Extra Points: Manziel, Onobun, Wright
Let’s round up some links from around the league on this Monday evening, wherein the players and the officials in the Browns–Redskins preseason tilt have conspired to transform the Twitterverse into an alternately bemused and enraged cacophony:
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com offers his first entry in what will be a three-part series examining how Super Bowl champions work within the confines of the salary cap to build a winner. Part I examines the percentage of the cap that different champions spent on their highest-priced player. Interestingly enough, the teams who invested most heavily in one player had the most success in the three-year period immediately following their Super Bowl victory.
- The Ravens might need some out-of-house reinforcements depending on the severity of Jimmy Smith‘s chest injury and Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun looks at some of the names out there on the open market. Some of the more recognizable names are Asante Samuel, Chris Houston, Corey Webster, Dunta Robinson, and Quentin Jammer. However, as we learned yesterday, there is a reason most of those players are still on the market. GM Ozzie Newsome has never been one to make moves out of desperation, and if the injuries to Smith, Lardarius Webb, and/or Asa Jackson are more dire than initially thought, the Ravens are probably more likely to trade for a corner or sign someone who will be released in the coming weeks.
- Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith is less-than-thrilled with tight end Tim Wright‘s play and Pat Yasinkas of ESPN.com writes that he needs to show improvement quickly if he doesn’t want his spot on the roster to be in danger. “He hasn’t played as well as Tim should be playing,” Smith said. “He’s dropped some balls. If you watched practice, he’s dropped balls. But he’s a big part of what we want to do with the two-receiver, two-tight-end set. Tim hasn’t blocked as well inside. Once you’re that H-back and you don’t block, now they say you’re just another receiver and teams start going nickel. If they do that at least you have to be a good pass catcher. Tim’s a good player. He just hasn’t played as well as he needs to lately.”
- Jaguars tight end Fendi Onobun has been diagnoses with a torn quad and will require surgery, which means he’s done for the year, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
- Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes that Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus did not take part in team drills on Monday, and the Bills used a combination of Landon Cohen, Corbin Bryant, and Stefan Charles in his stead. Although Buffalo could keep all three of those players as depth behind Dareus and Kyle Williams, they could choose to keep just two and release the third.
- If the Cowboys tabbed Johnny Manziel, as a newly-released book says owner Jerry Jones nearly made happen, the Browns‘ rookie quarterback would be Teddy Bridgewater, tweets Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com.
- In Jim Dent’s new book “Manziel Mania,” the author wrote that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wrote Johnny Manziel’s name on the draft card for the No. 16 pick only to have his son, Stephen Jones, literally yank the card out of his hand. As great as that story is, it’s simply untrue, a source tells Sean Lester of the Dallas Morning News. As Lester notes, given that the actual draft card is delivered in New York and Jerry and Stephen Jones supervised the draft from the team’s Valley Ranch war room, it seems unlikely the episode occurred as Dent described.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
King’s Latest: CBs, Bortles, Fairley, 49ers
Those defensive penalties that have plagued preseason games for the last two weeks won’t be going away once the regular season gets underway, according to vice president of officiating Dean Blandino. Blandino tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com that defensive holding and illegal contact penalties will continue to be a point of emphasis throughout the year, and that he expects coaches and teams to adjust their style of play over the next few weeks. In the second weekend of the 2014 preseason, there have been nearly nine more penalties per game than an average 2013 regular season contest, which is a number that will hurt the game if it extends into the regular season, writes King.
Here’s more from this week’s MMQB:
- King predicts that we’ll hear of several teams desperate for cornerbacks in the next week or so. “We’re going to get one,” a personnel man for one team said. “But we may have to pay a higher price than we want, or a higher price than the player deserves.” King identifies the Jets, Ravens, Lions, Colts, Vikings, and Buccaneers as teams that may be on the lookout for another corner.
- While Chad Henne may open the regular season under center for the Jaguars, the team has always planned to transition Blake Bortles into the starting role when he’s ready, regardless of how well or how poorly Henne is playing, says King. Based on how Bortles has looked so far in the preseason, that transition could end up happening sooner rather than later.
