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AFC West Rumors: Berry, Broncos, Raiders

March 26th, 2016 at 2:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the first time since becoming an unrestricted free agent and subsequently receiving the franchise tag, Eric Berry discussed his allegiance with the Chiefs. The seventh-year safety “definitely” wants to stay in Kansas City “long-term,” according to Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star.

GM John Dorsey has engaged in discussions with Berry’s representatives for months, and chairman Clark Hunt has gotten the impression the two-time first-team All-Pro defender values approves of the direction the Chiefs are going.

“I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to get a long-term deal with him done here in the next several months,” Hunt told media, including Paylor. “He’s certainly somebody that we would like to be a Chief for a very, very long time.”

Berry hasn’t signed his $10.81MM franchise tender, a figure that only one other safety — the Saints’ Jairus Byrd — is set to earn this season. Paylor writes the Chiefs, who possess $6.29MM in cap space, can slash that $10.8MM number by about half by signing Berry to an extension.

Here’s some more from the AFC West.
  • The division’s top three finishers last season each signed a player from a division rival, with the Chiefs adding Rod Streater after the Raiders brought in Sean Smith and Broncos poached Donald Stephenson. The Broncos signed Stephenson, a former third-round pick in 2012 whose career has underwhelmed to date, due to the versatility he could bring, Gary Kubiak told media (via Paylor). But the second-year Broncos coach identified Stephenson’s fit on the right side of their offensive line as one of the key factors in Denver deciding to sign him on Day 1 of free agency. Despite being eventually benched at right tackle after opening last season as the Chiefs’ left tackle starter, Stephenson figures to be the top candidate as of now to begin 2016 as the Broncos’ right tackle. Drafted to play right tackle, Ty Sambrailo — Denver’s 2015 second-rounder who slid to left tackle after Ryan Clady‘s ACL tear — may again see an offseason relocation, this time shifting inside to right guard.
  • Instead of meeting Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s salary demands or bothering with Colin Kaepernick, the Broncos should take Dak Prescott with the second round’s final pick, Woody Paige of the Denver Post writes. Paige likens the Mississippi State prospect to a version of Tim Tebow, whom the longtime columnist was high on during his time in Denver, only with a much better passing acumen. Generally sliding in as a Day 2 option for teams behind Conner Cook and the trio of signal-callers with first-round projections, Prescott accounted for nearly 4,500 total yards as a junior and completed a career-best 66.2% of his throws while throwing for a career-best 3,793 yards last season. The former Bulldogs dual-threat talent has a visit scheduled with the Broncos. Former Cowboys personnel man Gil Brandt told Paige a team will use a mid-round pick on Prescott and attempt to develop him into a “Cam (Newton)-like quarterback.”
  • Playing on a one-year lease at their 50-year-old stadium in 2016, the Raiders will pay $3.5MM in rent this season at O.co Coliseum after that figure stood at $925K last season, David DeBolt and Rebecca Parr report for InsideBayArea.com. The massive increase stems from increased costs of game-day security and other factors, Coliseum authority executive director Scott McKibben told the website. “We’re more or less trying to pass along some of these (costs) to the Raiders which is not unlike any other NFL team,” McKibben said. “I spent a lot of time visiting with a lot of other NFL teams and this has been customary throughout the league. And quite honestly at the end of the day the Raiders were very cooperative with us on that.” Seeking a new stadium despite discussions that haven’t progressed, the Raiders have courted other cities in which to settle, with Los Angeles and Las Vegas chief among them.

Extra Points: Megatron, Hackenberg, Vikings

March 26th, 2016 at 12:33pm CST by Ben Levine

NFL fans were a bit surprised when Lions star wideout Calvin Johnson announced that he’d be hanging up his cleats. However, his quarterback could tell that the 30-year-old was growing tired of the game.

“Not to say that I expected it, but I wasn’t shocked,” Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I’ve known Calvin for seven years and know the effort and the attitude that he plays with, and it takes a toll on people. And he was catching quite a few passes and getting hit quite a bunch, and so it takes a toll. And he’s a guy that from an offensive standpoint was touching the ball or carrying the ball just as much as anybody. So I knew the NFL was kind of wearing on him and I just told him, when he told me he was done, I just told him, ‘I’m happy for you if you’re happy.’ And that’s what you want. He’s a guy that gave everything to the game and you want him to be able to walk out on his own terms and feel like he did the right thing.”

