Los Angeles Chargers News & Rumors

West Notes: Raiders, Chargers, Kubiak, Stewart

January 30th, 2016 at 4:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

In the news plenty this week for their flirtations with other cities, the Raiders haven’t engaged in any formal talks with Oakland about a new stadium, Matthew Artz of the Bay Area News Group reports.

Although the Raiders have discussed another one-year lease to play in their current home, O.co Coliseum, Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf confirmed no negotiations on a long-term playing site have occurred since relocation meetings took place Jan. 12 in Houston.

“I recognize that the Raiders have a powerful brand and that they will always have options outside of Oakland,” Schaaf said. “And, I remain committed to proving to them that Oakland has the most to offer them.”

The Raiders have been since connected to San Antonio, San Diego and, most recently, Las Vegas in their desperate attempt to leave Oakland and secure a new stadium. But Los Angeles will still be their most likely landing spot if the Chargers reach a deal with San Diego on a stadium agreement. They remain second in line to share the Inglewood stadium with the Rams if the Chargers end up succeeding on their leverage move in San Diego.

Any Chargers deal for a publicly aided new stadium will likely need to be finalized by this summer, Artz writes, in order to get the initiative on the November ballot. If not, the Raiders’ Los Angeles path clears.

“If the alternative is no deal in Oakland … or going to this fabulous new facility and not having to put any equity into it, it would be very hard for a reasonable businessman to turn that down,” stadium consultant Marc Ganis told Artz.

Here is the latest news on the Raiders and some of the other Western-division franchises.

In a memo sent to all 32 teams, the league notifies franchises that they shouldn’t assume the Raiders will be barred from moving to Las Vegas and no such restrictions exist on teams moving to a particular city, Vincent Bonsignore of InsideSoCal.com reports. Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk notes such a move would be extremely unlikely to receive the 24 required votes from fellow owners.
In a long profile of top Chargers counsel Mark Fabiani, who will presumably be involved along with Dean Spanos when the two sides resume negotiations, the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Peter Rowe hears the Chargers were disinterested about the new stadium site when the sides last talked. This, of course, was before the owners designated Stan Kroenke‘s Inglewood site as Los Angeles’ new football epicenter. “[Fabiani] told us the Chargers were agnostic when it came to the stadium’s new location — it really didn’t matter to them. He told us to settle on a site, spend your time analyzing these two sites and then come up with a financial plan. That’s what we did,” said Tony Manolatos, spokesman for San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer’s stadium task force, “and then he was criticizing us every step of the way.” Prior to the owners’ decision, this stance, county supervisor Ron Roberts told Rowe, was designed to make it look like the Chargers were “unloved” in San Diego.
Spanos overplayed his hand in his all-out pursuit of Los Angeles, Nick Canepa of the Union-Tribune writes. With talks set to likely increase between the Chargers and San Diego after being dormant for months, Canepa writes the city’s business power structure need to put their weight toward making the team’s preferred downtown stadium happen.
When Mike Shanahan left his post as the then-Super Bowl champion 49ers OC in early 1995 to become the Broncos’ head coach, the 49ers wanted to give their OC job to then-33-year-old Gary Kubiak, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Kubiak instead accepted the same position with Shanahan in Denver and held that job for 11 seasons, which eventually led to his return in 2015.
Officially questionable, Broncos safeties T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart each vowed to play in Super Bowl 50. While Ward’s ankle injury isn’t expected to keep him out, Stewart may have a harder time playing effectively. The first-year Broncos safety’s sprained MCL’s made it difficult thus far for lateral movement, with the former Ravens back-line bastion being able to only run in a straight line in his week off from practice, per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Stewart told media, including Pat Graham of the Associated Press, “Without a doubt in my mind, I’m playing.”

Fallout From Chargers’ 2016 Decision

January 29th, 2016 at 9:04pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

In response to Dean Spanos’ decision on Friday to keep the Chargers in San Diego for at least another season, Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Ron Roberts of the County Board of Supervisors jointly issued a statement (Twitter link via Faulconer):

“We appreciate Mr. Spanos’ commitment to staying in San Diego for the 2016 season to work with the region on a stadium solution. We look forward to discussing his vision for a new San Diego home for the Chargers, and will be working with him and our negotiating team on a fair and viable plan to put before voters. We have agreed to meet again in the near future.”

Rams owner Stan Kroenke, whom Spanos could eventually join in Los Angeles if he’s unable to reach an agreement with San Diego, also released a statement (Twitter links – 1, 2, 3 – courtesy of the LA Daily News’ Vincent Bonsignore):

“The Los Angeles Rams have reached an agreement with the San Diego Chargers to join us in the new Inglewood Stadium. If they choose to exercise their option to relocate within the next year, we look forward to partnering with the Chargers in Inglewood, but the decision of course is Dean’s to make.”

Spanos’ decision to stay or leave will obviously come down to whether he can get a new stadium built in San Diego. The Chargers would prefer their next venue be a joint stadium and convention center in downtown San Diego, reports ESPN’s Eric D. Williams, who notes that the team isn’t a fan of its current location, Mission Valley.

In an effort to move forward on their stadium/convention center plan, the Chargers are expected to create a citizens’ initiative in San Diego for a November ballot, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). If the Chargers get the necessary 60,000 signatures from voters, that would enable them to bypass requirements set by the California Environmental Quality Act, per Cole. Should the Bolts get their initiative on the ballot this year, the deadline on their LA decision could extend to 2018, write Kevin Acee and David Garrick of the San Diego Union-Tribune, and the extra year would allow for legal challenges or a second election.

Regardless of what happens long term, we know the Chargers will spend the 2016 season in San Diego, which has seemingly caused mixed reactions among some of their players. While franchise quarterback Philip Rivers is excited – “It’s good to know we get to make another run at it here,” he said, per Michael Gehlken of the Union-Tribune – a couple of his teammates came off as less enthusiastic about the news, even tweeting ultimatums to the club’s fans.

“The stadium better be packed. The fans got what they wanted,” receiver Keenan Allen wrote.

“Every home game better be sold out,” linebacker Melvin Ingram added.

According to ESPN’s attendance numbers, the Chargers had the 18th-most fans (a total of 534,180) at their games during the 2015-16 season and finished 22nd in capacity percentage (94.6). The figures rank as the Chargers’ highest in both categories since 2009.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chargers To Remain In San Diego For 2016

January 29th, 2016 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Chargers owner Dean Spanos has issued a statement announcing that his franchise will remain in San Diego for the 2016 season, rather than immediately joining the Rams in Los Angeles. The Chargers will have until January 15, 2017 to move to L.A. if they so choose, but Spanos intends to work with the city of San Diego to try to come up with a long-term stadium solution to avoid relocation.

“Today I decided our team will stay in San Diego for the 2016 season and I hope for the long term in a new stadium,” Spanos said in his statement. “I have met with Mayor [Kevin] Faulconer and Supervisor [Ron] Roberts and I look forward to working closely with them and the business community to resolve our stadium dilemma. We have an option and an agreement with the Los Angeles Rams to go to Inglewood in the next year, but my focus is on San Diego.

“This has been our home for 55 years, and I want to keep the team here and provide the world-class stadium experience you deserve.”

As he alludes to in his remarks, Spanos’ announcement comes on the heels of the Rams and Chargers agreeing in principle to a deal that would see the team sharing a stadium in Inglewood. If the Chargers ultimately decide that the situation in San Diego is untenable, the team will still have the opportunity to team up with Stan Kroenke and the Rams in Los Angeles.

For now though, the Chargers remain focused on San Diego, and the club’s agreement in principle with the Rams could help improve its leverage for stadium talks with Mayor Faulconer and other San Diego leaders. The proposal put forth by the city a month ago was deemed unsatisfactory by the NFL when it gave the Chargers approval to relocate.

Although the Chargers will have most of the year to attempt to work with San Diego to come up with an improved stadium plan, the team thinks it might know within the next two or three months if a solution will be doable, tweets Jim Trotter of ESPN.com.

As commissioner Roger Goodell notes in a statement issued today (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today), the NFL has committed an extra $100MM – on top of its usual $200MM – to help the Chargers get something done in San Diego. That extra money, along with the team’s Inglewood agreement, could help grease the wheels as the two sides resume negotiations.

Spanos’ decision leaves the Raiders in limbo for now. Mark Davis‘ team will have the opportunity to follow the Rams in Los Angeles if the Chargers ultimately remain in San Diego, but because the Chargers’ final decision isn’t due until at least 2017, L.A. and San Diego both remain off the table as relocation options for the Raiders for the time being.

