HEADLINES

Danny Woodhead

Danny Woodhead Out For Season

September 22nd, 2014 at 3:42pm CST by Luke Adams

MONDAY, 3:42pm: Chargers head coach Mike McCoy confirmed today that Woodhead will be out for the season, and is being placed on injured reserve (Twitter link via Eric Williams of ESPN.com). Since the team had already been carrying just 52 players, there are now two openings on the 53-man roster.

SUNDAY, 5:28pm: Chargers running back Danny Woodhead suffered a high ankle sprain and a fracture fibula during today’s game against the Bills, reports Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (via Twitter). According to Marvez, Woodhead will likely undergo season-ending surgery to repair the damage.

While San Diego entered the season with a wealth of talent at the running back position, including Woodhead, Ryan Mathews, and Donald Brown, the team’s backfield has taken a hit in recent weeks. In addition to seeing Woodhead go down this week, the Chargers also had Mathews suffer an MCL sprain, which is expected to sideline him for multiple games.

We’ll have to wait for an official announcement from the club on Woodhead’s status, which figures to come on Monday, but it looks like the injured reserve list is a strong possibility for the former Patriot. The Chargers just used their IR spot with the designation to return yesterday on linebacker Melvin Ingram, so that won’t be an option for Woodhead.

If the Chargers decide to replace Woodhead on their 53-man roster with another running back, Marion Grice is a candidate. Grice is currently the only back on the team’s practice squad.

West Notes: McKenzie, Broncos, Woodhead

September 21st, 2014 at 12:32pm CST by Rory Parks

As the early afternoon games get underway, let’s have a look at some items from the league’s west divisions:

  • With the sale of the Bills for $1.4 billion to be voted on by team owners within the next few weeks, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that there is a growing sense that the Raiders could fetch at least $2 billion and wonders if owner Mark Davis would sell.
  • Citing a team source, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Raiders appear willing to let head coach Dennis Allen “coach his way out” of the team’s early struggles, at least until late in the season.
  • Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that Raiders‘ GM Reggie McKenzie is in no danger of losing his job.
  • David Migoya of the Denver Post writes that the NFL has said it will not allow the Broncos‘ search for a new owner to go on indefinitely, so the Pat Bowlen Trust will have to determine within the next two years which of Bowlen’s seven children will step into his shoes. If that does not happen, the team will have to be sold.
  • Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com describes how the Chargers will go about replacing Ryan Mathews, who will be sidelined for an extended period of time with an MCL knee strain. Although Donald Brown and Danny Woodhead were expected to share the majority of the workload, Woodhead’s injury today (he was carted off the field, per a tweet from La Canfora) means that undrafted rookie free agent Branden Oliver could be seeing action sooner than anticipated.
  • Kent Somers of AZCentral.com describes how the Cardinals’ depth is being tested to an extreme degree in 2014 and how the team has overcome early-season adversity thus far.

Extra Points: Texans, Casey, Browns, Chargers

July 24th, 2014 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s check in on a few Thursday odds and ends from around the NFL….

  • James Palmer of CSN Houston (Twitter link) continues to hear that talks between Andre Johnson and the Texans are moving in the right direction, though he’s not sure if they’ll be productive enough to ensure that the receiver reports for training camp tomorrow.
  • According to Titans general manager Ruston Webster, negotiations on a contract extension for Jurrell Casey are ongoing, and the GM expects the two sides to reach an agreement (Twitter link via Jonathan Hutton of 104.5 The Zone).
  • Browns head coach Mike Pettine confirmed to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com that if the Browns had kept the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft, they would have used it to draft Sammy Watkins, which GM Ray Farmer hinted at back in May.
  • Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link) has the breakdown on Danny Woodhead‘s new contract with the Chargers, which is worth $7.25MM, including a $3MM signing bonus.
  • In an interesting piece for CBSSports.com, former agent Joel Corry explains the process of holding out, including the penalties incurred by the player, the leverage in a given situation, and how often a holdout is successful.
  • Bill Barnwell counted down the 50 NFL players with the most trade value in a two-part feature for Grantland. Actually, make that 49 players and one head coach.

Chargers, Woodhead Agree To Extension

July 22nd, 2014 at 5:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers announced that they have reached agreement on a two-year contract extension with Danny Woodhead. The versatile veteran’s new contract runs through the 2016 season. Woodhead had one year and $1.75MM left on his deal before today’s extension.

“Danny is an integral part of our offense,” said General Manager Tom Telesco in the press release. “His work ethic and on-field production were key elements last year. We look forward to having him be a part of the Chargers organization into the future.”

Woodhead enjoyed a career year in 2013, recording career highs of 76 catches (second on the team), 605 receiving yards, and six touchdowns. He ranked first among all NFL running backs in touchdown catches and ranked second in receptions and receiving yards. Woodhead also posted 429 rushing yards for a total of 1,034 yards from scrimmage, as well as two rushing touchdowns for a total of eight. Adding in his 262 kickoff return yards, he set another career-high with 1,296 all-purpose yards.

The 29-year-old first broke into the league with the Jets but really found his footing with the Patriots in 2010. Last year was his first with the Bolts and he should have plenty more ahead of him thanks to today’s deal.