Quinton Coples

Lions Audition DL Quinton Coples

The Lions worked out pass-rusher Quinton Coples today, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. However, Detroit will not be signing him at this time. Quinton Coples (vertical)

Defensive end Ziggy Ansah is expected to be out for Sunday’s game and perhaps longer as he deals with a high ankle sprain. The Lions wanted to take a closer look at Coples in the event that Ansah is out for a while, but it doesn’t sound like they were blown away by what they saw from the No. 16 overall pick in the 2012 draft. The Lions’ decision to pass on Coples could also be a sign that Ansah’s return is not far off.

Coples was cut by the Dolphins in February before his fifth-year option for the 2016 season became fully guaranteed. He hooked on with the Rams, but L.A. dropped him in late August. Coples had his best year as a pro in 2014, but even that amounted to just 35 tackles and 6.5 sacks, modest totals for a first-round pass rusher.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams Release Quinton Coples

The Rams have released Quinton Coples, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). Quinton Coples

Coples, selected 16th overall in the 2012 draft, was cut by the Dolphins in February before his fifth-year option for the 2016 season became fully guaranteed. The veteran edge defender had previously spent most of his career with the Jets, before being claimed off waivers by Miami last fall. Coples had his best year as a pro in 2014, but even that amounted to just 35 tackles and 6.5 sacks, modest totals for a first-round pass rusher.

The Panthers also showed interest in Coples before he signed with the Rams in the spring.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams Sign Quinton Coples

FRIDAY, 4:32pm: The Rams’ signing of Coples is official, as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets.

WEDNESDAY, 1:51pm: It will be a two-year contract with a base value of $6.5MM for Coples, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link), who adds that the deal can max out at $9.75MM.

1:37pm: The Rams are signing defensive end Quinton Coples, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have agreed to terms on a two-year contract. Coples paid a visit to the Rams earlier this week, having previously met with the Panthers.Quinton Coples

Coples, selected 16th overall in the 2012 draft, was cut by the Dolphins last month before his fifth-year option for the 2016 season became fully guaranteed. The veteran edge defender had previously spent most of his career with the Jets, before being claimed off waivers by Miami last fall.

Coples had his best year as a pro in 2014, but even that amounted to just 35 tackles and 6.5 sacks, modest totals for a first-round pass rusher. When Todd Bowles took over as the Jets’ head coach a year ago, Coples was further marginalized in New York. Due to his poor fit in Bowles’ defense – and perhaps an alleged incident on a team flight, though Bowles denied that – the 25-year-old was waived by the club in November.

A fresh start should benefit Coples, and the Rams look like a good fit for him. With Robert Quinn, William Hayes, Aaron Donald, and Michael Brockers penciled in as the starters up front, Los Angeles should have a formidable defensive line even if Coples doesn’t contribute much. The former first-round pick will likely be a better fit in the Rams’ 4-3 system than he was as a 3-4 outside linebacker, so we’ll see if he can muster a bounce-back season in 2016.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Visits: McLendon, Coples, Hairston

Free agent nose tackle Steve McLendon is taking a visit today with the Jets, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), citing agent Richard Kopelman of KLASS Sports. New York has a hole at the nose tackle position after Damon Harrison signed a five-year deal with the Giants, and while McLendon could be a nice fit, the Jets don’t have a ton of cap flexibility, so we’ll see if they can make something work.

The Steelers, meanwhile, still have interest in retaining McLendon, who has spent his entire six-year career in Pittsburgh. However, the veteran defensive lineman wants to test the market, tweets Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.

