HEADLINES

Jacquizz Rodgers

Buccaneers Work Out Jacquizz Rodgers

September 6th, 2016 at 7:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Buccaneers worked out a handful of players today, including veteran running back Jacquizz Rodgers, according to Jenna Laine and Field Yates of ESPN.com. Tampa Bay also worked former collegiate QB Blake Sims (as a running back) and running back Antone Smith, per the ESPN scribes. Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com (Twitter link) reports that the Bucs looked at former Bengals linebacker P.J. Dawson, while Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links) says Tampa auditioned receivers DeAndrew White and Mekale McKay.Jacquizz Rodgers (Vertical)

[RELATED: Buccaneers Sign Cecil Shorts]

Rodgers, 26, is typically regarded as a strong pass protector (and therefore a solid third down back), and could provide some depth behind Doug Martin and Charles Sims, and act as an upgrade on Mike James. Fellow running back Smith could also help in that regard, but he’s four years older than Rodgers. Both, however, offer familiarity with Tampa head coach Dirk Koetter, as each played in Koetter’s Falcons offense.

Dawson, a third-round pick in the 2015 draft, was surprisingly waived by Cincinnati over the weekend, and recent reports have indicated that Bengals coaches found him to be unreliable on the field. Still, he offers talent, and like the two running backs, Dawson has ties to the Buccaneers’ coaching staff. New Tampa Bay defensive line coach Jay Hayes coached the same position group in Cincinnati, and though he didn’t directly oversee Dawson, Hayes can likely vouch for TCU alum’s ability.

The trio of McKay, Sims, and White, meanwhile, has never taken a snap in the NFL. White originally signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent earlier this year, but was waived over the weekend.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bears’ Roster At 53

September 3rd, 2016 at 6:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears have officially reduced their roster to 53 players, and in doing so, placed LB Pernell McPhee and WR Marquess Wilson on PUP. As such, each player will be forced to miss at leas the first six games of the season.

Cut:

Waived/Injured:

PUP:

  • LB Pernell McPhee
  • WR Marquess Wilson

Braverman was the club’s seventh-round pick this year after posting a whopping 109 receptions for Western Michigan in 2015.

Moeaki has bounced around a bit since leaving the Chiefs in 2012. The 29-year-old played in 11 games for the Falcons last season, but he only hauled in three catches for 58 yards. Following a 2012 campaign where he caught 33 passes for 453 yards and a score, Moeaki has only compiled 11 catches for 192 yards over the past three seasons.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/9/16

March 9th, 2016 at 8:28pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Not every move on free agency’s first day is a big splash. Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

  • The Dolphins have signed offensive tackle Sam Young to a one-year, $760K deal, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Young, a six-year veteran, is coming off his first 16-game season. He has made nine starts over the last two years, giving him 16 for his career.
  • Although the Rams did not tender offensive lineman Brian Folkerts, they re-signed him, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. A 26-year-old center/guard hybrid, Folkerts spent 2015 in St. Louis and 2013-14 with the Panthers.
  • The 49ers have signed quarterback Thaddeus Lewis to a one-year deal, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. Lewis, 28, was on the Eagles’ roster when Chip Kelly was their head coach last season. The two are now reunited in San Francisco. Lewis has appeared in seven NFL games, though none since 2014, made six starts, and tossed five touchdowns against four interceptions.
  • The Rams have re-signed safety Cody Davis to a two-year deal, according to the Los Angeles Daily News’ Vincent Bonsignore (Twitter link). Davis joined the team as an undrafted free agent from Texas Tech in 2013 and has since appeared in 43 games (zero starts).
  • The Bears have re-signed running back Jacquizz Rodgers and offensive tackle Nick Becton to one-year contracts, per their Twitter account. Rodgers totaled 41 yards on 14 carries for Chicago last season. He spent 2014 in Atlanta, with which he rushed for over 1,100 yards and five touchdowns. Becton appeared in five games for the Bears last season. His only other appearance came in 2013 with the Chargers.

Bears Sign Antone Smith, Place Jacquizz Rodgers On IR

October 12th, 2015 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of former Falcons running backs were involved in two Bears transactions today. According to the team (Twitter links), Chicago has placed Jacquizz Rodgers on injured reserve due to a broken arm, with veteran free agent Antone Smith joining the Bears’ roster to fill the open spot.

After spending his first four NFL seasons in Atlanta, generally serving as the team’s No. 2 running back, Rodgers signed with the Bears this offseason. However, he got off to a slow start, averaging a career-low 2.9 yards per carry in the early going, and now will be sidelined for the rest of the year with his arm injury.

To replace Rodgers, the Bears added another former Atlanta running back — Smith was a big-play specialist for the Falcons over the last two seasons, racking up an incredible 289 rushing yards on just 28 carries (10.3 yards per attempt), adding another 232 yards through the air on 15 receptions. Smith found paydirt seven times on his 43 touches.

Smith and the Falcons worked out an injury settlement in September after he was cut by the club, allowing him to reach free agency and sign elsewhere.

