AFC Notes: Harrison, Tannehill, Texans, Jags
The Steelers brought back veteran linebacker James Harrison this week after suffering a rash of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, but while the sight of Harrison in black and gold will look familiar, we shouldn’t expect him to play a major role immediately. Harrison started all 87 games he played for Pittsburgh from 2007 to 2012, but former Bucs GM Mark Domenik thinks it’s unrealistic to expect significant contributions from the linebacker at age 36.
“I think you could see him play five to 10 snaps [in Week 4] in that limited pass-rush role,” Dominik said, according to Scott Brown of ESPN.com. “I think at the end of the day you’ll be lucky if James Harrison become a 20- to 25-snap guy. He knows what to do in the system, and that’s the No. 1 thing, it’s just that can he get his body to do it? That’s going to take a little bit of time.”
Here’s more from out of the AFC:
- After being ambiguous earlier this week when he was asked about Ryan Tannehill‘s job security as the Dolphins‘ No. 1 quarterback, head coach Joe Philbin has expressed remorse about having created a distraction and given his starting signal-caller a vote of confidence, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. As I noted earlier in the week, Tannehill will be extension-eligible starting this offseason and the Dolphins will also have to decide on his fifth-year option in the spring, so 2014 is a big year for the young QB.
- We had already heard about the Texans auditioning a handful of punters this week in case Shane Lechler is unable to play this week, but Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) adds a couple more names to the list of players the team tried out. According to Wilson, Houston also took a look at long snappers Brandon Hartson and Chris Maikranz.
- The Jaguars auditioned linebacker L.J. Fort this week, tweets Wilson. Fort, waived by the Broncos during the preseason, also worked out for the Titans earlier in September.
- Cornerback Vernon Kearney, who was cut by the Chiefs a month ago, was among the defensive backs who worked out for the Jets this week, per Wilson (via Twitter).
Steelers Sign James Harrison
TUESDAY, 9:11am: Harrison has officially confirmed his signing, posting a photo on Instagram of him inking the deal.
MONDAY, 6:53pm: James Harrison may be on the verge of beating Sugar Ray Leonard’s record for the shortest retirement in professional sports history. The linebacker is scheduled to meet tomorrow with Steelers coaches and if all goes well, he’ll sign with Pittsburgh, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter) hears an agreement is already in place and says that the veteran is coming back to play for the Steelers.
The reunion with Harrison is more than a feel-good story, it was something of a necessity for the Steelers. In their comfortable 37-19 victory over the Panthers, the Steelers lost two linebackers. Rookie inside linebacker Ryan Shazier exited early in the third quarter with a knee injury and outside linebacker Jarvis Jones was taken out of action with a wrist injury. On top of that, veteran cornerback Ike Taylor suffered a broken forearm in the third quarter.
While Harrison played the 2013 season with the Bengals, most of his NFL career was spent in Pittsburgh, where he earned spots in five consecutive Pro Bowls from 2007-11. The 36-year-old logged 146 career games, including 105 starts, racking up 647 overall tackles and 66 sacks. His best season probably came in 2008, when he recorded 101 tackles, 16 sacks, and seven forced fumbles for the Steelers, earning a first-team All-Pro nod.
Harrison’s August visit with the Cardinals didn’t lead to a deal, but one month later he’s on the verge of returning to the team where he enjoyed his best seasons. In a fun twist, he’ll be playing for a coaching staff that includes former teammate Joey Porter, who now serves as a defensive assistant.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor Moves: Monday
We’ll keep tabs of today’s minor transactions from around the NFL right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Dolphins have signed Marcus Thigpen to their practice squad, writes Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel. Thigpen spent one week on the Patriots’ practice squad beore being cut last week. Thigpen, a former CFL standout, contributed 1,910 kickoff return yards, 580 punt return yards, and scored three touchdowns for the Dolphins in the past two seasons.
- The Redskins will sign center Tevita Stevens to their practice squad tomorrow, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
- Steelers linebacker Jarvis Jones, who injured his wrist last night, has been placed on Pittsburgh’s injured reserve list with the designation to return, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). The designation means that Jones will be sidelined for at least the next eight weeks of game action.
- In advance of tonight’s game against the Jets, the Bears have waived wide receiver Josh Bellamy and promoted linebacker Terrell Manning from their practice squad to the 53-man roster, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
- Linebacker Keith Smith has been cut by the Cowboys, the team officially announced today (via Twitter). For now, the club has an opening on its 53-man roster.
- The Ravens are filling the 10th and final opening on their practice squad by re-adding defensive tackle A.J. Pataiali’i, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- After being cut from the team’s active roster before this weekend’s contest against the Colts, safety Craig Loston has rejoined the Jaguars‘ practice squad, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
- Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson is set to join the Vikings‘ practice squad, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). When the move becomes official, Minnesota will need to cut or promote someone off the practice squad to clear a spot for Bethel-Thompson.
- The Buccaneers have removed Rashaan Melvin from their injured reserve list with a settlement, says Wilson (via Twitter).
Steelers Notes: Taylor, Shazier, Jones
The Steelers headed into Carolina as underdogs last night, but thoroughly outplayed the home team en route to a 37-19 victory. However, Pittsburgh didn’t escape the game unscathed. A handful of players left the contest with various injuries, and while we’re still waiting for official updates from the club, a few reports have surfaced today on the severity of those injuries. Let’s check in on the latest updates….
- Cornerback Ike Taylor suffered a broken forearm last night, as Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. While Robinson doesn’t specify a timetable, suggesting that Taylor will be sidelined “indefinitely,” Mark Kaboly of the Tribune-Review tweets that the recovery time will likely be six to eight weeks. As our tracker shows, the Steelers have yet to use their IR spot with the designation to return, so Taylor would appear to be a strong candidate for that.
- A pair of linebackers also sustained injuries last night, and according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Ryan Shazier has a strained MCL, while Jarvis Jones will likely require wrist surgery that will keep him out indefinitely. Shazier is undergoing an MRI today, and we should know Jones’ status with more certainty soon, but it looks as if the club may need to add some reinforcements to their linebacking corps.
- One longtime Steelers linebacker announced his retirement recently, but could be a good candidate to rejoin the team if he’s open to restarting his career. However, Scott Brown of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears from James Harrison‘s agent Bill Parise that the club has not reached out at this point.
AFC North Notes: Flacco, Gordon, Steelers
In a piece for the Sporting News, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap opines that among quarterbacks, the Ravens’ Joe Flacco has the least team-friendly pact. Flacco, of course, scored a huge deal after winning the Super Bowl in 2013 — $63MM comes his way in the first three years of the contractl, including $50MM in bonus money. It’s nearly impossible for Baltimore to get out the contract any time soon, as cutting Flacco after 2015 would result in more than $28MM in dead money on the Ravens’ cap. Also included on Fitzgerald’s list of bad deals is Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart, Bills defensive end Mario Williams, and Buccaneers safety Dashon Goldson. More from the AFC North:
- A new drug policy could be agreed upon as soon as tomorrow, and although it’s unlikely that Josh Gordon is immediately reinstated, the Browns wouldn’t hesitate to put him on the field on Sunday, writes Pat McManamon of ESPN.com. “I’d like to get him out there,” said offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. “I think he would help.”
- For his part, Gordon thinks he’ll be able to play for the Browns this season — his new boss at an auto dealership in Northeast Ohio tells Mary Kay Cabot of the the Cleveland Plain-Dealer that the receiver is “very optimistic” his suspension will at least be reduced. “He thinks there’s a good possibility,” said Jeff Sarchione. “…He wants to get back on that field so bad.”
- The Steelers used to be the model of consistency, both in terms of on-field success and cap management, writes Bill Barnwell of Grantland.com. In recent years, however, Pittsburgh has committed too much money to aging veterans, leading to its current cap woes, per Barnwell.
Steelers Extend Cortez Allen Through 2018
WEDNESDAY, 10:25am: Allen received a $6.75MM signing bonus, with an overall value of $24.5MM on the four new years, says Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap (Twitter links). Fitzgerald adds that the deal includes a $3MM roster bonus in 2015.
SATURDAY, 7:48pm: Allen’s reported $26MM figure will apply to the five total years he’ll be under contract rather than just the four new years, says Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter).
7:18pm: The Steelers and cornerback Cortez Allen have reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension worth more than $26MM, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Considering Pittsburgh generally doesn’t negotiate in-season extensions, the two sides took talks down to the wire, with news of a new deal breaking less than 24 hours before the team’s first game of the 2014 season.
Allen, a fourth-round pick in 2011, has steadily become a more important part of the Steelers’ defense during his first three NFL seasons, making eight starts for the club last year and recording 51 tackles, 13 passes defended, and a pair of interceptions. Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required) liked his play too, grading him as an above-average corner and ranking him 36th out of 110 qualified players at the position.
Allen’s extension is the latest in a string of new deals between the Steelers and their key players this offseason. Offensive linemen Maurkice Pouncey and Marcus Gilbert also agreed to extensions, and the team secured kicker Shaun Suisham to a long-term pact as well. Ben Roethlisberger is the one notable extension candidate not to receive a new contract from the team thus far, but both parties intend to revisit that topic after the season.
We’ll have to wait for the full details on exactly how much of Allen’s new money is guaranteed, and what the year-by-year breakdown looks like, but based on the numbers reported so far, it looks a little richer than Alterraun Verner‘s four-year, $25.5MM deal with the Buccaneers. A handful of corners, including Sam Shields, Aqib Talib, Vontae Davis, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Brent Grimes, inked contracts with larger annual average values than Allen’s $6.5MM, but considering the Steeler only has 11 career starts on his résumé, that’s not all that surprising.
The 25-year-old Allen had been set to enter the final year of his rookie contract, which paid him a $1.431MM base salary for 2014. Assuming that figure remains unchanged, Allen’s next five years should be worth over $27MM, with the new deal keeping him under team control through the 2018 season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC Notes: Burfict, Allen, Dolphins, Wright
Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (Twitter links) has the details on Vontaze Burfict‘s new $19MM, three-year deal with the Bengals. Burfict gets a $3.1MM signing bonus, a $3.8MM roster bonus on Aug. 30th, and a $3.15MM roster bonus due on the fifth day of 2015 year. Burfict has non-guaranteed base salaries of $700K, $1.05MM, $2.85MM and $3.75MM with cap figures of $5.279MM, $5.175MM, $3.825MM, $4.725MM. More out of the AFC..
- The Steelers will cut off contract negotiations with all their players come Sunday, which means time is ticking on a new deal with Cortez Allen, writes Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. It wouldn’t be unprecedented for PIttsburgh to get something done at the 11th hour, however. Troy Polamalu signed an extension in 2011 at the airport on the Saturday before the start of the season as the team was about to depart for Baltimore.
- The Dolphins gave tryouts to five linebackers, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today (on Twitter). Miami worked out Zac Diles, Brandon Hepburn, Terrell Manning, Etienne Sabino, and Kelvin Sheppard.
- New Patriots tight end Tim Wright is making a solid impression on offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, writes NFL.com’s Chris Wesselling. “We just got him, and he was able to come in here and learn enough to be able to go out there and play for us in a preseason game for 40-some snaps or whatever it was,” McDaniels said. “He’s working hard, certainly a bright kid and has some talent that hopefully we can utilize, and he just seems to fit in good and has a good attitude and work ethic. I’m just excited about seeing what we can do going forward.”
