HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Packers Sign Six Draft Picks

May 7th, 2018 at 12:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers announced the signings of six draft picks on Monday: 

The Packers already signed fifth-round punter J.K. Scott and seventh-round long snapper Hunter Bradley, leaving only three draft picks left to sign in first-round cornerback Jaire Alexander, second-round cornerback Josh Jackson, and third-round linebacker Oren Burks.

Moore is viewed as a largely green prospect with a tendency to drop passes and has some questions about his maturity, but his physical tools prompted the Packers to use a fourth-round pick on him. Last year, he was Missouri’s leader in catches and receiving yards with 65 grabs for 1,082 yards and ten touchdowns.

Madison started all 13 games at right tackle for Washington State in 2017, but the Packers plan on using him at guard. The position change could suit him well as he lacks the ideal wingspan for a tackle and doesn’t always do a great job of anchoring himself against oncoming defensive linemen.

NFLPA Backs Eric Reid Grievance

May 7th, 2018 at 11:49am CST by Zachary Links

The NFLPA will be filing a non-injury grievance for Eric Reid against the Bengals and other parties, according to Mike Florio of PFT (Twitter links). Reid recently filed a collusion grievance against the NFL for blackballing him for his participation in anthem protests and the union is officially entering the ring in support. 

The Bengals find themselves in Reid’s crosshairs after asking him whether he plans to demonstrate during the anthem. Reid and the NFLPA believe that to be an inappropriate – and perhaps illicit – pre-employment question. The NFLPA also has filed a broader “system arbitration” based on the argument that teams are ignoring the absence of a league rule that mandates standing during the anthem, Florio hears.

Here is the complete statement from NFLPA, confirming the news:

The NFLPA has filed a non-injury grievance and a system arbitrator case on behalf of free agent safety Eric Reid. Prior to the start of the current NFL off-season, our Union directed the agents of free agent players who had participated in peaceful on-field demonstrations to collect, memorialize and report any relevant information about potential violations of the Collective Bargaining Agreement by teams. These cases were filed based upon the following:

– There is no League rule that prohibits players from demonstrating during the national anthem.

– The NFL has made it clear both publicly and to the NFLPA that they would respect the rights of players to demonstrate.

– The Collective Bargaining Agreement definitively states that League (NFL) rules supersede anyconflicting club rules.

– According to our information, a club appears to have based its decision not to sign a playerbased on the player’s statement that he would challenge the implementation of a club’s policy prohibiting demonstration, which is contrary to the League policy.

– At least one club owner has asked preemployment interview questions about a player’s intent to demonstrate. We believe these questions are improper, given League policy.

Our Union continues to monitor these developments.

It is surprising to see Reid without work at this stage of the offseason, from a football perspective. Then again, longtime starting safeties Tre Boston and Kenny Vaccaro are also unemployed as of this writing.

Last year, Reid started in 12 of his 13 games for the Niners and totaled 66 tackles and two interceptions.

Falcons Look To Extend Matthews, Jarrett

May 7th, 2018 at 10:46am CST by Zachary Links

Now that Matt Ryan‘s deal has been taken care of, the Falcons are looking to address other players with contracts that are near expiration. The Falcons will now turn their focus towards new deals for tackle Jake Matthews and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, GM Thomas Dimitroff says (Twitter link via Kelsey Conway of the team website). 

[RELATED: Details On Matt Ryan’s Whopping Extension]

Both players are entering their walk years. Matthews, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2014 draft, will make nearly $12.5MM after the Falcons triggered his fifth-year option for 2018. The Falcons did not have the same option for Jarrett, a 2015 fifth-round choice, so he is slated to hit the open market after earning $1.9MM this year.

Matthews has a perfect attendance record across four NFL seasons, save for one missed game as a rookie. Last year, the Texas A&M product graded out as the No. 14 tackle in the NFL, per the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, Matthews’ 1,159 regular season snaps was the fourth-highest of any tackle in the NFL last season.

Coincidentally, Jarrett rated as the 14th best interior defender in the NFL last year, per PFF. Last year, he tallied 34 tackles and four sacks while serving as one of the better run-stuffing DTs in the league. It’s safe to say that Jarrett’s next deal will give him a significant pay bump from his rookie pact.

49ers Meet With Terrell McClain

May 7th, 2018 at 10:13am CST by Zachary Links

Terrell McClain‘s free agent tour continues. The defensive tackle will meet with the 49ers on Monday, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 

McClain met with the Dolphins last week and left without a deal, though the door is still open in Miami. Meanwhile, the Falcons have some level of interest in McClain, but have yet to schedule a visit.

