NFC Notes: JPP, Panthers, Maxwell, Washington
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has been reasonably effective since returning from his hand injury, but the bulky club on his right hand has prevented him from being as sure a tackler as he once was. As Tom Rock of Newsday details, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is confident that JPP will make the necessary adjustments. Teams around the league will likely be keeping a close eye on the veteran pass rusher down the stretch to see how he adapts, since he’s eligible for free agency this winter.
Here’s more from across the NFC:
- With the Panthers three wins away from a 16-0 season, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer takes a look back at GM Dave Gettleman‘s time with the franchise, examining both his good and bad moves since taking over the job.
- Byron Maxwell‘s deal with the Eagles may have looked like a $63MM mistake earlier in the season, but the cornerback has played well in recent weeks, and is beginning to justify the club’s investment in him, says Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News.
- With multiple players trying new positions this season, Washington has gone mad scientist on its roster, and so far many of the team’s experiments have worked out, writes Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post.
East Notes: Henderson, Fitzpatrick, Bradford
Having recently started listing Seantrel Henderson on the injury report with an “illness,” the Bills and head coach Rex Ryan declined to get into specifics on Henderson’s condition. However, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News hears from an NFL source that Henderon has been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel condition. Per Carucci’s source, the Bills’ right tackle “has experienced severe stomach pain and has lost nearly 20 pounds.”
A seventh-round pick in 2014, Henderson started all 16 games in his rookie season in Buffalo, and had started 10 games for the team this year before he was sidelined. Carucci indicates that the former Miami Hurricane is expected to miss the rest of this season, though it’s not clear how the diagnosis will affect him going forward.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s East divisions:
- Ryan Fitzpatrick is on track to play in more than 70% of the Jets‘ offensive plays this season, which is good news for the Texans, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. If Fitzpatrick remains above that threshold, Houston will receive a sixth-round pick from New York, rather than a seventh-rounder.
- While Chip Kelly and the Eagles have expressed interest in having Sam Bradford on the roster in 2016 and beyond, the quarterback himself has been noncommittal, preferring to postpone that conversation until after the season, as Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News writes. Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer observes that Bradford’s recovery from his ACL injury has been similar to the path taken by Carson Palmer, so perhaps a Palmer-esque extension would work for Bradford and the Eagles.
- Former Giants defensive end Damontre Moore is ready for a fresh start with the Dolphins, and spoke to reporters about his departure from New York. James Kratch of NJ.com has the details and the quotes.
Giants Sign Barry Cofield, Cut Brandon Meriweather
THURSDAY, 9:13am: The Giants have officially signed Cofield, the team announced today in a press release.
WEDNESDAY, 2:15pm: The Giants are making a change on defense, signing one veteran player while cutting another, according to reports. Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets that New York is waiving safety Brandon Meriweather, while ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that defensive tackle Barry Cofield will fill the newly-created opening on the roster.
Cofield, who started his career with the Giants, suffered his first major injury in 2014, as he missed about half the season after an ankle injury forced him onto the injured reserve list with the designation to return. While the defensive lineman returned to action for Washington in November, he only started three of eight games for the season, marking the first time since 2007 that he appeared in a game he didn’t start.
The 31-year-old underwent offseason hip surgery, which kept him on the free agent market for longer than expected, but it appears the Giants liked what they saw of Cofield during an early-December workout, resulting in him landing an NFL job.
Meriweather, a starting safety for the Giants’ first 11 games, has been inactive during the last two weeks as he deals with a knee issue. The 31-year-old, who is currently ranked 67th by Pro Football Focus out of 86 qualified safeties, had 53 tackles and a pair of interceptions for New York this season. Based on the official announcement from the Giants, it doesn’t appear that Meriweather was cut with an injury designation.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/15/15
Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Dolphins announced (Twitter link) that they have claimed defensive end Damontre Moore off waivers from the Giants. To make room, center/guard Jacques McClendon has been waived.
- The Bengals are expected to promote practice squad quarterback Keith Wenning to the 53-man roster as a backup to A.J. McCarron, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter).
- The Bears announced (via Twitter) that they have promoted rookie linebacker John Timu from the taxi squad while waiving veteran defensive lineman Ziggy Hood.
- The Seahawks waived receiver B.J. Daniels and safety Akeem Davis while activating linebacker Brock Coyle from IR, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes.
