Extra Points: Goodell, Los Angeles, Draft
The NFL and NFL Players Associations are engaged in negotiations regarding commissioner Roger Goodell‘s role in player discipline, and according to NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, the two sides are having “the right conversations,” writes Mark Maske of the Washington Post. While there’s been some speculation that resolving Goodell’s involvement in the player-discipline process might have to wait until the next CBA extension, both sides have noted that modifications could be made before that.
“There’s no need for other issues,” Smith said. “We’ve resolved drug policy as a stand-alone issue. We cut side letters to the collective bargaining agreement every year that are issues. At the end of the day, I think that this is an important issue for both sides. And I don’t think either the players or the owners really want to be talking about commissioner discipline during the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl. I don’t think that’s good for our business. I’m sure they don’t think it’s good for our business.”
Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the NFL…
- Having long been on top of the Los Angeles relocation rumors swirling around a trio of NFL teams, Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times takes a step back to evaluate where the situation stands now, using a Q&A format to address the most frequently-asked questions about the possibility of the Rams, Chargers, or Raiders moving to L.A.
- Field Yates of ESPN.com examines a few teams that might like to have do-overs on big offseason transactions, noting that neither the Eagles nor the Rams have made out particularly well in their Sam Bradford/Nick Foles swap. Yates also identifies the Seahawks‘ acquisition of Jimmy Graham and the Cowboys‘ plan to replace DeMarco Murray as moves that haven’t worked out as planned.
- There are at least 10 NFL teams – and probably more – that will consider drafting a quarterback in the spring of 2016, according to Mike Sando and Mel Kiper of ESPN.com, who take a look at the clubs in need of QBs, along with a few of the top college options available to them.
- Alabama already had two defensive linemen – A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed – projected as potential first-round picks, and there are some in NFL circles that believe Jonathan Allen could make it three first-round defensive linemen for the Crimston Tide, writes Matt Zenitz of AL.com.
Workout Notes: Jets, Giants, Pats, Colts
Wednesday’s workouts from around the NFL:
- The Jets worked out kickers Corey Acosta, Michael Barnard, Tommy Frevert, Andrew Furney, Zach Hocker, Marvin Kloss, and Giorgio Tavecchio as well as wide receiver/kick returners Trindon Holliday and Damaris Johnson, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Giants worked out running back Robert Turbin (now with the Cowboys), tackle Jake Rodgers, guard Jared Smith, linebacker Kevin Snyder, guard Anthony Steen, guard Donald Thomas, quarterback Dustin Vaughan, tight end Connor Hamlett, defensive lineman Toby Johnson, linebacker Jeff Luc, linebacker Mike Mohamed, and defensive back Floyd Raven, according to Wilson (Twitter links).
- The Patriots worked out running backs Dominique Brown and Marion Grice, wide receivers Andre Davis and Antwan Goodley, defensive end Glenn Foster, defensive backs Jonathon Mincy, and tight end Justin Tukes, per Wilson (Twitter links).
- The Colts auditioned defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi and tackle John Wetzel, Wilson tweets.
- The Dolphins auditioned tackel Cameron Clear, tight end Blake Annen, and linebacker Curtis Grant, Wilson tweets.
- The Seahawks worked out running back DuJuan Harris, Wilson tweets.
- The Rams worked out tackle James Brewer, Wilson tweets.
- With issues at long snapper, the Eagles worked out Tyler Ott and Patrick Scales, Wilson tweets.
East Notes: Redd, R. Matthews, Richardson
Washington running back Silas Redd has been suspended for violating the NFL’s policy on substances of abuse, per Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Like teammate Junior Galette, who was hit with a suspension of his own this week, Redd is on injured reserve, meaning the suspension won’t force him out of action for any games he wouldn’t have missed anyway. However, it will cost him a few game checks. Redd will begin serving the four-game ban immediately, and will miss out on 4/17ths of his base salary for this season.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s East divisions:
- With wide receiver Rishard Matthews enjoying a breakout year for the Dolphins, he could be in line for a contract worth between $4-6MM this offseason, according to the industry sources that have spoken to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. For their part, the Dolphins reportedly haven’t engaged in extension discussions with Matthews.
- While Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson still may be disciplined by the NFL for his off-field behavior, it likely won’t happen until the offseason, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. As Rapoport explains, Richardson’s court date is in January, and the league isn’t expected to make a ruling on discipline until the case is resolved.
- The Eagles are doing poorly on special teams this season and Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Daily News blames exec/coach Chip Kelly for not retaining James Casey, Chris Polk, Casey Matthews, and Brandon Boykin from last year’s squad.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Workout Notes: Seahawks, Colts, Bears
The Kendall Hunter tour continues. On Tuesday, the Seahawks tried out the running back, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Hunter, who has seen his NFL career derailed by injuries in recent years, was removed from Sam Francisco’s injured reserve list in September with a settlement, making him a free agent. Last week, he tried out for the Jaguars, but that audition did not immediately lead to a deal.