Here’s more on free agents around the NFL:

  • The Rams are hosting Quinton Coples on a visit today, tweets Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). The Rams’ defensive line has been one of the NFL’s best for the last few years, but with Chris Long and Nick Fairley no longer under contract, the team could use some help up front to complement Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn, Michael Brockers, and William Hayes.
  • ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported over the weekend that offensive lineman Chris Hairston is scheduled to meet with the Steelers later in the week. However, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says (via Twitter) that the team doesn’t currently have a meeting set up with Hairston. It’s not clear whether the visit isn’t happening at all, or whether it still needs to be formally scheduled.
  • Free agent defensive tackle Brandon Thompson is visiting the Seahawks today, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Thompson has been a solid reserve for the Bengals so far in his career, but suffered a torn ACL in January, so he’s unlikely to be healthy for a few more months.

Quinton Coples, Brice McCain Making FA Visits

A pair of free agents who hit the open market early are set to pay visits to interested teams today. Per Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link), defensive end Quinton Coples is visiting the Panthers, while Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that cornerback Brice McCain is paying a visit to the Titans.Quinton Coples

Both Coples and McCain were cut by the Dolphins at the same time last month due to their increasing cap hits and Miami’s need to clear some space. While the moves cost the two veterans their spots on the Dolphins’ roster, they were afforded the opportunity to reach unrestricted free agency nearly a month before this year’s crop of pending free agents. McCain took advantage of that opportunity by visiting the Buccaneers prior to the combine, with reports at the time suggesting the Steelers and Titans also wanted to bring him in.

McCain, 29, signed with the Dolphins last March after spending five seasons in Houston and one in Pittsburgh. The veteran corner started 10 games and played 735 defensive snaps for the Dolphins in 2015, picking up an interception to go along with 39 tackles. He would provide some veteran depth in Tennessee if he signs with the Titans, though the team probably won’t want to pencil him in as a starter right away.

As for Coples, the 16th overall pick from the 2012 draft had his best year as a pro in 2014, but even that amounted to just 35 tackles and 6.5 sacks, modest totals for a first-round pass rusher. When Todd Bowles took over as the Jets’ head coach a year ago, Coples was further marginalized in New York. Due to his poor fit in Bowles’ defense – and perhaps an alleged incident on a team flight, though Bowles denied that – the 25-year-old was waived by the club in the fall, and had a brief cup of coffee with the Dolphins before being cut again.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Coples will take a physical in Carolina today as part of his visit with the Panthers. The defending NFC champions could be in the market for some help at defensive end, with increasingly expensive veteran Charles Johnson a candidate to be released this offseason, but the club does have some depth at the position behind Johnson and fellow starter Kony Ealy.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dolphins Cut Quinton Coples, Brice McCain

4:40pm: The Dolphins confirmed that they have terminated the contracts for Coples and McCain (Twitter link).

3:31pm: The Dolphins will soon release a former first-round pick, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is parting ways with defensive end Quinton Coples. Coples didn’t last long in Miami, with the Dolphins having claimed him off waivers from the Jets in November.Brice McCain

According to agent David Canter (Twitter link), the Dolphins are also releasing cornerback Brice McCain, who spent one season with the team.

Neither Coples nor McCain had more than one year remaining on his contract with the team, and cutting both players will create more than $10MM in cap savings for the Dolphins for the 2016 season. Coples’ $7.751MM salary, the amount of the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, isn’t fully guaranteed, so Miami will wipe that entire amount from its books. As for McCain, the team will eat $1MM in dead money, but clears his $2.5MM salary from the cap.

Coples, selected 16th overall in the 2012 draft, had his best year as a pro in 2014, but even that amounted to just 35 tackles and 6.5 sacks, modest totals for a first-round pass rusher. When Todd Bowles took over as the Jets’ head coach a year ago, Coples was further marginalized in New York. Due to his poor fit in Bowles’ defense – and perhaps an alleged incident on a team flight, though Bowles denied that – the 25-year-old was waived by the club in the fall, and has now been cut for a second time in the last three months.

As for McCain, the veteran cornerback signed with the Dolphins last March after spending five seasons in Houston and one in Pittsburgh. McCain started 10 games and played 735 defensive snaps for the Dolphins in 2015, picking up an interception to go along with 39 tackles. However, it appears he didn’t show the team enough to be brought back for the second year of his contract.

