2018 January - Pro Football Rumors

Month: December 2024

AFC Notes: Joseph, Bengals, Titans, Bolts

January 28th, 2018 at 9:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Johnathan Joseph played the past seven seasons of his career in Houston, and the soon-to-be 34-year-old cornerback would prefer to remain with the Texans. The UFA returning in 2018 would mark a 13th NFL season, but he’s not ready to retire. It doesn’t sound like Joseph certain he’ll be back in Houston, though. But Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle notes (on Twitter) he would like to be. “I’m just chilling. We’ll see how it goes,” Joseph said. “Obviously, I want to be here. That’s my first choice. We’ll see how it goes.” The Texans still have Kareem Jackson and Kevin Johnson under contract for 2018, the former on a $9MM cap number in the final year of his deal, and lost A.J. Bouye in free agency last year. Whether or not Joseph returns, the Texans will probably need to make another investment at this position in the near future.

Here’s the latest from the AFC as we enter Super Bowl week.

Mike Vrabel‘s Titans staff continues to fill out. Former Raiders wide receivers coach Rob Moore will trek east to coach Tennessee’s wideouts, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Since the former All-Pro wideout’s career concluded, he’s coached at the high school, JUCO, Division I college and NFL levels — the previous five being with the Bills (2013-14) and Raiders (’15-’17). His main task will certainly involve Corey Davis‘ development. Moore helped bring Amari Cooper‘s career forward, but the top Raiders target struggled this season.
Organizational optimism centers around Jake Fisher as the Bengals‘ right tackle despite an inconsistent first year as a starter, Paul Dehner Jr. and Jim Owczarski of cincinnati.com report. However, Fisher’s counterpart, Cedric Ogbuehi, may not figure in as prominently. The Bengals reporters expect the team will decline Ogbuehi’s fifth-year option, and Marvin Lewis offered a sobering assessment of the 2015 No. 21 overall pick’s status. “Ced’s had two seasons, basically, and it’s just not been exactly where we need it to be,” Lewis said. “That’s held us back.”
Texas A&M is attempting to hire Chargers assistant defensive line coach Eric Henderson, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He spent his first season with the Chargers last season under Gus Bradley. The former NFL defensive lineman and New Orleans native, though, is viewed as a plus recruiter — particularly in the south — and spent three seasons with Oklahoma State and in 2016 coached Texas-San Antonio’s defensive linemen.

Browns’ QB Plans Include Veteran, Rookie Upgrades?

January 28th, 2018 at 8:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Sashi Brown regime will likely be most associated with the decisions to trade out of draft spots that ended up producing Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson. Well, that and an unprecedented losses in a two-year span.

But John Dorsey may be preparing for a multifaceted approach to fixing the Browns’ quarterback situation. The Browns are expected to pull the trigger on a quarterback at No. 1 overall, and Dorsey said several could be on the radar at this juncture, but Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com expects the Browns’ Week 1 starter will be a veteran not currently on the roster.

Cabot writes the Browns will acquire an experienced passer, adding this player would play in front of the to-be-determined rookie to start the season. This would differ from Cleveland’s 2017 approach, which included giving DeShone Kizer the reins immediately. Cabot mentions Alex Smith as a candidate the team will attempt to acquire via trade.

Cabot expects Dorsey to attempt to trade for Smith, whom he acquired in 2013 for two second-round picks while with the Chiefs, and still draft a quarterback at No. 1. Smith has one year and $20.6MM left on his contract, and the Chiefs are reportedly ready to explore a trade and turn to Patrick Mahomes in 2018.

This would be interesting given how far the Browns may be from contention, but Hue Jackson said this multi-pronged solution at quarterback would be in play this offseason despite its perceived redundancy. The Browns having gone 1-31 over the past two seasons, it would seemingly make sense to not waste additional resources on a franchise-quarterback salary instead of letting the rookie learn from the start, but the team does have a warchest of cap space. Cleveland’s expected to possess $110MM in space, so just about anything could be in play come March.

As for the rookie the Browns will pair this to-be-identified veteran with, Cabot does not see it being Baker Mayfield. While a report emerged over the weekend that Mayfield may be the type of player Dorsey covets, Cabot still sees the Browns as having multiple other QBs above him on their early board. Jackson’s proclivity for bigger quarterbacks could well play a role here, Cabot writes.

