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AFC South Notes: Ivory, Titans, Jaguars

July 3rd, 2015 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

Within the last year or so, NFL teams have begun to move more swiftly when players are arrested, with yesterday’s release of Brandon Ivory by the Texans acting as the latest example, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. While cutting a player who has been arrested looks good from a public relations standpoint, it’s creating new problems — teams will often wait for the legal process to play out for more talented players, while less talented players are released immediately, even though they could eventually be cleared of those initial charges.

As Florio writes, the NFL’s decision to use the commissioner exempt list for players who are being investigated makes teams more reluctant to hang onto fringe players who are accused of a crime, since those players are essentially placed on paid leave. At some point, the league may have to find a new approach that respects labor relations and the rights of all players.

Here’s more from around the AFC South:

  • In recent weeks, Kenneth Adams IV, the grandson of team founder Bud Adams, has taken on a much more visible role with the Titans, according to David Climer of The Tennessean. Crimer views the younger Adams’ increased importance within the organization as a good thing, since the 31-year-old can bring a fresh perspective to the franchise, and one of the team’s five co-owners needed to step into that role.
  • Still, as Florio notes in a PFT piece, Adams only owns 11% of the Titans, and the fact that the club is divvied up among so many people likely contributes to the frequent rumors about a potential sale. If Adams emerges as a clear voice from out of the team’s ownership group, it could provide some much-needed stability for the organization.
  • The last two teams to finish signing their 2015 draft picks are in the AFC South, and while the Colts just need to lock up a pair of third-rounders, the Titans have yet to sign No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota. As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk observes, it’s the third consecutive year that Tennessee has been the last team in the NFL to sign its first-round pick.
  • ESPN’s AFC South beat writers examine where the Jaguars have made their biggest improvements since GM David Caldwell and head coach Gus Bradley took over two and a half years ago.

AFC Notes: Houston, Chiefs, Ravens

July 2nd, 2015 at 9:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Cardinals defensive tackle Dan Williams knows a thing or two about watching a team go from the bottom to the top. Now with the Raiders, the veteran is confident that we will see something similar in Oakland, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com writes.

“I don’t know how the Raiders were before I got there, but just the fact that the coaches we have now – these guys have a great plan,” said Williams, who signed a four-year, $15MM contract this offseason to help anchor the run defense. “They pretty much laid out the foundation, and now it’s pretty much on the players to buy in. We’ve been doing a great job so far at buying in to what they want us to do.”

Will the new blood in Oakland, including new head coach Jack Del Rio, be enough to turn things around in 2015? Only time will tell. Here’s more from the AFC..

  • Joel Corry of CBSSports.com looked at Justin Houston‘s situation with the Chiefs and attempted to hammer out a fair contract solution for both sides. Ultimately, Corry suggests a deal worth $81.25MM with $48MM guaranteed and $28.375MM fully guaranteed at the time of signing. The deal is a happy medium of the average of five highest-paid non-quarterbacks, average of five-highest paid defensive players and average of three highest-paid pass rushers while holding true to KC’s contract preferences and conventions. The deal would also provide the Chiefs with $8MM+ of some badly needed salary cap relief. At present, KC has just $550K in salary room.
  • The Ravens have been trending younger and younger in recent years and Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun wonders if that trend will continue in 2015. it’s hard to tell where things will be at for Baltimore since we’re so far away from the 53-man cutdown, but it’s possible that the streak will come to an end this year. At this time last year, the Ravens had nine players who were on the wrong side of 30. This year, they have ten, including key pillars such as Joe Flacco, Dennis Pitta, Terrell Suggs, and Steve Smith.
  • Matt Calkins of U-T San Diego fears that everything is falling apart for the Chargers. So far this offseason, the Bolts have watched Philip Rivers turn down a contract extension, Eric Weddle declare that this is last season in San Diego, and now veteran Antonio Gates has been hit with a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing policy. As all of this goes on, the possibility of relocation lurks over the franchise and its loyal fans.

East Notes: Mathis, Cowboys, McClain

July 2nd, 2015 at 9:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the latest from the AFC and NFC East..