The veteran appeared in 12 games with two starts for the Redskins last year, but he did not make a mark in his first season in the nation’s capital. McClain graded out as one of the three worst qualified defensive tackles in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus, though he did manage two sacks from the interior. The Redskins terminated McClain’s four-year, $12MM+ deal three seasons early, allowing them to save $3.25MM against the cap.

The 49ers currently project to start Earl Mitchell and DeForest Buckner at defensive tackle with Sheldon Day, D.J. Jones, Chris Jones, and seventh-round pick Julian Taylor in support. The Niners are unlikely to carry more than three reserve DTs, so McClain’s arrival would crowd that group even further.

East Rumors: Mayfield, Dolphins, Eagles

May 6th, 2018 at 9:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

While multiple reports have indicated the Jets‘ goal for their No. 3 pick was Sam Darnold, their new heir apparent, Baker Mayfield‘s agent said the team was effusive in its praise for his client when he visited Gang Green headquarters in April.

“When he visited the Jets, they pretty much said ‘You’re our guy if you’re there,'” Mayfield’s agent Jack Mills said on “The Business of Sport with Andrew Brandt” podcast (via Newsday). “(The Browns) didn’t say you’re our guy. I don’t know what they said. They liked him and (John) Dorsey never contacted us.”

It’s since come out the Browns had several executives independently declare Mayfield was the draft’s top quarterback, but for weeks, the Jets/Mayfield noise increased. However, this may well have been contingent on Darnold not getting past Cleveland.

Here’s the latest from the East divisions, continuing with a Dolphins draft what-if.

  • Here’s a nice chain reaction from the fourth round: the Ravens appear to have sought Miami running back Mark Walton with their fourth-round pick, but the Bengals took him at No. 112. This led to Baltimore selecting Alabama cornerback Anthony Averett at No. 118. This, in turn, depressed some in the Dolphins‘ war room. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald hears the Dolphins sought Averett with their fourth-rounder (No. 122), but they ended up drafting Notre Dame tight end Durham Smythe. This came after Miami already took Penn State tight end Mike Gesicki in Round 2.
  • The Dolphins have T.J. McDonald signed through 2020, but they may be considering moving him to linebacker, per Jackson. Miami extended McDonald last September and deployed him as a starting safety in eight games after his eight-game suspension ended. He graded as a middle-of-the-pack safety in the view of Pro Football Focus, but the analytics site rated McDonald as an upper-echelon run defender. Set to have Kiko Alonso and Raekwon McMillan start at two of their three linebacker spots, the Dolphins may have an interest in stationing McDonald at one of their outside positions. Although, they did draft former McMillan Ohio State teammate Jerome Baker in the third round.
  • Darren Sproles will make $1.015MM in base salary this season with the Eagles, per Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. It’s uncertain what bonuses and incentives are in the 34-year-old running back’s contract, but Sproles is already on the books for this salary.
  • The Eagles are highly unlikely to pick up Nick Foles‘ mutual option in 2019, Parks notes. That figure is worth $20.6MM as a result of the renegotiated deal the Eagles and Foles agreed upon earlier this year. Foles faced a somewhat similar circumstance in 2016, when the Chiefs did not pick up an eight-figure option and sent him back into free agency. Shorr-Parks writes the Eagles understandably would be more willing to work out a long-term deal with their backup quarterback than have him stick around on that price.

NFL Considering Leaving Anthem Policies Up To Teams?

May 6th, 2018 at 8:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The latest news out of the league’s effort regarding the player protest movement may be a solution that shifts the decisions about whether or not players are required to stand during the playing of the national anthem up to the teams rather than implementing a leaguewide policy, Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports.

Owners are considering going forward with an approach that would leave these decisions up to the 32 franchises, with Maske reporting not enough support among owners appears to exist for a policy that will require players to stand during the anthem.

Set to meet from May 21-23 in Atlanta, the owners are considering this as well as other solutions. Maske reports the pre-2009 policy of keeping players in their respective locker rooms is on the table, as is a more hardline approach of requiring players to either stand for the anthem or remain in the locker room during its playing.

While some owners — most notably Jerry Jones and Bob McNair — have come out against the inequality-based protests, Maske writes that others are opposed to forcing players to stand.

Roger Goodell is also not believed to be prepared to support a decision forcing players to stand, which may open the door to this team-by-team policy becoming the preferred solution at this point. Some around the league said, via Maske, Goodell’s involvement in the 2017 deal between players and owners that allocated funds to player-supported community causes will make it unlikely he’ll support any policy that requires players to stand.

“My guess is they will leave it up to the teams,” a high-ranking official with one team said, via Maske.

