NFC West Notes: Barron, Rams, Cards, 49ers
Let’s check out the latest from the NFC West, where the Rams made a relatively surprising trade earlier today…
- Acquiring Mark Barron from the Buccaneers was a low-risk, high-reward move for the Rams, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, but it’s fair to wonder how Barron will fit in with St. Louis’ defense. Barron has been more successful as an in-the-box type safety, but as Wagoner notes, the Rams currently deploy T.J. McDonald near the line of scrimmage. In fact, McDonald grades as the second-worst safety in the league in terms of pass coverage, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Nevertheless, St. Louis can use the remainder of the season to determine if Barron has a future with the club, and more specifically, if it wants to exercise his fifth-year option.
- Several bullets into his latest notes post, Mike Sando of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) examines the Rams’ free agent miscues during head coach Jeff Fisher’s tenure. Jake Long is now injured once again, Jared Cook hasn’t been worth his $7MM annual salary, and a third high-priced addition, cornerback Cortland Finnegan, was released prior to the season.
- Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link), Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said that he and general manager Steve Keim discussed several potential trades, but none came to fruition. Additionally, Arians suggested the trade deadline be moved later in the season.
- The 49ers currently have an open space on their 53-man roster, notes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter). San Francisco did not make a transaction today, and while the club could be saving a spot for Aldon Smith, the league did not make an announcement regarding a reduction of his suspension. Jim Harbaugh told reporters yesterday that he had yet to hear anything about Smith’s ban being lessened.
- After giving up multiple draft picks for Percy Harvin (and then dealing him away one year later), the Seahawks were right to not make a trade today, opines ESPN.com’s Terry Blount.
West Notes: Collins, Gruden, 49ers, Seahawks
Former Raiders guard Mo Collins passed away Sunday at the age of 38, writes Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times. Collins, a first-round pick in 1998, played in 71 games over six seasons in Oakland, and was a part of the Raiders squad that made a Super Bowl run in 2002. Per Langston Wertz of the Charlotte Observer, Collin had been working as an assistant coach at his former high school, and even secured a grant from the Panthers in order to install an artificial turf field. Our thoughts go out to Collins’ friends and family.
- Jon Gruden told one close friend that the Raiders‘ gig is the one job he’d come back to the NFL for, tweets Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Still, Gruden has a very comfortable and high-paying job as the color commentator of Monday Night Football and it’s not a given that he would give that up.
- 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters, including Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, that his club doesn’t figure to make any trades before tomorrow’s deadline.
- Within the same piece, Harbaugh says he hasn’t heard anything from the league regarding a reduction of Aldon Smith‘s suspension.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap looks at the financial ramifications of Jake Long‘s season-ending injury, and delves into the decisions the Rams will have to make on Long, Sam Bradford, and Kendall Langford in the coming months.
- With cornerback Byron Maxwell nursing a calf injury, the Seahawks worked out several defensive backs today, auditioning David Van Dyke, Rashaan Melvin, and Trevin Wade, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- The Chargers brought in linebacker Shayne Skov for a tryout last week, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan. Skov has spent time with both the 49ers and the Buccaneers this year.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
49ers Could Trade Corey Lemonier
We learned earlier today that 49ers star Aldon Smith could return from suspension as early as Monday, giving San Francisco a pass-rushing element that’s been sorely missing from its defense. Additionally, defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey, linebacker NaVorro Bownman, and running back Marcus Lattimore, all of whom are dealing with injuries, could return to practice, and subsequently, the active roster, soon. Roster space will be at a premium in the Bay Area in the near future, and as such, the Niners could look to make a deal in advance of Tuesday’s trade deadline in order to clear at least one roster spot. Second-year linebacker Corey Lemonier is the most likely candidate to be traded, a team source tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
Lemonier, 22, was selected in the third round of last year’s draft out of Auburn. He was active for all 16 games in 2013, registering 276 snaps on defense and playing on nearly 40% of the 49ers’ special teams plays. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) shows Lemonier to be something of a pass-rushing specialist, as he received a +3.9 grade when getting after the quarterback. This season, Lemonier has once again been active for every game, but despite the absences of Smith and Bowman, his defensive snap percentage has not increased. He is garnering more special teams duty, however, as he’s been involved on more than 50% of ST snaps.
