HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

AFC North Notes: Browns, Manziel, LaFell

August 2nd, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Johnny Manziel is back. Sort of. On Friday night, the former Browns quarterback will make his first CFL start with his new club, the Montreal Alouettes.

“I feel fortunate enough this week to be going against a team, a defense that I’ve seen more than any other defense since I’ve been in the CFL,” Manziel told reporters as he prepares to face his former team, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (via TSN). “I feel like I really know this personnel very well, I feel like I know this team in and out because I was a part of it.”

Manziel, of course, is hoping to impress on the elongated CFL field and return to the NFL. It remains to be seen whether he’ll get another chance south of the border, but NFL evaluators will certainly be keeping a watchful eye on his performance.

Here’s a look at the AFC North:

  • Brandon LaFell‘s agent says that his client asked to be released from the Bengals, but a team source says that the decision was not made based on LaFell’s desire to play elsewhere, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com tweets. It sounds like the source had not heard of any such request by LaFell, but even if the wide receiver asked to be let go, it’s doubtful such a request would have been granted anyway. The source told Terrell that the move was made to give the club’s young receivers more reps.
  • The Browns are trying All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio at left tackle, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. Recently, Browns offensive line coach Bob Wylie said playing Bitonio at left tackle was the club’s “Plan Z.” Apparently, it only took a matter of days for the team to work its way through the alphabet. If the Browns opt to use Bitonio on the outside in September, it will probably result in Shon Coleman going to the bench with No. 33 overall pick Austin Corbett starting at left guard. Alternatively, one has to wonder if the Browns will explore external tackle options in order to keep Bitonio at his natural position.
  • No one will confuse Ravens rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson for a Mr. Universe contestant, but the Louisville product says that he is not planning on gaining a significant amount of weight.
  • The Steelers recently learned that guard Ramon Foster will not require surgery to fix his knee.

Titans To Meet With S Mike Mitchell

August 2nd, 2018 at 2:55pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans are looking to evaluate all possible options in the wake of Johnathan Cyprien’s season-ending ACL tear. Former Steelers safety Mike Mitchell will be among the safeties to meet with the Titans and his visit is set for Friday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 

Mitchell’s visit will coincide with Kenny Vaccaro‘s meeting with the Titans. The club is also considering 49ers free agent Eric Reid, according to head coach Mike Vrabel.

Mitchell, 31, has spent the past four seasons in Pittsburgh, where he’s started each of his 61 games. Mitchell appeared in 13 games this past season, finishing with 53 tackles and two passes defended. Pro Football Focus ultimately ranked him 62nd among 87 safety candidates. He’s not a world-beater, per se, but he does offer a great deal of experience and could be a fit for the Titans’ defensive scheme.

It has been a quiet offseason for Mitchell on the whole, but he did meet with the Cardinals in late July.

NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Thomas, Rams

August 2nd, 2018 at 2:25pm CST by Zachary Links

On Thursday, safety Earl Thomas opened up about his standoff with the Seahawks. In an essay for The Players’ Tribune, Thomas indicated that he will continue his holdout until he gets a new multi-year deal or gets traded to another team that will give him one.

“In the end, it’s like I said: If the Seahawks don’t intend on having me around for the long-term, then I understand,” Thomas wrote. “And if they want to start over and rebuild, then that’s their right — it’s part of the business. It’s not what I want … but I get it. All I ask, though, is that if that’s the case, and they don’t want me anymore — just please trade me to an organization that does. Please trade me to a team that wants me, so I can give my all to them for the rest of my career.”

Thomas, who is still only 29, is insistent that he still has years of great football left in the tank. With six Pro Bowl appearances and three First-Team All-Pro selections on his resume, it’s hard to argue with him on that point. Still, the Seahawks say they will not address Thomas’ deal until after the 2018 season.

