,” Harbaugh said. “We had a tough time covering him. He was doing stuff for the look team and made a bunch of plays out there. He just kind of looked like his old self out there. But don’t construe that as saying that he’s ready to go, because it’s not about that. The doctors are going to take a hard look at that, and help him decide, is this safe? It’s going to be based on how the hip is responding to the practices.” Pitta, 30, enjoyed his best season in 2012 when he helped the Ravens win a Super Bowl, catching 61 passes for 669 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season, followed by 14 catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns during the playoffs.
- The Saints worked out former Giants wide receiver Preston Parker on Monday, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Parker, 28, has 85 career receptions for 1,057 yards and five touchdowns.
- Running back Dri Archer has passed on ten offers to join practice squads, including an offer from the Steelers, a league source tells Mike Florio of PFT. Archer, a third-round pick in 2014, instead plans to wait and see whether any opportunities arise to join a 53-man roster. Florio speculates that his opening might be with the Patriots now that Dion Lewis is done for the year.
Latest On Saints, Sean Payton
There is a “steadily increasing possibility” that head coach Sean Payton and some front office execs will exit the franchise in the offseason, a league source tells Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. There’s currently a legal battle being waged regarding ownership of the Saints between Tom Benson and his estranged daughter Renee Benson. If the younger Benson comes out on top, it could lead to major changes for the Saints.
“If [Renee Benson] gets control of the team, a lot of people [in the franchise] are worried that she could fire everyone who has been loyal to Tom,” the league source said, adding that Payton is one of the people in Tom Benson’s corner. “They’re waiting to see what happens.”
It sounds as though Renee Benson could push Payton out the door, but the coach might also push the eject button out of New Orleans. Payton has options and there will be no shortage of suitors for him if he hits the open market.
“Sean has some outs in his deal,” Robinson’s source said. “If there is an ownership change, he has an out. He has some other outs, too. There would be a lot of interest in him – maybe four or five other teams would be interested. … I don’t think he’s thinking about it right now. He’s not pursuing anything. I think he wants to see what happens like everyone else. But considering everything, if I put a percentage on whether he’d be the Saints coach next year, I’d say [it’s] 50-50.”
On Sunday night it was reported that if Payton wants to be a “coaching free agent” at the end of the 2015 season, the Saints would be inclined to let him out of his contract. The Colts and Dolphins have been frequently mentioned as a suitor for Payton’s services should he become available, and the Giants, Lions, and Titans could all be looking for head coaches as well by season’s end. All of those clubs would be willing to pay top dollar for Payton, who has a reputation as a quarterback guru.
Saints To Sign Matt Flynn
As Matt Flynn said on Twitter, it looks like his hunting season is over. The Saints are set to sign the veteran quarterback, per Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Veteran backup Luke McCown is set to undergo season ending back surgery, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), so Flynn will help to provide depth behind starter Drew Brees from here on out. Flynn, 30, spent time in training camp with the Patriots and Jets this past season but was not able to stick on either AFC East roster. The former Packers draft pick has bounced around a bit since leaving Green Bay in 2011, having also spent time with the Seahawks, Raiders and Bills.
The Jets considered Flynn as an outside option with Geno Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick both nursing injuries earlier this month, but they ultimately they decided against signing him.
Sunday Roundup: Hardy, L. McCown, Welker
As this week’s games get underway in full force, let’s take a look at some notes from around the league:
- Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times, citing ESPN’s Adam Schefter, reports that the Buccaneers put together a contract structure for Greg Hardy that the Cowboys ultimately mirrored, but Tampa Bay’s contract was contingent on the club meeting with Hardy for evaluation. Once it became clear that such a meeting was not possible, the Bucs pulled the offer (Twitter links).
- Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune writes that Saints backup quarterback Luke McCown will get a second opinion on his back injury this week, but Terrell’s source indicates that McCown will likely require season ending surgery. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, the news is fairly significant, as New Orleans has never had to rely on a rookie to back up Drew Brees.
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes that free agent wide receiver Wes Welker is still waiting for his phone to ring, and that he has passed both physicals he has taken this year. He wants to play for a contender, and he has instructed his agent to reach out again to the teams on his list to see if there is a fit.
- ESPN’s Jane McManus tweets that the NFL’s investigation into Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel‘s recent encounter with police is expected to conclude this week. McManus notes that the police report and various witness testimony have complicated the investigation.
- Although there was more league-wide effort to make a deal prior to this year’s trade deadline than in seasons past, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that only one trade was made because the demand from sellers was too great. The Browns and 49ers in particular asked for compensation that rival executives believed was unreasonable.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com takes a detailed look at the 2016 wide receiver free agent class and the types of contracts some of the bigger names in the class can expect to land. Fitzgerald says the best player on that list, Alshon Jeffery, is better equipped to handle a franchise tag should the Bears go that route because he is so young and the tag will not impact the way teams view his future as long as he remains healthy.
- ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets that the Jaguars are likely to part ways with Toby Gerhart at season’s end.
- Likewise, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com believes Jon Beason has played his last game for the Giants (Twitter link).
Saints Would Release Sean Payton From Contract
If Sean Payton wants to be a “coaching free agent” at the end of the 2015 season, the Saints would be inclined to let him out of his contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (article via Conor Orr of NFL.com). Rapoport adds that New Orleans might not even have a say in the matter. Payton’s current deal includes a “change of control” clause that allows him to terminate his contract if owner Tom Benson is no longer in charge of the club. Benson, 88, is in a legal dispute with various family members regarding control of his teams (he also owns the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans).