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

  • “Quality” quarterbacks can be found towards the end of the first round, leading Paola Boivin of AZCentral.com to write that the Cardinals should select a signal-caller with their first selection in this year’s draft. Boivin believes it’s “vital” to have somebody in the wings, regardless of how long Carson Palmer continues to play.
  • Former Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg showed flashes of brilliance playing under former coach Bill O’Brien, but he struggled under the guidance of replacement James Franklin. While the connections are undeniable, NFL scouts were still hoping for some accountability from the prospect, something he failed to deliver. Robert Klemko of SI.com writes that Hackenberg blamed his lack of recent success to the change in coaching staffs. “Despite the fact that it’s probably true, you don’t want to hear a kid say that,” one source said.
  • The Vikings next big deal should be locking up safety Harrison Smith to a long-term contract, writes Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. However, based on recent years, the writer doesn’t believe we’ll see any progress until training camp.

 

NFC Notes: Washington, 49ers, Bears

March 26th, 2016 at 11:12am CST by Ben Levine

Washington probably isn’t done adding free agents, but coach Jay Gruden hinted that we may not see any official transactions until after the draft.

“I think there’s a lot of reasons for that,” Gruden told Washington reporter Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com. “You don’t want to go crazy signing a bunch of backs and then draft one and have to cut them anyway. So I think we want to find out exactly where we stand after the draft.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFC…

  • Gruden acknowledged that Washington let go of “a heck of a running back” by allowing veteran Alfred Morris to sign elsewhere. As NFL.com’s Kevin Patra writes, the team will now have to rely on second-year running back Matt Jones. “We need him to protect the ball a little bit more,” Gruden said. “He’s a big, strong, powerful back that I think can handle the workload; time will tell on that. We’re taking a bit of a gamble here, but based on our professional opinion, we believe he can handle it and be very, very effective at it, toting the rock.”
  • With rumors surrounding 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, head coach Chip Kelly was quick to hand out praise to the team’s other signal-caller: Blaine Gabbert. “[I’m] impressed with Blaine,” Kelly said (via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com). “You watch him the last couple of games he started. He’s another guy, you look at his skill set…He’s big. I’d never really dealt with Blaine because he came into the league before I came into the league, but just how big and physical and impressive he is. He’s a 6-4, 245-pound guy that can really run. I thought the last part of the season he played really well. It’ll be intriguing to work with him, too.”
  • The Bears could use a young speed rusher off the edge, opines Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune. Lamarr Houston, Willie Young and Pernell McPhee showed an ability to get to the quarterback, but Biggs notes that the trio used their strength to get past the opposition. The writer would prefer the team brings in a quicker lineman.

AFC Notes: Dolphins, Patriots, Texans

March 26th, 2016 at 10:16am CST by Ben Levine

After having spent the first four years of his career with the Ravens, Courtney Upshaw joined the Falcons yesterday. Still, the 26-year-old was quick to recognize his former team’s fans.

“No thank you!” he wrote on Instagram. “#ravennation I appreciate all the love! Gonna miss those guys! Gonna miss those all black uniforms! Next man up! I understand that it’s a business! I met some great people in Baltimore who treated me like family and I appreciate it all! God has a plan for me and this is part of it! Call it a fresh start or whatever but I’m ready for the challenge!”

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

  • Dolphins rookie head coach Adam Gase has watched as a trio of talented young players (Olivier Vernon, Lamar Miller, Rishard Matthews) left Miami this offseason. Still, he understands the roster turnover is part of the job. “That’s the struggle, that’s the tough part about being, at least for myself being in Year 1, there’s nothing that I was able to do as far as moving forward,” he told ESPN.com’s James Walker. “We were in that situation. We had three good players that were wanted by other teams. Obviously we would have loved to keep them but it was too late. Once they hit the market, it was going to be a challenge to keep them on our roster.”
  • Despite the receiver’s $6.8MM cap hit, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss believes the Patriots should hold on to wideout Danny Amendola. With the team acquiring a handful of new targets for Tom Brady, the writer wonders whether the organization would ask Amendola to take a payout for the second straight season.
  • The Texans could use a speedy wideout in the draft, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. He also notes that offensive tackle, defensive end, safety, tight end, and center are other positions of need.

