Minor Moves: Thursday
We’ll keep tabs on Thursday’s minor transactions, including practice squad signings and cuts, in this post, with the latest updates added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Bills have made a change to their 53-man roster, claiming tight end MarQueis Gray off waivers and cutting running back Phillip Tanner to make room, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Gray was cut yesterday by the Vikings to accommodate the team’s waiver claim of Ben Tate.
Earlier updates:
- A pair of players recently cut from their respective teams’ active rosters have re-signed to those clubs’ practice squads. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports (via Twitter) that safety Steven Terrell is back with the Seahawks‘ taxi squad, while Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets that running back Edwin Baker has rejoined the Saints‘ unit. Tauren Poole was cut from the Saints’ practice squad in a corresponding move.
- After carrying an empty spot on their 53-man roster for a couple days, the Titans have filled it by promoting linebacker Justin Staples from their practice squad, the team announced today (Twitter link). Staples, who was cut by the Browns prior to Week 1, had been on the Titans’ practice squad since mid-September. The team has signed linebacker Yawin Smallwood, who was selected by the Falcons in May’s draft, to replace Staples on the taxi squad.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
In addition to making practice squad changes, teams around the league are also adding and subtracting players from their 53-man rosters today. We’ll round up some of those minor transactions in this space, with the latest moves added at the top of the list:
- The Texans have released Ricky Sapp from injured reserve, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Sapp was placed on IR on October 7th to make room for the signing of linebacker John Simon to the 53-man roster.
- The Titans have cut linebacker James Anderson, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Anderson, 31, started all 16 games last season for the Bears. While Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required) ranked Anderson 33rd out of 35 qualified 4-3 outside linebackers in 2013, his poor grade was due in large part to subpar performance against the run — he was one of the league’s more effective linebackers in pass coverage. This year he saw time in seven games as a reserve.
- The Bears have added receiver and return man Marc Mariani to their roster on a two-year contract, waiving safety Ahmad Dixon to make room for the incoming player, the team announced today (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- The Cardinals had hoped Troy Niklas‘ ankle injury wouldn’t be season-ending, but that optimism didn’t last long. As Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes, the team placed the rookie tight end on injured reserve today, ending his season. To replace Niklas, the Cards signed veteran tight end Matthew Mulligan, who was on the Bears’ roster earlier this season.
- The Seahawks have officially confirmed the previously-reported signings of offensive lineman Lemuel Jeanpierre and defensive tackle Travian Robertson, cutting offensive tackle Andrew McDonald and defensive back Steven Terrell to accommodate the new additions. Jeanpierre and Robertson will get a chance to play at center and defensive tackle, respectively, with Max Unger and Brandon Mebane injured.
- Chargers offensive lineman Jeromey Clary has been ruled out for the season and will remain on the reserve/PUP list, the team announced today in a press release. Clary needed to start practicing today if he hoped to play this season, but his hip injury will keep him sidelined until 2015.
AFC Notes: Hoyer, Oher, Broncos
Much has been made of Brian Hoyer‘s future as the impending free agent continues to inch the Browns closer to an improbable playoff berth, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter writes that, if Hoyer does leave Cleveland after 2014–which would “shock” at least one prominent talking head–the Texans would be a likely destination. As Schefter writes, “Hoyer trusts [Texans head coach Bill] O’Brien as much as any coach in the league from their time together in New England, per sources, and would welcome a reunion.” Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Cardinals‘ head coach during Hoyer’s one season in Arizona, would also have interest in bringing Hoyer to Tennessee. Schefter writes that a long-term deal between Hoyer and Cleveland will “get done only as soon as the Browns truly are ready to make Hoyer, not Johnny Manziel, their long-term quarterback.”
Now for some more links from the AFC (an NFC Notes post from this busy Sunday can be found here):
- The Titans are going to have to admit they made a mistake in handing a lucrative free agent deal to Michael Oher and find a new right tackle, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Kuharsky adds that Tennessee can get out of the Oher deal “clean” after one year and $6MM, but Michael Roos will not be Oher’s replacement and the team is not going to move Taylor Lewan from left tackle.
- Mike Klis of the Denver Post describes the issues the Broncos are having with locking up their top impending free agents with in-season extensions.
- Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post makes the case for the Broncos to sign free agent guard Richie Incognito.
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports explains why Broncos star wideout Demaryius Thomas is likely to get the franchise tag.
- In the first news to come out of this saga since July, two trucking companies have formally accused Browns owner Jimmy Haslam of directing a fuel rebate conspiracy, writes Tom Feran of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets that, if Reggie Wayne wants to continue playing after 2014, he will only play for the Colts. We learned earlier today that the Colts are preparing for life without their longtime stalwart.
- Leo Roth of the Democrat & Chronicle writes that the Bills should return to E.J. Manuel as their starting quarterback.
Extra Points: Goldson, Cowboys, Draft, Titans
As free agency and cap management is becoming more notable in teambuilding, Kevin Seifert of ESPN takes a closer look at six of the league’s most inflated contracts and the effects they are having on their team’s roster. He dissects the contracts of Jay Cutler, Ndamukong Suh, Joe Flacco, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Tony Romo, and how each team will likely deal with the large cap numbers going forward.
