2015 June - Pro Football Rumors

Ten Teams Placed Claims On Tim Wright

June 15th, 2015 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

Tim Wright returned to his old team last week, when the tight end, having been cut by New England, landed with the Buccaneers, who have the NFL’s No. 1 waiver priority this offseason. However, Tampa Bay was far from the only club to place a claim on Wright. According to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), nine other teams – 10 in total – submitted claims for the former Patriot.

Besides the Buccaneers, the teams that tried to land Wright before he reached free agency were the Jets, Bears, Falcons, Browns, Saints, Dolphins, Chiefs, Steelers, and Lions, says Yates. Most of those clubs have somewhat uncertain tight end situations — for instance, the Browns and Saints recently lost Jordan Cameron and Jimmy Graham, respectively, and the Bears aren’t sure when Martellus Bennett will report to the team.

The myriad suitors for Wright makes it even more surprising that the Patriots simply waived him last week. The young tight end just turned 25, and had racked up 80 receptions, including 11 touchdowns, in his first two years in the NFL. With Scott Chandler now in New England, Wright may not have fit into the team’s future plans, but the number of waiver claims placed for him suggests that the Pats might have been able to squeeze at least a late-round pick out of an interested club.

The Bucs have taken advantage of their top waiver priority multiple times so far this offseason, with the addition of Wright simply acting as the latest example. Tampa Bay also added former Browns punter Spencer Lanning via waivers last week, and claimed veteran safety D.J. Swearinger back in May.

Extra Points: Clowney, Charles, Nelson, Carr

June 14th, 2015 at 8:39pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFL as we wrap up the weekend…

Jadeveon Clowney‘s rookie campaign was cut short by injuries, but Texans head coach Bill O’Brien is confident the first-overall pick will be fully healthy by the start of the season. “I think he’s gonna be there for the opening game against Kansas City,” O’Brien told Michael Silver of NFL.com. “I think he’s going to make it back, and I’m really looking forward to that. He’s working very hard to get back.”
While Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles has struggled through assorted injuries during his career, the 28-year-old is optimistic that he can play at least another half-decade in the NFL. “(The game) has changed,” Charles told Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star. “They’ve got all kinds of technology now, all kinds of medicine people have come up with to stay healthy. At the end of the day, an ACL you couldn’t play (with), it was the end of a career. Now they’ve got all kinds of things that you can be back in like five or four months. The future is changing, football is changing, sports are just changing…I want to play another six years, so my form is to keep on taking my diet. I’m seeing guys at 37 or 38 still playing football in the trenches, and that’s somewhere where you don’t want to play.”
Packers wideout Jordy Nelson told Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his recovery from hip surgery is on track (Twitter link). The receiver noted that he received no warning prior to playing a softball game, indicating that the injury is no longer an issue. “Not a single person said anything,” Nelson said. “I was kind of shocked.”
Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News believes if cornerback Brandon Carr doesn’t live up to his salary in 2015, the Cowboys shouldn’t have any issue cutting him. The team will have a better idea of Bryon Jones‘ talents, and they’ll also get a year to evaluate the oft-injured Morris Claiborne.

AFC Links: Browns, Broncos, Wilkerson, Pagano

June 14th, 2015 at 7:44pm CST by Ben Levine

While the loss of Josh Gordon will be a huge hit to the Browns‘ receiving corps, rookie Vince Mayle acknowledged to Nate Ulrich of the Beacon Journal that the team’s wideouts aren’t focused on the loss of their leader.

“It’s just going to be a team effort,” Mayle said. “We’re not really worried about replacing Josh Gordon. We’re focusing on the guys in the room. We’d love to have him, but right now we’re working with what we’ve got. There’s a great group of guys. They all have really good strengths, and they’re all really good to learn from. I’m really happy to be in a room with these guys because they’re all really helpful.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of the AFC…

