NFC East Notes: Redskins, Sproles, Watt, Foles
The Redskins‘ defense is making youthful mistakes and the staff at CSNWashington.com wondered aloud if they should consider bringing in guys like Asante Samuel or Champ Bailey rather than watching Bashaud Breeland play corner. Here’s more from the NFC East..
- Eagles running back Darren Sproles is still mad about how things ended with the Saints, writes Mark Eckel of The Times of Trenton. “I felt disrespected there,’’ said Sproles. “Listen, I understand this is business and all of that, but (when they talked about trading him) they put it up on Twitter. That’s how I found out. There was a screen shot and a friend of mine texted it to me. I felt they did me wrong. First, Sean (Payton) told me they were going to cut me. Then I find out on Twitter they’re trading me. That’s just not right.”
- As his team prepares to face J.J. Watt this Sunday, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett says there are no regrets about passing on the star defensive lineman to select tackle Tyron Smith in the 2011 draft (link via Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Watt may be the best defensive player in the league, but Smith is one of the NFL’s best left tackles, and Dallas drafted him at a time when the club needed “cornerstone” pieces on its offensive line.
- The Eagles are going to have a lot of interesting decisions to make after the season but at the moment, whether to make Nick Foles a wealthy man doesn’t look like it’ll be one of them, writes Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News. Their cornerbacks also setting the world on fire. Bradley Fletcher will have to step it up if he’s going to get a new contract from the Eagles. Cary Williams, meanwhile, isn’t worth his $8.2MM cap number in 2015 and could wind up getting cut.
- Yesterday, our own Luke Adams looked at Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin as an extension candidate. Luke speculates that an annual salary in the $7-$8MM range on a five-year deal could be enough to get Maclin to sign.
NFC Notes: Cowboys, Giants, Bears
All four Thursday Night Football games so far this season have been one-sided affairs, with the winning team outscoring their opponents by a total margin of 163-50. The underdog Vikings will look to keep tonight’s game against the rejuvenated Packers close, but they may have to do so without their starting quarterback. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier today that signs were pointing to Teddy Bridgewater being unavailable tonight, while Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Minnesota will make a decision on its QB 90 minutes before kickoff tonight.
If Bridgewater can’t go, the Vikings will turn to Christian Ponder, who was third on the depth chart and was being frequently mentioned as a trade candidate just a few weeks ago.
As we wait to see which signal-caller gets the nod for the Vikes tonight, here’s more from around the NFC:
- Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett has made it clear to his players that they won’t be allowed to play in games if they’re involved in a domestic violence incident, even before the legal process is finalized, writes Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. “If you’re dealing with anything off the field and we can help with, we’re here for you,” Garrett said. “Having said that, there are standards that we have about all off-the-field behavior and certainly domestic violence applies to that. We’re just very clear with how we’re going to handle things.”
- Pointing out that Cowboys special-teamer C.J. Spillman continues to practice and play for the team despite being under investigation for sexual assault, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News says he expects Garrett makes a distinction between an allegation and an actual charge. So far, police say Spillman “is involved in a sexual assault investigation,” but no charges have been filed and no arrests have been made.
- Conor Orr of NJ.com points to the Giants‘ under-the-radar signing of cornerback Zackary Bowman as one key move that has helped shape the team’s defense off the field.
- Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker has taken a lot of heat this season, but Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times says that GM Phil Emery hasn’t provided him with enough talent. Morrissey notes that defensive end Lamarr Houston, one of Emery’s big offseason signings, has struggled so far and has yet to register a sack through four games.
- Saints wide receiver Marques Colston purchased a piece of the Arena League’s Philadelphia Soul and is now part owner of team, Ron Jaworski tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
NFC South Notes: Panthers, Falcons, Hardy
Earlier today, we checked in on a few updates out of the NFC East. Now, let’s turn our attention to one of the conference’s other divisions and round up the latest news and rumors from around the NFC South….
- With Mike Tolbert on IR-DTR, DeAngelo Williams unlikely to return in Week 5, and Jonathan Stewart also banged up, the Panthers intend to take a look at veteran free agents this week, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer details. “We’re going to have to look at some guys from the outside. And we’ll see,” said head coach Ron Rivera. “Without Jonathan available last week and potentially not available this week we need to have an insurance policy just in case so we’re going to have to take a look.”