A Mayfield play could look similar to the Browns’ Johnny Manziel gamble, with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writing that Jimmy Haslam could well enter the decision-making process as he did in 2014 when he pushed for Manziel. Noting it would be difficult for Dorsey to say no under these circumstances, Florio writes the Browns would be hoping the Oklahoma product that shares some on-field traits with Manziel doesn’t share enough of the off-field troubles with him. Haslam reportedly intervened this spring in Brown and Co.’s draft process in hopes of a quarterback pick, so it wouldn’t be out of character for the owner to step in again.

Several scouts and execs Cabot spoke to at the Senior Bowl see the similarities between Mayfield and Manziel, but Dorsey came to the former’s defense this week.

Latest On Giants’ Pat Shurmur Hire

January 28th, 2018 at 7:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

A difference between how Pat Shurmur approached his Giants interview helped land him the job. The former Vikings OC conducted his Giants meeting in a fashion that left no doubt the Giants were his first choice, which is something, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv, team management couldn’t see in Josh McDaniels or Matt Patricia.

While Vacchiano reports some in the Giants’ organization preferred the two Patriots coordinators to Shurmur “until the very end,” he notes Shurmur left “by far” the strongest first impression on the Giants of the candidates summoned. One of the reasons management was sold on Shurmur was his desire to land the Giants’ job was far more evident than the other finalists’. Vacchiano writes McDaniels appeared to be more interested in the Colts’ job because of Andrew Luck‘s presence, and Patricia’s Lions connection turned out to be very real.

Multiple sources informed Vacchiano that Shurmur was at one point viewed as the favorite in Arizona and that his personality would work better there, but the former Browns coach, per the Giants, was intent on securing the New York job.

Shurmur’s interview, one John Mara ranked as arguably the best he’s seen, resulted in him edging the New England assistants after they’d been viewed as previous favorites. Shurmur also made the strongest connection with Dave Gettleman of the six candidates interviewed, which is interesting given Steve Wilks‘ history with the new Giants GM. Vacchiano notes Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin did not see eye to eye on key components of the team in their final years together, with a specific disagreement involving the team’s offensive line approach, and adds Mara appeared to indicate Reese and Ben McAdoo weren’t meshing as well as they’d hoped to.

Mara indicated a head coach/GM partnership was critical here, and Shurmur — who made a point of saying how much stock he places in repairing the Giants’ offensive front — appears to be in stride with Gettleman at this point.

Mara previously said he wanted a head coach with previous experience leading a team, and Vacchiano reports Shurmur was “much more willing” to accept his wrongdoings from his first job (with the 2011-12 Browns) than McDaniels (fired midway through his second Broncos season in 2010) was. Shurmur made clear he will hire an offensive coordinator, identifying that as a mistake from his first Cleveland campaign. The Giants ultimately ruled out Wilks because of his lack of experience.

Shurmur also spoke with Eli Manning on the phone on Wednesday from the Senior Bowl and then sat down with the franchise passer in the Giants’ cafeteria on Friday, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports. Considering Gettleman’s praise for Manning, and what Shurmur offered about the quarterback’s future at his press conference, it’s starting to look like a strong bet he will be back in New York for his age-37 season.

Schwartz writes Shurmur’s approach with Manning differs from Coughlin’s with Kerry Collins, whom the Giants replaced with Manning in 2004. Coughlin ignored Collins when they saw each other at the facility during the months his and Collins’ tenures overlapped in ’04, Schwartz recalls.

5 Key NFL Stories: 1/21/18 -1/28/18

January 28th, 2018 at 4:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Titans, Cardinals fill head coaching vacancies. Tennessee and Arizona were the last two NFL clubs searching for new head coaches (discounting Detroit and Indianapolis, which will hire Matt Patricia and Josh McDaniels, respectively, when the Super Bowl concludes), and both teams hired former defensive coordinators with only one year of experience last week. The Titans settled on ex-Texans DC Mike Vrabel, who is still filling out his staff after missing out on defensive play-caller James Bettcher. The Cardinals, meanwhile, landed former Panthers DC Steve Wilks, who has already hired Mike McCoy to lead Arizona’s offense and Al Holcomb to run the club’s defense.

