Rams Sign Zach Hocker
4:39pm: To open up a spot on the roster for Hocker, the Rams have cut tight end Justice Cunningham, tweets Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
1:08pm: With Greg Zuerlein questionable to play in Sunday’s game against the Bengals, the Rams are signing free agent kicker Zach Hocker as an insurance policy, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Zuerlein has been battling a groin injury, and his availability for Sunday remains unclear.
Hocker, a seventh-round pick in the 2014 draft, earned his first starting job this year in New Orleans. However, the 24-year-old was a little shaky during his first six games as the team’s kicker, resulting in his release in October. Hocker missed four of his 13 field goal tries, including three from less than 50 yards, and failed to convert one of his extra-point attempts as well. After becoming a free agent, Hocker had workouts with the Jets, Jaguars, and Giants.
As for Zuerlein, even when he’s been healthy, he’s been up and down this season. The fourth-year veteran has missed eight field goals and an extra point in 10 games, and is converting a career-low 65.2% of his field goal attempts.
An injury is also forcing the Rams to make a change at a more important position, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who tweets that Nick Foles will return to the starting lineup with Case Keenum still recovering from a concussion. No roster move should be required at QB though, since Sean Mannion remains on the roster as a backup option.
West Notes: Lynch, Washington, Manning
Marshawn Lynch will visit a specialist in Philadelphia, with a possible sports hernia injury, Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Pete Carroll noted after Lynch missed the Seahawks‘ victory against the 49ers that injury hasn’t been ruled out, and such a diagnosis would shelve Lynch for a while.
The Seahawks appear to be in solid shape due to Thomas Rawls‘ presence, however, and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio didn’t mince words when characterizing what the rookie’s 255-total-yard day means for the 29-year-old Lynch’s future in Seattle, saying the sixth-year Seahawk will not be back with the team for a seventh season due to the gulf between the backs’ contracts.
With a cap number of $11.5MM, Lynch would be the third-highest-paid Seahawk in his age-30 season. Should the Seahawks take Florio’s advice and turn their backfield over to 2015 UDFA Rawls, who’s slated to make $530K next year, Lynch’s recent extension which runs through the 2017 season contains $5MM worth of dead money going into next season.
Here’s some more news coming out of the Western divisions tonight.
- Former Cardinals Pro Bowl linebacker Daryl Washington continues to violate the terms of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, Jay Glazer reported on Fox (as relayed by Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk). The 29-year-old Washington hasn’t played since Week 17 of the 2013 season due to his year-long suspension that hasn’t been revisited. Washington was scheduled to apply for reinstatement in March, and there are concerns his career is over.
- Rams starter Case Keenum sustained a concussion during the team’s loss to the Ravens today, but he continued to play, losing a fumble that led to Baltimore’s game-winning field goal, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. A Timmy Jernigan sack that didn’t count due to an offside penalty negating it did the damage, according to Jeff Fisher. Media learned of Keenum’s concussion only when informed by the St. Louis media relations staff that the quarterback wouldn’t be available for postgame interviews.
- San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer met with Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt to discuss progress on a path to a new Chargers stadium, David Garrick of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Hunt’s a member of a six-owner committee focused on Los Angeles relocation, and Faulconer’s met with five members of that newly formed coalition thus far. The two didn’t discuss the two LA stadium projects, Garrick reports, with the meeting instead focusing on San Diego’s path to green-lighting construction on its own. Faulconer’s plan features $350MM in contributions from city and county taxpayers, and after California Gov. Jerry Brown’s recent ruling to expedite an environmental review would put this proposal up for a city vote as early as June, but the Chargers have yet to resume negotiations with the city.
- Gary Kubiak hasn’t decided if Peyton Manning or Brock Osweiler will start for the Broncos against the Patriots next week, Florio reports. The PFT scribe notes Kubiak said he’d have a difficult time benching Osweiler after his solid performance against the Bears, and if the fourth-year career backup follows it up with an upset over the Patriots, Kubiak’s previous declaration of starting Manning again when healthy will simply resolve itself when the first-year Denver coach deems the 39-year-old of insufficient health to recapture the job.
Extra Points: Foles, Benjamin, Dolphins
Earlier tonight, the Rams announced that they will be benching quarterback Nick Foles in favor of backup Case Keenum. However, coach Jeff Fisher told reporters that, at some point, Foles will resume starting duties.
“Nick also understands that he eventually will be under center for us again,” Fisher said (via Mike Florio of PFT). “But this is my decision based on what I think is best for this team offensively is to go this direction.”
While we wait to see how things shake out in St. Louis, here’s more from around the NFL:
- Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said in the wake of the team’s 30-9 loss to the Steelers that he doesn’t expect to make any changes to the coaching staff as the club enters its bye week. However, it seems increasingly likely that an offseason house-cleaning is around the corner, according to Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal, who doesn’t envision GM Ray Farmer hanging onto his current position.
