Extra Points: Vikings, Ravens, Rams, Polamalu
Vikings defensive end is very open to helping guide rookie Scott Crichton, writes Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “He’s got a good burst and he’s obviously got great size,” Robison said. “Obviously, we’re going to help him in every way we can and try to make him the best ballplayer we can. … I definitely want to help him in every way possible.” More from around the league..
- The Ravens worked out former Arizona State wide receiver Mike Willie today, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Willie has previously played for the Chargers.
- With their signings this year, the Rams and Buccaneers have created a new model for contracts for draft picks, writes Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap. Both teams negotiated contracts with notable picks that have no offsets which will protect them in the event of an outright release.
- The Steelers have made some major changes on defense and Troy Polamalu has taken notice, writes Scott Brown of ESPN.com. Polamalu will have to get accustomed to the switch from Ryan Clark to Mike Mitchell, but that’s not the only difference for Pittsburgh in 2014.
- Decision day is looming for the Bears‘ group of quarterbacks, writes John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. Jimmy Clausen, Jerrod Johnson, and Jordan Palmer are jostling to back up Jay Cutler, and one of the three could be gone as early as this week. Sixth round pick David Fales is likely safe.
Minor Moves: Patriots, Ravens, Bucs
Tonight’s minor moves..
- The Buccaneers signed former Panthers receiver David Gettis, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. The 26-year-old turned heads as a tryout player at the team’s minicamp last week. As a rookie with Carolina in 2010, Gettis hauled in 37 passes and 508 yards with three touchdowns.
- The Ravens have released former seventh-round wide receiver Aaron Mellette and outside linebacker Adrian Hamilton, according to Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com. Both young players spent last year on injured reserve and were attempting comebacks this season but were waived after failing physicals. Mink says the Ravens could re-sign one or both of the players. If Mellette hadn’t failed a physical and was just a routine cut, he could have been a popular waiver claim, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
- The Patriots announced on their website today that they have signed rookie free agent defensive lineman Seali’i Epenesa. Epenesa, 22, played in 41 games and finished with 46 total tackles and one sack during his four year college career. The 6’1″, 310-pounder played in 12 games with seven starts as a senior in 2013 and was credited with 16 tackles and one sack.
- The Buccaneers cut tackle Emmett Cleary and linebacker Steven Jenkins, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Cleary, an undrafted free agent out of Boston College, and was signed in October 2013 but did not appear in any games. Jenkins was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M this year.
- The Bears cut safety Sean Cattouse, Wilson tweets. Cattouse spent most of 2013 on Chicago’s practice squad.
NFC Notes: Brent, 49ers, Foles, Bucs, Redskins
Josh Brent, who has been out of the NFL following his drunken-driving crash that resulted in the death of teammate Jerry Brown, was released from jail today, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. We learned several weeks ago that the Cowboys have not ruled out re-signing Brent, who announced his retirement last summer. Dallas would need to answer several questions about Brent, ranging from the public perception of adding him to the roster, to his fit within the team’s new defensive scheme, before bringing him aboard.
More from the NFC:
- In his latest mailbag, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com posits that 49ers rookie Carlos Hyde will likely receive more work behind starting running back Frank Gore than will second-year player Marcus Lattimore, who is recovering from a major knee injury.
- While OTAs may not be the most game-like environment in which to practice, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles is using the sessions to work on small improvements to his game, writes Martin Frank of USA Today. “My goals are to continue to move better. When I say that, I mean in the pocket, be more efficient, stay tight,” said Foles. “I like throwing the ball down field, so continuing to grow with my teammates on that, but being smart, find the check-downs early, not staying on a read too long.”
- In an extensive piece, Sports Illustrated’s Doug Farrar explains that Buccaneers hope to get rookie receiver Mike Evans in single coverage while the defense focuses on Vincent Jackson, and compares the duo’s potential usage to that of the Bears’ Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall.
- Despite his lackluster 2013 season, safety Bacarri Rambo is still in the Redskins’ plans, writes Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. “He’s got great ball skills,” said Washington head coach Jay Gruden. “He’s not afraid to tackle. He’s got to do a better job tackling. Obviously, we missed too many tackles as a group last year, not just him but everybody, so we think he’s progressing nicely.”
