HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

East Notes: Dolphins, Landry, ODB

January 26th, 2018 at 3:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Th Dolphins have not yet presented Jarvis Landry with another offer after his representation made a counter-offer in mid-December, a source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The wide receiver has already told people close to him that he doesn’t expect to return to Miami, but Jackson cautions that a lot can happen between now and mid-March. As it stands, there is a sizable gap between the two sides.

Here’s more from the AFC and NFC East:

  • Giants owner John Mara says that he will not engage in contract talks with Odell Beckham Jr. until he sits down to speak with new head coach Pat Shurmur. “We will deal with that at the appropriate time,” Mara said (via Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com). “I’ve said before many times that he wants to be a Giant. We’ll get something done at some point. I want first Pat to sit down with him.” Shurmur says that a meeting is on the horizon, though Eli Manning is the only player he has met with as of this writing.
  • It might make sense for the Jets to trade a fourth-rounder or maybe even a third-rounder for Alex Smith while giving a rookie quarterback time to learn the ropes, Manish Mehta of the Daily News opines. However, he doesn’t think it makes sense to sacrifice a second-round choice for a 34-year-old with just one year left on his contract. The Jets are armed with more than $70MM in cap room, which could make them a player for Kirk Cousins and other top free agent QBs, but teams like the Browns and 49ers could top them with upwards of $100MM to work with. Trading for a veteran QB and grooming a young signal caller be the way to go if the Jets want to plan for the future while remaining competitive in ’18.
  • On Friday, the Jets hired ex-Bills offensive coordinator Rick Dennison to be their new offensive line coach and run game coordinator.

Jets To Hire Ex-Bills OC Rick Dennison

January 26th, 2018 at 2:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are expected to hire former Bills offensive coordinator Rick Dennison as their new run-game coordinator/offensive line coach, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News first reported the Jets’ interest in hiring Dennison. Rick Dennison (vertical)

Dennison was canned by Buffalo earlier this month after just one season as the team’s OC. The Bills’ offense was inconsistent, but Dennison inherited a pretty rocky situation at quarterback. On the plus side, the Bills did finish sixth in rushing yards per game (126.1).

The Jets see Dennison as the answer for their run game woes, but the team’s backfield figures to look pretty different in 2018. Technically speaking, Matt Forte is under contract for another year, but the team can save $3MM and eat just $1MM of dead money if he is released. Bilal Powell should be back, but the Jets will need at least one fleet-footed rusher to pair with him. Dennison also has his work cut out for him on the O-Line – the Jets ranked just 27th in adjusted sack rate and 29th in adjusted line yards last year.

Pro Football Rumors Seeking Part-Time Writers

January 26th, 2018 at 2:09pm CST by Zachary Links

We’re looking to add part-time contributors to the Pro Football Rumors writing team. The position pays on an hourly basis. Applicants must meet ALL of the following criteria:

  • Exceptional knowledge of all 32 NFL teams, with no discernible bias.
  • Knowledge of the salary cap and transaction-related concepts.
  • At least some college education.
  • Extensive writing experience, with professional experience and a background in journalism both strongly preferred.
  • Keen understanding of journalistic principles, ethics and procedures. Completion of basic college-level journalism classes is strongly preferred.
  • Attention to detail — absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.
  • Ability to follow the site’s style and tone.
  • Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs. We need someone who can balance quick writing with thoughtful analysis. You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers or links to other relevant articles.
  • Ability to use an RSS feed reader. Ability to use Twitter. Both of these are crucial.
  • Strong weekend evening availability is crucial. The ideal candidate will be available for most Friday and/or Saturday evenings.
  • Weeknight availability (5-11 pm central time Monday-Friday) is also a plus.
  • Flexibility. You must be available to work on short notice.

If you’re interested, email pfrapplications@gmail.com by February 9 (11:00pm central time) and take a couple of paragraphs to explain why you qualify and stand out. Many will apply, so unfortunately we cannot respond to every applicant.

Cowboys Won’t Extend David Irving

January 26th, 2018 at 1:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys could, theoretically, work out an extension with defensive end David Irving this offseason. However, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones Stephen Jones isn’t optimistic about that happening. David Irving (vertical)

[RELATED: Cowboys Notes: Dez, Lawrence, O’Quinn]

“It’ll be a difficult one and probably, if anything, he needs to put together a full season and consistency and all of that,” Jones said. “Obviously played outstanding when he was healthy. DeMarcus Lawrence put together a full, great year and obviously that’s important. So therefore, I think it’d be real difficult to figure out something long-term with David.”

Last year, Irving turned in a career-high seven sacks, but he missed half of the season with a suspension at the beginning and a concussion at the end. The Cowboys are willing to wait and see what Irving can do over the course of a full season since he will be a restricted free agent this offseason. It seems likely that Dallas will place a second-round tender on him, giving Dallas the option to match any offer and the ability to collect a second-round pick should they choose to not match.

