Extra Points: Ravens, Mallett, Colts, Campbell
The Ravens completed a trade over the weekend, acquiring Chris Givens from the Rams for a future draft pick, and Peter King of TheMMQB.com wouldn’t be surprised if that’s not the last deal for a wide receiver Baltimore makes this season. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun agrees that the Ravens will certainly monitor the market, but notes that GM Ozzie Newsome isn’t the type to panic and trade future assets for a short-term fix.
Here’s more from around the NFL..
- Texans coach Bill O’Brien told reporters that Ryan Mallett is still the team’s starting quarterback heading into Thursday’s game against the Colts, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Mallett completed 12 of 27 passes for 150 yards and one interception with a passer rating of 46.8 on Sunday against the Falcons.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised to see the Colts re-sign quarterback Josh Johnson on Wednesday.
- Dolphins players “love” the newly-appointed interim head coach Dan Campbell but there’s concern about whether the play-calling will improve, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets.
- After punter Thomas Morstead suffered a leg injury, the Saints are bringing in four punters for tryouts on Tuesday, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
NFC Notes: Norman, Reed, Bears, Bucs
Panthers GM Dave Gettleman doesn’t negotiate contracts during the regular season, but David Newton of ESPN.com wonders if the bye week might be an exception. If it is, perhaps Carolina could explore getting something done with cornerback Josh Norman this week, but as Newton acknowledges, that seems unlikely. Norman reportedly turned down a contract offer worth about $7MM annually prior to the regular season and a new pact would likely require an offer of $10MM+ per year.
Here’s more out of the NFC..
- Washington may be in the market for a tight end once again, as Jordan Reed is dealing with an MCL sprain, an ankle sprain, and a concussion, per John Keim of ESPN.com. Head coach Jay Gruden said he’s concerned about Reed’s status, though he’s not sure yet about the magnitude of the injuries.
- Former Giants wide receiver Julian Talley has a workout scheduled with the Bears on Tuesday, a source tells Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter link). Talley was cut from the Giants’ roster at the end of the preseason, then released off the team’s practice squad last week.
- With the Buccaneers searching for a new kicker to replace Kyle Brindza, head coach Lovie Smith said today that accuracy will be the team’s top priority — a big leg for kickoffs and longer field goal attempts would be a bonus (Twitter link via Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com).
- After Zach Hocker missed a late 30-year field goal against the Cowboys on Sunday, the Saints are planning kicker tryouts this week, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports tweets.
- The Rams are expected to re-sign linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar to fill the roster spot of injured linebacker Alec Ogletree, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets. However, they have not decided whether or not to sign him just yet (link).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
NFC South Notes: Roddy, Brees, Brindza
Falcons receiver Roddy White is the franchise’s career leader in receptions, yards and touchdowns, but his role in their offense has dwindled significantly this year. White finished without a catch in Week 2, which snapped a streak of 130 straight games with a reception. He also went catchless in Week 3 and was quiet again Sunday, grabbing two passes for just 8 yards in Atlanta’s 48-21 drubbing of the Texans. The 33-year-old isn’t upset about his nearly nonexistent production, however, as the Falcons are 4-0.
“No complaints from me. We are winning. We’ve just got to continue to do what we’ve been doing and try to get better every week,” White said, according to Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
More from the NFC South:
- Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who missed last Sunday’s loss to Carolina with rotator cuff and shoulder capsule injuries, will play tonight against Dallas and is close to full strength, head coach Sean Payton believes. “I’d say fairly close (to 100 percent) or we wouldn’t play him,” said Payton, per Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com. “He’s had a good week. I know he’s got a lot of confidence in what we’re doing and a lot of confidence in his ability to throw it down the field. It really was that simple.”
- Brees elaborated on his health issues (via ESPN’s Mike Triplett): “Basically what the doctor told me was the cuff muscles at times will just shut down if they’re inflamed. They’re basically telling the body, ‘I’m injured. I need time to heal, I’m not going to work until the inflammation goes away.’ It wasn’t a pain thing. I mean, it hurt, but that wasn’t the issue. It was just functionality. I did strength exercises all last week. The tough part was with the balance between resting it, getting the inflammation out of it and, at the same time, strengthening it.”
- Buccaneers rookie kicker Kyle Brindza has had back-to-back miserable weeks, going just 2 for 7 on field goal attempts and 2 of 4 on extra points. He hit 1 of 3 field goal tries and missed a PAT in Sunday’s 37-23 loss to Carolina. For what it’s worth, though, head coach Lovie Smith stuck by him after the game. “We’re not going to start kicking people off in the press conference after the game,” Smith said, according to Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
NFC Notes: Cousins, Welker, Patterson, Rams
Connor Orr of NFL.com (via colleague Albert Breer) says Washington is fully committed to Kirk Cousins as its long-term starter under center. As head coach Jay Gruden says, “We’re all sticking by the plan and we’re showing Kirk that we have confidence in him. And hopefully it pays off and he’ll get better every game.” As Orr writes, the team never made such a statement about Robert Griffin III, who remains an “organizational window dressing.”