No team is wasting less money than the Broncos, argues Mike Klis of 9News in Denver. The team has only $1.2MM in dead money (the second-lowest total in the league), and they have only $6.9MM in cap space (the fourth-lowest total in the league). According to Klis, only the Jets approach the Broncos in their “dollar-per-active player allocation,” as New York has $5.28MM in cap room and $3.4MM in dead money.
ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini examines the many outcomes of the Jets/Muhammad Wilkerson situation. The writer ultimately predicts that the defensive lineman with report to training camp, play the 2015 season under his current contract, and be slapped with the franchise tag following the season. Based on the comments made by Wilkerson’s agent (which indicated the his player is “willing to put the team ahead of his own contractual status”), Cimini surmises that the 25-year-old won’t be holding out.
Cimini writes that right guard is a major concern for the Jets, and he believes the organization should be on the phone with representatives for Evan Mathis. The writer suggests a two-year, $6MM deal.
Despite Jim Irsay and the Colts‘ one-year contract offer to head coach Chuck Pagano, ESPN.com’s Mike Wells doesn’t believe the situation will turn into a distraction. If the Colts perform up to expectations, Wells believes Pagano can expect to be paid a “nice lucrative deal” by either the Colts or another franchise.

Chargers GM On Weddle, Rivers, Liuget

June 14th, 2015 at 6:33pm CST by Ben Levine

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco is a busy man. Having just completed an extension for defensive lineman Corey Liuget, Telesco will now shift his focus to two other key members of the team: safety Eric Weddle and quarterback Philip Rivers.

Weddle skipped the team’s voluntary workouts, and he’s also spoken out against the organization’s handling of negotiations. The 30-year-old is entering the final year of his five-year, $40MM contract. Meanwhile, Rivers is set to be a free agent following the 2015 season, and he’ll be paid $15.75MM in the final year of his contract. The 33-year-old was mentioned in trade rumors throughout the offseason.

Telesco talked with Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith of The Mighty 1090 AM radio late last week, and ESPN.com’s Eric D. Williams transcribed the conversation. We previously passed along some of Telesco’s quotes regarding Weddle, but we’ve compiled some of the other intriguing soundbites below…

On the ongoing negotiations with Weddle, and whether the safety will show up to minicamp next week:

“Each negotiation, each discussion is just different. In his case, he’s up there at the top of the market where he’s paid right now.”

“I expect him to, but we’ll see next week. But I’d expect him to be here. … He’s a pro. He’s a big part of this team. We know everything about him. We’ll know he’ll be ready to go. I’m not worried about that at all.”

On the organization’s discussions with Rivers:

“We still have open lines of communication, but there’s really nothing new to report right now. We’ll continue to hopefully talk and see how it goes.”

“The numbers are pretty big, so the conversations do take some time. But we’ll keep working at it, and we’ll see where it goes.”

On Liuget’s five-year extension:

“It was nice to get him extended. Corey is a very disruptive layer, and he plays a very important position in our defense. The 3-tech defensive tackle makes that whole front go, and he has that type of ability. He turned 25 just a couple months ago. He still has a really high ceiling. There’s still a lot of good football in front of him, and still a lot of skills in front of him. So I don’t even think we’ve seen the finished product yet.”

Vikings Notes: Peterson, Zimmer, Barr, Crichton

June 14th, 2015 at 5:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Barring an unexpected move, star running back Adrian Peterson will be playing for the Vikings in 2015. His wife, Ashley, told ESPN.com’s Tania Ganguli that she’s happy her husband is back with Minnesota, but that she would have preferred to move closer to her home in Oklahoma.

“I am happy that he’ll be going back,” she said. “They have supported us. I just would personally, for me, I would’ve preferred to be closer to home. That’s just a personal preference for me. The Vikings have been supportive of him and the fans have been pretty supportive, so we’re happy to be going back.”

When asked if her opinion has anything to do with how the organization treated her husband, Ashley gave a vague response:

“Well, the thing is, kind of, but you never know how that would’ve played out with anyone else. Just kind of have to go with the flow on that. I personally would’ve preferred to be closer to my family. I’m having a baby and all that.”

