2016 May - Pro Football Rumors

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Community Tailgate: Most Improved NFL Team

May 14th, 2016 at 6:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Even with the 2016 offseason largely in the rearview mirror, there are still plenty of topics and storylines to discuss, and PFR’s Community Tailgate is designed to address those stories. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. We’ll highlight one of the top talking points in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

NFL teams that “win the offseason” certainly aren’t guaranteed to have success once the regular season begins, especially since the most impactful players in the league are unlikely to even reach free agency — thus earning the right to change teams — in the first place. Additionally, any club that is a contender for the “most improved” moniker likely had a sub-par roster to begin with, meaning expectations should be low. Still, it’s helpful to look back at the past two months and see which teams put in the best efforts, both during the free agent period and through the draft, in order to turn their club into a contender.

The Raiders were very active in free agency, especially on the defensive side of the ball, adding Bruce Irvin, Sean Smith, and Reggie Nelson before drafting West Virginia safety Karl Joseph in the first round and defensive end Jihad Ward and Shilique Calhoun in rounds two and three. Oakland was arguably set at most positions on offense, but they landed former Ravens offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele, paying him $3.7MM more annually than the next-highest paid guard. Veteran left tackle Donald Penn was brought back to anchor the blindside, while Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook was selected as a long-term backup to Derek Carr.

Only one team had more cap space entering the 2016 offseason than the Raiders, and that club — the Jaguars — made it count, landing both Malik Jackson and Tashaun Gipson in an attempt to fortify a defense that ranked 26th in DVOA. That side of the ball wasn’t done being remade, however, as Jacksonville arguably landed two top-10 talents, taking Jalen Ramsey fifth overall before picking up Myles Jack in the second round after injuries caused him to slip. Keep in mind that the Jags have another top defensive talent — edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. — returning in 2016 after a torn ACL caused him to miss his entire rookie season. Jacksonville didn’t leave the offense untouched, adding left tackle Kelvin Beachum on a very team-friendly deal and signing violent running back Chris Ivory.

The Giants‘ draft left something to be desired, as although Sterling Shepard was an inspired selection in the second round, drafting cornerback Eli Apple at No. 10 overall was thought to be a reach. But New York spent in free agency, signing Olivier Vernon after the Dolphins rescinded his transition tag and also bringing in Damon Harrison and Janoris Jenkins. All three additions got at least $20MM in full guarantees, but Vernon took the cake, securing $40MM in fully guaranteed cash.

Defense was the clear area of need for the Bears over the offseason, and the club knew it, trading up to acquire pass rusher Leonard Floyd in the draft before plucking Jonathan Bullard in the third round. Free agency wasn’t ignored, either, as Chicago revamped its interior linebacking unit by signing both Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan before inking end Akiem Hicks. On offense, the Bears signed Bobby Massie, Ted Larsen, and Manny Ramirez (and drafted Cody Whitehair) to help up front, and added late-round sleepers in running back Jordan Howard and slot receiver Daniel Braverman.

There are certainly other contenders for the title of “most improved” — both the Rams and Eagles landed franchise quarterbacks, the Titans added pieces around Marcus Mariota, and the Buccaneers did the same around Jameis Winston. And depending on how one views the “most improved” label, the Browns had a solid offseason, acquiring assets through the draft in 2016 and amassing draft capital for years to come.

What do you think? Which of the clubs above improved the most over the 2016 offseason? Or did we forget someone? Leave your thoughts in the comment section!

NFC Notes: Washington, Floyd, Palmer, Saints

May 14th, 2016 at 4:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Kyshoen Jarrett has visited several specialists this offseason in hopes of reaching a conclusion regarding the nerve damage the Washington safety suffered in Week 17 of his rookie season. The second-year player hasn’t done any work with the team this offseason, and Jay Gruden remains uncertain on Jarrett’s timetable, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

It remains a possibility that Jarrett misses his entire second season, Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter).

A sixth-round pick last year, the now-23-year-old Jarrett forced a fumble and made 38 tackles as a rookie. The Virginia Tech product started five games for Washington and played in all 16 before going down against the Cowboys in what turned out to be a meaningless contest.

Washington has converted DeAngelo Hall into a safety, signed David Bruton and drafted linebacker/safety Su’a Cravens to help its back line.

Here’s some more on Washington, along with the latest coming out of the NFC.