  • Former Eagles guard Evan Mathis may need to agree to a performance-based contract, FOX Sports’ Alex Marvez told 560 WQAM in Miami (audio link). Marvez hesitates to say that agent Drew Rosenhaus overplayed in hand, but he believes that the guard might have to be open to an incentive-laden contract if he wants to get above the $5.5MM threshold he wanted with the Eagles. Mathis, 33, has graded out as one of the very best guards in the NFL for several years running.
  • Babe Laufenberg of The Dallas Morning News says it’s time for the Cowboys to seriously considering cutting linebacker Rolando McClain. McClain, of course, was handed a four-game suspension earlier today for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. For a long time it seemed as though McClain had turned his life around and also his NFL career after having a resurgence in 2014. While he still stands as a very effective linebacker, Laufenberg fears that the cons now outweigh the pros.
  • The Dolphins, on paper, have their most talented squad since Joe Philbin took over as coach four years ago. That means that they’ll have some especially hard decisions to make when it comes to cutdowns. James Walker of ESPN.com looked at one such tough call in tight end Arthur Lynch. The 2014 fifth-round pick didn’t make an impact in his rookie year due to injury and the tight end position is strong with Jordan Cameron and Dion Sims on the depth chart. All in all, Walker gives Lynch a 33% chance of making the team.

Minor Moves: Thursday

July 2nd, 2015 at 9:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves..

  • The Colts announced that they have signed undrafted free agent inside linebacker Justin Shirk and waived defensive end Camaron Beard. Shirk played in 45 games over his four-year career at Bloomsburg and finished with 392 tackles, 45.0 tackles for loss, 18.0 sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one interception. Beard originally signed with the Colts as an UDFA on June 2nd. He played in 41 games at Cincinnati and finished with 75 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks.

Offseason In Review: New York Jets

July 2nd, 2015 at 6:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Jets fans have become used to a pretty limited spectrum of emotions. Sad. Frustrated. Furious to the point of throwing your TV out of the window. But, these days, Jets fans are feeling something different: cautious optimism.

After last season the Jets fired Rex Ryan for the sin of coaching his lackluster squad to the exact record it deserved. Not everyone wanted to see the Jets’ jovial fan favorite go, but just about everyone around the team was ready for an organizational change. The Jets got that when they gave GM John Idzik the heave-ho after he gave Rex so little to work with.

This offseason Jets made significant changes in the executive suite, on the sidelines, and most importantly, in between those sidelines.

Notable signings:

At the outset of free agency, Darrelle Revis opted to return to the team that drafted him on a five-year, $70MM deal. The deal matches Patrick Peterson‘s $70MM extension he signed last summer and even though it technically has less guaranteed money, one could argue that Revis came away with the better deal. Revis’ $39MM is fully guaranteed, while a good chunk of Peterson’s $48MM guarantee was for injury only. The 29-year-old appeared in all 19 of the Patriots’ games in 2014 (playoffs included) and ranked as the fourth-best cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ grading system (subscription required). He also earned his sixth Pro Bowl nod and fourth First-Team All-Pro selection.

Yes, everything old is new again in New York and the Jets even brought back Revis’ secondary partner, Antonio Cromartie. The reunion between the two sides was heavily rumored ever since the Jets presented Todd Bowles as their new head coach. Cromartie, 31, enjoyed a career resurgence under Bowles in Arizona and he’ll try to get Jets fans to forget about his up-and-down play and judgement towards the end of his last tenure in Green. Cro made no secret of the fact that he wanted to join the Jets — his Cardinals teammate Patrick Peterson even complained in the spring that all Cromartie talked about was “freaking New York.” Cromartie had a pretty atrocious year for the Jets in 2013, finishing with an overall grade of -11.4 (per Pro Football Focus, subscription required), placing him in the bottom ten of all qualified cornerbacks. However, his season with Arizona earned him a much less harsh -0.2 overall grade, putting him 45th out of 108 cornerbacks.

Before Cromartie and Revis put pen to paper, the Jets pounced on Browns free agent cornerback Buster Skrine. Skrine, who played second fiddle to Joe Haden in Cleveland, is quite familiar with getting picked on as the No. 2 corner. In 2014, Skrine showed that he is durable by playing 1,152 snaps and he held opposing QBs to a respectable 56.9% completion percentage. The Jets are now loaded at cornerback with their new trio and the icing on the cake is that they plucked Skrine away from interested teams including foes such as the Dolphins and Giants.