Browns Execs Talk Offseason, Departures, Strategy

March 26th, 2016 at 9:21am CST by Ben Levine

It hasn’t been a whole lot of fun in Cleveland since Browns owner Jimmy Haslam purchased the franchise in 2012. As Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com writes, the team has already fired three head coaches, three general managers, two presidents, and a CEO during Haslam’s tenure, and the team hasn’t yet finished with a winning record.

Of course, the organization is hoping 2016 will be the year they turn things around. The team signed former Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson to be their next head coach, and they also hired three Harvard University graduates (including Paul DePodesta of “Moneyball” fame) to make up their front office.

Optimism is high, evident by the executives’ quotes at the NFL owners meeting and MIT’s Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. We’ve compiled some of the notable soundbites below, all via Ulrich…

Haslam on his team’s playoff drought:

“Until we start winning, people are going to make fun of you. So it’s our job to get the right people in place to hopefully turn this thing around like we all want to see, and we’re cautiously optimistic we’ve done that.”

DePodesta on four starters (Alex Mack, Tashaun Gipson, Mitchell Schwartz, and Travis Benjamin) leaving via free agency:

“We all knew they were good players. We want to get to that point where we have enough of a critical mass of our core guys that it makes sense to retain them all. … That day, I think we all felt like, this is going to be our hardest day, and if we can get past this, then it’s looking up from here, which is good. I think we’ll be in a position going forward to go retain a lot of those guys.”

Jackson on Browns “rebooting” strategy:

“Rebuilding says that you’re totally junking everything and starting over, and that’s not what we’re doing. I think we’re rebooting and we’re recharging because there’s still Joe Thomas‘s on our football team, there’s Danny Sheltons on our football team, there’s Joe Hadens on our football team. So those guys aren’t rebuilding.

“And I think if we can get the right pieces on our team, you never know what this team could be. I know the expectation is low, and deservedly so. I get it, but at the same time, I don’t think anybody in our organization is built like that. We like to win, and we want to do everything we can to do that.”

Jets Sign Darryl Morris

March 26th, 2016 at 8:45am CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY, 8:45am: The Jets have officially announced the signing, although specific terms still haven’t been reported.

FRIDAY, 8:35am: The Jets have added a little cornerback depth to their roster, signing former Texans cornerback Darryl Morris to a contract, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but it would be surprising if it was more than a minimum salary contract.Darryl Morris

Morris, 25, spent the last two seasons in Houston after playing for the 49ers in his rookie season in 2013. He saw some extended playing time on defense in 2014, earning his first career start and recording 31 tackles to go along with seven passes defended and an interception. In 2015, he returned to primarily a special teams role, playing fewer than 100 defensive snaps for the Texans.

The Texans had the option of assigning Morris an RFA tender earlier this month to keep him from becoming an unrestricted free agent, but the team non-tendered him instead. A low-end RFA tender for the Texas State alum would have been worth $1.671MM.

The Jets released veteran cornerback Antonio Cromartie this offseason and have not re-signed free agent corner Darrin Walls, so the team has been in the market for some depth at the position.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Richardson, RG3, Beachum, Cowboys

March 25th, 2016 at 9:44pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent running back Trent Richardson expects to sign with the Ravens before the start of their voluntary conditioning program on April 18, he told Matt Zenitz of AL.com as part of a highly interesting, recommended piece. Richardson looked on the verge of signing with the team in late February, which obviously didn’t happen, but head coach John Harbaugh said earlier this week that he thinks a deal will get done. The delay is thanks in part to Richardson’s conditioning.

