Corey Brown

NFC Notes: A. Smith, Hardy, R. Mathis

As we turn the calendar to June, let’s check out a few Monday morning items from across the NFC, starting with a contract update out of San Francisco….

  • After restructuring his contract earlier this offseason, 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith is in line for a $200K roster bonus today, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com.
  • Greg Hardy had a run-in with fellow defensive lineman Davon Coleman during a Cowboys’ practice in April, but the reviews on the former Panther have all been positive since then, writes Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. With players, coaches, and executives alike all praising Hardy, it doesn’t appear the Cowboys will have the same sort of buyers’ remorse the Bears did with Ray McDonald.
  • Lions cornerback Rashean Mathis has been telling people that his current two-year contract will likely be his last NFL deal, but that isn’t a sure thing — coaches have told him he could extend his career at safety, notes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links).
  • With June 1 having arrived, Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com takes a look at whether the time has come for the Cowboys to address Brandon Carr‘s contract.
  • In his latest Monday Morning Quarterback column, Peter King of TheMMQB.com addresses the Adrian Peterson/Vikings standoff, the challenge that new Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is facing, and several other topics from around the league.
  • Panthers wideout and return man Philly Brown will go by his given name, Corey Brown, during his second year in Carolina, as Pat James of the Charlotte Observer writes.

NFC Mailbags: Panthers, Washington, Lions

We took a look at ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now check out notes from the NFC…

NFC South Notes: Panthers, Saints, Falcons

The 2-3 Falcons will have an opportunity to move into a tie for first place in the NFC South this weekend, as they head into Sunday’s home game against the Bears as a favorite. The 3-2 Panthers, meanwhile, will be in tough against a Bengals team that plays well at home and will be looking to bounce back from Sunday night’s blowout loss in New England. As we look forward to this weekend’s slate of games, let’s round up a few notes out of the South division….

  • Wideout and kick returner Philly Brown will continue to handle punts for the time being for the Panthers, despite some ups and downs, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. A league source tells Person that Carolina has no interest in pursuing recently-released return man Trindon Holliday, preferring instead to stick with Brown, who has occasionally had trouble hanging onto the ball but has flashed explosiveness.
  • Linebacker Paul Hazel, who played for the Browns in 2013, was in New Orleans to work out with the Saints, according to Sean Fazende of FOX 8 (via Twitter). After being cut by th Texans in August, Hazel has also auditioned for the Dolphins and Cowboys in recent weeks.
  • With the Falcons having lost three of four games since a Week 1 win over the Saints, Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if head coach Mike Smith and GM Thomas Dimitroff may be nearing the end of the line in Atlanta.
  • For his part, owner Arthur Blank gave his head coach a vote of confidence. Asked if he was left wondering about Smith as the Falcons’ head coach after last season, Blank replied, I didn’t have any wonder before the season and I still don’t have any wonder. Smitty and the team delivered over a long period of time.” Jeff Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the details.

Panthers To Sign Nine Undrafted FAs

The Panthers have agreed to terms with nine free agents who went undrafted this weekend, the team announced today in a press release. Here’s the list of the nine new additions who will be competing for roster spots:

  • Denicos Allen, LB, Michigan State
  • Corey “Philly” Brown, WR, Ohio State ($15K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Carrington Byndom, CB, Texas
  • Adarius Glanton, LB, Florida Atlantic
  • Marcus Lucas, WR, Missouri
  • Andrew Norwell, G, Ohio State
  • Darrin Reaves, RB, Alabama-Birmingham
  • Shaq Rowell, DT, West Virginia
  • Jared Wheeler, C, Miami (FL) ($7,500 bonus, per Wilson)

Draft Notes: Rams, Texans, Easley, Fleming

The Rams, armed with the second and 13th overall picks in the draft, will head to College Station to work out top Texas A&M prospects Johnny Manziel, Mike Evans, and Jake Matthews, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (via Twitter). ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan notes (via Twitter) that the workouts should happen on Friday, which will also give GM Les Snead, coach Jeff Fisher and company the opportunity to stop tomorrow in Alabama to work out quarterback A.J. McCarron, as Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets. Let’s round up a few more draft notes, including another one on the Rams….

  • Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Ohio State are also expected to be among the Rams‘ stops before May 8 as they work out a number of top draft prospects, tweets Mortensen.
  • John McClain of the Houston Chronicle believes that if the Texans don’t trade down from No. 1, the team’s choice will come down to Manziel vs. Jadeveon Clowney. If Houston moves down and those players are off the board, Blake Bortles and Khalil Mack might be the club’s top two choices, says McClain.
  • Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) has heard from two top scouts who believe Florida’s Dominique Easley will be selected in the first round despite the fact that the defensive lineman is recovering from a torn ACL.
  • Adam Caplan (Twitter link) adds the Titans to the list of teams visited by Stanford tackle Cameron Fleming, and the Bengals to the list of clubs that worked him out. As Caplan tweets, Fleming, who had one of the highest Wonderlic scores among this year’s offensive linemen, is projected to come off the board on the second day of the draft.
  • Ohio State wideout Corey Brown visited the Browns and worked out for the Patriots and Panthers, tweets Caplan.
  • More from Caplan: He tweets that South Dakota edge defender Tyler Starr visited the Patriots and had a private workout with the Colts, and reports (via Twitter) that San Diego State safety Eric Pinkins visited the Dolphins and Seahawks.