As they wait to see where the Chargers land, Davis and the Raiders figure to explore other cities, including San Antonio and Las Vegas, though it seems likely that the club will play in Oakland for at least the 2016 season.

As for the Rams, Kroenke is likely pleased to have the market to himself for the 2016 season, giving him a head-start on any other team that may eventually join him in Inglewood. The one downside for Kroenke is that the Rams reportedly can’t begin selling suites or personal seat licenses until at least February 2017 without a second team joining them in L.A.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams, Chargers Agree In Principle To L.A. Deal

January 29th, 2016 at 3:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams and Chargers have agreed in principle to a deal that would see the two franchises sharing an NFL stadium in Inglewood, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. While such an agreement allows the Chargers to move to Los Angeles as early as 2016, the club has yet to officially make that decision.

As Acee explains, the Chargers will have until January 15, 2017 to announce whether or not the team will exercise its option to move to Los Angeles. If the club confirms in the coming weeks that it will make the move, relocation could occur immediately, for the 2016 season — the Chargers have already reportedly bought land in Santa Ana to potentially use for a team headquarters, and the L.A. Coliseum is expected to allow a second NFL team to join the Rams there on a temporary basis.

However, the Chargers could also use the agreement as leverage to attempt to work something out with the city of San Diego. If the team decides to try to make things work in its current home, it could spend the 2016 season at Qualcomm while negotiating with the city, in the hopes of coming up with a viable stadium plan before next January.

According to Acee, the Chargers’ deadline to make its Los Angeles decision could even be extended to 2018 if the team gets a stadium initiative on the ballot in San Diego this year. The extra year would allow for legal challenges or a second election. If the Chargers ultimately reach an agreement with the city of San Diego to remain there, the Raiders would get the opportunity to join the Rams in Inglewood.

With an agreement between the Rams and Chargers in place, the next step is for Chargers owner Dean Spanos to make a decision on the team’s short-term – and potentially long-term – home. If the team intends to move to Los Angeles for the 2016 season, it will have to make that decision by March 23, though an announcement one way or the other is expected to come well before then.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Chargers, Kaepernick, Manning

January 29th, 2016 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

Those familiar with the proposal put on the table in Houston earlier this month for a Rams/Chargers partnership tell Sam Farmer and Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times that it makes more sense for the second team – the Chargers – to be a tenant instead of a co-owner for the Rams’ stadium project. As such, if the Chargers end up moving to Los Angeles, it will probably be as Stan Kroenke‘s tenant.

As Farmer and Fenno explain, the proposal that surfaced in Houston has remained relatively unchanged for the last two and a half weeks, so the current situation is viewed as “less of a back-and-forth negotiation than a choice confronting the Chargers.”

As we wait to find out what the Chargers decide, let’s check in on some items from around the NFL’s West divisions…

Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, 49ers CEO Jed York pointed to the team’s salary cap room as one reason why it’s viable for Colin Kaepernick to remain in San Francisco in 2016. “This is a fresh start for everybody,” York said, per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “Colin needs to get back healthy, be ready to come in and compete, and we’ll see where it goes.”
Joel Corry of CBSSports.com examines Peyton Manning‘s options if the future Hall-of-Famer decides to continue his career in 2016. Corry believes the Rams look like a logical suitor for Manning if the Broncos decided they didn’t want to keep him.
Chip Kelly has added another assistant to his coaching staff, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the 49ers have hired Colts safeties coach Roy Anderson as their defensive backs coach.
Former Bears assistant Skip Peete is joining the Rams as the team’s new running backs coach, a source tells Thayer Evans of SI.com. Peete has previously served as the RBs coach in Oakland, Dallas, and Chicago.
After undergoing surgery for Papillary Type 2 last spring, Seahawks defensive tackle Jesse Williams, who spent the 2015 season on the non-football illness list, tweets that he has been cleared to return to action. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times provides some details on Williams, who is eligible for exclusive rights free agency.

AFC Notes: Browns, Raiders, Chargers, Manning

January 28th, 2016 at 9:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Hue Jackson‘s recent comments have seemingly indicated a preference the Browns move on from Johnny Manziel, Jimmy Haslam knows the sides can mend their damaged relationship, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.

The Browns’ owner admitted both his regime and the team’s previous power structure have made critical misjudgments in the draft, he does not like the idea of moving on from a No. 1 pick that’s contributed so little to the franchise.

