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Month: November 2024

PFR Originals: 4/3/16 – 4/10/16

April 10th, 2016 at 4:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

  • With less than three weeks remaining until the draft begins, Rob DiRe published the first edition of PFR’s 2016 Mock Draft. As Rob writes, this mock draft is a little different than the industry consensus, especially at the top of the first round, where the Titans and Browns are projected to select Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack, respectively.
  • Zach Links rounded up the best of the football blogs in the latest edition of Pigskin Links.

Week In Review: 4/3/16 – 4/10/16

April 10th, 2016 at 3:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Headlines:

Signed/Re-Signed:

Waived:

Suspended:

Retired:

Jets Acquire Ryan Clady

April 10th, 2016 at 3:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

SUNDAY, 3:13pm: The trade is now official, as both the Jets and Broncos have announced the swap. New York will acquire pick No. 235 in addition to Clady, while Denver will receive pick No. 157.

SATURDAY, 8:01pm: Clady has agreed to a one-year, $6MM deal ($3MM guaranteed) for 2016, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), who adds that Clady can max out at $7.5MM through incentives. Per Rapoport, the Jets will then hold a $10MM option — which can max out at $13MM — for 2017. A portion of that $10MM in 2017 comes from a $2.5MM bonus due in February of 2017, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

6:17pm: The Jets have found a replacement for the recently retired D’Brickashaw Ferguson, as they’ve acquired offensive tackle Ryan Clady and a seventh-round pick from the Broncos in exchange for a fifth-round pick, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Clady has agreed to rework his deal in order to facilitate the trade, reports Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter link).Ryan Clady (vertical)

[RELATED: D’Brickashaw Ferguson to retire]

The deal has been in the works for some time, according to Breer, who tweets that New York began talking to Denver about Clady as soon it anticipated Ferguson’s retirement — Ferguson’s decision to hang up his cleats only became public yesterday, but it sounds as though the team had some advance notice. Per Breer (Twitter link), the Jets had previously offered fellow left tackle Kelvin Beachum a contract similar to what he eventually signed with the Jaguars (one-year deal with a multi-year option), and it’s likely that Clady’s new deal in New York will be of a similar nature.

While Ferguson famously missed only a single offensive snap during his time with the Jets, Clady doesn’t have that same track record of durability. Injuries have marred the former first-round pick’s career, as Clady played in only two games during the 2013 season before suffering a Lisfranc injury, and missed all of the 2015 campaign after tearing his ACL during OTAs.

But aside from those two lost campaigns, the 29-year-old Clady has been a 16-game starter during every season of his career. He’ll join a Jets offensive line that was somewhat inconsistent in 2015, as they ranked No. 3 in pass protection per Football Outsiders’ metrics, but No. 26 in adjusted line yards. More specifically, Clady figures to be an improvement on Ferguson’s 2015 production, as Ferguson ranked as just the 60th-best offensive tackle in the league among 77 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.

Clady has two years and $19.5MM remaining on his current contract, but if Breer is correct in reporting that Clady will take a paycut as part of the trade, the Jets could see an increase in cap space. New York will gain about $9MM in space when Ferguson’s retirement becomes official, and if Clady slashes his 2016 base salary from $9.5MM to, say, $5MM, the Jets would have some extra cash to put towards a reunion with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The Broncos, of course, are also searching for a quarterback, and as such, the additional cap space with which to pay one. The trade of Clady will clear $8.9MM off Denver’s 2016 books, which will give the club nearly $10MM in total cap space for the year. That additional room could be enough to bring in someone like Colin Kaepernick via trade, and more than enough if they target someone more affordable such as Josh McCown.

Clady had been in Denver since being selected 12th overall in 2008, but his departure had been an almost foregone conclusion this offseason, despite the fact that he’d expressed his willingness to renegotiate his contact. The Broncos signed his replacement — former Seahawk Russell Okung — last month, and also brought in additional depth in the form of free agent Donald Stephenson. With Ty Sambrailo and Michael Schofield also on the roster, there simply wasn’t a place for Clady in the Mile High City.

The Jets are obviously betting on Clady’s health by acquiring him to be their starting left tackle, and it sounds like that optimism is well-warranted. According to Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today (Twitter link), Clady should be ready for the start of training camp, if not earlier. Clady suffered his torn ACL in May of last year, so he’ll be more than year removed from the injury when camp gets underway.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Giants Rumors: Clady, Flowers, Beatty, Powers

April 10th, 2016 at 2:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Though the Giants did express some interest in left tackle Ryan Clady before he was shipped from the Broncos to the Jets, talks never became serious because of the draft pick compensation required, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. The Jets ultimately swapped a fifth-round pick for Clady and a seventh-rounder, a price that was apparently too steep for the Giants. Big Blue may have had more definitive interest in Clady had he been released by Denver, per Raanan.