Here’s a roundup of Tuesday’s notable workouts from around the NFL:
- The Colts tried out nose tackle Barry Cofield, according to Yates (on Twitter). He adds that tight end Joseph Fauria worked out for the Chiefs and Patriots while running back Dri Archer auditioned for the Jets.
- The Bears hosted a few players for workouts, per Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com (on Twitter), linebacker Xzavier Dickson, defensive end Tyre Glasper, linebacker Danny Mason, and linebacker Mike McAdoo.
- Wide receiver Tandon Doss was among players Jets tried out today, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets.
- The Falcons worked out cornerbacks Marc Anthony and Keon Lyn, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
- The Raiders worked out center Adam Gettis, Wilson tweets.
- The 49ers worked out former Texas offensive tackle Donald Hawkins, Wilson tweets.
- The Titans tried out Damarr Aultman, McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Alan Bonner, Antwan Goodley, Colin Lockett, Dustin Vaughan, Wilson tweets.
- The Eagles auditioned eight players on Monday, including wide receiver Corey Washington, safety Brandian Ross, defensive end Brian Mihalik, linebacker Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo, linebacker Brandon Hepburn, defensive tackle Toby Johnson, cornerback Trovon Reed, and cornerback Robert Steeples, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
- The Saints worked out running back Bronson Hill and defensive end Phillip Hunt, Wilson tweets.
East Notes: Vernon, Hardy, Dolphins
Defensive end Olivier Vernon, who has had to step up for the Dolphins with Cameron Wake out for the season, didn’t have a sack on Sunday against the Eagles, but he had an impact on the game, recording a handful of quarterback hits and hurries.
Vernon’s latest solid performance has Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald wondering why the Dolphins aren’t more inclined to engage in at least preliminary extension talks with the defender’s camp during the season. Vernon isn’t the Dolphins’ only notable free-agent-to-be, and Miami doesn’t make a habit of discussing new deals during the season. However, as Salguero writes, waiting until the offseason and having to decide whether it’s worth using the franchise tag on Vernon could cost the team much more.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s East divisions:
- Head coach Jason Garrett didn’t want to go into any specifics about a report on Greg Hardy being late for a Cowboys‘ meeting last week, but he also didn’t deny it happened, as Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com writes. “Suffice it to say that we have standards here with the Cowboys, that if a player were to miss something or be late for something, we address it in-house, and we address it the right way,” Garrett said. According to Archer, the penalty for such a transgression would be a fine, per team rules.
- With a game against the Dolphins on tap this weekend, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones admitted in an appearance on 105.3 The Fan that his team previously tried to hire Dan Campbell as its tight ends coach, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).
- The Dolphins are hosting former Patriots linebacker Cameron Gordon for a visit today, tweets agent Brett Tessler. While the Michigan product spent some time on New England’s roster, he has yet to appear in an NFL regular season game.
- Jets quarterback Geno Smith exercised poor judgment once again in the wake of last week’s loss to the Bills, and it’s the latest example of why he doesn’t have a long-term future with the organization, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
- Several Philadelphia News staffers, including Les Bowen and Paul Domowitch, evaluated the performance of Chip Kelly as the Eagles‘ general manager, with none of the 23 poll respondents giving Kelly better than a C grade.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/16/15
Today’s minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Colts announced that they activated cornerback D’Joun Smith from the Injured Reserve/Designated for Return list. Smith, a third round pick in the 2015 draft, was initially placed on IR-DTR on September 18th. In 44 career games at Florida Atlantic, Smith totaled 120 tackles (78 solo), nine interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 1.0 sack and 29 passes defensed.
- The Panthers waived tight end Richie Brockel from injured reserve, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Giants are set to sign offensive lineman Emmett Cleary to the active roster, a source tells Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger. Cleary, 25, spent the first ten weeks of the season on the Giants’ practice squad and he had a strong training camp and preseason. Cleary has also spent time with the Bucs, Colts, Raiders, and Bengals in recent years. To make room, the Giants cut defensive back Tramain Jacobs, as Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News tweets.
- The Seahawks were awarded defensive tackle A.J. Francis off waivers from the Dolphins, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. To make room, fellow defensive tackle David King was cut loose.
- The Eagles released Wade Keliikipi from injured reserve, Wilson tweets.
- Wide receiver Kaelin Clay took to Twitter to announce that the Ravens have signed him off the Lions‘ taxi squad.
Injury Updates: Bradford, L. Jones, Jaguars
While Peyton Manning‘s torn plantar fascia was probably the biggest injury news of the day, since it’ll lead to a Brock Osweiler start for the Broncos in Week 11, it’s hardly the only notable Monday injury update. Here are a few more:
- Based on initial tests, Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford, who sustained a concussion and a left shoulder injury, is expected to miss at least one game, and potentially two, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Philadelphia is scheduled to play on Thanksgiving afternoon in Week 12, so Bradford won’t have a full second week to recover if he aims to play in that game.