The Jets also have new blood at safety thanks to the addition of Marcus Gilchrist. The advanced metrics were not kind to the ex-Chargers safety in 2014 as PFF (subscription required) ranked him 72nd out of 87 eligible safeties. However, he graded out much better in 2013, finishing as the 20th-best safety out of 88. Gilchrist isn’t known as a big playmaker, but he has a reputation as a solid tackler and and mentally-sound player.

Just as Cromartie followed his beloved DC to New York, many believed that David Harris would travel upstate to reunite with Rex. However, the Jets came to the table with a three-year, $21.5MM contract with $15MM in fully guaranteed money that kept him in place. Harris, entering his age-31 season, has spent his entire career with Gang Green. He started every single one of the Jets’ regular season games over the last six seasons, averaging about 114 tackles per year over that stretch. In 2014, he racked up 124 tackles, recorded 5.5 sacks, and forced a pair of fumbles, a performance that Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated as middle-of-the-pack for inside linebackers.

Like Harris, running back Bilal Powell was quite tempted to follow his former coach to Buffalo. However, the Jets managed to retain him on a modest one-year, $2MM deal with a $750K signing bonus. Former Patriots notable Stevan Ridley will also be on the depth chart for the Jets. Ridley’s season was cut short in 2014 by an ACL and MCL injury suffered in Week 6 and he didn’t get to rebuild his value quite like he had hoped. However, before his injury-shorted 2014 and fumble-filled 2013, Ridley was regarded as one of the brightest young running backs in the league. He rushed for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns during his sophomore campaign, earning him the 25th-best ranking among running backs from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). If the Jets get anything close to that, then Ridley’s one-year deal will stand as one of the best free agent buys of the year.

Notable losses:

Chris Johnson, also known as CJ2K or, in more recent years, CJ?K, after he was unceremoniously dropped by the Titans. At that point, Johnson was not the elite back that he once was, but he did have a resume of at least 1,000 rushing yards in each of his six NFL seasons and he was durable with just one game missed. Unfortunately, Johnson never really found his footing with the Jets save for a couple of flashback-inducing performances. In February of this year, the Jets declined their second-year option on the veteran.

Before Johnson signed his Jets deal late in the offseason, free agent pickups Eric Decker and Michael Vick were the talk of the town. One of those men figures to be a focal point of the Jets’ offense in 2015 while the other is still looking for work. Vick came to New York saying all the right things every time he was asked about potentially usurping the starting job from Geno Smith. The veteran lefty played the role of good soldier and waited his turn, but unfortunately he wasn’t able to do much when given the opportunity.

Percy Harvin was acquired by the Jets from the Seahawks back in October in the most surprising in-season trade of 2014. However, the veteran receiver and return man didn’t have a huge impact in New York, totaling 29 receptions for 350 yards and a touchdown in his eight games with the Jets. Harvin also averaged just 24.8 yards per kick return, with no TDs. In Harvin’s defense, he joined the Jets late in the year when the offense was a complete disaster and they were all but mathematically eliminated from the postseason. A prime Jerry Rice wouldn’t have been able to do much for a team so defeated both mentally and in the standings.

Trades:

  • Acquired WR Brandon Marshall and a 2015 seventh-round pick from the Bears in exchange for a 2015 fifth-round pick.
  • Acquired QB Ryan Fitzpatrick from the Texans in exchange for a 2016 seventh-round pick. Pick could turn into a 2016 sixth-rounder based on Fitzpatrick’s playing time in 2015.
  • Acquired a 2015 third-round pick (No. 82; OLB Lorenzo Mauldin), a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 152; G Jarvis Harrison), a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 229), and WR DeVier Posey from the Texans in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick (No. 70; WR Jaelen Strong).
  • Acquired a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 103; Bryce Petty) from the Jaguars in exchange for a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 104; S James Sample) and a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 229; TE Ben Koyack).
  • Acquired RB Zac Stacy from the Rams in exchange for a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 224; LB Bryce Hager).

