NFL Mailbags: Jets, Sankey, Titans, Cowboys
It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s take a look at some of the notable whispers, including a cameo from Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com…
- The Jets defensive line is the only group that’s set up well for the future, and Rich Cimini says the team doesn’t have enough “rising, young talent” on their roster. However, despite nine starters being older than 30 years old, the writer doesn’t believe the team needs a complete rebuild to become a contender.
- The Titans activated rookie running back David Cobb yesterday, but Wyatt can’t envision the team parting ways with Bishop Sankey.
- With Delanie Walker and Anthony Fasano set to become free agents following next season, Wyatt wonders if the Titans could pursue a tight end either through free agency or the draft this offseason.
- Todd Archer believes the Cowboys should let the market develop before they hand out a multi-year contract to Greg Hardy. The writer is skeptical that the organization would actually hand out a big money contract to the embattled defensive end.
- In no particular order, Archer says defensive line, cornerback, wide receiver, running back, quarterback, and offensive line are the Cowboys‘ biggest needs heading into next year’s draft.
Colts Claim Charlie Whitehurst Off Waivers
SATURDAY, 9:50am: The team has officially announced the move.
THURSDAY, 3:31pm: Finally, the Colts have found themselves a backup quarterback in support of Matt Hasselbeck. The Colts have been awarded signal caller Charlie Whitehurst off waivers from the Titans, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
Whitehurst, a 10-year NFL veteran, served as Zach Mettenberger‘s backup when Marcus Mariota was sidelined, but with Mariota healthy and back in the No. 1 role, Whitehurst was third on the depth chart, rendering him non-essential for Tennessee. Now, he joins the Colts where he’ll hold the clipboard for Hasselbeck until Andrew Luck is able to return.
Whitehurst came to the Titans as a free agent prior to the 2014 season. At that time, he had just finished season No. 2 as Philip Rivers‘ backup in San Diego. He saw just 12 snaps in two games during the 2013 season and didn’t attempt a pass, but he does have notable experience from his time in Seattle, when he started some games during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
AFC South Notes: LeBeau, Jaguars, Griffin
With Ken Whisenhunt now out of the picture in Tennessee, it’s not clear whether the Titans will retain defensive assistant Dick LeBeau beyond this season, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Titans interim CEO and president Steve Underwood said last week that he’d like to see the team target a “great offensive mind” in its search for a permanent head coach, suggesting that the defense would be in fine shape with LeBeau at the helm.
However, LeBeau initially joined the Titans in large part due to his relationship with Whisenhunt, and his contract expires at the end of the 2015 season. As the 78-year-old himself observes, there’s no guarantee that a new head coach wouldn’t want to bring in his own assistants.
While we wait to see whether LeBeau is one-and-done in Tennessee, let’s check in on some other items from out of the AFC South….
- The Jaguars had former 49ers running back Kendall Hunter in for a tryout this week, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Hunter, who has seen his NFL career derailed by injuries in recent years, was removed from Sam Francisco’s injured reserve list in September with a settlement, making him a free agent.
- Texans tight end Ryan Griffin, who was placed on injured reserve with the designation to return after Week 1, should be able to play Monday against the Bengals, head coach Bill O’Brien told reporters today (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle). Griffin, who is returning from an MCL injury, would need to be activated to the 53-man roster by Monday afternoon to play this week.
- Per Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com (Twitter link), Titans cornerback Jason McCourty is weighing the possibility of undergoing another procedure on his troublesome groin. Another surgery may be a season-ender for McCourty, who could also attempt to rehab the injury.
Practice Squad Updates: 11/11/15
Here’s a rundown of Wednesday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Kevin White (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: LB Jayson DiManche, DB De’Ante Saunders (press release)
- Cut: TE Brian Leonhardt
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: OT Donald Hawkins (Twitter link via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald)
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: G Craig Watts (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego)
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Harold Spears, DL Julius Warmsley (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times)
- Cut: DT Robert Thomas
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OLB J.R. Tavai, TE Kevin Greene (press release)
Titans Activate David Cobb, Cut Charlie Whitehurst
The Titans have made a pair of roster moves this morning, announcing in a press release that they’ve activated running back David Cobb to their active roster, waiving quarterback Charlie Whitehurst to make room.
Cobb, 22, was selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft by the Titans, but saw his NFL regular-season debut postponed due to a calf injury. Tennessee placed him on injured reserve with the designation to return, and had to activate him this week in order to get him into the lineup at all this season.
With Antonio Andrews expected to receive most of the Titans’ carries under new head coach Mike Mularkey, Cobb will likely be worked in slowly. Still, with running back Terrance West having been released last week, there’s room for the rookie on the depth chart, and I’d expect him to get a decent share of touches in the second half.
As for Whitehurst, the 10-year NFL veteran served as Zach Mettenberger‘s backup when Marcus Mariota was sidelined, but with Mariota healthy and back in the No. 1 role, Whitehurst was third on the depth chart, rendering him non-essential for now. Assuming Whitehurst hasn’t collected termination pay in the past, he should be eligible to collect his entire $2MM salary for the 2015 season.
AFC Notes: Titans, Browns, Cobb, Luck
Peyton Manning‘s return to Indianapolis will headline the Week 9 slate of games from a public relations perspective, but two other matchups might actually be more consequential in terms of playoff odds. The 3-4 Dolphins will head to Buffalo to take on the fellow 3-4 Bills, while two more contenders for AFC wild card spots — the Raiders (4-3) and Steelers (4-4) — will face off in Pittsburgh.
With those contests in mind, let’s take a look at some notes from the AFC:
- The Titans waived running back Terrance West earlier today, and that move will have implications on the Browns, West’s former club. Cleveland will not not receive the conditional seventh-round pick they were set to gain for West when they traded him to the Tennessee, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports. West’s departure from Tennessee today prevents him from earning the playing-time incentives to trigger the pick exchange.
- David Cobb will likely rejoin the Titans next week off IR-DTR, Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com reports (on Twitter), further marginalizing the free-falling West. ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan agrees, tweeting that he expects Cobb to join the 53-man roster next week as opposed to today despite West’s waiving.
- The league is still investigating the Colts‘ compliance with injury reporting due to revelations that Andrew Luck could be dealing with a rib injury, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). Luck reportedly suffered several broken ribs, but that injury was never listed on the club’s official injury sheet, a potential violation of NFL rules.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
Titans Cut Terrance West
With rookie David Cobb set to return from the injured reserve, Titans coach Mike Mularkey has made his first big move. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter), the team has cut running back Terrance West. The second-year player will have to pass through waivers before he can sign with a team.
According to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com (via Twitter), the organization will promote cornerback B.W. Webb to take West’s roster spot.
The 24-year-old was traded to the Titans following the preseason, with the Browns receiving a conditional draft pick in the 2016 Draft. However, Wyatt tweets that West didn’t play enough games to meet the conditions, meaning the Browns won’t be receiving a pick.
The former third-rounder only played two games for Tennessee, compiling 51 rushing yards on 16 attempts. This followed a rookie season in Cleveland where he ran for 673 yards and four scores.
As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes, West was in Mike Pettine‘s dog house throughout most of his Browns tenure. At the time, the running back was described as having “maturity issues,” although it’s uncertain if that contributed to his release from the Titans.
NFL Mailbags: Titans, Panthers, Lions
It’s Saturday, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s check out some of the more interesting notes, with a cameo from Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com…
- Wyatt wonders if Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt may have lost the lockerroom after having gone 3-20 over the past season-plus. The writer also believes the team may have felt more pressure playing under their former coach, and he wouldn’t be shocked to see a more relaxed squad this weekend.
- If the Panthers could only afford to keep one dynamic defender, David Newton would pick defensive tackle Kawann Short over cornerback Josh Norman. However, the writer is confident that the organization will be able to retain both players.
- The pair may be naturally connected, but Mike DiRocco believes Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles is already better than 49ers signal-caller (and former Jaguars QB) Blaine Gabbert. The biggest difference for the writer is Bortles’ poise in the pocket.
- If Brian Xanders was going to be considered as a candidate to be the next Lions general manager, Michael Rothstein writes that the Senior Personnel Executive would have been given the interim role.
AFC South Notes: Texans, Titans, Mariota
Through eight weeks of the NFL season, AFC South teams have a combined 9-21 record, with five of those wins coming in intra-divisional contests. The dismal division-wide performance has Texans owner Bob McNair looking at the silver lining of Houston’s disappointing first half as his team heads into its bye week, writes Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com.
“We knew our offense was not going to be a high-powered offense, but we felt our defense would be one of the top-five defenses, and we’ve been far from that,” McNair said, speaking to KRIV and the Houston Chronicle. “The good news is that this is a new season, and we’re tied for first. The Colts have to play Denver next week, and we might be in first place by ourselves.”
As the Texans hope that a week off will move them into the AFC South’s top spot, let’s check on a few more items from across the division….
- Titans wide receiver Harry Douglas has nothing but positive things to say about new interim head coach Mike Mularkey, telling Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com that the former Falcons offensive coordinator is one of the main reasons he signed with Tennessee.
- Mularkey got some good news as he prepares for his first game as the Titans‘ head coach, telling reporters today that Marcus Mariota will start at quarterback this week for the club (Twitter link via Wyatt).
- Here’s one more from Wyatt, who spoke to Titans GM Ruston Webster about Mularkey, former head coach Ken Whisenhunt, and retooling Tennessee’s offensive line, among other topics.
- A Sunday date with Peyton Manning and the Broncos is right around the corner for the Colts, so Mike Wells of ESPN.com revisits Indianapolis’ decision to part ways with Manning three years ago, concluding it remains the right call for the franchise.
- The city of Jacksonville and Jaguars owner Shad Khan have announced $90MM in planned upgrades for EverBank Field, according to an Associated Press report.
AFC Notes: Benjamin, Cobb, Steelers
Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap ran down the top wide receivers in the 2016 free agent class, including Browns speedster Travis Benjamin. Benjamin is on pace for over 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns on the year, but he doesn’t have a history of this production and will have to shed concerns that he is a flash in the pan. Fitzgerald estimates that he’ll get a deal in the range of Julian Edelman, Doug Baldwin, and Emmanuel Sanders. That tier generally has a floor of about $4.5MM per year with perhaps $1MM or $2MM more depending on production.
- Interim coach Mike Mularkey says that running back David Cobb most likely won’t be activated to the Titans‘ roster until next week, as Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets. McCormick (link) adds that the Titans may have to make roster move at cornerback this week with cornerbacks Jason McCourty and Blidi Wreh-Wilson ailing.
- Doran Grant told Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter) that a couple of teams were looking to sign him off of Pittsburgh’s practice squad and he indicated that’s why he was promoted to the Steelers‘ 53-man roster.
- Ty Sambrailo, who was converted left tackle before hitting the IR, probably isn’t the Broncos‘ left tackle of the future, but his college coach believes that he can come back strong, as Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com writes. “I still believe Ty can be a 12- to 15-year player in the NFL,” said Colorado State coach Jim McElwain, now the coach at Florida. “He’s athletic and he’s nasty. It’s just going to take him awhile to get his strength where he needs to be.” It remains to be seen whether that will be the case for Sambrailo and, if it is, whether that will happen in Denver.