Financials shouldn’t be an obstacle if the Niners do trade Lemonier. His modest bonus money, which amounts to less than $500K, would accelerate onto San Francisco’s cap, while an acquiring team would only be responsible for his base salaries, which would total less than $2MM over the next two-and-a-half years. As far as a return, the 49ers would surely be happy to recoup the third-rounder they spent on Lemonier in last year’s draft. That’s unlikely to happen, however, and I would think that the club would be content to get something in the neighborhood of a fifth-round pick for Lemonier.
Lemonier obviously has talent, so San Francisco wouldn’t be giving up on him by trading him; rather, the team simply has enough depth on the defensive side of the ball that even a promising second-year player like Lemonier is expendable. As Maiocco notes, the 49ers would obviously rather get any amount of draft pick compensation for the linebacker than be forced to simply waive him. Additionally, Maicco adds that the club is also extremely deep along the defensive, so a trade involving an end or tackle could also be in the works.
Sunday Roundup: Lynch, Broncos, 49ers
The Seahawks traded Percy Harvin amid rumors that his presence had created a rift in the locker room, and now no one expects Marshawn Lynch to return to Seattle next year, including Lynch himself, writes ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk adds that Lynch has grown increasingly “salty” over his contract and his role in the Seahawks’ offense, and Seattle is simply tired of contending with his persistent discontent. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Lynch communicates minimally, if at all, with head coach Pete Carroll and the Seahawks’ management.
Citing NFL Media’s Michael Robinson, Conor Orr of NFL.com writes that the time is now for Russell Wilson to lead his team through this shroud of controversy and distraction, and as far as the on-field ramifications of Lynch’s potential departure, Rapoport tweets that he expects Seattle to take a running back early in next year’s draft. Mortensen writes that the Seahawks may have made Lynch available via trade this year, but the trickle-down effect from fullback Derrick Coleman‘s recent injury has taken that option off the table.
Now for some more notes from around the league:
- Brian McIntyre tweets that, if the Seahawks do, in fact, release Lynch in 2015, they will have saved $17.5MM in cash and $12.7MM in cap space with the departures of Lynch and Harvin.
- Our Luke Adams wrote several days ago that the Broncos do not anticipate reaching a contract extension with either of their top pending free agents, Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas. Mike Klis of the Denver Post writes that the offers Denver made to the Thomases remain on the table, but it appears nothing will happen until the offseason. Klis goes on to note that the contract situations of both players are quite different, and he describes what it might take for Denver to retain both (spoiler: a lot of money).
- Rapoport tweets that the 49ers could get Aldon Smith back as early as Monday, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter writes that, with the impending returns of Smith, NaVorro Bowman, and Glenn Dorsey, San Francisco could be looking to deal a defensive player or two from the back end of its depth chart to create roster space for those players.
- Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that the Steelers, after making little effort to re-sign Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery in the offseason, are still looking for a reliable complement for Antonio Brown.
- Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel wonders if the Packers will make a trade to address their weakness at inside linebacker.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com tweets that, if the Jets part ways with head coach Rex Ryan, the Falcons would be the perfect landing spot for him.
- Joel Corry of National Football Post takes a deeper look at Gerald McCoy’s new deal with the Buccaneers.
Minor Moves: Saturday
Here are today’s minor transactions, with the latest updates at the top of the list:
- The Raiders are set to activate cornerback D.J. Hayden, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The No. 12 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Hayden played in eight games as a rookie and started two. The club has filled their other remaining vacancy by signing defensive end Denico Autry to the active roster, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Rams placed Brandon McGee on the injured reserve with a foot injury while replacing him with Jemea Thomas from the practice squad, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. McGee hasn’t played since Week 2.
- The Dolphins announced (on Twitter) that they have waived wide receiver Damian Williams to make space for Jordan.
- The Dolphins are moving defensive end Dion Jordan to the active roster today, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. There’s no word yet on a corresponding move, but they’ll have to cut someone to make space. Jordan was recently reinstated from his six-game suspension.
- The Cardinals signed wide receiver Solomon Patton to their practice squad while cutting fellow WR Jalen Saunders, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.
- The Ravens waived tight end Ryan Taylor and promoted fellow tight end Phillip Supernaw from the practice squad, tweets Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com.
- The Lions announced that they have suspended defensive tackle C.J. Mosley for two weeks for conduct detrimental to the team and subsquently sent him home from London earlier today. To fill his spot, Detroit has signed safety Jerome Couplin from the practice squad, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter).
- In addition to center Daniel Kilgore, the 49ers have also placed cornerback Chris Cook on the injured reserve. The team has signed safety Bubba Ventrone to fill one of the two roster spots.
