Los Angeles Chargers News & Rumors

AFC West Rumors: Pryor, Alex Smith, Visits

After initially reporting that the Raiders would cut quarterback Terrelle Pryor today if they couldn’t find a trade partner, Alex Marvez of Fox Sports now says (via Twitter) that resolution will likely come Tuesday for the Raiders and Pryor. With Matt Schaub now in the fold and another QB potentially coming in the draft, Oakland is intent on moving on from the former starter one way or another.

Let’s check in on a few more items from around the AFC West….

  • Alex Smith‘s agent, Tom Condon, has been engaged in discussions with the Chiefs about a new contract for his client, and Smith is happy to stay out of those negotiations, as Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star details. “My agent handles all of that, and that’s why you hire that guy to take care of that, so you can focus on football,” said Smith, who is entering the final year of his current deal. “It’s really not my place. I have a contract for this year.”
  • The Broncos are visiting today and tomorrow with Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley, sources tell Mike Klis of the Denver Post. As Klis writes, Mosley is viewed by many experts as the top inside linebacker in this year’s draft class.
  • The Chargers hosted Stanford defensive end Ben Gardner for a visit today, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Meanwhile, the club also worked out Arkansas fullback Kiero Small, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Wilson adds that Small will move on to visit the Browns tomorrow.

West Notes: James, Watkins, Raiders

With Jim Harbaugh at the 49ers‘ helm, not keeping issues in-house leads to the doghouse, writes Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. LaMichael James could be finding that out for himself this week as he’s reportedly being shopped. The 2012 second-round pick excelled at Oregon but he hasn’t seen a great deal of time on the field. Here’s more out of the AFC and NFC West..

  • In addition to Sammy Watkins, the Rams worked out fellow Clemson wide receiver Maravis Bryant today, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
  • Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter) crunched the numbers and found that no NFL team has more 30+-year-olds than the Raiders with 13. The Bears and 49ers are close behind with 12 while the Jaguars, Seahawks, and Rams have just three a piece.
  • The Seahawks have found success with tall, powerful cornerbacks and Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune wonders if the Chargers should do the same. One player that fits the bill is Utah’s Keith McGill, a prospect with a longer wingspan and bigger hands than Seattle star cornerback Richard Sherman.

Pauline’s Latest: Richburg, Wenning, Moses

With May 8 now less than three weeks away, draft expert Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net is back with his latest round of updates on prospects and pre-draft visits. Here’s a recap of several of the highlights from Pauline’s newest piece:

  • Colorado State center Weston Richburg, who has visited the Cardinals and worked out for the Patriots, could be a surprise round one pick, says Pauline, identifying the Packers, Patriots, and Broncos as potential landing spots. The Jaguars, at the start of the second round, could also be in the mix for Richburg.
  • Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning is generating significant interest from NFL teams, says Pauline, writing that that Wenning has had eight visits and eight additional workouts. Of the teams mentioned by Pauline as having hosted or worked out the signal-caller, the Rams are the only one we haven’t heard mentioned previously.
  • Virginia tackle Morgan Moses has seen his stock rise a little due to the ACL injury suffered by Brandon Thomas — teams eyeing tackles can no longer count on Thomas as a fallback option if they miss out on someone like Moses. According to Pauline, the Panthers may be a possibility late in the first round for Moses, and the tackle is unlikely to get past the Redskins in round two.
  • Speaking of Thomas, his ACL surgery means he’ll likely fall to the fourth or fifth round, in Pauline’s view.
  • We heard earlier in the week that Cameron Fleming visited the Redskins, and Pauline says Washington is “seriously interested” in the Stanford tackle. Fleming has also worked out for the Panthers, Falcons, and Titans, according to Pauline.
  • Bloomsburg guard Brian Clarke is visiting the Chargers and has a private workout lined up with the Giants, tweets Pauline.

Texans Exercise Fifth-Year Option On J.J. Watt

The Texans have officially exercised the 5th-year option on defensive end J.J. Watt for 2015, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deadline to do so was on May 3rd, but Houston decided not to wait.

Yates adds that the Ravens have done the same with cornerback Jimmy Smith and ditto for the Chargers and defensive lineman Corey Liuget. The Jets are believed to have done the same for defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson.

The 6’6″ Watt is coming off of a season in which he registered 65 tackles, 10.5 sacks, seven pass deflections, and four forced fumbles. The season prior to that was the 25-year-old’s monster breakout season – he racked up 69 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 16 pass deflections, and four forced fumbles en route to his first Pro Bowl. Watt has also been tremendously durable over the course of his three year career, playing in all 16 games in each campaign.

