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NFC Notes: Cardinals, Galette, Holmgren, JPP

July 25th, 2015 at 12:28pm CST by Ben Levine

Cardinals wideout Damond Powell was shot Friday night at his home in Toledo, Ohio, the city police announced today (via Fox10Tv.com). The undrafted rookie was reportedly sitting in his driveway with friends when shots were fired from a car down the street.

Police do not believe the injuries to be life-threatening, and they’ve yet to make an arrest.

The Iowa star finished his two-year career with 31 receptions for 608 yards and five touchdowns. He also added three rushes for 23 yards. The 22-year-old was among 14 undrafted free agents to be picked up by the Cardinals in May.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFC…

  • Several Saints players told Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller that Junior Galette was a “cancer” in the locking room. The writer praises the Saints for the move, citing the team’s desire to change the culture of the franchise. Meanwhile, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett says the Saints should be “ripped” for making a bad investment, but should also be “applauded” for not letting money cloud their judgement.
  • Mike Holmgren had reached out to the 49ers regarding their head coaching vacancy, but the 67-year-old was told the organization wanted someone younger. “I probably needed to hear that because you get your ego stroked and you’re flattered when people call you and you kind of get into a place where I’m not sure you’re making great decisions, but when I heard that I said, ‘Okay, I needed to hear that and now I’m going onto other things,’” Holmgren told CBS Sports’ Rich Eisen (via ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio).
  • Giants legend Phil Simms told SiriusXM (via Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News) that defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul should have trusted the organization following his firework accident. Simms cited the organization’s willingness to work with injured players, and Samuel notes that the team held on to David Wilson this past season despite the player suffering a career-ending injury.

Mike Zimmer On Vikings Offseason, Peterson, Offense

July 25th, 2015 at 11:29am CST by Ben Levine

The Vikings didn’t make many notable moves via free agency this offseason, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t active. The team got rid of quarterbacks Matt Cassel and Christian Ponder, and they also brought in wideout Mike Wallace. They welcomed ten draft picks to the organization, agreed to an extension with center John Sullivan, and restructured Adrian Peterson‘s three-year deal.

Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune sat down with head coach Mike Zimmer to discuss the team’s offseason moves and his outlook for next season. We’ve collected some of the notable quotes below…

On the team seemingly ignoring free agency and prioritizing the draft:

“When you get involved in free agency, you’re paying players an awful lot of money, No. 1. And you don’t really know. It could be the system that helped them. You don’t know their personality, their work ethic, how they are in the locker room with chemistry. You try to find these things out, but you don’t really know. At least with young players, if you do make a mistake, it’s a lot cheaper. And all the work that the scouts and everybody does, getting a chance to interview the players at the combine and see them in person moving around, I just think it’s the more proven way to go.”

On the Adrian Peterson extension:

“We just thought it was beneficial for both sides that we got this done. He’s proved that he’s an integral part of this organization and in the state of Minnesota. He also went through some hard times, as did we. It was a good gesture on both sides to get it done.”

On the “additions” of Peterson (suspension), Kyle Rudolph (injury) and Mike Wallace (trade), and how the trio will help the offense:

“The possibilities are there and those are the things that excite you, that you have some players with some talent and ability. But then we have to go out there and do it and prove it. If I was trying to defend us, there would be a number of weapons that you would have to take care of, and I think that’s always good. The more weapons that people have a hard time taking away from you, it opens up more things for you. It’s almost pick your poison.”

Patriots, Ryan Allen Agree To Extension

July 25th, 2015 at 10:06am CST by Ben Levine

After having extended kicker Stephen Gostkowski last week, the Patriots wrapped up another key member of their special teams today. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the team has signed punter Ryan Allen to a three-year contract extension.

An undrafted rookie out of Louisiana Tech in 2013, Allen’s been the Patriots’ punter for the past two seasons. He’s averaged 46.1 yards a punt during his career, and he’s landed 54 balls inside the 20. The 25-year-old certainly made a name for himself during this past year’s championship game, when he recorded the longest punt in Super Bowl history.

Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) aren’t particularly fond of his performance, however. He ranked 20th among 34 punters during his rookie campaign, and he dropped to the bottom six in 2014.

Steelers Extend GM Kevin Colbert

July 25th, 2015 at 9:33am CST by Ben Levine

The Steelers and general manager Kevin Colbert have come to an agreement on a contract extension, the team announced today in a press release. The deal is for two years, and it will keep him on board through at least the 2018 draft.

After having served as the Steelers director of football operations for 11 seasons, Colbert was promoted to general manager in 2010. The team made it to the Super Bowl during his first year on the job, and the Steelers have compiled a 51-29 record since he took over. The 58-year-old is also credited for having an important role in the construction of the team’s Super Bowl victories in 2005 and 2008.

“I am happy to announce that we have extended Kevin Colbert’s contract for two additional years,” Steelers’ President Art Rooney II said. “Kevin’s work and footprint on our football operations have been a key factor in our success. We are excited Kevin will continue to lead our personnel department for at least the next three years.”

“I am truly grateful to Art and Mr. Rooney for the opportunity to continue my career with the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Colbert said. “It is with great anticipation that we enter into the 2015 season in pursuit of another Super Bowl championship.”

The Steelers have been active this month, having extended head coach Mike Tomlin through 2018 and wrapping up a six-year deal for defensive end Cameron Heyward. Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo tweets that the team may not be done, noting that the Steelers have also started talks with offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum.

Offseason In Review: Indianapolis Colts

July 24th, 2015 at 8:54pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The 2014 campaign ended horrifically for the Colts, whose season came crashing down in a 45-7 loss to the Patriots in the AFC championship game. In response, Indy spent the offseason adding multiple established veterans on both sides of the ball in hopes of overthrowing the Pats and earning a Super Bowl trip for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

Notable signings:

The Colts had the NFL’s third-ranked offense last year, but that belied a subpar rushing attack that finished 22nd in yardage and 25th in per-attempt average. Their most productive back, Ahmad Bradshaw, suffered a season-ending broken fibula in November. Bradshaw was hardly a workhorse when healthy, though, exceeding double-digit carries just four times in 10 games. Enter Frank Gore, the longtime 49er whom the Colts signed to a three-year, $12MM deal in free agency. Gore gives the Colts something they’ve been missing for a while – a durable, productive back. Despite his advanced age relative to the position, the 32-year-old Gore’s production certainly hasn’t stalled. In 2014, the 10-year veteran appeared in all 16 games, surpassed the 250-carry mark, and rushed for 1,100-plus yards. It was the fourth straight season in which Gore accomplished all three of those feats simultaneously. Moreover, he has never amassed fewer than 4.1 yards per carry in a season – another welcome change for a Colts team whose previous leading rusher, Trent Richardson, totaled a paltry 3.3 yards per attempt last year.

The Colts’ other big offensive move in free agency was to further beef up an Andrew Luck-led passing game that led the league in yardage last year. Indy signed wideout Andre Johnson, who had been with AFC South rival Houston his entire career (since 2003), to a three-year, $21MM contract. Like Gore, the 34-year-old Johnson is on the wrong end of the aging curve, but he also remains a viable weapon. Johnson caught 85 passes last season, though he averaged a meager 11.0 yards per reception (his lowest total since 2005) and racked up only three touchdowns. Bear in mind, though, that Johnson isn’t far removed from a two-year stretch that saw him haul in 221 catches and over 3,000 yards from 2012-13. Additionally, Johnson stands to benefit from the presence of Luck, who is far more talented than any quarterback he played with in Houston. In Johnson, Luck should have another solid target to accompany T.Y. Hilton, Indy’s undisputed No. 1 receiver, first-round wideout Phillip Dorsett and tight end Coby Fleener.