- According to King, Nick Fairley is now behind C.J. Mosley on the Lions‘ depth chart. So far, it doesn’t seem as Detroit’s decision to decline Fairley’s 2015 option as a motivational tactic has paid off for the defensive tackle or the team.
- One scout suggests the 49ers should be worried about the backup quarterback situation, and King writes that Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke may be thinking about elevating Josh Johnson to No. 2 on the depth chart after another poor performance by Blaine Gabbert.
- King praises the Bears‘ signing of wide receiver Santonio Holmes, writing that he has “no idea” why so many people view Holmes as a toxic locker-room presence — in King’s view, the veteran wideout has been “mildly disruptive,” but he’s hardly a cancer.
South Notes: Titans, Martin, Sims, Pasztor
Let’s check in on a few items from around the NFL’s two South divisions….
- The Titans inquired last week about the possibility of bringing free agent defensive lineman Vaughn Martin in for a workout, but nothing has materialized on that front yet, says Terry McCormick of 247 Sports. Martin, a former fourth-round pick who has played for the Chargers and Dolphins, inked a minimum salary deal with the Lions near the start of the free agent period, but was cut by the team in June.
- Buccaneers running back Charles Sims will undergo ankle surgery and is expected to be sidelined for 12-14 weeks, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link). That timetable means the rookie rusher could return at some point this season, so we’ll have to wait and see what the Bucs decide to do with him. The club could either keep him on the active roster, place him on injured reserve (ending his season), or make him the one IR player with the designation to return.
- Third-year offensive lineman Austin Pasztor, who was projected to start at right tackle for the Jaguars this season, has suffered a broken hand and will have surgery to repair the fracture. According to ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco, the exact timetable for Pasztor’s return isn’t yet known, but he’ll be back at some point this season — Jags coach Gus Bradley confirmed that the 23-year-old will be re-evaluated in a month. Until then, Jacksonville will have to fill his shoes at right tackle, either with an internal option or an outside addition.
Buccaneers Sign Larry English
The Buccaneers have signed free agent edge defender Larry English, tweets Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com. According to Smith, the team has waived-injured former Michigan defensive tackle Jibreel Black, who had just been added to the roster last month, in order to clear room for the newcomer.
English, a former first-rounder who was drafted with the 16th overall pick in 2009, appeared in 52 games for the Chargers during his five years with the team, struggling with injuries in recent years and never establishing himself as a consistent performer. He started five of nine games for San Diego in 2013, recording 2.5 sacks, before a pectoral injury sidelined him for the season.
With Dwight Freeney starting at one outside linebacker spot in San Diego, a healthy Melvin Ingram ready to reclaim his position on the other side, and players like Jarret Johnson and second-round pick Jeremiah Attaochu also in the mix, there wasn’t a defined role for English with the Chargers, so the team cut him last month. After his release, English drew some interest from the Cowboys, but ultimately lands in Tampa Bay, where he’ll try to break camp with the Bucs as a defensive end.
Extra Points: Cardinals, Smith, Kasa, 49ers
Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer is very excited about the addition of two backup wide receivers, writes Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic. Ted Ginn Jr., signed in free agency, and John Brown, drafted in the third round, have made Arizona faster. “It opens up everything,” Palmer said. “It opens up the running game. You don’t want to leave a guy one-on-one in press coverage against Ted; it’s a tough matchup for any corner. So it takes an extra guy out of the box in some situations. It helps the running game.” More from around the league..
- Some may be wondering how much Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith has left in the tank, but Andy Benoit of MMQB believes that he was the best offseason signing in the NFL. Smith, he argues, still has the speed, stop/start acceleration and body control to consistently beat man coverage. The 35-year-old is 19th all-time in NFL history in receiving yards (12,197) and 25th in receptions (836).
- Bad news for Raiders tight end Nick Kasa as the preliminary reports are indicating that he has torn his ACL, tweets Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. If that’s the case, he’ll be done for the year and a source told Bair that he is in fact done for 2014.
- Former University of South Florida linebacker Aaron Lynch could wind up being the surprise pick of the 49ers‘ draft, writes Kevin Lynch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Lynch had a number of red flags in the eyes of NFL scouts, but he has tremendous speed and is working hard to learn the position after playing defensive end in college.
