NFC South Notes: Winston, Newton, Coffman
In today’s mailbag, a reader asks ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas if he feels the Buccaneers will bring in a veteran quarterback to support Jameis Winston. Of course, Mike Glennon is also on hand, and every indication Yasinskas has received is that the Bucs are content to roll with him as the backup to Winston. They also believe that he’s enough of a team player to embrace a backup role. Here’s today’s look at the NFC South..
- Now that all the Panthers draft picks have signed, David Newton of ESPN.com says the team’s focus will move to locking Cam Newton up on a long-term deal. Restructuring the deal of defensive end Charles Johnson, who is set to count for $20MM against the cap this season, is also on the docket, but the ESPN scribe doesn’t see that as being a top priority since he didn’t restructure the past two seasons until September. Ditto for getting a new deal done with linebacker Thomas Davis since there is strong mutual interest there.
- In addition to former Buccaneers second-round defensive end Da’Quan Bowers, the Saints will also be trying out former Bengals third-round tight end Chase Coffman this weekend, as Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune writes.
- D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution asked a panel of experts if they think the Falcons can rebound in 2015 under new head coach Dan Quinn.
Extra Points: Winston, Peterson, Lions
Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith isn’t thrilled with former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden and his comments about Jameis Winston, Greg Auman and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times write.
“I’m disappointed. To say that the young man is an “embarrassment’? That’s pretty strong,” Smith said. “I just don’t think he’s speaking for all of Florida State, even though he’s in an official role there. Normally, what we’re doing today with our greats, you (embrace) them. Everybody on the outside may be throwing stones at them. Normally, when you’re in a family, you don’t do that. I’m very disappointed that somebody like that would make that type of statement.”
Here’s more from around the NFL..
- Vikings coach Mike Zimmer claims that he doesn’t envision any issues with team harmony if Adrian Peterson returns to the club and remains disgruntled, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Peterson, who missed 15 games last season, has been (ostensibly) pushing for the Vikings to guarantee the money owed to him over the next three years of his contract. Peterson is set to earn $12.75MM in 2015 and Zimmer declined comment when asked if he has spoken recently to Peterson or if the running back will be at OTAs.
- Ameer Abdullah‘s trainer offered up a very flattering NFL comparison for his client. “He reminds me a ton of Steve Smith and you see what he’s done in the league,” Otis Leverette told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I played with him in (a college) all-star game and played with him in the league for a while, they’ve kind of got that same thing to them. They just don’t know that they’re supposed to be small, they don’t believe in obstacles. The things that other people see as obstacles, they just see as another day at the office.” The Lions‘ second-round pick put pen to paper earlier today.
- Cardinals fans who are wondering which rookie free agents will be making the final roster should look at the bonuses being paid to the UDFAs for clues, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic writes. BYU inside linebacker Alani Fua leads the pack with a healthy $17K bonus while North Carolina State tackle Robert Crisp is the runner-up with $15K.
Eight Teams Placed Claims On Swearinger
The Buccaneers, the team with the top waiver priority this offseason, were awarded D.J. Swearinger on waivers yesterday after the safety was cut on Monday by the Texans. A report earlier today indicated that the Jets also submitted a waiver claim for Swearinger, but Tampa Bay and New York were far from the only clubs involved.
According to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link), a total of eight teams placed a claim on Swearinger. In addition to the Bucs and Jets, the Jaguars, Raiders, Falcons, Bills, Steelers, and Ravens all put in claims for the former Texan, says Yates. The Browns were also believed to have interest in Swearinger, but they – and perhaps other potential suitors – must have been hoping he’d clear waivers and become a free agent.
Since Swearinger was a second-round pick in 2013, his rookie contract still has two years left on it, and is fairly reasonable, featuring base salaries of about $722K and $881K for 2015 and 2016, respectively. That’s an affordable flier for virtually any NFL team to take, which explains why so many clubs placed waiver claims rather than waiting for Swearinger to become a free agent.
Presumably, those eight teams that put in claims were fonder of Swearinger’s performance in 2014 than Pro Football Focus was, or at least view him as a player who has the potential to improve. According to PFF (subscription required), Swearinger allowed opposing quarterbacks to compile a 99.2 passer rating to go along with five touchdowns on 59 passes into his coverage last season. Overall, he ranked as the league’s 78th-best safety out of 87 qualified players.
While Swearinger drew plenty of interest on waivers, it doesn’t appear that any of those teams were willing to give up anything of real value for him, since the Texans reportedly tried to trade the safety before cutting him.
Draft Signings: Falcons, Bucs, Bills
The latest draft signings from rounds 3-7..
- The Falcons signed third-round pick Tevin Coleman, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With the running back in the fold, Vic Beasley stands as the last draft pick unsigned in Atlanta.
- The Buccaneers signed fourth-round linebacker Kwon Alexander, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (on Twitter). The Bucs traded up in the fourth round with the Raiders to land the LSU product.