Let’s check out some other notes from the North Star State…

Head coach Mike Zimmer doesn’t have a particular “style” or “scheme,” but Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune writes that the outlook is refreshing. Previous Vikings coaches have ultimately been unsuccessful with their particular philosophies, but Zimmer’s “fly by the seat of my pants” attitude is exactly what the organization needs. “I just try to be myself,” he said. “My only strategy was that, especially around the defense, I wanted to show them that in the meeting rooms and by the way I’m teaching them with the tape and with techniques, that they can believe that I can coach.”
Linebacker Anthony Barr has been present for the team’s OTAs, but a knee injury has prevented the former first-rounder from participating. While the second-year player had arthroscopic knee surgery following last season, FoxSports.com’s Brian Hall writes that Barr is currently struggling with a separate injury. “He’s got another injury, but I really don’t want to talk about it,” Zimmer said. “He’s going to be fine.”
Defensive end Scott Crichton struggled during his rookie campaign as he adjusted to the Vikings’ system. ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling says the second-year player has surprised during OTAs, and his head coach has also noticed the improvement. “He’s not thinking so much,” Zimmer said. “He’s more attacking and then playing football as opposed to thinking and then playing football. In a lot of those ways he’s improved a lot. We’ve moved him inside some and he’s flashed a little bit in there, but again, I’m being cautious with my evaluations.”

NFC East Notes: Mathis, Pot Roast, Cowboys

June 14th, 2015 at 4:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Evan Mathis is likely to interest several clubs in the coming weeks/days, but don’t expect the Giants to be among them, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. It’s not that New York couldn’t use help at guard, according to Raanan, but that Big Blue won’t fork over the kind of financial commitment that Mathis will likely be looking for. After signing their two remaining unsigned draft picks, the Giants will have less than $5MM in cap space to use, meaning Mathis is probably out of their price range.

Here’s more from the NFC:

Calling himself the biggest steal in free agency, Washington defensive tackle Terrance Knighton plans to score big on the open market after his current one-year deal expires. “…I’ve always bet on myself,” Knighton told Don Banks of Sports Illustrated. “I consider myself a premier player in this league, and I’ve got a lot of football left. This will be my seventh season, so when I hit the table again, there won’t be any excuses next time.”
More Mathis: Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines the veteran guard’s release, arguing that the move was just the latest transaction proving that Chip Kelly is remaking the Eagles as he sees fit.
In his latest mailbag at ESPN.com, Todd Archer answers several Cowboys-related queries, including whether Dallas will aim to improve the interior of its defensive line, the potential impact of Terrance Williams, and the club’s depth chart at receiver.

PFR Originals: 6/7/15 – 6/14/15

June 14th, 2015 at 2:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The original content produced by the PFR staff during the past seven days:

After looking at the offensive side of the ball last week, Luke Adams examined the largest 2015 cap hits among defensive players. Veterans such as Darrelle Revis, Patrick Peterson, and Mario Williams will all carry costly figures, but Panthers end Charles Johnson tops them all with a $20.02MM hit.
Luke also asked which quarterback among Russell Wilson, Philip Rivers, and Eli Manning will sign an extension first. Currently, Wilson holds a majority of the votes with just over 50%.
In another poll, Zach Links wondered if Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson is worth $100MM, as his teammate Sheldon Richardson concluded. PFR readers overwhelmingly disagree with Richardson’s assessment, as more then 80% of voters don’t think Wilkerson should surpass $100MM.
Check out our Extension Candidate series, where we’ve profiled contract year players such as Sam Bradford, Marshal Yanda, Kelechi Osemele, Blair Walsh, and Andrew Whitworth.
Finally, we’d greatly appreciate it if you’d take our quick survey on how to improve your Pro Football Rumors experience.

Week In Review: 6/7/15 – 6/14/15

June 14th, 2015 at 1:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

Key News:

The troubled relationship between the Eagles and Evan Mathis came to an end Thursday, as the club released the veteran guard.
The Chargers and defensive tackle Corey Liuget agreed to a five-year, $51.25MM extension, the details of which can be found here.
The Giants have not opened extension talks with quarterback Eli Manning, who is heading into his contract year.
Receiver Dez Bryant is threatening to sit out the season opener if he and the Cowboys don’t reach a deal before the July 15 deadline.

Signed/Re-Signed:

Bears – CB Tracy Porter (link)
Browns – S Tashaun Gipson (final RFA to re-sign)
Dolphins – DT C.J. Mosley (link)
Patriots – CB Derek Cox (link) and QB Matt Flynn (link)
Saints – DT Kevin Williams (link)
Seahawks – QB Tarvaris Jackson (link)
Titans – C Fernando Velasco (link)

Released:

Patriots – LB Brandon Spikes (link; now faces multiple charges)

Waivers:

Buccaneers – claimed P Spencer Lanning from the Browns (link) and TE Tim Wright from the Patriots (link)

AFC Mailbags: Browns, Titans, Raiders

June 14th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are some points from some of the AFC mailbags emerging on Sunday.