- Adrian Phillips will be promoted off of the Chargers‘ practice squad and on to the 53-man roster, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego writes.
- The Saints waived veteran defensive end Phillip Hunt on Tuesday, as Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune writes.
- The Raiders have signed long snapper Thomas Gafford, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). In a related move, long snapper Jon Condo has been placed on IR.
- The Bengals (on Twitter) announced that they have waived linebacker Chris Carter.
- Tight end Chase Coffman has re-signed with the Seahawks, a source tells Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter).
- Washington announced the signing of veteran tight end Alex Smith (not to be confused with the quarterback of the same name). Smith, 33, is an 11-year veteran who has had previous stints in the NFL with the Bucs, Pats, Eagles, Browns, and Saints. In other roster moves Tuesday, the team waived safety Trenton Robinson from IR with an injury settlement.
- The Cowboys have released cornerback Tyler Patmon, according to a source who spoke with Charean Williams of The Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Terrance Mitchell will now be called up from the taxi squad and given an opportunity to play at nickel.
- The Rams waived kicker Zach Hocker and signed defensive tackle Louis Trinca-Pasat from the taxi squad, Howard Balzer of USA Today tweets.
Details On Damontre Moore’s Release
SUNDAY, 12:08pm: As Ralph Vacchiano of The New York Daily News writes, the Giants’ decision to cut Moore reveals the team’s lack of defensive line depth and general lack of promising young talent. However, Big Blue may not have had a choice. As Mike Garafolo of FOXSports (via FOXSports colleague Jay Glazer) tweets, Moore has been “fighting his teammates since Day 1 of training camp,” and has “yelled at” both head coach Tom Coughlin and GM Jerry Reese. Despite repeated warnings from New York brass, Moore failed to adjust his attitude, which ultimately sealed his fate with the club (Twitter links).
SATURDAY, 1:51pm: Moore admitted in a radio interview a fight with Jenkins over headphones did ensue, but that the skirmish stemmed from a “compilation” of issues between the two defensive linemen, James Kratch of NJ.com writes.
Moore called into an ESPN New York radio show to explain his side of the events, noting he’d had several issues with the 34-year-old Jenkins, with the headphones being the final straw, so to speak. Moore did not receive a pair of free headphones, while Jenkins was seen taking several pairs prior to Thursday’s practice, Kratch reports.
The two ex-teammates haven’t spoken since the fight.
“I definitely could have handled it better by just obviously walking away,” Moore told the radio station. “The crazy thing was, I don’t really necessarily look at (the dispute) as over a Beats By Dre headphone. … It was more of a respect thing. It was, you know, a combination of things that build up over time.”
Moore mentioned Beckham, Steve Weatherford and select others who have reached out after the sudden separation. Before mentioning he’s ready should another team express interest, he doesn’t characterize himself as immature, but a player in development and perhaps in need of a scenery change.
“By no way was I a saint. I had a lot of learning curves and majority factors,” Moore said. “I’ve grown over the time and I felt like, you know, things just ran its course. It happens in this game. As you know, it’s very rare that most people spend their whole career with a certain team. I think it just ran its course.”
FRIDAY, 5:22pm: When Damontre Moore was cut by the Giants today, reports indicated that New York made the move after the defensive end violated team rules. But the details of the incident are a bit more specific and — arguably — comical, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (Twitter link) that Moore got into a fight with fellow defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins after failing to get free Beats by Dre headphones (which other players apparently received).
Star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was reportedly handing out the headphones as gifts, per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter link), when Jenkins grabbed multiple pairs. The story is a tad reminiscent of the IK Enemkpali/Geno Smith saga that took place during the preseason, where Enempali broke Smith’s jaw over what early reports described was a monetary dispute. Moore, who, for the record, is earning $585K in pre-tax income, lost his roster spot over an item that retails at roughly $200.
According to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com, today’s decision was the culmination of Moore’s repeated behavioral and maturity issues, with the final straw being his altercation with Jenkins. Moore has been fined several times by the club this year for rules violations and behavior problems, per Graziano.
East Notes: Giants, Tannehill, Jets
While Giants brass was fed up enough with pass rusher Damontre Moore to cut him Friday after he got in a fight over headphones with then-teammate Cullen Jenkins, ESPN’s Dan Graziano writes that most of the club’s players aren’t happy the 23-year-old is gone. One Giant told Graziano that Moore’s gameday encouragement of both offensive and defensive players will be missed, and another said the third-year man could always be counted on to attend teammates’ charity events without asking for anything in return.
