Let’s swing around the league to round up some links this afternoon:
- Yesterday, we posted a tweet from Chris McCosky of the Detroit News indicating that guard Rob Sims wanted to reach an extension with the Lions, and today McCosky has published a full-length piece on Sims’ hopes to avoid free agency.
- Rich Tandler of RealRedskins.com writes that the Redskins will probably carry nine offensive linemen this season (they carried eight in 2013), and he also examines the team’s punter battle.
- Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com notes that the 49ers have $5.725MM in cap space after the Colin Kaepernick extension, the Blake Costanzo signing, and the post-June 1 removal of Carlos Rogers‘ salary from the books. However, Maiocco writes that there is no indication the team is close to new deals with any players seeking extensions.
- Bill Williamson of ESPN.com believes Jonathan Baldwin has no chance of making the 49ers roster as a receiver.
- Head coach Marc Trestman says that the Bears‘ signing of Jimmy Clausen has nothing to do with the performance of Jordan Palmer, according to Blake Schuster of the Chicago Tribune.
- Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (subscription required) looks at five pressing questions facing the Rams this summer.
- Greg Gabriel of the National Football Post finishes his list of the top second-and third-round draft choices from last month’s draft to keep an eye on in 2014.
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com, in response to a reader who wondered if Jets GM John Idzik did not pursue a No. 1 receiver this offseason because of the talent that could be available in the 2015 free agent class of receivers, writes that newly-acquired Eric Decker is, and will be, the No. 1 guy in New York. Cimini appears to imply that the Jets will not be active in the elite wide receiver market next season.
- Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com examines the Jaguars‘ salary cap situation in 2014 and how much of their $28.4MM in cap space they might roll over into 2015.