NFC Notes: Hawley, Lions, Cassel, Saints
Buccaneers center Joe Hawley feels like he got a raw deal from his former team, the Falcons. On a conference call, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked Hawley if he felt that he was given enough time coming back from the injuries to win the starting job.
“Uh, honestly, no. I think they kind of used it as an excuse,” Hawley said. “When I got here I wasn’t 100 percent yet. But they gave me a chance. Now, I’m feeling like the knee is back to new. But it just took four or five more weeks that I thought it would. Yeah, I think they kind of cut me short of that.”
The Bucs (5-6) are set to host the Falcons (6-5) on Sunday.
- With Matt Prater battling an illness, the Lions tried out free agent kickers Kyle Brindza, Billy Cundiff, and Garrett Hartley, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). However, Prater will be able to play tonight against the Packers after all, so the team didn’t sign anyone.
- If Matt Cassel plays the final five games of the Cowboys‘ season, that extra playing time could earn him $1.2MM in incentives, as Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com explains. Cassel’s deal includes incentives for playing a certain percentage of the team’s snaps, and he’s projected to play over 55% ($1.2MM), but not up to 65% ($1.6MM).
- The performance of certain players over the course of the Saints‘ final five games this year could help dictate some of the salary cap decisions the club makes in the offseason, writes Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. I examined the Saints’ cap outlook for 2016 earlier this fall.
- Edge defender Willie Jefferson, a former Texan who spent the last two seasons with the CFL’s Edmonto Eskimos, will work out for two NFC teams next month, and is drawing a lot of interest, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). Jefferson had six sacks this season for the Grey Cup champions.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Giants Worked Out Barry Cofield
The Giants brought in defensive tackle Barry Cofield for a workout this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). A nine-year veteran, Cofield has been on the free agent market since being released by Washington back in February.
Cofield, who started his career with the Giants, suffered his first major injury in 2014, as he missed about half the season after an ankle injury forced him onto the injured reserve list with the designation to return. While the defensive lineman returned to action for Washington in November, he only started three of eight games for the season, marking the first time since 2007 that he appeared in a game he didn’t start.
Based on various reports over the last several months, it’s hard to know exactly how healthy Cofield is now. In July, he told SiriusXM NFL Radio that he was healthy and waiting for a call, but a report a week later suggested he’d be ready to go in another four to six weeks. A September report indicated the 31-year-old would likely sign with a contending team in October, when he fully recovered from offseason hip surgery. Cofield has since worked out for the Colts, and now the Giants, so presumably he’s ready to return at this point.
In addition to trying out Cofield, the Giants also auditioned English rugby star Tom Burgess today as a tight end, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. While we’ve seen Jarryd Hayne open the door for rugby players to earn spots on NFL rosters, Burgess will almost certainly have to wait for an offseason deal, if New York – or another team – wants to add him.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, McFadden, Eagles
Despite a 3-8 record, the Cowboys have not been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and it would be crazy for them to tank, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News writes. The Cowboys are still unlikely to make the playoffs, but coach Jason Garrett would be going against his principles if he were to tank for a higher draft pick, Moore argues. The final games left aren’t about making the playoffs or draft position, he says, but rather they’re about competing at the highest level possible.
Here’s more on the Cowboys and the NFC East:
- Babe Laufenberg of The Dallas Morning News envisions the Cowboys‘ backfield consisting of Darren McFadden, Lance Dunbar, and a rookie to be named later in 2016. Still, Dallas will have to wait and see how Dunbar’s knee responds and there is no guarantee that he’ll be 100% next year. There will also be veteran running backs available to Dallas in the offseason.
- No matter how Sam Bradford performs over the final five games of the season, the Eagles will have to make a franchise-altering decision at the quarterback position next offseason, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The Eagles have whiffed on quarterbacks in the past, but sources tell McLane that Kelly did not have complete control over the position in the 2013-14 offseasons. In those offseasons, Kelly and ex-GM Howie Roseman both had to be in agreement on any QB decision. Now, of course, it’s all Kelly’s decision to make.
- On Wednesday, Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul said that he would like to finish his career with Big Blue.
NFC West Notes: Fangio, CJ2K, Osweiler
Here’s a look at the NFC West:
- Vic Fangio was the first of nine known candidates to interview for the 49ers’ head-coaching vacancy, but he quickly faded out of the process. For his part, Fangio says there are no hard feelings, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. “That’s their decision and their choice,” Fangio, the Bears’ defensive coordinator, said. “I have nothing to do with that.” When asked if it was hard to accept, Fangio answered, “No, I’ve just always accepted it’s their decision, their team. They do what they want with it.”
