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Month: November 2024

PFR Originals: 5/29/16 – 6/5/16

June 5th, 2016 at 3:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

Week In Review: 5/29/16 – 6/5/16

June 5th, 2016 at 1:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Headlines:

Free Agent Rumors:

Signed:

Retired:

AFC Notes: RGIII, J. Cameron, Forte

June 5th, 2016 at 12:11pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at some notes from around the AFC:

  • In response to a reader wondering when Browns head coach Hue Jackson would officially name Robert Griffin III Cleveland’s starting quarterback, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer said that the formal designation would probably come after the preseason games begin. Per Cabot, Jackson wants Griffin to earn the job, and RGIII is getting a strong push from Josh McCown—who looks ready to start tomorrow—and rookie Cody Kessler, who is handling his learning curve nicely.
  • When deciding whether he should accept a paycut this offseason or risk being released, Dolphins TE Jordan Cameron spoke with a number of people, including current Jaguars TE Julius Thomas, as James Walker of ESPN.com writes. Per Cameron, Thomas “called me immediately and said you have to play for [new Dolphins head coach Adam Gase]. I’ve had a lot of conversations about [Gase] and what he can do. It was kind of the things I heard about Coach Gase (that helped make my decision).” Gase was Thomas’ offensive coordinator in Denver, and he is well-known for having success with tight ends. In the end, of course, Cameron agreed to take the paycut.
  • One of the primary reasons Matt Forte signed with the Jets, according to Darryl Slater of NJ.com, is New York’s training room. The 30-year-old back, who has been burdened by a heavy workload in his career, said, “That was one of the reasons for me wanting to come here, because the training room is so good. At this point in your career, health is so important. You’re not as young as you used to be, or recover as fast as you used to. But if you get the right [trainers] in there and work with them, you can turn back the time.”
  • The Jaguars‘ Peyton Thompson has been cut six times by four different teams since he entered the league in 2013, but after making the switch from cornerback to safety, Thompson feels as though this year marks the best chance he has had to make a Week 1 roster, as Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union writes. Thompson appeared in 15 games for Jacksonville last season, and he will compete this year to be a key special-teamer and backup to newly-signed safety Tashaun Gipson. Thompson says, “The amount of special teams I can play and being somebody [the team] can interchange from from cornerback to nickel to safety and know the whole defense no matter where I am, that definitely gives me the upper hand.”
  • Earlier today, we learned that the Dolphins would not be pursuing veteran corners like Leon Hall and Antonio Cromartie at this time.

Dolphins Not Pursuing Hall, Cromartie At This Time

June 5th, 2016 at 11:14am CST by Rory Parks

The Dolphins traded for Byron Maxwell earlier this offseason just two days after releasing Brent Grimes, and given Maxwell’s disappointing 2015 campaign in Philadelphia–combined with Miami’s largely inexperienced cornerback corps–one would think that the Fins might be one of the primary suitors for veteran corners Antonio Cromartie and Leon Hall. As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, however, that is not the case. Jackson says that both Hall and Cromartie are on the Dolphins’ radar should the team suffer injuries at the cornerback position or if its young corners do not develop as expected, but so far, the Dolphins are pleased with their young guns and want them to continue taking as many meaningful reps as possible.

Antonio Cromartie

Hall, the longtime Bengal, is currently rated as PFR’s second-best defensive player still on the market, while Cromartie received an honorable mention (Brandon Boykin and Chris Culliver, two other veteran corners that the Dolphins could theoretically bring in, rated as the fifth- and seventh-best free agent defenders, respectively). Hall is not the the boundary defender he used to be, but the 31-year-old still figures to be productive in the slot, and his veteran presence and high football IQ would surely be welcome in South Beach. Indeed, the Cowboys, Cardinals, Giants, and Falcons have all expressed varying levels of interest in Hall, suggesting that his services are at least somewhat in demand.

However, he has been plagued by health issues throughout his career, and an offseason back procedure will not alleviate clubs’ concerns about his injury history. Plus, the Dolphins think highly of second-year player Bobby McCain and would like to see him start in the slot (which would also help explain Miami’s apparent lack of interest in Boykin).

Cromartie, meanwhile, has not garnered much, if any, interest from other teams after he was released by the Jets back in February. He had earned three consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 2012 to 2014, earning him a four-year, $32MM deal with the Jets last March, but he was not as effective as usual during his first season back in New York after a one-year stint in Arizona (Pro Football Focus ranked him 86th out of 111 qualified cornerbacks). He has frequently struggled with getting burned by opposing receivers, but he has largely been able to compensate for those problems with a high level of playmaking ability. As he gets older, though, the interceptions will likely diminish while his coverage deficiencies will be further exploited, so if the Dolphins were to pursue a veteran corner, Cromartie is probably not the best option.