Although Cravens is listed on Washington’s roster as a safety, the former USC talent worked exclusively at inside linebacker during the team’s minicamp, Jones tweets. Cravens lined up at outside ‘backer and at safety with the Trojans, but his professional employer prefers he first acclimate to the inside spot before branching out to nickel and safety assimilation, per Jones.
The size disparity between Leonard Floyd and the Bears‘ other primary outside linebackers will be significant this season. DC Vic Fangio expects the team’s top rookie to weigh between 230 and 235 pounds this season, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune reports. Contrast that with Pernell McPhee and Lamarr Houston, who are both over 270, and it’s a rather notable chasm between players who play the same position. Fangio said multiple times during an interview with Chicago-area media Saturday he wasn’t concerned about the ex-Georgia edge player’s weight. “I’m sure there’s going to be a play or two every game where you’re going to say, ‘Jeez, he’s not heavy enough,’ or, ‘He’s too light,’” Fangio said. “Hopefully there’ll be a few plays every game, too, that we say, ‘Well, jeez, we didn’t have anybody who could have done that in the past.’ He is what he is.”
Carson Palmer‘s work with Cardinals consultant Brett Fischer last year helped strengthen his throwing arm, with wideouts and defensive backs noticing quickly he was throwing harder than he had in 2014, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports. Fischer worked with pitchers Randy Johnson and Max Scherzer before aiding Palmer.
Kickers Connor Barth and Nate Freese tried out for the Saints today during a workout that consisted of 44 tryout players, Evan Woodberry of NOLA.com reports. Freese was a seventh-round Lions draft choice in 2014. The Saints have Kai Forbath and Josh Scobee on their roster. New Orleans also worked out former Packers seventh-round defensive lineman C.J. Wilson, who played with the Packers from 2010-13, saw short stints with the Raiders and Lions the past two seasons. Entering what would be his age-29 season, Wilson has made 19 career starts and 6.5 sacks.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/14/16

May 14th, 2016 at 4:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.

Washington signed cornerback Mariel Cooper after a minicamp tryout, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter). Cooper attended The Citadel after transferring from South Carolina State following a four-year stint there.
The Saints signed UDFA cornerback De’Vante Harris, Evan Woodberry of NOLA.com tweets. Hopefully, there weren’t any paperwork-related issues since former Appalachian State offensive lineman Davante Harris is in New Orleans trying out for the team. De’Vante Harris suited up at cornerback for Texas A&M and deflected 21 passes over the past three seasons in College Station.

Browns Rumors: RG3, McCown, Nassib, Trades

May 14th, 2016 at 3:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Browns paid a high-end backup price for Robert Griffin III at two years and $15MM, the team signed the wayward quarterback with the intention he could be their long-term option.

“Our plan would be for Robert, if it carries out, to come in, solidify himself and then, if we felt like he’s our answer longer-term, to begin working on a longer-term deal,” GM Sashi Brown told media — including Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “... He’s just 26 years old and he wants to play for a long time. He provides that upside, if he’s able to come in and do what’s first, which is establish himself as a starter and a capable starter for us.”

Cleveland’s brass is not ready to hand the starting job to Griffin right now, with Josh McCown still in the mix and third-round pick Cody Kessler likely a developmental option. But the Browns are at least paying lip service to the fact the 2012 offensive rookie of the year can resurrect his career for a team that’s had the worst run at quarterback since re-spawning in 1999.

Here’s more coming out of Cleveland.

Despite Griffin’s signing cosmetically looking like it leaves McCown without a place on a rebuilding team, the 36-year-old passer remains a threat to keep his starting job, per Ulrich. The Browns would also consider keeping him if he doesn’t. “[We want to] have him come in and compete to be our starter,” Brown said. “Josh has been a great presence for our young guys in the locker room, and that QB room is enhanced by his presence. I think [keeping him even if he doesn’t win the starting job will] be a consideration.” Amid the disastrous Johnny Manziel experiment that cycled in and out of the huddle last season, McCown completed 63.7% of his passes and threw 12 touchdown passes compared to four interceptions despite being saddled with one of the league’s worst pass-catching contingents. McCown is owed just more than $5MM this season, the last year of his contract, and the Browns would carry $2.33MM in dead money if they cut him. Of course, with more than $41MM in cap space right now, the Browns aren’t exactly geared toward 2016 contention.
One of the Browns’ Day 2 picks, Carl Nassib, caused the new GM to make a lofty comparison. Brown said the 6-foot-7 former Penn State pass-rusher has “as good of a motor, if not better, than Joey Bosa,” per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter). The Vince Lombardi Award winner after registering a Division I-FBS-best 15.5 sacks for the Nittany Lions last year, Nassib out-produced Bosa last season. But the Ohio State pass-rusher collected 26 sacks in three seasons and recorded 51 tackles for loss in that span, giving the former Buckeye a much more consistent resume.
Although there isn’t much of a way to disprove this, Brown said Emmanuel Ogbah was the top player the Browns hoped would still be there when they picked at No. 32 (via Ulrich, on Twitter). As a junior at Oklahoma State, Ogbah finished tied for fourth nationally last season with 13 sacks.
Brown also challenged those who questioned the team’s pick of Princeton tight end Seth DeValve in the fourth round, telling media (including Ulrich, on Twitter) that they won’t be second-guessing the selection for long.