Let’s take a look at a few more Giants note, all courtesy of Raanan…

  • Another barrier to Clady joining the Giants was the presence of Ereck Flowers, whom New York wants to keep at left tackle, writes Raanan. However, the club still wants to add depth along the offensive line, so they could spend a mid-round pick on a tackle to compete with Marshall Newhouse and Bobby Hart on the right side.
  • One offensive line option who likely won’t be considered is tackle Will Beatty, whom the Giants released in early March. Though Raanan reports that Beatty, who tore his pectoral muscle and missed the entire 2015 season, is expected to be near full strength before the summer, both the Giants and Beatty have decided to move in different directions.
  • Former Cardinals cornerback Jerraud Powers visited the Giants at the tail end of March, and the club is thought to have made an offer worth roughly $2MM, according to Raanan. Powers is said to be looking for more money, so while he remains an option for the New York, no signing appears to be imminent.
  • Free agent linebacker Kelvin Sheppard announced this morning that he would be signing with the Giants, and Raanan confirms that Sheppard is expected to be with the team on Monday. Sheppard wasn’t the only linebacker on New York’s radar, per Rannan, who says the club also had interest in Nate Stupar before he joined the Saints.

Donte Whitner Visiting Rams

April 10th, 2016 at 1:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Eight days after being released by the Browns, free agent safety Donte Whitner will take his first reported visit, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that Whitner has landed in Los Angeles for a meeting with the Rams.Donte Whitner (Veritcal)

Following the Raiders signing of Reggie Nelson last week, Whitner represents the clear best option on the safety market, so it makes sense that the Rams are showing interest as they seek to replace Rodney McLeod, who signed with the Eagles on the first day of free agency. Whitner wouldn’t be a perfect proxy for McLeod, as the two are very different players — Whitner is more of an “in-the-box” safety who plays close to the line of scrimmage, while McLeod was a rangy free safety who manned center field.

Still, talent is talent, and Whitner is still a productive player as he enters his age-31 season. In 2015, he started 14 games in Cleveland, defensing four passes, forcing one fumble, and posting 1.5 sacks. Whitner also graded out well via the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus, which rated him as the league’s No. 24 safety among 89 qualifiers.

Even after re-signing many of their own free agents, the Rams still have roughly $12.3MM in cap space remaining, so it shouldn’t be a problem to fit Whitner onto the books. Whitner averaged cap hits of $5.5MM over his first two years with the Browns, and he should be able to earn a similar figure — or perhaps a tad less — if he signs with Los Angeles.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sunday Roundup: Foles, Hillman, Jets

April 10th, 2016 at 1:05pm CST by Rory Parks

With a potential Colin Kaepernick trade to the Broncos on hold for now, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders whether Rams signal-caller Nick Foles could be a fit in Denver. Per Florio, a source with knowledge of the Rams’ quarterback dynamics has already predicted that Foles likely will be gone by the start of training camp, and that he definitely will not be on the team before Week One.

Foles’ $6MM roster bonus was paid on March 11, but that bonus was already fully-guaranteed, so the only additional obligation arising from keeping Foles into March 2016 came from his base salary, which is a modest $1.75MM (if Foles is traded, of course, that base salary goes with him). So the Broncos, who are asking that Kaepernick reduce his $11.9MM salary for 2016 to $7MM to facilitate a trade, could have Foles for just $1.75MM in 2016 (not including $4.5MM in incentives, but if Foles were to earn those incentives, the Broncos certainly wouldn’t be complaining).

Of course, the Broncos are not as strapped for cap space now that they have traded Ryan Clady, and as Florio points out, Denver may not have inquired into Foles simply because he played so poorly in 2015. As far as the Rams are concerned, Florio believes they will “squat” on Foles unless and until they draft a quarterback later this month, at which time the two sides will likely part ways.