The NFL’s current policy encourages players to stand for the anthem but doesn’t require it. Jones said last season he would bench players who chose to protest, and the Texans owner said in March NFL fields are “not the place for political statements.” President Donald Trump has consistently weighed in on this issue, most infamously at a speech last year that induced hundreds of players to kneel during anthems in Week 3 of last season, and has communicated with Jones regarding it. The president’s involvement has come up in both grievances from Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick, and a New York Times-obtained recording of last fall’s players-owners summit produced audio of owners expressing concern about the president’s attacks on the league.

Yahoo’s Charles Robinson reported last month that Jones will attempt to push through a measure that will require players to stand, but as of now, it doesn’t seem like the Cowboys owner has enough support here. No vote on this issue occurred at the league meetings in March.

Draft Pick Signings: 5/6/18

May 6th, 2018 at 8:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Sunday’s draft pick signings:

  • Sixth-round Jets picks Parry Nickerson, a cornerback, and Folorunso Fatukasi, a defensive lineman, signed their four-year rookie contracts on Sunday. This makes rounds out the Jets’ sixth-round contingent to sign, with this duo following running back Trenton Cannon in doing so. New York made six picks in this year’s draft, and its top three selections have yet to sign.

AFC North Notes: Jackson, Browns, Steelers

May 6th, 2018 at 7:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

It didn’t take the Ravens long to start implementing some unique Lamar Jackson-centric packages. But instead of lining the first-round pick up at quarterback in a wildcat-type look during their rookie minicamp, Mike Jones of USA Today notes that Jackson was playing different positions around the formation in a 1995 Kordell Stewart fashion. It’s clear the Ravens, who do not plan to move him to another position long-term, have designs on getting their unique weapon onto the field early.

“We do it in the laboratory. Obviously, we’ve had coaches who have had a lot of experience with that, so that’s helpful to us,” John Harbaugh said this week. “We do it on the practice field. We ran a lot of stuff out here today you guys probably saw. We’re going to always try to get our players making plays for us, and Lamar is a guy that can help us win games.”

OC Marty Mornhinweg served as assistant Eagles HC during Andy Reid‘s final Philadelphia years, when the team coaxed electric play from Michael Vick. While Vick eventually supplanted Donovan McNabb, he initially returned to the field in special packages while McNabb started. Jones notes Joe Flacco‘s attitude toward the Ravens’ usage of Tyrod Taylor in wildcat formations was not exactly positive when the team tried this years ago. However, Jones writes the Ravens do not have a defined timetable for when Jackson will make a legitimate push to usurp Flacco.

Here’s the latest from some of the Ravens’ top rivals:

  • Corey Coleman was not believed to be on the trade block during the draft, but Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports the Browns haven’t been pleased with the 2016 first-round pick. They’ve called for the Baylor product to elevate his work ethic and production. Twice missing extensive time due to hand breaks, Coleman has not lived up to his No. 15 draft slot. And now that a new regime is calling the shots, one that drafted Antonio Callaway in the fourth round last month, Cabot notes Coleman could become expendable.
  • Additionally, the Browns are open to Joel Bitonio replacing Joe Thomas at left tackle, per Cabot. However, the main plan remains to try second-round pick Austin Corbett there. Corbett replaced Bitonio as Nevada’s left tackle in 2014 and started four years there for the Wolf Pack. Both Bitonio, a well-paid guard, and Corbett are almost certainly going to start for the Browns this season, Cabot writes. It’s just unclear where. This would make 2017 right tackle starter Shon Coleman a swing player, with Chris Hubbard set to man the right tackle job.
  • The Steelers‘ draft was too light on defensive help, Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. In particular, Zeise zeroes in on Pittsburgh’s third-round Mason Rudolph pick — one he calls a wasted selection because it may do nothing to help the team capitalize on its closing championship window. Ben Roethlisberger made this point earlier this week, and with the Steelers taking more of an upside project in Round 1 in safety Terrell Edmunds and wideout James Washington in Round 2, Zeise writes that the franchise should have devoted a bit more help to its needs on defense as Roethlisberger’s career winds down.
  • In a series detailing every team’s biggest post-draft issue, ESPN.com’s Charles McDonald writes (Insider link) the edge-rushing group sits as the Steelers’ trouble spot. Despite the Steelers leading the NFL with 56 sacks in 2017, and housing upper-echelon defensive ends in Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt, McDonald writes Bud Dupree‘s inconsistency and the lack of depth at this spot could pose a problem for the defending AFC North champs.