The atmosphere in the locker room was quiet after Moore’s release, per Graziano, who believes his ex-Giants teammates want things to go better for him in his next stop. There’s a chance the Giants and Moore could meet as foes this year, Graziano notes, as one of their remaining opponents – the Dolphins, Panthers, Vikings or Eagles – might land him.
More on Big Blue and a couple of AFC East teams:
- While the Giants’ Tom Coughlin may be past his prime, the recent work of general manager Jerry Reese hasn’t helped the head coach’s cause, submits Newsday’s Bob Glauder. The release of Moore, a third-round pick in 2013, is the latest check mark against Reese – whom Glauber believes has too often underwhelmed in the early and middle rounds of drafts over the last few years. Reese’s failure to hit on those picks has caught up to the Giants, which is a big reason why they’re 5-7.
- Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has gotten plenty of blame for the team’s disappointing season, but offensive coordinator Zac Taylor says the fourth-year man hasn’t “regressed in any way, shape, or form,” per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
- The Jets have two key defensive linemen scheduled to become free agents at year’s end. One is Muhammad Wilkerson, who’s among the best, most well-known defenders in the league. The other, Damon Harrison, doesn’t have Wilkerson’s name recognition, but he has performed brilliantly. That will make it difficult for the Jets to let Harrison go, opines Brian Costello of the New York Post. The 27-year-old currently grades out as the fifth-best run-stuffing interior D-lineman in the league this season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
- Backup Dolphins tight end Brandon Williams broke a bone in his left foot and is likely to miss the rest of the season, head coach Dan Campbell said (Twitter link via ESPN’s James Walker).
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/15
Here are Saturday’s minor moves from around the league.
- Sixth-round rookie Raiders linebacker Neiron Ball will move to IR, and the team signed defensive tackle Leon Orr to replace him, CSNBayArea.com reports. Ball started two games for the Raiders. Orr signed in Oakland as a rookie UDFA in May.
- In a corresponding transaction with Eugene Monroe being placed on IR, the Ravens added quarterback Bryn Renner to their active roster, Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com tweets. Renner represents insurance in case Matt Schaub, who is questionable with a chest injury, sits out Sunday and forces backup Jimmy Clausen into the lineup.
- The Patriots signed linebacker Eric Martin from their practice squad and to fill that spot on the 10-man unit added running back Trey Williams, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss tweets. Reiss notes Martin’s addition could be a reaction to the Eagles’ blocked punt in their upset win over the Patriots in Week 13. Martin worked out for the Texans last week.
- To fill Damontre Moore‘s roster spot after the defensive end’s Giants tenure concluded Friday, the team claimed defensive end Stansly Maponga off the Falcons‘ practice squad, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). A Falcons fifth-round pick in 2013, Maponga played in 12 games in both the 2013 and 2014 seasons but hasn’t suited up for a game this year. The 24-year-old TCU alum recovered two fumbles last season.
- The Titans signed linebacker J.R. Tavai off their practice squad and placed fellow backer Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil on IR to make room on the roster, Jim Wyatt of Titansonline.com reports (via Twitter). Cudjoe-Virgil suffered a torn patellar tendon in practice on Thursday.
- The 49ers elevated tight end Brian Leonhardt to their active roster, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. The 25-year-old’s spent his NFL career in the Bay Area, playing in 12 games for the Raiders in 2014 after residing in Oakland in 2013 as well. A Division II product, Leonhardt has not seen any game action in San Francisco this season.
- The Ravens re-signed rookie safety Nick Perry to their practice squad, Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter). An Alabama product, Perry hasn’t played in a game this season.
Giants Waive Damontre Moore
3:24pm: The Giants have officially announced the release of Moore, with GM Jerry Reese suggesting in a statement that the move is “in the interest of both parties.”
2:45pm: Damontre Moore‘s absence from the Giants’ Friday practice has been explained, with Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reporting (via Twitter) that Moore has been cut by the team. According to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Giants made the decision after Moore violated team rules, though the nature of the violation isn’t yet known.