Defensively, the Colts finished a respectable 11th in the league last season. However, the Patriots exposed them twice – once in a 42-20 November shellacking and in the aforementioned AFC title game blowout. New England rushed for a ridiculous 423 yards in those games, and quarterback Tom Brady was basically untouched in both matchups (Indy sacked him once in total). The Colts responded to the latter issue by signing a couple of vets in linebacker Trent Cole (two years, $14MM) and lineman Kendall Langford (four years, $17.2MM).

The 32-year-old Cole added 6.5 sacks for the Eagles last season, giving him 85.5 during the decade he spent in Philadelphia, and Pro Football Focus ranked him a solid 12th out of 46 qualifying OLBs (subscription required) for his pass rushing.

As for Langford, the most impressive fact about the seven-year veteran’s career is that he never missed a game in either of his previous stops (Miami and St. Louis). He’s just two years removed from a career-high five-sack season and thinks the best is yet to come as part of the Colts’ 3-4 defense.

“I feel like I’m back at home in a 3-4 scheme,” Langford told the Colts’ official website last month. “I’m excited about it.”

Head coach Chuck Pagano echoed Langford’s sentiment.

“Kendall Langford, you guys are going to be surprised,” Pagano said. “You think we just brought in a run stopper, but he’s shown in some of these 11-on-11 drills that he’s got some pass rush capabilities, will get push inside.”

The Colts’ pass rush looks better on paper with the acquisitions of Cole and Langford and the return of linebacker Robert Mathis – who led the league with 19.5 sacks in 2013 before missing all of last year with a torn Achilles’. While the Colts did rank ninth in sacks in 2014, they lacked fearsome pass rushers and had to rely too much on blitzing to generate pressure.

Elsewhere on defense, the Colts retained three of their own key players – linebacker Jerrell Freeman, cornerback Darius Butler and Pro Bowl safety Mike Adams – and signed ex-Broncos LB Nate Irving. The Colts hope the 27-year-old Irving, whom PFF ranked 12th among 60 qualifying 3-4 ILBs against opposing ground games last year (subscription required), can help improve their 18th-ranked run defense and make less them less vulnerable against teams like the Patriots.

Notable losses:

The Colts said goodbye to some recognizable names during the offseason, including Reggie Wayne – one of the franchise’s all-time best players – but general manager Ryan Grigson adequately replaced most of them. Johnson, Dorsett and second-year man Donte Moncrief will do more than enough at wideout to make the losses of Wayne and Hakeem Nicks easy to swallow. If his career is any indication, Gore will be a major improvement over both Bradshaw and Richardson. Langford, on the other hand, has his work cut out for him in grabbing the reins along the D-line from the retired Cory Redding and the released Ricky Jean-Francois, who combined for 1,300-plus snaps last year. Redding was particularly impressive in 2014, appearing in over 70 percent of Indy’s defensive snaps and drawing significant praise from PFF for his play.

Trades:

  • Acquired a 2015 third-round pick (No. 65; CB D’Joun Smith) and a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 109; S Clayton Geathers) from the Buccaneers in exchange for a 2015 second-round pick (No. 61; G Ali Marpet) and a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 128).
  • Acquired a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 151; DT David Parry) from the 49ers in exchange for a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 165; P Bradley Pinion) and a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 244; OL Trenton Brown).

Extensions/Restructures:

Draft picks:

  • 1-29: Phillip Dorsett, WR (Miami): Signed
  • 3-65: D’Joun Smith, CB (Florida Atlantic): Signed
  • 3-93: Henry Anderson, DE (Stanford): Signed
  • 4-109: Clayton Geathers, S (UCF): Signed
  • 5-151: David Parry, DT (Stanford): Signed
  • 6-205: Josh Robinson, RB (Mississippi State): Signed
  • 6-207: Amarlo Herrera, LB (Georgia): Signed
  • 7-255: Denzelle Good, T (Mars Hill): Signed

The Colts pulled off a surprise in the first round when they added yet another receiver in Dorsett, an ex-Miami Hurricane who tries to make up for less-than-ideal size (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) with explosiveness (a 40-yard dash time of 4.29, 24.2 yards per catch in college). Dorsett is similar to the 5-9, 178-pound Hilton in stature and style, and one wonders if the Colts chose the former as a potential long-term replacement for the latter. Hilton could potentially depart Indy as a free agent next offseason, which would leave the Colts looking for a star-caliber, field-stretching wideout. Regardless of what happens with Hilton, the Colts hope Dorsett can be just that, and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton expects him to make an immediate impact.