Sunday Transactions: AFC North
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s AFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Baltimore Ravens:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Tramain Jacobs, CB (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter); Ryan Jensen, OL (via Wilson on Twitter); Jamie Meder, DT (via Jeff Zrebiec on Twitter); Deji Olatoye, CB (via Zrebiec on Twitter); A.J. Pataiali’i, DT (via Wilson); John Simon, OLB (via Zrebiec on Twitter); Phillip Supernaw, TE (via Wilson on Twitter); Fitz Toussaint, RB (via Wilson on Twitter); Keith Wenning, QB (via Wilson)
Cincinnati Bengals:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Dan France, T; Kevin Greene, TE; David King, DT; Colin Lockett, WR; Onterio McCalebb, CB; Sam Montgomery, DE; Trevor Robinson, G/C; Devon Still, DT; James Wilder, RB
Cleveland Browns:
- Claimed off waivers: LaRon Byrd, WR (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter); Caylin Hauptmann, G (via Tom Pelissero on Twitter); Ryan Seymour, T (via Ian Rapoport on Twitter); Glenn Winston, RB (via Matt Maiocco on Twitter)
- Cut: Rex Grossman, QB (via Pelissero on Twitter); Charles Johnson, WR (via Pelissero on Twitter)
- Signed to practice squad: Kiero Small, FB (via Wilson on Twitter); Connor Shaw, QB (via Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter)
Pittsburgh Steelers:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Rob Blanchflower, TE; C.J. Goodwin, WR; Josh Harris, RB; Howard Jones, LB; Josh Mauro, DL; Derek Moye, WR; Shaquille Richardson, DB; Ross Ventrone, DB; Alejandro Villanueva, OL; Nick Williams, DL
Steelers Reduce Roster To 53 Players
The Steelers have become the latest team to reduce their roster count to 53 players in advance of this afternoon’s deadline. Here are the 22 players cut from the club’s active roster today, per a press release:
- Rob Blanchflower, TE
- Chris Carter, LB
- Bryce Davis, TE
- Isaiah Green, DB
- Josh Harris, RB
- Ethan Hemer, DL
- Stephen Houston, RB
- Howard Jones, LB
- Brendon Kay, QB
- Josh Mauro, DL
- Dan Molls, LB
- Derek Moye, WR
- Dayonne Nunley, DB
- David Paulson, T
- Roy Philon, DL
- Graham Pocic, OL
- Shaquille Richardson, DB
- Lanear Sampson, WR
- Will Simmons, OL
- Ross Ventrone, DB
- Guy Whimper, OL
- Nick Williams, DL
James Harrison Announces Retirement
After a brief flirtation this week with the Cardinals, James Harrison decided not to sign with the club, and in fact won’t be joining any NFL team this season. The longtime Steelers linebacker officially announced his retirement from the NFL this morning, via Facebook. Here’s Harrison’s statement, in full:
“I have made the difficult decision to retire as of today. My love for my family and the need to be there for them outweighs my desire to play the game. I have missed too many experiences with them because I devoted SO much time to my career. My love for the game isn’t strong enough to make up for missing one more birthday or first day of school. I am retiring as a man who is truly grateful for all of his blessings. I am sincerely thankful to the people who have supported me over the years, first and foremost my family, the Rooney family and my Steeler family, also Mr. Brown, the Bengals organization and fans, and last but FAR from least, Steeler Nation. Thank you.”
While Harrison played the 2013 season with the Bengals, most of his NFL career was spent in Pittsburgh, where he earned spots in five consecutive Pro Bowls from 2007-11. The 36-year-old logged 146 career games, including 105 starts, racking up 647 overall tackles and 66 sacks. His best season probably came in 2008, when he recorded 101 tackles, 16 sacks, and seven forced fumbles for the Steelers, earning a first-team All-Pro nod.
Harrison retires from the NFL having won two Super Bowls with the Steelers.