We heard in late March that the Ravens would pick up Smith’s fifth-year option, but the Ravens were hoping to work out a long-term deal with him. Smith will earn $6.898MM in 2015, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). His salary is guaranteed only for injury at present. It will become fully guaranteed for skill if he’s on the roster for the first day of the 2015 league year.

Liuget, 24, is coming off of his second consecutive productive season for San Diego, racking up 12.5 sacks between 2012 and ’13. Wilkerson and the Jets have both been open about their desire to work out a new long-term pact but in the interim, the Temple product will have to settle for a $6.97MM salary in 2014.

Draft Notes: Swoope, Clowney, Bucannon, Long

As if NFL teams didn’t have enough players to consider when they’re on the clock in next month’s draft, one player who recently declared his eligibility didn’t even play college ball. Instead, Erik Swoope of the University of Miami played for the Hurricanes’ basketball team, but nonetheless hopes to catch on with an NFL team this summer, as ESPN.com details. Swoope, who aims to play tight end, had a private workout with the Broncos earlier in April, according to the report.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the league, with a focus on the draft:

  • A Hurricane who actually played football for Miami this past season, quarterback Stephen Morris, is drawing some interest from the Dolphins, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
  • Dismissing the idea that Jadeveon Clowney is “lazy” and “spoiled,” as one anonymous scout suggested, agent Bus Cook also told Jarrett Bell of USA Today that his client may conduct one more pre-draft workout for an NFL team. A previous report indicated Clowney was done with workouts, and Cook concedes that if the defensive end does work out again, he won’t do anything “that will risk injury.”
  • Washington State safety Deone Bucannon visited the Colts earlier this week and is currently visiting with the Patriots, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. According to Wilson, Bucannon will visit the Vikings tomorrow, then the Eagles, Jets, and Giants next week.
  • Nebraska guard Spencer Long will have pre-draft visits with the Eagles, Dolphins, Falcons, and Chargers, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
  • Having previously met with the Chargers and Patriots, MTSU defensive end Jimmy Staten is scheduled to work out for the Packers and Chiefs this week, says Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter).

AFC Notes: Pats, Browns, Sam, Chargers

Let’s round up a few Wednesday updates from across the AFC….

  • Within his latest piece at Bleacher Report, Mike Freeman writes that the Patriots are considering adding a receiver earlier in the draft and that the Browns “really love” Derek Carr, who is a strong candidate for the club’s second first-round pick.
  • The Browns aren’t set on Carr yet though — Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that the club is privately working out Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron today, and Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer adds (via Twitter) that McCarron will also have a formal visit with the Browns next week.
  • Five of the six teams that have expressed the most interest in Missouri’s Michael Sam are AFC clubs, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, who identifies the Ravens, Patriots, Colts, Browns, Jets, and Falcons as suitors for the edge defender.
  • Meanwhile, in a piece for the National Football Post, Wilson reports that Illinois State defensive end Colton Underwood has visited the Chargers and Chiefs, and also worked out for the Patriots.
  • After having visited the Cowboys yesterday, Oregon State defensive end Scott Crichton is visiting the Broncos today and the Chargers tomorrow, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
  • The Chargers are hosting Indiana wideout Cody Latimer and Montana linebacker Brock Coyle today, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter links). Coyle will visit the Seahawks next, Gehlken notes.
  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk attempts to discern what we can learn from the Alex Mack saga when it comes to future offer sheets for transition players.

AFC Notes: Dolphins, FA Grades, Manziel

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes that, although wide receiver might be the deepest position on the Dolphins‘ roster, and although the team likes the top receivers on its depth chart–Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, and Rishard Matthews–Miami wants to continue adding to its receiving corps.

The Dolphins were unable to land Nate Burleson, who ultimately signed with the Browns, but they did recently add Damian Williams along with “long shots” Kevin Cone and Mike Rios. More importantly, they have devoted at least three of their 30 official visits to wide receivers who are projected to be taken in the first several rounds of next month’s draft. The team will visit with Ole Miss receiver Donte Moncrief and Clemson wideout Martavis Bryant, along with USC’s Marqise Lee.

As Jackson observes, the attention to receivers is motivated at least in part by the recent surgeries that Hartline, Gibson, and the “intriguing” Armon Binns have undergone. No doubt the Dolphins are also intent on giving quarterback Ryan Tannehill as many explosive weapons as possible by mining the deepest wide receiver draft class in recent memory.

