LDN - Sports

NFL notebook: Dolphins fire offensive line coach

[July 30, 2019] The Miami Dolphins fired offensive line coach Pat Flaherty in the first week of training camp, promoting analyst Dave DeGuglielmo into the role Monday.

The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted that "Flaherty struggled to implement the new system, and it's been an issue since the spring. It's why DeGuglielmo was brought in."

Offensive line is among the biggest concerns for new head coach Brian Flores, who is taking over after the team went 7-9 last season.

Flaherty, 63, has been an offensive line coach in the NFL since the 2004 season, when he joined the New York Giants under coach Tom Coughlin. DeGuglielmo, 51, is in his third stint on Miami's coaching staff, having served as offensive line coach from 2009-11 and in 2017. He spent last season with the Indianapolis Colts, where he was fired in January.

--Cam Newton is on a pitch count in training camp, recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and an injury he now says should have kept him on the sideline.

But with the Carolina Panthers fighting for a possible wild-card spot last year, Newton said he felt it was his job as the quarterback of the Carolina Panthers to be on the field.

"I felt as if I wanted to give my team everything that I had honestly," Newton said in an interview with Peter King. "Being hurt, being injured ... looking back at it, it probably wasn't the smartest, efficient thing, knowing that I left it all out there on the field. And if you asked me if I'd do it again, I'd do it again."

--Washington Redskins safety Landon Collins shifted the figurative bull's-eye on the New York Giants to a more literal one.

In a live interview with NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the former Giants safety said he would run over New York general manager Dave Gettleman if he got too close on the sidelines during pregame.

Collins called Gettleman a "liar" earlier this offseason and hasn't tempered his emotions since. He expected to be tagged as the Giants' franchise player in February but was allowed to enter free agency, where he signed a six-year, $84 million deal with Washington.

--Former first-round defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, who was released Saturday by the Arizona Cardinals, cleared waivers and became a free agent.

Any team that claimed him off waivers would assume the $1.6 million remaining on the final year of his contract. The Cardinals let him go before Nkemdiche was due a $400,000 bonus had he been on the roster on the fifth day of camp.

Nkemdiche, who turns 25 in September, had been on the physically unable to perform list as he continues to recover from a December tear of his ACL, but he reported to camp last week in poor shape.

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--Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Keith Reaser was carted off the field in practice, and coach Andy Reid told reporters it appeared he sustained a torn Achilles.

In April, he became the first player from the Alliance of American Football to sign with an NFL team after the AAF abruptly shut down. This is his second stint with the Chiefs. He previously played for the San Francisco 49ers (2014-17) and the Chiefs (2017).

--Cameron Meredith was released by the New Orleans Saints. The 26-year-old wide receiver had signed a two-year, $9.5 million offer sheet with the Saints as a restricted free agent of the Chicago Bears in 2018.

Meredith never regained his pre-injury form following a torn ACL in the 2017 preseason with the Bears. He played in six games with the Saints last season but was not a participant in organized team activities or minicamp due to issues with his knee.

--The New England Patriots restructured right tackle Marcus Cannon's contract, according to NFL Network.

Cannon, 31, now has $4.5 million in guaranteed money for this season, per the report. The Patriots also reportedly added incentives that could boost the total value of his contract.

--Saying that he feels treatment of African Americans is "going backward," Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid said he will keep taking a knee during the National Anthem before games.

Reid, who joined the Panthers three weeks into the 2018 season, kneeled before every game last season, although no Panthers teammates joined him.

--Quarterback Vincent Testaverde, whose father was the No. 1 pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987, signed with the Bucs.

The younger Testaverde started his college career at Texas Tech and then moved on to his father's alma mater, Miami, before ending up at Albany. In one season with the Great Danes, he started eight games and threw for 1,714 yards and 11 touchdowns while completing 53.4 percent of his passes.

--Field Level Media

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