Panthers begin general manager search. While the Panthers fired Dave Gettleman last July, they’re just now starting the process of filling their general manager vacancy. Interim GM Marty Hurney led the club’s front office during the 2017 campaign, and he’s still considered the frontrunner for the job. However, Carolina also plans to interview the Texans’ Jimmy Raye III and the Browns’ Lake Dawson. Titans executive Ryan Cowden is also viewed as a candidate, but no meeting has yet been arranged.

Jarvis Landry approaches free agency. While Landy figures to be one of the top wide receivers available when the free agent market opens in March, the Dolphins reportedly haven’t made much of an effort to retain him. Landry, who has previously called Miami’s negotiating tactics “disrespectful,” has told his inner circle that he doesn’t expect to re-sign with the Dolphins this offseason. The two sides exchanged offers in December, but the club has to counter Landry’s most recent proposal. The Ravens, meanwhile, discussed a Landry trade with Miami last season, meaning Baltimore could be a potential landing spot for the slot receiver.

Vince McMahon reboots XFL. 17 years after it disbanded, the XFL is back, as McMahon last week announced plans to re-open the league beginning in 2020. Initially, the venture will be comprised of eight teams with 40-man rosters, although no host cities have yet been announced. In order to compete with the NFL, the XFL feature fewer commercial breaks and move at a fast pace than the signature football league. The real question, then, is when He Hate Me will make his debut.

Bills center Eric Wood is forced to retire. In a devastating bit of news from last week, Wood will be forced to retire due to a severe neck injury. Wood, 31, has been a solid pivot during his nine-year career, and had appeared in all 16 games in four of the past five seasons. His absence will add yet another entry to Buffalo’s list of offseason needs, and could also complicate the Bills’ salary cap.

NFC East Rumors: Redskins, Brown, Giants

January 28th, 2018 at 3:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Redskins‘ decision to re-sign Mason Foster to a two-year deal last week won’t preclude the club from pursuing a new contract with fellow linebacker Zach Brown, sources tell John Keim of ESPN.com, who recently reported Washington has opened negotiations with Brown. Indeed, despite reports that the Redskins had opened talks with a “lowball offer,” they’re still conversing with the 28-year-old Brown, tweets J.P. Finlay of NBC Washington. Per Keim, Brown could potentially looking for a top-of-the-market linebacker pact, which could require $10MM annually and nearly $20MM in guarantees. However, Brown was only able to garner a one-year, $2.5MM deal last season when he was younger and coming off an arguably more productive campaign.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

While the Redskins are engaged in talks to bring back Brown, the team may not be interested in a reunion with offensive lineman Spencer Long and Shawn Lauvao, according to Rich Tandler of NBC Washington. Long and Lauvao split time at guard in 2017, but neither earned positive grades from Pro Football Focus. If Washington does opt to re-sign one of its two free agent lineman, Long could speculatively have the advantage given that he’s three years younger than Lauvao. However, Tandler expects the Redskins to instead bring in a free agent or a draft pick to compete with former fourth-round pick Arie Kouandjio, who started six games a season ago.
The Giants are searching for a new offensive coordinator under new head coach Pat Shurmur, and while former Cardinals OC Harold Goodwin has been mentioned as a candidate for the position, there’s a possibility he could hired as a combination offensive coordinator/offensive line coach, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. Goodwin held the same dual role in Arizona, and given that New York hasn’t yet hired an OL coach to replace Mike Solari, Goodwin could potentially join the G-Men in a similar capacity. Other contenders for the Giants’ offensive coordinator include Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski and Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley.
Although the Giants still need an offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, the club’s coaching staff is mostly set, as Vacchanio writes. Shurmur has filled most of the team’s vacancies and retained a number of incumbent coaches, including coaching assistant Chris Pridy, reports Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com.