- Packers GM Ted Thompson has been at this for a while, but he’s still critical of himself when he makes mistakes, writes Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel. “We got through that annually when we’re gearing up for a new draft with post-draft analysis. You look at that. You don’t beat yourself up too much. It’s not an exact science,” said the GM.
- William Powell‘s two-year deal with the Texans is a split contract worth $1.08MM with minimum base salaries and no guaranteed money, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Powell last appeared in the NFL with the Cardinals in 2012, rushing for 216 yards off of 59 carries.
- Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith is a big, big fan of quarterback Josh McCown. In fact, Lovie likes him so much that he’s tried to sign him three times over the years and was successful twice, tweets Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. He was rebuffed once because McCown refused to renege on his UFL commitment.
- Poor salary cap management and planning by the Lions front office has all but eliminated the possibility of signing Ndamukong Suh to a contract extension that makes sense for the team, writes Jason Fitzgerald for The Sporting News. The best option at this point, he says, is for the Lions to strongly consider trading Suh to the highest bidder before the preseason concludes.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL, with the latest transactions added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Dolphins signed tight end Evan Wilson, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).
- Less than two weeks after signing tight end Raymond Webber, the Dolphins have waived him, a source tells ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter link).
- Tight end Dorin Dickerson has been removed from the Titans‘ injured reserve list with an injury settlement, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- With the open spot on their 90-man roster, the Buccaneers have signed former Toledo defensive end T.J. Fatinikun, who participated in the club’s minicamp in June, tweets Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com.
Earlier updates:
- The Steelers placed veteran punter Adam Podlesh on their reserve/did not report list, tweets Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Podlesh isn’t in attendance at Pittsburgh’s camp after his wife underwent a complicated – but successful – delivery of their child. He can be reinstated when he reports, but for now the Steelers are also free to sign someone else to take his roster spot.
- Offensive lineman Stephen Goodin has signed with the Cowboys, taking the roster spot of guard Andre Cureton, reports Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter links). Goodin, a former Giant, was waived earlier in the offseason by New York with an injury settlement.
- The Jets have swapped one defender for another, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who tweets that the club signed defensive back LeQuan Lewis and cut linebacker Tim Fugger. Per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), Lewis, who ran a 4.36 40-yard dash during his tryout, received a two-year contract from the Jets.
NFC Links: Saints, Bucs, Cardinals, Vikings, Packers
The Saints’ 2014 roster isn’t likely to match or exceed the total of eight undrafted free agents who earned spots on the roster or practice squad a year ago, but the team prides itself on finding hidden gems, as GM Mickey Loomis tells Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune.
“Our college scouting staff takes a lot of pride in finding guys that no one’s heard about, or small college guys, and finding a trait that each one has that transfers to the NFL,” Loomis said. “It’s also a great credit to our coaching staff being willing to look at player and not worry about how we acquired them but just go by what we see and going by what their potential is to fit within our scheme offensively and defensively. We’ve had a lot of success with undrafted free agents, and I think that’s going to continue.”
Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC…
- Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that the Buccaneers have real interest in 49ers guard Alex Boone if the price is right (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com). However, another source told Rapoport that there’s been no “real” conversations between the two sides.
- The Buccaneers could use some help on the offensive line, and coach Lovie Smith was asked if the team would consider Richie Incognito. “[A]ll players are looked at and [if] we think they could fit we bring them in,” he told the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud (via Twitter).
- Rookie wide receiver John Brown continues to make a “buzz” at Cardinals camp, tweets CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora. Considering the team’s depth at the position, La Canfora suggests that the team could carry six wideouts on their final roster.
- ESPN’s Ben Goessling tweets that Vikings tight end Chase Ford is getting close to a return and may not need to start the season on the PUP list.
- Packers running back Rajion Neal caught the eyes of coaches after he ran for 39 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown, on five carries in the team’s preseason opener. Unfortunately, the undrafted rookie suffered a knee injury in the third quarter, and he understands that he has to get healthy quickly if he hopes to make the squad. “I’ve got to play; there ain’t no way around it,” Neal told ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. “Being in the position I’m in, I can’t afford it.”
