NFC Notes: Brent, Wilson, Bears, Foles
Former Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent is meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell this week in the hopes of being reinstated to the league after serving a 180-day prison sentence for intoxication manslaughter. And if he’s reinstated, he’ll have a roster spot available in Dallas, according to team owner Jerry Jones (link via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
“We will, yes we will,” Jones said, when asked if the Cowboys would create an opening for Brent. “In other words, we wouldn’t have it today, but we will make a roster spot.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Even with David Wilson no longer on the roster, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin thinks his team has enough running backs, tweets Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
- As for Wilson, despite his retirement due to injury, he’ll be eligible to collect his full $998K salary for 2014 while on injured reserve, as well as half of his $1.3MM salary for 2015, writes Eben Novy-Williams of Bloomberg.
- It sounds as if the Bears will add a wide receiver to their roster soon after potential No. 3 wideout Marquess Wilson suffered a fractured clavicle this week. In his latest mailbag, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune explores the possibility of the club re-signing Earl Bennett, who was cut earlier in the offseason and was subsequently signed and released by the Browns.
- In a piece for The Sporting News, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap breaks down how Andy Dalton‘s new contract compares to other quarterback deals, suggesting that it may represent the return of the middle class market. The Dalton extension may also provide a blueprint for Nick Foles and the Eagles, according to Fitzgerald, since Philadelphia has a similar cap situation to the Bengals and Foles, like Dalton, still has a few question marks.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk takes a look at perhaps the oddest detail of Colin Kaepernick‘s extension with the 49ers, which involves the disability policy the quarterback had to purchase as part of the deal.
Extra Points: Tuitt, Mallett, Brooks
The Steelers thought Stephon Tuitt was a steal at No. 46 overall, writes Triblive.com’s Alan Robinson, and the rookie defensive lineman out of Notre Dame is already working with the first-team defense, drawing praise from coaches and teammates.
Here’s a few more miscellaneous notes to conclude the evening:
- Patriots backup quarterback Ryan Mallett is a “legitimate NFL starting quarterback” in the eyes of NFL Network’s Mike Mayock.
- Giants backup quarterback Ryan Nassib, a 2013 fourth-rounder, saw extended action in the team’s first preseason game Sunday night. He drew approval from head coach Tom Couglin, according to Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News, but “accuracy is obviously still an issue,” says ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
- Brandon Brooks‘ injury (thought to be a back injury) is a growing concern in Texans camp, writes John McClain in the Houston Chronicle.
- Mike Scifres is a solid punter, but his five-year, $18.3MM contract (with cap hits over $4MM each of the next two seasons) is the worst contract on the Chargers, in the opinion of OverTheCap.com’s Jason Fitzgerald, who says, “Putting this much stock into a punter is simply foolish.”
David Wilson To End Playing Career
The Giants have announced that they’ve placed running back David Wilson on injured reserve and advised Wilson to no longer play football, according to a team release. Wilson’s 2013 season was cut short by a neck injury, and though he was medically cleared to return to practice for the Giants this summer, he suffered another neck injury last week, resulting in the doctors’ decision.
“In light of last week’s episode of symptoms, sensory and motor, [Dr. Frank Cammisa] and I both told David he should not play football anymore,” said Giants physician Dr. Russell Warren. “We let David know that by playing, he would be putting himself at risk for more episodes like last week or perhaps something more serious.”
For his part, Wilson sounds as if he’s heeding the advice of the doctors and ending his playing career.
“I lived my dream. A lot of people only get to dream their dream. I lived that dream. Now I have a chance to dream another dream and live that, too,” Wilson said. “I’m thankful that I can literally walk away from the game and that I am healthy and capable of doing the same things I have done all my life, except play football.”
Wilson, 23, was selected with the 32nd overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Giants, making him the last running back to be picked in the first round. He showed plenty of promise in his rookie season, averaging 5.0 yards per carry and scoring five touchdowns, but his 2013 campaign was derailed by fumbling problems and injuries. With Wilson no longer in the mix, the Giants figure to lean more heavily on free agent signee Rashad Jennings, with Peyton Hillis, Michael Cox, and Andre Williams competing for carries behind him.
As Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports notes (via Twitter), no mention of retirement was made in the Giants’ press release today, but that was likely by design, since Wilson wouldn’t be able to claim injury protection on his salary if he were to officially retire.
David Wilson Out For ’14, Career In Jeopardy?
12:22pm: The Giants are expected to issue a statement regarding Wilson soon, and will most likely place him on injured reserve, tweets Kimberly Jones of NFL.com. Anderson adds (via Twitter) that Wilson’s 2014 season is over. If Wilson is indeed heading to IR, the club could wait a few weeks to officially make the move, at which point the running back would no longer have to pass through waivers.