Now for some more links from around the NFC:
- After trading Chris Givens to Baltimore in exchange for a future seventh-round draft pick, the Rams have an open spot on their roster. Per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, RB Trey Watts is eligible to return from suspension after today, and he would be the logical choice to fill that spot (Twitter link).
- Wes Welker was very impressive in his recent workout with the Giants, and if Big Blue does not generate much production from the slot against Buffalo today, Gary Myers of The New York Daily News says the team may sign Welker to a contract, despite the obvious health concerns.
- Vikings WR Cordarrelle Patterson has not had much opportunity to live up to his promising 2013 rookie campaign, when he hauled in 43 receptions for four touchdowns and added three rushing touchdowns and two kickoff return TDs to his final tally. However, given the injuries to Charles Johnson and Jarius Wright, Chris Miller of The Star Tribune writes that Patterson may finally get a chance to prove to head coach Mike Zimmer that he can be a productive member of the team’s offense.
- With the Saints having traded Akiem Hicks to the Patriots last week, Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com looks at who might replace Hicks at defensive end, pointing to Bobby Richardson and Tavaris Barnes as linemen who could see more playing time.
NFC South Notes: Shanahan, Norman, Saints
Here’s a look at the NFC South..
- Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan should be near the top of any watch list for head coaching vacancies at the end of this season, Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports writes. Shanahan’s creativity has the Atlanta offense clicking and that’s with a undermanned offensive line. The Falcons are only three games in, but Matt Ryan’s 98.6 passer rating would be his highest since the Falcons’ last playoff season in 2012.
- Panthers cornerback Josh Norman spent the offseason telling people that he’s one of the elite cover men in the NFL. Now, he’s backing up those claims in his contract year, Steve Reed of The Associated Press writes. The former fifth-round pick has 15 tackles, five pass breakups, and two interceptions. One of those picks he returned for a momentum-turning touchdown in Week 1 against the Jaguars and another last Sunday that helped seal Carolina’s 27-22 win over the Saints. He’s also forced and recovered a fumble.
- The Akiem Hicks trade marks a failure for the Saints, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com opines. Hicks, he writes, has rare physical talents and with enough patience from the organization, the defensive end could have blossomed into a contributor for New Orleans. Hicks hasn’t done much over the last two weeks or even the last two years, but Triplett is disappointed that a player who once had tremendous potential to become a core player has now been traded away for a reserve tight end.
NFC South Notes: Hicks, Saints, Jordan
This week, the Saints and quarterback Drew Brees agreed to a contract restructuring which gave the club a little bit more breathing room in 2015. New Orleans now has $2.6MM in additional cap room this season, but Brees’ cap hit for 2016 has been raised to an eye-popping $30MM, the highest in the NFL. Obviously, Brees is very unlikely to play out ’16 at that rate. The Saints will have to figure out a course of action with the veteran and that could mean an extension or a pay cut, but a trade or release might also be in play.
Here’s more out of the NFC South..
- The Saints‘ trade of Akiem Hicks another blow to the team’s dismal scouting record, Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune writes. Hicks is the third draft pick the Saints have traded in the past seven months, joining former core players Jimmy Graham (Seahawks) and Kenny Stills (Dolphins). Hicks has been phased out of the Saints’ defensive plans and in a vacuum, the trade doesn’t come as a great shock. However, Duncan finds it disappointing that the Saints have traded a player who was slated to be a big part of the front seven last summer.
- The New Orleans Police Department has closed its investigation into an incident at a night club involving Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan without bringing charges, as Matt Sledge of The Advocate writes. The local district attorney could still decide to take the case to a grand jury, however.
- Running back Antone Smith, who reached an injury settlement with the Falcons at the final roster cutdown, has now been given the green light to resume football activities and sign with a team, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Saints Acquire Hoomanawanui From Patriots
The Saints have acquired tight end Michael Hoomanawanui from the Patriots, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). In return, the Patriots will receive defensive end Akiem Hicks (link).
Hoomanawanui, 27, has spent the last three seasons and change in New England after starting his career with the Rams. The former fifth-round pick played more than 700 snaps in 2013, grabbing 12 balls for 136 yards and a touchdown. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Hoomanawanui wasn’t an effective run blocker in that season, though he graded as slightly above average as a pass blocker. Last year, the Illinois product played in all 16 games but saw an even smaller role in the passing game, catching only three passes out of six targets.
Hicks was in the Saints locker room on Wednesday, Larry Holder of The Times-Picayune tweets, so it would appear that the deal really gained momentum later in the afternoon. Hicks is set to become a free this offseason and despite a solid showing in training camp, he wasn’t given the opportunity to make an impact on the field this year. The defensive end was a third-round choice in 2012 but was actually the Saints’ top pick in that year thanks to the Bountygate sanctions imposed against them.