Miami’s present stance on free agent corners may also be influenced by Maxwell’s performance in the early stages of the offseason. As James Walker of ESPN.com wrote several days ago, Maxwell has been one of the most impressive players in the Dolphins’ early workouts, and this morning Walker tabbed Maxwell as one of the team’s two standout players in OTAs (Twitter link). If Miami can get a bounceback year from Maxwell, and if players like McCain, Xavien Howard, and Tony Lippett progress as hoped, the club could have a strong stable of defensive backs.

Nonetheless, that is a lot of “ifs,” and given the importance of strong cornerback play in the NFL, it would not be surprising to see Miami change course and sign a veteran CB or two in the near future (the Dolphins did bring in Greg Toler for a workout several months ago, though that was before they selected Howard in this year’s draft). But for the time being, the team’s young corners will apparently get ample opportunity to prove their worth.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Patriots Notes: Butler, FAs, Sheard

June 5th, 2016 at 9:38am CST by Rory Parks

Mike Reiss of ESPN.com believes the extension that Allen Hurns signed with the Jaguars a few days ago could serve as a useful blueprint for the Patriots in their efforts to deal with the contract situations of three of the club’s top defenders: Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower, and Malcolm Butler. Collins and Hightower are eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the 2016 season, whereas Butler is set to become a restricted free agent.

Hurns, like Butler, came into the league as an undrafted free agent, and like Butler, he was set to make $600K in 2016 before becoming a RFA in March 2017. But as Reiss points out, the four-year, $40MM deal Hurns inked with the Jags was tacked on to the final year of his UDFA contract, so Hurns is now effectively playing under a five-year, $40.6MM pact, which sounds a lot more reasonable for a player who enjoyed a successful 2015 campaign but who does not have a long track record of success or an impressive draft pedigree. Such an arrangement would seem to make a great deal of sense for Butler in particular, though Reiss says that an extension for any of the Butler/Collins/Hightower trio would likely be similar in concept and would benefit both sides, as the player gets coveted financial security while the team stays ahead of a rising market by being willing to strike a deal a year early.

Now let’s take a look at more on the Patriots:

  • In the same piece, Reiss says the Patriots did try to follow a similar contractual model with Devin McCourty as he entered the final year of his contract two seasons ago, but their offer was not enticing enough for McCourty. As a result, New England ended up having to pay McCourty at a market value that was higher than the club anticipated. Reiss therefore believes the Pats will be more proactive in their approach with their biggest free agents-to-be this time around.
  • Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald echoes the sentiments put forth by former NFL agent Joey Corry last week, saying that Butler needs to understand his contract will take a backseat for the time being given that he will only become a RFA when the 2017 league year begins and can be retained for 2017 for a relatively modest $4MM or so. In addition to Collins and Hightower, Guregian also mentioned Jabaal Sheard as a pending unrestricted free agent whose contract the team may try to address before Butler’s.
  • Christopher Price of WEEI.com offers an early 53-man roster projection for the Patriots.

 

Extra Points: LeBron, GMs, Broncos, Manziel

June 4th, 2016 at 9:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

June is generally the time when LeBron James dominates sports headlines, but thanks to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report, the Cavaliers superstar did so in an unusual way. One NFL GM told Freeman that had James opted for football over basketball when coming out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, he would have been one of the all-time gridiron greats.

“LeBron James would have been the best tight end of all time,” the GM told Freeman. “He would have been Rob Gronkowski before Rob Gronkowski. No one would be able to cover him. He would have set records every season.”

Playing in his sixth straight NBA Finals, the league’s premier matchup problem hovered on NFL scouts’ radar as far back as his sophomore football season in 2000. As a junior, James had 61 receptions for 1,245 yards and 16 touchdowns, and prior to leaving the game to focus on hoops before his senior season, he had narrowed his recruiting finalists for football down to Ohio State, Michigan, Miami and USC.

Now at 6-foot-8, 250 pounds — Gronkowski is 6-6, 265 — the 31-year-old James would have been a perennial Pro Bowl tight end and a likely Hall of Fame talent in the minds of the NFL personnel with whom Freeman spoke. Likely destined to finish his NBA career as at worst a top-5 all-time player, one scout told Freeman the four-time NBA MVP would have been one of the 10 greatest football players ever.

