AFC West Notes: Charles, Raiders, Broncos
When the 2016 season begins, Jamaal Charles will be coming off his second major knee injury, and will be on the verge of turning 30 years old, practically ancient for a running back. However, the standout running back remains under contract with the Chiefs for two more years, and he intends to come back strong for Kansas City next season, as he tells Dave Skretta of The Associated Press.
“That’s the goal,” Charles said. “I had 11 [games] left in the season when I [tore my ACL], so it’s a lot of time to come back from it. The way I’m moving, I’ll be back before the season starts. I want to be back. I want to play. I want to be out there again.”
Here’s more from around the AFC West:
- In the wake of a Monday report which suggested that Oakland city leaders had spoken to the NFL about a possible new stadium near the O.co Coliseum site, NFL executive VP Eric Grubman tells Matthew Artz of the Contra Costa Times that the league isn’t offering any more help to keep the Raiders in Oakland than it would to help to keep the Rams in St. Louis or the Chargers in San Diego. However, Grubman did confirm that the NFL is open to discussing the Coliseum City development with Oakland.
- Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio said on Monday that rookie linebacker Neiron Ball, who has missed six straight games due to a knee injury, will likely land on the injured reserve list, which would open up a spot on the team’s 53-man roster. Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com has the details.
- The Broncos had already been battling some injury issues at safety, and now will be without David Bruton for the next week or two, as Mike Klis of 9NEWS writes. Having signed Josh Bush last week to compensate for being without T.J. Ward, the club may not to add another safety this week, but that decision likely won’t have to be made until closer to Sunday.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/7/15
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.
- The Ravens released defensive end Zach Thompson from their injured reserve list, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The 6-foot-5 Wake Forest alum has spent his two seasons with the Broncos and Ravens, but has yet to see any game action.
- Washington safety Trenton Robinson cleared waivers and is bound for the team’s injured reserve, Mike Jones of the Washington Post tweets. Robinson was waived/injured Saturday.
- The Browns claimed former Bills center Gabe Ikard on waivers, according to his agent Ken Sarnoff (via Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk). A 25-year-old snapper who played in three games with the Bills this season, Ikard went undrafted before catching on with the Titans last season. The Browns lost starting guard Joel Bitonio to an ankle injury Sunday, creating the need for interior-line depth.
NFC Rumors: Murray, Vikings, Lewis, White
With the Eagles potentially set to be tied for the NFC East lead if the Cowboys win tonight, let’s take a look at some news coming out of Philadelphia, as well as several other NFC cities.
- As the Eagles gave DeMarco Murray only eight carries against the Patriots, Chip Kelly denied a demotion took place, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The eight carries matched a season low for the defending rushing champion, who is averaging 3.5 yards per carry after gaining 4.7 per tote last season. Kelly attributed Murray’s reduced usage (14 snaps) to the game’s strange flow that featured three Eagles non-offensive touchdowns. The obvious counter to that was Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner both out-touching Murray and each averaging north of four yards per rush. Berman writes Ryan Mathews‘ return could further siphon Murray’s workloads, which have been much smaller than 2014. Murray has just 163 carries.
- None of the four safeties on the Vikings‘ active roster practiced Monday, and Antone Exum could miss multiple games with a fractured rib and a sprained AC joint, Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Exum’s started the past two games in Andrew Sendejo‘s stead.
- After Adrian Peterson characterized the Vikings as being “outplayed and outcoached” in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Seahawks, Mike Zimmer took a hard-headed stance when addressing media. “I don’t really worry about other people’s opinions. I only worry about what I think,” the Vikings’ second-year coach told media (including Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). Zimmer did say Peterson should have received more than eight carries, however.
- John Fox said rookie wideout Kevin White‘s shin has sufficiently healed, and the team will now look to get him in football shape, Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times reports (on Twitter). The Bears‘ first-rounder has yet to be cleared to play, however.
- Shelved on the PUP list due to a torn ACL he sustained last November while at Georgia Tech, 49ers rookie wide receiver DeAndre Smelter will not play this season, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reports. Smelter reverts to the non-football injury/reserve list. The fourth-round pick will not practice with the team during the season’s remainder.
- On injured reserve after an injury-restricted campaign, Keenan Lewis underwent hip surgery today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Saints‘ top corner is under contract through the 2017 season.