Moore, 23, was a third-round pick in the 2013 draft, selected by the Giants 81st overall. The Texas A&M product has been a part-time contributor since then, recording 32 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 2014, with 17 tackles and three sacks so far this season.
While those aren’t exactly eye-popping numbers, they stack up well compared to some of New York’s other defenders — the team has been starved for pass rushers, and Robert Ayers, who has four sacks, is the only Giant who has gotten to the quarterback more often than Moore.
If Moore clears waivers, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent, with the ability to sign anywhere. However, depending on the nature of his rules violation, he could be a popular waiver target. The third-year defensive end remains under contract through the 2016 season, with salaries and cap hits under $1MM this year and next, so a team that claims him would do so at a minimal cost.
NFC Notes: Saunders, Donnell, Ingram, Packers
Wide receiver and return man Jalen Saunders, who is on the Bears‘ practice squad IR list, just finished serving a four-game suspension, but before he could even become eligible to return to Chicago’s active practice squad, he was hit with another penalty. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Saunders has now been suspended 10 games by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
The 10-game ban will mean that Saunders will miss the final four games of the 2015 season, as well as the first six games of next year. By that point, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll still be in the Bears’ plans at all, and it may be hard for the Oklahoma product, a Jets fourth-round pick in 2014, to find another team willing to take a shot on him.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Giants tight end Larry Donnell won’t play again this season, having been placed on injured reserve by the team. But at this point, there’s optimism that Donnell’s neck injury won’t be a long-term issue that impacts his career in future years, head coach Tom Coughlin said today (Twitter link via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post).
- Having been placed on injured reserve on Wednesday, Saints running back Mark Ingram will undergo surgery to repair his torn left rotator cuff, writes Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Ingram is the second Saints running back to land on IR this season, joining Khiry Robinson on the list.
- Packers offensive lineman Matt Rotheram is the latest practice squad player to get a raise, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com. Yates tweets that Rotheram is now earning $25,588 per week, equivalent to what he’d earn as a minimum-salary player on the active roster. Green Bay likely bumped up the lineman’s salary after he received some interest from rival teams.
- British rugby player Tom Burgess will continue his NFL tour today with a workout for the Seahawks, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). Burgess has already auditioned for the Steelers, Giants, Jets, and Bills, and could be in line for a reserve/futures contract at season’s end.
East Notes: Cowboys, Giants, Bills
The Cowboys earned their first win this season without Tony Romo on Monday night, upending NFC East rival Washington, 19-16, to improve to 4-8 and remain in the hunt for the division title. Despite the victory, owner Jerry Jones wasn’t happy after the game. The 73-year-old criticized his club’s Jason Garrett-led coaching staff both for not getting star receiver Dez Bryant more involved and its end-of-game clock management, according to Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Jones said that the Cowboys beat Washington “on will, not tactical mastery.” He also expressed disappointment in the team’s 1-7 record sans Romo.
“I am stunned that we haven’t been able to win more games without Tony. And I would have thought that we could have coached it up enough, and put it together enough, that we would not have lost those games without Romo early. We would be in better shape than we are right now.”
Even though they’re well under .500, the Cowboys are still in the playoff hunt because of their division’s general incompetence. Jones doesn’t sound particularly hopeful about their postseason chances, though.
“I look at it at 4-8 and won’t look at it any differently as we move up the ladder until something really special happens,” Jones stated.
More from both the NFL’s two East-based divisions:
- The Bills won’t have any in-season discussions about the future status of general manager Doug Whaley, according to The Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci (Twitter link).
- Giants receiver Rueben Randle has garnered 66 fewer targets than last season, when he totaled career highs in catches (71) and yards (938), and he voiced his displeasure about it Tuesday. “My opportunities have been cut down a little more,” Randle told WFAN, per the New York Daily News’ Ebenezer Samuel. “It’s definitely frustrating. As a receiver you want to get more involved. It can be kind of tough when the opportunities are limited.” Randle is averaging just over five targets per game this year after piling up almost eight per contest last season.
- The Bills made a surprising roster move today, releasing veteran tight end Matthew Mulligan in order to promote rookie TE Nick O’Leary. The transaction sparked some speculation that Buffalo had wanted to protect O’Leary from a team that might sign him away, and Mike Rodak of ESPN.com confirms (via Twitter) that the sixth-rounder did have some clubs “fishing around” on him.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.