NFC North Notes: Ngata, Copeland, Rodgers

April 3rd, 2015 at 10:45pm CST by Zachary Links

We had a fairly exciting Friday, with a number of players finding new homes for the 2015 NFL season.

Before calling it a night, here are some notes from around the NFC North:

  • If you were waiting for fireworks between the Ravens and Lions regarding Haloti Ngata, prepare to be disappointed. The Lions released a statement on Thursday, saying that they were not concerned about comments made by Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti regarding Ngata on a Wednesday conference call. “The Ravens have reached out to us concerning the comments made yesterday by Steve Bisciotti regarding Haloti Ngata,” the Lions’ statement read, according to Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com. “We appreciate both the Ravens’ professionalism and the context in which Mr. Bisciotti’s comments were made. We consider the matter to be a non-issue.”
  • Linebacker Brandon Copeland visited five teams and had a dozen teams interested in signing him before he agreed to join the Lions, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter).
  • Jacquizz Rodgers‘ one-year deal with the Bears is for the minimum salary, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). The deal has a $745K base salary with a $40K signing bonus.

Bears Sign Jacquizz Rodgers

March 31st, 2015 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bears have signed free agent running back Jacquizz Rodgers to a one-year contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com had reported earlier today that Rodgers was paying a visit to Chicago.

Rodgers, who turned 25 last month, spent his first four NFL seasons in Atlanta, acting as a backup and a change-of-pace back for the team’s offense. The Oregon State product never made a real impact on the ground, averaging less than four yards per carry in each of his seasons with the team, but he was an effective receiver, catching 155 balls in 63 games.

Matt Forte is expected to see the majority of the action in 2015 for a Chicago team that doesn’t generally rely on a running back by committee approach. However, Rodgers gives the team some veteran depth to complement Forte and 2014 draftee Ka’Deem Carey.

Bears Notes: J. Rodgers, Ball, McDonald

March 31st, 2015 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Bears were one of the league’s most active teams in free agency a year ago, and while they likely won’t earn that somewhat dubious honor again in 2015, the team added Pernell McPhee early and has continued to sign players since then, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Our latest round of Bears notes includes details on a couple contracts for those free agent signees, as well as an update on another potential target….

  • Free agent running back Jacquizz Rodgers is visiting the Bears, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Running back is one position where the team certainly doesn’t need a starting lineup upgrade, but Rodgers, a former Falcon, is a versatile back who could be a nice backup for Matt Forte. During his four years in Atlanta, the 25-year-old carried the ball 305 times and added 155 receptions.
  • Alan Ball‘s one-year deal with the Bears is worth $3MM, including a $1MM signing bonus and a $1.95MM base salary, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The Panthers’ offer to Ball had a base value of $2MM, so it’s no surprise that the cornerback turned it down in favor of the Bears’ proposal.
  • The Bears received some criticism when they signed Ray McDonald, who was the subject of domestic violence allegations last year. However, the team certainly didn’t invest heavily in the defensive lineman. Per Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter links), McDonald’s one-year deal with Chicago is worth $1.05MM, with no guaranteed money. The former Niner can earn up to $1.5MM with incentives.
  • Bleacher Report draft guru Matt Miller tweets that he doesn’t think the Bears need to draft a defensive player with the seventh overall pick, suggesting that taking the best player available would be the team’s best move.

NFC Notes: Falcons, Bears, Schilling, Riddick

June 26th, 2014 at 10:06pm CST by Matt Feminis

The Falcons’ training-camp position battle at running back will have the attention of ESPN’s Vaughn McClure, who says soon-to-be 31-year-old veteran Steven Jackson probably has one good season left in him, but fourth-rounder Devonta Freeman was drafted with “thoughts of grooming him as the three-down back of the future.” Meanwhile, the battle for the third-down role will be between Antone Smith and Jacquizz Rodgers, whose special-teams impact might be reduced by the presence of Devin Hester.

Here’s a few more NFC Notes for your late-night or early-morning perusal:

    • The Bears want second-year man Marquess Wilson to win the No. 3 receiver job, writes ESPN’s Michael C. Wright: “unless Wilson falters significantly in camp and in the preseason, the job appears to be his to lose.
    • The Bears project to bring back nine of the 10 offensive linemen who finished last season with the team, in addition to free-agent acquisition Brian De La Puente. Consequently, someone like James Brown or Taylor Boggs could be cut in training camp, asserts ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
    • After Stephen Schilling was let go by the Chargers, the Seahawks were the first team to express interest and offer a contract, writes Bob Condotta in the Seattle Times. Schilling, a Washington state native, jumped on the opportunity, and he thinks he could latch on with the Seahawks because their zone-blocking scheme better suits his skill set.
    • Lions running back Theo Riddick has had a strong offseason, even catching the eye of head coach Jim Caldwell, and the second-year pro out of Notre Dame should benefit from coaching staff and new scheme, says Tim Twentyman on the team website.
    • Giants cornerbacks coach Peter Giunta tells NJ.com’s Conor Orr he has the deepest position group of his career thanks to “10 quality corners.”