“His play speed is exceptional,” Hamilton told Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). “We can attack the field vertically.”

Indy also may have added another couple immediate impact types in a pair of third-round picks, cornerback D’Joun Smith and defensive end Henry Anderson.

Smith, who intercepted nine passes at Florida Atlantic (including seven in 2013), gives the Colts depth behind Vontae Davis, Darius Butler and Greg Toler, and could wrest playing time from the latter two if they don’t improve on last year’s performance. Both Butler and Toler surrendered ratings of over 102 to opposing quarterbacks, according to PFF – which ranked Butler 67th and Toler 99th, respectively, out of 108 qualifying corners (subscription required).

If Smith’s anywhere near as good as he is confident, he’ll be a huge pickup for the Colts.

“Under the right tutelage and the right coach that’s going to make my technique even better, I’m probably going to be the best cornerback to play the game,” Smith told the Colts’ website in May.

As for Anderson, the Colts picked the ex-Stanford Cardinal 93rd overall after a standout college career (first-team All-Pac-12 in 2014).

“He’s what you’re looking for at end in this defense,” Grigson said, according to Colts.com.  “I know we’re going to have him for a long time.

For his part, Anderson said in May that he’s “really excited about coming in and providing as much help as possible to the defense.”

Given the losses of Redding and Jean-Francois, Anderson is likely to have the opportunity this year to quickly become a fixture along Indy’s D-line.

Other:

  • Exercised 2016 fifth-year option for QB Andrew Luck ($16.155MM).
  • Signed 10 players to reserve/futures contracts.
  • Signed 15 undrafted rookie free agents following the draft.

The Colts made the no-brainer decision to keep Luck in the fold for at least two more seasons, exercising his fifth-year option for 2016. The question is when, not if, they’ll ink him to a deal that keeps him a Colt for the duration of his career. Since the Colts chose Luck with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft, he has started all 52 of their games (playoffs included), led them to three straight double-digit-win outputs, and thrown for 86 touchdowns and nearly 13,000 yards in the regular season. He’ll be paid handsomely for his performance and status as the face of Indy’s franchise, and ESPN’s Mike Wells wrote earlier this week that the Colts and Luck will get to work on a contract extension after the upcoming season.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

  1. Vontae Davis, CB: $11,250,000
  2. Andre Johnson, WR: $7,500,000
  3. Robert Mathis, OLB: $7,470,586
  4. Anthony Castonzo, LT: $7,438,000
  5. Arthur Jones, DL: $7,100,000
  6. Andrew Luck, QB: $7,034,363
  7. Trent Cole, OLB: $6,953,125
  8. Gosder Cherilus, RT: $6,900,000
  9. Greg Toler, CB: $5,833,334
  10. D’Qwell Jackson, LB: $5,750,000

After a productive offseason, the Colts look like a better team than the one that made the final four last year. At the very least, barring injuries, their two-year reign atop the AFC South should extend to a third season. That would mean a fourth straight playoff berth, which could lead to a third consecutive January confrontation with the Patriots – who have humiliated the Colts in back-to-back postseasons.