West Notes: Lynch, Johnson, Seahawks

May 6th, 2018 at 6:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

With both Josh Allen and Josh Rosen still on the board when the Broncos picked at No. 5, Denver bypassed the draft’s top-tier quarterback contingent and instead took a player in Bradley Chubb John Elway wanted enough to nullify a trade with the Bills. Paxton Lynch likely factored into that decision. The No. 26 overall pick in 2016, Lynch has struggled with performance and injuries in his two-year career. And after he lost a one-sided competition to Trevor Siemian last year, Lynch is no longer competing for the starting job. But Elway is not ready to throw in the towel on the former Memphis standout. Picking another quarterback would have essentially doomed Lynch’s Denver tenure. The Broncos are not going to bring in another QB for OTAs, and while Elway didn’t rule out a possible addition later in the offseason, Denver’s QB room could well be Case Keenum, Chad Kelly and Lynch by the time camp commences.

“We are not kicking him to the curb. He can still develop,” Elway said, via Mike Klis of 9News. “When we drafted him two years ago, as I said, we knew it was going to take some time. We are not going to bring another one in for OTAs. We will take a peek at that. It will be those two and Case. We are going to OTAs with those guys and go from there.”

The Broncos are clearly betting big on Keenum’s 2017 being a legitimate turning point and not an aberration, and the respective showings of Allen and Rosen may be tied, to some degree, to the Broncos’ decision to go with Keenum instead. And the Broncos now have a season to further evaluate Lynch before his fifth-year option decision — regarding a steep 2019 salary that will likely be north of $15MM — comes next May.

Here’s the latest from some other Western-division headquarters.

  • The Seahawks are going to experiment with two rookies at different positions. Fifth-round pick Tre Flowers will shift from safety to cornerback, per Brady Henderson of ESPN.com. The 6-foot-3 Oklahoma State product fits the profile of a player the Seahawks would prefer at corner, although he played mostly safety at the Big 12 program. Seattle made a similar move last May in shuttling Mike Tyson from safety to corner. Additionally, the team will try fifth-round offensive lineman Jamarco Jones at both tackle and guard, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. Jones started the past two seasons as Ohio State’s left tackle. Condotta adds the Hawks have Ethan Pocic and newcomer D.J. Fluker tentatively tabbed as starters at left and right guard, respectively.
  • Speaking of positional preferences, the Raiders may view Derrick Johnson as a middle linebacker, per Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area. While this would make sense because of Johnson’s extensive experience as a Chiefs inside linebacker, the last time he played in a 4-3 scheme he served as an outside ‘backer. Prior to the Chiefs moving to a 3-4 look in 2009, Johnson spent most of his time on the outside. He started for four seasons in that role. Bair adds that it appears Tahir Whitehead is slated to play on the outside, noting that Marquel Lee and Nicholas Morrow may be competing for the middle ‘backer job. Whitehead has experience at both middle and outside linebacker in a 4-3 setup.
  • Seattle may look to add wide receiver Damore’ea Stringfellow, per Condotta. Despite being a 2017 UDFA, Stringfellow came to the Seahawks’ rookie minicamp and fared well. Pete Carroll indicated Stringfellow’s 6-foot-2, 218-pound frame is something the team is intrigued by. The Seahawks would have to waive a player from their 90-man offseason roster to make room for the former Ole Miss Rebel and Washington Husky.

Russell Wilson Expects To Be Franchised In 2020

May 6th, 2018 at 4:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson‘s current contract runs through the 2019 campaign, but he expects to be in Seattle beyond next season. Wilson and his camp expect the Seahawks to deploy the franchise tag in 2020, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

As expected, the quarterback contract landscape has seen increased salaries this year, as Matt Ryan last week topped Kirk Cousins as the NFL’s highest-paid player. Ryan received nearly $100M in full guarantees and collect $30MM annually on his new deal, setting new marks at the position. Packers signal-caller Aaron Rodgers is expected to receive an extension in the near future, and he’ll surely move past Ryan in both guaranteed money and per-year average.

Wilson, 29, is currently earning $21.9MM per season under the terms of the deal he signed in 2015, a figure which ranks 11th among quarterbacks. If he receives the franchise tag in 2020, Wilson would be entitled to a 20% raise over his 2019 cap charge, meaning the tender would be worth $30.34MM. If Seattle used the tag again in 2021, it would cost roughly $36.41MM.

Previous reports have indicated negotiations between Wilson and the Seahawks could be contentious. Seattle reportedly explored the 2018 crop of quarterback prospects, and although the club ultimately selected only seventh-round Alex McGough, Wilson’s team contacted the Seahawks as to why they were interested in this year’s passers.

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