When he visited the Ravens in February, Richardson didn’t expect to work out with the team. The Ravens had other ideas, though, and after eating heavily both the night before and the morning of the meeting, Richardson weighed in at 238 pounds. General manager Ozzie Newsome told Richardson that “we really want you here,” but with the caveat that the four-year veteran would first have to get his weight down to 225 pounds. Richardson is now at 218, his lightest weight since high school, and is hoping to play more like the Alabama back who went third in the 2012 draft than the disappointing pro version who couldn’t even crack anyone’s roster last season.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • The Browns’ Robert Griffin III will head to Los Angeles to conduct offseason workouts with quarterback guru Tom House, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. House, an ex-Major League Baseball pitcher who’s close with Browns head coach Hue Jackson, has worked with Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Andy Dalton, Carson Palmer, Terrelle Pryor, A.J. McCarron, Alex Smith and Tim Tebow in the past. He spent a large portion of last offseason with Dalton, who went on to have a career year.
  • Recently signed Jaguars offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum, who’s recovering from a torn ACL, told Tom Pelissero of SiriusXM NFL that he will put on a knee brace next week and begin football movements. “I’ll be starting Week 1,” Beachum added (Twitter link). In order to do that, Beachum will have to beat out incumbent No. 1 left tackle Luke Joeckel.
  • The Cowboys are the latest of seven teams that have ventured to UCLA to work out offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch, reports Gil Brandt of NFL.com (on Twitter). Benenoch is regarded as a potential top-75 draft choice.
  • Saints head coach Sean Payton isn’t a fan of today’s football helmets, saying, “[W]e’re way behind where should be right now with what we’re putting on the players.” However, he expects the safety of helmets to improve at “warp speed” over the next couple years, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. “If you took the analogy of an automobile in the ’60s and ’70s and how much of the impact passengers received in a collision and fast-forward to where we are now … I think the same thing is happening and needs to happen with the helmet that we’re wearing,” Payton stated.

NFC Notes: Washington, Cowboys, Falcons, Rams

March 25th, 2016 at 8:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

With Alfred Morris having agreed to a deal with NFC East rival Dallas earlier this week, Washington is prepared to go forward with Matt Jones as its starting running back.

“That’s what we envision, yes,” said head coach Jay Gruden (link via Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic). “We like Matt. We think he’s a smart football player and he runs very, very hard. Now we just have to make sure the ball security is there [because] he can catch the ball out the backfield. He’s a very good solid football player that we have high hopes for.”

In his rookie year last season, Jones – a third-round pick from Florida – averaged just 3.4 yards per carry on 144 attempts (compared to Morris’ 3.7 and 202, respectively) and totaled as many fumbles (four) as touchdowns. Washington is expected to add a complement to Jones in either free agency or the draft, according to Gruden, who said the team is interested in re-signing the still-available Pierre Thomas.

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • Even with Morris in the fold, the Cowboys have a less-than-ideal running back situation, opines Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPN.com. The Cowboys will try a balanced attack to aid quarterback Tony Romo – who has gone 38-11 as a starter while throwing 30 times or fewer and 41-38 otherwise – but Taylor doesn’t expect a backfield trio of Morris, Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar to fare particularly well. Thus, the team should use a second- or third-rounder on a running back and let the others compete for backup roles behind the rookie, Taylor believes.
  • The Falcons and free agent linebacker O’Brien Schofield are at “an impasse,” tweets D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Schofield said earlier this month that he and the Falcons weren’t “seeing eye-to-eye on a contract,” and the club may have found a replacement for him Friday when it signed Courtney Upshaw. The Falcons have offered Schofield a deal, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, but the Upshaw signing could seal his fate in Atlanta. Schofield, 28, joined the Falcons last year and then made 30 tackles and two sacks in 16 appearances (11 starts) during the season. Upshaw has the greater track record of the pair, having started 29 more games (51 to 22) in two fewer seasons.
  • Remarkably, despite being shot in the head twice last November, the door hasn’t yet closed on Stedman Bailey‘s career. The Rams receiver “is currently in the evaluation process, seeking numerous opinions from neurologists and the like,” head coach Jeff Fisher said Wednesday (link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). “Just to see if he can not only play, but continue with a rigorous physical rehab program that will put him in position to play.” Bailey has continued to stay involved with the team, as Thomas writes, with Fisher adding, “He’s been in the building. We’ve seen him. He’s doing well. He seems like the same old Sted, and he’s very lucky as we’ve all noted to be alive.”
  • Washington is undecided about the future of receiver Andre Roberts, reports John Keim of ESPN.com. Washington stands to save a solid amount if it cuts Roberts ($3MM before June 1, $4MM if he’s given a post-June 1 designation), but the team isn’t allowed to release him right now because he’s recovering from a torn meniscus. Roberts might not be ready until training camp, per Gruden. Even without his health taken into account, Roberts is probably Washington’s No. 4 wideout – which doesn’t seem to bode well for his chances to stay on the roster. The 28-year-old was productive from 2010-14, when he caught a combined 218 passes and 13 touchdowns for Arizona and Washington; he’s coming off a career-worst season, however, having hauled in a mere 11 catches in nine games. He also failed to find the end zone for the first time in his six-year NFL tenure.