Coples and McCain were both among the potential Dolphins cap casualties mentioned by PFR’s Connor Byrne when he previewed the club’s offseason last weekend.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, McDaniels, Burgess

Within his latest column, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald explores several of the personnel decisions facing the Dolphins in the coming weeks and months. Jackson suggests that the team would like to add at least one defensive end, though that doesn’t rule out the possibility of Olivier Vernon and/or Derrick Shelby returning. Quinton Coples is also in the club’s plans for 2016, albeit at a reduced salary, says Jackson.

While defensive end is one key situation worth monitoring in Miami, the Dolphins will also face decisions on cornerback Brent Grimes, linebackers Koa Misi and Earl Mitchell, running back Lamar Miller, and pass-catchers Rishard Matthews and Jordan Cameron, as Jackson details.

Here’s more from out of the AFC East:

  • Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald also looks ahead to the Dolphins‘ offseason, writing that the team’s greatest areas of need are at defensive end, middle linebacker, and cornerback. As Salguero observes, with the club set to hire a new head coach and coaching staff, many of the decisions Miami makes in the next few weeks will determine the direction of the franchise for the next several years.
  • Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is generating “a lot of buzz” as a potential head coaching candidate, writes Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Having already had one head coaching job that went south, McDaniels will have to be selective this time if he has the opportunity to interview for offseason vacancies. Volin suggests that the Lions may be a fit for McDaniels, if Detroit looks to replace Jim Caldwell.
  • British rugby star Tom Burgess, who worked out for the Giants last week, also auditioned for both the Jets and Bills, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). If Burgess is serious about giving the NFL a shot, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him land a reserve/futures contract at season’s end with one of the teams trying him out this month.

AFC East Notes: Gronk, Hightower, Dolphins

It’s been an eventful 24 hours in the AFC East, where the Dolphins fired their offensive coordinator and the Patriots lost their undefeated season, along with key players on both sides of the ball. We’ve got updates on those injuries sustained by New England players on Sunday night, so let’s dive in and round up the latest from out of the AFC East….

  • As first reported late last night by Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN (Twitter link), Rob Gronkowski‘s knee injury isn’t believed to be as serious as it initially looked. Many reporters have since echoed that notion, with one source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that “we think he is going to be OK.” The star tight end still has to undergo tests today, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Patriots don’t think there’s any structural damage to Gronkowski’s knee, and hope he won’t miss much time.
  • On the defensive side, the early diagnosis for Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower is an MCL sprain, per Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link). If there’s no further damage to Hightower’s knee, that injury shouldn’t end the linebacker’s season, though he’d probably have to miss some time — a sprained MCL generally results in a recovery time of two to four weeks.
  • An ESPN report on Sunday suggested that Quinton Coples was involved in an incident on the Jets‘ flight back from Houston last week, which was part of the reason for his release. However, Coples and Jets head coach Todd Bowles both denied that was the case, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. “I don’t know where that came from,” Coples said. “Only thing is I didn’t fit with the defense.”
  • Before this morning’s firing of Lazor, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald wrote that the Dolphins are in trouble “from top to bottom,” calling this year’s team the worst for the franchise since 2007.
  • In addition to the other changes to the Dolphins‘ coaching staff today, the club has also promoted Phil McGeoghan to wide receivers coach, according to the team (Twitter link).

Jets Waive Quinton Coples

SUNDAY, 11:07am: Per Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com, Coples was involved in an incident on the Jets’ return flight from Houston last Saturday, which ultimately sealed his fate with the club. The nature of the incident is unclear, but this report adds another layer to what was initially painted as a simple lack of schematic fit. Bowles has clearly established himself as a no-nonsense coach during his first year at the helm, and Cimini writes that his decision to waive Coples rattled the locker room. Bob Glauber of Newsday agrees and believes the move increased the team’s respect for Bowles.