Buccaneers Sign Ronald Talley
The Buccaneers auditioned six players at their minicamp earlier this week, and at least one of those players has earned a contract with the club. According to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, the Bucs have signed free agent defensive end Ronald Talley. In related roster moves, the team also cut wide receiver Aaron Burks and defensive tackle Everett Dawkins.
Talley, 28, spent his first three NFL seasons with the Cardinals as a reserve defensive lineman. In those three years, the Detroit native was never more than a very occasional contributor, logging between 44 and 75 snaps on defense in each of his seasons with the club. Arizona elected not to submit an RFA tender to Talley in March, so the 28-year-old became an unrestricted free agent, paying a visit to the Titans in April before reaching an agreement with Tampa Bay.
As for the players who were cut, Dawkins finished last season with the Bucs, while Burks received a $5K signing bonus as an undrafted free agent last month. The moves leave Tampa Bay with one open roster spot on its 90-man roster, so the club could still add one more player from the group that auditioned this week, or bring in someone else.
Minor Moves: Burton, Ogbuehi, Sims, Giants
Tonight’s minor moves..
- The Colts claimed defensive back Brandon Burton and the Browns claimed tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports (via Twitter). Burton, 24, was taken by the Vikings in the fifth round of the 2011 draft and has since inked deals with the Bills and Bengals. Ogbuehi was waived by the Dolphins this week to make room for wide receiver Gerald Ford, who is not to be confused with former president Gerald Ford.
- The Buccaneers tweeted that rookie running back Charles Sims has officially signed his contract with the club. The third-round pick spent four years at Houston before playing for West Virginia in 2013 and was named co-Big 12 newcomer of the year by rushing for 1,095 yards and eleven touchdowns.
- The Giants cut Kris Adams with a failed physical designation, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Adams was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2011 by the Bears and has also been a member of the Rams, Vikings, and Colts.
- The Vikings waived-injured former FAU wide receiver Lestar Jean, Wilson tweets.
- The Colts cut former Ohio State guard Marcus Hall, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
- The Cowboys placed former NAIA cornerback Jocquel Skinner on injured reserve after he cleared waivers after being waived-injured, Wilson tweets.
Buccaneers Sign Mike Evans
Another first-round pick has signed his rookie contract, according to the Buccaneers, who announced today that they’ve locked up Mike Evans to a four-year deal, with a fifth-year team option for the 2018 season (Twitter link via Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com). By our count, Evans is the 21st of 32 first-rounders to officially ink his deal.
The seventh overall pick, Evans was the second receiver off the board last month, after No. 4 pick Sammy Watkins. The former Aggie was a consensus All-American in 2013 at Texas A&M after racking up 69 receptions for 1,394 yards and 12 touchdowns. The 20-year-old was also the first of six offensive players selected by Tampa Bay in a draft class that didn’t include a single defender. So far, the Bucs have secured four of those players, with only tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins and running back Charles Sims still unsigned.
Per Jason Fitzgerald’s numbers at OverTheCap.com, Evans’ four-year contract should have an overall value of about $14.632MM, with a signing bonus worth in the neighborhood of $8.96MM.
NFC South Notes: Falcons, Newton, Bucs
Falcons coach Mike Smith is sad to have lost Sean Weatherspoon for the year, but he believes that the club’s additions through free agency and the draft have left them better equipped to deal with filling the void, writes Charles Odum of the Associated Press. Notre Dame’s Prince Shembo, a fourth-round pick, and Syracuse’s Marquis Spruill, a fifth-rounder, will both have increased opportunities in the wake of Weatherspoon’s Achilles tear. Smith also said additions to the defensive line also should give the linebackers better protection to make plays. They signed defensive end Tyson Jackson and defensive tackle Paul Soliai in free agency and drafted defensive end Ra’Shede Hageman in the second round. Here’s more out of the NFC South..
- A report last night indicated that Cam Newton‘s camp is afraid that Colin Kaepernick‘s new deal with the 49ers will set a tone for forthcoming contract negotiations with the Panthers QB. If that’s the case, Newton isn’t copping to it. “I’m not terrified of anything,” Newton said, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. “For me, that’s the last thing on my mind. The first thing is trying to get little anky right. I’m not worried about no money. I’m not worried about things I can’t control.”