Here are some other notes from around the NFL:
- The Buccaneers put together one of the most high profile secondaries out of nowhere before the 2013 season, signing Darrelle Revis and Dashon Goldson and drafting Mark Barron at the top of the first round. Not long after, Revis was released and Barron was traded, leaving only Goldson on the roster, and he may be the next to go, writes Chris Wesseling of NFL.com. Goldson has played less as the season goes on, and with large money attached to his contract, the team may choose to go younger and cheaper at the safety position.
- Much has been made of the Cowboys as they approach their decision on what to do with offensive stars Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray, with many pundits and fans expecting long-term extensions for both. Murray also seems like an obvious franchise tag candidate, but Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News could see the Cowboys surprising us and rewarding Murray with the long-term deal while franchising Bryant at the higher tag price.
- Although the 2015 NFL draft order has not even been set, Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay of ESPN are already working hard to evaluate both the prospects available as well as the needs of NFL teams. They look at the possibility teams like the Raiders, Jets, Buccaneers, and Titans would take a quarterback such as Marcus Mariota of Oregon or Jameis Winston of Florida State at the top of the draft, and look at other questions surrounding the draft.
- The Titans may be in position to draft high at the top of the first round, but in no way will that be on purpose, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. “It is ludicrous to me. Fans don’t understand the situation we go through as players,” said tight end Delanie Walker. “No one wants to lose games for better picks. It just doesn’t happen. It would never happen. Just the thought is ludicrous.”
Workout Notes: Wednesday
The latest workouts and auditions from around the NFL..
- The Seahawks worked out Mister Alexander and Fred Evans, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
- The Chargers worked out offensive lineman Michael Huey, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Huey had a brief stint with the Chargers in August of 2011 and has also spent time with the Seahawks. The 26-year-old has also racked up a slew of awards during his time in the Arena Football League with the Arizona Rattlers. Washington also took a look at Huey (link).
- The Bucs worked out wide receiver Chandler Jones, running back LaDarius Perkins, guard Jon Halapio, quarterback Garrett Gilbert, wide receiver Jeremy Gallon, and running back David Fluellen, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
- The Titans worked out quarterback B.J. Coleman and wide receiver Ja-Mes Logan, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
Workout Notes: Tuesday
We’ll keep track of today’s workouts and visits here..
- The Colts worked out notable kick returner Josh Cribbs, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Cribbs is the NFL’s all-time co-leader in kickoff returns for touchdowns with eight.
- The Titans worked out former Packers first round pick Derek Sherrod, Yates tweets. The offensive tackle was cut by the Packers late last month.
- The Panthers also auditioned Sherrod and Kevin Greene, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post tweets.
- Defensive tackle Fred Evans tried out for the Seahawks, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today (on Twitter).
- The Saints tried out safeties M.D. Jennings and Kenny Phillips, according to Balzer (on Twitter). Jamarca Sanford was signed earlier today, so Jennings and Phillips probably won’t be coming to New Orleans.
- The Saints also auditioned running backs Andre Brown, Tim Hightower, Mikel LeShoure, and Rutgers alum Brian Leonard, according to Yates (via Mike Triplett on Twitter).
- The Packers looked at defensive tackle Kenny Horsley, safety Kimario McFadden, and linebacker Chaz Sutton, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Falcons are working out former Utah State center Tyler Larsen today, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
- The Dolphins worked out Jonte Green, Wilson tweets.
- The Seahawks worked out running backs Johri Fogerson, Stanley Havili, and Karl Williams, Wilson tweets.
- The Titans worked out tight end Dorin Dickerson today, Wilson tweets. The Titans removed him from the IR with an injury settlement in August.
Teams With Most Salary On Injured Reserve
On Friday, we took a look at the league’s highest-paid players to land on season-ending injured reserve. As I explained in that post, teams have control over how they use their cap space, but have little control over players’ injuries, so if highly-paid players end up on injured reserve, clubs may have limited flexibility to adequately replace them.
The next logical step then is to examine which teams have been the hit the hardest overall by season-ending injuries this year. Of course, a player’s cap number doesn’t necessarily reflect his importance – many of the league’s best players are underpaid – but when clubs devote significant chunks of their cap room to certain players, having those guys go down with injuries can be hard to overcome.
Listed below are the 14 teams who currently have more than $10MM in player salaries on season-ending injured reserve. Players who received the designation to return when they were placed on IR aren’t taken into account here, since those players could still contribute this season. Additionally, players on practice squad IR lists aren’t included, and cap numbers rather than base salaries are considered when adding up a team’s total IR cap hit. Here’s the top 14:
- St. Louis Rams: $30,605,636 (seven players)
- New York Giants: $22,033,726 (12)
- Oakland Raiders: $21,844,733 (8)
- Washington: $15,984,975 (7)
- Tennessee Titans: $15,202,696 (7)
- Atlanta Falcons: $14,885,479 (7)
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $14,617,538 (10)
- Arizona Cardinals: $14,230,500 (4)
- Philadelphia Eagles: $12,858,000 (5)
- Miami Dolphins: $12,567,956 (8)
- Chicago Bears: $11,210,500 (4)
- Cleveland Browns: $11,147,375 (4)
- Dallas Cowboys: $11,121,121 (7)
- San Diego Chargers: $10,316,892 (7)
So is there any correlation between a team’s “dead money” on the injured reserve list and its record? On the whole, the 13 clubs on this list combine for a 52-65 record thus far, which isn’t great. However, it gets a whole lot worse when we separate the top half from the bottom half — the first seven teams on this list have combined for an incredibly dismal 14-44 record.
