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Largest 2014 Cap Hits By Position Group: Defense

September 1st, 2014 at 9:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Earlier this offseason, our Luke Adams examined the largest 2014 cap hits by position on both offense and defense, scrutinizing the most expensive individual cap charges for next year. The list that follows, while along the same lines, tabulates the largest cap hits by position group. Some overlap in the lists is unavoidable — if a single player has an exorbitant cap charge, it will inevitably raise the team’s cap hit for his position as a whole. After taking a look at positional group spending on offense a few weeks ago, we’ll examine defensive cap figures here.

Looking at both the offensive and defensive lists, 14 of 32 NFL teams appear on neither ranking — each of those franchises can somewhat be placed into one of three buckets. The Bears, Bengals, Broncos, Cardinals, Falcons, Patriots, and Ravens are contending teams whose cap management techniques have been lauded. The Bills, Buccaneers, Jets, Raiders, and Texans are rebuilding squads who aren’t looking to break the bank on one player.

The two clubs that remain, the Colts and Saints, are harder to classify. Each is successful team, to be sure. However, many of Indianapolis’ free agent additions have been criticized, while New Orleans’ cap management approach has been widely denounced. What these lists show, though, is that neither club has overly-invested at any one position. Yes, the Colts have benefited from Andrew Luck‘s rookie contract, and the Saints’ methods might prove unworkable. But perhaps each team is more interested in spreading the wealth and maintaining depth than it seems.

Defensive line:

  1. Panthers, $37.716MM
  2. Lions, $37.403MM
  3. Rams, $35.462MM

Even with starting tackle Star Lotulelei playing on a rookie contract, Carolina still tops this list thanks to Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy‘s combined 2014 cap hit of nearly $30MM. The Panthers have spent their money wisely, though, as the team ranked second in adjusted sack rate and ninth against the run, per Football Outsiders. Ndamukong Suh‘s league-leading cap figure of $22.413MM pushes Detroit to second place. The Rams could top this list sooner than later, as Richard Quinn, Michael Brockers, and Aaron Donald are all under rookie deals for the time being.

Linebacker:

  1. Packers, $29.346MM
  2. Steelers, $28.59MM
  3. Chiefs, $24.785MM

Scheme differentiation plays a part in the linebacker rankings — simply due to the value placed on pass-rushing LBs, teams that employ 3-4 fronts will shoot to the top of this list. In fact, of the 10 teams that spend the most on linebackers, eight use a 3-4 look as their primary defense. Packers Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones, and Julius Peppers all have 2014 cap hit north of $3.5MM. The Steelers are something of an outlier, as their top defensive cap charge is that of Lawrence Timmons, an inside linebacker — his $11.816M cap number is No. 1 among all LBs. Outside rusher Jason Worilds is second among Pittsburgh defenders, as he is playing under the $9.754MM franchise-tag figure. The Chiefs, another 3-4 team, are paying big money to Tamba Hali (second-highest cap number among LBs), and could rise on this list if they extend Justin Houston, who currently counts just under $1.6MM against the cap.

Cornerback:

  1. Cowboys, $22.048MM
  2. Packers, $19.704MM
  3. Browns, $18.473MM

At corner, we come to the first real oddity among positional spending: Despite counting $2MM+ more against the cap than any corner unit in 2014, the Cowboys CBs are anything but impressive — they finished 27th in DVOA against the pass last season, per FO. Brandon Carr and his $12.217 cap figure (first among corners) was highly ineffective in 2013, grading as just the 58th-best CB in the league, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Green Bay has a reputation for penny-pinching, but that really only applies to free agency — as their rank here and on the LB list shows, they’re willing to invest in their own players. Joe Haden‘s cap charge of $12.129MM is second only to Joe Thomas among Browns; first-rounder Justin Gilbert will count just $2.333MM against Cleveland’s 2014 cap.

Safety:

  1. Seahawks, $16.089MM
  2. Chiefs, $14.385MM
  3. Titans, $14.008MM

The Seahawks are led by perhaps the best safety in the league, Earl Thomas, who will count $7.373MM against the cap next year. His backfield mate, Kam Chancellor, has a $5.835MM cap number. Tampa Bay (Dashon Goldson, Mark Barron) is the only other team that has two safeties within its top-10 2014 cap hits. Eric Berry, a benefactor of the old CBA, has the Chiefs’ highest cap charge, barely edging out Hali. The Titans have something of a three-headed monster at S, with Michael Griffin, Bernard Pollard, and George Wilson each seeing snaps in the backfield. Tennessee seems to have invested well, as each member of the triumvirate ranked within the top 25% of safeties last season, per PFF. Griffin has the highest 2014 cap figure at $8MM.

Contract information from Over the Cap was used in the creation of this post.

Minor Moves: Monday

September 1st, 2014 at 9:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

We’ll keep track of today’s minor transactions here, with any updates being added to the top of the post:

  • After cutting one linebacker earlier today, the Jets have signed another, adding A.J. Edds, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Edds, 26, was selected in the fourth round of the 2010 draft by the Patriots. To clear a roster spot, New York released cornerback Ellis Lankster.

Earlier Updates:

  • The Seahawks have swapped out a pair of receivers by signing Bryan Walters while waiving Phil Bates, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). Walters, 26, had been waived Saturday as Seattle trimmed their roster to 53, but he’s now back with the team.
  • The Cowboys officially announced the signing of linebacker Korey Toomer, and in order to clear a roster spot, waived safety Jemea Thomas, tweets Brian McIntyre. Dallas claimed Thomas, a 2014 sixth-round pick, off waivers from New England just five days ago.
  • Receiver Kyle Williams was released from the Chiefs’ injured reserve list with an injury settlement, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Williams, whose most notable playing time came with the 49ers, suffered a shoulder injury in Kansas City’s final preseason game.
  • The Jets claimed receiver Walter Powell off waivers from the Cardinals, tweets Symmetry Reps, his agency. To make room for Powell, the Jets cut Jeremiah George, per Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).
  • The Patriots were awarded safety Don Jones off waivers from the Dolphins, reports Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). Jones was in the news during the offseason after making inflammatory comments about Michael Sam. New England waived guard Chris Barker to clear a roster spot.
  • The Raiders have placed linebacker Kaelin Burnett on injured reserve, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN; the 24-year-old Nevada product had been dealing with a knee injury.
  • The following players were released from their teams’ respective IR lists with injury settlements, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (series of Twitter links): offensive tackle Matt Patchan (Buccaneers); cornerback Justin Green, defensive tackle Zach Minter, and defensive back Johnny Thomas (Cowboys); linebacker Tim Fugger (Jets); defensive tackle Michael Brooks and linebacker Horace Miller (Seahawks).

AFC Notes: Jones, Carr, Tannehill

September 1st, 2014 at 8:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots’ waiver claim of ex-Dolphin safety Don Jones might be more intriguing that it seems, writes Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. New England plays Miami Week 1, leading Reiss to surmise that Bill Belichick is attempting his patented move of bringing in an upcoming opponent’s castoff in order to glean inside information. Rules prevent practice squad players from signing with his ex-team’s next opponent, but per my reading of the CBA, there is no such restriction on waiver claims. Therefore, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald argues, the Dolphins essentially enabled Belichick’s strategy by cutting a competent player the week before they play the Pats. Salguero believes Miami should claim offensive lineman Chris Barker (who New England waived to facilitate Jones’ addition) as retaliation of sorts, though I’m not sure engaging in back-end roster shuffling with Belichick is the best of ideas.

More from the AFC:

  • In a separate piece, Reiss reports the Patriots worked out long-snapper Kevin McDermott earlier today. New England cut incumbent LS Danny Aiken on Saturday, leaving linebacker Rob Ninkovich as the the top snapping option on the 53-man roster.
  • Following the news that rookie Derek Carr will be the Raiders’ starting quarterback (in lieu of Matt Schaub), Ian Rapoport of NFL.com opines that Schaub’s injury “[gave] the Raiders cover” for doing what they always wanted to do — name Carr the starter (Twitter link via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com).
  • Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune agrees with Rapoport, observing (on Twitter) that it will be difficult for the Raiders to sell the QB switch as “anything but performance-based” given that Schaub has returned to practice (and is presumably somewhat healthy).
  • More on the Raiders: Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap notes (via Twitter) that Oakland has spent a first-, second-, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-round pick on quarterback trades since 2012. Those QBs — Jason Campbell, Carson Palmer, Matt Flynn, and Schaub — will have started 45 combined games if Carr doesn’t relinquish the No. 1 role, tweets Fitzgerald.
  • Alex Smith‘s contract extension with the Chiefs may have set the bar for the upper-middle-class of quarterbacks, and James Walker of ESPN.com wonders if Smith’s deal will affect future negotiations between Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins.

Raiders Name Derek Carr Starting QB

September 1st, 2014 at 8:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

8:02pm: Allen confirmed to reporters, including Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (on Twitter), that Carr will be the Raiders’ starter, noting that it’s not a week-to-week proposition — Schaub is the clear No. 2.