- The Jaguars have cut wide receiver Tavarres King and signed cornerback Peyton Thompson, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. The writer adds that the move was made as insurance in case injured cornerback Dwayne Gratz can’t play this weekend.
- Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot tweets that center Nick McDonald was activated from the Browns‘ non-football injury list. To make room on the roster, the team waived tight end Gerell Robinson.
Daniel Kilgore Breaks Leg, Out For Year
SATURDAY, 12:42pm: Kilgore has officially been placed on the injured reserve, effectively ending his season.
MONDAY, 8:07am: Niners head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed last night that Kilgore suffered a broken leg, which will likely end his season, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
SUNDAY, 10:17pm: 49ers center Daniel Kilgore suffered a lower left leg injury during the Sunday Night Football matchup against the Broncos, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter).
An air cast was placed on Kilgore, an indication that the injury could be a serious fracture, writes Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). Backup Dillon Farrell has taken over for Kilgore in the game.
A number of centers will be available in free agnecy if the 49ers feel they need to bring in outside help to replace Kilgore. Some options will be David Baas, Dan Koppen, Steve Vallos, Andre Gurode, Rob Turner, Lemuel JeanPierre, and Dylan Gandy, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).
The player on the top of that list, Baas, could be a fit in a return to the team. However, he is dealing with injury issues himself. Caplan writes that Bass may never play again (via Twitter).
The team recently got rookie third-round pick Marcus Martin back with the team, and he completed his first full week of practice with the team. Martin is an option to be quickly acclimated to the offense, so he can be inserted into the lineup very soon, writes Maiocco (via Twitter).
Update On Traded 2015 Draft Picks
The trade that sent Percy Harvin from Seattle to the Jets this past week was the latest example of a swap in which the draft pick involved in the deal is tied to a condition which will affect the value of that pick. In the case of the Harvin deal, the pick Seattle acquired reportedly can become a fourth-rounder if the wideout remains on the Jets’ roster beyond this season, but if New York moves on from Harvin in the offseason, the 2015 pick will be a sixth-rounder.
Considering we haven’t even seen Harvin suit up for the Jets yet, we’re nowhere close to knowing whether he’ll remain in the team’s plans for 2015, so that conditional pick remains very much up in the air. However, there are a number of other conditional picks whose outlook is much clearer. Here’s an update on several of the picks that could change hands in 2015:
Conditions met, or likely to be met:
- Dolphins acquired 49ers‘ seventh-round pick for Jonathan Martin: Martin had to make San Francisco’s opening day 53-man roster for this pick to change hands, which he did.
- Giants acquired Broncos‘ seventh-round pick for Brandon McManus. The deal required McManus to remain the Broncos’ kicker even after Matt Prater‘s four-game suspension ended for the Giants to acquire the pick, which he did.
- Ravens acquiring Cowboys‘ sixth-round pick for Rolando McClain: McClain needs to play in 50% of the Cowboys’ defensive snaps for Baltimore to land this pick, and so far, he has played in about 81%, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Assuming he meets the criteria, the Ravens would sent their seventh-round pick to Dallas in exchange for the Cowboys’ sixth-rounder.
- Titans acquiring Cowboys‘ seventh-round pick for Lavar Edwards: Edwards must spend at least 10 games on the Cowboys’ roster for Tennessee to grab this pick, and so far he has been on the team for all but one contest. He’ll need four more games on the 53-man roster for the Titans to get the pick.
Conditions not met, or unlikely to be met:
- Packers won’t acquire Patriots‘ seventh-round pick for Jerel Worthy: Worthy had to make the Pats’ opening day 53-man roster for Green Bay to get this pick, but he was waived during preseason cutdowns.
- Panthers likely won’t acquire Eagles‘ seventh-round pick for Kenjon Barner: Barner must spend at least four games on Philadelphia’s 46-man game day roster for this pick to change hands. Considering Barner hasn’t even been on the team’s roster since the season began, this appears unlikely.
- Jaguars likely won’t acquire pick from 49ers for Blaine Gabbert: The Jags would’ve landed a pick if Gabbert started eight or more games in 2014. Unless Colin Kaepernick goes down with a serious injury in the team’s next game, this won’t happen.
For details on all of 2015’s traded draft picks, be sure to check out our complete list.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
We’ll track today’s 53-man roster signings and cuts from around the NFL right here, adding the latest moves to the top of the list throughout the day….