- Despite the Browns‘ struggles this season, wide receiver Travis Benjamin says his desire to re-sign with the team remains unchanged, adding that he’s willing to stick with the franchise for the long haul, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.
- Sources tell Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports that Dolphins executive VP of football operations Mike Tannenbaum currently has a “strong say” when it comes to who plays on Sundays for Miami. Interim head coach Dan Campbell seems to be fine with that, and Garafolo wonders if that makes Campbell a stronger candidate to land the permanent job, since other candidates may not be able to co-exist as well with Tannenbaum, who likes to have input on game-day decisions.
- Former Ravens defensive tackle Terrence Cody has been acquitted of the most serious animal cruelty charges levied against him, as Alison Knezevich of The Baltimore Sun tweets. However, Cody was convicted of multiple neglect charges.
- The Saints worked out linebacker Brad Jones and running back Vick Ballard today, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Rams To Bench Nick Foles, Start Case Keenum
Rams coach Jeff Fisher announced that he will start Case Keenum this week at quarterback in favor of Nick Foles (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com on Twitter). Foles is coming off of a rough performance against the Bears on Sunday, but the news still comes as a surprise.
Against Chicago on Sunday, Foles was 17-of-36 for 200 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. In total, the veteran signal caller posted a passer rating of 53.0. In that rough outing against Chicago, Foles did throw for more than 200 yards, but that was only the second time this season he has eclipsed that mark. With Foles getting roughed up for much of the day, Keenum was brought in to play in the fourth quarter. When asked on Monday morning whether he might make a QB change, Fisher was adamant that he wouldn’t.
“That’s my choice, but no,” Fisher said, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “I’m just going to look at it. We have to play better around him. I’ll look and see how he played but he was prepared. He had great practice this week and he missed a couple throws and we had a couple of drops. We’ll look at it but at this point, no.”
The Rams acquired Nick Foles via trade from the Eagles in a swap that saw Sam Bradford go out East. The deal also included a pick swap and a 2016 second-round choice going to St. Louis. While the deal might not have worked out so well for the Rams, they did improve their draft situation. Also, given Bradford’s struggles in Philly, it’s hard to argue that the Rams would have been better off with the former No. 1 overall pick. What can be questioned, however, is the Rams’ decision to give Foles a two-year extension worth more than $24MM.
Foles, a former third-round pick, had his breakout season in 2013, when he threw for 2,891 yards, 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions. A broken collar bone ended his 2014 season, and the 26-year-old (27 in January) finished with 2,163 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in eight games.
In 2013, his breakout campaign, Foles finished with a 7.4 overall grade by Pro Football Focus‘ metrics, good for No. 17 in the league amongst qualified QBs. Last season, in his injury-shortened season, Foles placed No. 25 in the league with a below average -7.4 rating.
Extra Points: Hunter, Brady, Thomas
Titans wide receiver Justin Hunter‘s case was continued until Sept. 15 because a defense witness did not show up to court today, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets. Just days ago, Hunter had his charge reduced to a misdemeanor. The 24-year-old was viewed as a potential breakout candidate last year, but battled injuries and complied just 498 yards and three touchdowns on 28 receptions.
Here’s more from around the NFL..
- Judge Richard Berman will issue his decision and order in the Tom Brady case by the end of the week, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. As it stands, the Patriots QB is set to serve a four-game suspension.
- Following his doctor’s visit, Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas has decided to have surgery on his injured finger on Wednesday, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Thomas could be out for a month, as previously estimated.
- Larry Foote was coaching at Cardinals practice today, which is likely a sign that he’s not playing this season, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets. Foote had to make a decision on his status by 1pm Arizona time, and that deadline has come and gone. The Cardinals added the 35-year-old to their coaching staff earlier in the offseason with the intent of signing him to the roster later in the summer if he decided to continue playing.
- Rams coach Jeff Fisher made it clear that Case Keenum will be the team’s No. 2 quarterback, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com tweets. That leaves Austin Davis and Sean Mannion to battle for the No. 3 job (link). Given that Mannion was a third-round pick this year, it seems unlikely that Davis will win that battle.
NFC West Notes: Wilson, Dockett, Keenum
The best roster in football belongs to the Seahawks, according to Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus (Insider-only link via ESPN.com), who ranks Seattle No. 1 on his list all 32 NFL rosters. As Monson details, the offensive line is a weak area, with perhaps three starters who should be upgraded, but the team has several above-average offensive skill players, and one of the league’s best defenses. The Seahawks “aren’t going anywhere for a while” with the talent they have all over their roster, in Monson’s view. No other NFC West team places in the top half of PFF’s roster rankings, with the 49ers coming in 17th, the Rams 22nd, and the Cardinals 24th.