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Cole’s Latest: Boone, Gordon, Los Angeles
Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole sat down with Yahoo Sports’ Adam Lefkoe to discuss some of the more intriguing NFL storylines heading into the second week of preseason. Let’s take a look at some of the key notes:
- If the 49ers/Alex Boone saga continues to drag out, Cole believes the team will “eventually” be offered a third-rounder for the offensive lineman. Cole adds that the two sides are not communicating and that there’s been no discussion regarding a new contract.
- So what teams would be interested in offering this supposed third-rounder? Cole has heard that the Buccaneers and Giants would certainly be suitors for the 27-year-old, along with a “truckload” of teams that currently need help on the offensive line.
- Cole believes that the NFL “would like to find a way” for Browns wideout Josh Gordon to play next season. He first cites Ray Rice‘s suspension, saying a more severe punishment for Gordon would just be additional bad press for the league. He also discusses Ricky Williams‘ first positive test for marijuana and the subsequent lack of discipline.
- Cole hears that Raiders owner Mark Davis is “circulating a proposal” to raise funds to buy land in either Inglewood or Los Angeles. He adds that the team has specifically been looking at the former Hollywood Park location, a spot that Al Davis eyed about 20 years ago.
NFC Notes: Hester, Felton, Bailey, Cards
Longtime Bear Devin Hester would have liked to continue – and eventually end – his career in Chicago, but when he became a free agent earlier this year, the team didn’t have much interest in re-signing him, as he tells Patrick Finley of the Chicago Tribune.
“It’s not like I had a choice to sign with them again,” Hester said. “They didn’t even call me to let me know they were willing to bring me back. I didn’t hear from them at all. It made it a lot easier for me to say, ‘OK,’ and then go look for another team.”
When he hit the open market, Hester considered the Cardinals and Lovie Smith’s Buccaneers, but ultimately landed with the Falcons. Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Like Hester, wide receiver Stevie Johnson expected to eventually finish his career with the team he started with, but the Bills opted to trade him to the 49ers in May. Johnson spoke to Don Banks of SI.com about his offseason and about playing for the team he grew up rooting for in San Francisco.
- With new offensive coordinator Norv Turner now leading the offense in Minnesota, the Vikings aren’t expected to utilize a fullback as often, meaning Jerome Felton‘s roster spot could be in jeopardy just two years after he made the Pro Bowl. Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press has the details, including quotes from the veteran fullback, who expressed confidence in his place on the team’s 53-man roster.
- Veteran cornerback Champ Bailey appears to have suffered some sort of injury in training camp, but the Saints haven’t indicated whether or not it’s serious, writes Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, who wonders if the team will strongly consider cutting ties with Bailey.
- Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com rounds up a few notable comments from Cardinals GM Steve Keim‘s latest appearance on 98.7 FM in Arizona.
Minor Moves: Sunday
We’ll round up Sunday’s minor transactions from around the NFL in this space, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Vikings have signed TE Kory Sperry, the team announced on Twitter. VikingUpdate.com (Twitter link) was the first to report that Sperry was on the Minnesota practice field. Sperry, entering his sixth season, has spent time with the Dolphins, Chargers, and, most recently, the Cardinals.
- The following players have been removed from their respective team’s injured reserve list with an injury settlement, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter): FS Dion Bailey (Seahawks), LB Jeremy Grable (Buccaneers), and WR David Gettis (Buccaneers).
Earlier Updates
- The Buccaneers have waived safety Mark Joyce, tweets Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com.
- The Seahawks have re-signed DB Trey Wolfe and have waived LB Mike Taylor (Twitter links).
- In addition to releasing Watson, the Patriots have also released tight end Justin Jones, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Volin adds that New England has signed TE Ben Hartsock. ESPN Insider Field Yates tweets that the team has also waived running back Stephen Houston and has signed tight ends Steve Maneri and Terrence Miller.
- Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets that the Bills have signed CB Sam Miller and have waived CB Michael Carter.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets that the Patriots have released tight end Asa Watson. In a separate tweet, Volin notes that the Pats are clearly unhappy with their tight end depth and it appears as though they will be bringing in some “new blood” behind Rob Gronkowski and Michael Hoomanawanui.