- Falcons offensive lineman Joe Hawley is undergoing an MRI today to determine the severity of his knee injury, but the team doesn’t feel as if it will be a season-ender, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Still, with Hawley expected to be sidelined for at least the near future, Atlanta will work out free agent lineman Uche Nwaneri this week, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
- According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), Greg Hardy is being advised to try to move his court date back and sit out the entire 2014 season rather than resolving his case in November and potentially returning for the home stretch. Cole explains that underperforming or risking injury in the final few weeks could diminish Hardy’s value significantly heading into free agency, though considering he’s likely facing a lengthy suspension once his domestic violence case is resolved, the Panthers defensive end figures to see his stock sliding either way.
- Buccaneers rookie wideout Mike Evans is expected to be sidelined for two or three weeks with a groin strain, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap wonders (via Twitter) if the Saints will consider firing or demoting defensive coordinator Rob Ryan after how his unit has performed in September.
NFC South Links: Smith, Glennon, Hankins
One of the biggest free agent moves of the offseason was the release of Steve Smith by the Panthers, leading to Smith’s signing with the Ravens. In David Newton’s mailbag for ESPN, he discusses whether the team’s general manager David Gettleman regretted letting Smith go. While Newton notes that Gettleman rarely speaks to the media, it would be hard to imagine him being excited to face a Smith hungry for revenge this weekend.
Here are some more links from around the NFC South:
- The Charlotte Observer put a page together where Panthers‘ fans could share their favorite Smith memories in anticipation of his first game against his former team.
- Quarterback play alone cannot propel a Buccaneers‘ team that has been abysmal in all facets of the game through three weeks, but Mike Glennon will have a chance to stake his claim to the starting job, writes Andrew Astleford of Fox Sports Florida.
- Gary Shelton of the Tampa Bay Times imagines where the Buccaneers‘ franchise would be had they ever made the right choice in selecting a quarterback, citing Tom Brady and Joe Montana as players they had a chance to take. He also notes that the team had Doug Williams and Steve Young, who went on to win Super Bowls with the Redskins and 49ers, respectively.
- Buccaneers‘ head coach Lovie Smith was expected to straighten out a franchise that ws run amok in recent years, but his plans have been torn apart, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The plan stared to go awry with the implosion of free agent quarterback Josh McCown, who was eventually benched due to injury, although he showed little in his action to that point. The broken hand suffered by star defensive tackle Gerald McCoy only further weakened the 0-3 Buccaneers.
- Saints‘ defensive tackle John Jenkins did not travel with the team to Dallas for their matchup with the Cowboys, reports Brett Martel of the Associated Press (via Twitter). He notes that his absence is not injury related, and that Jenkins was also a healthy scratch last week against the Vikings.
NFC Notes: Panthers, Lions, Saints, Giants
As we wait to see whether the Eagles can take sole possession of the top spot in the NFC with a win tomorrow in San Francisco, let’s round up some notes from around the conference….
- Offensive lineman Garry Williams landed on injured reserve for the third time in four years today, and while it’s an unfortunate break for both Williams and the Panthers, the team protected itself against injury in its one-year extension for the veteran, according to Brian McIntyre (Twitter links). Williams’ base salary drops from $650K to $373K on IR, and he’ll miss out on nearly $100K in per-game roster bonuses.
- While Kyle Meinke of MLive.com initially scoffed at the notion that injured linebacker Stephen Tulloch may have placed his last game with the Lions, he notes that the team could save more than $3MM by cutting the linebacker in the offseason, which is money that could be put toward re-signing Ndamukong Suh or another player. Meinke isn’t advocating for Tulloch’s release and doesn’t necessarily view it as likely, but the combination of the 29-year-old’s ACL injury and cap figures make it a possibility.
- Mike Triplett’s latest Saints mailbag at ESPN.com deals primarily with questions about Drew Brees‘ potential longevity as he enters his late-30s, and whether it’s realistic to expect New Orleans to be a Super Bowl contender as long as Brees has one of the league’s largest contracts.
- Meanwhile, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com fields Giants-related questions in his Saturday mailbag, including one on how the team might balance the workload for free agent signee Rashad Jennings and rookie Andre Williams going forward.
NFC South Notes: Bucs, Falcons, Saints
The NFC South has been one of football’s less predictable divisions so far, with the Saints – everyone’s preseason pick to win the division – sitting at 1-2, while the popular postseason sleeper Buccaneers look like the NFL’s worst team at 0-3. All four teams, including the 2-1 Panthers and Falcons, are on the road this week, as Carolina and Atlanta try to continue their winning ways in Baltimore and Minnesota respectively. Meanwhile, the Bucs will try to get in the win column in Pittsburgh, while the Saints will look to halt the Cowboys’ winning streak in Dallas.
Here’s the latest out of the NFC South:
- With offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford away from the team indefinitely for health reasons, don’t expect the Buccaneers to hire an offensive consultant to work with Marcus Arroyo, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. According to Marvez, “it’s Arroyo’s show” in Tampa Bay.
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) adds defensive backs Roc Carmichael and Tommie Campbell to the list of players to work out for the Buccaneers this week.
- Reid Fragel was the offensive lineman to ultimately sign with the Falcons‘ practice squad this week, but the club also took a look at tackles Kevin Murphy and Martin Wallace, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
- The Saints also auditioned a handful of players this week, and Wilson provides several new names (via Twitter). The team signed offensive lineman Alex Parsons to its practice squad, but also tried out linemen Lemuel Jeanpierre and Eric Olsen, as well as cornerback Brandon Ghee.
NFL PR Notes: Goodell, Redskins, Incognito
It seems that as of late the NFL has not been able to escape controversy. One thing after another has come up to humiliate and embarrass the league.
Here are a few notes surrounding some of the controversies the NFL has had to deal with:
- Saints‘ All-Pro quarterback Drew Brees has been very critical of the way NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has reacted to recent transgressions made by players and team personnel. Much like the punishments the Saints were forced to endure after the bounty scandal, Brees sees the NFL’s abuse of power to be unfair, reports Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. “Too many times, I’d say especially over the last few years, a punishment’s been handed down and nobody has really seen the evidence except for those in the league office – supposedly,” Brees said. “So decisions were made in kind of a, ‘Hey, trust us.’ But did the public see any of the facts? Did the accused see any of the facts? In most cases, no.”
- Former Ravens‘ running back Ray Rice has hired Peter Ginsberg as representation for his upcoming appeal, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Ginsberg had previously represented NFL players such as Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, and Jonathan Vilma in their suspension appeals with the league. Florio’s source feels that Ginsberg will push for Rice’s case to be heard by the September 30 deadline or the suspension be overturned.
- The assistant district attorney in 49ers‘ defensive tackle Ray McDonald case is still without the official report, reports Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). Without that report, chances are increased that the court date will have to be pushed back.
- In the CBS Thursday Night Football commercials for the upcoming Giants versus the Redskins matchup, the word “Redskins” is conspicuously missing, reports Zac Boyer of the Washington Times. While big blue is referred to as “the Giants”, the Redskins are referred to as “Washington.”
- Classic Comedy Central animated comedy South Park focused its season premiere on the Redskins’ name controversy. Timothy Burke of Deadspin.com has compiled highlights from the episode, that featured parodies of a number of NFL characters.
- The Patriots‘ are having offensive line problems after trading All-Pro guard Logan Mankins, but they aren’t desperate enough to reach out to disgraced former Dolphin Richie Incognito, according to Andy Gresh on CSNNE.com. “He’s the ultimate last resort,” said Gresh. “There are other teams with o-line issues. He’s gotten a few calls, but no one has signed the guy yet. So I do think the temperature in the league might be a part of it. But he’s out there and no one has said, ‘I’ll deal with it because he’s a good enough player.'”
Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday
Here’s the latest practice squad news from around the NFL..
- The Jaguars have re-signed two players to their practice squad in receiver Kerry Taylor and tight end Marcel Jensen, reports John Oehser of the O-Zone (via Twitter). The team has waived tight end Michael Egnew and linebacker Marcus Whitfield to make room for the new additions.
- The Cardinals have re-signed punter Drew Butler to the practice squad, reports Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter). They have released defensive tackle Christian Tupou to make room for Butler.
- The Jets are continuing to upgrade their cornerback position, signing LeQuan Lewis to the 53-man roster from their practice squad, reports Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Another cornerback, Marcus Williams, took Lewis’ spot on the practice squad, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter).
Earlier Updates:
- The 49ers re-signed tight end Asante Cleveland to the practice squad, according to CSNBayArea.com’s Matt Barrows (on Twitter).
- The Saints signed center Alex Parsons to their practice squad and released guard Antoine McClain to make room, according to Ramon Antonio Vargas of The Advocate (on Twitter).
- The Giants announced that they have added former Raiders wide receiver Juron Criner to their practice squad, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter). To make room, they have released fellow wide receiver L’Damian Washington.
- The Buccaneers have filled their practice squad openings by adding fullback/tight end Ian Thompson, linebacker Shayne Skov, and defensive end T.J. Fatinkun, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (on Twitter). Skov was expected to sign with Tampa Bay following a successful workout.
- The Titans announced on Twitter that they have added quarterback Brad Sorensen to their practice squad and released cornerback Ri’Shard Anderson to make room.
Workout Notes: Cox, Beauharnais, Stanzi
The Eagles didn’t bring in any offensive linemen for workouts today or Monday, a league source tells Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News (on Twitter). Plenty of teams are busy auditioning players, however. We did a roundup of workout news earlier today and we have a whole ‘nother batch right here..
- Defensive back Derek Cox and linebacker Steve Beauharnais are among the busiest free agents in the NFL, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Cox tried out for the Saints while Beauharnais worked out for the Buccaneers, a source tells Yates.
- The Lions worked out defensive backs Chance Casey, T.J. Heath, Aaron Hester, and Kendall James, and wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
- The Giants worked out quarterback Ricky Stanzi, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). The Giants also worked out safeties Bacarri Rambo, Corey Lynch and Jerron McMillian and wide receiver Juron Criner, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).
- The Packers took a look at linebacker Nate Askew, running back Stephen Houston, running back Cameron White, and tackle Michael Philipp, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Guard Josh Walker was also part of today’s tryouts and he wound up getting signed to Green Bay’s practice squad.
- Nose tackle Ryan Pickett tried out for the Texans, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. The veteran started 16 games for Green Bay last season.
Injury Updates: Monday
Teams around the league today are assessing the damage from Week 3’s games, and in some cases the news is sobering. At Pro Football Rumors, we don’t cover every injury, but we’ll keep tabs on the major ones that could result in a player heading to injured reserve or in his team adding a replacement via free agency or trade. Here are the latest Monday updates on those major injuries from this week:
- According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Panthers running back Mike Tolbert has sustained a hairline fracture in his leg, while Jonathan Stewart has a sprained knee. Tolbert, who also has a bone bruise, won’t require surgery but may miss more than a month, a source tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). With DeAngelo Williams also banged up, expect the Panthers to add some help for the backfield this week.
Earlier updates:
- Like Jason Kelce, whose injury is noted below, Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph will undergo surgery for a sports hernia, reports Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter links). Rudolph is expected to miss about six weeks, which might make him a candidate for the injured reserve list with the designation to return.
- Saints center Jonathan Goodwin has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). While an MRI today will determine the severity of the injury, the team anticipates that Goodwin will miss time.
- As first reported by Howard Eskin of 94WIP Radio in Philadelphia (Twitter link), Eagles center Jason Kelce has a sports hernia injury and is expected to require surgery, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. It’s the latest blow for an increasingly depleted Eagles line, which is already missing Evan Mathis and Allen Barbre and may require an outside addition, as both Eskin and McLane point out. McLane reports that Kelce could end up missing about two months.
- Lions head coach Jim Caldwell confirmed today that linebacker Stephen Tulloch will be placed on injured reserve after sustaining a torn ACL (Twitter link). As if the season-ending injury wasn’t bad enough, it happened while Tulloch was celebrating a sack of Aaron Rodgers by performing his version of the “Discount Double Check” act.
- Bills wideout and special-teams ace Marcus Easley has suffered a sprained MCL, and will likely be sidelined for four to six weeks, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Buffalo has yet to use its IR-DTR spot, but Easley may not be a candidate for that designation, since he could return within a month.
- We rounded up some news on Steelers injuries earlier this morning.