NFC East Notes: Williams, Giants, Jackson
The Cowboys will fine running back Joseph Randle for his shoplifting incident but will not suspend him, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Dallas certainly wants to keep Randle on the roster after he torched the Seahawks for a 38-yard run early in Sunday’s game. With an injury-prone DeMarco Murray on pace for a record number of carries, the Cowboys are expected to get Randle and fellow understudy Lance Dunbar more and more involved each week. More from the NFC East..
- Despite a report to the contrary, the Giants never had interest in giving up a draft pick for the right to pay Mike Williams‘ hefty salary, writes Jordan Raanan of The Star-Ledger. Williams is making more than $1MM this year and is guaranteed more than $5MM in 2015. Of course, a deal is even less likely after the Giants picked up veteran wide receiver Kevin Ogletree last night.
- Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com wonders aloud if the Eagles are actually better off without wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Ultimately, even though their record is better than it was at this point last year (5-1 as opposed to 3-3) and they’ve largely replaced his production, Sheridan can’t honestly say they’re better off. After all, the Eagles could be even more dangerous with both Jackson and Jeremy Maclin as the wideouts with Riley Cooper and Jordan Matthews sharing time in the slot.
- No one is expecting Ogletree to replace Victor Cruz, but he does have experience and he is comfortable working out of the slot where Cruz excelled, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. Now, the Giants can choose between Ogletree and Preston Parker for that role in the slot while keeping rookie Odell Beckham Jr. in an outside receiver spot.
- In an interview with the NFL Network, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that he’ll be ultimately remembered for his boldness, writes Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News. “I think that I will be viewed as aggressive,” Jones said. “It is about winning that Super Bowl. My goal is that Super Bowl.”
Eagles Re-Sign Vandervelde, Cut Wade Smith
The Eagles have re-signed center Julian Vandervelde, releasing veteran offensive lineman Wade Smith to make room on the 53-man roster, the team announced today (Twitter link). It had been expected for some time that Philadelphia would attempt to bring back Vandervelde when the team was permitted to re-sign him.
Vandervelde, 27, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Eagles in 2011. After playing his college ball at Iowa, he was active for 16 games over three seasons with the Birds; he rarely played, however, as he saw just nine offensive snaps in 2013. Expected to make the squad again in 2014, Vandervelde suffered a back injury and was waived with an injury settlement in late August as Philadelphia trimmed its roster to 75 players.
Players cut with injury settlements aren’t allowed to return to their former teams until six weeks have passed, plus the length of the settlement. Vandervelde has been a free agent for exactly seven weeks, which suggests that his original settlement with the Eagles was only for one week.
Smith, meanwhile, was signed as insurance after the Eagles’ sustained several early-season injuries to their offensive line, but he didn’t see the field much, playing just 18 offensive snaps in Week 3 against Washington. As a vested veteran, Smith won’t have to pass through waivers, and is immediately free to sign with any team.
NFC Links: Sproles, Lions, Hardy, Packers
As we head to the second half of tonight’s game with the Rams leading the 49ers 14-10, let’s look at some notes from the NFC:
- A source tells Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com that Eagles running back Darren Sproles will miss a few weeks but he’ll be back this season after last night’s knee injury. The veteran injured his knee late in the third quarter and there was initially fear that he had torn his ACL. Considering that the injury could have been much worse and the Eagles are on bye this week, that’s fortunate news for the veteran.
- New Lions kicker Matt Prater missed two field goal attempts on Sunday but coach Jim Caldwell isn’t thinking about moving on to his fourth kicker in 2014. “I think (with) wind like we had today, you’re going to have an issue,” Caldwell said, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “He kicked a 52-yarder, which was great. We have all the confidence in the world in him. I mean, the guy’s got a great track record. We feel good about him.”
- Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy hasn’t been in contact with the team yet but he’ll be back in touch “at the right moment,” coach Ron Rivera told reporters, including David Newton of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Packers’ secondary took some hits on Sunday, as both Sam Shields and Tramon Williams left the game with injuries. Head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t offer any specifics on the duo’s ailments, or that of linebacker Jamari Lattimore, but did say that none of the three are facing a long-term absence, writes
- Ndamukong Suh is among the players whom Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap says raised their stock with their performance yesterday. Suh, whose contract with the Lions expires after the season, is playing at a level that will allow him to ask for a enormous deal come free agency, writes Fitzgerald.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Injury Updates: Sunday
While we don’t cover every injury here at Pro Football Rumors, we will keep track of injuries to key players that could force teams to make important roster moves. We’ll update the following list throughout the day:
- Giants nickel back Trumaine McBride told reporters tonight, including Kieran Darcy of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link), that he has a dislocated thumb, which figures to sideline him for multiple weeks.