Latest On Las Vegas

May 14th, 2016 at 2:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Las Vegas has increased its effort to pry the Raiders from Oakland, but should that avenue close, the city is not going to shut down its efforts to add an NFL franchise. The Chargers are further along than the Raiders in their quest to secure a stadium deal from their respective city, only Las Vegas is monitoring San Diego’s negotiations and would seek a union with the Chargers if the Raiders’ venture ends up shy of a Silver and Black desert relocation.

“My husband and I have had season tickets at the Chargers for the past 30-plus years and we would love that, and Alex Spanos already has some relationship with us here in the city — he’s been a developer for us in the ’70s and ’80s,” Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman said during a Dan Patrick Show appearance (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). “I know they’re absolutely looking to move and that’s another place to go.

“Whether it’s the Chargers or Oakland, that would really be exciting.”

After talks stonewalled between the Chargers and San Diego last year, the sides have progressed to the point the issue could be in the hands of the voters this fall, with a downtown stadium measure likely to appear on ballots. Whereas Oakland and the Raiders have made next to no progress by comparison with Oakland, so Vegas’ primary option seems to be more realistic at this point, if the city can secure funding for the $1.4 billion domed stadium proposed.

As for Vegas’ first choice: one owner tells Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman the chance the Raiders move to Sin City has hit the 50 percent threshold and may be as high as 75 after starting out as a borderline-laughable notion.

That anonymous owner said other owners and executives around the league to whom he’s spoken on this matter have softened their stance on Las Vegas as an NFL city. While the owner told Freeman that three or four years ago, there was virtually no chance the league would have considered Vegas. Despite John Mara still coming out against this idea, Jerry Jones has voiced intrigue about the proposition. More owners could be coming around to Jones’ line of thinking.

“That’s not the case any longer,” he told Freeman. “One of the things owners see is there’s a lot of money to be made there. A lot of money will ease those gambling concerns.”

For Mara’s side to win out, it would take eight “no” votes to block a Raiders-to-Vegas venture if it gets that far. Freeman hears there aren’t eight owners who will do so, which would represent a marketed improvement in support for this once-laughable move. And while this still could be a bluff on Mark Davis‘ side to increase his leverage in talks with Oakland, but the owner categorized that chance as a small one to Freeman.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Tryout Notes: Saturday

May 14th, 2016 at 12:40pm CST by Ben Levine

We’re compiling Saturday’s tryout news below, and we’ll keep you updated on any new info throughout the day…

The Bills didn’t sign Williamsville South and UB quarterback Joe Licata following his rookie camp audition, but Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News reports that he’ll receive another chance. The signal-caller is set to try out for the Bengals on Monday, and Licata could potentially compete with Keith Wenning and Matt Johnson for the third QB spot.
Marquis Jackson, the brother of Jaguars defensive tackle Malik Jackson, is trying out for the Bears this weekend, reports Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times. The defensive lineman tried out fot the Vikings in 2013, and he also played for the AFL’s Portland Thunder. “We had him in at Denver one time and he was in a suit sitting in our lunch room. Everybody was looking around going, ‘Malik, what are you doing in a suit?’” said coach John Fox. “So I’ve met him before. That’s a big reason why we brought him in.”
ESPN’s Mike Triplett passes along two rookies trying out for the Saints this weekend: Mississippi State wideout De’Runnya Wilson and Appalachian State University offensive lineman Davante Harris (Twitter links).

Extra Points: Hall, Falcons, Wentz, Saints

May 14th, 2016 at 12:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFL on this Saturday afternoon…