- The Seahawks claimed tight end Brett Brackett off waivers from the Titans, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- The Saints signed guard/center Eric Olsen, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter). That could indicate that they’re preparing to be without center Jonathan Goodwin for some time.
- The Browns cut Jonathan Krause from injured reserve, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
- The Seahawks cut tight end Rashaun Allen, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- Linebacker Marshall McFadden has replaced wideout Austin Pettis on the Rams‘ 53-man roster, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The move leaves two openings on St. Louis’ practice squad, so the team will likely add some new players there soon.
- In what’s becoming a weekly ritual, the 49ers have re-signed quarterback Josh Johnson and released safety Bubba Ventrone, the team announced today (via Twitter). The team made the same pair of transactions last Tuesday, then re-signed Ventrone to replace Johnson later in the week.
- Running back Antonio Andrews announced (via Twitter) that he has been promoted to the Titans‘ roster from their practice squad, filling the opening created yesterday when the team cut tight end Brett Brackett. Per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Andrews had an offer to sign elsewhere, perhaps with the Bills, so the Titans made the move to avoid losing him.
- The Browns have confirmed a move that was reported yesterday, announcing (via Twitter) that they’ve cut defensive lineman Jacobbi McDaniel. Tight end Gerell Robinson takes his spot on the team’s 53-man roster.
Extra Points: Harvin, Jets, Manziel, Ravens
Percy Harvin‘s character has come into question following reports of fights with former teammates Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin, but Breno Giacomini, who played with him in Seattle, isn’t concerned, writes Seth Walder of the Daily News. “Almost everybody in this locker room’s been in a fight before, we play football,” the Jets‘ offensive lineman said. “Oh, it happened twice? Who cares. He’s a good competitor, that’s what it is.” More from around the NFL..
- Jets coach Rex Ryan expressed similar thoughts on his new star wide receiver, saying “Nobody’s perfect,” Walder writes. The Jets have had experience with wide receivers and off the field issues in the past. Braylon Edwards, for the most part, stayed out of trouble during his Jets tenure. Santonio Holmes, meanwhile, was cut after several reported locker room disruptions.
- The Browns briefly considered putting Johnny Manziel in at quarterback on Sunday while Brian Hoyer was having a tough time against the Jaguars, writes Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer. “It was discussed briefly, but it was a situation where we still wanted to…at least try to end the game with Brian on a positive note,” coach Mike Pettine said. Hoyer appears poised to have some significant leverage as he approaches free agency this offseason but more outings like Sunday’s will change his forecast for 2015.
- Despite his slow start, the Ravens should give Torrey Smith a new deal, opines Mike Preston of The Baltimore Sun. Smith has just 18 catches for 308 yards and four touchdowns so far this year, but he’s a strong No. 2 receiver and offers great leadership in the locker room.
- Rookie Marcus Martin is going to get the “first shot” at replacing the injured Daniel Kilgore in the starting lineup, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said, according to Steve Corkran of the Mercury News. The club lost their starting center to a left leg fracture in the third quarter of their blowout loss to the Broncos.
West Notes: Young, Seahawks, 49ers
The Raiders are the only winless team remaining in the NFL, and they’ll be without one member of their secondary as they try to right the ship. Safety Usama Young will miss the remainder of the season after tearing both his ACL and MCL, reports Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Young, 29, is in his seventh NFL season, and has also spent time with the Saints and Browns. Brandian Ross will take over at strong safety in Oakland, and presuming Young is placed on injured reserve, the team will be able to add another body to the defensive backfield to fill his roster spot. Here’s more from the NFL’s two West division:
- After fullback Derrick Coleman broke his foot during warmups on Sunday, Pete Carroll today told reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link), that the Seahawks will keep all options open with regards to adding a new FB.
- For his part, Coleman will be out at least six weeks, per Carroll (Twitter link via Condotta).
- Seattle wanted to sign fullback Kiero Small off the Browns’ practice squad, tweets Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports, so Cleveland promoted him to the active roster to ensure the Seahawks couldn’t steal him. Small was originally drafted by Seattle.
- Don’t look for former Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson to reappear in Seattle. Carroll coyly told reporters that Robinson is doing a good job in his role as a television commentator (Twitter link via Condotta).
- Jim Harbaugh has no knowledge of Mike Florio’s Pro Football Talk report that indicated Aldon Smith‘s suspension could be reduced, the 49ers coach told Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com (on Twitter).