Eagles Shopping Najee Goode
The Eagles are shopping linebacker Najee Goode, according to league sources who spoke with Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). Goode has been with the Eagles for the past two seasons but it sounds like he is on the fringe as the team tries to get down to a 53-man roster.
The 25-year-old unfortunately had his season cut short in 2014 when he suffered a pectoral injury in September. In the year prior, Goode appeared in 14 games, mainly as a special teams player. In total, he tallied 20 tackles, one sack, three pass deflections, and one fumble recovery. A product of West Virginia, he was drafted by the Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2012 draft.
NFC Notes: Hardy, Crowder, Falcons
Earlier today, we heard that the Tom Brady decision by Judge Richard Berman had prompted Greg Hardy‘s camp to reconsider whether or not to challenge his own suspension in court. The Cowboys defensive end appealed his 10-game suspension and had it reduced to four games, but there was a belief that he and the NFL Players Association would consider a lawsuit for anything over two games.
According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter), it has seemed all along as if Hardy would rather not go to court over the suspension, preferring that the issue is laid to rest instead. The NFLPA, on the other hand, would like to fight the ruling.
As we wait to see which side wins out, let’s check in on a few more odds and ends from around the NFC….
- An NFL spokesman has told Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link) that Washington receiver Jamison Crowder won’t face league discipline stemming from a domestic violence accusation on social media.
- Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff appeared on SiriusXM NFL Radio last night, with Marvez and Gil Brandt speaking to him about the team’s extension with Julio Jones, how player evaluation has changed under Dan Quinn, and the club’s up-and-down offensive line. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides a transcript of some of the GM’s more notable comments.
- In the wake of Dimitroff’s comments, Ledbetter published a second AJC story wondering aloud if it was a mistake for the Falcons to cut veteran linemen Sam Baker and Justin Blalock.
- Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com examines whether or not the Eagles should have any interest in trying to acquire Robert Griffin III, who is a candidate to be traded or waived by Washington.
Eagles Down To 75-Man Roster
The Eagles made a trio of roster moves to get down to 75, as Alex Smith of PhiladelphiaEagles.com writes. Running back Kevin Monangai was waived, linebacker Emmanuel Acho was formally waived/injured (thumb), and cornerback JaCorey Shepherd was placed on injured reserve.
Monangai, a rookie free-agent signing out of Villanova, was unable to stick in Philly due to a deep depth chart at running back. Acho provided the Eagles with solid depth at inside linebacker for parts of the last two seasons and he saw time in 14 games and made two starts in 2014. The release of Acho was reported in August, but it apparently did not become official until today. Acho received an injury settlement in the deal, so he is now a free agent, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
After Brandon Boykin was traded to Pittsburgh, it appeared that Shepherd was on track take over the nickel position. Unfortunately, however, he suffered a torn ACL soon after the deal.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/30/15
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves as teams begin trimming their rosters from 90 players to 75. We will update this post as necessary throughout the course of the day. Some teams have announced major roster cuts, but for the teams that may be waiting until closer to Tuesday to release some of their transactions, here are a few roster moves.
(Some teams may announce a full set of moves later on, and these players may reappear on those lists.)
- The Packers have cut offensive tackle Vince Kowalski, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The former Villanova product was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent in June.
- The Colts have cut linebacker Justin Shirk, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
Earlier Updates:
Eagles Cut 12 Players
We learned earlier today that the Eagles had cut four players: offensive lineman Mike Coccia, WR Mike Johnson, DL Alfy Hill, and DT Jeremy Towns. Per the team’s official website, Philadelphia has also waived the following eight players, bringing its roster down to 78:
- CB Marc Anthony
- S Brandan Bishop
- T Kevin Graf
- WR G.J. Kinne
- LB Dasman McCullum
- WR Josh Reese
- TE Justin Tukes
- OL Jared Wheeler
East Notes: Eli, Hester, Kendricks, Cowboys
Let’s round up a few Friday odds and ends from out of the NFL’s two East divisions….
- In a Q&A with Justin Terranova of the New York Post, former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason addressed Eli Manning‘s contract situation, suggesting that he believes Manning and the Giants will ultimately get an extension done. Still, Esiason acknowledges that if the club postpones talks until after the season and misses the playoffs again, the idea of retooling the roster – starting with the quarterback – may have to at least be considered.
- Wide receiver and kick returner Devin Hester is heading into the second season of his three-year contract with Atlanta. However, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com details, Hester nearly landed with the Dolphins rather than the Falcons when he hit free agency in 2014.
- Comparing Mychal Kendricks‘ new contract to past deals signed by Sean Lee (Cowboys) and Donald Butler (Chargers), Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap suggests that the Eagles‘ pact is the strongest of the three, from a team’s perspective.
- Brian Costello of the New York Post examines the unique journey to the 2015 Jets taken by safety Rontez Miles, who is battling for a roster spot on this year’s squad.
- The Cowboys have some tough calls to make on their defensive line, which could be the deepest position group on the team, as Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News discusses in a chat with readers.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/27/15
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..
- The Buccaneers announced (via Twitter) that they have waived kicker Brandon Bogotay, waived/injured linebacker Orie Lemon, and signed long snapper Brandon Hartson. The Bucs added a notable kicker in Connor Barth on Wednesday night.
- The Patriots announced that they have released defensive lineman Antonio Johnson, tackle Mark Asper, and linebacker Cameron Gordon, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Patriots also waived/injured defensive end/tight end Jake Bequette, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Bequette was a third-round selection back in 2012.
