HEADLINES

Bruce Carter

NFC Rumors: Johnson, Peters, Pears, Carter

March 11th, 2015 at 6:32pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL.com’s Michael Silver reports (via Twitter) that the Buccaneers had a trade lined up involving defensive Michael Johnson, but the veteran wouldn’t agree to a contract restructuring. Here’s more from the NFC…

  • Corey Peters, who joined up with the Cardinals today, told reporters that he had more lucrative offers elsewhere but believed that Arizona was the best fit for him, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets. Peters signed a three-year, $9MM deal with the Cards that will pay him $5.75MM guaranteed.
  • Bills free agent offensive lineman Erik Pears is scheduled to visit the 49ers on Thursday, a source tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter).
  • The Cowboys had some interest in re-signing linebacker Bruce Carter, but not at an average of $5MM per season, Charean Williams of the Star Telegram tweets. Carter got a healthy pay day when he agreed to sign with the Bucs earlier today.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

Buccaneers Sign Bruce Carter

March 11th, 2015 at 6:26pm CST by Zachary Links

6:26pm: The four-year deal will be worth $17MM, with $4.2MM guaranteed, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Wilson notes (on Twitter) that Carter’s entire 2015 salary of $3MM is guaranteed.

4:19pm: It’s a four-year deal worth $5MM per season, according to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter).

4:11pm: The Buccaneers are set to sign former Cowboys linebacker Bruce Carter, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’ll be a four-year deal for Carter, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter). Smith reports that Carter has already inked his contract.

Carter was given a negative grade by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) in 2014 and ranked as just the 34th best outside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme out of 40 qualified players. In 13 games (with eight starts), the 27-year-old recorded 82 total tackles with an eye-popping five interceptions and one sack.

The Bucs were slated to be Carter’s first visit with another trip to the Texans afterwards, but it’s not immediately clear if he ever got to sit down with Houston brass. With Sean Lee and Anthony Hitchens under contract, the Cowboys apparently felt like they had enough flexibility to let Carter go elsewhere. Carter, a former first-round choice, hasn’t lived up to his expectations, but he does boast freakish athleticism and the Bucs likely feel that they can utilize him better than Dallas has.

FA Links: Forsett, Royal, Melton, Cameron

March 10th, 2015 at 7:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The latest free agent rumors on Day 1 …

  • Justin Forsett will be Ravens‘ the primary backfield target after they cleared some cap room, Baltimore Sun reporter Aaron Wilson said via Twitter. The runner’s also drawn interest from the Falcons, Colts and Washington. The Colts’ signing Frank Gore today should limit their interest, however.
  • Contrary to earlier reports, there is no agreement in place or visit scheduled between Eddie Royal and the Bears, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Michael Gehlken on Twitter.
  • The Bucs set up three more visits, with the team set to bring in Henry Melton, Stefen Wisniewski and Bruce Carter, Sports Talk Florida’s Jenna Laine reports.
  • The Browns remain interested in bringing Jordan Cameron back to be their tight end, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports on Twitter. But ex-Bengals veteran Jermaine Gresham‘s drawn interest from the eastern Ohio team as well. Despite not having a season like Cameron’s 80-catch, 917-yard 2013 on his resume, Gresham’s made two Pro Bowls. But he saw his yards per reception drop drastically to 7.4 last season.
  • Leonard Hankerson will visit the Falcons tonight, Yahoo! Sports’ Rand Getlin tweets. Missing all but one game in 2014 to injury, Hankerson played for current Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan with Washington.
  • Despite cutting Shelley Smith earlier today, the Dolphins aren’t dismissing the chance at bringing him back at a reduced cost, the Miami Herald’s Adam Beasley notes via Twitter. The Dolphins like backup tackle Billy Turner, however.
  • The Cardinals will host center A.Q. Shipley, ESPN’s Adam Caplan said on Twitter. The Colts did not tender Shipley, their starting center in 2012 and 2014, a contract offer, sending him to the market.

FA Rumors: Carter, Helu, Gresham, McCain

March 10th, 2015 at 6:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent linebacker Bruce Carter is drawing interest on the open market, and he’ll first visit the Buccaneers, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). If he doesn’t sign with Tampa, he’ll head to Houston to meet with the Texans, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Here’s more from the free agent front…

  • The Buccaneers will meet with center Stefen Wisniewski, per Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). Tampa just signed center Evan Dietrich-Smith last offseason so Wisniewski could be viewed as a guard.
  • Cornerback Tramon Williams will visit with the Saints tonight, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN. The veteran CB is wrighing a return to Green Bay and has also drawn other interest.
  • Running back Roy Helu probably won’t be returning to Washington, per John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link), but he does have other suitors, including the Patriots, Raiders, and Jets (link).
  • The Patriots are interested in another free agent running back, C.J. Spiller, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, but their interest isn’t considered serious.
  • As we’ve heard earlier, the Raiders want to sign tight end Jermaine Gresham, Caplan (via Twitter) would be surprised if a deal doesn’t get done.
  • The Vikings were hoping to meet with cornerback Brice McCain, but he’s meeting with a mystery team and taking a physical, reports Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link).

