Workout Notes: 12/30/15
Here are Wednesday’s workouts from around the NFL:
- The Jets worked out defensive lineman Devon Still, receivers Marcus Thigpen and Eric Rogers, linebacker Willie Jefferson and defensive end/LB Tristan Okpalaugo (Twitter links via ESPN’s Rich Cimini).
- The Cardinals tried out center Taylor Boggs, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- The Bills worked out defensive end/linebacker Xzavier Dickson, Wilson tweeted. Dickson ended up joining Atlanta’s practice squad.
- The Bengals worked out quarterback Mike Kafka and tight end John Peters, per Wilson (on Twitter).
- The Browns tried out quarterback Dustin Vaughan, running back Timothy Flanders, receivers Eric Rogers, Ricky Collins and Levi Norwood, and safety Jordan Kovacs (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Quarterback Ryan Lindley, defensive linemen Warren Herring and Eze Obiora, and linebacker Ryan Mueller worked out for the Colts, according to Wilson (Twitter link). They signed Lindley afterward.
- The Giants worked out linebackers Cole Farrand and Glenn Carson – the latter of whom they signed to their practice squad – quarterback Pete Thomas, safety Ty Zimmerman, punter Spencer Roth and kicker Quinn Sharp (Twitter link via Wilson).
- The Steelers tried out two safeties, Ray Vinopal and Jake Hagen, and linebacker Marquis Spruill (via Wilson on Twitter).
- The Chargers worked out receiver Jeff Fuller, defensive end DeAngelo Tyson and linebacker Dexter McCoil, Wilson tweeted.
- The Titans worked out receiver Kenny Stafford, defensive end Freddie Bishop, defensive backs Aaron Grymes, Steven Clarke and Emanuel Davis, long snapper Dax Dellenbach and kicker Swayze Waters (Twitter link via Wilson).
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/30/15
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DE/OLB Xzavier Dickson (Twitter link via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: G Leon Brown (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun)
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: TE Manasseh Garner, S Phillip Thomas (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com)
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: RB Daryl Richardson (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal)
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DE Michael McAdoo (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
- Signed: CB Brandon McGee (Twitter link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Robert Nelson (Twitter link via Wilson)
New England Patriots
- Signed: FB Joey Iosefa (link via Doug Kyed of NESN.com)
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: FB Toben Opurum (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune)
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Glenn Carson, CB T.J. Heath (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of NJ.com)
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: CB Richard Crawford (Twitter link via Wilson)
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Justin Hamilton (Twitter link via The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Gerod Holliman, CB C.J. Roberts, CB Joel Ross (press release via team)
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/15
Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, as teams get their rosters set for Week 17:
- The Colts made a pair of tight end transactions, placing Dwayne Allen (calf) on season-ending injured reserve and promoting Erik Swoope from their practice squad, per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). A fourth-year man, Allen made 16 catches in 13 games for the Colts this season. He hasn’t been able to match the production he put up as a rookie in 2011 in terms of receptions (45) and yardage (521), but he did amass a career-best eight touchdowns last season.
- The Patriots waived cornerback Troy Hill, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss (Twitter link). The Pats claimed Hill off waivers from Cincinnati last week. In addition, they signed defensive tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
- The 49ers have been awarded tight end Je’Ron Hamm off waivers, a day after he was cut by Washington, according to a Niners release. San Francisco moved running back Shaun Draughn to injured reserve to accommodate the waiver claim — Draughn joins fellow RBs Reggie Bush and Carlos Hyde on the Niners’ IR.
- The Bills created two roster spots on Tuesday by placing Charles Clay and Ron Brooks on injured reserve, and filled those spots today with a pair of practice squad cornerbacks. As Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets, head coach Rex Ryan confirmed that Buffalo elevated Merrill Noel and Sammy Seamster from the team’s taxi squad.
- The Chargers also added secondary depth today, signing safety Brandian Ross and cornerback Cassius Vaughn to their active roster, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). The club has now added three defensive backs to its 53-man squad this week.
- After placing Dez Bryant and two other players on injured reserve today, the Cowboys have promoted wide receivers Rodney Smith and Vince Mayle from their practice squad, and also signed cornerback Josh Thomas, per Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).
- The Broncos are signing guard Robert Myers off the Ravens‘ practice squad to fill the 53rd spot on their roster, reports Mike Klis of 9News. That roster opening was created on Tuesday when Denver cut safety Shaun Prater.
- According to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link), offensive lineman Braxston Cave has been promoted from the Lions‘ practice squad to their active roster, taking the spot vacated by cornerback Bill Bentley, who was cut on Tuesday.
