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Isaiah Pead

More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/7/15

August 7th, 2015 at 5:41pm CST by Luke Adams

We rounded up several minor transactions from around the league earlier today, but teams have been busy since then, so we’ve got many more moves to recap. Here’s the latest:

  • The Cowboys have signed offensive tackle Cody Clay after a workout, reports Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter). The team waive/injured linebacker Will Smith, who was unavailable due to a groin injury.
  • Isaiah Pead and the Rams have agreed a new deal for the final year of his contract on July 30th, reports Howard Balzer of FoxSportsMidwest.com (via Twitter). His base salary was reduced from $940,650 to $585,000 for 2015 (via Twitter).
  • Veteran tight end Alex Smith – not to be confused with the quarterback of the same name – has signed with the Saints, who waived rookie tight end Jack Tabb with an injury designation, tweets Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
  • The Steelers have placed defensive end Clifton Geathers on their injured reserve list, signing free agent defensive tackle Joe Okafor to take his place, the team announced today (via Twitter). As a veteran player, Geathers didn’t have to pass through waivers before landing on IR.
  • In addition to confirming the previously-reported signing of running back Michael Ford, the Falcons also made a few more moves. As Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter), the club signed tight end D.J. Tialavea, waived wide receiver Freddie Martino, and waived/injured tight Beau Gardner, who injured his knee.
  • Safety Robert Smith, waived yesterday by the Colts, has been claimed by the Seahawks, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). Seattle cut safety Ty Zimmerman to clear room on the roster.
  • The Titans have made a change at the fullback position, signing Zach Boren and waiving undrafted rookie Connor Neighbors with an injury designation, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online (Twitter link).
  • The Giants have signed rookie safety Justin Halley, waiving receiver Chris Harper with an injured designation to create an opening on the roster, per Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
  • The Patriots have reached an injury settlement with defensive lineman Vince Taylor, removing him from their injured reserve list, tweets Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe.

NFC Mailbags: Rams, Bucs, Vikings, Panthers, Cardinals

May 30th, 2015 at 12:16pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s start with notes from the NFC…

  • Considering Benny Cunningham‘s role as a third-down blocker and kick returner, Nick Wagoner doesn’t believe it’s realistic for the Rams to pay Isaiah Pead just to be the fourth running back.
  • Pat Yasinskas wouldn’t be surprised if the Buccaneers and linebacker Lavonte David agree to a longterm extension prior to training camp. The writer guesses an annual value of about $8MM for the former second-round pick.
  • The Vikings and Adrian Peterson haven’t made any progress towards a restructured deal, according to Ben Goessling. The writer assumes that the organization would prefer to get Peterson in for a meeting before they sign him to a new deal. Goessling also notes that most of the team’s moves are with an eye towards 2016, when they move into a new stadium. If the team didn’t have plans for Peterson to be on the roster during that season, they wouldn’t be “bothering” with this current back-and-forth.
  • If the Panthers offense struggles in 2015, David Newton believes the blame will be attributed to offensive coordinator Mike Shula. However, the writer would caution declaring this a “make-or-break” season for Shula.
  • Unless Joe Webb can prove his value as a wideout or special-teams player, Newton has a tough time envisioning the quarterback making the Panthers roster.
  • The competition for the Cardinals third quarterback job is Logan Thomas‘ to lose, says Josh Weinfuss. Phillip Sims or Chandler Harnish could ultimately prove to be better options, but Weinfuss believes the competition is coach Bruce Arians‘ way of motivating Thomas.

Rams Place Isaiah Pead On Injured Reserve

August 21st, 2014 at 3:55pm CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 3:55pm: Pead has cleared waivers and has been placed on the Rams’ injured reserve list, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).

WEDNESDAY, 8:51pm: The Rams have waived-injured running back Isaiah Pead, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter). Pead will land on St. Louis’ injured reserve if no one claims him.

