Robert Steeples

Extra Points: Belichick, Bernard, Vikings

After once declaring that he wouldn’t coach beyond 70, Bill Belichick has since walked back his claims. Former head coach Marc Levy is one of the few people who can understand Belichick’s wavering, and he understands why the Patriots head coach continues to move the proverbial goal posts in regards to his retirement.

“Age is only an approximate thing. You’re involved and you’re going at it hard, and you love it, that’s it,” Levy told ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “You just coach as long as you love it. I finally retired because the great core of our team had gotten old, and they were all retiring. And I had it finally. I felt I needed some time away.”

Reiss opines that Belichick may be aiming for the wins record (regular season and postseason) among coaches; the 68-year-old currently ranks third all-time with 311 victories. If the Patriots rediscover their winning ways and earn around nine or 10 victories per season, Reiss guesses that Belichick could pass all-time leader Don Shula in about four seasons.

Some more notes from around the NFL…

  • Patriots linebacker Chase Winovich is focused on adding some weight this offseason. The second-year pro was listed at 250 pounds last year, but he’s looking to make a jump to around 260 pounds. Winovich’s desire for more weight and strength was inspired by former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich, who suggested that the former third-rounder bulks up. “I looked him in the eyes and said, ‘I’m going to get my weight right,'” Winovich said (via Reiss). “That dude’s words get me fired up.”
  • While the Buccaneers are rostering both Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones, they still went out and added veteran Giovani Bernard this week. While it might seem like a luxury to add the former Bengals running back, Greg Auman of The Athletic writes that it was more of a necessity. By the writer’s estimation, Buccaneers running backs led the NFL last season in drops, and the pass-catching Bernard will certainly be a welcome addition to the Tom Brady-led offense.
  • Former NFL player Robert Steeples has joined the Vikings as an assistant special teams coach, tweets Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (via Twitter). Steeples actually played 12 special teams snaps for Minnesota back in 2013, with his two appearances marking his only NFL experience.

AFC South Notes: Mallett, Castonzo, Jags

It wasn’t long ago that the AFC South was the laughingstock of the NFL, with the division’s first-place team sitting two games below .500 halfway through the season. The South hasn’t exactly turned into the league’s most fearsome division since then, but each team besides the 2-8 Titans is currently riding a multi-game winning streak, and the race for the South crown looks a little more competitive.

The 5-5 Colts and Texans both have winnable games on tap this weekend, with Indianapolis hosting the Bucs and Houston hosting the Saints, so it’s possible that by this time next week, the South could have two teams above .500 and entering the Wild Card conversation.

As we wait to see if the Colts, Texans, and Jaguars can extend their winning streaks, let’s round up the latest items from out of the division….

  • Ryan Mallett, who was released by the Texans after signing a two-year, $7MM+ deal with the team earlier in 2015, has filed for termination pay, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Because the veteran quarterback began the season with the team and hasn’t received termination pay previously in his NFL career, Mallett was eligible to receive his remaining salary for 2015, which works out to about $1.47MM — a prorated portion of $2.5MM. The Texans won’t owe any 2016 money to Mallett, who will be ineligible for termination pay in future seasons.
  • Speaking to reporters, including Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), Colts coach Chuck Pagano said on Monday that offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo has an MCL sprain and will be week-to-week. Pagano also provided injury updates on wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and cornerback Vontae Davis, but the Castonzo news is most pressing for the Colts, and could force the team to shuffle its offensive line around.
  • In addition to working out defensive end Quanterus Smith, who signed with the team’s practice squad, the Jaguars also auditioned cornerback Robert Steeples this week, tweets Wilson.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Workout Notes: Seahawks, Colts, Bears

The Kendall Hunter tour continues. On Tuesday, the Seahawks tried out the running back, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Hunter, who has seen his NFL career derailed by injuries in recent years, was removed from Sam Francisco’s injured reserve list in September with a settlement, making him a free agent. Last week, he tried out for the Jaguars, but that audition did not immediately lead to a deal.

