NFC Mailbags: Giants, Panthers, Lions
It’s Saturday morning, and that means a fresh batch of NFL mailbags from ESPN’s writers. We’ve compiled some of the more interesting notes from the articles, and we’ll start with whispers out of the NFC…
- Dan Graziano believes that Giants general manager Jerry Reese is safe and will not be fired following the season. The writer shares a similar sentiment for head coach Tom Coughlin, but he warns that a lot could change in the second-half of the season.
- Based on what the team has seen from Robert Griffin III, Washington probably won’t be in the position to give their quarterback an extension this spring, writes John Keim.
- Following a disappointing season, teams often place the blame on somebody besides the general manager or head coach. David Newton opines that Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula could be that guy in Carolina.
- Michael Rothstein writes that Calvin Johnson is practically indispensable to the Lions organization, and having the wideout on the roster will have no impact on Ndamukong Suh or DeAndre Levy‘s future with the team.
Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday
We’ll keep tabs on today’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the league right here:
- After waiting for him to clear waivers, the Ravens have officially signed tight end Phillip Supernaw back to their practice squad, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
- The Seahawks have signed defensive end Ryan Robinson to their taxi squad and are now back to the maximum 10 players, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link).
- Having lost tackle Nick Becton off their practice squad when he signed with the Saints, the Giants have filled his spot by adding safety Kyle Sebetic, who was in camp with the team this summer.
Earlier updates:
- The Patriots have re-signed wideout Jonathan Krause to their taxi squad, dropping defensive lineman Kona Schwenke from the unit to clear a spot, the team announced today in a press release.
- Running back Michael Hill has been released from the Packers‘ practice squad, replaced by guard Jordan McCray, tweets Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Heading into today with one open spot on their practice squad, the Buccaneers created another opening by cutting defensive end George Uko, then filled those spots by signing defensive tackle Matthew Masifilo and cornerback Quinton Pointer, tweets Scott Smith of Buccaners.com.
- The Steelers have added safety Jordan Dangerfield to their practice squad, releasing defensive end Ethan Hemer, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Pittsburgh safeties Troy Polamalu and Shamarko Thomas are both dealing with injuries, so Dangerfield could be a candidate for promotion this weekend depending on the status of those players.
- Defensive tackle Loni Fangupo has joined the Chiefs‘ practice squad, according to his representatives at ARN Sports (Twitter link).
Minor Moves: Wednesday
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves that affect teams’ 53-man rosters around the league:
- In a reversal of a pair of roster moves made earlier this week, the Panthers have re-signed running back Chris Ogbonnaya using the roster spot created when the team cut De’Andre Presley yesterday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Carolina had previously activated Presley and waived Ogbonnaya, so the club’s motives here aren’t entirely clear.
- Defensive end Demarcus Dobbs, cut yesterday by the 49ers, has been claimed off waivers by the division-rival Seahawks, according to his agent Wesley Spencer (Twitter link). Since Seattle didn’t have an open spot on the roster, the team placed defensive end Greg Scruggs on the injured reserve list in order to accommodate the addition of Dobbs, tweets Brian McIntyre.
Earlier updates:
- One depleted secondary has added a piece from another, as the Giants announced today in a press release that they’ve claimed cornerback Chykie Brown off waivers from the Ravens. To make room on the roster for Brown, who lost his job in Baltimore after Ben Roethlisberger threw six touchdowns against the Ravens on Sunday, the Giants placed Prince Amukamara on injured reserve — as we learned yesterday, the cornerback is out for the year with a torn biceps.
- The Titans have replaced one tight end with another on their 53-man roster, bringing back Brett Brackett and placing the injured Taylor Thompson on IR, according to a team release. Thompson suffered his knee injury in Week 3 and had been unable to get healthy, while Brackett had been on the Seahawks’ practice squad before signing to Tennessee’s active roster.
Freeman’s Latest: Giants, Welker, Sam
Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report tackles a number of issues and topics around the NFL in his latest 10-Point Stance column, opening with a look at red-hot Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and also discussing Rob Gronkowski and Andrew Luck, among others. Here are a few of the more interesting tidbits from Freeman’s piece:
- Expect “heads to roll” if the Giants don’t make the playoffs this year, according to Freeman. Across the NFL, there’s speculation that New York’s front office could undergo changes if the team misses out on the postseason, and head coach Tom Coughlin‘s job would likely be in jeopardy as well. There are only six teams in the NFC currently above .500, so the 3-5 Giants aren’t totally out of the hunt yet, but they’re slipping out of contention, and personnel men around the league are bracing for the club to make “fairly substantial changes” in the offseason.
