NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Bowman, Cards
In what’s been a busy day for NFL news so far – particularly for running backs around the league – let’s catch up on a few items from out of the NFC West….
- Seahawks coach Pete Carroll confirmed that center Max Unger will likely miss three or four weeks with ankle and knee injuries, meaning the team will likely have to add a center to the mix to complement Patrick Lewis, as Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk details. Crabtree and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times both cite former Seahawk Lemuel Jeanpierre as a probable free agent addition for the club.
- Within Condotta’s article, he also passes along a tweet from defensive tackle Travian Robertson, who had been on the Falcons‘ practice squad. Robertson announced that he’s on his way to Seattle, a signal that the Seahawks will be signing him away from Atlanta.
- 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman will begin practicing today, starting the clock on a three-week window during which the team will have to move him to the active roster. If he’s not made active in three weeks, Bowman will be ruled out for the season, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio acknowledges that’s a possiblity, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
- Tight end Garrett Celek, defensive tackle Kaleb Ramsey, and cornerback Keith Reaser will also begin practicing for the 49ers today, triggering their three-week countdowns, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- Cardinals reporters Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic and Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter links) agree that running back Ben Tate is an unlikely target for Arizona, even if he makes it through waivers unclaimed.
Workout Notes: 49ers, Bills, Saints, Eagles
As usual, NFL teams are keeping a close eye on the free agent market, bringing in players for visits and tryouts as they prepare contingency plans in the event that they need to replace injured players or add depth. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun has the details on several of the latest workouts and auditions from around the league, so let’s round up the highlights (all links go to Twitter)….
- In the wake of Jimmie Ward‘s season-ending injury, the 49ers worked out a handful of defensive backs, including Dominique Franks, Drayton Florence, and Marcus Cromartie.
- Before they decided to sign safety Bacarri Rambo, the Bills eyed several other defensive backs as possible replacements in the secondary for injured cornerback Leodis McKelvin. Chris Clemons, Brandon Taylor, Stephon Morris, and Josh Bush also auditioned for the club.
- A trio of linebackers – Moise Fokou, L.J. Fort, and Jerry Franklin – worked out for the Saints.
- We heard previously that the Eagles took a look at a couple former starting quarterbacks, but that wasn’t the only position at which the team auditioned players. Philadelphia also tried out wide receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu and defensive back Roc Carmichael.
- In addition to bringing in Allen Reisner, who signed with the team’s practice squad, the Ravens worked out fellow tight end Ike Ariguzo.
49ers Put Ian Williams On IR, Activate Dorsey
The 49ers have officially activated defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey to their 53-man roster, placing defensive tackle Ian Williams on injured reserve in a corresponding move, the team announced today (Twitter link). Head coach Jim Harbaugh had suggested earlier today that Dorsey would soon be activated.
Dorsey has been sidelined for the entire 2014 season to date, having been placed on IR with the designation to return prior to Week 1 due to a biceps injury. Williams played well in Dorsey’s absence, but suffered a fracture in his leg during Week 10’s game against the Saints. Quinton Dial took over as the team’s nose tackle yesterday against the Giants, though according to Pro Football Focus, he played just 14 of 70 total defensive snaps.
Assuming Dorsey is ready to see regular action on defense for the Niners, he’ll be the second key player to return to the unit in the last two weeks. Linebacker Aldon Smith was activated following his nine-game suspension last week, and made his season debut on Sunday in the Meadowlands.
NFC West Notes: Dorsey, Gore, Cardinals
While the Seahawks couldn’t pull out a comeback win in Kansas City yesterday, it was a successful Sunday for the rest of the NFC West, with the Cardinals, Rams, and 49ers all notching impressive victories. In his look at players who improved their free agent stocks over the weekend, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap picks a player from each of those teams, identifying Cardinals cornerback Antonio Cromartie, Rams wideout Kenny Britt, and 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree as three players whose values got a bump after their respective performances on Sunday.
Here’s more from around the NFC West:
- The 49ers intend to activate defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey from off the injured reserve list this week, head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters today, including Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
- 49ers running back Frank Gore, who is in the final year of his contract, would like to return to the 49ers next season, but if that interest isn’t mutual, he’s intent on continuing his NFL career elsewhere, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com outlines.
- Addressing the contract extension the team gave defensive coordinator Todd Bowles last week, Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said today that he and his staff want to be “proactive and aggressive” with all their decisions, which means locking up quality assistants. Keim recognizes that Bowles could still explore head coaching jobs this offseason, but says “it will take a special opportunity for him to leave us.” Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com has the quotes and the details from the GM’s appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7.
- Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch may be facing a $100K fine from the league, as Peter King explains in his latest MMQB column.
Extra Points: RGIII, Brooks, Steelers
Let’s check out some leftover notes to wrap up the weekend…
- If Washington decides to exercise the fifth-year option on Robert Griffin III, the quarterback’s 2016 salary will be worth about $18.4MM, calculates Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. If the former second-overall pick doesn’t improve quickly, Florio says it’s hard to imagine the team picking up the option.
- The 49ers reportedly shopped linebacker Ahmad Brooks close to the trade deadline, and it appears like that relationship continues to deteriorate. Mike Garafolo of FoxSports.com reports that the 30-year-old pulled himself from Sunday’s win over the Giants because he was upset about playing time. Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter) guesses that the 30-year-old and his $7.3MM contract won’t be around next season.
- The dominant defense that the Steelers featured in the past is much harder to construct nowadays, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Previously, the team’s 3-4 strategy was unique and exclusive, meaning the team could target specific types of players for significantly less money. However, many teams have switched over to the Dick LeBeau-styled defense, and Pittsburgh is now being forced to bid against teams with larger pockets.
Latest On Jim Harbaugh
We’ve heard for months that Jim Harbaugh isn’t likely to return as the 49ers head coach in 2015, and while there’s some been some speculation about his next stop, we’ve yet to see anything concrete. However, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (link via Rapoport’s colleague Connor Orr), while confirming that “it would be surprise” if Harbaugh returned to San Francisco next season, has shed a little light on Harbaugh’s future, reporting that the Dolphins are no longer an option to land the 49ers head coach. Meanwhile, given that Harbaugh’s family would like to remain in the Bay Area, the Raiders could emerge as a candidate to secure Harbaugh’s services.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross pursued Harbaugh following the 2010 season despite the fact that Tony Sparano was still under contract as the club’s head coach, so it wasn’t surprising that reports surfaced linking the two parties again. However, Miami has turned its season around as of late, and currently sits at 6-4, good for second place in the AFC East. As such, head coach Joe Philbin is unlikely to be fired, and even if he is let go, Rapoport says that Harbaugh would still not be “on the Dolphins’ radar.” In fact, Ross, a University of Michigan alum, would prefer to see Harbaugh take over in Ann Arbor, tweets Rapoport.
The Raiders connection probably makes more sense at this point, especially given that Harbaugh’s wife reportedly wants to remain in the Bay Area. Oakland fired Dennis Allen after an 0-4 start, and in an odd twist of fate, installed Sparano as its interim head coach. The Raiders are still winless, which makes it unlikely that Sparano or general manager Reggie McKenzie will be allowed to keep their jobs in 2015. If Harbaugh were offered total control over the team, he could be interested in joining an Oakland club that boasts building blocks on both sides of the ball (quarterback Derek Carr and linebacker Khalil Mack), and will be entitled to another top-five draft pick next year.
Heated Competition Expected For Duron Carter
Duron Carter, current wide receiver for the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes and son of former NFL great Cris Carter, appears ready to get his shot in the States in 2015. As Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, Carter has emerged as a star in the CFL over the past several seasons and has led Montreal to an improbable berth in the league’s playoffs. Although the former top college recruit has dealt with myriad off-field issues and has therefore been forced to prove himself in Canada, he has apparently matured while playing north of the border and finally appears ready to capitalize on his tremendous potential.
At 6-5 and 205 pounds, Carter has tantalizing physical tools and caught 75 passes for 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns in 2014 after a 2013 campaign that saw him average an astounding 19 yards per catch. La Canfora writes that at least 10 teams have interest in the 23-year-old but that the Colts are currently viewed as the frontrunner for his services. Although the 49ers and Seahawks are also seen as contenders, the impending departure of Reggie Wayne and Indianapolis’ history of gambling on wideouts with checkered pasts–combined with GM Ryan Grigson‘s willingness to take chances and connections with the CFL–point to the Colts as the most likely landing spot at the moment.
In a separate tweet, La Canfora notes that several GMs and scouts believe Carter can be a quality starter in 2015, though he must demonstrate that he has outgrown his previous maturity issues. NFL rules dictate that Carter can begin working out for and negotiating with NFL clubs on December 1, shortly after the CFL season ends, but he cannot officially sign with a team until February. With a thin wide receiver market and a draft class that is not nearly as deep at the wideout position as the historic 2014 group, there will be heavy competition for Carter as he looks to make a belated entrance into the league that his father once dominated.
