Jayson DiManche - Pro Football Rumors

East Notes: RGIII, Patriots, Washington

September 29th, 2015 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Robert Griffin III hasn’t dressed for any of Washington‘s first three regular season games, but his presence “continues to loom over the franchise, writes Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Griffin still has support within the organization, and – according to Jones – league insiders have speculated that the Washington brass could eventually force Jay Gruden to go back to RGIII if Kirk Cousins falters, even though Colt McCoy is technically the backup.

Griffin has a fifth-year option on his contract for 2016 that is currently guaranteed for injury only, so playing him would put the team at risk — if the fourth-year quarterback suffered a serious injury, the club would be on the hook for $16MM+ in ’16. Still, Jones can’t help but wonder if the former second overall pick will get one last shot in D.C.

Here’s more from across the NFL’s two East divisions:

Mike Reiss of ESPN.com examines how linebacker Jon Bostic, acquired in a trade with the Bears, will fit in with the Patriots‘ defense, comparing the deal to the team’s 2014 acquisition of linebacker Akeem Ayers. Both Bostic and Ayers were casualties of defensive scheme changes with their old teams.
Washington recently tried out linebackers Jayson DiManche, Mason Foster, Parys Haralson, and Carlos Fields, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Could Matt Cassel be the Cowboys‘ backup quarterback next season behind Tony Romo? Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com tackles that question, along with a few more topics of note from out of Dallas.
Asked today why the Eagles didn’t do more to address their offensive line this offseason, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur responded, “Those are questions for somebody else” (Twitter link via Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com).
Second-round cornerback Ronald Darby and fifth-round running back Karlos Williams were viewed as risky draft picks this spring, but they’ve paid off so far for the Bills, says Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC Notes: Colts, Decker, Raiders, McCown

September 22nd, 2015 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Prior to the season, we heard some reports about potential tension and unease between Colts general manager Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano, and rumors of that possible rift have only intensified with the team off to a disappointing 0-2 start.

As Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk observes, a comment made by Pagano about the team’s offensive line struggles was viewed as the head coach coming down hard on Andrew Luck, but it could also interpreted as a shot at Grigson. Mike Wells of ESPN.com notes that it was Grigson who decided not to completely address the offensive line in the offseason, leaving the unit as one of the biggest question marks on the team heading into the regular season.

Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link) hears from several sources that the Grigson/Pagano rift is a result of the two men having different agendas, with the GM focused on player development and the head coach looking to win now.

As we wait to see if the Colts can bounce back from their slow start, let’s check in on a few other teams from across the AFC….

Jets wide receiver Eric Decker suffered a knee injury in last night’s game vs. the Colts, but he was told that he won’t require surgery on it, and that it may be a PCL issue, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter links). Decker, who is having an MRI today, said he’ll be smart about it and won’t rush back, so the Jets could add another receiver if they expect the veteran to miss some time. The club auditioned wideout Corey Washington today, per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter link), but Washington said he isn’t saying with the Jets at this time (Twitter link).
Former Rams draft pick Daryl Richardson will try out for the Raiders, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets.
The Jaguars have a workout on their schedule for ex-Bengals linebacker Jayson DiManche this week, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Since being waived off Cincinnati’s injured reserve list earlier in the month, DiManche has also tried out for the Browns.
Speaking of those Browns, their veteran quarterback, Josh McCown, remains in the concussion protocol for now, but he could be as cleared as soon as Wednesday. If he is, he’ll receive strong consideration for the club’s starting role, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Even if new acquisition Will Davis doesn’t help Baltimore immediately, the move sends a message to the Ravens‘ cornerbacks that Sunday’s performance was unacceptable, Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. On Monday, Baltimore sent a seventh-round pick to the Dolphins for the former third-round choice. As Brown notes, Jimmy Smith, Lardarius Webb, and Kyle Arrington all had bad moments Sunday despite playing very well Week 1 against the Broncos.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC Rumors: Jets, Ravens, Workouts

September 19th, 2015 at 1:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite signing a four-year, $16MM extension last October, Jeremy Kerley played just one snap for the Jets in Week 1 and doesn’t appear to have a role in Chan Gailey‘s offense. Gailey prefers receivers play different positions. Kerley’s skill set is mostly limited to slot work, putting his future with the team in doubt, according to Dom Cosentino of NJ.com. Kerley, who established career highs with 56 catches for 827 yards in 2012, missed time this summer with an Achilles injury and a concussion, leading to being phased out of the offense thus far. “We started molding [the offense] around other things, and we are where we are,” Gailey told media. Eric Decker played 43 snaps in the slot last week.

Here are some other items emerging from other AFC locales.

With Eugene Monroe set to miss tomorrow’s Ravens-Raiders game due to a concussion sustained in the first half of Week 1, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com posits the Ravens are not receiving good value from Monroe after he signed a five-year, $37.5MM deal last season. Monroe’s latest absence will mark the sixth time the Baltimore left tackle’s missed a game since signing that extension, and after quality seasons prior to last, Monroe graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 63rd-ranked tackle last year.
The Colts worked out cornerback Brandon Dixon, Bill Bentley and Robert McClain, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter) the latter of the trio having 17 career starts to his credit. The Patriots cut the 27-year-old McClain earlier this month after signing the ex-Falcon this offseason. A former Division II All-American and twin brother of Saints cornerback Brian Dixon, Brandon Dixon played 14 games last season for the Buccaneers. Bentley, a 2012 third-rounder, started eight games for the Lions in 2012-13 but ended up on injured reserve last season after playing in just one game.
The Browns worked out linebacker Jayson DiManche, and defensive ends Cam Johnson and Nordly Capi, Wilson tweets. DiManche played in 28 games for the Bengals the past two seasons, with Johnson suiting up in 13 for the 49ers and Colts in the past three.
In addition to trying out Bernard Pollard on Friday, the Raiders also brought in free safeties Durrell Eskridge and Ryan Murphy for auditions, notes Wilson (on Twitter).

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/11/15

September 11th, 2015 at 6:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Today’s minor moves:

The Titans reached an injury settlement with linebacker Zaviar Gooden and subsequently placed him on waivers, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).
The Bills reached an injury settlement with receiver Deonte Thompson, who was previously on IR, per ESPN’s Mike Rodak (Twitter link).
The Texans reached injury settlements with linebackers Lynden Trail and Tony Washington, both of whom were on injured reserve (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
The Bengals waived linebacker Jayson DiManche and fullback Mark Weisman from injured reserve, according to ESPN’s Coley Harvey (via Twitter). DiManche got an injury settlement.
The Jaguars signed third-year long snapper Carson Tinker to a contract extension that will keep him in Jacksonville for the next four seasons, reports Hays Carlyon of Jacksonville.com.

Bengals Place Jayson DiManche On IR

December 1st, 2014 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

A day after escaping Tampa Bay with a narrow 14-13 win over the Buccaneers, the Bengals have made a roster move, placing linebacker Jayson DiManche on their injured reserve list, the team announced today (Twitter link). DiManche sustained a broken forearm during yesterday’s game, which will end his season, per Coley Harvey of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

DiManche, 24, is in his second year with the Bengals, serving as a reserve linebacker on defense and a regular contributor on special teams. In 12 contests this season, the Southern Illinois product recorded 11 tackles and forced a fumble, though he won’t get a chance to add to those totals now that he’s landed on IR.

The Bengals have yet to announce a corresponding roster addition, so for now the team is carrying 52 players and keeping one opening on its roster. The club figures to promote or sign a player at some point this week.