Audition Notes: Wednesday
The Cowboys scheduled a visit for linebacker Will Smith, a source tells Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram. However, there might not be a spot for Smith after Tim Dobbins was picked up earlier today. The Cowboys have needs at offensive guard and at linebacker with injuries to starting left guard Ron Leary and starting weakside linebacker Justin Durant. Durant is done for the year while Leary is out with a groin strain. A look at today’s auditions from around the NFL..
- The Titans worked out defensive backs Malcolm Bronson, Deveron Carr, Marcus Cromartie, Keelan Johnson, Bacarri Rambo, and Trevin Wade this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
- Former Jaguars safety Chris Prosinski is visiting the Eagles today, a league source tells Wilson (on Twitter). The Jets auditioned Prosinski last week.
- The Broncos tried out defensive backs C.J. Barnett, Kip Edwards, and Jerron McMillian, Wilson tweets.
- The Texans, who signed Zac Diles and Ben Malena, also worked out Moise Fokou, Shayne Skov, and Scott Solomon, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
- The Raiders worked out Michael Egner, tight end D.C. Jefferson, and Jacob Pedersen, Wilson tweets. Jefferson, a Rutgers product, entered the school as a well-regarded quarterback and left as a tight end.
- The Bucs worked out Marvin McNutt before signing Tavarres King to the practice squad, Wilson tweets. King ostensibly took the spot that McNutt was in the mix for.
Poll: Who Is Most Likely To Be Traded?
The trade deadline is tomorrow at 4pm eastern time, and a number of prominent players have been the subject of swirling trade rumors over the past several weeks. After a nightmarish start to the season, the Buccaneers may be entertaining the idea of a fire sale, with Vincent Jackson, Doug Martin, and Dashon Goldson all potentially on the trading block.
The Titans, meanwhile, appear ready to usher in a new era with the insertion of Zach Mettenberger into the starting lineup, and they are reportedly taking calls on veterans Nate Washington, Michael Griffin, and Wesley Woodyard. The Bengals, who have regained control over the AFC North without much help from Jermaine Gresham, may be waiting for someone to meet what should be a fairly low price for Gresham’s services. And the Rams, who suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of the Chiefs yesterday after a surprising upset of the Seahawks in Week 7, could be shopping players like Kendall Langford and Zac Stacy.
We also learned yesterday that the Vikings could be taking calls on Adrian Peterson, Chad Greenway, and Greg Jennings. However, all of those players, for various reasons, are probably less likely to be on the move than some of the other names mentioned above.
Indeed, given the level of interest in his services, the struggles of his current team, and his potential impact on a new club, the player who may be the most likely to be dealt is Jackson. This is despite NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport’s belief that Tampa Bay would not settle for less than a second-round pick in exchange for its top wideout.
But that’s just one person’s opinion. Odds are, of course, that no one will be traded; that’s simply the status quo when it comes to the NFL trade deadline. And several head coaches whose teams were rumored to be active participants in the trade market said today that they did not expect their clubs to pull the trigger on a deal. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, even though he lays out a number of trades that he thinks would be beneficial for teams who appear destined for losing records in 2014, acknowledges that seeing one of those trades come to fruition would be very surprising.
However, reality is not always exciting. So, with that in mind, which of the above players do you think are mostly likely to be traded? Do you think a different player will be on the move? Or do you live so relentlessly in the real world that you think all of this smoke will fail to give rise to a single fire?
Poll: What Player Is Most Likely To Be Traded?
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Vincent Jackson 27% (265)
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Everybody's staying put 24% (234)
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Doug Martin 18% (178)
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Someone else 7% (66)
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Zac Stacy 5% (53)
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Adrian Peterson 4% (39)
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Dashon Goldson 4% (37)
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Nate Washington 3% (34)
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Jermaine Gresham 2% (24)
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Wesley Woodyard 1% (13)
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Greg Jennings 1% (13)
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Chad Greenway 1% (10)
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Michael Griffin 1% (9)
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Kendall Langford 1% (8)
Total votes: 983
Monday Roundup: Cutler, Trades, Landry
Our Zach Links wrote earlier that Bears GM Phil Emery is not currently thinking about parting ways with head coach Marc Trestman, and Emery and Trestman both reaffirmed their support for embattled quarterback Jay Cutler one day after Chicago’s embarrassing Week 8 loss to the Patriots. As Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com writes, Emery and Trestman remain committed to Cutler, attempting to accentuate the positives in their signal caller’s performances while acknowledging the struggles.