Brandon Marshall, 31, signed a three-year contract extension with the Bears last May that locked him up through the 2017 season. However, with Marc Trestman, Phil Emery, and the old regime out of the picture in Chicago, new GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox decided to move Marshall as a part of their overhaul. For the low, low price of a fifth-round draft pick, the Jets added one of the league’s very best receivers. The question now is, will Marshall be as productive at his advanced age and without the play calling of Trestman?

As it stands today, Marshall figures to be catching balls from rising junior Geno Smith. However, if this season goes like the previous two, it won’t be long before offseason acquisition Ryan Fitzpatrick is under center. The Harvard grad started 12 games for the Texans last season and while he didn’t set the world on fire, he did okay. He completed 63.1% of his passes, posted a 95.3 passer rating, and threw 17 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. Fitzpatrick has one year and $3.25MM left on his contract and he only cost New York a conditional seventh-round draft choice that could turn into a sixth-round pick. All things considered, he looks like a pretty good insurance option in case Smith falters.

Extensions and restructures:

Marshall had one of the least productive seasons of his career in 2014, finishing with 61 catches for 721 yards and eight touchdowns. However, the Jets recognize his talent and in order to help seal the deal in trade talks, the Jets agreed to sweeten his contract before acquiring him from Chicago. On the one-year anniversary of his last deal with Chicago, the Jets bumped his $24.3MM pact to a new three-year, $26MM deal with $1.3MM in fully guaranteed money.

Draft picks:

  • 1-6: Leonard Williams, DL (USC): Signed
  • 2-37: Devin Smith, WR (Ohio State): Signed
  • 3-82: Lorenzo Mauldin, OLB (Louisville): Signed
  • 4-103: Bryce Petty, QB (Baylor): Signed
  • 5-152: Jarvis Harrison, G (Texas A&M): Signed
  • 7-223: Deon Simon, DT (Northwestern State): Signed

Sitting at No. 6, the Jets just might have landed the best player in the entire draft. Many heralded USC star Leonard Williams as the best talent in this year’s draft and posited that he could have been the No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick if the Bucs and Titans weren’t in desperate need of a quarterback. The Raiders at No. 4 seemed like a logical spot for Williams, but when Oakland selected Amari Cooper, that paved the way for Williams to fall to New York. Now, the Jets have a bright young defensive lineman to use against opposing quarterbacks and also against Sheldon Richardson in negotiations as he fights for a lucrative new deal.

Not satisfied with just adding Marshall to the wide receiver group, the Jets also tapped Ohio State standout Devin Smith in the second round. Prior to the draft, NFL Network’s Mike Mayock hailed Smith’s deep threat ability as well as his speed. Smith, who runs a 4.4 second 40-yard-dash, led his team with 931 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014.

In the fourth round, the made an intriguing choice when they selected Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty. With doubts that Smith can be the Jets’ answer under center and Fitzpatrick on the wrong side of 30, Petty could be a candidate for the job if everything goes right. Of course, these things often don’t go right with quarterbacks and Kellen Clemens‘ uneventful time with the Jets serves as an everlasting reminder of that.

Other:

Two years ago, John Idzik convinced Jets owner Woody Johnson that he was the man for the job based on his salary cap expertise. When Idzik was ousted, the Jets replaced him with former Texans college scouting director Mike Maccagnan. Maccagnan, who was championed by team consultant Charley Casserly, isn’t much of a numbers guy but has a wealth of football knowledge and a keen eye for player evaluation.

While the Jets went in a different direction at GM, they went with another defensive-minded coach to replace Ryan when they hired former Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. The 51-year-old is now the Jets’ sixth straight head coach with a defensive background as Ryan, Eric Mangini, Herm Edwards, Al Groh, and Bill Parcells were all defense-first coaches. That may seem like an exceptionally long time to emphasize defense, but one can hardly blame Gang Green for being wary of going back to an offensive-minded HC after two dreadful years with Rich Kotite. Bowles will be assisted by Kacy Rodgers on defense while ex-Bills coach Chan Gailey will be responsible for the offensive playcalling.