- Ultimately, Newton’s best tactic for avoiding a similar structure to Kaepernick could be declining to talk about a contract until after the 2014 season or later with the Panthers, opines Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. Newton isn’t hurting for money right now, but he can bet on himself over the next two years, forcing Carolina into a difficult spot come 2016, when they’ll have to decide whether to use the non-exclusive franchise tag and risk losing him to another team.
- The Buccaneers new and improved depth at cornerback this offseason is already evident, writes Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. “Every day it seems we talk about one of the corners,” coach Lovie Smith said. “You see the way we practice. Guys are stripping the ball right up until the end. It’s about taking the ball away. To a man, they’ll talk to you about that. As the head football coach of our defense, that’s a great job to finish a game off like that.”
- Saints camp invite Charles Hawkins, a wide receiver with speed, is willing to do whatever it takes to make the roster, writes Andrew Lopez of The Times-Picayune.
Cardinals Talked To Bucs About Mike Glennon
The Cardinals were one of the teams that talked to the Buccaneers before this year’s draft about the possibility of a Mike Glennon trade, Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht confirmed in a conversation with Fox Sports 910 Phoenix (audio link). Licht described talks with his friend and mentor Steve Keim as “casual,” joking that he wouldn’t let the Cardinals GM “bully” him into making a deal. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Arizona was one of a handful of teams with some interest in Glennon, which Licht confirmed.
“We had several teams that were investigating what our thoughts were and asking what our plan was for Mike,” Licht said. “And the plan was that we’re going to keep Mike.”
Several trade rumors swirled around Glennon prior to the draft, particularly after the Bucs signed Josh McCown and were linked to some of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft class. However, head coach Lovie Smith indicated last month that the club views Glennon as its quarterback of the future, and Licht made similar comments a couple weeks later.
With McCown in the mix, Glennon figures to enter the season as the Bucs’ No. 2 quarterback, but he could push the former Bear for the starting job in camp. During his rookie season, Glennon performed well for Tampa Bay, starting 13 games and racking up 2,608 passing yards to go along with 19 touchdowns and just nine interceptions.
NFC South Notes: Weatherspoon, Newton, Bucs
A quick look at the NFC South..
- Poor Sean Weatherspoon. The Falcons linebacker has missed 12 games over the past two years and today he learned that he’ll miss 16 more in 2014. The team announced today that Weatherspoon ruptured his Achilles tendon and will have to miss all of the 2014 season. “During Sean’s run today with our medical staff, he suffered an injury,” head coach Mike Smith said. “We sent Sean to the doctor for some additional testing and evaluation and unfortunately the results showed that he ruptured his Achilles tendon. Sean had been working extremely hard to get back on the field, but regrettably he will miss the entire 2014 season. He will have a procedure done in the near future and we expect him to make a full recovery.”
- Talks between Cam Newton and the Panthers on a deal still have yet to get underway, but there’s a fear that teams will look to impose the Colin Kaepernick structure moving forward, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. However, a deal for Newton may be for a higher average annual value and, as one source told Rapoport (link), guaranteed money is what really matters.
- Buccaneers rookie Kadeem Edwards is looking to make an immediate impact, writes Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. The guard was taken in the fifth round out of I-AA Tennessee State.
Bucs Auditioning David Gettis, Five Others
Six non-roster players are auditioning for the Buccaneers this week at the team’s minicamp, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). Wide receiver David Gettis and defensive tackle Ronald Talley are perhaps the most notable names among a group of players that also includes safety Tony Dye, cornerback Kip Edwards, linebacker T.J. Fatinikun, and punter Kirby Van Der Kamp.
Gettis, 26, had a productive rookie season for the Panthers in 2010, hauling in 37 passes for 508 receiving yards and three touchdowns. However, injuries have derailed his career in recent years. The Baylor product had a solid preseason in 2013, but a hamstring injury prompted Carolina to waive him before the regular season began. If he’s healthy, Gettis would seem to be the most likely player among the six to sign a contract with Tampa Bay.
Among the other recognizable names is Talley, who spent the last three seasons with the Cardinals as a reserve defensive lineman. Arizona elected not to submit an RFA tender to Talley in March, so the 28-year-old became an unrestricted free agent and paid a visit to the Titans in April.