- Losing Chris Johnson doesn’t spell doom for the Cardinals, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic writes. With 814 rushing yards, CJ was fourth in the NFL and his 4.2 yards per carry average is the highest of any Arizona lead back since 2011. However, Johnson’s longest gain in the past three weeks was nine yards and Somers believes that he was starting to fade.
- Brock Osweiler has a tremendous opportunity to cash in with the Broncos, Jason Fitzgerald of The Sporting News writes. Not long ago, it was a given that they would use their franchise tag on Von Miller to maintain negotiating leverage, while allowing Osweiler to hit free agency. Now, they probably see Osweiler as deserving of a contract similar to Nick Foles’ $12.2MM per year extension with the Rams.
NFC North Notes: Packers, Lions, Bears
Here’s a look at the NFC North:
- Packers GM Ted Thompson has kept his cool during hard times and resisted the urge to shuffle the roster, Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel writes. Over the last ten seasons, Thompson has cut an average of just 3.1 players during the season. Even with the expansion of practice squads to ten players, Thompson has only cut three players from his taxi squad this season and only eight in 2014. One players meet Thompson’s high standards, they effectively become his guys, and that’s an impressive and unique organizational culture in today’s NFL. Now, as McGinn writes, it remains to be seen whether that approach will bear fruit over the team’s final five games.
- Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com looked at Giants exec Marc Ross as a GM candidate for the Lions. Rod Wood said he wants someone who has been with an organization that has had success and stability, and there are few that have been more successful and stable than the Giants. Ross has played a key role in their drafts, including the brilliant 2014 selection of Odell Beckham Jr. On the flip side, the majority of Ross’ experience has come on the draft side of things and not so much in free agency. Ultimately, thanks to his Princeton ties and previous buzz as a GM candidate around the league, Rothstein wouldn’t be surprised to see him get an interview.
- In a recent mailbag, a reader asked Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune whether he thinks the Bears need to focus more on inside linebacker or defensive end. Biggs feels that rookie nose tackle Eddie Goldman should take a major step forward in 2016, so he’s not terribly concerned with replacing him this offseason.
AFC East Notes: McDaniels, Jets, Tannehill
Going back to the turn of the century, NFL teams have fired an average of 6.9 head coaches per season. So, based on recent history, we should see plenty of head coaching positions open up in the offseason. On Thursday, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com rounded up a list of ten candidates who will likely be on the list of any team seeking a new coach, based on conversations with NFL officials.
Two AFC East coaches made the unranked list: Bills assistant head coach Anthony Lynn and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Lynn interviewed well with the Jets last season but ultimately lost out on the job to Todd Bowles. McDaniels, meanwhile, could be the top candidate available given his success in New England.
Here’s more out of the AFC East:
- The Jets have proven that they won’t hesitate to cut the cord on high draft picks from the old regime, like Quinton Coples, but it would be bad business not to bring back cornerback Dee Milliner, Manish Mehta of the Daily News opines. Milliner, who is guaranteed $2.1MM in 2016 in the final year of his rookie deal, has not played much this season because he apparently has not earned the trust of head coach Todd Bowles. Still, Milliner’s work habits don’t appear to be a problem and the potential is there – Milliner was almost universally rated as the best cornerback in the 2013 draft.
- Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill obviously didn’t gloat over the firing of offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, but he sounds glad to be moving on from him. “I’m just excited about being part of the game plan,” Tannehill said, according to James Walker of ESPN.com. “Working with the coaches Monday and [Tuesday], just being a part of the game-plan process and having my thoughts heard and kind of putting our heads together to create some of the things we want to do, it’s been fun so far.”
- Linebacker Joplo Bartu will work out for the Jets today, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Bartu, a former starter, made one start in 2015 and appeared in six games total before being released by Atlanta late last month. Between 2013 and 2014, Bartu appeared in all 32 regular season contests for te Falcons with 27 starts. In total, Bartu notched 167 tackles and 4.5 sacks during that span. This year, he has recorded just eleven tackles.
Latest On Los Angeles
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell does not sound optimistic about the Chargers staying in San Diego. When asked if the city appears to be out of time to put together a plan to keep the Bolts, Goodell didn’t hesitate in his response.
“It certainly appears that is the case, yes,” he said, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The league will hold meetings on Jan. 12-13 in Houston, Texas and at that time, they’ll be voting on which team — or two — among the Raiders, Chargers, and Rams will be allowed to move to Los Angeles. Multiple owners expressed confidence that the league will be bringing at least one team to L.A. with 49ers owner Jed York saying that the “momentum” is moving towards “a decision on one or two teams in L.A.”
Here’s more on the rush to Los Angeles:
- The three cities that stand to lose teams must submit their latest plans to keep their franchises by Dec. 28, as Nate Davis of USA Today writes. “What are the home markets willing to do?” Goodell asked. “That has been a big focus of the committee.”