While we wait to see how that plays out, here’s more from the NFC West:

Titans Considering Eric Reid, Kenny Vaccaro

August 2nd, 2018 at 12:56pm CST by Zachary Links

In the wake of losing safety Johnathan Cyprien for the season, the Titans aren’t wasting any time in exploring outside options. The club has talked about safety Eric Reid and he could be brought in for a visit, head coach Mike Vrabel tells reporters. Meanwhile, Kenny Vaccaro will meet with the Titans on Friday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 

[RELATED: Titans’ Johnathan Cyprien Done For Season]

Reid met with the Bengals in April, but he believes teams have been staying away from him due to his participation in anthem protests. Reid filed a grievance against the NFL in May and has been spotted working out with former teammate Colin Kaepernick. As a five-year starter who is still in the prime years of his career, Reid is clearly deserving of a roster spot somewhere. His opportunity may come with the Titans.

Vaccaro also offers years of starting experience, but he has been a victim of the league’s slow-moving free agent safety market this offseason. The Colts, Jets, and Dolphins showed interest in Vaccaro earlier this offseason, but we haven’t heard much about him in recent weeks. In his fifth season as a starter for the Saints last year, Vaccaro totaled 60 tackles, 1.5 sacks, seven passes defensed, and a career-high three interceptions.

The Titans’ current group of reserve safeties includes Kendrick Lewis, Brynden Trawick, and fifth-round pick Dane Cruikshank.

Titans’ Johnathan Cyprien Done For Season

August 2nd, 2018 at 12:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans have lost safety Johnathan Cyprien to a torn ACL, coach Mike Vrabel announced. The team will place Cyprien on season-ending IR in order to open up a spot on the roster.

[RELATED: Titans Considering Eric Reid, Kenny Vaccaro]

Cyprien, 28, was set to resume his role as the Titans’ starting strong safety this year. Unfortunately, this is not his first go ’round with the injury bug in Tennessee. Last year, a hamstring ailment limited him to just ten games. This year, Cyprien’s torn ACL could theoretically end his tenure with the team.

Cyprien joined the Titans in 2017 on a four-year, $25MM free agent deal. The pact had just $9MM guaranteed, however, and the Titans can release Cyprien next year to save $5.25MM against just $1.5MM in dead money.

In his first year with the club, Cyprien had 57 total tackles and one sack in his ten games. He graded out as one of the ten worst qualified safeties in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, though PFF’s metrics have never been particularly high on him.

AFC West Notes: Raiders, Mack, Chargers

August 2nd, 2018 at 12:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Could taxes play a big role in Khalil Mack‘s approach to negotiations with the Raiders? The standout defensive end is looking for a new multi-year deal, but he may favor a contract with significant guarantees that kick in after the Raiders relocate to Las Vegas, as Mike Florio of PFT points out.

California has the nation’s highest income tax rate at 13.3% while Nevada is one of the few states with no income tax. Mack may want to push a lot of his guaranteed cash to 2020 and beyond, but the Raiders may be wary about having guarantees on the books years in advance.

The Raiders have yet to make an offer to Mack, so there’s no real end in sight for his training camp holdout.

Here’s more from the AFC West:

Patriots To Sign WR Eric Decker

August 2nd, 2018 at 11:42am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots will sign wide receiver Eric Decker, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal for the Pats and the former 1,000-yard receiver. 

The Pats are moving on from Jordan Matthews, and that leaves them with a potential need at wide receiver. The Patriots have an interesting group at the position with Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Kenny Britt, Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Braxton Berrios under contract, but they’re looking to shore up their depth as Edelman will miss the first four games of the season.

Decker lobbied for an opportunity with the Patriots this summer and finally got his wish. He had just 54 catches for just 563 yards and one touchdown with the Titans last year and missed most of 2016 with an injury, so he’s eager to get back on the right track.

In 2015, Decker’s last complete season, he hauled in 80 catches for 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Jets. He also had 1,000+ yard seasons in 2012 and 2013 with the Broncos and nearly hit that mark in his first Jets season in 2014. There’s reason to believe that Decker can be a contributor for the Patriots, even if he’s not quite in his prime form.

Giants, Odell Beckham Jr. Begin Talks

August 2nd, 2018 at 11:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants and Odell Beckham Jr. have finally begun contract talks, according to a source who spoke with Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. The two sides started discussing a new deal earlier this week, just days after owner John Mara vowed to get things started “sooner rather than later.” 