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

AFC Notes: Broncos, Colts, Raiders

July 24th, 2015 at 8:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Here’s the latest from around the AFC as Friday wraps up:

  • Broncos defensive lineman Antonio Smith missed voluntary offseason workouts because of an ongoing investigation into criminal abuse allegations against him in Texas. However, he could be with the Broncos when veterans report to their training camp Thursday, Nicki Jhabvala and Troy Renck of the Denver Post report. The 10-year veteran spent last season with AFC West rival Oakland, racking up three sacks (giving him 44.5 for his career), before signing with Denver as a free agent.
  • Kansas City’s Justin Houston signed the richest deal ever for a linebacker earlier this month (six years, $101.5MM with $52.5MM guaranteed), which sets the bar for the Broncos’ Von Miller‘s next contract, writes Jhabvala. “I guarantee you Von thinks he deserves Justin Houston money,” Joel Corry of CBS Sports, an ex-agent, told Jhabvala. By career sack total alone, Miller has a case: He has 49 in four seasons, while Houston has 48.5 in the same amount of years.
  • It’s always risky to expect big things from a player returning from a torn Achilles’, which Colts pass rusher Robert Mathis is doing this season, but head coach Chuck Pagano has high hopes for the 34-year-old linebacker. “He will make a huge impact this season,” Pagano said, according to ESPN’s Ed Werder (via Twitter). Mathis missed all of last season after leading the league in sacks with 19.5 in 2013.
  • In other Colts news, Kevin Bowen of the team’s official website wrote of the concerns centering on the club’s offensive line as the season nears. Indy needs a major bounce-back season from veteran right tackle Gosder Cherilus, who struggled with injuries and poor play last year, and for newly signed Todd Herremans to be the answer at right guard.
  • Running back Latavius Murray was one of the Raiders’ few standouts last season, rushing for 424 yards on 82 attempts (a sterling 5.2 per-carry average) during his first year of action. Oakland is counting on him to be its No. 1 back this season, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. That would mean a significant increase in workload for the 2013 sixth-round pick.

Colts Agree To Terms With Two Third-Rounders

July 24th, 2015 at 8:14pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Colts have agreed to terms with cornerback D’Joun Smith and defensive lineman Henry Anderson, their third-round picks from this year’s NFL draft, according to ESPN’s Mike Wells (Twitter link). Smith will get a four-year, $3.5MM deal (800k signing bonus), while Anderson will receive $2.9MM (610k bonus) over four years, Mike Chappell of CBS4 reports (via Twitter).

Smith and Anderson were the last two unsigned picks from the league’s 2015 draft class, meaning all 256 selections from this year are now under contract.

Smith, whom the Colts chose 65th overall out of Florida Atlantic, intercepted nine passes in college and is expected to vie for playing time in a cornerback corps that is shaky after No. 1 man Vontae Davis.

Anderson, who was first-team All-Pac-12 in 2014 before the Colts took him 93rd out of Stanford, could make an immediate impact along Indy’s D-line.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/24/15

July 24th, 2015 at 8:00pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Today’s minor moves…

  • The Texans signed offensive tackle Aaron Adams, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Green Bay cut Adams with a failed physical designation in April. He tore his ACL and MCL in training camp last year and missed all of the 2014 season.
  • The Packers waived cornerback Bernard Blake with the non-football illness designation, Howard Balzer reports (Twitter link). Green Bay signed Blake as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State in May.
  • The Steelers signed offensive tackle Kelvin Palmer and waived safety Jordan Dangerfield, Balzer tweeted.
  • The Browns’ Tory Slater passed his physical, according to Balzer (Twitter link), and the team will remove him from its PUP list. Cleveland claimed Slater off waivers in May, when the Seahawks waived him with the injured designation.
  • The Buccaneers have waived linebacker Jared Koster, Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune reports (Twitter link). Koster signed with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA in May. His release gives Tampa 88 active players.
  • The Ravens placed injured safety Terrence Brooks on the physically unable to perform list, according to Wilson (via Twitter). Brooks, who appeared in 11 games and made 19 tackles as a rookie in 2014, is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered last December.
  • The Jaguars signed wide receiver/returner Greg Jenkins, per the Florida Times-Union’s Ryan O’Halloran. The 25-year-old Jenkins has appeared in six games, all with Oakland in 2013, and returned 10 kicks for 221 yards.