AUGUST 4, 11:52am: : A source tells ESPN’s Josina Anderson (TwitLonger link) that Giants doctors have shut down Wilson due to his neck issues, and there’s a belief that the injury could be career-ending.
JULY 31, 10:00am: Just over a week after he was medically cleared to return to the field following neck surgery, Giants running back David Wilson left practice on Tuesday with a neck burner. Although Wilson tweeted last night that he’s “fine,” the team is more concerned about his status, according to Jordan Raanan & Conor Orr of NJ.com. The duo reports that the Giants believe Wilson is a long shot to return to the field, with a source suggesting that the running back “needs a miracle.”
It’s an extremely unfortunate turn of events for Wilson, who was projected to be the second-string tailback for the Giants this season behind the newly-signed Rashad Jennings, assuming both players remained healthy. No official determination has been made yet, however, as Wilson is scheduled to meet on Monday with Dr. Frank Cammisa, who performed last year’s neck surgery. After that assessment, the two sides should have a better idea of how to move forward.
It’s worth noting that the Giants have a reputation for being very cautious with neck injuries, so even if their team doctors weren’t comfortable with clearing Wilson, that doesn’t necessarily mean his NFL career is over. We’re seeing a similar situation play out with Jermichael Finley, who has reportedly been cleared by at least one NFL team doctor, but hasn’t received clearance from the Packers, who are also wary of neck and spine injuries.
East Links: Revis, Jets, Brown
As the Bills and Giants prepare to kick off the preseason in tonight’s Hall of Fame game, let’s take a look at some links from some of their fellow teams in the league’s east divisions:
- It will be difficult for Dolphins‘ running back Daniel Thomas to stay on Miami’s roster, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Thomas is, of course, behind Lamar Miller and Knowshon Moreno on the team’s depth chart, but he has also lost his biggest advocate in former GM Jeff Ireland and Mike Gillislee has been more active in training camp.
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes that the Jets received a $1.75MM salary cap credit this season as a result of an injury grievance settlement with former nose tackle Sione Po’uha. The team would have had a great deal of salary cap room even without the settlement, but now they have about $21MM of cap space.
- In the same piece, Cimini notes that the recent deals for 2011 first-round selections Tyson Smith and Patrick Peterson will not hurry the Jets in extension talks with their own 2011 first-rounder, Muhammad Wilkerson. A new deal for the big defensive lineman may not happen until next year.
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Jets‘ LB Jermaine Cunningham, who the team hoped would provide pass-rush help in 2014, is believed to have torn his ACL, thus ending his season.
- The freshly-inked extensions for Tyson Smith and Patrick Peterson have proven to be useful fodder for beat writers from around the league. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes that those new deals have set the bar for key members of the Patriots‘ roster like Nate Solder and Darrelle Revis. Although Revis is technically under contract for the next two seasons, no one expects New England to pick up his $12.5MM option bonus for 2015, which would saddle the club with a $25MM cap hit. As such, Revis–assuming he stays healthy and productive–will be eyeing Peterson’s deal (as well as those recently signed by Richard Sherman and Joe Haden) as a benchmark for a new contract of his own. However, he will turn 30 next July and has a torn ACL in his past, so a “pay-as-you-go” deal like that signed by Sherman may be a more fitting option. Solder, meanwhile, is under contract for a more reasonable $7.44MM in 2015, so while an extension for him is not a top priority just yet, Smith’s new contract may guide negotiations if and when extension talks commence.
- Giants kicker Josh Brown knows that his spot on the team’s roster is far from guaranteed, writes Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. His competition with Brandon McManus, who is 12 years his junior, begins in earnest tonight.
- John Keim of ESPN.com examines the Redskins roster battle at inside linebacker.
NFC Notes: Eagles, Lions, McCarthy, Wilson
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie sees head coach Chip Kelly being with the team for a long time, writes NFL.com’s Albert Breer. “I got the feeling he was capable of that,” Lurie said. “People will learn about themselves. Coaches will learn. Do they want to stay in the same place? Do they want to move around? You can’t control that. But he has the ability to develop a program that was already successful, and make it even better. They were successful (at Oregon). We had all that success (with Andy Reid). But we want to be better than we were, not stay the same.” More from the NFC..
- Rashean Mathis says that the Lions don’t need an upgrade to their secondary, writes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. Detroit didn’t make any significant upgrades at cornerback this offseason, despite ranking 23rd against the pass last year. In 2013, Mathis was the only Lions corner to rank among the top 90 by Pro Football Focus’ metrics.