Emery claimed that his club’s decision to stick with Cutler has nothing to do with Cutler’s salary, but ESPN’s John Clayton is understandably skeptical. In his “Clayton Minute” video segment, Clayton says that, given the Bear’s $18MM annual commitment to Cutler, Chicago simply has no other choice than to hope that Cutler can right the ship.
- Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times writes that Emery has been approached with “two or three interesting” trade proposals, but nothing that helps the Bears win in 2014. As Emery stated that the team is far from giving up hope on this season.
- Derek Carr is showing tremendous promise and the Browns have to be second-guessing their decision to target Johnny Manziel in the draft instead of him, writes Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer.
- Browns head coach Mike Pettine says that the team’s phones are ringing but cautions that the deadline brings few trades in comparison to the amount of talk that happens, tweets Nate Urlich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.
- Citing ESPN’s Adam Schefter, CSNBaltimore.com staff reports that the league has levied a $1.4MM salary cap charge on the Ravens as a result of Ray Rice‘s grievance against the club. According to Schefter, it is normal practice for the NFL to make such a move when a grievance is pending. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun writes that the cap charge reduces the Ravens’ cap room to about $4.1MM. Baltimore may need to utilize some of that room, as star cornerback Jimmy Smith is expected to miss “a few weeks” with a left foot sprain, according to Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com.
- Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt said that his club is unlikely to make any more trades,according to Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com (via Twitter).
- The Colts are in no hurry to bring back LaRon Landry after his four-game PED suspension, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com looks at how Jon Beason‘s salary, and the Giants‘ salary cap, will be affected by Beason’s season-ending injury.
Zach Links contributed to this post
More Trade Rumors: Bucs, Eagles, Pats
Let’s take a look at a couple more trade-related items to add to this morning’s rumors:
- In addition to fielding calls for star wideout Vincent Jackson, the Buccaneers may also be willing to deal Doug Martin, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (citing ESPN’s Adam Schefter). Florio adds that Tampa Bay could see Martin as expendable given that rookie Charles Sims is close to a return from his ankle injury.
- Florio writes in a separate piece that the Eagles are looking for safety help, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the Buccaneers Dashon Goldson and the Titans‘ Michael Griffin could be had at the right price.
- In yet another article, Florio writes that the Patriots are shopping for a running back. Might Tampa Bay’s Martin be a fit?
Trade Buzz: V-Jax, Rams, Vikings
There seems to be more buzz surrounding this year’s NFL trade deadline than in years past, and Michael Fensom of the National Desk points out that Week 8 will be the final “audition” for those players who have generated the most interest, including the Buccaneers‘ Vincent Jackson and the Bengals‘ Jermaine Gresham. Fensom also observes that, since January 2012, the teams that have made the most trades are also among the most successful clubs on the field.
Of course, as CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes, the odds that a major trade comes to fruition are pretty slim, especially since so few teams are clearly out of the hunt at this point in the season. That does not mean, however, that it is not worth your while to take a look at some of the latest trade buzz. The trade deadline is Tuesday, October 28:
- NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the Eagles, Patriots, and Seahawks are among the teams calling about Jackson. He adds (via Twitter) that the Chiefs are also involved. He points out, however, that the Buccaneers are looking for real value in any trade involving Jackson, and Rapoport defines “real value” as a second-round pick (Twitter link).
- Rapoport tweets that another player that could be on the move is Rams DT Kendall Langford, who has generated some interest. La Canfora believes that St. Louis may have also fielded some calls on RB Zac Stacy.
- La Canfora writes that the Raiders are willing to deal Matt Schaub, but there is unsurprisingly not much of a market for him.
- La Canfora adds that players who had previously been discussed as trade possibilities, like the Eagles‘ Brandon Graham, have since been taken off the table.
- Fensom reasons that, given the Seahawks‘ reported interest in tight ends, Seattle is a potential landing spot for Gresham.