PFR Originals: 1/21/18 -1/28/18

January 28th, 2018 at 2:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

As the offseason progresses, PFR will assess each team by examining the top three needs on each respective roster. We covered three organizations last week:
- Carolina Panthers
- Chicago Bears
- Los Angeles Rams
The NFL’s Rooney Rule — which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate when filling a general manager or head coach vacancy — has been the subject of much discussion in recent weeks, as the Raiders may or may not have met the rule’s requirements before hiring Jon Gruden. While the NFL has determined Oakland did follow the Rooney Rule stipulations, Zach Links examined the effects of the regulation on the league’s hiring processes, noting that further changes involving minority candidates could be on the table.
The Vikings are in a precarious position: not only are they naming a new offensive coordinator to replace Pat Shurmur, but their top three quarterbacks — including breakout starter Case Keenum — are all free agents. With that in mind, Rory Parks asked PFR readers where Keenum will be playing in 2018, and while Minnesota is currently leading the vote, other teams, such as the Cardinals and Jets, have also garnered consideration.

Vikings Expected To Name OC Next Week

January 28th, 2018 at 1:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings are expected to name a new offensive coordinator next week, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

As PFR’s 2018 Coordinator Tracker indicates, the Vikings have already interviewed two candidates and plan to meet with two additional contenders. Former Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and current Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski — the latter of whom is also on the Giants’ radar — met with head coach Mike Zimmer last week, while Texans quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan and Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell will interview in the coming days.

Minnesota also reportedly considered at least two other coaches at some point in their search, but neither appears to be currently involved in the club’s process. Former Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy was mentioned as potential candidate for the Vikings, but he was recently hired as the Cardinals’ new play-caller. Ex-Giants head coach Ben McAdoo was also part of an initial group of prospective interviewees, but no meeting was ever scheduled.

Whomever the Vikings choose to replace former offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will face a tall task, as a new coach will attempt to replicate Minnesota’s No. 5 DVOA ranking with an uncertain situation at quarterback. The Vikings’ top three signal-callers — Case Keenum, Sam Bradford, and Teddy Bridgewater — are all headed for unrestricted free agency in March.

Dean Pees To Join Titans’ Staff?

January 28th, 2018 at 12:11pm CST by Rory Parks

It may be a brief retirement for Dean Pees. The former Ravens and Patriots defensive coordinator announced his retirement on New Years Day, but according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, momentum continues to build for Pees to join the staff of new Titans head coach Mike Vrabel (Twitter link). Zrebiec cautions that nothing is close to being finalized and that discussions are ongoing.

Pees could join Tennessee as defensive coordinator, or he could take another position on Vrabel’s defensive staff. The two men know each other well from their time in New England, as Pees was on the Patriots’ staff from 2004-09, and Vrabel was a starting linebacker for the Pats from 2001-08. Pees was Vrabel’s position coach for two seasons and then his defensive coordinator for three more years after that. If Zrebiec’s report is any indication, Vrabel and Pees developed a healthy respect for each other during that time.

Pees served as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator from 2012-2017, and he earned a Super Bowl ring in that position in 2012. Although his defenses suffered several late-game collapses that doomed Baltimore’s playoff hopes in the past several seasons, his unit did generate the most turnovers in the league last year (though many of those turnovers came against offenses featuring second-string and/or rookie quarterbacks).

In total, the 68-year-old Pees has 10 years of NFL experience as a defensive coordinator, which could be useful for a rookie head coach like Vrabel, who is taking over a playoff team that will have high expectations heading into 2018.

Broncos Will Try To Trade Aqib Talib

January 28th, 2018 at 11:50am CST by Rory Parks

The Broncos are expected to put veteran cornerback Aqib Talib on the trading block, according to a report from 9News.com. Talib, who has often found himself in the news for the wrong reasons in his career, has nonetheless enjoyed a terrific run on the field for Denver, but he may be too costly for the Broncos to keep in 2018.

Talib has two years remaining on the six-year, $57MM deal he signed with the Broncos in 2014, and he is set to make $11MM in 2018, his age-32 season. Denver has two younger corners — Chris Harris, Jr. and Bradley Roby — under contract for a combined $17.02MM, and it would like to use some of its CB resources elsewhere.