- The Eagles waived/injured linebacker Emmanuel Acho with a thumb injury that required surgery, according to a league source who spoke with Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Acho, 24, has spent parts of the past two seasons with the Eagles. He started two games in 2014 and played 23 percent of the defensive snaps.
- The Packers signed former Lafayette wide receiver James Butler after a tryout, Weston Hodkiewicz of the Press Gazette tweets.
NFC Notes: Galette, Chancellor, Falcons
The hits keep coming for Junior Galette, as the Saints are claiming that the veteran outside linebacker voided the guarantee on his base salary of $1.25MM for this season and don’t intend to pay any of that money, according to two sources who spoke with Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
It’s not clear exactly how the team believes Galette voided that guarantee, and there’s no indication the Saints are trying to get back any of the $12.5MM they paid him in the spring, but that $1.25MM figures to be a point of contention. Galette, who signed with Washington in the offseason, suffered a torn Achilles and has been ruled out for the season.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- While it hasn’t received the sort of attention that a quarterback’s holdout would, the Kam Chancellor situation is drawing plenty of interest around the NFL, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who writes that teams – and even some agents – don’t want to see the Seahawks cave to their star safety. In La Canfora’s view, the club has to be willing to see if Chancellor will give up game checks.
- According to former agent Joel Corry (via Twitter), Chancellor’s holdout has cost him his salary guarantee for this season, unless his contract language is different from other Seattle deals. Meanwhile, former team executive Andrew Brandt suggests (via Twitter) that he thinks the Seahawks will waive Chancellor’s fines if and when he reports, but the team can’t say that now, since there’d be no incentive for Chancellor to end his holdout.
- Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports has some details on the Eagles‘ new deal with Mychal Kendricks, tweeting that the linebacker got a signing bonus worth $8MM and will get $16.9MM over the next three years.
- The Falcons considered signing offensive guard Evan Mathis, but elected not to pull the trigger on a deal, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “We certainly did evaluate him,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “Thomas [Dimitroff] and I both did.” Mathis, of course, signed with the Broncos on Tuesday. A deal with the Falcons would have marked a homecoming of sorts for the Birmingham native.
- In an effort to cut back on his day-to-day involvement, 72-year-old Falcons owner Arthur Blank will hire a CEO to oversee all of his for-profit businsess, including the Falcons, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Extra Points: Lions, Taliaferro, Chancellor
Linebacker Kyle Van Noy, the Lions‘ second-round pick in 2014, had half of his rookie season wiped out by a stint on injured reserve, and he never got fully healthy after he returned, contributing just six tackles for the year. After undergoing hip surgery earlier this year, Van Noy had higher hopes for the 2015 campaign, but the 24-year-old continues to be nagged by injury issues with the season approaching.
According to head coach Jim Caldwell, the first opinion Van Noy received on his latest injury suggested more surgery isn’t necessary at this point, but the team is seeking a second opinion (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com). While it’s possible that Van Noy lands in Detroit’s IR-DTR spot again, the timetable on his return isn’t clear yet, and the club may want to save that designation this time around.
Let’s check in on several more items from around the NFL…
- Caldwell also said today that he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of two fullbacks – Michael Burton and Emil Igwenagu – making the Lions‘ roster (Twitter link via Rothstein).
- Phones are lighting up across the league as teams look to make trades before the roster cutdown to 75 players next week, tweets Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com. Russini adds that, despite all the chatter, it’s not clear how many deals will actually go down.
- Ravens coach John Harbaugh says running back Lorenzo Taliaferro will miss a “few weeks” with an MCL sprain, writes Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com. Taliaferro was listed as the Ravens No. 2 running back behind Justin Forsett, but now rookie fourth-round pick Buck Allen figures to see an increased workload for the rest of the preseason — and potentially early in the regular season.
- Drawing on his past experience as an NFL executive, Jeff Diamond of The Sporting News takes a closer look at Kam Chancellor‘s holdout, suggesting that GM John Schneider and the Seahawks will have to consider the possibility of trading Chancellor if his holdout extends into September.
- Speaking today to reporters, including Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks said that his new extension came together within the last two weeks or so.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
East Notes: Galette, Wayne, Brady, Ryans
There’s “a feeling” in Washington that the team will learn this week whether or not veteran pass rusher Junior Galette will face a suspension for any off-field incidents, writes John Keim of ESPN.com. Washington didn’t waste much time picking up Galette after he was released by the Saints, suggesting the front office wasn’t expecting a significant penalty. According to Keim, the club is hopeful that any Galette suspension would be for two games or less.
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Josina Anderson of ESPN.com provides a couple specific figures on Reggie Wayne‘s new contract with the Patriots, tweeting that has a maximum value of $2.8MM and features a $450K signing bonus. According to Wayne, he fielded “a lot of serious calls from some good teams,” but decided New England was the best fit for him, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Attorneys for the NFL and NFLPA met yesterday for another settlement conference regarding Tom Brady‘s case, but – as expected – the session didn’t lead to an agreement, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. The next hearing in Judge Richard Berman’s court regarding the Patriots quarterback is scheduled for August 31.
- Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links) wonders what the Mychal Kendricks extension means for Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans. As McLane explains, he heard earlier this year that Kendricks would likely only play one more season in Philadelphia, so the apparent change of heart from the team may be related to Ryans, who turned 31 last month.
- E.J. Manuel acknowledged during training camp this year that he knows his days with the Bills may be numbered if he doesn’t play well. However, as Sal Capaccio of WGR550 details, Manuel says he loves playing in Buffalo: “I want to stay here.”