- Eagles running back Darren Sproles left tonight’s game against the Giants with a knee injury, and as Doug Farrar of SI.com tweets, NBC’s Michele Tafoya reported that the tests adminstered to Sproles’ MCL and ACL by the team left the running back “pretty unhappy.” We should have a clearer idea of the prognosis for Sproles on Monday.
Earlier updates:
- The Jets fear that starting right guard Brian Winters will be sidelined for the season with a torn ACL, a sources tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). The team will conduct tests tomorrow morning to determine whether or not that’s the case.
- Sam Shields believes he avoided a major knee injury today, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Losing Shields would’ve been a costly blow for the Packers, who re-signed the cornerback to a lucrative long-term deal during the offseason.
- Milliner is believed to have torn his Achilles, tweets Rapoport; the second-year corner would obviously miss the remainder of the season if true.
- The Browns believe Mack has suffered a significant leg injury, and expect him to “miss extended time,” reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Currently, the Browns have moved right guard John Greco to center, with Paul McQuistan taking over at RG. We’ll certainly have more on this situation as more news is relayed.
- Patriots running back Stevan Ridley has been ruled out for the day with a knee injury. Per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter), Ridley’s “ankle bent in a way no one wants their ankle to bend.”
- The Bengals linebacking unit has taken another hit, as Rey Maualuga had to be carted off the field with a leg injury, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of the the NFL Network (Twitter link).
- Speaking on FOX, Jay Glazer provided an update on Broncos running Montee Ball, who will miss an additional 3-4 weeks with a groin injury.
- The Browns excellent offensive line has taken a hit, as center Alex Mack had to be carted off the field with a left ankle injury, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal. ESPN.com’s Tony Grossi adds (on Twitter) that an air cast was applied to Mack’s ankle, an indication that the injury could be serious.
- Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo is out for the day after suffering a knee injury that forced him to be carted off the field, according to John Clayton of ESPN (via Twitter).
- After suffering two concussions already this season, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict left today’s game after taking a hit to the head; another concussion could shelve Burfict for some time.
- 2013 first-rounder Dee Milliner is out for the rest of the Jets’ game against the Broncos after suffering a non-contact injury to his ankle.
Workout Notes: Eagles, Browns
The Eagles hosted former Oregon running back Kenjon Barner on Friday, league sources tell Aaron Wilson of The National Football Post. Barner spent all of 2013 with the Panthers, compiling six rush attempts in eight games.
The 25-year-old has a pair of connections to the team. First, he played for head coach Chip Kelly while the two were at Oregon. Second, he was acquired by Philadelphia earlier this year for a conditional seventh-rounder. He was ultimately cut with an injury settlement by the Eagles.
Let’s check out some more workout notes from around the league…
- The Browns worked out punter Michael Palardy, tweets Wilson. This may be an indication by the team that they’re not happy with current punter Spencer Lanning, who ProFootballFocus ranks as the third-worst at the position this season (subscription required).
NFC Notes: Murray, Harbaugh, House
The NFL’s leading rusher, DeMarco Murray, told Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com today that he’s happy his camp has opened extension talks with the Cowboys, though he acknowledged it’s not something he’s focused on at this point. While Murray’s hot start in the final year of his rookie contract has made him a logical extension candidate, Joel Corry of the National Football Post notes that even in a career year, the running back may not receive a huge offer from the Cowboys. The team also has to address other potential free agents like wideout Dez Bryant, and if Murray’s workload continues at its current pace, the club could have concerns about his future production, particularly given his past durability issues.
As we wait to see if negotiations between Murray and the Cowboys move forward, let’s take a look at a few more notes from around the NFC….
- In the view of ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, it would be an upset if Jim Harbaugh is still coaching the 49ers in 2015. While Schefter isn’t entirely ruling out the possibility, he says he “wouldn’t count on it right now.”
- Davon House‘s name is a little ways down on the Packers‘ depth chart, but the cornerback could be setting himself up for a nice payday in the offseason based on his performance, writes Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Pass-Gazette. So far, the team has yet to talk to House’s agent about an extension. “If I continue what I’ve been doing, good things are to come, here or somewhere else,” House said. “Hopefully here.”
- Top draft pick Marcus Smith is itching to get on the field more, but Eagles coach Chip Kelly says he won’t rush things with the young linebacker, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “We don’t look at a guy and say, ‘Hey, he’s this, we have to force him in,’ ” Kelly said. “I think you’d lose the rest of the guys on your team if you say, ‘Why are you playing this guy? Just because we drafted him high.’ He has to prove that he deserves playing time.”
