DeMarco Murray On Cowboys, Eagles
Before the Eagles traded running back DeMarco Murray to the Titans in March, the ex-Cowboy was “95 percent sure” Philadelphia was going to send him back to Dallas.
“I was very close to going back there,” Murray told Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram. “There were some things that fell through and just didn’t happen.”
While the Cowboys and Eagles did discuss Murray during the offseason, Philly was reluctant to trade with an NFC East rival, a source informed Williams. Nevertheless, the two nearly agreed to a deal, the source added.
Murray “was very involved in the talks,” he revealed to Williams. The 28-year-old also said that his heart wasn’t into continuing his career as an Eagle, though he called executive vice president Howie Roseman and owner Jeffrey Lurie “really good people.”
When Murray signed a five-year, $42MM contract with the Eagles as a free agent in March 2015, he was fresh off a season in which he rushed for an NFL-high 1,845 yards and earned AP Offensive Player of the Year honors. But Murray was nowhere near as productive as part of then-Eagles head coach Chip Kelly‘s offense in 2015. Under Kelly, Murray set a career low in yards per carry (3.6) on 193 attempts – 199 fewer than he racked up during his last year in Dallas.
“Obviously, the scheme just wasn’t a fit for me, and I wasn’t a fit for them,” he said of his time in Philadelphia. “It wasn’t pointing fingers or anything. It just wasn’t a good relationship. Those things happen, and you learn from them. I was fortunate enough to come here and be here and be a Titan now.”
Now that he’s no longer in an Eagles uniform, Murray once again looks like one of the league’s premier backs, having averaged 5.0 yards per rush and totaled three touchdowns on 93 carries. The ex-Oklahoma Sooner has also piled up two more scores as a pass catcher and amassed 24 receptions on 27 targets.
As for the Cowboys, “they’ve got a pretty good young back over there as well,” Murray quipped, referring to rookie Ezekiel Elliott. Just under two months after a reunion with Murray fell through, the Cowboys selected Elliott fourth overall in the draft. The only rusher in the league with more yards than Murray this year is Elliott, who has 546 (and five TDs). Clearly, then, the non-trade has worked out for both Murray and the Cowboys.
Titans, Redskins Put In Claims On Benwikere
The Dolphins weren’t the only club interested in cornerback Bene Benwikere. Both the Titans and Redskins put in claims for Benwikere, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link), but Miami and its higher waiver priority were able to land the defensive back.
[RELATED: Redskins Host Terrance Knighton On Visit]
Neither Tennessee nor Washington has been particularly poor against the pass this year, as the clubs rank 14th and 18th, respectively, in pass defense DVOA, and ninth and 22nd, respectively, in passing yards allowed. As such, it seems as though each club was simply trying to inject youthful talent into its defensive backfield, and Benwikere, who just recently turned 25, fits that bill.
A starting cornerback for Carolina this year, Benwikere was waived after Julio Jones exploded for a 300-yard game in Week (228 of those yards coming against Benwikere). After the game, Benwikere admitted to reporters that he was gassed, and that may have played a role in his release. The Panthers were expected to shake things up in the secondary, but few expected them to drop one of their top cornerbacks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Titans Audition Four
- The Titans auditioned defenseive tackle Trevon Coley, wide receivers Donteea Dye and Wendall Williams, and defensive end Farrington Huguenin, tweets Balzer.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/3/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Nordly Capi (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Mike James
- Cut: RB George Winn
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: FB Joe Kerridge (Twitter link via Rob Demovskiy of ESPN.com)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB JaCorey Shepherd (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer)
- Cut: G Darrell Greene
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Daryl Richardson
- Cut: DB Jacob Hagen
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB DuJuan Harris
Seattle Seahawks
- Cut: QB Jake Heaps (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Antwaun Woods (Twitter link via Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com)
- Cut: WR Jordan Leslie
Washington Redskins
- Signed: CB Robertson Daniel
- Cut: CB Lloyd Carrington
Titans Fire Special Teams Coach Bobby April
The Titans announced that they’ve fired special teams coordinator Bobby April and promoted assistant Steve Hoffman to take over on a full-time basis.
[RELATED: Titans Lose Al Woods For At Least One Month]
April, 63, has been an NFL special teams coach since 1991 when he began his pro career with the Falcons. He was only four games into his Tennessee career, having joined the club prior to this season. April left the Jets in order to replace Nate Kaczor, who was hired by the Buccaneers. Titans head coach Mike Mularkey was familiar with April’s work, as the pair had worked together on the Bills staff in 2004.