“Oh, yeah, I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Haslam told media about being able to go forward with Manziel. “We talked to Johnny before he left [for the offseason]. I know a big deal was made that Hue hasn’t called Johnny yet. Well, we’ve got 53 players on the active [roster] and 10 more [on reserve/futures deals], and there were a couple of other real prominent players that he just talked to in the last day or two. So I’m sure he’ll get around to talking to him.”

Jackson hasn’t sounded too optimistic regarding Manziel, who entered rehab but endured several alcohol-related slip-ups during the season, with the new Cleveland coach saying Manziel’s alleged secret excursion to Las Vegas while in concussion protocol would have been a “non-starter” under his watch. In between, the 23-year-old Manziel started six games and completed 57% of his passes, throwing for seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

Here’s some more Browns- and AFC-related news.

Haslam said there is no awkwardness between him and newly rehired DC Ray Horton, Ulrich tweets. The owner told media, including Ulrich, Horton did a good job as the Browns’ DC in his one-and-done stint in 2013. The Browns ranked ninth defensively under Horton that season. The Browns ranked 27th in 2015 and 23rd in 2014 in total defense.
Should the Browns select Carson Wentz with their No. 2 overall pick, “they’ll be set for 15 years,” an NFL personnel man whose team does not need a quarterback told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “He’s the best quarterback in the draft. If I were picking at No. 2, I’d take him. It will solve all of their problems and they’d get that team turned around,” the personnel man said. Sources told Cabot the Browns’ interest in Wentz is real, and although most mock drafts don’t have the North Dakota State fifth-year senior going off the board that soon, Jackson has experience coaching a Division I-FCS first-rounder. He helped guide Joe Flacco, chosen out of Delaware in 2008, previously.
New Dolphins DC Vance Joseph will allow Ndamukong Suh to provide input, and the new coach is trying to forge a relationship with the league’s highest-paid defender, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Suh, per a teammate, did not have much use for since-fired DC Kevin Coyle. Suh’s requested input regarding the Dolphins’ scheme, and Joseph said he’d listen.
Miami’s also open to giving former top-five pick Dion Jordan another chance despite his rampant trouble with the league, Jackson reports. Jordan hasn’t played since participating in 10 games in 2014. The league suspended the former No. 3 overall pick for the entire 2015 season for violations of its substance-abuse policy. The Dolphins would allow a potential Jordan return to the team, providing he’s clean and if the league reinstates him in April, Jackson writes.
With Raiders owner Mark Davis‘ planned trip to Las Vegas on Friday to possibly discuss the Raiders playing in a planned $1 billion domed stadium representing Thursday’s biggest news, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk cautions fans to slow down on any Las Vegas Raiders-themed discussions. Using Tony Romo‘s cancelled fantasy football convention at a Las Vegas Sands-owned, non-gambling facility last summer as an example, Florio does not believe the NFL will allow the Raiders to move to Vegas. The NFL previously said a Vegas-hosted Pro Bowl or merely a single game would not likely be sanctioned.
The Chargers hired recently fired Patriots offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo as an offensive line assistant, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (on Twitter). DeGuglielmo will work alongside Jeff Davidson with the Bolts’ linemen.
Should Peyton Manning determine Super Bowl 50 isn’t his “last rodeo,” the Broncos would have a difficult choice on their hands, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com writes. Should Manning return, he’s due to occupy an untenable $21.5MM cap hold next season. If Manning helps Denver win the Super Bowl, John Elway could be faced with a choice akin to what Ted Thompson encountered in 2008, when Brett Favre‘s backtracking forced an awkward trade. But Aaron Rodgers being under contract and Brock Osweiler not differentiates the scenarios. Corry argues the cleanest solution, albeit one that would put Elway in a complicated spot in terms of PR, would be to release Manning, sign Osweiler to a long-term deal and free up $19MM in cap space. If Manning decided he wanted to play again despite this, Corry cites the Rams and Texans as teams that would fit the soon-to-be-40-year-old quarterback’s needs, with their strong defenses and warm-weather or climate-controlled settings.

Latest On Rams/Chargers L.A. Talks

January 28th, 2016 at 4:07pm CST by Luke Adams

4:00pm: The Chargers have acquired land in Orange County, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (on Twitter), and he hears that it is for their headquarters and practice facility. The Bolts issued a statement on the matter (Twitter link via Vincent Bonsignore of the Daily News) and explained that they are simply keeping their options open. Because of the red tape involved in doing such a project, the statement explained, it was necessary for the Chargers to get the ball rolling on that process in the event that they relocate to L.A.