There should be a good amount of interest in Talib, despite his age. He made the Pro Bowl again in 2017, and he has been a Pro Bowl participant in each of his four years in Denver (including a first-team All-Pro nod in 2016). He tacked on yet another pick-six this past season, giving himself six pick-sixes in his Broncos career. He was also a key member of the Broncos’ terrific defense that catapulted the team to its Super Bowl 50 championship.

It’s fair to wonder, though, if interested teams will simply wait for Talib to be released rather than try to trade for him. Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com says he asked three GMs at this year’s Senior Bowl if they would trade for Talib, and they all said “no” (Twitter link). After all, if the Broncos were to cut Talib, they would take on only $1MM in dead money, meaning that they would still shave $10MM off the books. So, if teams are confident Talib will be available anyway, they will not be as likely to give up draft capital for his services.

Talib has enjoyed success at every stop of his NFL journey, which began when he was selected by Tampa Bay in the first round of the 2008 draft. He was traded to New England in the middle of the 2012 season, and he made his first Pro Bowl in 2013, his only full season with the Patriots.

Poll: Where Will Case Keenum Play In 2018?

January 28th, 2018 at 11:20am CST by Rory Parks

Case Keenum was one of the best stories of the 2017 season. Stepping in for the injured Sam Bradford, Keenum performed at a very high level throughout much of the regular season and guided Minnesota to the NFC’s No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. In the NFC Divisional Round matchup against the Saints, Keenum made up one-half of the Minnesota Miracle that catapulted the Vikings to the NFC title game against the Eagles.

But outside of that remarkable play, which was largely aided by a defensive lapse on the part of the New Orleans secondary, Keenum struggled in the playoffs, and he could not generate any momentum in the team’s 38-7 loss to Philadelphia last week. So, even though we heard just last Sunday that it would be shocking if the Vikings did not put the franchise tag on Keenum this offseason, it may not be so simple.

Indeed, while Keenum could certainly be a late bloomer who finally got a real chance to show what he could do in 2017, the fact remains that he is a career journeyman who will turn 30 in just a couple of weeks. And, since he did put up a couple of clunkers in the regular season to go along with his disappointing playoff performance, it may be hard to convince Minnesota to put the ~$23.3MM tag on him this offseason, let alone sign him to a long-term deal.

On the other hand, there are plenty of teams who are looking for a competent signal-caller, so Keenum could have a number of suitors. The Browns always need a quarterback, and they are loaded with plenty of cap space. Of course, they also have two of the top four picks in the draft, and they are widely expected to use one of those picks on one of this year’s top collegiate quarterbacks.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, have a talented roster and could be just a QB away from competing in 2018. Arizona just saw Carson Palmer retire, and they could realistically make a play for Keenum. The Jaguars came heart-wrenchingly close to advancing to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history last week, and it has been rumored for months that they will be in the QB market in 2018. Keenum could certainly be a fit there, though Jacksonville could simply opt to bring back Blake Bortles, who was decent in the regular season and who played well in the team’s last two playoff contests. The Jags have also been connected to more established signal-callers like Alex Smith, who could be traded from Kansas City this offseason.

The Bills were interested in Keenum last year, and they could certainly be interested again this year, as Tyrod Taylor is far from a sure thing. But they will need to ask themselves whether Keenum would be a significant upgrade over Taylor, which is not an easy question. And Buffalo’s divisional rival, the Jets, are in need of a QB, but they, too, could look to fill that need in the draft. New York has also been connected to Smith in recent trade rumors.

More landing spots could become available as the offseason goes on. For instance, if the Redskins cannot agree to terms with Kirk Cousins, or if they choose not to franchise tag him for the third straight year, then they could take a look at Keenum.

The Vikings, though, also have a lot of cap room, so they could put the franchise tag on Keenum and still have enough space to address other needs. But they will also need to determine what to do with Teddy Bridgewater, whom they drafted in the first round of the 2014 draft and who has gamely battled back from a horrific ACL injury. Bridgewater is also an unrestricted free agent, and it’s not out of the question that Minnesota could bring back both him and Keenum.

It’s hard to believe that we’re even having this discussion, but here we are. Where do you think Keenum will play next season? He has expressed a desire to stay in Minnesota, but will he get that chance, or will he wind up elsewhere? Let us know in the poll below, and feel free to elaborate in the comments section.

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