Bay Area Notes: Bowman, Harbaugh, McKenzie
A Friday report indicated that there’s a possibility injured 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman won’t return to the field this season, but he shouldn’t be ruled out quite yet. A league source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that Bowman has been cleared to practice next week, and intends to return to the practice field at that time. Assuming Bowman does indeed being practicing next week, the 49ers will have three weeks to add him to their active roster — if the team isn’t ready to activate him at that point, he’ll sit for the rest of the season.
As the Niners look forward to the possibility of seeing another standout linebacker return to their lineup, let’s check in on a few more items out of San Francisco and Oakland….
- Within his Saturday mailbag, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com responds to a question about the likelihood of 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio receiving a contract extension. As Maiocco points out, while a new deal for Fangio – who is signed through 2015 – is possible, his future will likely be tied to that of Jim Harbaugh and the rest of the club’s coaching staff.
- Speaking of Harbaugh, amidst speculation that the head coach could part ways with the 49ers at season’s end, Bob Glauber of Newsday writes that Harbaugh would be the best option to coach the Jets next season, if he becomes available.
- Even with the club at 0-9, people within the Raiders organization think general manager Reggie McKenzie could keep his beyond this season, says Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. As Tafur explains, McKenzie appears to have “hit a home run” with the team’s 2014 draft class, and you could make the case that some of Oakland’s shortcomings this season have been the result of injuries. When I looked last Saturday at teams with the most salary on injured reserve, the Raiders ranked third.
49ers Put Jimmie Ward On IR, Activate Smith
The 49ers have made a pair of roster moves involving defensive players today, placing rookie defensive back Jimmie Ward on injured reserve and activating linebacker Aldon Smith, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Smith had been reinstated from his nine-game suspension earlier this week, but the team had to remove a player from the 53-man roster in order for him to be active for tomorrow’s game against the Giants.
Ward, San Francisco’s first-round pick back in May, will be sidelined for the rest of the season with a foot injury. While it’s not clear if the injury is related to the Jones fracture Ward was diagnosed with earlier in the year, it’s the same foot giving him problems this time around. Despite entering the league as a safety, Ward saw most of his time at the nickel back position for the 49ers this season.
As for Smith, the Niners had a roster exemption for the returning linebacker, and could have waited until Monday to make a move to officially accommodate him. However, that corresponding move needed to be made by today if the club hoped to get him on the field in tomorrow’s game. It’s not clear how much action he’ll see, but we can expect Smith to make his 2014 debut against the Giants.
For now, Niners defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who is eligible to be activated from the injured reserve list, remains on IR.
West Notes: Incognito, Bowman, Tate
The Broncos are the latest team to bring in free agent guard Richie Incognito for a visit and a workout, and Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report hears that Incognito’s visit to Denver and previous auditions with the Chiefs and Buccaneers went well. One executive even tells Freeman that Incognito looked “excellent” in his tryout. However, considering the former Dolphin is still looking for work, it appears he remains too toxic for any club to seriously consider signing him at this point, writes Freeman. At some point, a team will look past Incognito’s involvement in last year’s bullying scandal in Miami and give him another shot, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely that it will happen this season.
As we wait to see whether Denver or another club picks up Incognito in the second half, let’s check in on a few Friday items from around the NFL’s two West divisions….
- The 49ers will see one of their standout linebackers return to the field this weekend, with Aldon Smith having been activated after serving his nine-game suspension. However, there’s a “real possibility” that injured linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who is still recovering from a torn ACL and MCL suffered last season, won’t return to action in 2014, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Wide receiver Golden Tate inked a lucrative five-year deal with the Lions back in March, and while that deal may have raised some eyebrows at the time, it’s turning into a great investment, with Tate in the top five in the NFL in both receptions and receiving yards. Tate discussed his free agent process today, admitting that he thought he’d be a “hot commodity,” but “that wasn’t the case at all” (link via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com). Having previously referred to the Seahawks‘ contract offer as “laughable,” Tate didn’t show much sympathy for his old team today. “Their problem,” Tate said of Seattle. “Now they don’t have me or Percy [Harvin].”
- The Broncos had hoped to keep linebacker Nate Irving in case he could return this season, but the team ultimately decided to place him on season-ending injured reserve yesterday due to his knee injury. Denver head coach John Fox explained the decision today, as Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post details.