MONDAY, 11:10am: The Jets have made a somewhat surprising roster move, announcing today in a press release that they have parted ways with former first-round pick Quinton Coples, placing the outside linebacker on waivers. If Coples goes unclaimed, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow.

Coples, selected 16th overall in the 2012 draft, had his best year as a pro in 2014, but even that amounted to just 35 tackles and 6.5 sacks, modest totals for a first-round pass rusher. Since Todd Bowles took over as the Jets’ head coach, Coples has become increasingly marginalized. As Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News observed this morning (via Twitter), the 25-year-old played just five snaps in Sunday’s loss to the Texans, and clearly wasn’t a fit in the current defensive scheme.

The Jets had picked up Coples’ fifth-year option for 2016 back in April, but his $7.751MM salary for next year was guaranteed for injury only, so New York won’t have to pay it. If another team decides to claim Coples off waivers, that club would have to take on his current contract, including that option. As such, it would be somewhat risky to claim him and play him for the remainder of this season, since that 2016 salary could become fully guaranteed if he suffers a major injury. The linebacker’s $1.515MM salary for 2015 is also fully guaranteed, so a club claiming him would be on the hook for the final six weeks at that rate.

While Coples’ performance in 2015 won’t necessarily earn him another shot right away, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him generate some interest, particularly if he clears waivers and becomes a free agent. Considering he played under Rex Ryan for the first three years of his NFL career, Coples may appeal to the Bills.

AFC Notes: Broncos, Dolphins, Chargers

The Broncos’ acquisition of tight end Vernon Davis at the trade deadline earlier this month didn’t pay dividends in the 10th-year man’s first two games with the team. The longtime 49er was on the receiving end of just five targets in those two games – both losses – and totaled a pair of catches for 19 yards. Davis’ role increased last Sunday, though, when quarterback Brock Osweiler made his first career start in place of an injured Peyton Manning. Osweiler was perfect when he targeted Davis, finding him on all six attempts for 68 yards, and the Broncos beat the Bears, 17-15. Not surprisingly, Davis praised Osweiler after the duo’s first game together.

“Sometimes it takes awhile to get on the same page and develop that chemistry with a quarterback. But with this guy, it’s like we connected from Day One,” said Davis, per Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post.

Davis also had kind words for head coach Gary Kubiak, saying,I dreamed of being in a place like this, a system, a coach who understands talent.'”

As a free agent in a few months, Davis certainly isn’t a lock to remain in Denver beyond this season. But more performances like the one he turned in last week will increase the 31-year-old’s chances of continuing his career under Kubiak.

More from the AFC:

  • Edge defender Quinton Coples has practiced just three times for the Dolphins since being claimed off waivers from the Jets, but he appears poised to play this weekend against his old team, as James Walker of ESPN.com. As Coples himself observes, playing against the Jets after spending three and a half seasons with the team – and less than a week after they cut him – should be “quite interesting.”
  • Despite being well respected in NFL training circles, according to Jarrett Bell of USA Today, ex-Dolphins trainer Kevin O’Neill has been unable to find a job as a trainer since the team fired him in 2014 and the odds of getting another are slim. O’Neill believes he’s a scapegoat for Miami’s bullying scandal in 2013, one that mainly involved offensive linemen Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin. O’Neill, according to Martin, laughed as players hurled racially charged insults at Asian-American trainer Naoshisa Inoue. O’Neill downplayed the severity of the incidents, however. “They made fun at how he talked a little bit,” said O’Neill. “He laughed about it. I laughed about it, too. I didn’t laugh about anything that had to do with anybody’s mom or girlfriend, or somebody using a racial slur.”
  • At 2-8 and coming off a 30-point drubbing at the hands of the Chiefs, it’s fair to say there aren’t many players on the Chargers’ roster who deserve to be viewed as part of the solution going forward. One rarity is standout cornerback Jason Verrett, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Said head coach Mike McCoy, “He is out here every day, competing. That’s why he’s as good a player as he is: he loves to compete.”

Luke Adams contributed to this post.