Miles Burris

Chiefs Work Out Laurinaitis, Brinkley, Irving

The Chiefs worked out a host of linebackers on Monday, including a handful of notables. James Laurinaitis, Nate Irving, Jasper Brinkley, Jayson DiManche, Nick Moody, and Miles Burris all showed their stuff for Kansas City (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com). KC could look to sign a linebacker with Derrick Johnson out for the season."<strong

[RELATED: Derrick Johnson Not Considering Retirement]

Laurinaitis inked a three-year, $8.5MM deal with the Saints in the offseason. Expected to provide veteran leadership for New Orleans, Laurinaitis suffered a setback when he went down with a quad injury. He insisted that he was healthy enough to return from IR, but that possibility went out the window when rookie Sheldon Rankins was activated. Last month, the Saints agreed to release Laurinaitis after having paid him roughly $2MM for his six games and 17 tackles.

Irving was speculatively connected to the Colts after D’Qwell Jackson‘s four-game suspension, but Indianapolis wasn’t interested in a reunion. The 28-year-old was dropped by the Colts at final cutdowns despite being in the midst of a multi-year deal. Injuries limited him to eight games (two starts) last year with just eleven tackles. Prior to joining Indianapolis, Irving spent four years with the Broncos, but wasn’t a starter until his final season in Denver.

We haven’t heard much about Brinkley since October when he auditioned for the Patriots. The 31-year-old had 67 tackles and one sack for the Giants last year and he has been exceptionally durable throughout his career. Still, he has been unable to find work so far in 2016.

NFC Notes: Eagles, Rams, Foles, Vikings

The Eagles are making plans to find a replacement for right tackle Lane Johnson if his potential 10-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs becomes a reality, head coach Doug Pederson said after the team’s Thursday preseason opener. “It may be somebody that hasn’t played there this spring or this summer,” Pederson told Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It could be a guy who has already been there. We’ve got time to figure this out.”

Among the Eagles’ in-house options are Dennis Kelly and Matt Tobin – as Roster Resource shows – but Pederson isn’t overly enthusiastic about either faring well as a starter, per Hayes. Regardless, Pederson doesn’t expect to add anyone from outside the organization. “We’ve got the bodies,” he stated.

Johnson would be extremely difficult to replace, of course, having started in each of his 44 career appearances. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked the 6-foot-6, 317-pounder 22nd among 77 qualified tackles in overall performance last season, and the Eagles subsequently awarded him a hefty extension through 2021.

More from the NFC:

  • When he was a member of the Rams in 2015, quarterback Nick Foles‘ need for “extra coddling” and “a lot of back-patting” became an annoyance to their staff, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). Given both that and Foles’ bottom-of-the-barrel performance last season, the Rams released the 27-year-old in July, but only after paying him a $6MM roster bonus in March and then failing to find a taker via trade. Foles ended up signing with Kansas City as a free agent.
  • The Vikings have 60 percent of their starting offensive line in place with left tackle Matt Kalil, left guard Alex Boone and right tackle Andre Smith, but there’s uncertainty at center and right guard, writes Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. The mystery illness that has sidelined Mike Harris, who started all of the Vikings’ games at right guard last season, has subtracted one option in training camp, leaving Brandon Fusco and John Sullivan to take reps there. Sullivan slid from center, where he’s competing with 2015 No. 1 Joe Berger for a starting role, to right guard Thursday as a result of an injury to Fusco, notes Vensel. If Sullivan – who missed all of last season with a back injury – wins the center job, Berger could theoretically beat out Fusco at guard, Vensel writes. It’s worth mentioning that Berger was PFF’s second-ranked center in 2015, when he graded as the best run blocker at his position.
  • Former Oakland middle linebacker Miles Burris recently worked out for the Seahawks, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). A fourth-round pick from San Diego State in 2012, Burris has logged 38 appearances and 31 starts in the NFL. The last time Burris saw action in the league, 2014, he started all 16 of the Raiders’ games and totaled 110 tackles.
  • The Falcons are working out free agent quarterback Seth Lobato, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Since going undrafted out of Northern Colorado in 2014, Lobato has spent time with Indianapolis, Miami and Tampa Bay, but he hasn’t appeared in an NFL game.
  • In news that came as no surprise, the Cowboys revealed earlier Friday that they have no interest in free agent quarterback Johnny Manziel.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Thursday

Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league.

