NFL News

When Chris Cooley discussed making an NFL comeback over the summer, it appeared his heart was set on rejoining his old team in Washington. However, the veteran tight end has a workout lined up with another NFC East team, the Giants, this Tuesday, according to ESPN 980 in Washington (Twitter link).

Cooley, who now works as an on-air personality for ESPN 980, indicated back in July that he was contemplating an NFL comeback after nearly three years away from the game. In nine seasons with Washington from 2004 to 2012, Cooley hauled in a total of 429 receptions -“ the all-time high for any tight end in franchise history – 4,711 receiving yards, and 33 touchdowns. The former third-round pick made his first Pro Bowl appearance in 2007, catching 66 balls for 786 yards and eight touchdowns, and followed that up in 2008 with another Pro Bowl nod, thanks to his 83 catches and 849 yards.

Considering he hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since the 2012 season, it seems unlikely that Cooley would return to the game at this point, or that a team would have interest in adding him to its 53-man roster. But the 33-year-old said last week that he still wants to play, and it appears the Giants would like to at least take a look at him.

The Giants haven’t gotten a whole lot of production out of their tight ends so far this season, with Daniel Fells and Jerome Cunningham battling injuries behind starter Larry Donnell.

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Through three weeks of the 2015 NFL season, 28 of the league’s 32 teams have managed to record at least one victory, with the Seahawks, Eagles, and Colts among the clubs that got into the win column in Week 3. However, that still leaves four teams that have lost all three of their games so far — the Ravens, Bears, Lions, and Saints.

While most of those teams didn’t show up in many preseason Super Bowl predictions, they all had playoff aspirations, and it will be a significant uphill battle for any of them to earn a postseason berth now. The Bears and Saints are in particularly rough shape, with their starting quarterbacks banged up and out of action this past weekend.

Here are the upcoming schedules for all four teams over the next five weeks, as they look to turn their respective seasons around:

• Baltimore Ravens: at Steelers, vs. Browns, at 49ers, at Cardinals, vs. Chargers
• Chicago Bears: vs. Raiders, at Chiefs, at Lions, Bye, vs. Vikings
• Detroit Lions: at Seahawks, vs. Cardinals, vs. Bears, vs. Vikings, at Chiefs
• New Orleans Saints: vs. Cowboys, at Eagles, vs. Falcons, at Colts, vs. Giants

None of those schedules are a cakewalk, but there are some winnable games in the mix. The Saints, for instance, should be favored against the Tony Romo-less Cowboys if Drew Brees returns to action this weekend. The Ravens have the underachieving Browns and Niners on their schedule. And the Bears and Lions play each other in Week 6, so at least one of them should come out of that game with a victory.

What are your thoughts on the NFL’s four remaining winless team? Will any of them turn things around and make a run at a postseason spot? Which team will take the longest to pick up a win? Will be seeing two or three of these clubs at the top of the 2016 draft order? Weigh in below in the comments section!

Last week, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported that the Seahawks would be working out quarterback-turned-wide-receiver Terrelle Pryor. We later heard word of Pryor’s tryout with the Jets, though it wasn’t clear if he ever made it to Seattle. Today, Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk writes that the ex-Raiders signal-caller is auditioning for the Seahawks as a receiver this week. While PFT’s report makes it sound like it’ll be Pryor’s first workout with the Seahawks this season, La Canfora suggests (via Twitter) that the 26-year-old is auditioning for the club “again.”

Whether it’s Pryor’s first or second tryout for Seattle, it’s clear the team is interested in seeing what he can do as a wideout. While he didn’t last long on the Browns’ roster, Pryor has enough speed and athleticism to make him an interesting – albeit raw – project, so we’ll see whether or not the Seahawks decide to take a flier on him.

In the meantime, let’s check in on some other items from around the league….

• The idea that the Jets would sign both Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson to blockbuster deals “has always been a fairytale,” writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Although he cautions that the team hasn’t given up on the idea of negotiating a multiyear extension for Wilkerson, Mehta suggests that perhaps the standout defensive lineman could be franchised in 2016 and then used a trade chip to try to move up in the draft to land a franchise quarterback.
• It’s probably too early to start talking about Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin being on the hot seat, but defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle may not last much longer in Miami if the club’s poor defensive play continues, says Jason Cole of Nerdy Football (video link).
• Player agent Todd France has officially joined CAA Sports, bringing approximately 50 NFL clients with him, writes Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal. Broncos wideout Demaryius Thomas and Bills defensive lineman Marcell Dareus are among France’s clients who got lucrative, long-term contracts this year.

10:31am: Kai Forbath, Shayne Graham, and Carey Spear are also part of today’s workout for the Eagles, per Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link).

10:13am: Alex Marvez of FOX Sports reported earlier today that the Eagles would be auditioning kickers today after Cody Parkey re-aggravated a preseason groin injury during Sunday’s game, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has provided some additional details, tweeting that ex-Changers kicker Nick Novak is working out for Philadelphia.

After Marvez tweeted that there are at least two other free agents in attendance, Rapoport reported those names as well, tweeting that Caleb Sturgis and Billy Cundiff are getting a look from the Eagles. Connor Barth, Jay Feely, and ex-Eagle Alex Henery are among the other notable veteran kickers who are currently without NFL jobs, but it doesn’t sound like they’re being considered by Philadelphia.

Novak, 34, had been the Chargers’ full-time kicker from 2011 to 2014, making 101 of his 117 field goal attempts (86.3%) during his time in San Diego, including 11 of 17 from 50+ yards. However, he was beaten out in camp this year by the younger, cheaper Josh Lambo, and was released by the Chargers earlier this month.

Sturgis, meanwhile, was the Dolphins’ kicker for the last two seasons, but his performance was a little shakier, as he missed eight field goal attempts in each of his two seasons with the team, for an overall mark of 77.5%. He lost his job to Andrew Franks this year. As for Cundiff, he kicked for the Browns in 2013 and 2014, converting 78.2% of his field goal tries.

If Novak, Sturgis, or Cundiff impresses the Eagles, it won’t necessarily result in a deal — according to Marvez, it’s unclear whether Parkey will be healthy enough to kick for Philadelphia in the club’s Week 4 game against Washington. Today’s workout may just be a fact-finding mission to identify the best alternative in case Parkey’s groin ultimately keeps him out of action.