- Wide receiver Nick Williams, who was released from Washington’s practice squad about a month ago, tried out this week for the Falcons, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday
With practices resuming following the weekend’s games, and teams having a better of idea of how serious its players’ injuries are, Tuesdays are often a busy day for practice squad transactions, as clubs replenish their rosters and swap in players at potential positions of need. As such, we expect to update this post plenty of times throughout the day, with the latest news of practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL. Here’s the latest:
- Defensive tackle Joe Vellano, who was waived by the Patriots on Monday, has agreed to stay with New England on its practice squad, tweets Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. Vellano is the beneficiary of the new practice squad rules that allow a second-year player to be eligible despite playing in 16 games in 2013.
- Defensive back Chandler Fenner and wide receiver Julian Talley, both waived by the Giants yesterday, have been re-signed to the practice squad, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
- The Eagles re-signed linebacker Brandon Hepburn to their practice squad, according to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter).
- The Packers signed Joe Kruger, the brother of Paul Kruger, to their practice squad, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
- Former Ravens defensive tackle A.J. Pataiali’i has been added to the Browns’ taxi squad, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- As noted below, cornerback Mike Harris has signed with the Lions‘ practice squad, replacing fellow defensive back Josh Victorian, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
- The Jets have released cornerback LeQuan Lewis from their practice squad, signing another cornerback – Dashaun Phillips – in his place, the team announced today (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- One wide receiver has replaced another on the Cowboys‘ practice squad, tweets Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, as Tim Benford has been cut and LaRon Byrd has been signed.
- The Rams are down to nine players on their practice squad, having cut wide receiver Justin Veltung today, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
- The Lions have signed defensive back Mike Harris to their taxi squad, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Detroit had a full 10-man unit, so a corresponding cut will be necessary to finalize the move.
- Offensive tackle Ryan Miller has been cut from the Broncos‘ practice squad, reports Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter).
- The Browns have cut long snapper Charley Hughlett from their practice squad, per agent Brett Tessler (via Twitter). Hughlett was brought in to provide competition for the team’s regular long snapper, Christian Yount, but Cleveland has opted to continue on with Yount.
- The 49ers have swapped one offensive lineman for another on their practice squad, cutting tackle John Fullington in order to bring aboard guard Andrew Tiller, according to the club.
- Guard William Campbell and defensive tackle Jeremy Towns are the newest members of the Bills‘ practice squad, replacing fullback Lonnie Pryor and tight end Jamie Childers, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- Three days after cutting him from their active roster, the Jaguars have re-signed tight end Mickey Shuler to their practice squad, the team announced today in a press release. To make room on the squad, wide receiver Kerry Taylor has been cut.
- Last week’s promotion of quarterback Chandler Harnish to the active roster suggested the Vikings were more confident in him than McLeod Bethel-Thompson in an emergency scenario, and the team’s moves today reflected that as well. The Vikes announced in a press release that Bethel-Thompson has been let go from the practice squad, with Harnish, wideout Donte Foster, and defensive back Pierre Warren joining the unit.
- To keep tabs on all 32 practice squad rosters, be sure to check out our complete list.
East Notes: Rolle, Giants, Thompkins, Eagles
Giants safety Antrel Rolle is slated to hit the open market after this season but he’s not going to make a lot of noise about it right now, as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post tweets. “I’ve never been a guy to speak about contracts. I’ll let my play do the campaigning for me,” said Rolle. More out of the East divisions..
- Patriots coach Bill Belichick says that he hoped to re-sign wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins to the practice squad, writes Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. “It’s always tough to release a player, especially one like KT who works extremely hard and is really a dedicated athlete and certainly had a lot of good moments of performance for us,” Belichick said. “We have other players at that position that also work hard that are talented. In the end, we had to . . . in order to get a guy on the roster, we had to take a guy off. It’s just getting down to that decision. It’s a hard decision to make, you know?“
- Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis has no plans to make a change at cornerback, writes Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. The play of starting corners Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher has many Eagles fans wishing they would go out-of-house for an upgrade after the team’s ugly near-collapse at home against the Rams on Sunday.
- Former LSU product Spencer Ware was among the running backs auditioning for the Giants today, writes Jordan Raanan of The Star-Ledger. Terrance Cobb and Stephen Houston also worked out for Big Blue. With Rashad Jennings banged up and Michael Cox promoted from the taxi squad to the active roster, the Giants could have a spot for another tailback.
Minor Moves: Monday
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here….
- The Packers will welcome back offensive lineman Jordan McCray on their practice squad, according to the FXFL’s Twitter account. Wes Hodkiewicz of the Press Gazette (on Twitter) notes that the Packers had a spot open on the practice squad, so no corresponding move is necessary.
- The Giants have promoted running back Michael Cox from their practice squad to their 53-man roster, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. The move provides some backfield insurance, with Rashad Jennings expected to be sidelined through the team’s Week 8 bye.
- After seeing another center go down with an injury, the Chargers are set to sign center Trevor Robinson off the Bengals’ practice squad, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). San Diego opened up a roster spot today by placing Doug Legursky on the injured reserve list, as noted below.