- Several former Patriots teammates of Wes Welker asked about the Broncos wideout after Sunday’s game, and were concerned about his health. According to Freeman, there are “a lot of people close to Welker” who would like to see him walk away from football soon for the sake of his long-term health.
- Passing along data compiled by Cyd Zeigler of Outsports.com, Freeman suggests that Michael Sam‘s sexuality seems to be playing a part in his inability to land even a spot on a practice squad. Sam doesn’t appear to be drawing serious interest from any NFL teams at this point, and while no personnel execs will say the defensive end’s sexuality is a factor, the fact that he can’t find a job is virtually unprecedented for a player with his college resumé.
- Following up on reports by ESPN’s Britt McHenry and the Washington Post’s Jason Reid, Freeman indicates that Washington “is a mess,” as much as the club may try to deny it. The Bleacher Report scribe points to a leadership vacuum that needs to be addressed.
East Notes: Pryor, Jets, Patriots, Pierre-Paul
Earlier today, Washington became the latest team to have free agent quarterback Terrelle Pryor in for a workout, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. The club now has a fully healthy group of signal-callers in Robert Griffin III, Colt McCoy, and Kirk Cousins, so it appears to be an unlikely landing spot for Pryor. Running backs Tim Hightower and Jeff Demps were also among the free agents whom Washington auditioned today, per John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The club worked out nine more players, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk provides a full list: tight end Chase Dixon, tight end D.C. Jefferson, safety Ahmad Black, defensive tackle Lanier Coleman, tackle Chris Faulk, tight end Tyler George, defensive end Donte Paige-Moss, defensive tackle Justin Renfrow, and safety Nickoe Whitley. Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions.
- The Jets’ plan to rely on second-year player Dee Milliner, rookie Dexter McDougle, and mediocre free agent Dimitri Patterson as their primary corners was flawed from the beginning, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. Milliner and McDougle both suffered serious injuries, while Patterson went AWOL during the preseason and was released.
- The Jets worked out linebacker Shayne Skov today, tweets Costello. Skov, a 2014 undrafted free agent, has worked out for the Chargers and Texans in recent days after spending time with the 49ers and Buccaneers earlier this year.
- The Patriots also brought in several players for tryouts today, writes Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, who identifies kickers Dave Teggart and Zach Hocker, long snappers Charley Hughlett and Patrick Scales, punter Cody Mandell, and quarterback Garrett Gilbert as having auditioned for New England.
- Responding to a reader’s Twitter question, Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger gave defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul a 55% chance of returning to the Giants next season. Pierre-Paul is having a solid season as he approaches free agency — though he has only 3.5 sacks, he’s graded as the league’s third-best 4-3 defensive end among 54 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). PFF’s metrics rate the 25-year-old as the best run defender at his position by far; his +17.1 grade against the run is nearly double that of Derek Wolfe, the No. 2 finisher.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
We’re already tracking today’s practice squad signings and cuts in one post, and we’ll use the space below to keep tabs on Tuesday’s minor 53-man roster transactions. Here’s the latest:
- Wide receiver Bryan Walters, who was cut over the weekend by the Seahawks, is celebrating his 27th birthday by re-signing with the team, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Seattle also made a few other roster moves, signing tight end Tony Moeaki and cutting linebacker L.J. Fort and defensive back Terrance Parks, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, adding in a second tweet that Parks received an injury settlement.
- As expected, Washington activated wideout Leonard Hankerson off the PUP list today, cutting cornerback Chase Minnifield in order to accommodate the addition (Twitter link). Earlier today, John Keim of ESPN.com had pointed to cornerback as a position where the club had a surplus and could cut a player to make room for Hankerson.
- The Saints have signed tackle Nick Becton off the Giants’ practice squad, placing fullback Austin Johnson on injured reserve with a knee injury to create an opening on their 53-man roster, says Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune (Twitter links).
- De’Andre Presley was activated from the reserve/PUP list just yesterday, but the Panthers have waived the receiver today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
Prince Amukamara Done For Season
The Giants will need to replace one of their key defenders, as head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters, including Nick Powell of the Star-Ledger, that cornerback Prince Amukamara suffered a torn biceps during last night’s game. The 25-year-old will require surgery, meaning his 2014 season is over. “We’ve lost a player or two in each game, it seems like,” said Coughlin. “That’s not a good one. Prince was playing well. He did a very nice job tonight and that was a blow to lose him.”
Amukara, a 2011 first-round pick, was in the middle of what was probably his best season to date. He’s started all eight games for New York, registering 37 tackles and three interceptions. The Nebraska product graded as the 20th-best cornerback in the league among 109 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and he’s allowed the sixth-best passer rating against (58.2). The Giants picked up Amukara’s fifth-year option for 2015, which entitles him to $6.898MM in injury-guaranteed base salary; if he can’t pass a physical due to his injury when the new league year begins, he’ll be locked into that money.