Now for some more notes from around the league on this Sunday afternoon:

  • Free agent running back Ronnie Hillman, who has not found much of a market for his services, could be returning to the Broncos, according to Mike Klis of 9News.com, who reports that the two sides have exchanged contract proposals. Troy Renck of The Denver Post confirms the report (via Twitter), and he also tweets that head coach Gary Kubiak expressed an interest in retaining Hillman last month. Both Klis and Renck say that Denver will draft a running back later this month regardless of whether Hillman returns.
  • A jury in a civil trial Friday decided a California woman, Christin Myles, failed to prove that Jets WR Brandon Marshall assaulted her outside a Manhattan nightclub four years ago, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter) and Larry Neumeister of The Associated Press (article via The Denver Post). Myles had sued Marshall, who was not in court for the verdict, for unspecified damages.
  • The Jets are working out free agent wideout Kyle Williams today, per Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Williams was drafted by the 49ers in the sixth round of the 2010 draft and is best-known for his two fumbled punt returns in the 2011 NFC Championship game. He sat out the entire 2014 season and signed with the Broncos prior to the 2015 campaign, but he tore his ACL last August and missed the entirety of the 2015 season as well.
  • Like a number of other NFL scribes, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer believes the Browns will draft a quarterback with the No. 2 overall selection in this month’s draft and have that player compete with the newly-acquired Robert Griffin III. Cabot also believes the team will look to move Josh McCown on draft day or sometime thereafter; in any event, she does not expect Cleveland to string McCown along through training camp.
  • There are a number of free agents still available that might help the Giants address their remaining needs, but as Paul Schwartz of The New York Post writes, GM Jerry Reese is likely to continue ignoring free agents who may have another season or two left in the tank but who are otherwise past their prime, like Anquan Boldin, Owen Daniels, and Nate Chandler.

Draft Rumors: 4/10/16

April 10th, 2016 at 10:56am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at some of today’s draft rumors. We will update this page as necessary throughout the day:

  • Memphis QB Paxton Lynch will meet with the Jets on Thursday, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). The Jets, of course, are still looking to bring back free agent signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick, but the two sides remain far apart on contract terms. Lynch is widely-regarded as one of the top three quarterback prospects in this year’s draft. Mehta confirms that Gang Green will also visit with Ohio State TE Nick Vannett tomorrow.
  • Alcorn State QB John Gibbs, Jr. worked out for the Texans at their local prospect workout yesterday, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. As we learned yesterday, prospects like Oklahoma State DE Emmanuel Ogbah and UCLA OT Caleb Benenoch were also in attendance.
  • According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter), there are several themes emerging with regards to the top CB prospects in this year’s draft. Some evaluators prefer Ohio State’s Eli Apple to Florida’s Vernon Hargreaves III–Hargreaves has been ranked almost universally as the best corner in the draft outside of Jalen Ramsey–and some prefer Miami’s Artie Burns to Clemson’s Mackensie Alexander and Houston’s William Jackson III.
  • Western Michigan WR Daniel Braverman–who was not even invited to this year’s Scouting Combine–has already visited the Vikings, Saints, and Dolphins, and is set to visit with the Raiders, Seahawks, and Bengals this week, according to NFL Network’s Rand Getlin. (Twitter links). Braverman had a whopping 109 receptions for 1,367 yards last season.

 

Fallout Of Ryan Clady Trade

April 10th, 2016 at 9:50am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at the fallout of, and reactions to, yesterday’s trade that sent Ryan Clady and a seventh-round draft pick from the Broncos to the Jets in exchange for a fifth-round draft choice:

  • A number of writers have pointed out that the trade, which saved the Broncos $8.9MM in salary cap space, creates room for the club to add a quarterback. However, as Mike Klis of 9News.com writes, the deal has no impact on whether Denver acquires current 49ers signal-caller Colin Kaepernick. Klis says that cap room had nothing to do with the Broncos offering Kaepernick a reduced 2016 salary of $7MM, and that they are offering him that salary because that is the current market value for elite backup quarterbacks (although Kaepernick would undoubtedly be the favorite to win the job as Denver’s starting QB, there would be an open competition between him and Mark Sanchez). As such, the most recent reports surrounding the Kaepernick-to-Denver rumors–that a deal is not dead, but is not likely at the moment–remain valid. Klis observes that the next deadline for a Kaepernick trade appears to be April 28, the first day of the 2016 draft, as any potential swap figures to include draft picks.
  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com says there is, of course, reason for the Jets to be concerned about the deal. After all, they are replacing the recently-retired D’Brickashaw Ferguson, one of the most durable players in recent history, with a player who has missed 30 of the past 48 games because of severe foot and knee injuries. On the other hand, Clady, when healthy, is a superior player, and just like the Brandon Marshall trade last year, this deal looks like a low-risk, high-reward move that could pay major dividends for second-year GM Mike Maccagnan. As ESPN’s Field Yates tweets, over the past two years, the Jets have turned a pair of fifth-round picks into Marshall, Clady, and two seventh-round picks.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com says that the Clady trade should not preclude the Jets from selecting a tackle in the draft. Instead, he believes that, if the team has the opportunity to draft a tackle they like, they should pull the trigger and have that player begin his career on the right side of the line (Twitter links).
  • With Clady no longer available, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times points out that there are no longer any difference-making left tackles who the Seahawks could target (barring, of course, any potential cuts). Although Clady was unlikely to end up in Seattle anyway, it is now a near certainty that the Seahawks will head into the 2016 campaign with Garry Gilliam and Bradley Sowell battling for the left tackle job, with the team likely adding more competition in the draft. ESPN’s Sheil Kapadia tweets that the Seahawks did not pursue Clady more strongly because of financial reasons, not because of the draft choice they would have needed to part with.
  • Similarly, the Lions–who were connected to at least some degree to many of the left tackles on the trade and free markets his offseason–now have no other choice but to deploy Riley Reiff at left tackle to open the 2016 campaign, as Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Pres writes. The team could target a LT in the draft, but outside of Laremy Tunsil–who is not falling to the Lions–no first-year players project to be immediately better than Reiff.