In April, the Jets exercised their fifth-year option for outside linebacker Quinton Coples. Following Coples’ up-and-down start to the linebacker’s career, there was speculation that the Jets would allow him to play out his contract. However, the contract is only guaranteed for injury, meaning the organization basically took no financial risk. The former 16th-overall pick tied or set career-highs in 2014 in games played (16), solo tackles (25) and sacks (6.5). However, Coples compiled 708 snaps this past season, a significant decrease from his 2013 total (834). Furthermore, he didn’t receive a positive ranking via Pro Football Focus (subscription required), ranking 40th among 46 3-4 outside linebacker candidates.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

  1. Darrelle Revis, CB: $16,000,000
  2. D’Brickashaw Ferguson, LT: $11,698,670
  3. Nick Mangold, C: $10,407,100
  4. Brandon Marshall, WR: $9,000,000
  5. David Harris, LB: $7,500,000
  6. Antonio Cromartie, CB: $7,000,000
  7. Muhammad Wilkerson, DL: $6,969,000
  8. Eric Decker, WR: $6,500,000
  9. Breno Giacomini, RT: $5,125,000
  10. Dee Milliner, CB: $3,453,028

In total, it really is a new day in New York. The Jets managed to shake up their organization from top to bottom and with the AFC East wide open, they can make a major impact in 2015. The secondary is no longer a sore spot for Gang Green but the quarterback situation seems only marginally better thanks to the presence of Fitzpatrick. The Jets’ signal caller situation will likely dictate exactly how far they go this season.

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

NFC Notes: Guion, Hardy, Panthers, 49ers

July 2nd, 2015 at 5:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Letroy Guion was arrested in February when police found 357 grams of marijuana and an unloaded gun in his truck, and there’s a chance the incident will result in discipline from the NFL for the Packers defensive tackle. However, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com observes, despite the fact that Guion’s case was closed in March when he accepted a plea deal, the Packers have yet hear from the league one way or the other about a possible suspension.

As Guion and the Packers wait to hear whether he’ll be eligible to play all 16 games this season, let’s round up a few more items from around the NFC….

  • Five weeks after Greg Hardy‘s appeal, arbitrator Harold Henderson has yet to announce a ruling, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The CBA calls for a decision “as soon as practicable,” which gives arbitrators plenty of wiggle room. If Hardy’s 10-game suspension is ultimately upheld, the delay will give the Cowboys defensive end less time to challenge the ruling in court.
  • While Hardy awaits word on his appeal, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer examines how the Panthers plan to get after opposing quarterbacks now that Hardy is no longer on their roster.
  • In a piece for The Sporting News, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap takes a closer look at the salary cap situation for the 49ers, a team in transition. Meanwhile, on his own site, Fitzgerald identifies the three least team-friendly running back contracts in the NFL, writing that Jonathan Stewart‘s pact with the Panthers puts the other two to shame.

Extra Points: Gates, McClain, Supplemental Draft

July 2nd, 2015 at 4:03pm CST by Zachary Links

A look at the latest from around the NFL, including notes relating to this afternoon’s rash of surprise suspensions..

  • The four suspensions handed down this afternoons are likely the final ones today before the holiday weekend, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets. Of course, there could always be more suspensions lurking around the corner on Monday.
  • The cases of Antonio Gates, Datone Jones, Sheldon Richardson, and Rolando McClain have all gone past the appeals phase, so those penalties are final, Breer tweets.
  • Fifteen NFL teams were on hand for the Pro Day workout at West Georgia for Dalvon Stuckey and Darrius Caldwell, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post tweets. Among the teams in attendance are the Cardinals, 49ers, Packers, Raiders, Titans, Jets, Dolphins, Lions, Seattle, Chargers, Falcons, Rams, Bucs, and Washington (link). Stuckey, a defensive tackle, signed with FSU but never played a snap for them. He wound up at West Georgia where he had 4.5 sacks, nine tackles for a loss, and three forced fumbles in 2014. Caldwell, who is entering the supplemental draft due to academic issues, was initially an Illinois recruit. He had an eye-popping 12 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss last season.

Antonio Gates Gets Four-Game Suspension

July 2nd, 2015 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Yet another suspension has been announced by the NFL, as the Chargers confirmed today (via Twitter) that tight end Antonio Gates will miss the first four games of the 2015 season. The penalty was handed down due to a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.