Jaguars Sign Joplo Bartu; Bernard Pierce To IR
A former Falcons starting linebacker, Joplo Bartu signed with the Jaguars after working out for the team earlier today, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Bartu will fill Bernard Pierce‘s roster spot, with the fourth-year running back heading to season-ending injured reserve with a calf injury.
Signed due to uncertainty surrounding Paul Posluszny‘s hand injury (per the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, on Twitter), Bartu could see defensive snaps soon. Dan Skuta‘s missed three straight games, and the Jags started rookie UDFA Thurston Armbrister against the Titans.
The Falcons cut the 25-year-old Bartu, who started 28 games in Atlanta despite arriving as an undrafted free agent, in November to make room for kicker Shayne Graham.
A third-year outside linebacker out of Division I-FCS Texas State, Bartu’s made 178 career tackles and 4.5 sacks in 28 career games.
Pierce only received six carries, gaining 11 yards, this season.
Ray Rice‘s former backup with the Ravens played in seven games this season, serving almost exclusively as a special teams cog. He rushed for a career-high 532 yards, averaging 4.9 per carry, as a rookie for the 2012 Super Bowl champions but hasn’t averaged more than four yards per tote since.
Stedman Bailey’s Career Likely Finished
The NFL lifted Stedman Bailey‘s four-game drug suspension, but according to Rams coach Jeff Fisher (via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, on Twitter) the embattled wideout probably won’t play football again.
The Rams will place the third-year receiver on the non-football injury list, Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk reports.
Bailey sustained two gunshot wounds to the head last month and underwent more than six hours of surgery as a result. Fisher said his assessment of the fourth-year receiver’s future was related to the shooting, but the fourth-year Rams coach did not elaborate further.
The 25-year-old Bailey caught 12 passes and one touchdown this season in eight games (three starts). He caught 45 passes for a career-best 430 yards last season. Bailey made eight career starts in St. Louis.
Chosen in the third round of the 2013 draft, Bailey has one more year left on his Rams contract.
East Notes: Coughlin, Flowers, Jets, Patriots
As the latest Giants‘ blown lead continues the latest speculation surrounding Tom Coughlin‘s job, the 12th-year Giants coach admits frustration by his critical decisions being sabotaged by on-field sequences, Tom Rock of Newsday writes.
Big Blue’s longtime leader, though, said he doesn’t pay attention to inquiries about his job being in jeopardy.
Coughlin’s led the Giants to five playoff berths — which is one shy of Bill Parcells‘ six for the most in team history since the AFL-NFL merger — three NFC East titles and two Super Bowls since taking the franchise’s reins in 2004.
Here’s some more from East Rutherford, N.J., and some of the other Eastern-division teams.
- Coughlin’s questionable clock management this season notwithstanding, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News writes the Giants’ injuries and overall lack of talent have put the team on the verge of missing the postseason for a fourth straight year. Vacchiano sees the Eli Manning-to-Odell Beckham connection as perhaps Big Blue’s only playoff-worthy facet, with injuries to Victor Cruz, Johnathan Hankins and maladies across the offensive line have exposed a lack of depth.
- Ereck Flowers remains on crutches after going down with an ankle injury in Sunday’s loss to the Jets, NFL.com’s Kimberly Jones reports (on Twitter). Fellow rookie Bobby Hart, a seventh-rounder, represents the Giants’ only remaining tackle depth behind Flowers and Marshall Newhouse.
- Sidelined with a Lisfranc injury Jets defensive end Mike Catapano will be out at least a couple of games and could be an injured reserve candidate, ESPN.com Rich Cimini tweets. Serving as depth behind star defensive ends Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson, Catapano’s played in three games for the Jets this season after residing in Kansas City the past two years.
- Tom Brady‘s legal team lobbed some more salvos at the NFL, when the league attempted to have the Patriots quarterback’s four-game suspension reinstated. The NFLPA argued Judge Richard Berman was not starstruck by Brady’s celebrity, according to Bob McGovern of the Boston Herald.
- The Patriots hosted cornerback Leonard Johnson on a visit, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (via Twitter). A 25-year-old former UDFA, Johnson served as the Buccaneers’ nickel back last season and started 17 games for Tampa Bay from 2012-14. He hasn’t played in 2015.
Browns Place Joel Bitonio On IR
The Browns absorbed another blow in a grueling season, placing starting left guard Joel Bitonio on injured reserve, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).
In a corresponding roster move, the team claimed second-year center Gabe Ikard after the Bills cut him.