Former Saints DE Will Smith Killed Saturday Night

April 10th, 2016 at 8:17am CST by Rory Parks

Former Saints defensive end Will Smith was shot and killed in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans late Saturday night, according to Wilborn P. Nobles III of The Times-Picayune. More details were provided by CBSNews.com, which reported that Smith’s Mercedes SUV was rear-ended by a Hummer H2, and the impact caused Smith’s SUV to rear-end the vehicle in front of him, driven by one of Smith’s friends.

At approximately 11:30pm, Smith exited his vehicle and began arguing with the driver of the Hummer, who has not yet been identified but who is reportedly 30 years old. The driver allegedly “unloaded a fusillade of bullets” at Smith and his vehicle–a witness said she heard six to eight gunshots–and Smith was ultimately found slumped over the steering wheel of his vehicle, which appeared to have a bullet hole in the windshield.

Aug 16, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints linebacker Will Smith (91) against the Oakland Raiders during the second quarter of a preseason game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. Smith’s wife was shot in the leg multiple times, but is expected to survive. The driver of the Hummer and another person have been apprehended and are being questioned, and the gun used in the shooting has been recovered.

The Smith family has issued the following statement (Twitter link via Evan Woodberry of The Times-Picayune):

“On behalf of the Smith family, we are thankful for the outpouring of support and prayers. We ask that you continue to respect the family’s privacy as they grieve the loss of a devoted husband, father, and friend.”

Smith was a highly productive player for the Saints after being selected by the club in the first round of the 2004 draft. The Ohio State product, who also excelled at the collegiate level, posted 67.5 career sacks, including double-digit sack totals in 2006–when he earned his first and only Pro Bowl nod–and 2009. He was also an integral part of the Saints’ Super Bowl run in 2009. He did sign on with the Patriots prior to the 2014 campaign, but he was released by New England before the regular season began.

We at PFR offer our thoughts and condolences to Smith’s family and friends.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

 

NFC Notes: Jefferson, Cards, Seahawks, Bears

April 9th, 2016 at 8:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a quick spin around the NFC…

  • Restricted free agent safety Tony Jefferson expects to sign his tender and return to the Cardinals, as he tells Arizona Sports 98.5 FM (link via Vince Marotta of ArizonaSports.com). “I wouldn’t think so,” said Jefferson when asked if he might be leave for another club. “You don’t want to get yourself locked into long-term deals where you don’t even like your salary, and you’re unrestricted next year, so you have a chance to make more money.” Jefferson reportedly drew interest from the Texans and the Raiders over the past month or so, but ultimately never saw an official offer, so he’ll likely head back to the desert on a one-year, $1.671MM deal. Restricted free agents have until April 22 to sign offer sheets.
  • The Seahawks had been mentioned as a possible suitor for left tackle Ryan Clady, but that union obviously won’t happen now that the Jets have acquired Clady from the Broncos. Seattle is likely “all-in” on starting either Bradley Sowell or Garry Gilliam at left tackle, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets. Neither player was very productive in 2015, as Gilliam was ineffective while Sowell played only 33 offensive snaps. But Sowell said last month that the main reason he signed with the Seahawks was that they expressed interest in him playing on the blind side.
  • “They will have to literally fight me to move me from right guard,” Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long tells Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times, reiterating his desire to not move to tackle. After playing right tackle in 2015, some had speculated that Long might move to the left side next season, but it doesn’t sound like Long is interested. Chicago did sign Ted Larsen and Manny Ramirez this offseason, but it looks like they will add depth on the interior rather than facilitate a Long move.
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