Hoomanawanui is set to earn $850K in 2015 while Hicks will make $1.53MM.
Saints Rework Drew Brees’ Contract
The Saints have created a little additional breathing room under the cap this season by converting $5.2MM of Drew Brees‘ base salary into a signing bonus, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The move creates $2.6MM of cap room for 2015, since the bonus is prorated over the two years remaining on Brees’ deal.
While the restructure creates cap room this year, it increases Brees’ 2016 cap hit to $30MM, exceeding Ndamukong Suh‘s and Joe Flacco‘s cap numbers and making it the highest in the NFL. Of course, it’s unlikely that the Saints will carry Brees at that $30MM figure next year, but the latest tweaking of his contract makes things a little trickier for New Orleans.
As I observed last week when I examined the Saints’ cap outlook for 2016, no NFL team has more salary on its 2016 books, so addressing Brees’ contract is crucial in order for the club to reduce its cap commitments for next season. Extending the Pro Bowl signal-caller – who is currently battling a shoulder injury – makes the most sense, though a trade, release, or pay cut could also be in play, depending on how this season plays out.
Trading or cutting Brees would leave the Saints with $10MM in dead money on their cap, creating $20MM in cap savings, but they’d have to make that decision quickly. As Joel Corry of CBSSports.com notes (via Twitter), over half of the quarterback’s $19.75MM base salary for 2016 becomes guaranteed on the third day of the league’s waiver period in February.
As for the short-term benefits of the Saints’ reworking of Brees’ contract, head coach Sean Payton says his club is “one short at tight end” and would like to add another player at that position. However, he cautioned that Brees’ contract adjustment wasn’t done for the purpose of adding a single player — it’s more about creating “wiggle room” for typical in-season moves (Twitter links via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune).
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/29/15
To make room for the newly acquired Jonathan Bostic, the Patriots announced that they have released running back Travaris Cadet. Cadet, 26, was signed by the Pats as a free agent in March of this year. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder spent the last three seasons with the Saints and saw time in only one Pats game this year. Cadet has played in 42 career NFL games and has 11 rushing attempts for 37 yards, 46 receptions for 346 yards with two touchdowns, 50 kickoff returns for 1,293 yards, and two punt returns for two yards.
Here’s a rundown of Tuesday’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves around the NFL..
- The Chargers announced that they have signed veteran center J.D. Walton, as Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com writes. Walton started 16 games at center for the Giants last season and played for Mike McCoy when he served as offensive coordinator in Denver.
- The Chargers have waived tight end Kyle Miller, as Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego writes.
- The Chargers informed tackle Tyreek Burwell that he’ll be promoted from the practice squad, a source told Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego. Burwell will help provide San Diego with depth in the wake of recent injuries on the O-Line.
- The Cowboys signed defensive lineman David Irving to their active roster off of the Chiefs‘ practice squad, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
- The Colts added cornerback Shaun Prater and dropped fellow corner Eric Patterson, as Mike Florio of PFT writes. Patterson played in the first two games for the Colts but was cut last week, signed back to the practice squad, then promoted again last Friday.
- The Vikings cut wide receiver Gavin Lutman from injured reserve, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
NFC Notes: Panthers, Brooks, Parkey
Although defensive end Charles Johnson is expected to miss multiple games due to a hamstring injury, the Panthers aren’t considering placing him on the injured reserve list with the designation to return, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Carolina acquired Jared Allen this week to help boost the pass rush in Johnson’s absence, and according to agent Ken Harris, the Panthers were one of five teams that he and his client identified as potential landing spots (link via David Newton of ESPN.com). Carolina was “by far” their No. 1 choice, per Harris.
Let’s round up several more items from across the NFC….
- 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks wasn’t present in court today, but his lawyer put in a plea of “not guilty” for his client on a misdemeanor sexual battery charge, reports Damian Trujillo of NBC Bay Area (Twitter link). Brooks seems likely to face discipline from the NFL sometime after the legal process plays out.
- Cody Parkey‘s groin injury is more serious than it initially sounded, with the Eagles kicker telling reporters today that he tore three muscles in his groin. While he landed on the IR today, Parkey fully expects to be kicking again for the Eagles again in 2016 (Twitter links via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer).
- The Bears may not be done making trades this season, but the Cowboys haven’t discussed the possibility of acquiring a player like Matt Forte or Alshon Jeffery, says Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- No outside free agent got a larger contract from the Saints than the $16MM deal C.J. Spiller signed this offseason, and head coach Sean Payton admits that he needs to get the running back more involved in the offense, according to Christopher Dabe of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
- Packers wide receiver Davante Adams, who was taken out of Monday night’s game against the Chiefs, re-aggravated his high ankle sprain, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Adams is expected to miss some time, though it’s too early for an exact timetable. As for tight end Andrew Quarless, he has a sprained MCL, and is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks, per Rapoport (Twitter link).