- Colts owner Jim Irsay says that no team has the necessary support of three-fourths of the league’s owners at this time, as Michael David Smith of PFT writes. For his part, Irsay supports the idea of two teams moving to L.A. and he doesn’t feel that any owner is averse to moving two teams.
- Raiders owner Mark Davis reiterated to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) that he is not going to St. Louis or going to Santa Clara with the 49ers. It’s Oakland or L.A. for his Raiders, he says.
- A source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) that if the Rams are not allowed to relocate to L.A. and if they don’t like the St. Louis deal, the team could remain year-to-year at Edward Jones Dome and maintain their free agency each offseason.
Extra Points: Falcons, White, Draft
The Falcons held a players-only meeting Monday in hopes of getting back on track for the stretch run, according to team sources who spoke with Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Under first-year head coach Dan Quinn, the Falcons have dropped four consecutive games and they find themselves on the outside-looking-in for the final playoff spots in the NFC. Players-only meetings can sometimes indicate that a coach’s hold on the locker room is in jeopardy, but that does not seem to be the case at all for Quinn.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- LSU cornerback Tre’Davious White is “entertaining the idea of staying in school,” Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. That doesn’t mean White is staying in school, but he’s at least giving it some thought. White could be rated as one of the best defensive backs in this year’s class if he goes pro.
- UCLA defensive lineman Kenny Clark has indicated to multiple sources that he’s strongly considering entering the NFL Draft, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). Getlin adds that NFL talent evaluators are high on the 6’3″, 310-pound junior.
- South Carolina linebacker Skai Moore is leaning towards entering the 2016 draft, team sources and family members tell Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter). Moore led the Gamecocks in tackles all three of his collegiate seasons and finished this year with 111 tackles.
- Oklahoma State defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah has indicated to multiple sources that he’s currently leaning towards entering the draft, Getlin tweets. In fact, Ogbah and his family have already had preliminary meetings with agents (link).
West Notes: 49ers, Manning, Broncos
The deadline for the 49ers to activate Daniel Kilgore is fast approaching. For his part, the center says that he’s good to go, as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee writes.
“I’d like to have something to build off of for the offseason, see where I am,” Kilgore said Wednesday. “It’s been over a year now. And I’ve been doing all this training. So I’d like to do something. I don’t want to do all this training for nothing.”
Kilgore’s fill-in, second-year player Marcus Martin, has struggled so far through 11 games with Pro Football Focus rating him as the NFL’s worst center in 2015.
Here’s more out of the West divisions:
- When asked about his future beyond 2015, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning told reporters that he hasn’t arrived at a decision or even pondered it, as Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets. “This is when ‘they’ and ‘sources’ seem to show their heads. I haven’t thought about anything but getting healthy,” Manning said.
- Broncos linebacker Shaquil Barrett for has hired agents Drew Rosenhaus and Jason Katz of Rosenhaus Sports for representation, per Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). Barrett, 23, is earning a paltry $435K this season and will make $525K in 2016 under the contract he signed as a UDFA in 2014. In 2015, the Colorado State product has appeared in 11 games with 4 starts, racking up 33 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
- The Seahawks auditioned tight end Anthony McCoy on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). McCoy could be an option to help fill the role of star tight end Jimmy Graham.
Dolphins Notes: Miller, McCain, Tannehill
Here’s a look at the Dolphins as they get set to face the Ravens on Sunday:
- Dolphins starting running back Lamar Miller, a pending free agent, has about a 60% chance of staying in Miami in the estimation of ESPN.com’s James Walker. So far in 2015, the fourth-year running back has amassed 567 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Miller hasn’t produced as many would have hoped and it will be interesting to see if he thrives now that Bill Lazor has been dismissed as offensive coordinator. One also has to wonder if talented rookie Jay Ajayi could be viewed as the Dolphins’ best option, which could lead to a lowball offer for Miller.
- Dolphins cornerback Bobby McCain has hired agents Drew Rosenhaus and Michael Katz of Rosenhaus Sports for representation, according to NFL.com’s Rand Getlin (on Twitter). As a fifth-round pick in the 2015 draft, McCain signed a deal worth roughly $2.5MM over the course of four years with a $228K signing bonus. The 22-year-old has appeared in 11 games (1 start) for Miami in 2015, tallying three pass deflections and 10 total tackles. McCain was formerly represented by Elevate Football.
- Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill will be allowed to audible and make suggestions with Zac Taylor calling the plays, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes. “He’s got ownership in it as well,” head coach Dan Campbell said. “I think it’s like anything else. If you have an idea and you’re willing to step up on a table for it, you’re going to do everything it takes to make it work. … I’m a big believer that your quarterback should have influence on what he likes and what he doesn’t like in the game plan.”