- There has been a lot of talk that after extending GM Ted Thompson, coach Mike McCarthy is next up on the Packers‘ agenda. However, the coach says that he’s not thinking about a new deal, writes Tyler Dunne of the Journal-Sentinel. “To me,” McCarthy said, “everybody that works here has a business part of their place here. That’s just part of it. I’m focused on training camp; there’s a process in place that will take its course. I’ve never sweated it. I love it here. I’m not worried about it.”
- In an interview on ESPN Radio, Giants owner John Mara explained that while the team is disappointed to see David Wilson suffer a neck burner in his first week back, the club was prepared for a season without him, writes Conor Orr of the Star-Ledger. “I think given what he went through, the surgery he went through, it would have been foolish not to be (prepared),” Mara said. “We signed Rashad Jennings, we drafted Andre Williams, we signed Peyton Hillis again, so we do have some depth there. We have Michael Cox there, so someone is going to have to step up and do it now.”
- Eagles running back LeSean McCoy is feeding the hype behind rookie receiver Jordan Matthews, writes Zach Berman of The Inquirer. The Eagles sure hope that McCoy is right about Matthews after an offseason in which they released DeSean Jackson.
Minor Moves: Friday
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here..
- The Seahawks removed Taylor Price from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Wilson tweets. The Seahawks put the wide receiver on the IR earlier this week.
- The Chiefs cut linebacker Ben Johnson and the Giants waived-injured defensive back Travis Howard, Wilson tweets.
- The Dolphins announced that they have signed linebacker Ryan Rau, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. To make room for Rau on the 90-man roster, Miami waived/injured Tariq Edwards, tweets Bryan McIntyre.
- Former Buccaneers running back Michael Smith is signing with the Jets today, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- The Cardinals signed linebacker Derrell Johnson, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (on Twitter). Johnson, a UDFA out of East Carolina, was cut by the Dolphins just days ago.
- The Giants signed cornerback Chandler Fenner, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (on Twitter). Fenner was waived by the Seahawks when they signed ex-Giants corner Terrell Thomas.
- The Cowboys signed defensive end Kenneth Boatright to a two-year contract this afternoon, according to agent Brett Tessler (on Twitter). Boatright was previously a member of the Seahawks.
- The Falcons signed defensive tackle Theo Agnew, tweets Wilson.
- After practice today, Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crenell announced that the team has released Trevardo Williams, according to ESPN.com’s Tania Gangull. Williams, a fourth-round outside linebacker from last season, never saw a regular season snap.
- The Chargers have signed cornerback Lowell Rose, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The Jets cut Rose late last month when they signed free agent Jason Babin.
- The Giants signed rookie free agent Adam Gress after placing tackle Troy Kropog on injured reserve, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
- The Seahawks announced that they have released wide receiver Randall Carroll and signed linebacker Marcus Dowtin, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (on Twitter). Dowtin saw three games of action with the Giants in 2013 before being released in March.
- The Cardinals announced that they have signed offensive tackle Max Starks, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The 6’8″, 345 lineman spent time with the Rams and Chargers in 2013 after playing for Pittsburgh from 2004-2012. To make room for Starks, the Cardinals cut tackle Cory Brandon and kicker Danny Hrapmann, tweets Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com.
- The Texans signed wide receiver Joe Adams and offensive tackle Brice Schwab, writes John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. Adams, 24, played at Arkansas and was drafted in the fourth round by Carolina in 2012. Schwab, 24, played at Arizona State. He signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent last year. The Texans waived-injured Bryan Witzmann to make room for Adams, Wilson tweets.
NFC Notes: Lee, McCoy, Suh, Tanner
Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee is in the early stages of rehabilitation from a torn left ACL, but he’s already thinking about his future, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com. “I think I’ll come back completely healthy,” Lee said. “Now, the question is, can I stay out there? That’s something that obviously I’m hopeful for and I’m going to do everything I can do to do that and control everything I can. But at the end of the day, there’s situations that you might not be able to avoid. I’m not going to stress too much about that end. I’m just going to do what I can do.” More from the NFC:
- Bad news for Seahawks tight end Anthony McCoy as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter) hears from a source that he has torn his left Achilles. Last season, McCoy suffered a torn right Achilles and missed the entire season. In 2012, the 26-year-old’s last season on the field, he hauled in 18 receptions for 291 yards and three touchdowns while also spending time on special teams.
- The Lions are postponing talks with Ndamukong Suh because they want him to be informed and sign a deal he’s happy with, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It was reported yesterday that Detroit will table talks with the star defensive tackle until after the season.
- Running back Phillip Tanner visited with the 49ers yesterday before ultimately signing with the Colts, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com. The 49ers have a new running back of their own in 27-year-old Alfonso Smith, who joined the club yesterday. San Francisco’s once-loaded RB stable is looking pretty banged up at the moment. backup Kendall Hunter tore his ACL, LaMichael James has a dislocated elbow, and Marcus Lattimore has multiple nagging injuries.