Draft Rumors: Prescott, Miller, Kearse

March 25th, 2016 at 7:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here’s the latest from the next wave of prospects set to enter the league, starting with a dual-threat quarterback.

  • Dak Prescott will work out for the Broncos and other teams in early April, according to Chase Goodbread of NFL.com. The former Mississippi State standout rushed for more than 800 yards in both his sophomore and junior campaigns. Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson and Cardinals QBs boss Freddie Kitchens trekked to Starkville, Miss., to work out Prescott this week as well. Following his Broncos workout, Prescott will visit the Bills and Eagles, Goodbread reports.
  • From one current dual-threat quarterback to a former standout hybrid signal-caller, Braxton Miller worked out for the Texans today, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller tweets. The former Ohio State standout and two-time Big Ten offensive player of the year at quarterback is working out as a slot receiver after being supplanted last season under center.
  • The Browns, Buccaneeers, Lions and Saints are gracing Ohio State safety Vonn Bell‘s itinerary for workouts and/or meetings, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. The early-entry Buckeyes safety already met with Tennessee.
  • Clemson safety Jayron Kearse will has summits and/or workouts with the Panthers, Saints and Titans on his spring docket, Getlin tweets. The 6-foot-5 safety registered 6.5 tackles for loss as a junior last season.
  • The Titans, Seahawks, Raiders and Falcons appear on Florida defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard‘s schedule, Getlin reports (on Twitter). Bullard’s 6.5 sacks as a senior last season tied for a Gators-best mark, and his 18 tackles for loss were easily the best on the team.
  • Minnesota linebacker De’Vondre Campbell will meet with the Cardinals, Falcons, Chiefs and Vikings soon, Goodbread tweets.
  • The Texans and Patriots ventured to Minneapolis recently to look at some of the Gophers’ NFL prospects, Ryan Burns of scout.com tweets. The Texans’ contingent looked at the Gophers’ prospects last week, with the Patriots’ bevy of personnel making the trip earlier this week, per Burns. Cornerbacks Eric Murray and Briean Boddy-Calhoun are also among Minnesota’s top draft-eligible players. According to Darren Wolfson of KTSP (on Twitter), the teams were scouting Murry, Boddy-Calhoun and Campbell.
  • Arizona safety William Parks will visit the Seahawks and Browns after showing well in his workout, Tony Pauline of Draftinsider.net reports. Wildcats offensive lineman Lene Maiava has visits scheduled with the Chargers and Seahawks, Pauline reports.
  • Tennessee wide receiver Marquez North worked out for the Cowboys, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle/National Football Post reports. North tore his labrum in 2014 and saw injuries limit him to six catches last season but decided to enter the draft as a junior anyway.

Saints Sign Jamarca Sanford

March 25th, 2016 at 6:02pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 25, 6:02pm: The Sanford signing became official today, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

MARCH 17, 10:53am: The Saints have struck a deal with veteran safety Jamarca Sanford, and will re-sign him to a one-year contract, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). Sanford had been an unrestricted free agent.

Sanford, 30, was a full-time starter for the Vikings from 2011 to 2013, but has mostly settled into a special teams role since joining the Saints in 2014. Last season, he was New Orleans’ third safety behind Jairus Byrd and Kenny Vaccaro for the majority of the year, earning just over 100 defensive snaps and making one interception.

With Byrd and Vaccaro set to return for the 2016 season, Sanford doesn’t have a clear path to a starting job, but his spot on the depth chart may be a little more secure with Rafael Bush – who missed nearly the entire 2015 season with a torn pectoral muscle – having left New Orleans to sign with the Lions.

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