In non-alternate-reality news from the NFL …

  • An SI.com list of eight GMs on the hot seat placed Jerry Reese at No. 1. Don Banks of Sports Illustrated writes that Reese, despite guiding the Giants to two Super Bowl titles, needs to assemble a contender — likely a playoff team for the first time since Big Blue’s 2011 championship — after the $200MM+ he spent on free agents in an uncharacteristic spending spree this spring to keep his job.
  • The Broncos shifted Brandon Marshall to Danny Trevathan‘s previous position at weakside inside linebacker, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports. It’s a similar role to the 3-4 strongside spot he manned for the Super Bowl champions in 2015. Wade Phillips described the “Mo” position that Marshall’s relocating to as one with more freedom. Trevathan led the Broncos with 109 tackles last season despite playing in one fewer game than Marshall. The primary dime ‘backer for the Broncos last season, the 26-year-old Marshall will continue to function in that role. He plans to sign his RFA tender before the June 15 deadline, but John Elway said this week he wants to sign Marshall, Emmanuel Sanders and Von Miller to long-term deals this summer. Although Elway signed Derek Wolfe to an extension in January and Chris Harris to a longt-term deal in December of 2014, that’s lofty thinking considering the potential value Sanders and Marshall may have as UFAs in 2017. I took a look recently at what it might take to keep Marshall in Denver.
  • Sanders has incentive to wait until the 2017 offseason before signing his third contract since he could potentially make No. 1 wideout money despite serving as a No. 2 in Denver the past two seasons, Mark Kizsla of the Denver Post writes. Allen Hurns‘ four-year, $40MM extension may be a reasonable target for Sanders since he’ll be entering his age-30 season in ’17, but Sanders has produced like a No. 1 target in accumulating more than 2,500 air yards since coming to Denver. He, Keenan Allen and Doug Baldwin look like the top 2017 UFA wideouts if none is signed to an extension in the meantime.
  • Johnny Manziel‘s former agent, Erik Burkhardt, said the prospect of having to lie on behalf of the embattled quarterback led him to dissolve the relationship, the agent told Peter Schraeger of Fox Sports on a radio appearance (via Cameron DaSilva of FoxSports.com). The agent for Andy Dalton, Jordy Nelson, Danny Amendola and others, Burkhardt said he could damage relationships with GMs and front office executives if he continued to represent Manziel. “My relationships with these general managers, I’ve got to work with these guys for 20, 30 years,” Burkhardt said. “When they point-blank ask me if he’ll be X, Y and Z and do X, Y and Z, and if Johnny can’t give me his word that that’s what is going to take place, then I have to be honest with those guys. So, when I couldn’t do my job most effectively, that was a tough day for me, but that’s when I had to step away from our relationship on a professional level.” Both Burkhardt and Drew Rosenhaus jettisoned Manziel since his second and final season with the Browns concluded.

NFC Notes: Freeney, Berger, McClain, Hall

June 4th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals could still probably use Dwight Freeney this season, but depth chart and financial issues are complicating a reunion. The former All-Pro’s most recent employer plans to see what its younger pass-rushers are capable of before committing to another Freeney contract, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports.

Chandler Jones‘ arrival via trade fills a key need for one of the Super Bowl favorites, with less-experienced incumbents Alex Okafor and Shaq Riddick, along with CFL signee Tristan Okpalaugo representing the younger contingent opposite Markus Golden that are causing the team to pass on signing the 36-year-old Freeney for now. Another matter comes from Arizona’s preference to sign either Tyrann Mathieu, Michael Floyd or Calais Campbell to an extension this year, with the team’s preference that it be Mathieu.

The Cardinals possess $4.6MM in cap space and could probably afford Freeney on a veteran-minimum-type deal — the former Syracuse star played for $875K with $800K in incentives upon signing during last season — but are willing to gamble the productive situational sack artist will be available if they need him.

Freeney has visited the Falcons and Bengals in the last two weeks but indicated a seeming preference to return to Arizona, where he registered nine total sacks (one in the playoffs) in 12 games. Like Steve Keim, Dan Quinn didn’t rule out a signing down the road, so some options still likely exist for the former first-round pick.

Here’s the latest from around the NFC.