- New Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is keeping the Big Blue’s defense on their toes in practice, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “Reps against the no-huddle does help going against the guys in Philly — their offense is very, very fast — and I think the Redskins, they do the same thing too,’’ cornerback Prince Amukamara said. “That’s only preparing us for the season.’’
- Earlier tonight we recapped the Buccaneers‘ offseason.
Minor Moves: Monday
We’ll round up the day’s minor transactions from around the NFL right here, with additional moves listed at the top of the page throughout the afternoon and evening:
- The Colts have waived WR Aaron Burks, tweets Craig Kelley of Colts.com.
Earlier updates:
- Guard Cody White and receiver Alan Bonner have been placed on the Texans’ injured reserve list after being waived/injured, tweets Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
- The Bills have removed linebacker Darrin Kitchens from their injured reserve list with an injury settlement, reports Wilson (Twitter link).
- Rookie defensive lineman Kalonji Kashama has been waived by the Lions, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter).
- The Giants have replaced one offensive lineman with another, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, tweeting that the team claimed Mark Asper off waivers from the Bills and dropped Demarcus Love.
- The Browns have waived kicker Jake Rogers, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.
- The Broncos now have three open roster spots after waiving tackle Aslam Sterling with a left squad designation, per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- In addition to their move noted below, the Dolphins have also signed offensive tackle Tony Hills and waived wideout Gerald Ford, the club confirmed today (via Twitter).
- The Chiefs have signed South Alabama cornerback Damond Smith, the team announced today (via Twitter). By our count, Kansas City was already carrying 90 players, so a corresponding move figures to be made at some point today.
- The Raiders have filled the open spot on the roster by signing safety Jeremy Deering, who also returned kicks at Rutgers, says Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).
- Former Buccaneers defensive back Anthony Gaitor has re-signed with the club, joining Michigan defensive tackle Jibreel Black as Tampa Bay’s new additions, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. Per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter), undrafted rookies Brendan Bigelow (RB) and Quintin Payton (WR) have been waived to make room for the incoming players.
- The Browns have waived offensive lineman Chris Faulk, who was coming off a major ACL injury, according to Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald (via Twitter).
- Offensive lineman Michael Philipp, who signed with the Dolphins two months ago, has been cut by the club, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
NFC East Notes: McClain, Williams, Beckham
Cowboys‘ wideout Terrance Williams is going to have a chance to improve on his 2013 campaign, writes Jon Machota of DallasNews.com. The second year receiver is looking to avoid a sophomore slump by emerging as a dependable number two receiver and the third option in the passing game after Dez Bryant and Jason Witten. Bryant is even more optimistic about Williams’ chances.
“Terrance done blew up,” Bryant said. “He’s lightning fast, outstanding hands, probably one of the best route runners I’ve ever seen. He’s going to do some big things.”
Head coach Jason Garrett said that Williams would have an increased opportunity to show off his talents.
“I think he has a little confidence based on how he played and he’s going to have a big role for our football team,” said Garrett. “He earned a bigger role on our football team last year. We’re excited to see him play.”
Here are some other notes from around the NFC East:
- New Cowboys‘ linebacker Rolando McClain is being given every opportunity to win a starting job with middle linebacker Sean Lee out of the season, writes Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com. McClain has been working mostly with the second team, but showcased his natural talent during his first practice with the team.
- If McClain does earn that spot on the Cowboys‘ defense, he will be part of a unit trying to go from worst in the NFL in 2013 to the best in 2014. At least that is the goal cornerback Morris Claiborne has set for the defensive squad, write Machota. “We were last in the league in defense and we’re trying to be No. 1,” said Claiborne. “That’s our goal. We’re not shying away from it.”
- Giants‘ head coach Tom Coughlin is frustrated with his first-round pick’s absence from training camp, as Odell Beckham Jr. is sidelined with a hamstring injury, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. Coughlin said that he was disappointed not to see Beckham on the field. “It would be nice to get him back practicing,” Coughlin said. “He actually looks pretty good out there. He’s moving around, catching the ball, he doesn’t favor anything. I’m just hoping it’s a real short amount of time.”
- The Eagles have a shot to really hurt defenses in the passing game with their backfield in 2014, writes Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com. LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles are talented receivers out of the backfield, and could find some intriguing mismatches in the defense.
- The two most important statistics of training camp for the Eagles thus far are a pair zeros, zero injuries and zero interceptions, according to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. The team has managed to get through camp unscathed so far, and none of the four quarterbacks has turned the ball over through the air. Of course, while this is a positive for the team’s offense, the linebackers and secondary are not so happy with their part in that second zero.