Giants Work Out Devlin, Boyd, Six Others
In advance of tomorrow’s game against the Cardinals, the Giants brought in eight players for auditions, according to Jordan Raanan of the Newark Star-Ledger. New York might just be updating its emergency list at certain positions, but there were some notable names among those whom the team worked out:
- Nate Askew, LB
- Tajh Boyd, QB
- Kevin Cone, WR
- B.J. Cunningham, WR
- Pat Devlin, QB
- Mark Harrison, WR
- Caesar Rayford, DE
- L’Damian Washington, WR
Devlin, 26, was released by the Dolphins a month ago after Miami added fellow QB Brady Quinn. After playing college ball at Delaware, Devlin joined the Dolphins in 2011 after going undrafted. He has yet to appear in an NFL game. Boyd, a former Clemson star, was once viewed as a potential first-round pick, but was ultimately selected in the sixth round by the Jets in May. He was cut as the Jets moved to a 53-man roster in late August. As Raanan notes, the Giants have only two quarterbacks on their roster (Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib), so it’s possible one of Devlin or Boyd is added to the club if they feel they need a No. 3.
New York is a tad thin at receiver, where 2014 first-rounder Odell Beckham Jr. is currently out with a hamstring injury, so perhaps one of the WR group listed above might stick on the Giants’ roster. Only Cone has caught a pass (one) in the NFL, doing so last year for the Falcons. Cunningham, a sixth-round choice of the Dolphins in 2012, was waived by the Eagles last month after being active for two Philadelphia games in 2013. Harrison, an undrafted free agent out of Rutgers in 2013, is well-traveled — he’s spent time with the Bears, Patriots, and Chiefs.
Extra Points: Giants, Patriots, Hardy, Rice
Steve Weatherford was out punting during the portion of Giants practice that was open to the media on Friday, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The veteran had suffered a high left ankle sprain during Big Blue’s 35-14 Monday Night season-opening loss in Detroit and said that he wanted to test things out on Friday. He’s still listed as questionable, but today’s session is probably a good sign.
Nonetheless, the Giants seem to be preparing a backup plan just in case Weatherford is unable to go on Sunday. Per Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the team has worked out punters Zoltan Mesko, Brian Moorman, and Kasey Redfern.
- The Patriots worked out defensive tackle Fred Evans this week, as well as a handful of offensive linemen, including Conor Boffeli, Caylin Hauptmann, and Martin Wallace, according to Yates (Twitter link).
- Despite a rumor to the contrary, coach Ron Rivera says the Panthers plan to let the legal process play out with Greg Hardy and he will not be released before there’s a resolution in the courts, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
- Roger Goodell made a serious error in how he handled the Ray Rice case, but Panthers owner Jerry Richardson still has time to get it right when it comes to Hardy, writes Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer. For now the NFL and the Panthers are respecting the legal process, but they have the right to punish Hardy before things get underway in court, and Fowler thinks they should take advantage.
- There’s a strong possibility that the NFLPA will file a grievance on behalf of Rice even without his approval, a source tells Jeff Zrebiec and Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
- With Josh Gordon‘s suspension set to be reduced to 10 games, it could “open a can of worms” with others who tested positive in 2013 fighting for a revised suspension, a league source tells Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
NFC East Notes: Sam, Boyd, Parkey
Here’s today’s look at the NFC East, where the Eagles are the only team in the win column after Week 1..
- The Cowboys like what they’ve seen out of Michael Sam so far and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has complimented him on his “quickness and instincts,” writes Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News. Sam has mostly kept to himself in the Cowboys’ Valley Ranch locker room during media time and hasn’t taken questions since a five-minute introductory interview outside of the locker room earlier this month.
- The Giants are expected to work out Jets sixth-round pick Tajh Boyd, according to Art Stapleton of the Bergen Record. With Eli Manning and Ryan Nassib entrenched as the team’s top two quarterbacks, the Giants have been considering options at QB for the practice squad and the Clemson product could be a fit there.
- The Eagles were smart to get Cody Parkey via trade from the Colts, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Eagles gave up running back David Fluellen, whom they planned to waive anyway. Had they not made the deal, Parkey would have been up for grabs to the 21 teams ahead of them on the waiver wire. They also would have had to wait two extra days to watch him kick.
Vincent Brown Drawing Interest
THURSDAY, 2:16pm: The Vikings are not one of the teams that have reached out to Brown, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.
12:06pm: Brown has at least three workouts scheduled for next week, provided he doesn’t sign with another team before then, tweets Caplan.