FA Notes: Fairley, Cowboys, Saints, Eagles

February 14th, 2015 at 12:42pm CST by Ben Levine

Following news that Nick Fairley was cleared of his DUI charge, the Lions defensive tackle made it clear that he wants to stay in Detroit longterm.

“I love Detroit, to be honest,” Fairley said (via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press). “I feel the city, the people in it. I love the atmosphere of basically the hard work that they bring. I’m just all work, and that’s definitely the vibe I get from the city, and I like it.”

The former first-rounder struggled through a knee injury in 2014, finishing with career-lows in tackles (eight) and sacks (one).

Let’s take a look at some more notes regarding this year’s free agent class…

 

East Notes: Kraft, Revis, Cowboys

February 1st, 2015 at 10:55am CST by Rory Parks

As the Patriots prepare to represent the AFC East in the Super Bowl tonight, let’s take a look at some notes regarding the Pats, their division rivals, and a few items from the NFC East:

  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes that the league’s handling of “Deflategate” has thawed the relationship between Roger Goodell and Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who has been one of the commissioner’s biggest supporters and who publicly backed Goodell during the Ray Rice fiasco. Reiss notes that, if Goodell were to lose Kraft’s support, his hold on the commissioner’s job could become a bit more tenuous.
  • ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Patriots star corner Darrelle Revis will be courted not only by his current team this offseason–after New England inevitably declines his 2015 option–but he expects the Bills and Jets to be in on Revis as well. Joel Corry tweets that Revis will have a great deal of leverage, as the Patriots cannot put the franchise tag on him if they decline the 2015 option.
  • Jets owner Woody Johnson received the Steinberg DeNicola Humanitarian Award on Saturday, and before receiving the award, he provided a few clues to his team’s offseason plans. In response to criticism he received earlier this week, when he announced that the Jets would be aggressive in free agency, Johnson stated that although he was not afraid to spend money on free agents, he would not waste money. He specifically mentioned cornerback and strong safety as positions that could be addressed in the free agent market, and he also touched on a possible extension for Muhammad Wilkerson and the team’s quarterback situation (article via Brian Costello of the New York Post).
  • If Washington is to become competitive again in the NFC East, Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com says new GM Scot McCloughan must move away from the team’s historic reliance on big-ticket free agents.
  • After hearing that the Seahawks have offered Marshawn Lynch a lucrative extension, Joel Corry tweets that the Cowboys will have to substantially increase their offer to DeMarco Murray if they are serious about keeping him.
  • Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News looked at the Cowboys linebacker situation in 2015, both with and without impending free agent Rolando McClain. Fortunately for Dallas, Anthony Hitchens showed that he can play any of the linebacker spots in his rookie season. If McClain comes back, he’ll play in the middle and Sean Lee will be on the weakside. If McClain doesn’t come back, Machota thinks it will be Lee in the middle with Justin Durant/Hitchens on the weakside.
  • More from Machota, who writes that he’d be surprised if Cowboys wide receiver Cole Beasley, a restricted free agent, gets plucked away by another team. Linebacker Bruce Carter, however, is a different story. Carter has freakish athleticism and he was a projected first round choice in 2011. There could be teams out there that believe they can better utilize his abilities than Dallas has, perhaps by making him an inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

Zach Links contributed to this post

 

Cowboys Notes: Murray, Claiborne, Brent

September 29th, 2014 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

With 534 yards on the ground through the first four weeks of the season, Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray is racking up an average of more than 133 yards per game, giving him a huge early-season lead for the rushing title — Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell is second in the NFL with 378 rushing yards. Predictably, Murray earns a spot atop Jason Fitzgerald’s list of players whose Week 4 performances improved their values in advance of approaching contract negotiations. As Fitzgerald writes in his piece at Over The Cap, a big year for Murray could allow him to land a deal that averages $7-8MM annually, which would help stabilize the declining running back market a little.