11:44am: A report out of Southern California earlier this week suggested that talks between the Rams and Chargers on a potential stadium partnership had reached an impasse, with the Chargers likely to remain in San Diego for 2016. However, that’s not the case, according to Vincent Bonsignore of InsideSoCal.com, who reports that the Chargers are simply doing their due diligence and completing the number-crunching necessary to fully evaluate the proposal on the table for a potential move to L.A.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune hears that people around the league continue to believe that the Rams and Chargers will agree to a deal soon. The Chargers would like to have resolution by the end of this week, one source tells Acee, though it’s not clear yet if that goal will be met. Bonsignore heard on Wednesday that, depending on when the situation is resolved, the Rams and Chargers could postpone an announcement until after the Super Bowl, so as not to upstage the NFL’s main event (Twitter link).

Although an agreement looks likely to be reached, Acee cautions that even if the Rams and Chargers agree to a deal in principle, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Chargers will leave San Diego right away. Team and league sources tell Acee that a deal with the Rams is necessary for the Chargers if they intend to try to get a stadium built in San Diego, since it would give the franchise significant leverage.

The Chargers have until next January to officially make a decision on their long-term home, so the club could theoretically play in San Diego for one more season – with a Los Angeles deal in place – and then move to L.A. in 2017 if there’s still no viable San Diego stadium solution on the table by that point.

If the Chargers and Rams strike an agreement, it would be a limited partnership deal, according to Acee. The Rams would take on the majority of the risk, along with the majority of the revenue, while the Chargers would “still realize significant gains over what is available in San Diego.” One league source tells Acee that there’s no downside to the L.A. proposal for the Chargers, while another says it would be a “good-to-great” deal for the team.

Moving to Los Angeles along with the Rams may be more beneficial for the Chargers over the long term, but league sources are unconvinced that owner Dean Spanos is totally on board with the idea yet, with one source telling Acee, “I believe Dean will be very, very unhappy in Los Angeles.” So that’s worth keeping in mind as the Chargers move toward a decision.

Finally, if the Chargers end up in Los Angeles for the 2016 season, they’ll need someplace to play, and sharing the L.A. Coliseum with the Rams looks like the most logical solution to that dilemma. Per an Associated Press report, the Coliseum Commission is meeting today to consider amending USC’s current lease to allow a second NFL team to play at the stadium.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Coach Notes: 49ers, Butler, Giants, Chargers

January 28th, 2016 at 8:38am CST by Luke Adams

Adam Gase‘s coaching staff in Miami initially wasn’t expected to include more than a couple of the assistants who finished the 2015 season under Dan Campbell. However, the new Dolphins head coach ultimately decided to keep nine members of the team’s old coaching staff on board, as Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald writes. According to Dolphins football czar Mike Tannenbaum, it was Gase – not Tannenbaum or GM Chris Grier – that made the decision to retain those coaches.

“The coaching staff in particular reports to Adam and certainly Chris and I made some suggestions, but they [all] went through and were vetted through a pretty rigorous process,” Tannenbaum said. “They wouldn’t be on our staff if Adam didn’t feel good about them.”

Here are a few more coaching notes from around the NFL:

Mike Vrabel wasn’t the only Texans assistant to interview for the 49ers‘ defensive coordinator job before Chip Kelly ultimately decided on Jim O’Neil. According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco also spoke to Texans secondary coach John Butler about the position. “The 49ers like our coaching staff; we’ve got a really strong staff,” Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said. “John Butler is another guy that was sought after. Our staff is held in pretty high regard. I think that’s a credit to those guys and a credit to our players.”
The Giants interviewed former Chargers assistant Don Johnson for their defensive line coach job, according to James Kratch of NJ Advance Media. Former Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni also met with the Giants recently about that role.
In addition to hiring a defensive line coach, the Giants may also add an assistant defensive line coach to their staff, a league source tells Kratch. Tom Coughlin didn’t have that position on his staff, but it appears Ben McAdoo is considering it.
Former Patriots offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo, who was not retained by Bill Belichick after New England’s elimination from the postseason, is meeting with the Chargers about their assistant offensive line coach job, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.