But regardless of Benson’s status, it appears increasingly likely that the Saints and Payton are headed for a parting of the ways. The Colts and Dolphins have been frequently mentioned as a suitor for Payton’s services should he become available, and the Giants, Lions, and Titans could all be looking for head coaches as well by season’s end. All of those clubs would be willing to pay top dollar for Payton, who has a reputation as a quarterback guru.
Payton is also relatively young (51) and has a strong track record of success. If he wants to leave, he will have plenty of options. Or, if he returns to the Saints, it could be under a new, even more lucrative deal that gives him increased control over personnel decisions.
As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes, even if the Saints were to allow Payton to pursue other opportunities, an interested team would need to request the Saints’ permission to speak with Payton, and before permission is granted, the two teams would need to negotiate the terms of compensation in the event the new team would hire Payton. Evan Woodberry of The Times-Picayune tweets that he would be surprised if New Orleans allowed Payton to break his contract without at least nominal compensation, adding (via Twitter) that, absent an ownership change, it would reflect poorly on the team if it allowed a well-regarded coach to leave without receiving anything in return.
Extra Points: Pead, Collins, Murray, Saints
Running back Isaiah Pead is confident that he’ll regain his footing with the Steelers after three unproductive seasons with the Rams, as Ralph N. Paulk of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Pead, along with Jordan Todman, is expected to back up DeAngelo Williams during the second half of the regular season. To date, Pead hasn’t looked like the explosive athlete who helped Cincinnati capture the 2009 Big East championship, but he believes that he is about to turn a corner.
- Despite their shortcomings on the offensive line coming into the 2015 season, the Eagles didn’t explore signing undrafted free agent La’el Collins, as Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com writes. “We didn’t have any interest,” head coach Chip Kelly said Thursday. Collins went on to sign a three-year deal with the Cowboys worth $1.6MM guaranteed.
- Tom Pelissero of USA Today wonders if having DeMarco Murray would change the Cowboys‘ season. While Darren McFadden has been just OK for Dallas, the club’s offensive line continues to be strong. Behind the power running of Murray, the Cowboys boasted one of the league’s best offenses and the top rushing attack. There’s no way to tell if this would be a totally different season with Murray in the backfield, but it certainly wouldn’t have hurt, Pelissero writes.
- Saints defensive tackle Kevin Williams was non-committal when asked about his future beyond this season. “This is a fun thing. You get to be around your teammates, and if you can’t have fun with them, you know you’re not a close group,” the 35-year-old said, according to Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune. “So we joke and have fun. I think that’s what makes the game fun—the friendships you have.”
Practice Squad Updates: 11/5/15
Here are Thursday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL, updated throughout the day:
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Dax Swanson (via Star-Ledger)
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: FB Austin Johnson (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
- Cut: OT Bryan Witzmann
South Notes: Colts, Martin, Saints, Texans
Having fired offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and replacing him with Rob Chudzinski earlier this week, Colts head coach Chuck Pagano explained on Wednesday that he felt he had no choice but to make a move to try to shake up a stagnant offense, as Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star writes.
“I think when you keep seeing the same thing over and over again, through the course of time, we needed a change,” Pagano said. “We’ve got the talent, the grit and the character (to win), and this was something I just felt like we needed to do.”
While we look forward to seeing if the move pays dividends in the short term, let’s round up some other items from out of the NFL’s South divisions….
- The Colts are paying linebacker Josh Martin more than $34K weekly, making him the highest-paid practice squad player in the NFL, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. As Yates observes, the salary is the same as Martin would earn if he were on the team’s 53-man roster.
- Mike Triplett of ESPN.com examines four of the Saints‘ most noteworthy trades from 2015, evaluating how acquisitions of Kenny Stills, Max Unger, and others are working out so far for New Orleans. Triplett views two of those deals as wins for the Saints, and says the other two are also looking good so far.
- Weighing in reports of discord between his general manager and head coach when it came to releasing Ryan Mallett, Texans owner Bob McNair denied that Rick Smith and Bill O’Brien disagreed on how to handle the team’s former backup quarterback. “If they disagree on something they come to me,” McNair said, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. “They’ve never come to me.”
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/4/15
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL, updated throughout the day:
Baltimore Ravens
- Cut: TE Konrad Reuland (Twitter link via team)
Buffalo Bills
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Brandon Dixon (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune)
New York Giants
- Cut: G Adam Gettis (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News)
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Shane Wynn (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post)
- Cut: FB Julian Howsare
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: DE Ben Gardner (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Quayshawn Nealy, DE Ronald Powell (press release via team)
Saints Sign Mike Mohamed
The Saints have added a former Texans linebacker to their 53-man roster, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, who reports that New Orleans decided to sign Mike Mohamed after bringing him in for a workout.
Mohamed, who began his NFL career after being selected by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 2011 draft, saw his most extensive action for the Texans last season, recording 67 tackles, an interception, and six passes defended in 14 games. However, a calf injury derailed the start of Mohamed’s 2015 campaign, and ultimately resulted in Houston placing him on injured reserve, despite the fact that it wasn’t a season-ending ailment.
“I want to play this season,” Mohamed said a little over a month ago, when he landed on IR. “It won’t be here, but I want to play somewhere and get back on the field. I’m almost back from the injury, so it’s kind of frustrating to go on injured reserve, but I understand that they didn’t feel like they could wait.”
Ultimately, the Texans worked out an injury settlement with Mohamed that would allow him to sign with another team after three weeks. Now that he’s healthy, he’s headed to New Orleans, where David Hawthorne and Dannell Ellerbe are banged up. Mohamed figures to provide depth at linebacker and perhaps contribute on special teams.