  • The Vikings are assembling one of the most experienced offensive lines in the NFL, but as OTAs progress, they don’t have a certain place in their starting lineup for Joe Berger. Pro Football Focus’ second-best center last season, Berger returns to the backup center spot he occupied before John Sullivan‘s season-ending injury last August. Minnesota should find a way to try him at another position — which would almost certainly be guard if the Vikes intend to do so — to maximize their talent up front, Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune writes. Berger rated as by far the best Vikings blocker last season, per PFF, and has started 26 games over the past two seasons after starting nine in his previous three campaigns in the Twin Cities. Hartman indicated next week the Vikes might reshuffle their line, which now houses Alex Boone and Andre Smith as potential right-side starters, in the near future.
  • Although the Cowboys‘ selection of Jaylon Smith in the second round this year points to a potential changing of the guard at middle linebacker in Dallas, that isn’t likely going to come in 2016. After signing a one-year, $5MM deal in March to stay in Dallas, Rolando McClain remains the projected starter there, but he’s absent from OTAs. Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News points to additional issues perhaps surrounding the 26-year-old McClain’s absence. George didn’t specify, but McClain has endured a complicated career that included a brief early retirement and continued with a four-game suspension for violation of the substance-abuse policy to start 2015. Jason Garrett said McClain’s absence during the first two weeks of OTAs is related to a family matter. Combining that and the injury-related absences of Sean Lee and Barry Church should cause some concern, George writes. “It’s certainly disappointing when [players are] not here,” Stephen Jones said recently. “But at the same time we know there’s always circumstances where guys are gonna miss. And that doesn’t necessarily indicate if that guy’s gonna have a good year or a bad year. I think it certainly gives them a better chance to have a good year when they’re in our competitive offseason conditioning programs, the OTAs, all those things.”
  • DeAngelo Hall looks prepared to claim one of the Redskins‘ starting safety positions, Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. The 32-year-old Hall made the switch last season, but this represents his first full offseason working as a safety. He rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 57 safety last season. David Bruton leads the competition for Washington’s strong safety spot.

Multiple Offers On Table For Joique Bell?

June 4th, 2016 at 5:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nearly four months after the Lions cut him, Joique Bell said on Saturday he has multiple opportunities to return to the league if he chooses. The soon-to-be 30-year-old running back told Lev Facher of the Detroit Free Press that he has “two or three offers on the table.”

Bell said he’s “99% certain” he’ll be on a team this season, telling Facher, “Last time I checked, I had three offers on the table. I know two are still there. One might not be there anymore.”

A former Harlon Hill Trophy recipient out of Division II’s Wayne State (Mich.) who saw extensive action for the Lions from 2012-15, Bell was set to earn $2.5MM and count $3.5MM against the Lions’ cap in 2016. He rejected a Detroit proposal that likely mandated a paycut before being released but insists he remains in good standing with his former team.

“We just negotiated something, and we couldn’t come to a conclusion,” Bell said, via Facher. “We both kind of walked away from the table, so to speak, but on good terms. We understand that it’s all business. They did what they felt was best for the organization. I did what I felt was best for myself and my family.”

A Bills visit followed in March, but Bell left without a contract. The Lions opted not to address the position in the draft until their final pick, selecting Dwayne Washington in the seventh round. He joins projected starter Ameer Abdullah, passing-down specialist Theo Riddick, along with Zach Zenner and recently signed Stevan Ridley, who after joining the Jets last season in hopes of rehabilitating his value post-ACL tear saw just 36 carries.

Bell’s usage plummeted in 2015 as well after he strung together back-to-back strong slates in 2013-14. Sharing the backfield with Reggie Bush in those seasons, Bell totaled back-to-back 1,100+ yards from scrimmage in each campaign. In 2015, however, Riddick assumed the Lions’ main pass-catching duties out of the backfield, ranking second only to Danny Woodhead with 697 receiving yards among running backs.

Bell, gained 597 yards from scrimmage — a total that ranked behind Riddick and Abdullah. The veteran runner, however, missed three games after undergoing multiple offseason surgeries in 2015. Pro Football Focus, though, still rated Bell as the Lions’ best running back due to his versatility as both a runner and receiver.

PFR’s Dallas Robinson listed Bell as one of the honorable mentions among the best remaining offensive players available.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

London Discussions Continue To Progress

June 4th, 2016 at 4:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

A long-discussed future endeavor, the NFL slotting a franchise in London appears to be still on the minds of the league’s decision-makers. But the specifics of such a progression now have taken an interesting turn. 

At last week’s owners meetings in Charlotte, the subject of a London franchise became a key talking point, enough so that several owners, according to CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora, are “more convinced than ever” that the league bigwigs want this to happen.

The last news coming out of the NFL-to-England front came during Roger Goodell‘s pre-Super Bowl press conference, with the commissioner wanting to expand the London itinerary beyond three games. But at the latest owners summit, the owners discussed numerous details about the prospect of a London franchise, La Canfora writes.