- Our Zach Links recently wrote that Titans WR Nate Washington has been made available via trade, but Fensom writes that other Tennessee players like Wesley Woodyard and Michael Griffin are also rumored to be available.
- There is also speculation that the Vikings are looking to sell, and Fensom lists Adrian Peterson, Chad Greenway, and Greg Jennings as potential trade chips.
Extra Points: McCoy, Woodyard, Mosley, Smith
The Buccaneers and Gerald McCoy exchanged countless proposals and they have been working on a deal every week since before camp, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It’s a deal that both sides wanted and they got it done with a reported seven-year, $98MM extension earlier today.
Here are some other notes from around the NFL:
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com put together his thoughts on the McCoy deal, noting that the Buccaneers have a bunch of cap space available and they had to spend it somewhere.
- If the Titans trade linebacker Wesley Woodyard, who was just signed this offseason as a free agent, it’ll be an indictment on their front office, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. It’s not a good idea to hang on to someone who isn’t working out or is a bad fit, but the Titans couldn’t afford to have missed so badly on a pricey addition. (Nearly 12% of our readers believe Woodyard will be traded.)
- With Lions‘ defensive tackle C.J. Mosley suspended and away from the team, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press was asked if the fans would finally get to see Larry Webster play significant snaps. Birkett thinks Webster will get a few snaps, but as a defensive end he will not be replacing Mosley’s playing time.
- Jets‘ quarterback Geno Smith has struggled as the team fell into a 1-6 start, but after the addition of Percy Harvin, Smith has what amounts to a nine-game audition to prove he deserves a chance to be the team’s quarterback in 2015, writes Kimberly Martin of Newsday.
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
Shonn Greene Arrested
12:45pm: ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky tweets that Greene’s roster spot is not in jeopardy following the arrest.
11:10am: Titans running back Shonn Greene was arrested last night on a variety of charges, reports Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. The most serious was a resisting stop charge that Wyatt attributes to Greene leaving the scene of an incident. Greene was also charged with “a handicap parking violation, driving on a revoked/suspended license, reckless driving and resisting stop/halt/frisk.”
According to Wyatt, the entire incident began in Franklin, Tennessee when Greene parked his car in a handicap space. After being approached by a parking enforcement officer, the 29-year-old attempted to get away, nearly hitting the officer’s car while attempting to drive around the vehicle. Greene then sped away from the scene, and he eluded police a second time when he was later caught in traffic.
Greene turned himself in around 9 p.m., posted a $2K bond and was released by 10:38 p.m.
Sergeant Charles Warner said that the running back escalated the entire event:
“The entire situation could have been avoided if he would have left that handicap space for who it was intended for. The fact that he didn’t and got caught being parked there, he could have stopped things from going any further than a parking ticket if he would have simply communicated with the parking enforcement officer and not taken such evasive measures to get away from her, increasing the seriousness of what would have been a simple parking ticket.”
Greene has compiled 190 yards on 44 carries this season, his second with the team. He inked a three-year deal worth $10MM prior to last season.
Titans GM Downplays Trade Rumors
The Titans are off to a slow start this season, having fallen well back of the playoff teams at 2-5, and the team’s decision to start rookie Zach Mettenberger at quarterback this weekend indicates that the focus has shifted from contending to rebuilding. As such, several veterans have been cited as potential trade candidates, but general manager Ruston Webster isn’t anticipating a busy deadline for his team, as Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com details.
“We actively traded Akeem [Ayers]; that was something we were working on and trying to do and was good for both parties,” Webster said today on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville. “Outside of that, there’s really nothing imminent, nothing on the back burner. I’d be surprised if anything happened before the trade deadline.”
While Ayers had been a key contributor on defense in past seasons, the new coaching staff didn’t have a spot for him, and the return in this week’s trade was minimal — the Titans upgraded from a seventh-round pick to a sixth-rounder for the 2015 draft. There’s a chance the team could do a little better than that for some of its trade chips, but none of them are potential difference-makers that will move the needle significantly for a contender or net the Titans a high draft pick.