The Falcons won’t be signing veteran cornerback Leon Hall, according to ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure. The 31-year-old auditioned for Atlanta last week, and considering coach Dan Quinn’s comments regarding the player’s injury history, McClure presumes that Hall didn’t check out medically.
Despite suggesting that every team deserves an ‘A’ for their draft efforts, Falcons owner Arthur Blank was particularly happy with his team’s haul. “You think from our perspective, I would give our coach and general manager Thomas (Dimitroff) a grade A because I know that every single position they drafted very specifically for exactly what the coach wanted and the coaching needs in terms of defense or in terms of the offense,” Blank told Doug Roberson of AJC.com. “Hopefully, that will play out in a successful way over the next couple of years.”
Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz isn’t anticipating any issues with teammate Sam Bradford. “I think the relationship with him, and really, the other quarterbacks in the room, I think it’ll be great,” Wentz told Les Bowen of Philly.com.“I think it’ll be a really competitive atmosphere. Hopefully, we’ll all learn together and grow together and really push each other, and ultimately (that will) lead to benefiting the team and winning a lot of ballgames.” An April report suggested that Bradford wanted out of Philly.
ESPN’s Mike Triplett passes along (via Twitter) a trio of veterans auditioning for the Saints: kicker Connor Barth and defensive linemen Matt Shaughnessy and C.J. Wilson.

AFC Notes: Colts, Jets, Raiders

May 14th, 2016 at 9:44am CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the AFC…

Despite the Colts‘ apparent need for a pass rusher (and the team’s tendency to add players older than 30), ESPN.com’s Mike Wells can’t envision the team bringing in free agent Dwight Freeney. The 36-year-old spent 11 seasons with Indy, and he played last season with the Cardinals, where he compiled eight sacks.
The Colts don’t have much cornerback depth outside of Vontae Davis, Patrick Robinson and Darius Butler, writes Kevin Bowen of Colts.com. This could pave the way for an undrafted free agent to play a significant role on the team.
Regardless of how much money Ryan Fitzpatrick is seeking, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini notes that the Jets will have to clear some cap room to retain the quarterback. The writer notes that the team could take several routes, like restructuring Eric Decker or Buster Skrine‘s contracts.
Raiders first-round pick Karl Joseph had to watch from the sideline during his team’s rookie minicamp this past week as he recovers from a torn ACL. While the organization is confident that the safety will be ready for the regular season, Joseph is frustrated that he can’t participate with his teammates. “It’s tough, just not being able to go out there and practice and learn the stuff, but I am still learning in meeting rooms,” Joseph told Josh Dubow of the Associated Press. “Right now, I am just focusing on rehabbing and getting healthy.”

Eagles Sign Carson Wentz

May 14th, 2016 at 8:55am CST by Zachary Links

SATURDAY, 8:55am: Not much of a surprise here, but the Eagles have official announced the signing.

FRIDAY, 12:27pm: The Eagles have signed No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz, sources tell Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Wentz deal contains offsets for guaranteed money, according to Mike Florio of PFT (Twitter link). Wentz, Florio adds, told the Eagles he would agree to offsets before Philly traded up to No. 2 with the intention of drafting him.

Last month, the Rams paid a king’s ransom to trade up for the No. 1 pick, which raised the asking price for every team vying for the No. 2 pick. That didn’t deter the Eagles, however, as they were locked in on Wentz. Philly shipped the No. 8 pick, a 2016 third-round pick, and a 2016 fourth-round pick, a 2017 first-round pick, and a 2018 second-round pick to the Browns for the No. 2 pick (Wentz) and a 2017 fourth-round choice.

Wentz and Cal’s Jared Goff were considered the top two quarterbacks available in this year’s class, and while Goff is thought to be bit more NFL-ready, Wentz might have the higher ceiling. Prior to the draft, PFR’s Rob DiRe ranked Wentz as the No. 2 QB on the board, praising his size and mobility.

With the Eagles, Wentz should have plenty of time to develop with Sam Bradford serving as the starter. With Wentz in the fold, the Eagles have now signed all of their rookies in the 2016 class.

Vikings Sign Laquon Treadwell

May 14th, 2016 at 8:50am CST by Zachary Links

SATURDAY, 8:50am: The deal is official, according to the Vikings’ PR department.

THURSDAY, 2:35pm: The Vikings have signed first-round wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, according to a tweet from his agents at ISM. Treadwell was selected with the No. 23 overall pick.

Treadwell, was widely projected as a top-15 pick before a slow 40-yard dash time and other concerns about his game hurt his draft stock. That disappointing performance didn’t deter the Vikings, however, who see Treadwell as a potential star receiver to pair with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The Vikings are hoping to have a potent aerial attack starring Stefon Diggs, Charles Johnson, and their newest first-round choice. Of course, if they can get production out of the once-promising Cordarrelle Patterson, things will be looking even better for Minnesota’s offense.

The Chiefs reportedly tried to trade up to get Treadwell. After the Ole Miss product went to the Vikings at No. 23, the Chiefs traded out of the first round, converting that selection into a second-round pick (No. 37), a fourth-round pick (No. 105), a sixth-round pick (No. 178), and a seventh-round pick (No. 249) from the 49ers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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