“We are tremendously disappointed for our team and our fans as well as Antonio, but no more disappointed than Antonio is with himself,” the Chargers said in a statement. “Antonio is a member of the Chargers’ family and we will continue to support him 100-percent. We have the utmost confidence he will stay in excellent shape for the season and be ready to go when he returns in Week 5. While it’s unfortunate to not have him to start the season, we have complete confidence our tight end group will continue to play at a high level.”

For his part, Gates also released a statement, confirming that he tested positive for a substance that he was unaware was on the league’s banned substance list.

“I have always believed that ignorance is no excuse when it comes to these issues, and I take full responsibility for my actions,” Gates said. “I’d like to express my sincere apologies to the Chargers, my teammates, coaches, fans and the league who have always supported me and expected and gotten nothing but the highest level of integrity from me.”

Gates, the Chargers‘ all-time leader in catches, made it known after the 2014 season that he was not considering retirement. In fact, he stated that 2015 might not even be his last season. Now, for the first four weeks of the season, the tight end position will be held down by understudy Ladarius Green, someone who many feel is a future star.

Rolando McClain Suspended Four Games

July 2nd, 2015 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

After announcing earlier today that Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson would be suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season, the NFL has announced another four-game ban. According to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain has been suspended for four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

McClain, who re-signed with the Cowboys on a one-year deal in April, was facing a third failed drug test earlier in the year. That third failed test called for only a fine, but as we noted at the time, a fourth would result in a four-game suspension, so it appears McClain failed another test since then.

“I apologize to my family, the Cowboys organization, my teammates and Cowboys fans for my mistake,” McClain said in a statement released through the NFLPA. “I will not break the rules of my profession in the future, and I regret my error. I look forward to returning to the field on Week 5, when I hope to help my team beat the Patriots.”

McClain, who turns 26 later in July, recorded 87 tackles and a sack to go along with two interceptions in 13 games for the Cowboys in 2014. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked the former first-round pick eighth out of 60 qualified inside linebackers, and he excelled in every aspect of the game — PFF’s grades placed him eighth as a pass rusher, seventh as a cover man, and 11th as a run defender, among inside linebackers.

Still, as I noted when I examined his free agent stock in March, McClain has plenty of off-field question marks, as this suspension shows. Those red flags resulted in a fairly modest deal for the linebacker in free agency, and now he’ll forfeit some of his $750K base salary for 2015 and will likely have to return a portion of his $500K signing bonus. McClain will also miss out on some of his per-game roster bonuses while he sits out the first four weeks, and will be hard-pressed to earn any of his playing-time incentives.

Sheldon Richardson Suspended Four Games

July 2nd, 2015 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

1:45pm: Richardson was suspended for marijuana use, a source tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). There are several stages in the league’s policy for marijuana use before a four-game suspension is handed down, which suggests that this isn’t Richardson’s first positive test.

1:19pm: The Jets defensive line, considered one of the very best in the NFL, took a hit today as the league announced Sheldon Richardson has been suspended for four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. In a statement released via the Jets, Richardson issued an apology for violating NFL rules.

“I apologize for letting down my family, teammates, this organization and the fans,” Richardson said (link via Garafolo). “However, words aren’t enough. This is something that can only be addressed by how I handle myself from this point on. I don’t want this to take away from what the team is trying to accomplish. While I won’t be there at the start of the regular season, I will do whatever I can to support my teammates until I’m able to return to the field.”

Richardson, 24, had been expected to start on the Jets’ defensive line alongside nose tackle Damon Harrison and standout defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson. Now that Richardson will miss the first month of the 2015 season, it opens the door for sixth overall pick Leonard Williams to step into the starting lineup, at least temporarily, though we’ll have to see how things play out in training camp under new head coach Todd Bowles.

Richardson’s suspension could also provide Wilkerson some additional leverage in his extension talks with the Jets. The two sides haven’t much made progress toward negotiating a a new contract, and while I wouldn’t expect Richardson’s four-game ban to make a huge impact on those discussions, it will be another factor for the team to consider. After all, if Richardson were to violate the substance abuse policy again in the future, he’d be facing an even lengthier suspension.

Because Richardson’s suspension is unpaid, he’ll lose four of his 17 weekly checks for the 2015 season. The former 13th overall pick had been in line for a $1.319MM base salary, so he figures to forfeit about $310K of that amount. As Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap details, Richardson will also have to return nearly $335K in bonus money.

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