WEDNESDAY, 7:19pm: Former Chargers wide receiver Vincent Brown has interest from at least eight teams, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). He’ll begin working out for teams next week.
Brown, 25, made a name for himself in 2013 with the Bolts, hauling in a career high 41 catches for 472 yards and one touchdown. Once viewed as a potential future stud for the Chargers, Brown was dropped in late August as a part of the club’s cut down to a 53-man roster. On Saturday, the former third round pick secured an injury settlement from San Diego as he looks for his next opportunity. From the sound of it, he may not be out of a job for long.
We don’t know who the eight teams with interest are, but Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger hears that the Giants aren’t among them, even though they’re waiting on injured rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
NFC Notes: Long, Newton, 49ers, Giants
As if the Rams‘ season wasn’t already off to a bad enough start, with the team coming off a blowout loss at home and struggling to find a healthy and competent quarterback, the club received more bad news today. Per head coach Jeff Fisher, defensive end Chris Long will have surgery this week and will miss at least “a few” games (Twitter link).
Long left Sunday’s contest against the Vikings with an ankle injury, and according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the veteran pass rusher could miss the next eight to 10 weeks. That would seem to make him a candidate for the IR list with the designation to return, and according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Rams will indeed use that spot for Long (Twitter link). That would make him eligible to return to practice after six weeks and to game action after eight weeks.
As we wait to see what can go wrong next in St. Louis, let’s round up a few other Wednesday items from around the NFC….
- According to Cam Newton, the Panthers have yet to approach him about a contract extension, which isn’t his focus right now anyway, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. There was some speculation this week that the decision to restructure Charles Johnson‘s contract could mean the club would explore an extension for Newton sooner rather than later.
- After cutting LaMichael James, the 49ers don’t intend to add a third running back to their roster this week, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, passing along a comment from coach Jim Harbaugh. It looks like San Francisco will head into Sunday’s contest with the Bears with Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde as its only active halfbacks.
- Giants punter Steve Weatherford won’t require surgery, but he does have torn ligaments in his left ankle after being hit during a kick on Monday night, writes Conor Orr of NJ.com. It’s not clear if Weatherford will be forced to miss the team’s Week 2 game, but according Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), the Giants have reached out to the agents for some free agent punters to put them on “standby,” just in case.
- Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes a look at some huge contract extensions signed within the last year and determines how soon teams could reasonably get away from them, if necessary. Among the deals examined by Corry: Colin Kaepernick‘s with the 49ers, Jay Cutler‘s with the Bears, and Jimmy Graham‘s with the Saints.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Mathis, Barbre
Dez Bryant and the Cowboys appeared to be making progress toward a contract extension in the weeks leading up to the regular season, but the two sides didn’t reach an agreement before the team’s opener against the Niners yesterday. According to Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News, Bryant said he still intends to table discussions during the season, but seemed disappointed that he and the team couldn’t work something out before that unofficial deadline.
“Truly, I really understand that this is a business,” Bryant said. “I only worry about the things that I can control.”
Here’s more from around the NFC East:
- Peter King of TheMMQB.com, who reported last week that the NFL encouraged multiple clubs around the league to consider Michael Sam as a practice squad candidate, writes today that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones denied that the league reached out to him to consider the rookie defensive end.
- An MRI on Eagles guard Evan Mathis revealed an MCL sprain of his right knee, a source tells Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The injury isn’t expected to end Mathis’ season, but it should sideline him for an extended period, so he may be a candidate for the IR list with the designation to return.
- Allen Barbre, who was stepping in for the suspended Lane Johnson, suffered a high ankle sprain during Sunday’s game and is also expected to miss multiple weeks, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. With Johnson slated to miss the next three games, and Mathis and Barbre likely out for those contests as well, the Eagles will likely be forced to feature a makeshift offensive line for at least the rest of September.
- Ex-Falcons wideout Darius Johnson is looking for another shot with an NFL team, and has a workout lined up with the Giants this week, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
Minor Moves: Wednesday
Tonight’s minor moves..
- The Giants reached an injury settlement with linebacker Justin Anderson, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- The Cowboys waived safety Matt Johnson off of the injured reserve with an injury settlement, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday
It’s hard to imagine any practice squad updates today will be more notable than the news that Michael Sam has joined the Cowboys’ unit, but there figure to be plenty other teams tweaking their squads. We’ll round up all those items right here:
- Undrafted rookie center Josh Allen, who was cut by the Bucs, has signed to the Packers‘ practice squad, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter).