5:14pm: After the Raiders acquired Matt Schaub from the Texans over the offseason, it was widely assumed the veteran would be the team’s starting signal-caller come Week 1. However, just six days before Oakland’s opener against the Jets, the team has made a depth chart alteration, as Jay Glazer of Fox Sports 1 reports (Twitter link) that rookie Derek Carr will start at QB against New York.

Schaub had been dealing with an elbow injury throughout the preseason, but head coach Dennis Allen contended that the ailment was not serious. However, Schaub’s absence allowed Carr, the 36th overall selection in May’s draft, to take the quarterback reins during Oakland’s exhibition games. The Fresno State product ran with the starting role, completing 67% of his passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns. Admittedly, Carr’s success came mostly against backups, but the numbers are still impressive for a player who was considered something of a project coming out of college.

Glazer’s report indicates that Carr will be the starter going forward, rather than just a temporary replacement until Schaub is healthy. Carr will be the only rookie QB to start for his team in Week 1, as the Jaguars, Browns, and Vikings opted against starting Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater, respectively. For his part, Schaub will earn $8MM while acting as the No. 2 quarterback — another $3MM is available to him via incentives, but they are likely unreachable unless he re-takes the starting job at some point.

Josh Gordon To Decide On Lawsuit This Week

September 1st, 2014 at 7:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After his one-year suspension was upheld last week, Browns receiver Josh Gordon was reportedly exploring his legal options, with a lawsuit against the NFL perhaps his best recourse. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Gordon and his legal team will decide “in the next day or two” whether to press ahead with courtroom action.

As Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports detailed last week, Gordon would likely seek an injuction, similar to the one that stymied drug-related suspensions for Kevin Williams and Pat Williams in 2008, that would allow him to return to the field immediately, and continue playing until the case is resolved. Per Florio, this will be a difficult task, as a court would need proof that Gordon was likely to eventually win the case.

It’s doubtful such a lawsuit would be successful, writes Florio, unless a court finds an obscure Ohio law that contradicts the NFL’s drug program. While noting that Gordon doesn’t have much to lose by at least attempting to sue, Florio writes that Gordon should be wary of upsetting the league, as the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell have the discretion to allow the receiver to return from his ban before one calendar year expires. Making headlines by facing the league in court might not be the optimal manner by which to endear oneself to NFL management.

Practice Squad Updates: Monday

September 1st, 2014 at 6:33pm CST by Luke Adams

We rounded up the first wave of practice squad additions in a series of posts by division yesterday, which you can check out on our Transactions page. Several more teams have announced new practice squad players today, or made slight changes to their units, so we’ll round up that news right here:

6:33pm:

  • The 49ers have filled out their practice squad by adding cornerback Chance Casey and running back Kendall Gaskins, the team announced in a press release.

4:37pm:

  • The Browns have added wide receiver Charles Johnson and offensive lineman Karim Barton to their practice squad, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Twitter).
  • Cornerback Khalid Wooten will be the 10th man on the Titans‘ practice squad, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.

4:07pm:

  • The Seahawks have added defensive end Julius Warmsley and defensive back Josh Aubrey to their practice squad, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
  • The Redskins have finalized their practice squad by adding safety Akeem Davis and linebacker Chaz Sutton, the club announced today (Twitter link).
  • Cornerback LeQuan Lewis has been added to the Jets‘ practice squad, according to the team (via Twitter).

2:46pm:

  • The Rams have finalized their practice squad by adding linebacker Denicos Allen, wideout Emory Blake, safety Christian Bryant, and quarterback Garrett Gilbert, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). That means Michael Sam isn’t among the 10 players on St. Louis’ squad.
  • The addition of Henry Josey to the Jaguars‘ practice squad has officially been announced by the team in a press release. We had noted below that although his signing had been previously reported, Josey wasn’t among the first list of names released by the club.
  • The Ravens have announced the signing of offensive lineman Marcel Jones to their practice squad, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.