Here’s more on the 3-1 Cowboys:

  • After going through a little drama last week relating to his spot on the Cowboys’ depth chart, defensive back Morris Claiborne saw his season take a more unfortunate turn on Sunday night. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter), the team fears that Claiborne has a torn ACL and will be lost for the season. An MRI today is expected to confirm that diagnosis.
  • Linebacker Bruce Carter will also undergo an MRI today after injuring his quad last night, but his injury isn’t viewed as serious, says Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I’ve got good strength and everything, so we’ll see,” Carter said. “It’s sore, but I’m moving around good.”
  • While Josh Brent will still miss the first 10 games of this season due to his suspension, the terms of that ban have been modified to allow him to return to the team’s facilities this week, Davison writes in a separate Star-Telegram piece. Brent still won’t be able to practice yet, but he’ll be permitted to work out and attend team meetings.

NFC East Notes: Barbre, Randle, Carter

July 26th, 2014 at 1:00pm CST by Matt Feminis

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 Links: White, Packers, Cowboys, Giants

July 15th, 2014 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

After watching the division-rival Saints lock up one of their longtime pass catchers earlier today, the Falcons would be wise to do the same with one of their own veterans, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, who suggests the time is right for a Roddy White extension. White is coming off a down year in which he battled injuries for much of the season, but he hopes to play three or four more years and wants to retire as a Falcon, so signing him to a new deal with $8-10MM in guaranteed money seems reasonable, says McClure.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Johnathan Franklin‘s unexpected retirement due to injury could open up a spot in the Packers‘ backfield for a handful of roster hopefuls, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
  • Former Cowboys second-round pick Bruce Carter isn’t necessarily viewed as the core piece he once was, but he could regain value with a big contract year, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
  • In a separate ESPN.com piece, Archer examines the Cowboys‘ depth chart at safety, suggesting that adding a veteran to what appears to be a thin group is a possibility for the team.
  • Several jobs should be up for grabs for the Giants in training camp over the next few weeks, says Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News, identifying tight end, left tackle, fullback, and second receiver as some spots where competitions could play out.

NFC East Links: Melton, Eagles, Skins, Giants

July 5th, 2014 at 3:55pm CST by Rob DiRe

If new Cowboy Henry Melton can match his career high of seven sacks in 2014, the team will more than likely pick up the final three years of his contract, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com in his mailbag. Picking up the rest of the deal will guarantee Melton $9MM in 2015.

Archer also discusses whether the Cowboys keep three of four tight ends on their active roster, and picks James Hanna as the odd man out if they only keep three. Hanna is the weakest blocker of the group, and the team has not been able to take advantage of his standout athleticism in his two years in Dallas.

He also highlights Bruce Carter, Justin Durant, and Kyle Wilber as the three players most likely to start at linebacker for the Cowboys’ defense in 2014.

Here are some more links from around the NFC East:

  • The Cowboys‘ have lost their players to the third most games due to injury over the last two seasons, totaling 133 games missed over that time period, writes Brandon George.of DallasNews.com. The team has employed more protective equipment during practices, and the use of two ProFlex stretching machines, two other stretching machines designed for the core and lower body, one World Cup skier’s plyometric apparatus, one Dynamic Edge skier’s machine, and a vibration machine in attempt to increase their players’ resistance to injuries.
  • The Eagles are better and deeper than they have been in years past, writes Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. The addition of Malcolm Jenkins should provide consistency, and Nate Allen improved again last year after regression in years prior. Backup Earl Wolff has been working with Jenkins, and will find his way onto the field in certain packages and situations, or to spell the two starters.
  • Mosher also examined why the Eagles decided they didn’t need to get bigger on the defensive line this offseason, despite allowing success on the ground in their playoff loss to the Saints. Despite criticism of being too small, he notes that the unit was tenth in the league in rushing yards allowed, and were even better on a per carry basis, where they ranked fourth.
  • Chris Chester struggled in 2013 as the Redskins‘ right guard, but he is still the frontrunner to start in 2014, writes Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. However, third-round pick Spencer Long will challenge for the starting spot, and backup Josh LeRibeus could be in the mix as well.
  • The Redskins have many issues they need to improve on special teams, but maybe none more than their touchback percentage, writes Chris Russell of ESPN980.com (via Twitter). According to Russell, Kai Forbath produced a touchback on only 24.6% of his kickoffs in 2013. The league average number was 48.8%.
  • There is disagreement over who will return punts for the Giants in 2014, but fortunately they have a number of promising options according to the writers at Giants.com. Michael Eisen sees the job as Rueben Randle‘s to lose, as he performed well in that role in 2013, although he is not a home run threat. John Schmeelk envisions Odell Beckham Jr. taking over as a rookie, as he displayed explosive ability to do so at LSU. Finally, Dan Salmone chose the 5’5″ Trindon Holliday to be the big play threat the Giants have been missing in their special teams.
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