AFC Notes: Manziel, Osemele, McKelvin, Allen
Browns head coach Mike Pettine said earlier this week that the team was considering disciplining quarterback Johnny Manziel for a video that featured him guzzling a black cherry Four Loko – an alcoholic drink – on Christmas Eve. After further review, Pettine stated Wednesday that he wouldn’t have benched Manziel this week, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports. That’s moot now, of course, as Manziel is out with a concussion. Still, given that Manziel spent 73 days in rehab for alcohol issues last offseason and the Browns benched him earlier this season when a different party video surfaced, the organization finds this latest incident concerning, according to Cabot.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- Ravens left tackle Kelechi Osemele is a candidate to hit free agency this offseason, but the 26-year-old is confident about staying in Baltimore after a chat he had with general manager Ozzie Newsome. “He was really positive about it,” Osemele said, per Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com. “I was positive about staying. I think we’ve done great work here, and obviously working with someone like that, you want to stay. You want to be around a guy like Ozzie.” Osemele went on to state that “I know if we can get a deal done, we will.”
- If the Bills cut veteran cornerback Leodis McKelvin in the offseason, they’ll open up $3.9MM of cap room in 2016. That makes his departure a strong possibility, but the eight-year veteran seems open to a pay cut if it means staying in Buffalo. “I have a lot of money in the bank,” he told Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News, also adding that he’s willing to move to safety if necessary.
- Like McKelvin, Colts tight end Dwayne Allen could also be in a different uniform next year. Allen, whom Indy placed on IR with a calf injury Wednesday, wasn’t happy with his diminished role in the team’s passing game this season, according to Mike Chappell of Fox59 (Twitter link). As a pending free agent, it seems Allen has played his last game as a Colt.
Coaching Rumors: Meyer, Kelly, Saban, Coughlin
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer told reporters Wednesday that he recently spurned an NFL team’s advances, Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk writes.
Asked if the team was the Browns, Meyer said, “I’m not going there. I’ll just say [a team] reached out.”
Meyer added that he’s content at the college level and expressed wariness toward making the jump to the pros.
“The NFL, Chip Kelly is one of my closest friends, Greg Schiano is one of my closest friends. A lot of times they say college coaches don’t make it very well. I don’t know who makes it well. People are getting fired left and right. Pete Carroll has done very well.”
In other coaching news. . .
- Although Kelly’s career in Philadelphia is over, he could end up with another head coaching job in the league in the coming weeks. With that in mind, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk examined some possible landing spots for Kelly. The Titans, Browns, 49ers, Dolphins or Colts could all be his next stop.
- With coaching searches fast approaching, Albert Breer of NFL.com lists the candidates most likely to draw interest. Kelly is one of them. Interestingly, so is Alabama head coach Nick Saban. The Mara family is fond of him, per Breer, which might make the Giants a fit. The Colts are also a possibility, as they could offer Saban control over their roster – not to mention they have a 26-year-old franchise quarterback in place.
- For Saban to end up with the Giants, they’ll first have to fire two-time Super Bowl winner Tom Coughlin. That appears likely to happen, as a source told the New York Daily News’ Ralph Vacchiano that plenty in the team’s front office want to move on from Coughlin. It’s believed that one of those people is co-owner Steve Tisch.
Eagles Notes: Kelly, Johnson, Bradford
Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson had plenty to say Wednesday on the heels of the Chip Kelly firing, per Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com.
Asked if the players were afraid to take any complaints to Kelly, Johnson said, “Yeah, I mean, to be honest, yeah. There’s always talk in the locker room you don’t quite say to the coach. We’ll say it to the position coaches, but I don’t know if it ever leaves that room.”
Johnson does think Kelly “had good intentions,” but he also labeled him as “standoffish” – particularly toward the media.
Further, Johnson says he and the players knew about the power struggle between executive Howie Roseman and Kelly.
“Chip and Howie weren’t happy together, didn’t deal well. Just a lot of tension up there that didn’t need to happen, because when you throw it up there it does trickle down to the team, and the team knows what’s going on. It’s just a negative energy that doesn’t need to exist.”
On whether Kelly’s practice schedule’s was too grueling, Johnson stated, “I definitely think so … It takes a toll on you.”
Johnson added Kelly’s moves last offseason contributed to the offense’s inability to function effectively in his high-tempo attack.
“The tempo’s very effective whenever you’re able to do it well. I think we did well the first two years. Made a lot of changes this offseason and I don’t know if everyone is the best fit for what it was.”
More on the Eagles as the post-Kelly era begins:
- Quarterback Sam Bradford, whom Kelly traded for last offseason, said Wednesday he was “shocked” about Kelly’s ouster, according to Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com. Bradford, who called his relationship with Kelly “great,” isn’t sure whether he’ll be an Eagle beyond this season. “Obviously, I think a lot of it depends on who they hire as a head coach now and what type of offensive system he wants to run,” said the free agent-to-be.
- Owner Jeffrey Lurie is making a mistake in handing the reins of the Eagles’ front office to Roseman and Tom Donahoe, opines Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. Frank cites Roseman’s questionable draft record and inability to coexist with others as reasons for concern. As for Donahoe, he hasn’t been associated with a playoff team since 1997 and had a less-than-stellar run as Buffalo’s general manager from 2001-05. Frank believes the Eagles need a fresh approach, which Roseman and Donahoe won’t provide.