  • The last fifth-round draft pick to sign, long snapper Joe Cardona inked his rookie deal with the Patriots, reports Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). Only first-round pick Malcom Brown remains unsigned among the Patriots’ draft contingent.
  • The Raiders made several moves today, including the waiving of tight end Scott Simonson, who was on Oakland’s practice squad last season, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). Caplan also reports of the Raiders waiving linebackers Jacoby Hale and Miles Burris, the latter being waived off injured reserve with an injury settlement. Hale will head to injured reserve if unclaimed and could reach an injury settlement as well.
  • Chase Williams, the son of Rams defensive coordinator Greg Williams, signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent, reports Rams media information manager Casey Pearce (on Twitter). Chase Williams started at inside linebacker last season with Virginia Tech.
  • The Buccaneers removed 24-year-old tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi from their injured reserve with an injury settlement, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Ogbuehi has resided on the Dolphins’, Browns’ and Ravens’ rosters and/or practice squads the past two years.

Raiders To Cut Miles Burris

A year after starting all 16 games for the Raiders, linebacker Miles Burris will find himself looking for a new NFL home. Burris announced today on Instagram that the Raiders have informed him he’ll be waived.

“Nothing but respect and love for the Oakland Raiders,” Burris wrote in his statement. “Grateful for the opportunity they gave me. Grew up coming to Raider games as a kid and got to live my dream of playing in the same stadium for the team closest to my hometown. I’m thankful to everyone in the organization and all my teammates. This is goodbye to Oakland but I’m not done yet.”

Burris, who turns 27 next month, piled up 110 tackles in 1,096 defensive snaps for the Raiders last season, but didn’t record a single interception, sack, or forced fumble. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him as the least effective inside linebacker in the NFL by a wide margin — Burris’ -23.2 grade as a run defender alone was worse than any other linebacker’s overall grade, and PFF also ranked him as the NFL’s worst ILB in pass coverage.

Burris will be the second notable veteran cut by the Raiders following the draft, with James Jones also reportedly receiving his release from the club.

2015 Proven Performance Escalator Raises

According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time in said snaps for the duration of his first three years in the league. If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s restricted free agent qualifying offer — that figure was $1.431MM last year, and will inflate commensurate with the salary cap increase. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.

Here are the players who will see their 2015 salary rise due to the PPE, courtesy of Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap.

Bengals: George Iloka, S; Mohamed Sanu, WR

Bills: Nigel Bradham, LB

Broncos: Malik Jackson, DL; Danny Trevathan, LB;

Browns: Billy Winn, DL

Cardinals: Bobby Massie, T

Chargers: Johnnie Troutman, G

Colts: Dwayne Allen, TE; T.Y. Hilton, WR

Dolphins: Lamar Miller, RB; Olivier Vernon, DE

Eagles: Brandon Boykin, CB; Nick Foles; QB

Falcons: Lamar Holmes, T

Jets: Demario Davis, LB; Antonio Allen, DB

Packers: Mike Daniels, DL

Panthers: Josh Norman, CB

Patriots: Alfonzo Dennard, CB

Raiders: Miles Burris, LB

Rams: Chris Givens, WR; Trumaine Johnson, CB

Ravens: Gino Gradkowski, C

Saints: Akiem Hicks, DT; Corey White, CB

Seahawks: J.R. Sweezy, G; Russell Wilson, QB

Steelers: Kelvin Beachum, T

Texans: Brandon Brooks, G; Jared Crick, DL; Ben Jones, G

Titans: Coty Sensabaugh, CB

Vikings: Robert Blanton, S: Rhett Ellison, TE; Josh Robinson, CB; Jarius Wright, WR

Washington: Alfred Morris, RB