A 2014 second-round pick, Bitonio attempted to make a return from an ankle injury that sidelined him for the Browns’ previous two games but couldn’t make it past the first quarter before leaving the game. First-rounder Cameron Erving replaced him but was quickly benched in favor of UDFA Austin Pasztor.
The 24-year-old Bitonio started the first 26 games of his career. Pro Football Focus rated the former Nevada lineman as its 33rd-best guard this season after he enjoyed a standout rookie campaign.
Bitonio remains a critical part of the Browns’ future, with Pro Bowl center Alex Mack able to opt out of his Jaguars-created contract at the end of this season.
Cole’s Latest: Coughlin, Pagano, Chargers, Rams
Earlier today, we rounded up several items related to head coaches whose jobs may be in jeopardy as the season nears an end. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report has provided a few updates on that topic as well, discussing a couple of the coaches we mentioned earlier, as well as a couple others. Here’s the latest:
- The Giants aren’t likely to fire head coach Tom Coughlin before the end of the season, but they certainly could consider at after the season if they miss the playoffs, says Cole (video link). However, Cole cautions that the franchise has very specific qualifications in mind for its head coach, including a proven ability to deal with the pressure and attention that comes with working in New York. If the Giants don’t have strong potential candidates in mind that fit that bill, they may think twice about letting go of Coughlin.
- The Colts’ defense allowed the Steelers to put up 45 points on Sunday, just over a year after letting Pittsburgh score 51 on them. That sort of repeat performance is a bad sign and could spark major changes for the team, according to Cole (video link). Although Cole suggests that Chuck Pagano is back on the hot seat, I’d expect the club to wait and see how the season finishes before making any decisions there — a playoff berth and a postseason win or two would make it a tough call. If Indianapolis misses the playoffs, it’s much harder to imagine Pagano keeping his job.
- While Chargers head coach Mike McCoy and Rams head coach Jeff Fisher are both on the hot seat in their respective cities, there’s a scenario in which one or both coaches could keep their jobs for another year or two. As Cole explains (video link), the transition period if either of those franchises moves to Los Angeles in 2016 will be a rocky one, with the new L.A. team(s) playing in a temporary stadium for a couple seasons. As such, those clubs may be more inclined to hang onto their current coaches, perhaps putting off a change in a year or two and then making a new hire as excitement for that new stadium starts to build. I’m not sure I buy that theory, for a number of reasons, and Cole himself acknowledges that it’s one possible outcome, but perhaps not the most likely one.
Ravens’ Nick Boyle Suspended Four Games
The Ravens haven’t gotten much this season out of their 2015 draft class, and they’ll see yet another one of their rookies sidelined for the last four games of the year. The team announced today (via Twitter) that tight end Nick Boyle has been suspended without pay for four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Boyle, who was selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft, caught 18 balls for 153 yards in his rookie season. With Boyle set to hit the reserve/suspended list, only Crockett Gillmore and another rookie, Maxx Williams, remain on the tight end depth chart for Baltimore, and both players are banged up.
Head coach John Harbaugh said today that Gillmore and Williams both have a good chance to play next Sunday, but he noted that the team will still bring in tight ends for an audition (Twitter links via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun). Practice squad tight end Konrad Reuland looks like a candidate to join the 53-man roster as well.
As for Boyle, Harbaugh said the rookie’s suspension isn’t for steroids. The head coach declined to name the substance that resulted in the failed test, but suggested it was a common violation, adding that Boyle admitted it was a stupid mistake (Twitter links via Zrebiec).
Seahawks Cut Cary Williams
Less than nine months after signing him to a lucrative three-year contract, the Seahawks have decided to move on from Cary Williams. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), Seattle is releasing the veteran cornerback.
After spending several seasons as a starting cornerback for the Ravens and Eagles, Williams signed a three-year, $18MM deal in March with the Seahawks, looking to step in as a replacement for departed free agent Byron Maxwell. However, the 30-year-old has struggled this season, with Pro Football Focus ranking him 102nd out of 118 qualified cornerbacks. Williams was inactive for the Seahawks’ last two games, coinciding with Jeremy Lane‘s activation to the 53-man roster.
Because Williams’ 2015 salary was fully guaranteed, Seattle will remain on the hook for his full $3.5MM salary and $4.667MM cap hit for this year. Assuming Williams goes unclaimed on waivers, he’ll count for about $2.333MM in dead money against Seattle’s 2016 cap.