Hoffman, meanwhile is in his fourth year with the Titans and in his 27th season as an NFL coach. The team’s assistantspecial teams coordinator since 2013, Hoffman guided punter Brett Kern and kicker Ryan Succop as they enjoyed some of their best seasons. Last year, Succop didn’t miss a kick inside of 50 yards (13-for-13).
Through a three-game sample (Week 4 statistics have not yet been updated), the Titans ranked 25th in Football Outsiders’ special teams DVOA.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Titans Lose Al Woods For At Least A Month
- Titans nose tackle Al Woods will miss at least a month of action after pulling his calf muscle on Sunday, Mike Mularkey told media, including Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. Woods is in his third season with the Titans but the first of a three-year, $10.5MM deal he signed to stay in Tennessee this offseason.
Browns Were Eyeing Titans QB Alex Tanney
The Titans recently raised the weekly salary of practice squad quarterback Alex Tanney to nearly $31K because the Browns were expressing interest in signing him to their active roster, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Tanney is now earning the same salary he’d be netting if he were on a 53-man roster. For reference, most practice squad players make the PS minimum of $6,900 per week.
[RELATED: Browns Keeping Cody Parkey For Now]
Tanney, 28, has spent time with seven clubs during his career, and has prior experience with the Browns, having been on their roster during the 2013 season. His only game experience came last year with Tennessee, when he completed 10-of-14 passes for 99 yards and one touchdown in Week 16. Tanney was waived off the Titans’ active roster two weeks ago, and has been part of their taxi squad since.
There’s no timeline to reference in regards to when exactly Tennessee raised Tanney’s salary, but it would make sense that the Browns were approaching Tanney in the last week or so. After Josh McCown went down with injury, Cleveland was looking for another quarterback to pair with rookie Cody Kessler. The club ultimately agreed to sign veteran Charlie Whitehurst, presumably after whiffing on Tanney.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/27/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Cam Johnson
- Cut: LB Shaq Riddick
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Ed Eagan, C Terran Vaughn
- Cut: LB Carlos Fields, S Damian Parms
Green Bay Packers
- Cut: CB Robertson Daniel (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: G Adam Redmond
- Cut: S Lee Hightower
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OT Rashod Hill (Twitter link via agent Brett Tessler)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: C Daniel Munyer
- Cut: WR Seantavius Jones (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Lynden Trail (Twitter link via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com)
New England Patriots
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Doran Grant
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Julian Stanford
- Cut: WR Wendall Williams
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DL Demetrius Cherry (Twitter link via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle)
- Cut: LB Korey Toomer (Twitter link via Tafur)
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Zac Brooks (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia)
- Cut: WR Antwan Goodley (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: G Darrell Greene
- Cut: CB JaCorey Shepherd (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DB Jacob Hagen (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Jordan Leslie
- Cut: NT Antwaun Woods
Washington Redskins
- Signed: CB Lloyd Carrington (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post), CB Tye Smith (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post)
- Cut: LB Amarlo Herrera
NFL Waiver Priority Now Based On 2016 Record
We’re coming up on Week 4 of the NFL season and that means that waiver claim priority will be based on the current league standings instead of last year’s. Of course, waiver priority is based on the inverted NFL standings, which have built in tiebreakers to sort out the many logjams that naturally occur.
Throughout the offseason and the first three weeks of the regular season, the Titans enjoyed top priority thanks to their 3-13 finish last year. Now, we have a brand new pecking order. Here is a full rundown of the current waiver claim priority, which will change from week to week:
1. Jaguars
2. Saints
3. Bears
4. Browns
5. Chargers
6. Lions
7. Jets
8. Cardinals
9. Bills
10. Colts
11. Dolphins
12. 49ers
13. Buccaneers
14. Bengals
15. Titans
16. Redskins
17. Panthers
18. Falcons
19. Cowboys
20. Giants
21. Raiders
22. Packers
23. Chiefs
24. Rams
25. Seahawks
26. Texans
27. Steelers
28. Ravens
29. Eagles
30. Broncos
31. Vikings
32. Patriots
Titans Promote Curtis Riley To Active Roster
The Titans announced that they have promoted cornerback Curtis Riley to the active roster. Riley takes the place of guard Chance Warmack, who was placed on injured reserve yesterday. 
Riley first joined the Titans as an undrafted free agent after the 2015 NFL Draft. Since then, he has practiced as both a cornerback and a safety. Now on the 53-man roster, he’ll be expected to provide the Titans with depth in the secondary along with help on special teams. After spending his entire rookie season on IR, he’s hoping to get his first taste of NFL action this fall.
In a related move, guard Karim Barton has been added to the practice squad. Barton, a Morgan State product, previously spent time with Houston, Philadelphia, and Cleveland.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.