Fellow defensive back Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is also dealing with injuries, and though he can still play, the Giants will need Zackary Bowman, Jayron Hosley, and Chandler Fenner to step up in Amukamara’s absence. The club will have an open roster spot once Amumakara is placed on IR, and one would guess that practice squad CB Bennett Jackson is a candidate for promotion given the health concerns in New York’s secondary.
NFC Notes: Vikes, McDonald, Sims, Schwartz
As we wait to see whether or not Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will be available this weekend for a showdown between two of the NFC’s top teams – Dallas and Arizona – let’s check out a few Friday afternoon items from across the conference….
- Since Vikings practice squad Chandler Harnish was injured in practice this week, the team has been on the lookout for a replacement. According to head coach Mike Zimmer, three signal-callers worked out for the club today, though he didn’t identify the players by name, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links).
- Tracey Kaplan of the San Jose Mercury News was among those reporting that Santa Clara County prosecutors are leaning against charging 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald with domestic violence. However, while the District Attorney’s office may be leaning that way, the DA announced today that no decision has been made yet, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
- Players who went on the IR list with the designation to return prior to Week 1 are eligible to be activated for this weekend’s contests, and while Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets that Buccaneers running back Charles Sims figures to come off IR tomorrow, Giants guard Geoff Schwartz won’t be activated for at least one more week, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Caplan adds (via Twitter) that the Bucs appear likely to promote defensive tackle Matthew Masifilo from their practice squad as well.
- While it doesn’t appear likely to happen, head coach Ron Rivera believes Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy should be reinstated by the NFL if his trial is postponed until after the season, as ESPN.com’s David Newton details.
- Given the multiple ACL injuries suffered by quarterback Sam Bradford and tackle Jake Long, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wonders whether the Rams will be able to count on either player for the 2015 season.
Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday
Today’s practice squad moves:
- One cornerback has replaced another on the Chargers‘ practice squad, as the team announced today that it has signed Kendall James and parted ways with Aaron Hester.
- Offensive lineman Chris Barker, who was cut when the Patriots acquired Jonathan Casillas, has cleared waivers and will rejoin the club’s practice squad, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. The Pats will have to make a corresponding move to make room for Barker.
- One last update from Charean Williams (Twitter link) on Jeff Baca: the Cowboys have indeed signed the offensive lineman to their practice squad, releasing guard Rishaw Johnson to do so.
Earlier updates:
- After being cut by the Rams to accommodate the addition of safety Mark Barron, quarterback Case Keenum has cleared waivers and re-signed with the team’s practice squad, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Linebacker Justin Anderson is signing with the Giants‘ practice squad, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The team had been carrying just nine players on its squad, so no corresponding move was necessary to clear room for Anderson, who spent time with the Giants during the preseason.
- The Seahawks appear to have filled one of their practice squad openings by adding offensive lineman Keavon Milton, says Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).
- Charean Williams had issued an addendum to her earlier report, tweeting that apparently Baca hasn’t signed with the Cowboys after all. Instead, the team has replaced Davis with another linebacker, Will Smith.
- The Cowboys have signed offensive lineman Jeff Baca to the taxi squad, replacing linebacker Troy Davis, according to Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram (on Twitter).
- Quarterback Mike Kafka has been signed to the Buccaneers‘ practice squad, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Kafka, 27, was released by the Bucs on Monday. He did not take a snap with the Bucs during his short stint on the active roster and his only NFL experience came in 2011 with the Eagles where he appeared in four games.
Giants Place Jon Beason On IR
WEDNESDAY, 4:17pm: The Giants have officially placed Beason on injured reserve, announcing the signing of cornerback Mike Harris to take his spot on the roster. Harris’ signing had been previously reported.
MONDAY, 11:16am: Giants linebacker Jon Beason needs surgery on his toe and will miss the remainder of the season, according to Dan Graziano of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). The former first-round pick met with a specialist in North Carolina last week and, apparently, the prognosis was not good.
Beason missed most of the offseason thanks to an injury on the same foot. Beason suffered a sesamoid fracture in his right foot, as well as a ligament tear, back in July. Beason represented himself in free agency this offseason and did a pretty solid job on the deal that brought him back to the Giants. Beason got a three-year deal that carries a base value of $16.8MM, with a $4.4MM signing bonus and $6MM in overall guaranteed money.
Pro Football Focus’ metrics ranked Beason 47th out of 55 qualified inside linebackers last season, in large part due to poor grades in pass coverage. However, the ex-Panther piled up 93 tackles and an interception in just 12 games with the Giants. In four games this season, Beason registered 11 tackles.