- The Saints re-signed quarterback Ryan Griffin to their practice squad, a source tells Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Bengals have filled out their practice squad by adding ex-Chargers wideout Tevin Reese, the team announced today (via Twitter).
- Safety Matt Daniels has been replaced on the Rams’ practice squad by tight end Brad Smelley, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- The Vikings have confirmed the previously-reported signing of Ahmad Dixon to their practice squad, announcing that tackle Mike Remmers has been cut to make room (Twitter link).
- When they added Sam to their practice squad, the Cowboys dropped seventh-round linebacker Will Smith, according to a team release.
- As first reported by Doug Kyed of NESN (via Twitter), linebacker Colton Underwood has signed with the Eagles‘ practice squad, filling the 10th and final opening.
- The Patriots made a few changes to their practice squad, bringing in guard Chris Barker, running back Marcus Thigpen, and tight end Allen Reisner, according to Kyed (via Twitter). Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, safety Kanorris Davis and defensive back Daxton Swanson appear to no longer be on the squad, writes Lee Schechter of ESPNBoston.com.
- After working out several players yesterday, the Giants signed one of those players – defensive tackle Dominique Hamilton – to their practice squad today, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
- The Ravens brought in former third-round cornerback Jamell Fleming for a visit and added him to their practice squad, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Wilson’s Sun colleague Jeff Zrebiec adds (via Twitter) that cornerback Deji Olatoye has been cut to make room.
- Safety Ahmad Dixon, who was drafted by the Cowboys in the seventh round this year, is expected to sign with the Vikings‘ practice squad, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Minnesota currently has 10 players on board, so a corresponding move will be required.
Giants Sign Adam Snyder
10:56am: The Giants have confirmed the signing of Snyder in a press release. As expected, Schwartz was placed on the IR-designated to return list to make room on the active roster.
10:38am: The Giants will sign veteran offensive lineman Adam Snyder to help bolster their offensive line, reports Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (via Twitter). We heard yesterday from Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports that the team was working to sign the ex-Niner.
Snyder, 32, was one of the final cuts in San Francisco, despite having started several games for the team last season. Since being selected by the 49ers in the third round of the 2005 draft, Snyder has appeared in 137 total contests, including 87 starts. All but 14 of those games (and starts) came for the Niners. The Oregon product is also capable of playing anywhere on the line, having spent time at all five positions at various times in his career.
A corresponding move will be necessary for the Giants to make the signing of Snyder official, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if it involved Geoff Schwartz. The veteran guard has a foot injury and is a candidate for the injured reserve list, with a designation to return.
East Notes: Dolphins, Pats, Giants, Redskins
While most teams around the NFL have set their 53-man rosters and 10-man practice squads for the season, we shouldn’t expect those clubs to just sit on their hands going forward. Many clubs have been auditioning players this week for potential spots on the active roster or practice squad, including several teams from the NFL’s two East divisions. Via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, who passes along the latest updates in a series of tweets, here are the latest items out of the AFC and NFC East:
- The Dolphins tried out a handful of pass-catchers, including wide receivers Lamaar Thomas, L’Damian Washington, Travis Harvey, Michael Preston, and tight ends Jake Murphy, Michael Higgins, and David Paulson. The team also brought in quarterbacks Chase Rettig and Brad Sorensen.
- Maurice Hagans (RB), Evan Rodriguez (FB/TE), Derrell Johnson (LB), Josh Kaddu (LB), Allen Reisner (TE), Weslye Saunders (TE), Kion Wilson (LB), and Martez Wilson (DE/OLB) are among the players who auditioned for the Patriots. Wilson also lists Colin Underwood among the players working out for the Pats, but I would guess that’s ex-Chargers edge defender Colton Underwood.
- A few players who worked out for the Giants this week have been previously reported, but Wilson also adds several new names: Deveron Carr (CB), Emmett Cleary (T), Patrick Edwards (WR), Dominique Hamilton (DT), Chris Harper (WR), Will Simmons (OL), Rod Sweeting (DB), Trevardo Williams (LB), and Brian Wozniak (TE).
- In addition to offensive lineman Braxston Cave and linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat, who signed to the team’s practice squad, the Redskins also tried out defensive linemen Calvin Barnett, Derrick Hopkins, Quinn Pitcock, and Ryan Robinson.
- Wide receiver Teddy Williams visited the Eagles, but the team didn’t end up signing him to its practice squad, as had been previously reported, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).