- The Buccaneers also signed Nebraska product Kenny Bell, according to Smith (on Twitter). The wide receiver was taken in the fifth round.
- FSU tight end Nick O’Leary, a sixth-round choice, has signed his rookie contract with the Bills, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Seventh-round wideout Dezmin Lewis has also signed his rookie deal with the team, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News.
- The Bengals signed safety Derron Smith, a sixth-round pick, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Smith is just the second of nine picks to sign.
- The Cardinals announced (via Twitter) that they have signed a pair of fifth-round picks in linebacker Shaquille Riddick and wide receiver J.J. Nelson.
Bucs Claim Khaseem Greene, Waive Jennings
The Bucs weren’t satisfied with adding just one player off waivers today. After grabbing D.J. Swearinger, the Bucs also plucked former Bears fourth round pick Khaseem Greene, Rick Stroud of WDAE tweets. To make room, safety M.D. Jennings has been shown the door.
Greene, 26, was a favorite of Rutgers coaches but never broke out as a major contributor in Chicago. Greene saw time in 25 games between 2013 and 2014 and made six starts in that time. Ironically, it was former Bucs coach Greg Schiano who recruited Greene to New Brunswick, New Jersey.
The Bucs’ total roster count is now at 89 players,one below the present league maximum.
Bucs Claim D.J. Swearinger
The Buccaneers have claimed safety D.J. Swearinger off waivers, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Tampa Bay had No. 1 waiver priority and used it to grab the 23-year-old after he was discarded by the Texans.
It was reported last month that Houston was trying to trade Swearinger, on whom it used a second-round pick in 2013. Swearinger, who totaled 145 tackles and three interceptions in 22 starts during the first two years of his career, struggled mightily last season. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him 78th out of 87 qualifying safeties after he allowed opposing quarterbacks a 99.2 passer rating against him.
Swearinger’s old contract included roughly $460k in dead money and cap numbers under $1MM for the next two seasons. That was a price tag too rich for Houston, but Tampa Bay is happy to welcome him into the fold.
Draft Signings: Browns, Bucs, Titans
With less room for negotiations on rookie contracts under the new CBA, draft picks are coming to terms with their teams quicker than ever, and a few more have struck deals already today. Here are the latest updates on mid-to-late rounders reaching agreements with their respective clubs, with contract information provided by Over The Cap….
- The Browns have officially brought a pair of draftees into the fold, announcing today in a press release that they’ve formally signed third-round defensive lineman Xavier Cooper and sixth-round fullback Malcolm Johnson. Their signing bonuses will be worth about $592K and $119K respectively.
- Sixth-round wideout Kaelin Clay has signed his rookie deal with the Buccaneers, as Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets. Clay, the second Tampa Bay pick to sign his deal, after Jameis Winston, will get a $130K+ signing bonus.
- The Titans have started to lock up their draft picks, agreeing to terms today with sixth-round outside linebacker Deiontrez Mount, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Mount’s four-year contract will have a total value of $2.428MM, including a signing bonus of about $148K, and a 2015 cap hit of approximately $472K.
- Saints third-round draft pick P.J. Williams signed his rookie contract on Tuesday, according to a post on his Instagram account. New Orleans has now inked all of its picks with the exception of Stephone Anthony and Andrus Peat.
- The Eagles and sixth round draft pick JaCorey Shepherd have agreed to terms on a four-year contract, Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com tweets.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Monday
Here are Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with the latest minor moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Lions signed three tryout players – safety Nathan Lindsey and receivers Erik Lora and Jarred Haggins – and released wideout Desmond Lawrence, Tim Twentyman of the team’s website writes.
- Washington has signed undrafted receiver Quinton Dunbar, formerly of Florida, tweets Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com.
- The Dolphins signed one tight end – Tim Semisch, undrafted out of Northern Illinois – and released another in Ryan Taylor, writes Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk. Taylor, a Packers seventh-round pick in 2011, has eight career catches.
- The Cardinals have signed three tryout players – a quarterback (Phillip Sims) and two safeties (Brandon Person and Harold Jones-Quartey) – per their official website. To make room, they released tackle Kelvin Palmer, wide receiver Travis Harvey, and cornerback Ross Weaver.
- The Bears signed quarterback Pat Devlin, defensive tackle Terry Williams, and linebacker Kyle Woestmann, tweets Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. They also waived linebacker Khaseem Greene and cut fellow LB Austen Lane.
- The Buccaneers have cut safety Shelton Johnson, wide receivers Chandler Jones and Josh Reese, offensive lineman Matt Patchan, and linebacker Michael Reynolds (Twitter: Roy Cummings, Tampa Tribune).
- The Packers will release defensive lineman Luther Robinson, according to Bill Huber of Packer Report. Robinson appeared in five games last year.
- The Bills signed undrafted free agent safety Wes Miller, formerly of UTEP, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).
