HEADLINES

David Cobb

Steelers To Work Out David Cobb

September 5th, 2016 at 7:55pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Steelers will work out free agent running back David Cobb on Tuesday, tweets Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Pittsburgh will become the fourth team to audition Cobb, who visited with the Patriots, Chiefs, and Jets after the Titans waived him last week.

David Cobb (vertical)

Cobb, 23, was a fifth-round pick in last year’s draft. The ex-Minnesota Golden Gopher picked up 146 yards on 52 carries, good for a paltry 2.7 YPC, in seven games as a rookie.

With star Le’Veon Bell set to miss the first three games of the season because of a suspension, the Steelers are in search of backfield depth to work behind DeAngelo Williams. As of now, Fitzgerald Toussaint and former Ram Daryl Richardson are their top options behind Williams. Toussaint only has 24 carries to his name, though, and Richardson – the more experienced of the two – hasn’t appeared in a game since 2013.

Pittsburgh previously worked out Karlos Williams, though he’s suspended for the season’s first four games and wouldn’t be able to help fill Bell’s void.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jets Work Out David Cobb

September 4th, 2016 at 8:52pm CST by Ben Levine

David Cobb is a busy man, as the free agent running back has visited a number of teams this weekend. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter), the 23-year-old’s latest audition was with the Jets. Cobb already worked out with the Patriots and the Chiefs this weekend.

David Cobb (vertical)Cobb, a former fifth-round pick, was waived by the Titans last week. The running back made only seven appearances during his rookie season, compiling 146 yards and a touchdown on 52 carries. While Cobb’s 2015 campaign certainly didn’t do him any favors, a crowded Titans depth chart (which includes DeMarco Murray, Derrick Henry, and Dexter McCluster) didn’t help.

It’s uncertain where Cobb would slide in on the Jets. The team released running backs Khiry Robinson and Dominique Williams today, making Troymaine Pope the team’s third running back behind Matt Forte and Bilal Powell.

Workout Notes: Pats, Chiefs, Broncos, Jets

September 3rd, 2016 at 7:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Now that cutdowns are completed, teams have begun auditioning players that are still on the free agent market, either in an effort to upgrade their current roster or to update their emergency free agent lists. Let’s take a look at the workouts that have been reported today:

Patriots Audition RB David Cobb

September 2nd, 2016 at 3:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Running back David Cobb was let go by the Titans this week but he may not be out of work for long. The 2015 fifth-round pick worked out for the Patriots today, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter). David Cobb (vertical)

The Patriots are not signing Cobb today, but they could circle back to him after checking out their other options on the waiver wire this weekend. Held back by a calf injury last season, Cobb only saw time in seven games. Prior to the season, there was lots of talk about Cobb taking over the Titans’ running game. Cobb is now out to show everyone that he can perform elsewhere now that he is (presumably) healthy.

The Pats, who lost Dion Lewis to injury for at least the first six weeks of the season, have LeGarrette Blount and James White leading the way at running back. Behind them, New England has D.J. Foster, Brandon Bolden, and Tyler Gaffney.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Titans Waive David Cobb

August 30th, 2016 at 3:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans have dropped a notable name on their way to the NFL-mandated 75-man limit. David Cobb was cut this afternoon, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Wide receiver Jarrod West has also been cut.

Cobb was considered to be on the bubble this offseason as he battled it out with fellow running backs Bishop Sankey, Antonio Andrews and David Fluellen for a spot behind DeMarco Murray, Derrick Henry, and Dexter McCluster.

Cobb, 22, was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft by the Titans, but saw his NFL regular-season debut postponed due to a calf injury. Tennessee placed him on injured reserve with the designation to return, and activated him in November. In seven games (one start), Cobb rushed for 146 yards off of 52 carries.