Draft Notes: Cowboys, Nkemdiche, Jets

January 27th, 2016 at 9:58pm CST by Zachary Links

This week, your Twitter timeline is probably chock full of news about teams meeting with top draft prospects. Of course, a team meeting with a prospect actually means very little, as Mike McCartney explained in a succinct tweet on Tuesday: “Senior Bowl Pet Peeve: EVERY player here meets with EVERY team.”

Here at Pro Football Rumors, we have opted against sharing every single meeting between NFL teams and draft prospects, opting instead to bring you only the most important and relevant draft news. With that in mind, here’s today’s look at the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft:

Ole Miss defensive end Robert Nkemdiche had a weird incident in 2015 but teams are still evaluating him like he’s a top five pick, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (video link). Specifically, the Cowboys are taking a hard look at him and so are the Chargers. Nkemdiche boasts tremendous size and moves like a tight end, so it’s not hard for teams to overlook some off-the-field red flags. For his part, Miller sees him as a strong fit for Dallas but also feels that the Titans are a logical destination. However, that doesn’t mean that Tennessee will reach and take him No. 1 overall.
The Jets spent a lot of time with Boise State safety Darian Thompson on Wednesday morning, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (on Twitter). Thompson grades out as a second or third round prospect, per Pauline.
Thompson, Temple defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis and OSU wide receiver Braxton Miller are drawing rave reviews from scouts, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
The Cowboys spent a great deal of time with Southern Utah defensive back Miles Killebrew, according to Pauline (link).
A top NFL personnel exec at the Senior Bowl opined to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter) that the Browns should take quarterback Carson Wentz at No. 2. “They’d be set for 15 years,” the anonymous exec said.

Extra Points: Alonso, LA, Draft Prospects, Pats

January 25th, 2016 at 9:14pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Linebacker Kiko Alonso is coming off his first season with the Eagles, one in which the 2013 PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year was a non-factor. Alonso expects better things in 2016 with recently hired defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz at the helm, writes Paul Domowitch of Philly.com.

Alonso’s agent, Steve Karic, says the 25-year-old is “very excited” to play for Schwartz, who coordinated Buffalo’s defense to a fourth-place ranking in 2014. Alonso was also a Bill then, but he missed the season because of a torn ACL and didn’t play a down under Schwartz. Still, he’s familiar with Schwartz’s defense.

“He spent the offseason in Buffalo that year playing in this defense. He went through OTAs and minicamp in this defense. He was in the meeting rooms all season long,” Karic stated.

Karic then added that Alonso “definitely can play” the Mike (middle) or Will (weakside) LB role in Schwartz’s scheme. Prior to Alonso’s injury in 2014, Schwartz planned to use him as a Will ‘backer in Buffalo. Alonso played on the inside under former Eagles D-coordinator Billy Davis in 2015-16 and totaled just 43 tackles in 11 games, rating an ugly 92nd of 97 qualifying LBs by Pro Football Focus’ standards (subscription required).

Elsewhere around the NFL. . .

Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News believes the Chargers will end up in LA next season (Twitter link). He also shot down the notion (via Twitter) that talks between the Chargers and Rams have stalled. This comes on the heels of a Monday night report from CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora that the two sides are “making progress.”
North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz – who’s gaining steam as a possible first-round pick in the 2016 draft – has already met with nearly half of the league’s 32 teams at the Senior Bowl, tweets Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Two of those clubs are the Dolphins and Texans, Wentz told Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, respectively (Twitter links: 1, 2). With Ryan Tannehill in the fold, Beasley doesn’t expect the Dolphins to use the eighth overall pick on Wentz. However, if available, he could be a fit for QB-needy Houston at No. 22.
Alabama MLB Reggie Ragland, one of Wentz’s fellow Senior Bowl participants, has spoken to the Ravens, Chiefs and Raiders so far, and he’ll also meet with the Packers (Twitter links via Wilson and Chase Goodbread of NFL.com). The probable first-rounder will play some OLB this week as a way to show off his versatility to prospective employers, reports Wilson (on Twitter).
Foxborough, Mass., police arrested Patriots practice squad receiver J.J. Worton on Saturday and charged him with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person aged 14 and over and one count of assault and battery, per ESPN.com. The Patriots didn’t comment on Worton’s arrest, tweets the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, who adds that the 24-year-old is unlikely to remain with the team. Worton, who signed with the Pats earlier this month, has an expiring contract.

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