Wide receiver Nate Washington, linebacker Wesley Woodyard, and safety Michael Griffin have all been mentioned as players potentially on the block. A PFR poll this morning asked which of those players is most likely to be dealt, and Washington is currently the leader with nearly 50% of the vote. About 20% of you lean toward Webster’s apparent stance, voting that none of those three players will be moved.
The trade deadline is scheduled for Tuesday at 3:00pm central time, so Webster still has about 95 hours to change his mind and swing a deal. We’ll have to wait and see whether the rebuilding Titans indeed stand pat.
Cap Notes: Rice, Kerley, Trades
With the trade deadline approaching, it’s worth keeping an eye on which teams have cap room to spare and which clubs don’t have much flexibility to make moves. Before we get into that though, we have a couple notes on how a pair of players will affect their respective teams’ (or former teams’) caps. Let’s dive in….
- Because Ray Rice filed a grievance against the Ravens in an attempt to recoup his 2014 base salary, he’ll count against the cap for 40% of that disputed amount, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. Because Rice had been in line for a $3,529,412 salary, the cap charge for Baltimore works out to $1,411,765.
- Adam Caplan of ESPN.com adds another note on Jeremy Kerley‘s contract details, tweeting that the Jets wideout has $3.841MM in fully guaranteed money at the time of his signing, with an additional $2MM becoming guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2015 league year.
- As Albert Breer of the NFL Network considers whether there will be any deals of note before Tuesday’s trade deadline, he points out that 15 teams have less than $5MM in cap space, which could make it tricky to complete any sort of significant move.
- Breer goes on to add that there are six teams with more than $10MM in cap room: The Jaguars ($22.84MM), Browns ($19.06MM), Eagles ($16.31MM), Jets ($12.82MM), Titans ($11.86MM), and Patriots ($10.54MM).
Poll: Who Will The Titans Trade?
The NFL trade deadline is just days away and recently there has been a lot of chatter about the 2-5 Titans, who apparently don’t want to wait until the offseason to start their newest rebuilding process. Tennessee traded linebacker Akeem Ayers and a seventh-round choice to the Pats for a sixth-round pick earlier this week and that might not be the last trade they pull off in October.
Three veteran players in particular have been identified as trade candidates, and wide receiver Nate Washington is the biggest of the bunch. Washington is in the final year of his six-year, $26.8MM deal and the Titans, who aren’t in the playoff picture right now, aren’t eager to pay out ~$282K per game to the 31-year-old. Of course, that doesn’t mean other clubs wouldn’t be willing to take on that obligation. The Bengals are one team that could benefit from adding Washington to the fold. Rutgers alum Mohamed Sanu has emerged as a legitimate option in the passing game, but Cincinnati could use reinforcements, especially if A.J. Green isn’t back on the field this Sunday. Moving Washington wouldn’t just save money, it would allow the Titans to see how sophomore Justin Hunter responds to being their unquestioned No. 1 receiver.
Safety Michael Griffin, who has a Tennessee tenure nearly as long as Washington’s, is said to also be on the block. Like Washington, Griffin also boasts an impressive track record of durability, playing 16 games per season from 2007-2012, 14 games in 2013, and playing in all seven games thus far in 2014. In those 14 games last season, Griffin recorded 82 tackles, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) was also bullish on him, giving him an overall grade of 6.1, good for 14th amongst all qualified safeties in the NFL last season. The advanced metrics haven’t been nearly as kind to him this season – he’s 75th out of 82 safeties – but another team could try getting him back to his old form in a different scheme.
Just hours ago, linebacker Wesley Woodyard was added to the list of Titans trade possibilities. Woodyard just signed with the Titans in the offseason on a four-year deal worth up to $16MM with $4.75MM in guarantees, so his inclusion came as something of a surprise. Still, with a youth movement taking place in Tennessee, it appears that GM Ruston Webster is willing to move Woodyard and possibly carve out more snaps for rookie Avery Williamson.
So, with the Tuesday deadline drawing closer, who do you think will be on the move?
Who Will The Titans Trade?
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Nate Washington 49% (130)
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None of those three players 21% (56)
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Michael Griffin 17% (46)
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Wesley Woodyard 12% (32)
Total votes: 264