- Zach Berman of Philly.com took a look at possible Kelly replacements for the Eagles. Seven current NFL assistants, three of whom have head coaching experience in the league, and three college head coaches are listed as potential successors.
- Bob Brookover, also of Philly.com, writes that the Eagles’ best selection to take over for Kelly is interim head coach Pat Shurmur – who went 9-23 with the Browns from 2011-12.
Broncos Notes: Manning, Osweiler
The latest on the Broncos’ quarterbacks:
- Peyton Manning – out since mid-November with a foot injury – will return to action this week as Brock Osweiler‘s backup “if everything goes well,” head coach Gary Kubiak said (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post). Asked whether Manning could eventually take back the starting job from Osweiler, Kubiak stated, “I don’t want to go that far. Brock is our QB, and nothing has changed,” the NFL Network’s James Palmer tweeted. Added Manning (Twitter link via The Denver Post’s Troy Renck), “I will do what I can to help Brock and the team.”
- If Manning returns for his age-40 season in 2016, Renck expects him to be in another uniform because the writer believes Denver and Osweiler will agree to a multiyear contract in the coming months. Osweiler – a free agent-to-be – wants to remain a Bronco, and the team has been impressed by his progress, according to Renck. Osweiler, whom the Broncos drafted in the second round in 2012, has appeared in seven games this year and tossed nine touchdowns against four interceptions. As a result, he could ask for a deal in the range of $12MM to $15MM per annum, Renck notes.
- Regarding last weekend’s release of an Al Jazeera investigative documentary that accused Manning of taking performance-enhancing drugs in the past, he said (Twitter link via Jhabvala), “The report wasn’t true Sunday. Still isn’t true. Will never be true. I’m still angry about it.” Manning added that he welcomes a league investigation into the report, preferably soon, Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today tweeted. He won’t pursue legal action now, but it’s a possibility after the season (Twitter link via Palmer).
Draft Notes: Latest Declarations
A quick look at the latest college players who will head for the 2016 NFL Draft:
- Indiana defensive tackle Darius Latham has declared, according to Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman (Twitter link).
- Auburn defensive lineman Carl Lawson will enter the draft, per Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link).
- UCLA running back Paul Perkins announced his draft intentions via Twitter.
- Fellow Baylor teammates expect defensive tackle Andrew Billings and cornerback Xavien Howard to depart school in favor of the draft, Pauline tweets.
- Marshall defensive back Corey Tindal also tweeted that he will enter the draft.
- San Diego State cornerback Damontae Kazee announced that he’s headed for the pros, Kirk Kenney of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes.
- San Jose State defensive back Cleveland Wallace III joined International Sports Agency (Twitter link).
Raiders Send Nate Allen To IR, Promote SaQwan Edwards
The Raiders have placed safety Nate Allen on injured reserve with a knee injury and promoted cornerback SaQwan Edwards from their practice squad, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com.
Allen, who picked off a career-best four passes in Philly in 2014, signed a four-year, $23MM deal with the Raiders last offseason. His first season in Oakland was an injury-riddled disappointment, as the 28-year-old appeared in only five games, totaling 11 tackles and an interception. Allen’s year got off to a poor start immediately when he tore his MCL in Week 1. He came back midway through the campaign but eventually reaggravated his knee and hasn’t played since Dec. 6.
The Raiders could move on from Allen this offseason, per Bair, which would make sense. Allen has no dead money left on the three years remaining on his contract. Cutting him would save the Raiders $5MM next season, $6MM in 2017 and another $5MM in ’18.
Saints Place C.J. Spiller On IR
The Saints have placed running back C.J. Spiller on injured reserve, ending his season a week early, according to Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com (Twitter link).
Now in the books for Spiller, 2015 goes down as the worst season of the six-year veteran’s career. The former top 10 pick out of Clemson signed a four-year, $18MM deal with the Saints last offseason and was expected to serve as a significant weapon as both a runner and pass catcher. Instead, in 13 games, the ex-Bill amassed only 112 yards on a meager 36 carries and caught 34 passes at just 7.0 yards per reception. His season hit a nadir last week when he was made inactive for New Orleans’ win over Jacksonville. Head coach Sean Payton classified Spiller as “healthy” after the game, but added that “he’s still fighting to get that strength back in the leg from (his arthroscopic knee surgery in training camp),” per ESPN’s Mike Triplett. Payton cited that as the main reason Spiller was barely involved in the Saints’ offense this year.
Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com wrote earlier this month (via an NFL Network report) that Spiller could be one and done with the Saints, but it would be costly for the team to get rid of him this offseason. The Saints will incur a $3.75MM cap hit next season and save just $750,000 if they cut Spiller in the coming months, according to OverTheCap.com. His contract is more team-friendly thereafter, but he’ll still be on the Saints’ books through 2018.