Of the 12 wide receivers that were drafted in the first two rounds of the 2014 draft, ten have received new deals within the past year. Beckham, who is the most talented of the bunch, is still waiting. That’s partially due to Beckham’s ankle injury last year and also likely tied to the team’s concerns about his maturity. But, they’re on the right track now, and a new deal could come together between now and the season opener against the Jaguars on Sept. 9.

Beckham’s next deal could easily make him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. It’s possible that OBJ will seek to not only top Antonio Brown‘s $17MM/year salary, but also Mike Evans‘ $55MM in total guarantees. It remains to be seen whether the Giants are willing to go there, but they are more open to numbers like that after seeing him hustle in practice.

“I see what I expected to see when we started to communicate back in February,” Shurmur said earlier this week. “This guy loves to play football, he trains extremely hard, he’s totally engaged in the meetings behind the scenes, the things that the world is not aware of, and he’s got a lot of passion for the game. We were just out in a walk-through and I saw three or four times when he was talking to different players about certain techniques within the play. That’s all good stuff.”

Bengals Release WR Brandon LaFell

August 2nd, 2018 at 9:00am CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals released wide receiver Brandon LaFell, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). LaFell’s agent tells Garafolo that the receiver has been pushing for his release “for some time now” and is grateful to have been freed from his contract. 

The transaction will allow LaFell, a vested veteran, to sign with any team. As the Patriots get set to move on from Jordan Matthews, one can’t help but wonder if a reunion could be in the cards for LaFell. Then again, Thursday’s signing of Eric Decker could take LaFell out of consideration.

LaFell has been the Bengals’ No. 2 WR for the last two years, but his production tailed off a bit last season. After compiling 64 catches for 862 yards and six touchdowns in 2016, LaFell had just 52 grabs for 548 yards and three scores last year.

Meanwhile, he started “feeling the heat” from other wideouts in camp this summer, according to coach Marvin Lewis. That includes 2017 first-round pick John Ross, which is good news for the Bengals but probably meant a reduced role for LaFell.

The Bengals appear set to head into 2018 with A.J. Green and Ross as their top receivers. After that, they have a young group pushing for playing time including Tyler Boyd, Josh Malone, Cody Core, rookie Auden Tate, and Alex Erickson.

Chiefs Tried To Trade For Hitchens In 2017

August 1st, 2018 at 9:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chiefs signed former Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens to a five-year contract this offseason, but Kansas City had made attempts to acquire Hitchens previously. According to Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star, the Chiefs actually tried to trade for Hitchens during the summer of 2017.

The Cowboys declined to deal Hitchens — originally a fourth-round pick in the 2014 draft — and he went on to play on 500 or more defensive snaps for the fourth consecutive season. In total, 2017 marked one of the best campaigns of Hitchens’ career, as he appeared in 12 games (all starts) and posted 55 tackles, two passes defensed, and one forced fumble, all while grading as the NFL’s No. 18 linebacker, per Pro Football Focus.

“We’re sitting there on the free-agency board, and the guy that we made our first call to back in August about his availability, he’s a free agent,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach told Worthy. “We knew we were going to go in a different direction with Derrick [Johnson]. It just made sense. We spent a lot of time on him with the work we did back in August. Here we’ve come full circle now. Now, we’re right back where we originally started, which is pursuing Anthony Hitchens.”

Hitchens, 26, ultimately landed a five-year, $45MM deal with the Chiefs that makes him the league’s seventh-highest paid inside linebacker on an annual basis. That pact also contains $21.29MM in fully guaranteed money, second to only Luke Kuechly among inside ‘backers. During the upcoming campaign, Hitchens will collect a base salary of $790K and count for $3.6MM against Kansas City’s salary cap before his cap charge nearly triples in 2019.

With the Chiefs, Hitchens will start next to Reggie Ragland — whom Kansas City acquired from the Bills last year — in defensive coordinator Bob Sutton‘s 3-4 scheme. Johnson, whom the Chiefs opted not to re-sign after he spent 13 seasons with the club, was regularly playing more than 800 defensive snaps per year, so Hitchens will need to increase his playtime percentage as he transitions to a new team.

Load More Posts