Some more notes from around the AFC:

  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com continues his series of offseason evaluations as he takes a look at how AFC West teams fared in free agency. He believes the Raiders‘ offseason looks like an attempt to recreate a Pro Bowl roster from 2009 and gives the team a “D” grade (link), while the Chiefs and Chargers receive similarly disappointing “C-” grades (links here). The Broncos, meanwhile, receive a “B” for their efforts (link), as Fitzgerald respects their bold acquisitions but wonders if Eric Decker and Darrelle Revis would have made more sense than Emmanuel Sanders and Aqib Talib. Since the team is sacrificing its cap health in 2015 anyway, Decker/Revis indubitably looks like the better play on paper.
  • Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun provides a similar evaluation of the Ravens‘ offseason, noting that the club has “closed the gap” in the AFC North with its savvy series of re-signings and modest but potentially valuable additions like Steve Smith and Owen Daniels.
  • After writing that the Texans would take Johnny Manizel and Blake Bortles in his first two mock drafts, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle has shifted gears and now believes the team will select Jadeveon Clowney with the No. 1 overall pick.
  • ESPN Insider Field Yates (subscription required) takes a look at how the Browns and Jaguars have gone about their respective rebuilding processes and evaluates the merits of each approach.

Chargers Cut Terrell Manning

The Chargers have cut linebacker Terrell Manning, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Due to his lack of NFL service time, Manning will have to pass through waivers before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Manning, who will turn 24 on Wednesday, was drafted by the Packers in the fifth round in 2012, but appeared in just five games for the club that season, exclusively on special teams. Green Bay cut Manning prior to the 2013 season, at which point he was claimed off waivers by the Chargers. However, the North Carolina State product only appeared in one game for San Diego.

AFC Draft Notes: Texans, Chargers, Titans

We explored some NFC draft notes earlier today. Now, let’s take a look around the AFC…

  • The Texans will be hosting the top quarterback prospects this week, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. In addition to Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater, the Texans will also be bringing in defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
  • Having already visited the Chargers, as well as the Patriots, Middle Tennessee State defensive lineman Jimmy Staten will have a private workout with San Diego today, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
  • The Titans will privately work out LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger later this month, tweets Wyatt. In a separate tweet, Wyatt adds that the team will also be working out Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray.
  • Mike Klis of the Denver Post identifies middle linebacker, cornerback, and the interior offensive line as three areas the Broncos should be looking to address in the draft.
  • Williams & Mary safety Jerome Couplin participated in the Ravens‘ local prospect day, reports Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Northern Illinois defensive tackle Ken Bishop will visit the Jaguars on Thursday, tweets Wilson.
  • The Bills will bring in an unconventional prospect for a workout. The team reportedly has interest in Canisius basketball player Chris Manhertz, according to WKBW-TV in Buffalo. The 6’6″ senior has never played football, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: Murray, Barr, Mason, Hyde

Georgia quarterback prospect Aaron Murray, recovering from an ACL injury, has drawn significant interest, reports Pro Football Talk, which lists the Browns, Dolphins, Jaguars, Lions, Patriots, Rams and Titans as teams taking an extended look.

In other draft-related news and notes…

  • LSU quarterback prospect Zach Mettenberger has a private workout scheduled with the Titans, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Drafting UCLA pass rusher Anthony Barr is a better option for the Eagles than trading for Dolphins second-year pass rusher Dion Jordan (drafted third overall last year after playing for Chip Kelly at Oregon), according to NJ.com’s Eliot Shorr-Parks, who provides a detailed comparison.
  • BYU rush linebacker prospect Kyle Van Noy did an interview with Darren Smith of 1090 AM and said the Chargers would be his ideal landing spot.
  • A pair of running back prospects, Auburn’s Tre Mason and Wisconsin’s James White, worked out for the Dolphins yesterday, per Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel (via Twitter).
  • The Eagles have also shown interest in Mason, according to Shorr-Parks. The team sent running backs coach Duce Staley to Auburn’s pro day
  • Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde, Washington tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Liberty cornerback Walt Aikens visited the Bills yesterday, according to the team’s website.
  • The 49ers are expected to draft a center to compete with Daniel Kilgore, writes Doug Williams of CSN Bay Area.
  • Small-school pass rusher Howard Jones from Shepherd University spent two days meeting with the Cardinals, according to a story by David Fawcett on insidenova.com. Jones is also scheduled for a visit with the Cowboys, though a Chiefs scout advised him he has “got to eat.”