Here’s a roundup of Tuesday’s notable workouts from around the NFL:

Workout Notes: Patriots, Texans, Chargers

The latest workouts from around the NFL:

Workout Notes: Saints, Seahawks, Jaguars

Today’s workouts from around the NFL..

  • The Jets worked out defensive end Lawrence Okoye, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. Okoye, a former University of Kentucky discus hurler, had previous stops with the 49ers and Cardinals.

Earlier updates:

Workout Notes: Patriots, Texans, Bucs, Eagles

Earlier today we learned that the Patriots worked out wide receiver Hakeem Nicks. As it turns out, they also auditioned two other players: running back Isaiah Pead and tight end Nick Kasa (via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter).

Pead, 26 in December, was once expected to become a leading rusher for the Rams as the heir apparent to Steven Jackson. Things never worked out that way for the 2012 second-round pick, but he did spent three years and change with the club, playing in 27 games with one start. This year, Pead appeared in just two games and notched two carries for three yards before he was released.

Here’s a rundown of today’s workouts and auditions from around the NFL..

Workout Notes: 9/23/15

Teams around the NFL are bringing in players for workouts, surveying the free agent landscape for possible practice squad additions or 53-man roster players, either for the near future or down the road. Here are a few of the latest auditions from across the league, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (all links go to Twitter):

AFC:

NFC:

Workout Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Raiders, Bucs

With 53-man rosters set, teams around the NFL will start to frequently bring in players for workouts and auditions, keeping up-to-date on which free agents are out there, in case injury replacements or practice squad fill-ins are required.

Here are a few of the latest updates on teams working out players, or bringing them in for visits:

  • The Bills, who are exploring other possible options at kicker after an underwhelming preseason from Dan Carpenter, worked out Alex Henery, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter). Henery’s last game in the NFL, the one that cost him his job, came last October, when he missed three field goals for the Lions against Buffalo.
  • Before they signed linebacker Adrian Hubbard, the Dolphins worked out Hubbard and several other players, according to Wilson (Twitter link). The players who earned an audition with Miami included former Raiders safety Jonathan Dowling, ex-Cardinals linebacker Glenn Carson, former Bengals linebacker Nico Johnson, ex-Cowboys cornerback Robert Steeples, and former Eagles safety Chris Prosinski.
  • The Raiders brought in a number of players for workouts, with a focus on wide receivers, quarterbacks, and defensive backs. According to Wilson (Twitter links), wideouts Phil Bates, John Harris, DeAndre Carter, and T.J. Graham, quarterbacks Jeff Tuel and Phillip Sims, and defensive backs Tommie Campbell, Phillip Thomas, B.W. Webb, and Ty Zimmerman auditioned for the club. Offensive lineman Dillon Farrell also had a tryout with Oakland.
  • Offensive lineman Austin Reiter, a 2015 seventh-rounder waived by Washington over the weekend, is working out for the Buccaneers this morning, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
  • After being waived by the Chargers last week, wide receiver Titus Davis paid a visit to the Lions, tweets Wilson.

Cowboys Cut Phil Bates, 4 Others

The Cowboys are on their way to a 75-man roster. As Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com tweets, Dallas has dropped five players:

  • Phil Bates, WR
  • Tom Hornsey, P
  • Robert Steeples, CB
  • Casey Kreiter, LS
  • Carlif Taylor, DT

The Cowboys signed Bates less than two weeks ago. The 25-year-old (26 in September) was a longtime Seahawks practice squad player and also spent some time with the Browns. Seattle thought highly of Bates, making him one of just a few NFL taxi squad players to earn more than the minimum.

Cowboys Sign Eight Players To Futures Deals

In the wake of their season-ending loss to the Packers on Sunday, the Cowboys have moved quickly to lock up their coaches without contracts, and they’re doing the same for their practice squad players. Per Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com, the ‘Boys have re-signed seven players who finished the season on their taxi squad, plus Troy Davis, who was on the squad’s IR list. Here’s the full list of signees:

Of the players who finished the season on Dallas’ practice squad, only defensive tackle Davon Coleman and cornerback Micah Pellerin have yet to sign new deals.