Last year, the second round tender was worth $2.746MM. This year, we’re likely to see an increase in the $2.85MM-$2.95MM range. Meanwhile, the first round tender will probably be north of $4.1MM and the original round tender should approach $2MM. Because he is a former UDFA, it would make little sense for the Cowboys to use the original round tender on Irving.

AFC North Notes: Browns, Steelers, Bell

January 26th, 2018 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Armed with the No. 1 overall pick and a ludicrous amount of cap room, could the Browns sign/trade for a big-name veteran quarterback and draft a top prospect? Head coach Hue Jackson won’t rule it out.

“I think all of those things are on the table,” Jackson said (via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal). “I think you discuss all of those things and you work through all of those things as you go through this.”

It seems likely Browns will take a quarterback with the top pick in the draft, but it’s hard to imagine them also signing someone like Kirk Cousins and creating an expensive logjam under center. What the Browns realistically could do, however, is acquire a bridge quarterback who could start in 2018, giving their No. 1 pick a year to sit on the bench and learn.

While you consider all of the possibilities in Cleveland, here’s more from the AFC North:

  • Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell confirmed that the Steelers have set an artificial deadline of Feb. 20 – the first day of franchise tagging – to get a long-term deal done (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). Bell says that both sides seem determined to get something done between now and then. “That is definitely the goal,” he said. Of course, the real deadline for franchise tagged players to sign extensions doesn’t come until the summer, so Bell could give himself additional leverage by ignoring the Steelers’ artificial deadline if he does not get an offer to his liking.
  • There are some concerns about the character of Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, but Browns GM John Dorsey doesn’t seem fazed by that talk as others. “Every young man will make a mistake in his life, I bet you,” he said (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). “And I think he’s very remorseful of that mistake and I think he’s moved forward from that, and he’s trying to make himself a better person, going through the process.” Mayfield made some questionable decisions this past season, including taunting Kansas fans with a crotch grab and a flag on the field after beating Ohio State, right in the middle of the Buckeyes’ “Block O” logo at midfield. Dorsey isn’t ruling out Mayfield, but one scout and one high-level exec told Cabot that they see a lot of Johnny Manziel in him.
  • We recently learned that the Ravens discussed a Jarvis Landry trade with the Dolphins last year. With Landry on course for free agency, one has to wonder if Baltimore will make a play for him.

AFC East Notes: Pats, Gronk, Bills, Wood

January 26th, 2018 at 12:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was not spotted on the field at Friday’s walkthrough, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes. Gronk, of course, suffered a concussion in last weekend’s AFC Championship victory over the Jaguars, putting his Super Bowl status in limbo. The good news is that there’s more than a week to go between now and Feb. 4, so the New England star has plenty of time to rest up.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

  • The revised deal that Eric Wood signed with the Bills in August grants him $4.8MM in injury guarantees for 2018, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) points out. Wood is retiring due to a career-ending neck injury, but he’ll be covered financially.
  • Wood’s retirement or release would increase his cap number to $10.39MM in 2018, but the Bills may opt to designate him as a post-June 1 release, lowering his 2018 hit to $8.225MM and adding a $2.166MM hit in 2019, as ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak tweets.
  • The Bills fired director of analytics Michael Lyons and system analyst Peter Linton, as Tim Graham of the Buffalo News writes. It’s not clear if Bills GM Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott will place an emphasis on analytics in their scouting going forward. At the same time, team president Russ Brandon has said in the past that he uses analytics mainly for ticket sales, so the dismissal of Lyons and Linton might not change much of the on-field product at all.
  • Dolphins star wide receiver Jarvis Landry doesn’t anticipate re-signing with the team.
  • Recently, PFR previewed the Jets‘ offseason and the team’s top three needs (Note: This was written before Jeremy Bates was promoted to offensive coordinator).

Giants Coach Endorses Eli Manning

January 26th, 2018 at 11:26am CST by Zachary Links

It sounds like Eli Manning still has a place in New York. During his introductory press conference on Friday, head coach Pat Shurmur said that he is “looking forward” to working with the veteran quarterback, indicating that he is very much in the plans for 2018. Eli Manning (vertical)

“I think he’s got years left – how many, I don’t know,” Shurmur said (via the New York Post). “With regard to the draft, I’m not ducking that question … we’ve got to travel down that road of evaluation. … We’ve got a guy here (Eli) who’s helped this organization win Super Bowls, he’s an outstanding player and I’m really looking forward to working with him.”

At this point, all of the key players have expressed interest in moving forward. Back in December, owner John Mara said that he wanted Manning back in the fold, though he stopped short of guaranteeing his return since he had yet to hire his new GM and coach. Before the New Year, Manning himself said that he wanted to stay with the Giants, despite a bumpy 2017. Then, this week, Manning pick up endorsements from GM Dave Gettleman and Shurmur.