AFC Mailbags: Bills, Titans, Broncos, Jets

June 4th, 2016 at 11:39am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday, and that means the NFL’s various beat reporters are opening their mailbags and answering questions from the readers. Let’s take a look at some of the notable responses out of the AFC…

  • Bills coach Rex Ryan and his staff are “operating under the premise that they have to “get it right” this year,” writes Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News. While the writer wouldn’t definitively say if Ryan could end up on the hot seat, he did note that fans have started to recognize the weaknesses in his coaching style, allowing them to question whether he’s actually “the right man for the job.” With a lack of a coach’s salary cap and with more money to use, Carucci does acknowledge that NFL owners are justified in having a quick “trigger finger,” which might not bode well for Ryan.
  • Bills undrafted free agent Glenn Gronkowski isn’t necessarily competing for a tight end spot, notes Carucci. Instead, Ryan has been using him as more of a fullback, so Rob Gronkowski‘s brother would need to unseat Jerome Felton in order to make the roster.
  • Running backs DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry are locks to make the Titans roster, and Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com believes Dexter McCluster will also make the team. As a result, Wyatt sees David Cobb, Bishop Sankey, Antonio Andrews and David Fluellen fighting for one roster spot.
  • It could be a “make or break” preseason for Broncos running back Kapri Bibbs, writes Mike Klis of 9News.com. With C.J. Anderson, Ronnie Hillman, and Devontae Booker having a secure hold on the top three spots on the depth chart, Bibbs will be competing with Juwan Thompson for one of the final spots on the roster.
  • The Broncos are trying to extend wideout Emmanuel Sanders, but Klis says it won’t be easy. If the 29-year-old wants to be paid like a top receiver (similar to Jeremy Maclin‘s $11MM annual salary), the Broncos may be priced out of the negotiations.
  • While a Darrelle Revis-type one-year (plus an option) contract would seemingly make sense for the Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini outlines a number of reasons why this scenario probably wouldn’t work. Notably, the Jets apparent leverage would be greatly diminished if Fitzpatrick had an opportunity to test the market again next offseason.

Titans Activate David Cobb, Cut Charlie Whitehurst

November 11th, 2015 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Titans have made a pair of roster moves this morning, announcing in a press release that they’ve activated running back David Cobb to their active roster, waiving quarterback Charlie Whitehurst to make room.

Cobb, 22, was selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft by the Titans, but saw his NFL regular-season debut postponed due to a calf injury. Tennessee placed him on injured reserve with the designation to return, and had to activate him this week in order to get him into the lineup at all this season.

With Antonio Andrews expected to receive most of the Titans’ carries under new head coach Mike Mularkey, Cobb will likely be worked in slowly. Still, with running back Terrance West having been released last week, there’s room for the rookie on the depth chart, and I’d expect him to get a decent share of touches in the second half.

As for Whitehurst, the 10-year NFL veteran served as Zach Mettenberger‘s backup when Marcus Mariota was sidelined, but with Mariota healthy and back in the No. 1 role, Whitehurst was third on the depth chart, rendering him non-essential for now. Assuming Whitehurst hasn’t collected termination pay in the past, he should be eligible to collect his entire $2MM salary for the 2015 season.

AFC Notes: Titans, Browns, Cobb, Luck

November 7th, 2015 at 7:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Peyton Manning‘s return to Indianapolis will headline the Week 9 slate of games from a public relations perspective, but two other matchups might actually be more consequential in terms of playoff odds. The 3-4 Dolphins will head to Buffalo to take on the fellow 3-4 Bills, while two more contenders for AFC wild card spots — the Raiders (4-3) and Steelers (4-4) — will face off in Pittsburgh.

With those contests in mind, let’s take a look at some notes from the AFC:

  • The Titans waived running back Terrance West earlier today, and that move will have implications on the Browns, West’s former club. Cleveland will not not receive the conditional seventh-round pick they were set to gain for West when they traded him to the Tennessee, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports. West’s departure from Tennessee today prevents him from earning the playing-time incentives to trigger the pick exchange.
  • David Cobb will likely rejoin the Titans next week off IR-DTR, Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com reports (on Twitter), further marginalizing the free-falling West. ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan agrees, tweeting that he expects Cobb to join the 53-man roster next week as opposed to today despite West’s waiving.
  • The league is still investigating the Colts‘ compliance with injury reporting due to revelations that Andrew Luck could be dealing with a rib injury, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). Luck reportedly suffered several broken ribs, but that injury was never listed on the club’s official injury sheet, a potential violation of NFL rules.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

AFC Notes: Benjamin, Cobb, Steelers

November 5th, 2015 at 9:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap ran down the top wide receivers in the 2016 free agent class, including Browns speedster Travis Benjamin. Benjamin is on pace for over 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns on the year, but he doesn’t have a history of this production and will have to shed concerns that he is a flash in the pan. Fitzgerald estimates that he’ll get a deal in the range of Julian Edelman, Doug Baldwin, and Emmanuel Sanders. That tier generally has a floor of about $4.5MM per year with perhaps $1MM or $2MM more depending on production.