Tashaun Gipson‘s signing of his second-round restricted free agent tender could help expedite the Browns‘ Pro Bowl safety in his push for a long-term deal, writes Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The longtime Browns beat reporter expects the team to make him a lucrative offer to Gipson in the near future. He’ll play for just more than $2MM this season, which will be his age-25 campaign.
Cabot expects either Isaiah Crowell or Terrance West to rush for 1,000 yards this season and sees rookie Duke Johnson mixing in, probably on third downs, but not usurping the team’s second-year duo just yet. Although Crowell ended up being the go-to back by season’s end in 2014 despite being regarded as the third choice to start at this point last year.
ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky views the Titans‘ latest Pac-12 top-10 quarterback as a far better product than their last, with Marcus Mariota‘s leadership skills and pro-ready ability dwarfing recently retired Jake Locker‘s.
He of six sacks in three seasons as mostly a Falcons reserve, Jonathan Massaquoi should be the Titans’ third edge-rushing talent behind Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo, notes Kuharsky. Although he wouldn’t characterize the corps as injury-prone despite Morgan’s past ACL tear and Orakpo’s two season-ending chest injuries, Kuharsky views Tennessee’s pass-rushing contingent as thin.
Sio Moore should be ready to start the regular season after major offseason hip surgery, notes Bill Williamson of ESPN.com, but the Raiders scribe notes it’s not a lock and that Malcolm Smith is the just-in-case option.
The 25-year-old Moore’s health will go a ways to helping a pass rush that Williamson doesn’t believe was appropriately bolstered in the offseason. Khalil Mack remains a potential superstar and was Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 4-3 outside linebacker last year, but Justin Tuck‘s five sacks still led the team last year and second-rounder Mario Edwards Jr. (eight sacks in his college career at Florida State) looks in line to start at end.

West Rumors: Wilson, Manning, Berry

June 14th, 2015 at 11:26am CST by Sam Robinson

With talks between the Seahawks and Russell Wilson on the fourth-year quarterback’s second contract at a standstill, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times looks at why that’s the case.

One factor, Condotta points out, for the offseason impasse is how Seattle operates offensively. In Wilson, who rated as Pro Football Focus’ 13th-best quarterback last season, leading a run-heavy attack with a perennially menacing defense acting as a safety net, the team may view a player whose potential for growth beyond the lofty heights to which he’s already ascended is limited based on what he’s asked to do.

“That could be a consideration from Seattle, at least currently, as to why they have not offered a top-of-the-market contract just yet,’’ OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald told Condotta. “When you look at some of the contracts they have offered — whether it was Marshawn Lynch, Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Percy Harvin and so on — cost was never an issue.

“ … The fact that they are not doing the same for Wilson could indicate that they feel what you see now is his ceiling and there is no more upside.”

As Condotta points out, Wilson’s 96.8 career passer rating ranks behind only Aaron Rodgers among active quarterbacks, so the Seahawks’ reported four-year, $87MM offer won’t cut it when the Super Bowl-winning signal-caller, due to make the 44th-most money ($1.5MM) among quarterbacks this season, has outperformed his rookie deal to this degree. And the lack of urgency for the 2016 free agent, a label that’s pretty insignificant at this point since Wilson is highly unlikely to have that option any time soon, could work in his favor.

“Whenever you have a good-to-great player, the longer you wait, the more it’s going to cost you,” CBSSports.com’s Joel Corry told Condotta.

Let’s look at some other Sunday news items from the Western NFL locales.

Mired in a battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphomy, Chiefs Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry “looks really good,” Travis Kelce noted after helping out with one of Berry’s youth camps recently, reports Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star. The sixth-year safety who remains without a return timetable was reportedly fully engaged in the camp’s operation.
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post looks at Peyton Manning‘s status entering his age-39 season a tanner, fitter player. The Broncos future Hall of Famer’s legendary work ethic’s seeped into his latest challenge, with Cody Latimer noting how in tune Manning already was with new coach Gary Kubiak‘s playbook when the 2014 second-round pick participated at Manning’s Duke camp. Kubiak’s system, while new to Manning, doesn’t quite have the nuances of his previous setup, possibly accelerating this learning curve.