- The Rams have waived linebacker Ray Ray Armstrong, who had been a key contributor on the special teams unit, tweets Brian McIntyre.
Earlier updates:
- Wideout Kevin Dorsey has been promoted to the Packers‘ 53-man roster from their practice squad, tweets Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Former Utah State defensive back Tay Glover-Wright is taking Dorsey’s spot on the taxi squad, per Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).
- The Saints have waived 2014 fourth-round pick Khairi Fortt, a source tells Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link). It’s a somewhat surprising move, since Fortt hasn’t really had an opportunity to play yet, and his release won’t open up a roster spot, since the club had used its injured reserve/designated to return spot on him.
- Safety Jakar Hamilton was activated today by the Cowboys, who waived linebacker Keith Smith to make room on the 53-man roster, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. The team previously had a roster exemption for Hamilton, who missed the season’s first four weeks due to a suspension.
- The Dolphins have made a series of moves, signing wide receiver Damian Williams to their 53-man roster and waiving running back Orleans Darkwa to make room (Twitter link). The team also announced that the roster exemption for previously-suspended safety Reshad Jones has been lifted, meaning he’s now officially a part of the 53-man roster (Twitter link).
- Linebacker Marcus Benard has re-signed with the Cardinals, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Benard was initially signed during John Abraham‘s absence from the team, and now takes the place of Matt Shaughnessy, who was placed on injured reserve with the designation to return today.
- In a surprising transaction, the Packers have parted ways with tight end Ryan Taylor, who hasn’t been a huge part of the club’s passing game since being drafted in the seventh round in 2011, but has been with the team since then and contributed on special teams. Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette has the details on the move, which brings the Packers’ roster count down to 52.
- The Chargers have lost another center, announcing today (via Twitter) that Doug Legursky is heading to injured reserve with a knee injury. Longtime San Diego center Nick Hardwick was previously placed on IR with an injury of his own.
- Cornerback Brandon Browner and wideout Brian Tyms are both being formally activated by the Patriots, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). To make room for the duo, whose roster exemptions expire today, the Pats had to cut a pair of players — Shalisa Manza Young of the Boston Globe initially reported that defensive lineman Joe Vellano would be one of the two to go (Twitter link), and the team has since announced that defensive lineman Michael Buchanan is the other. Vellano has been waived, while Buchanan was placed on IR.
- The Eagles have made a change to their practice squad, cutting wide receiver Cobi Hamilton and replacing him with safety Jordan Kovacs, the team announced today (Twitter link).
- The Giants are releasing Trindon Holliday from IR, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). The veteran kick returner was placed on IR in August with a hamstring injury.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
NFC Notes: Lions, Harbaugh, Cards, Eagles
After cutting Alex Henery, the Lions are in the market for a new kicker (again) and there aren’t a ton of options out there outside of Jay Feely and Matt Prater, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Other available names include Giorgio Tavecchio, Derek Dimke, and 38-year-old Neil Rackers, while Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) mentions veterans Connor Barth, Rian Lindell, and Garrett Hartley as other possibilities.
With Feely, Prater, and Barth all set to audition for Detroit on Tuesday, let’s round up a few more notes on the Lions’ kicking options, as well as other updates from around the NFC:
- As Feely prepares to try out for the Lions, he’s helped by the fact that punter Sam Martin handles kickoffs for Detroit, tweets Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Martin is one of a few punters to handle kickoff duty in the NFL and that means Feely will only be needed for his strength: Nailing field goals.
- Some Lions fans have wondered aloud if Jason Hanson would entertain the idea of coming out of retirement, but Hanson’s agent tells Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter) that his client is done playing football.
- As reports of tension between 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and his players continue to pile up, many in the locker room came to his defense after yesterday’s 22-17 win over the Chiefs, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “There’s really been no drama. It’s all been created by you guys (media), something to talk about. We seriously don’t think about that, talk about that, give that any thought. . . . We don’t care,” said left tackle Joe Staley. Kicker Phil Dawson and quarterback Colin Kaepernick also showed their support for Harbaugh.
- 49ers CEO Jed York issued yet another denial of reports that Harbaugh will be out of a job even if the team wins the Super Bowl this year. “It’s categorically not true,” York told DIRECTV’s Rich Eisen, according to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. York acknowledged that Harbaugh can sometimes rub people the wrong way, but also said that the coach and GM Trent Baalke “work fairly well together.”
- Cardinals general manager Steve Keim says that he won’t be adding another quarterback yet, writes Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. In theory, both Drew Stanton and Carson Palmer could be ready for the Redskins this week. The team will determine the status of both in the next day or two and go from there.
- The Eagles emphasized upgrading special teams in the offseason and yesterday was proof they accomplished that, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Eagles’ first score on Sunday came on a blocked punt and they have four special-teams touchdowns this season, including one in each of the last three games.