- Rapoport also provides another QB injury update, tweeting that Steelers signal-caller Landry Jones has a “pretty severe” low ankle sprain. Pittsburgh has a bye this week, but Michael Vick looks likely to back up Ben Roethlisberger for the team’s next game.
- Lions head coach Jim Caldwell told reporters today that cornerback Josh Wilson suffered a “significant” knee injury, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link). Detroit has yet to make a roster move involving Wilson, but it sounds like his season might be over.
- Jaguars defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks has been diagnosed with a torn triceps, per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter links). That’s typically a season-ending injury, though O’Halloran notes that Marks is getting a second opinion before Jacksonville makes any definitive decisions.
- O’Halloran adds (via Twitter) that surgery for a sports hernia may be in play for Jaguars wide receiver Allen Hurns, who would be sidelined for four to six weeks if he underwent that procedure. Hurns is visiting a specialist this week to assess the extent of his abdominal injury.
- Titans defensive tackle Al Woods has a high ankle sprain, and will be out for a few weeks, according to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com (Twitter link).
NFC Notes: Packers, Saints, Eagles
A look around the NFC. . .
- Although the Packers’ offense is slumping, head coach Mike McCarthy said after Sunday’s 18-16 loss to Detroit that he won’t take play-calling duties away from coordinator Tom Clements. “I like the way our staff works, and I like the way they work with our players,” McCarthy stated, per ESPN’s Jason Wilde. McCarthy called Green Bay’s offensive plays from 2006-14 before deciding to give the role to Clements this year.
- The 4-6 Saints are entering their bye week, and Larry Holder of NOLA.com writes that it’s the perfect time for head coach Sean Payton to fire defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and give Ryan’s job to defensive assistant Dennis Allen. Payton brought in Allen after Ryan’s defense finished 31st in the league last season. Led by Ryan, the Saints have allowed 130 points over the last three weeks – including 47 in an embarrassing defeat in Washington on Sunday. Afterward, Payton said that “we’re not going to discuss any of those types of changes, certainly not right now.”
- While Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford hasn’t been particularly good this year, Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer submits that Sunday’s output by backup Mark Sanchez was a prime example of why nobody should call for Sanchez to take over the starting job. After an injured Bradford left the Eagles’ game against Miami with Philadelphia leading 16-13, Sanchez came in and failed to help the team to victory – even throwing a costly interception – in a 20-19 defeat. The season’s on the brink for the 4-5 Eagles, and Sielski doesn’t expect their playoff chances to stay alive for long if Bradford misses time and Sanchez has to be the No. 1 signal caller.
- Jeff McLane of the Inquirer believes that Eagles head coach and football czar Chip Kelly‘s decision to trade for Bradford in the offseason was a worthy gamble. However, Kelly could be done in by his failure to surround Bradford with a sturdier offensive line and better receivers, McLane opines.
Sam Bradford Has Sprained AC Joint, Concussion
Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford had to leave his team’s 20-19 loss to Miami in the third quarter Sunday with injuries after a sack by Dolphins linebacker Chris McCain. It turns out Bradford suffered a concussion and a Grade II sprain in the AC joint in his left shoulder, according to the Philadelphia Daily News’ Les Bowen (Twitter links: 1; 2). While Bowen speculates that the shoulder injury isn’t one that should keep Bradford out long, the unpredictable nature of concussions leaves his status going forward murky.
At 4-5, the Eagles are fighting for their playoff lives and are about to face two games in a short span – one next Sunday against the Buccaneers, the second a few days later on Thanksgiving (in Detroit) – so a banged-up Bradford doesn’t seem to bode well for their postseason chances.
49ers Notes: Kaepernick, Eagles, Singletary
Here’s a look at the 49ers as they look ahead to the Seahawks on November 22nd:
- Cam Inman of the Mercury News wonders what’s next for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. “The handwriting is on the wall,” a league source said of an imminent, offseason breakup between Kaepernick and the 49ers. It’s believed Kaepernick would be willing to restructure his contract if he’s dealt in the offseason, and that might be the likeliest scenario awaiting him, Inman writes.
- So, if a breakup is inevitable, where will No. 7 land? In a separate piece, Inman runs down ten possible destinations for Kaepernick. The list of possible teams for Kaepernick starts with the Eagles, who haven’t been soaring with Sam Bradford. Kaepernick’s dual-threat skills, he argues, would be a better fit for the Philly offense. The Broncos, Browns, Jets, and Texans are among the other teams listed as possibilities.
- The NFL Network took a look at ex-49ers coach Mike Singletary and revealed some interesting stories from his time in SF. CSNBayArea.com looked at a few of the highlights.