Pead suffered a torn ACL late last week which ended his 2014 season before it even began. Pead, who was drafted in the second round of the 2012 draft to be an heir apparent to Steven Jackson, was said to be on the roster bubble this offseason after Rams used this year’s second round pick to grab Auburn tailback Tre Mason. With Benny Cunningham also on the depth chart to support starter Zac Stacy, Pead was rendered expendable.

NFC Notes: Pead, Holmes, Giants, Sam

August 16th, 2014 at 8:15pm CST by Luke Adams

As the NFL preseason rolls on with a handful of Saturday night games in progress, let’s check out a few weekend items from around the NFC….

  • Rams coach Jeff Fisher told reporters, including Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), that the team believes running back Isaiah Pead tore his ACL today and will be lost for the 2014 season.
  • Concerns about his foot and his attitude kept Santonio Holmes on the free agent market until mid-August. However, the veteran wideout officially signed with the Bears today, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes Holmes could flourish in Marc Trestman‘s offense in Chicago, assuming he’s healthy. The club will be seeking a third receiver behind Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, after seeing Marquess Wilson suffer a clavicle injury.
  • For years, the Giants have been trying different cornerbacks and safeties in the nickel back role, but after they went out and signed Walter Thurmond this offseason, they may have finally found an answer at the position, writes Newsday’s Tom Rock.
  • Rams rookie Michael Sam recorded his first sack in today’s preseason game against the Packers, but undrafted defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks, who may be vying with Sam for a single roster spot, had a big game as well, as Gary Mihoces of USA Today details.

NFC Mailbags: Giants, Redskins, Packers, Rams

July 19th, 2014 at 5:06pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening up their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s check out some interesting tidbits from the NFC…

NFC Links: Giants, Buccaneers, Rams

May 26th, 2014 at 7:03pm CST by Ben Levine

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.

Pompei’s Latest: McCarron, Browns, Pead

May 15th, 2014 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

In his latest Read Option column for Bleacher Report, Dan Pompei leads off by examining the Bengals‘ selection of A.J. McCarron in last week’s draft. As head coach Marvin Lewis explains, the McCarron pick could allow the team to avoid changing its backup quarterback so frequently.

“Each and every year we have been in that one-year, two-year backup quarterback model,” Lewis said. “We kind of wanted to make sure we got somebody who could fit that role for a longer period of time if that’s what they ended up being, if that’s what their lease on life was…. We had [Ryan] Fitzpatrick here, [Jon] Kitna here, and nobody wants to be the backup. Everybody wants to go somewhere and start. The only way to get a backup quarterback for longer than a year or two is to draft one.”

Of course, things could change quickly in Cincinnati if the team can’t reach a long-team agreement with current starter Andy Dalton, or if McCarron pushes for a starting job of his own after a year or two. Here’s more from Pompei:

  • The Bengals appear to have gotten good value with the McCarron pick, at the very least. Pompei says he polled 10 front office sources about the Alabama signal-caller prior to the draft, and all 10 gave him at least a third-round grade, including three who said he was a first-rounder.
  • Although the Browns quickly shot down a report that suggested they were ready to draft Teddy Bridgewater at No. 22 before tearing up the card and replacing him with Johnny Manziel at the very last minute, Pompei hears from another team’s source that the Browns had two cards filled out prior to the pick, and that one was torn up.
  • Had the Steelers not drafted linebacker Ryan Shazier at No. 15, he likely would have been the Cowboys‘ pick at No. 16. The Cardinals were also trying to trade up and were believed to be targeting Shazier, according to Pompei, though he says the club may also have been interested in grabbing C.J. Mosley or Calvin Pryor. All three players were gone when Arizona’s No. 20 pick rolled around, prompting the Cards to trade down.
  • The Rams‘ drafting of Tre Mason may signal the end of Isaiah Pead‘s time in St. Louis — the 2012 second-round pick was the subject of some trade talks during the draft, according to Pompei.
  • While Timmy Jernigan provided a diluted sample at his combine draft test, he took another test within a couple weeks of the combine and passed it, which may have contributed to his not falling too far in the draft, says Pompei. The Florida State defensive tackle went 48th overall to the Ravens.