Subjects like the prospect of convincing coaches to move to London or attracting free agents were broached, along with how employees would be paid. While unlike anything close to the type of expansion the NFL has seen, La Canfora categorizes these seemingly key issues as labor matters that wouldn’t serve as deal-breakers.

However, the major point of contention that came up in Charlotte stemmed from what would happen if the London team qualifies for the playoffs.

Illustrating perhaps how far these talks have gone, the league is concerned about that prospect and the opponent being from the Western part of the United States. Teams in recent years received byes coming out of their complex travel requirement to the United Kingdom — although the Colts won’t receive said luxury this season — and the Grenwich Mean Time Zone resides eight hours ahead of the Pacific Time Zone. With post-week byes not existing during the playoffs’ initial two rounds, that could pose another deterrent to a London franchise formulating.

“That was the thing they seemed to have the most difficulty figuring out,” a team exec who closely watched the North Carolina session told La Canfora. “They aren’t sure how to handle that from a competitive standpoint, but judging from how (Mark Waller, the head of the NFL international arm) spoke about, it’s definitely something they are spending a fair amount of time working on.”

In speaking to teams on how best to handle this as-of-now hypothetical instance, La Canfora hears the idea of giving the road team the option of playing the game a few days early or a few days after the usual weekend date may be the eventual scenario.

La Canfora notes that these ideas becoming relevant to the actual schedule are years away, but with the NFL condensing its London slate to resemble a mini-regular season this October for European fans and expanding to a second site in Twickenham Stadium, this prospect continues to gain steam.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

AFC East Rumors: Collins, Fitzpatrick, Dolphins

June 4th, 2016 at 3:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The biggest news coming out of the AFC East today emerged out of Miami, with Dolphins safety Reshad Jones considering a season-long holdout if his contract is not addressed. Here’s the latest from South Florida and other AFC East locales on Saturday.

  • The Dolphins did put money toward their safety position this offseason by adding Isa Abdul-Quddus on a three-year, $12.75MM contract. Unlike Jones, who can be fined $10K per each day of missed training camp, Abdul-Quddus is working out with the Dolphins. The 26-year-old back-line presence stands to become a starting full-time safety for the first time after starting 12 games with the Lions between the 2014-15 campaigns. He’s spoken to Jones during the offseason and awaits being paired with the 28-year-old longtime Fins strong safety. “I can’t wait to learn from him. I feel we’re both versatile safeties. We can both play in the post and in the box,” Abdul-Quddus told media, including Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
  • Although the Patriots traded Chandler Jones to the Cardinals in April, they still stand to return most of their defensive starters from 2015. As for the long-term prospects of some of their contract-year performers? It might be asking a lot to retain both Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower after ’16. Collins will seek to “break the bank,” Ben Volin of the Boston Globe said (via CSNNE.com, video link) on his second contract, be it a Pats extension or in free agency. Volin does not expect both Hightower and Collins to return in 2017 and sees Collins being the more difficult to retain. The versatile outside linebacker cannot be under Patriots control next season without the use of the franchise tag or a long-term deal, one that could surpass all non-rush linebackers save for maybe Luke Kuechly‘s $12.3MM-per-year deal. Collins rated as Pro Football Focus’ fifth-best pure linebacker last season.
  • Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s reported counter to the Jets‘ frontloaded three-year, $24MM offer was to play on a one-year, $12MM deal. However, Gang Green isn’t going for that. A compromise between Fitzpatrick’s stance of wanting long-term security and the Jets seeking to protect themselves in case the inconsistent starter cannot stay on the level he displayed in 2015 would be on a one-year, $8MM deal with incentives, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com said (via CSNNE.com, video link). Breer notes the Jets may have correctly gambled that Fitzpatrick wouldn’t be able to procure thet franchise quarterback-type deal he sought after a career-best season and that the team could soon impose a deadline for the 33-year-old passer to move forward with or without him.
  • Unless an established starter suffers a significant injury during OTAs or during a mandatory minicamp, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com doesn’t expect much to change about the parties’ stances in this impasse. La Canfora, who writes Fitzpatrick has no leverage in this situation given that teams have formed their quarterback plans for 2016 after the draft, expects Fitz to sign with the Jets just before training camp. Although it’s true Fitzpatrick doesn’t have an obvious outside suitor in these talks, what little leverage he may have comes from the prospect of the Jets returning the keys to Geno Smith, a player who might not remain on the team should Fitzpatrick sign the proposed three-year deal.
  • Once thought a reasonable bet to return during training camp or the preseason, Sammy Watkins doesn’t seem like a lock now to be on the field for the Bills come Week 1.
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