  • Interim coach Mike Mularkey says that running back David Cobb most likely won’t be activated to the Titans‘ roster until next week, as Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets. McCormick (link) adds that the Titans may have to make roster move at cornerback this week with cornerbacks Jason McCourty and Blidi Wreh-Wilson ailing.
  • Doran Grant told Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter) that a couple of teams were looking to sign him off of Pittsburgh’s practice squad and he indicated that’s why he was promoted to the Steelers‘ 53-man roster.
  • Ty Sambrailo, who was converted left tackle before hitting the IR, probably isn’t the Broncos‘ left tackle of the future, but his college coach believes that he can come back strong, as Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com writes. “I still believe Ty can be a 12- to 15-year player in the NFL,” said Colorado State coach Jim McElwain, now the coach at Florida. “He’s athletic and he’s nasty. It’s just going to take him awhile to get his strength where he needs to be.” It remains to be seen whether that will be the case for Sambrailo and, if it is, whether that will happen in Denver.

Update On IR-DTR Players

November 2nd, 2015 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

We’re now through eight weeks of the NFL season, which means we’re approaching the year’s halfway point. It also means that players who were placed on the injured reserve list with the designation to return prior to the regular season are eligible to be activated and play in their respective teams’ next games.

Players placed on IR with the designation to return are eligible to begin practicing after six weeks, and can return to game action after eight weeks, so there are some IR-DTR players who have begun practicing already, and some of them could be activated for Week 9. Not every player will be healthy enough to return immediately now that they’ve become eligible to do so, but we should see at least a handful of the 10 players who have been on IR-DTR all year be activated to 53-man rosters in the coming days.

Here’s a breakdown of the 10 IR-DTR players eligible to be activated for Week 9:

  • Jay Ajayi, RB (Dolphins): Ajayi recently said that he’s back to full health, though the Dolphins may have a decision to make in their backfield if they decide to activate the rookie runner.
  • Alex Carter, CB (Lions): Carter is on track to begin practicing after the Lions’ Week 9 bye, and likely won’t be activated right away.
  • David Cobb, RB (Titans): Cobb is expected to be activated this week, and at least one Titans beat reporter believes the rookie is capable of earning a high percentage of the team’s carries.
  • Demar Dotson, T (Buccaneers): When he began practicing, Dotson admitted his injured knee wasn’t where he wanted it to be, but it sounds like he’s made enough progress to be activated this week.
  • Charles Gaines, CB (Browns): Gaines returned to practice when he was eligible to do so, and sounds like he’s eager to get back on Cleveland’s roster. If the Browns want him active for Week 9, they’ll have to make a move soon, since the team plays on Thursday this week.
  • Dee Milliner, CB (Jets): Head coach Todd Bowles said last week that he believes Milliner will be ready to play as soon as he becomes eligible, though he cautioned that the team will need to find room on the active roster.
  • Maurkice Pouncey, C (Steelers): There has been some speculation that Pouncey could be sidelined for the entire season, but head coach Mike Tomlin still expects his veteran center back this year. That likely won’t happen for a few more weeks though, since the initial diagnosis put Pouncey on track to be out until at least Week 12.
  • Bryan Stork, C (Patriots): The Patriots’ offensive line has been hit hard by injuries this season, so having to decide between Stork and David Andrews at center will be a welcome problem for the team. Stork appears on track to return in Week 9.
  • John Sullivan, C (Vikings): After suffering a setback and undergoing another surgical procedure, Sullivan won’t be back anytime soon, and may not play at all this season.
  • Brent Urban, DE (Ravens): Asked two weeks ago about Urban, head coach John Harbaugh said that the defensive end wasn’t practicing, adding that his recovery would probably take “a few more weeks.”

While these 10 players are the only ones on IR-DTR eligible to return in Week 9, there are 12 more who will gain eligibility in the coming weeks. The full list can be found right here.

Among those 12 other IR-DTR players, the most notable name is Tony Romo, who can’t play until Week 11. The Cowboys quarterback is eligible to begin practicing this week, but Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link) hears that won’t happen quite yet. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Romo is still on track to return to the field when he’s eligible for game action, but it makes sense to keep getting Matt Cassel first-team practice reps in the meantime.