Here’s more from around the NFC West:
- Former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com offers some specifics on what he thinks Russell Wilson‘s next contract should look like, suggesting a four-year, $89MM deal that includes $62.5MM in guaranteed money ($41MM+ fully guaranteed). After explaining why the structure of his proposed extension makes sense for Wilson and the Seahawks, Corry plays devil’s advocate and offers some reasons why it might not work.
- The Seahawks should try to get a deal done as soon as possible with Wilson, even if it means making him the highest-paid player in the NFL, says Terry Blount of ESPN.com.
- Despite a parade of departures via free agency and retirement since he joined the team, defensive lineman Darnell Dockett doesn’t regret his decision to sign with the 49ers this offseason, writes Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “My decision was easy. I wouldn’t change it,” Dockett said.
- Case Keenum has shuffled back and forth between Houston and St. Louis in recent years, and is hoping his latest stint with the Rams is “a little more permanent,” as he tells Joe Lyons of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Keenum and Austin Davis are competing for the No. 2 job behind Nick Foles, and the loser of that battle may not make the roster, since third-round rookie Sean Mannion is also in the mix.
- Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wonders if the city of St. Louis could get another team if it loses the Rams, like Cleveland did with the Browns.
NFC Mailbags: Rams, Saints, Packers, Bucs
It’s Saturday, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening the mailbags to answer questions from readers. Let’s take a look at some notes out of the NFC…
- If the Rams were to select a quarterback in the upcoming draft, Nick Wagoner would expect either Austin Davis or Case Keenum to not make the roster.
- When focusing on Washington‘s positions of need in the draft, John Keim points to an edge rusher, defensive lineman, receiver or quarterback. Meanwhile, he eliminates a running back, tight end and inside linebacker from consideration for the team’s first-round pick.
- Despite the Saints signing veterans Brandon Browner and Kyle Wilson, Mike Triplett says the team shouldn’t hesitate to select top cornerback prospect Trae Waynes if the Michigan State product is available.
- Rob Demovsky believes it’s a 50-50 chance the Packers will match the Raiders‘ offer sheet to safety Sean Richardson. The $2.55MM could ultimately prove to be too pricey to retain the backup safety.
- The Panthers should begin exploring an extension for cornerback Josh Norman, according to David Newton. “Big corners with that type of ability — and attitude — are rare and don’t come cheaply,” the writer explained.
- Pat Yasinskas writes that the best value the Buccaneers could get for quarterback Mike Glennon is a third-round pick, but he clarifies that a fourth or fifth-rounder is much more realistic.
Rams Acquire Case Keenum
WEDNESDAY, 6:22pm: The deal is finalized and turned in, even though the Rams have yet to announce it, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets.
TUESDAY, 4:58pm: The Rams have sent a seventh-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft to the Texans for quarterback Case Keenum, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. St. Louis’ acquisition of Keenum comes on the heels of its stunning quarterback swap with Philadelphia that sent Sam Bradford to the Eagles for Nick Foles on Tuesday afternoon.
Keenum will rejoin the Rams – whom he spent some of the 2015 season with – and compete for a role as one of Foles’ backups. The 27-year-old has appeared in 10 games since signing with Houston as an undrafted free agent in 2012, tossing 11 touchdowns against eight interceptions for a 76.8 passer rating.
Tender Updates: Tuesday
Today’s tender decisions:
- The Buccaneers have signed running back Bobby Rainey to a one-year tender worth $1.54MM, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs will now have right of first refusal if another club offers Rainey a deal.
- The Falcons chose not to tender an offer to restricted free agent Drew Davis, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reported. The wide receiver will now become an unrestricted free agent.
- The Packers elected not to tender new contracts to wide receiver Jarrett Boykin or running back DuJuan Harris, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN (via Twitter).
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Ravens didn’t tender an offer to cornerback Anthony Levine, who already has other teams interested in his services. He still might end up back in Baltimore, per Wilson.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets that the Patriots declined to make a qualifying offer to receiver Brian Tyms. He’s now a free agent. Further, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, the Pats also didn’t make an offer to Tyms’ fellow wideout Greg Orton.
- In other Pats news, Volin reports that the team made qualifying offers to fullback James Develin, defensive tackle Sealver Siliga and linebacker James Morris. All three will return to New England.
- The Texans tendered a contract to quarterback Case Keenum, according to the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain.
- The Vikings have opted to let go a pair of exclusive rights free agents, linebacker Dom DeCicco and offensive lineman Josh Samuda, per Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- Safety Michael Thomas will return to the Dolphins after signing his ERFA tender, tweets James Walker of ESPN.com.