Would some of those teams have been cellar-dwellers even without injury problems? Most likely. It’s hard to imagine a team like the Raiders, for instance, as even a .500 squad if they’d stayed completely healthy. Still, a few of those clubs were expected to compete for playoff spots, and the fact that they’ve fallen well out of contention likely has at least something to do with how much of their cap space is currently being devoted to players who aren’t actually playing.
Information from Over The Cap was used in the creation of this post.
AFC South Notes: Washington, Ball, Savage
Titans‘ wide receiver Nate Washington was rumored to be available at the trading deadline, and he knows that he could be playing in the last eight games with the team, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. “To be quite honest, I love Tennessee. I love the city, and I love the people. Would I love to retire here? Of course I would,” Washington said. “My family is here and we’ve kind of made this our home. But I can’t lie – some of those things run through your mind.” Washington is in the last year of a six year deal he signed with the Titans in 2009.
Here are some other notes from around the AFC South:
- Cornerback Alan Ball has been the Jaguars best defensive back this season, but with his contract up at the end of the year, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com does not see him coming back to the team next year.
- While Ball may be leaving the Jaguars, DiRocco sees the team using the draft and free agency to address other parts of the defense. DiRocco believes the team will look to add a defensive lineman, a free safety, and a pair of linebackers this offseason.
- The Texans will be starting Ryan Mallett when they come back from the bye week, but rookie quarterback Tom Savage could still see some game action this season. Tania Ganguli of ESPN addresses the chance that Savage takes over at some point, noting that if at some point the Texans decide Mallett is not the long-term answer, the logical move would be to see what they have in Savage this season.
Titans CEO Talks Roster, GM, Coach, London
Head of Titans ownership Tommy Smith, the team’s president and CEO, appeared today on 104.5 The Zone in Tennessee to discuss his club. At 2-6, the Titans are on their third quarterback of the season and have fallen out of postseason contention early in Ken Whisenhunt‘s first year with the team. While Smith expressed disappointment with the team’s record and place in the standings, he said he’s optimistic and looking forward to seeing what rookie Zach Mettenberger can do in the second half. Via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com, here are a few more highlights from Smith’s appearance:
- According to Smith, he speaks to general manager Ruston Webster every day and Whisenhunt two or three times per week. Asked if there’s any scenario in which he can imagine making a change at GM or head coach, Smith replied, “I can’t see that at all, no.”
- The Titans came into the season optimistic about the roster, but Smith recognizes there are many areas that need improvement and that there’s a lot of work to do. Admitting that he’s impatient and wants to see results immediately, the owner acknowledged that the team must be realistic about where it is. He identified the offensive line as one of the biggest disappointments on the roster, adding that he has told Whisenhunt he doesn’t care about where someone was drafted or what they’re being paid — if they’re not getting it done, they can be replaced.
- More Smith on the offensive line, which includes high draft picks Chance Warmack and Taylor Lewan, as well as offseason signee Michael Oher: “We have to get consistent performance out of the line. I know the coach is as upset about this as anyone. I know the players are professionals, they expect more of themselves. I’m hopeful and trustful that in the second half of the season we’re going to see better performance out of that group.”
- Smith indicated that the Titans would be happy to play a game in London if the league approached the club about it. However, he didn’t say whether or not he’d be willing to give up a home game to do so.
AFC South Notes: Mallett, Jaguars, Brazill
The Texans are going to give former Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett his first career start when the team comes back from their bye week on Sunday, November 16th. If Mallett can hold on to the job for the rest of the season, the draft pick the Texans will have to give the Patriots figures to increase from a seventh-rounder to a sixth-rounder, reports Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. Mallett needs to play only 40% of the snaps in order to meet this threshold, meaning he needs only 350 snaps (just under 52 snaps a game).
Here are some other notes from around the AFC South:
- The Jaguars are playing out the season conservatively, focused on not sacrificing long-term health to pad their win total in 2014, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. By protecting their better players and refusing to push them during this losing season, the team could struggle to find many more wins down the stretch, and end up with a very high draft pick.
- While the Colts are pushing for the top overall seed in the AFC, and the Texans looking to make the playoffs, the AFC South has not one but two teams in contention for the number one overall pick. Alex Marvez of Fox Sports One wrote a reverse Power Rankings, trying to figure out which teams would have the best shot of landing that top selection. Both the Jaguars and the Titans are both projected by Marvez to pick in the top five based on their play thus far and their schedule over the rest of the season.
- Former Colts receiver LaVon Brazill was released from the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).