- The Raiders signed ex-Auburn running back Michael Dyer, who tried out for them over the weekend, tweets Richard Davenport of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Twitter link). They also signed Emporia state wideout Austin Willis, the player told Rick Peterson Jr. of the Topeka Capital-Journal. Additionally, running back Terrance Cobb wrote on Instagram that the team released him.
- The Vikings waived wide receiver Kain Colter and guard Jesse Somsel, writes Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. Colter was on the Vikings’ practice squad last year, while they recently signed Somsel as an undrafted free agent.
- The Giants released three players – running back Chris Ogbonnaya, linebacker James Davidson, and defensive back Thomas Gordon – according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano (Twitter link).
- The Buccaneers signed linebacker Jared Koster, who tried out at their rookie minicamp, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.
- The Steelers signed tryout players Cameron Stingily (running back) and Mike Thornton (defensive line) to their 90-man roster, reports Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link). To make room, they cut punter Richie Leone, defensive tackle Nigel Crawford-Kinney, defensive end Brandon Prate, long snapper Brandon Hartson, wide receiver Brelan Chancellor, and guard Collin Rahrig (Twitter).
- The Broncos waived guard Jon Halapio, whom they signed to their practice squad last December, tweets Mike Klis of 9News. Additionally, the team waived wide receiver Matt Miller after signing him as an undrafted free agent earlier this month (Twitter link via Troy Renck of the Denver Post).
- The Buccaneers have signed three tryout players from rookie camp, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. The team agreed to deals with wide receivers Donteea Dye and Adam Humphries and offensive tackle Edawn Coughman.
- Offensive tackle Antonio Richardson, whom the Vikings waived last week, has retired because of knee issues, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Richardson signed with the Vikings last year as an undrafted free agent from Tennessee and saw some action in the preseason.
- The Panthers have cut defensive tackle Darious Cummings, reports ESPN’s Joe Person (via Twitter). Cummings signed with the Panthers last week as an undrafted free agent from Florida.
- The Buccaneers will cut return man Solomon Patton today, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Patton, who went undrafted out of Florida last year, appeared in seven games for the Bucs as a rookie. He has had two stints with Tampa and one with the Cardinals during his short career.
- Former Wisconsin offensive lineman Andy Phillips signed with the Packers, the player tweeted. Phillips earned a spot with the Pack after impressing team brass as a tryout player at rookie minicamp over the weekend.
Rookie Notes: Winston, Shelton, Fowler Jr.
According to a document obtained by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston has filed a counterclaim against Erica Kinsman, the woman who initially sued the rookie for sexual assault.
The player’s lawyers claim the first-overall pick didn’t do anything wrong, and they cite numerous people who have rejected the claim. Furthermore, they say Kinsman launched a “false and vicious media campaign to vilify Mr. Winston with the objective of getting him to pay her to go away.”
Florio opines that the case is “destined to linger in the court system for months” and will ultimately result in a jury trial.
Let’s take a look at some more notes pertaining to this year’s rookies…
- Danny Shelton, the No. 12 overall pick in this year’s draft, still hasn’t signed with the Browns, but Mary Kay Cabot of Ohio.com says the rookie is close to signing his four-year contract. The reporter notes that Shelton signed an injury protection waiver prior to his initial rookie practice, guaranteeing money in case of injury.
- Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley confirmed that Dante Fowler Jr. will miss the entire season, tweets Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo. The writer notes that the rookie won’t even attempt to come back towards the end of the season, a la Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram in 2013.
- Defensive end James Rouse tore his ACL yesterday, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien told ESPN’s Tania Ganguli (via Twitter). The undrafted free agent joined Houston earlier this week.
- The Bills have brought in quarterbacks Austin Trainor (West Georgia) and Brandon Hill (Monmouth) for tryouts, according to Joe Buscaglia of WKBW in Buffalo (via Twitter).
- The Dolphins also have a pair of quarterbacks in for tryouts, according to ESPN.com’s James Walker (on Twitter): rookie Hutson Mason (Georgia) and 2014 undrafted free agent Chase Rettig (Boston College).
NFC Notes: Hardy, Kalil, Bucs
The arbitrator assigned to Greg Hardy‘ suspension appeal backed the NFL in the Adrian Peterson case, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports writes. That could be bad news for the Cowboys star as he looks to cut down his 10-game suspension. Hardy’s deal, signed in March, gives him a base value of $11.3MM for 2015, though much of it is tied into per-game roster bonuses. More out of the NFC..
- Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees this offseason, two people with knowledge of the procedures told Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports. Kalil had his 2016 option exercised on Monday despite a frustrating 2014 campaign.
- The Vikings “tried hard” to land LSU offensive tackle La’el Collins, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets, but he rightly notes that most of the NFL did as well. Earlier today, Collins signed with the Cowboys. Collins wasn’t expected to make a decision on his NFL future for some time, but owner Jerry Jones clearly won him over.
- Buccaneers center Evan Dietrich-Smith has legally changed his name to Evan Smith, which is what he went by until he went to college, Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets.
- The Buccaneers have fired pro scouting director Scott Cohen, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter).