Colin McCarthy Announces Retirement
Veteran linebacker Colin McCarthy announced today on Twitter that he is retiring from the NFL. While his Twitter message didn’t explicitly mention retirement, the former Miami Hurricane confirmed in a message to Susan Miller Degnan of the Miami Herald that he is “officially retiring today.”
“Truly blessed to have played the game as long as I have!!” McCarthy wrote on Twitter. “To my family, friends, teammates and fans, Thank You!!”
McCarthy, a fourth-round pick in 2011 by the Titans, is just 27 years old, so it seems fair to speculate that health concerns are largely responsible for his early retirement, given his injury history. Prior to spending the 2014 season on injured reserve after undergoing shoulder surgery, McCarthy also battled a concussion and ankle and hamstring problems earlier in his career.
When he did see the field in Tennessee, McCarthy started 19 of his 36 games, recording 161 career tackles, forcing three fumbles, and snagging three interceptions, including one for a touchdown. McCarthy reportedly paid a free agent visit to the Patriots this offseason, but nothing came of that meeting.
Extra Points: Winston, Liuget, Harris
Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is high on rookie quarterback Jameis Winston, as Jenna Laine of Sports Talk Florida writes. However, he says the real test of his abilities is yet to come. “He’s a first-overall pick. Of course you see the talent,” McCoy said of Winston. “You’ve got to give it some time, guys. Everything is real basic right now. Until we put on pads and I can actually chase him, then I’ll tell you how good he is.”
- There has been a lot of positive momentum in the Chargers‘ efforts to sign defensive end Corey Liuget to a contract extension, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets. The two sides are getting closer, according to a source that spoke with Gehlken.
- Titans cornerback Brandon Harris suffered a torn ACL during today’s practice, according to a source that spoke with Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean (on Twitter). Harris, who signed a one-year deal with the Titans during the offseason, now faces a lengthy rehab process. The 25-year-old earned 112 defensive snaps for the Titans in 2014, recording 11 tackles and three passes defended. He was selected by the Texans in the second round of the 2011 draft and although he wasn’t expected to play a starring role this year, he was being counted upon for depth at the cornerback position.
- Falcons coach Dan Quinn supported the team’s quick decision to release linebacker Prince Shembo, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes. Naturally, Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who went through the Michael Vick federal dog fighting investigation of 2007, was involved in the decision to release Shembo.
- The Ravens were glad to snag cornerback Tray Walker in the fourth round of this year’s draft, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun writes. The Ravens knew that the Texas Southern product was drawing widespread interest, so they were over the moon to get him at No. 136. “He’s a guy that we had targeted,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh. “We really hoped to get him in the draft. He’s a guy that we wanted to get in the mid-rounds. We were looking to try to draft him, and we were able to do it.“
- The Dolphins should be happy that they got Ryan Tannehill‘s deal done before Cam Newton‘s new pact with the Panthers, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets. The total money given to Tannehill may not have changed, but the contract security likely would have been different.
- The Chargers and mayor Kevin Faulconer met to discuss the possibility of a new stadium on Tuesday, as Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com writes. “Today we and our negotiating team met with Chargers chairman Dean Spanos and his adviser Mark Fabiani for more than an hour,” Faulconer’s spokesperson Craig Gustafson said in a prepared statement. “It was a productive discussion on a variety of issues, and both parties agreed to meet again within the next several days.”
Minor Moves: Tuesday Night
This afternoon, Luke Adams rounded up the minor transactions of the day. Here’s a look at the latest moves to come to light this evening..
- Nose tackle Brandon Deaderick, a former member of the Saints, was signed by the Texans, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today Sports (via Twitter). The Texans also signed defensive end Jasper Coleman and waived running back Mack Brown, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter).
- The Browns were awarded defensive lineman Tory Slater off waivers from the Seahawks, according to a source that spoke with Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). To make room, linebacker Rodman Noel has been waived, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter).
- The Lions will re-sign UDFA running back Rasheed Williams, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter). Williams, who was released not long ago, will be back at OTAs on Wednesday with Detroit.
- Washington announced that it has re-signed tackle Willie Smith. Smith, 28, originally entered the NFL as a college free agent July 28, 2011, and has since appeared in 29 career games with 11 starts with the Raiders, Chargers, and Washington. To make room, fellow tackle Tovar Allen was let go.
- The Rams signed sixth-round wide receiver Bud Sasser, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
- No surprise here, but Prince Shembo went unclaimed off waivers from the Falcons, as Wilson tweets. Wilson is facing animal cruelty chargers for allegedly killing a dog.
- The Cowboys cut safety Keelan Johnson, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
- Former Chiefs tight end Sean McGrath, who recently un-retired, has signed with the Colts, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). To make room on the roster, former tight end Jean Sifrin was waived, according to Wilson (link).
- Former Missouri defensive tackle Lucas Vincent was waived by the Titans today, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today Sports (on Twitter).
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Here are Tuesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
- The Titans have agreed to sign tight end Phillip Supernaw, waiving defensive tackle Lucas Vincent in a corresponding move, according to the team (via Twitter). Supernaw, who was cut by the Ravens in May, has spent time in Baltimore, Kansas City, and Houston during his NFL career.
- The Bills have signed former Patriots edge defender Michael Buchanan, waiving punter Spencer Roth to create a roster spot, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Buchanan didn’t see the field much after drafted by the Pats in the seventh round in 2013, but the 24-year-old made the most of his limited playing time in his rookie year, picking up a pair of sacks and recovering a fumble.
- The Colts have made a change at the back of their roster, signing undrafted free agent defensive lineman Camaron Beard and waiving cornerback Al-Hajj Shabazz, per a team release. Shabazz only lasted a few weeks with Indianapolis, having been signed by the club as a rookie free agent following the draft.
- The Falcons have added rookie linebacker Boris Anyama, who played his college ball at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, the team announced today in a press release. The signing gets Atlanta’s roster back up to the maximum 90 players.
- The Panthers have signed defensive back Jocquel Skinner, waiving tight end Kevin Greene, tweets David Newton of ESPN.com. Skinner became a free agent after being cut by the Buccaneers in April.
Extra Points: Wells, Broncos, Raiders
Former Rams center Scott Wells is paying a visit to the Titans today, a league source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The 34-year-old, who earned a Pro Bowl berth during his final season with the Packers in 2011, played his college ball at Tennessee, so it would be a homecoming of sorts if he were to sign with the Titans.
- Tight end Jeff Heuerman is the Broncos‘ only remaining unsigned draft pick but his deal is likely to get done later this week, Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets. Earlier today, first round choice Shane Ray put pen to paper with Denver.
- After signing blocking tight end Lee Smith away from Buffalo and using a third-round pick on Miami’s Clive Walford, the Raiders are hoping to get significant production out of their TEs this season, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com writes. He notes that tight end versatility is essential in Bill Musgrave’s offense, particularly when they go up-tempo.
- North Carolina Central wide receiver/kick returner Adrian Wilkins will enter the Supplemental Draft, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. As a sophomore, Wilkins returned five kicks for touchdowns, three kickoffs and two punts and was given All-American honors for his play.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Titans, Dorial Green-Beckham Agree To Deal
The Titans have agreed to terms with their second-round draft pick, the team announced today, tweeting a photo of wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham signing his rookie contract. With Green-Beckham locked up, Tennessee needs to sign second overall pick Marcus Mariota and third-round offensive lineman Jeremiah Poutasi to complete its draft signings.
Green-Beckham will be one of the more interesting players to monitor from this year’s draft class. Based on talent alone, he’d be considered one of the top wideouts in this year’s group, and would’ve easily been a first-round pick. However, off-field red flags pushed him into the second round, where the Titans snagged him with the 40th overall pick.
The Titans were originally slated to pick first in the second round, at No. 33, but the team felt confident that it could move back a little and still land DGB. In exchange for moving down seven spots to No. 40, the Titans picked up an extra fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick from the Giants.
As for Green-Beckham’s contract, he’ll get a signing bonus worth about $2.335MM, and his deal will have a four-year value of approximately $5.604MM, per Over The Cap.
Extra Points: Thurmond, Bell, Bolden
This point in the offseason can be slow with big news that actually has on-the-field consequences. This past week only saw a few notable signings and one major training camp injury. However, a few camp notes include some players who are looking to step into new positions this coming NFL season:
- Walter Thurmond signed with the Eagles thinking he might have a chance to compete for a starting cornerback job, but now it looks like he could end up being the starter at safety, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Thurmond cited the defensive scheme allowing safeties to make plays on the football as the reason he was open to the switch. Thurmond, who previously played for the Seahawks and Giants, has only had experience as an outside cornerback and nickelback in his five-year career.
- Byron Bell struggled at left tackle for the Panthers in 2014, ranking 83rd out of 84 qualifying tackles who played at least 25% of offensive snaps for their respective teams, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Titans believe that moving Bell back to right tackle will be the catalyst for an uptick in his performance, writes John Glennon of the Tennesseean. Pro Football Focus didn’t grade him much better as a right tackle between 2011 and 2013, only getting as high as 53rd over those three years.
- Broncos return specialist Omar Bolden was electric on his ten kick returns in 2014, but he is looking to make a bigger impact next season. He hopes that in addition to winning full-time kick return duty, he would also like to return punts for the Broncos, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
AFC Notes: Broncos, Idzik, Jags, S. Smith
In a Wednesday mailbag, a reader asked Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post why the Broncos didn’t make more of a push to sign La’el Collins. According to Renck, the lack of a resolution for Collins’ potential criminal case gave Denver pause during the draft — the team shied away from him in the seventh round more because of that uncertainty, not because of the lineman’s vow that he wouldn’t report if he was drafted on Day 3.
Once Collins became a free agent, he narrowed his choices rather quickly to teams with proven quarterbacks, coaches and line coaches. Denver offered all of those things, but Collins didn’t want to play in cold weather and wanted a team close to home, leading him to the Cowboys.
Of course, given today’s news on Ryan Clady‘s torn ACL, the Broncos may be regretting not rolling the dice on Collins with one of their seventh-round picks.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- Former Jets general manager John Idzik, hired back in February as a consultant by the Jaguars, has been named to a full-time position of special assistant to the general manager, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. “He’ll do a little bit of everything,” GM Dave Caldwell said of Idzik. “He’s a great cultural fit for us. He has a great understanding of the salary cap and the different ways to do a contract.” As O’Halloran writes, the Jags also promoted Chris Polian to director of player personnel and Chris Driggers to director of pro personnel.
- Ravens wideout Steve Smith said he didn’t really contemplate retiring after last season, but he knows he won’t play forever, or even until he’s 40, like Jerry Rice (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun). Smith turned 36 earlier this month.
- Browns third-round running back Duke Johnson wasn’t in attendance when the team’s OTAs got underway this week. However, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, it’s because of a personal matter rather than anything contract-related. Johnson is the only one of Cleveland’s 12 draftees who remains unsigned.
- Titans running back Bishop Sankey was a bit of a disappointment in his rookie season, but the Titans are betting he’ll be better following some offseason strength training, Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean writes.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
AFC Notes: Bills QBs, Mario, Titans, Ravens
Most expect the Bills’ starting quarterback in 2015 to be either Matt Cassel or EJ Manuel, but don’t discount Tyrod Taylor, writes Conor Orr of NFL.com. Taylor, who backed up Joe Flacco in Baltimore from 2011-14 and signed with the Bills as a free agent earlier this offseason, has a fan in head coach Rex Ryan. Although Taylor has thrown just 35 passes in his pro career, Ryan recruited the 25-year-old to Buffalo and views his dual-threat abilities as a plus in coordinator Greg Roman’s run-first offense, notes Orr.
Bills general manager Doug Whaley said earlier this week that all three QBs are going to get a real chance to win the No. 1 job prior to the season.
“The way they’re structuring practices everyone is getting a run with the ones,” Whaley stated. “So it’s a fair shake. In this system that we’re trying to figure out who is going to be the number one it’s all about competition. That’s why everybody involved is excited about it.”
Here’s more on the Bills and a couple of their fellow AFC teams:
- Star pass rusher Mario Williams is entering his fourth year with the Bills and will work under his fourth different defensive coordinator. Williams isn’t concerned about the latest change, however, despite the success the defense experienced last season led by departed coordinator Jim Schwartz. The Bills will go from a 4-3 base to a 3-4 base under Schwartz’s replacement, Dennis Thurman, but they used a similar scheme two years ago with ex-coordinator Mike Pettine. Williams thinks that gives him and his fellow defenders a leg up. “Understanding the defense, I love it,” Williams told the Buffalo News. “It gives everybody ample opportunities to just do different things and just be able to bring different looks, different angles, and attacks, stuff like that. So I’m ecstatic.”
- The pecking order at wide receiver will be something to watch during Titans training camp, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Kuharsky expects Kendall Wright, second-round pick Dorial Green-Beckham, and Harry Douglas to comprise Tennessee’s top three wideouts. Things get murkier thereafter, though, with Justin Hunter, Hakeem Nicks, and seventh-rounder Tre McBride jockeying for position.
- The Ravens’ offense was a success last year under Gary Kubiak, finishing 12th in yardage, eighth in points, and ninth in Football Outsiders’ efficiency rankings. With Kubiak having left to be Denver’s head coach, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com believes the offense will change in 2015 to fit new coordinator Marc Trestman’s identity as a play caller – which should mean more screen passes – but will still tailor to the the players’ strengths.
South Notes: Mettenberger, Luck, Newton
Shortly after the Titans used the second overall pick in this year’s draft on quarterback Marcus Mariota, a report surfaced suggesting that incumbent signal-caller Zach Mettenberger wanted to be traded out of Tennessee. Mettenberger and the Titans quickly denied that claim, and now the second-year QB has taken a more significant step to show that he’s happy in Tennessee.
According to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter links), Mettenberger has changed agents, going from Joe Linta to CAA’s Tom Condon and Jimmy Sexton. Although Mettenberger hasn’t explicitly stated his motivation for the change, McCormick notes that the post-draft trade talk was pinned on Linta, while Sexton also represents Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two South divisions:
- Ryan Tannehill belongs to the same draft class as Andrew Luck, but yesterday’s contract extension for the Dolphins quarterback means nothing for the former No. 1 pick, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com. As Wells observes, Luck is in a “different bracket” than Tannehill, meaning their contracts almost certainly look all that similar when all is said and done.
- Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer believes the Tannehill extension doesn’t mean much for Cam Newton‘s next contract either, though Person notes that it increases the floor for QBs around the league.
- Zach Strief doesn’t have any misconceptions about Andrus Peat‘s future role with the Saints, telling Mike Triplett of ESPN.com that the 13th overall pick is going to be “taking my job eventually.” With Peat preparing to play right tackle, Strief also shot down the idea that he could transition to left guard. “[Tim Lelito and Senio Kelemete] are two excellent football players, and two guys I’m never gonna beat out as a guard,” Strief said. “So it’ll be one of those two.”
- The Titans are looking for their rookie running backs to lose some weight and get in better shape, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.