Manning, 37, is under contract with the team through 2019 with cap numbers of $22.2MM and $23.2MM. Critics might argue that Manning has lost a step or two, but a good QB is hard to find and his salary isn’t that high compared to others. Manning’s $22.2MM cap hit is still less than that of Matthew Stafford ($26.5MM), Derek Carr ($25MM), Joe Flacco ($24.75MM), Andrew Luck ($24.4MM), Russell Wilson ($23.8MM), and Ben Roethlisberger ($23.2MM).

Of course, even with Manning on board, the Giants could still target Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, or another top quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft.

Bills’ Eric Wood To Retire Due To Neck Injury

January 26th, 2018 at 10:17am CST by Zachary Links

Bills center Eric Wood will announce his retirement on Monday due to a career-ending neck injury (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The injury is partly due to wear and tear, but one source tells Schefter that it is a “complicated medical situation.” Eric Wood (vertical)

Wood, 32 in March, has been Buffalo’s starting snapper since entering the league in 2009. He stands as Buffalo’s second-longest-tenured active player behind defensive tackle Kyle Williams and has been the team’s top center under six different head coaches (seven if you count Anthony Lynn‘s one game as interim head coach.

Remarkably, he started in all 16 of the Bills’ regular season games last season plus their playoff game against Jacksonville. Wood managed to play through the pain all year, but the malady is too serious for him to continue on the field.

Wood graded out as the No. 16 center in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. In 2015, the season in which he his first and only Pro Bowl, PFF had him ranked in the top five league-wide.

We here at PFR wish Wood the best as he deals with his medical situation.

Giants Rumors: Shurmur, Callahan, Staff

January 25th, 2018 at 9:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Pat Shurmur will be calling plays for the Giants in his first season as head coach, Dave Gettleman said this week from the Senior Bowl (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, on Twitter). This will mark the second time Shumur’s gone this route. He called plays for the 2011 Browns, but the offense ranked 29th. Additionally, Shurmur is not guaranteed to hire an offensive coordinator, Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com notes. While Shurmur did not hire a non-play-calling OC in his first year with the Browns, he did bring Brad Childress aboard in 2012. Shurmur also functioned as a game plan-centric OC with the Eagles under Chip Kelly from 2013-15, indicating he may value the job.

Here’s the latest from Giants headquarters:

  • While he might not hire an OC, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv notes Shurmur could opt to give an assistant a dual role of OC and quarterbacks coach. The Giants have recently dismissed Lions QBs coach Brian Callahan on their radar for this potential position, Vacchiano reports. Callahan is an in-demand name, however. He interviewed for the Titans’ OC job and is slated to meet with the Raiders and Jets about the respective teams’ QBs-coaching jobs.
  • Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski is set to interview for Shurmur’s old post next week, but Albert Breer of SI.com notes rumblings emerged of Shurmur bringing Stefanski to New York with him. Breer tabs Stefanski as a rising star, and the 35-year-old Vikings staffer worked as their assistant QBs coach from 2009-13 before taking over as head QBs instructor this past season. He may have a decision to make soon since the Vikings’ offensive staff has splintered following their NFC title game loss.
  • Harold Goodwin looks set to lose his Cardinals OC job. Reports circulated indicating Mike McCoy will join Steve Wilks‘ staff, but Goodwin could have a landing spot in New York. Vacchiano notes Goodwin could be a candidate for both the Giants’ or Jets‘ offensive line coaching jobs, illustrating the Todd Bowles/Goodwin Arizona connection as a possible Jets pipeline. With Gettleman pointing out how far Big Blue has to go to repair its front, this will be a pivotal hire.
  • The Giants did make some additional assistant hires on Thursday, organizing their defensive position groups’ hierarchies. Gary Emanuel will preside over the Giants’ defensive line, Bill McGovern will stay on to coach linebackers and Lou Anarumo will oversee the defensive backs, Alex Marvez of the Sporting News tweets. Anthony Blevins will also become the Giants’ assistant special teams coach after serving in that role with the Cardinals last season, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). McGovern coached Big Blue’s ‘backers under Ben McAdoo for the past two years. Emanuel coached the Colts’ D-line during all six of Chuck Pagano‘s years in Indianapolis, and Anarumo instructed the Dolphins’ DBs during the same time period. Anarumo also served as Miami’s interim defensive coordinator for part of 2015.
  • James Bettcher has only worked with 3-4 defenses, and the Giants have played a 4-3 look for ages. But Vacchiano doesn’t think it would mark that big of an adjustment. He writes that Olivier Vernon may be a good fit as a stand-up outside rusher. Damon Harrison would make sense as a 3-4 nose, given that he played there with the Jets. Vacchiano adds that the Giants may have to overhaul their linebacking corps to make that switch — which isn’t certain yet — work.
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