1:31pm:

  • The following players are now on the Browns‘ practice squad: James Brown, OL; Jacobbi McDaniel, DL; Emmanuel Ogbuehi, TE; Keith Pough, LB; Justin Staples, LB; and Patrick Lewis, C. The first five names are listed on the team’s official site, while the addition of Lewis was reported by Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Alex Gillett‘s time on the Packers‘ practice squad didn’t last long — he was replaced today by cornerback Jumal Rolle, tweets Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
  • The Buccaneers have signed safety Kimario McFadden, cornerback Derrius Brooks, and linebacker Carlos Fields to their practice squad, according to the team’s official site.
  • Katherine Terrell of the New Orleans Times-Picayune provides the last few names to be added to the Saints‘ practice squad: safety Pierre Warren, guard Antoine McClain, nose tackle Lawrence Virgil, and tight end Nic Jacobs.
  • The Eagles have signed quarterback G.J. Kinne for their practice squad, per the team’s official site.
  • Fullback Nikita Whitlock is the latest addition to the Cowboys‘ practice squad, the team announced today.
  • The Vikings filled the final spot on their practice squad by adding cornerback Chris Greenwood, says Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
  • Defensive end Zach Thompson is now on the Broncos‘ practice squad, according to the club.
  • The Chiefs filled the final opening on their practice squad by signing defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter).
  • Wide receiver Freddie Martino and tight end Kyle Miller have joined the Falcons‘ practice squad, per the team’s official site.
  • One more housekeeping note: Yesterday, running back Henry Josey and fullback Kiero Small were reported as having joined the Jaguars‘ and Browns‘ practice squads, respectively. However, when those teams announced their PS rosters, those players weren’t included. There haven’t been any reports indicating those agreements fell through, so we’ll keep an eye on both situations. For now though, we won’t be including those players in our master list of practice squad rosters, which will be published this afternoon.

49ers, Alex Boone Rework Contract

September 1st, 2014 at 6:19pm CST by Rob DiRe

MONDAY, 6:19pm: Boone has passed his physical and returned to the 49ers, the team announced in a press release. San Francisco has asked for a roster exemption for Boone, who must be added to the 53-man roster before he is eligible to play.

SUNDAY 11:29am: Pro Bowl guard Alex Boone is expected to report to the 49ers within the next 24 hours, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter). He and the team have agreed to a reworked two-year contract in order to get him back with the team.

A key part of the deal is language that prevents the team from franchising him at the end of the two year deal, reports Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). Boone will be a true free agent at the end of the new deal, free to sign with any team.

Boone was set to make $3.7MM total over the next two years, and that number would increase to $6MM during the length of the contract, reports Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). They also note that the team has waived all fines and bonus forfeitures related to the holdout (via Twitter).

Rams Claim Case Keenum Off Waivers

September 1st, 2014 at 5:06pm CST by Luke Adams

5:06pm: In order to clear a roster spot for Keenum, the Rams have placed tight end Justice Cunningham on injured reserve, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter).

3:51pm: The Rams have claimed quarterback Case Keenum off waivers from the Texans, a team official tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Keenum had been cut yesterday by Houston after the club acquired Ryan Mallett in a trade with the Patriots.

According to Schefter, the Rams spent a lot of time during the last 24 hours researching Keenum, who was the odd man out on a Texans depth chart that also featured Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tom Savage. Keenum, 26, started eight games last season for Houston and posted respectable numbers, including 1,760 passing yards and nine touchdowns to go along with just six interceptions.

For a Rams team that will be without Sam Bradford for the season, Keenum could immediately put pressure on Shaun Hill, who is expected to open the season as the team’s starter. St. Louis will have to make a corresponding roster move to officially open up a spot for Keenum and add him to the roster.

2014 NFL Practice Squads

September 1st, 2014 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to the 46 players active for regular season games and the seven additional roster players made inactive on game days, NFL teams are permitted to construct 10-man practice squads. The players on the squad work out and practice with the players on the active roster, but aren’t eligible to participate in games.

For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units.

Listed below are the current practice squad rosters for each NFL team. We’ll keep this list up to date throughout the year as players are shuttled on and off of these squads, so be sure to use the link in the sidebar on the right, under “PFR Features,” to keep tabs on the latest.

If you have any corrections, please contact us. Here are 2014′s NFL practice squads:

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Jets Sign Phillip Adams, Cut Quincy Enunwa

September 1st, 2014 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jets have added a veteran cornerback to their secondary, announcing today that Phillip Adams has signed with the team. To create an opening on the 53-man roster, the Jets waived wide receiver Quincy Enunwa, one of their 12 draftees this year.

Adams, 26, spent the last two seasons with the Raiders, appearing in all 16 games in 2013. The former seventh-rounder was also the team’s primary punt returner in 2012, when he returned 25 punts for 139 yards. Adams, who finished the 2013 season with 30 total tackles and a fumble recovery, joined the Seahawks for camp this year, but was part of the team’s roster cutdown this past weekend.

Adams will become part of a Jets secondary that appears to be the shakiest area of the defense heading into the 2014 season. Cornerback Dimitri Patterson was the team’s most notable free agent signing in the secondary this offseason, and he was cut by the club on Saturday after having gone AWOL last weekend.

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