- Green Bay issued an exclusive rights free agent tender to safety Chris Banjo, his agent tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
- The Packers have issued an exclusive rights free agent tender to safety Chris Banjo, his agent tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
- James Develin is returning to the Patriots after signing his exclusive rights tender, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets.
- The Colts announced that exclusive rights free agent outside linebacker Cam Johnson has signed his tender. Johnson was first acquired by the Colts in a trade with the 49ers in September of 2013.
- The Packers tendered RFA offensive lineman Don Barclay at the lowest level ($1.542MM), per agent Joe Linta (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
- The Vikings tendered a contract offer to restricted free agent offensive tackle Mike Harris, but their other RFA-eligible player, linebacker Dom DeCicco, didn’t get a tender, tweets Mark Craig of the Star Tribune.
Earlier updates:
- The Jaguars re-signed exclusive rights free agent tackle Austin Pasztor, tendering him a contract, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
- The Dolphins tendered defensive end Derrick Shelby with the second-round tender of $2.35MM, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. Shelby, 26, appeared in 15 games last season, recording 26 tackles and 3.0 sacks.
- The Bengals (on Twitter) extended a tender offer to cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris. Lewis-Harris, an ERFA, has appeared in 12 games for Cincy over the last three years.
- The Bengals will not extend a tender offer to defensive tackle Devon Still, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. However, the Bengals have offered Still a one-year deal and he’s mulling that over while also taking matters involving his family into account, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Packers have tendered safety Sean Richardson at the ROFR (right of first refusal rate) of one-year, $1.542MM, according to Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). That’s a sizable committment to Richardson, he adds.
Combine Pressers: Texans, Giants, Panthers
Earlier today, we recapped some noteworthy comments made by head coaches and general managers who spoke to the media this morning at the combine in Indianapolis. Those press conferences will continue through the afternoon until Falcons head coach Dan Quinn wraps things up with his appearance at 3:00pm central time. Here are some highlights from a few of the recent sessions, with all links going to the Twitter accounts of reporters in attendance:
Texans general manager Rick Smith and head coach Bill O’Brien:
- Asked about how Larry Fitzgerald‘s new contract with the Cardinals might apply to Andre Johnson‘s situation in Houston, Smith said the club may have to address the veteran wideout’s cap number, but hopes to see him spend his entire career with the Texans.
- Smith was very impressed with what he saw from quarterback Ryan Mallett in 2014, and said it was “apparent” he’d picked up leadership traits from Tom Brady during his time with the Pats. Both Smith and O’Brien said they’re hopeful Mallett, a free-agent-to-be, will be back in Houston. That’s not an uncommon sentiment at this time of year, but the enthusiasm coming from the Texans’ brass for Mallett seems genuine, and I’d be surprised if he ends up elsewhere.
- Smith also expressed interest in re-signing cornerback Kareem Jackson.
- While re-signing Mallett is a priority, the Texans intend to look at all the draft-eligible quarterbacks in this year’s class, though the top two likely won’t be available by the time the team picks in the first round.
- O’Brien believes Arian Foster has plenty of football left in him, but wants to try to manage his workload going forward, and identified running back as a position where the team could look to add someone.
- O’Brien called Case Keenum a “very viable” quarterback option for the Texans, though it’s not clear if the head coach meant as a starter, or simply as a piece on the 53-man roster.
Giants head coach Tom Coughlin:
- The Giants’ goal is to keep Jason Pierre-Paul on their roster not just for 2015, but for many years beyond that, according to Coughlin, who wants to see JPP retire as a Giant. “How that works out remains to be seen,” he added.
- Asked about his own contract situation, Coughlin said that it’s been set in motion and he hopes to be able to provide an update soon on that front. It sounds as if he may be in line for another one-year contract extension.
- Coughlin had nothing but praise for safety Antrel Rolle, whom he wants to re-sign, but added that the team “obviously” has some financial limitations. The head coach wasn’t quite as enthusiastic when asked about bringing back defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, declining to comment on whether there’s still a place for Kiwanuka on the roster.
Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman:
- While he thinks the Panthers’ salary cap situation is in a better place than it used to be, Gettleman cautioned that Carolina is “still not out of the hole,” adding that the team wants to make sure to do things right.
- According to Gettleman, he walked into a situation in which the Panthers had a ton of money tied up in running backs, and is still working his way through it. The GM acknowledged that he has spoken to DeAngelo Williams since the season ended, but declined to say whether the veteran back will remain on the team’s roster for 2015.
- Although he wasn’t talking specifically about Greg Hardy, Gettleman rhetorically asked, “Who wants a ticking time bomb?” when discussing the possibility of drafting or signing players with a history of domestic violence.
- As for Hardy, Gettleman told reporters he has nothing to say about the free agent pass rusher as long as he’s still on Carolina’s exempt list.