NFC East Notes: Barbre, Randle, Carter
With Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson facing a four-game suspension, head coach Chip Kelly says Allen Barbre is next in next man up, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). CSNPhilly’s Goeff Mosher (via Twitter) says Kelly likes Barbre and that the veteran would be pushing for a more prominent role independent of Johnson’s suspension. Mosher wonders aloud if that’s a veiled message to right guard Todd Herremans.
Here’s a few more NFC East links:
- Giants third-year receiver Rueben Randle is “still something of a mystery,” writes ESPN’s Dan Graziano. “He led the Giants with six touchdown catches in 2013 but got just as much attention (if not more) for mistakes and miscommunications that helped lead to Eli Manning interceptions.” Drafted to be a deep threat in then-offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride’s system, Randle faces an adjustment to Ben McAdoo’s system, which will require receivers to create separation closer to the line of scrimmage.
- Could Larry Donnell be the Giants’ starting tight end? ESPN’s Dan Graziano said the coaches “really, really like Donnell and don’t have any clearly superior options,” and noted he was listed first at the position on the team’s first unofficial depth chart. Donnell (6-5 265) went undrafted out of Grambling in 2011, but latched on and earned his way on special teams. Now, he’s in position to overtake Adrien Robinson, who GM Jerry Reese is still high on despite the fact the 2012 fourth-rounder has yet to catch an NFL pass and let his weight balloon to nearly 290 pounds last season.
- Cowboys linebacker Bruce Carter is having fun again, writes ESPNDallas.com’s Tim MacMahon, and DallasCowboys.com’s analyst Bryan Broaddus observes Carter is “playing like a player that has a much better understanding of what his responsibilities are and what technique he has to execute in order to be successful.”
- Redskins receiver Leonard Hankerson, who is recovering from a torn left ACL and MCL, has been cleared to run, reports Mike Jones of the Washington Post.
NFC East Notes: Robinson, Sanchez, Escobar
After running through some AFC East notes this morning, let’s run down the NFC East:
- Ebenzer Samuel of The New York Daily News examines fives issues facing the Giants as training camp nears, including which of the team’s promising-but-unproven receivers will replace Hakeem Nicks and if Jason Pierre-Paul is truly healthy.
- Dan Graziano of ESPN.com projects the Giants‘ roster for 2014.
- Jordan Raanan of NJ.com writes that the Giants‘ competition at tight end will be the team’s most exciting roster battle to watch, and he believes Adrien Robinson is the early favorite.
- Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com wonders if the Eagles should make a play for Andre Johnson.
- Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com looks at how the Eagles‘ roster might shake out. He writes that Mark Sanchez is the presumptive favorite to win the backup quarterback job, and that if head coach Chip Kelly utilizes Darren Sproles more as a receiver than as a traditional running back, that could open the door for backs like Matthew Tucker and Henry Josey to make the squad.
- Rainer Sabin and Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News look at five major issues facing the Cowboys this summer, including, of course, who will replace Sean Lee and when Henry Melton and Anthony Spencer will return to practice.
- Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com contributes his projections on the Cowboys‘ 53-man roster, noting that although Gavin Escobar is entrenched behind Jason Witten as the team’s No. 2 tight end, his role figures to expand as he may be used more frequently as a No. 3 wideout.
- John Keim of ESPN.com projects the Redskins‘ 2014 roster. Keim notes that both the offensive line and defensive line will be especially fluid as training camp progresses.
NFC Links: Giants, Buccaneers, Rams
A handful of ESPN’s NFC writers were kind enough to give us some reading material on this holiday. Let’s take a look at some interesting notes from those articles…
- “Economics” was the main reason why the Giants didn’t pursue a pass rusher like Michael Johnson in free agency, says ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. The team already has some depth at defensive end, and Graziano thinks the Giants were wise to use their resources elsewhere.
- Graziano also thinks it makes sense for the Giants to start Adrien Robinson at tight end. Instead of bringing in a veteran, the writer says they might as well roll with the player they’ve been developing.
- ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas thinks it’s a good idea for the Buccaneers to extend defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. The writer suggests a contract worth about $13MM annually and says the steep price is worth it for the team’s best player.
- Rams running backs Zac Stacy, Benny Cunningham and Tre Mason are set to hold their respect jobs “for the foreseeable future,” writes ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner. This means running backs Isaiah Pead and Chase Reynolds are likely competing for one job. Wagoner says undrafted rookies Kadeem Jones and Trey Watts could also join that competition.
NFC Notes: Giants, Durant, Washington, Floyd
“It seems everyone in the free world with an interest in football wants to know why the Giants didn’t draft a tight end and what they’re going to do to shore up the position,” writes Giants.com Senior Writer/Editor Michael Eisen. However, Eisen says GM Jerry Reese likes his two young, developmental tight ends (Adrien Robinson and Larry Donnell) and wants to see what the team has in veterans Kellen Davis and Daniel Fells and rookie free agent Xavier Grimble before addressing the position.
In other NFC news and notes…
- The 49ers waived offensive tackle Luke Marquardt, a 2013 undrafted free agent out of Azusa Pacific who has been sidelined with foot problems, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
- In a “Buy or Sell” piece for the Cowboys’ website, former NFL executive Bryan Broaddus says the days of linebacker Justin Durant being useful have passed, and DeVonte Holloman and Kyle Wilber possess the athleticism and three-down utility to compete for the Sam linebacker job.
- Bears 2013 sixth-round defensive lineman Cornelius Washington could be a roster casualty if his raw ability doesn’t manifest more consistently, believes ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
- Panthers receivers coach Ricky Proehl‘s “ability to teach and develop talent is almost as valuable as having extra draft picks,” asserts ESPN’s David Newton.
- Cardinals receiver Michael Floyd, a first-round pick in 2012, is showing signs that he’s ready to take his game to another level, writes Darren Urban on azcardinals.com. Quarterback Carson Palmer praised Floyd, and receivers coach Darryl Drake said, “The only person that can keep [Floyd] from being good is him.”
- The Cardinals brought in 17 tryout players for rookie minicamp, and ESPN’s John Weinfuss has the list.