Jaguars vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin said Friday he “doesn’t see any reason” why the team’s trades with the Dolphins involving tight end Julius Thomas and left tackle Branden Albert would fall through before they become official March 9. That indicates Albert has passed a physical with the Jags, notes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Thomas has also passed his with Miami). As for free agency, with upward of $70MM in cap space, Coughlin expects the Jaguars “to be very competitive” in bidding for outside help.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- Before defensive tackle Earl Mitchell agreed to a deal with the 49ers on Friday, the Broncos offered him a three-year contract featuring a $4.5MM salary in 2017, reports Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). He ended up with a four-year, $16MM pact that includes $5.5MM next season.
- Kansas City could pursue soon-to-be former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo in the coming weeks, but it would be unwise to regard the Chiefs as one of the favorites for his services, argues Adam Teichner of ESPN.com. If the Chiefs were to fail in an attempt to reel in Romo, they’d risk causing irreparable damage to their relationship with Smith, opines Teichner. Considering that, the Chiefs might only get involved in the Romo sweepstakes if they’re sure they’re going to come out on top.
- The Browns could turn to quarterback Tyrod Taylor in free agency if the Bills release him, and after studying tape of the dual threat, Dan Labbe of cleveland.com contends that he’s “no less intriguing” than much-ballyhooed New England backup Jimmy Garoppolo. By opting for Taylor, the Browns would save the premium in draft picks they’d have to pay for Garoppolo – whom they’d nonetheless prefer to acquire – and would still have the option of selecting a QB to develop behind Taylor, Labbe writes.
- Tight end Rob Gronkowski doesn’t expect the back injury that kept him out of the Patriots’ lineup from late November onward, including for their Super Bowl-winning playoff run, to limit him in 2017. Gronkowski told ESPN on Friday that there’s “no doubt” he’ll be ready for Week 1. Longer term, the 27-year-old said earlier this month he’d like to play at least six more years, though he wasn’t willing on Friday to put a number on how much longer he’ll last. “I mean, I still love playing the game, and as of right now, I want to play as long as I possibly could play,” Gronkowski said. “My mindset is to keep on going” (via Ryan Hannable of WEEI).
Hope they use the 1st picks wisely. No way in hell would I give a 1st round pick for Garoppolo. In 3 years he’s played 94 snaps. Cut RGIII, roll with Kessler and Hogan. If they want to draft a QB choose best available in top of the 3rd or 4th round. Just my opinion.
Well said. Kessler showed way better than given credit for. If they really want to pick up Taylor in FA, fine, just don’t pay out the nose for him. And my favorite part of your comment? Cut RGIII.
Browns should stick to an offense design and stick with it. If they want an RGIII running QB type of offense then Tyrod Taylor should be their top choice. Maybe even Alex Smith should he become available.
I think we take Chad Kelly in the 4th round and maybe Mahomes in 2nd. I believe Garoppalo will get broken up with the cheap shots the NFL allows to be thrown on our QB’s. I also think Center is a MUST FIX issue. I did however y hink Erving looked Very Good at TACKLE. I would do Cutler if we take a developmental QB 2 years would do us good.