NFC Notes: Eli, Mathis, Wagner, Wilson

July 24th, 2015 at 7:41pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Eli Manning is entering a contract year, which means his 12th season with the Giants could be his last with the team. Adding fuel to the fire is that Manning and the Giants haven’t yet engaged in “meaningful, substantive contract talks,” Rand Getlin of NFL.com reports (Twitter link). However, Getlin noted in a separate tweet that the two sides do want to get a new contract done. Manning, who threw for 4,400-plus yards and 30 touchdowns against just 14 interceptions last year, has a $17MM base salary this season and will count $19.75MM against the Giants’ cap.

Here’s more on the Giants and a couple of their NFC counterparts:

  • Don’t expect the Giants to land free agent guard and ex-Eagle Evan Mathis, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano – who tweeted that New York isn’t serious about signing the two-time Pro Bowler and longtime NFC East rival.
  • Both the Seahawks and linebacker Bobby Wagner are optimistic about getting a new deal done prior to the season, a source told ESPN’s Josina Anderson (Twitter link). Wagner, 25, is entering a contract year fresh off a breakout 2014 that saw him earn Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors.
  • Buccaneers defensive back C.J. Wilson, who lost two fingers in a July 4 fireworks accident and announced earlier today he was taking some time away from the game, isn’t ruling out a return to football later this year. He could end up on Tampa’s practice squad if he does come back, per Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link).

Latest On Junior Galette

July 24th, 2015 at 6:44pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints’ eye-opening move to release pass rusher Junior Galette earlier today has drawn plenty of response, including from Gallette himself. Galette fired back at the team in the wake of its decision – which he called “terrible,” per Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com.

“Who else do they have?” he asked Woodbery, implying that the Saints don’t have anyone to replace the 22 sacks he provided the previous two seasons.

Per Woodbery, the Saints will try to fill Galette’s void with a slew of candidates – namely Anthony Spencer, second-round rookie Hau’oli Kikaha, fifth-rounder Davis Tull, Kasim Edebali and Ronald Powell. Whether any can adequately take over for Galette remains to be seen, but it doesn’t seem to matter to the Saints – who, despite his production and the four-year, $41.5MM contract they signed him to last September, were done with Galette months prior to today, according to Larry Holder of NOLA.com.

The Saints tried in vain throughout the offseason to trade Galette, who Holder reports was in a locker room fight with teammate Brandon Deaderick last year, and then video of him striking a woman with a belt in March 2013 came to the forefront in June. That was Galette’s second known domestic violence-related incident. The other came this past January, when he was booked on one count of misdemeanor simple battery (a domestic violence charge was subsequently dropped). A suspension may not be forthcoming, however, as Galette stated he met with league officials and said he was “in the clear” with respect to potential discipline, Lyons Yellin of WWL-TV tweeted. Holder wrote that the league’s investigation into both matters is “ongoing.” Galette expects to play somewhere, clearly, and said that he’ll be the top outside linebacker in the league in 2015, per Yellin (Twitter link).

Regarding which member of Saints brass was most influential in releasing him, Galette said, “Everything is Sean’s call,” referring to head coach Sean Payton. “He told me that himself. He’s the one who pulls the trigger,” Woodbery tweeted.

Payton axed Galette after the defender refused to go on season-ending injured reserve with a pectoral injury that he suffered last month, according to Yellin (Twitter link).

“I’m not hurt,” Galette told Payton. “Either play me or cut me.”

Payton’s move to get rid of Galette will have significant financial ramifications for New Orleans, as Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap detailed. In addition to having already paid Galette $17MM, the Saints won’t save any cap space this year and will be on the hook for a $5.45MM cap hit. It gets even worse in 2016, when the team will eat $12.1MM in dead cap space.

In his last parting shot (for now), Galette said on Snapchat, “They say don’t let business get personal. [Expletive] it,” Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate tweeted.

His release will become official once he takes – and passes – a physical with the Saints, which is expected to happen this weekend.

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