The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- It’s franchise tag season! NFL teams began deploying the tender last Tuesday, and have until March 6 to do so:
- In our latest PFR glossary entry, Zach Links re-examined the specifics of the franchise and transition tags, noting the salary implications of each.
- Zach also took an overview of the franchise tag candidates around the league, detailing which players are virtual locks to receive the tender while also analyzing fringe candidates.
- Micah Powell scrutinized the possibility of the Rams using the franchise tag on wide receiver Sammy Watkins, whom Los Angeles acquired in exchange for a second-round pick and cornerback E.J. Gaines in 2017.
- Similarly, Rory Parks considered a franchise tag for Jaguars Allen Robinson, who missed the 2017 campaign with a torn ACL but is still expected to garner significant interest on the free agent market.
- As the offseason progresses, PFR will assess each team by examining the top three needs on each respective NFL roster. We covered three organizations last week: