HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

Cardinals, Markus Golden In Talks

February 23rd, 2019 at 4:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Cardinals have another new coaching staff in place, Markus Golden has not been ruled out of the team’s plans.

Golden’s agent and the Cardinals have engaged in periodic discussions about staying in Arizona, the four-year veteran linebacker said during a Sirius XM Radio interview.

Kliff Kingsbury hired Vance Joseph to be his DC. Joseph used a 4-3 look during his season as the Dolphins’ DC in 2016 but kept the Broncos’ 3-4 set intact during his Denver stay. He said the Cardinals will use a 3-4 as well. Golden would prefer to land with a team that uses a 3-4 defense, though the former University of Missouri standout played as a 4-3 defensive end in college and functioned in this capacity last season after the Cards’ brief switch to a 4-3 alignment.

A torn ACL sidetracked Golden’s career. After a 12.5-sack 2016 season, the former second-round pick has registered just 2.5 since. He tore the ACL in October 2017 and was not ready by Week 1 of last season. Golden started 11 games last year, however.

“I’m basically a hundred percent; I feel good,” Golden said during the interview. “I’ve been working hard. I’ve been training and everything. And I’ve actually been able to actually get this offseason and been able to work this offseason.

“… Arizona gave me the opportunity to play, so we’ll see how it works out. No matter what happens, I’ll be ready and I’ll be prepared because I’m going to keep on working and I’m going to keep putting the work in.”

While Golden is entering free agency with little momentum, he probably stands to benefit from the slew of pass rushers likely set to be taken off the market via the franchise tag. DeMarcus Lawrence, Jadeveon Clowney, Dee Ford and Frank Clark are almost certainly not going to see free agency this year. This would stand to elevate the lower tiers of the UFA pass-rushing contingent, though Golden likely is not in line for a long-term deal given his recent history.

Delanie Walker Targeting OTAs Return

February 23rd, 2019 at 3:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Delanie Walker‘s absence limited the Titans’ offense last season. The Pro Bowl tight end missed 15 games, leaving Tennessee low on aerial options.

Walker will also be 35 by Week 1. However, the 14th-year tight end is not planning on retiring. He is eyeing OTAs as a realistic goal to return from the broken ankle he suffered during Week 1 of last season, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com notes.

This target may be more realistic than Walker’s midseason aspiration of being a candidate to come off IR. Tennessee left Walker on IR, which was expected given the nature of his injury. The Titans, however, sorely missed their chain-moving tight end. After getting four straight 800-plus-yard seasons from Walker, the Titans saw their No. 2 pass-catcher — Taywan Taylor — record just 466 receiving yards. Corey Davis led the team with 891, but Marcus Mariota trudged through another unremarkable season (11 touchdown passes, 2,528 passing yards in 14 games).

But Walker does appear to be in line to be back to help the 2019 Titans, who are also likely in the market for wide receiver help. Walker signed a two-year, $17MM extension in 2018 and is under contract through 2020. He is set to make $4.1MM and count $6.33MM against the Titans’ cap next season.

Buccaneers Notes: McCoy, Smith, Brate

February 23rd, 2019 at 3:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

As a fourth new Buccaneers coaching staff this decade continues to gather intel early in a pivotal offseason, here is the latest out of Tampa. It’s looking like Gerald McCoy will be part of Bruce Arians‘ first Bucs squad.

  • Arians and his new staff have evaluated McCoy and view the stalwart interior defender as a good fit, even as the team transitions to a 3-4 defense, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. McCoy is not in line to be traded or released, per Stroud, who adds the 10th-year defensive lineman was confident he would return to finish out the 2010s with the Bucs. A McCoy move was considered possible, with Jason Licht not guaranteeing the former top-five pick’s status with the 2019 team. McCoy coming back would mean a move to defensive end, but with teams spending so much time in nickel sets, the longtime 4-3 defensive tackle should see plenty of time as an interior presence next season.
  • McCoy will turn 31 on Monday, and after recording at least seven sacks from 2013-16, the former Oklahoma standout has registered six in each of the past two seasons. While McCoy remains an upper-echelon defensive tackle, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com writes his $13MM 2019 salary seems lofty. However, Laine adds that trading McCoy would likely only fetch the Bucs a fourth- or fifth-round pick. There are a few defensive tackles in free agency, even if the Falcons tag Grady Jarrett. Ndamukong Suh and Sheldon Richardson are back in free agency. And this year’s defensive line class being one of the best in many years further weakens McCoy’s value.
  • Another player considered a possible departure candidate could well be staying in Tampa as well. Donovan Smith is three weeks away from free agency, but Laine notes the four-year left tackle starter is not going anywhere. The Bucs will either tag Smith or extend him before free agency’s outset, per Laine. Smith has not graded as a top-tier tackle in the view of Pro Football Focus, but he has been a durable edge blocker, never missing a game. That said, a Smith tag would cost the Bucs approximately $14MM. It is debatable if he would receive that AAV on the open market, even considering how well offensive linemen have fared in recent free agency periods. A long-term Smith deal is expected to be in the $12-$13MM-per-year range, Laine adds.
  • Although Cameron Brate signed an extension to stay in Tampa last year, no dead money remains on the tight end’s deal. Arians, though, intends to keep the Bucs’ TE2 for 2019, Stroud notes. Arians, whose Cardinals teams did not have a consistent receiving threat from the tight end position, is intrigued by having two with the Bucs, per Stroud. Brate will make $7MM this coming season. He underwent hip surgery after this season, however. Both Bucs tight ends are coming off injuries, with foot and ankle maladies ending O.J. Howard‘s season.

Jon Gruden Discusses Raiders’ Plans For Draft, Free Agency

February 23rd, 2019 at 12:44pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders are armed with three first-round picks heading into April’s draft, providing the organization with plenty of flexibility. Head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock will have to decide how they’ll want to use their early-round picks, but it sounds like the team is certainly open to making some deals.

“I think there’s a lot of potential for trades, and I think that’s one of the things I’m excited about [with] Mike Mayock,” Gruden said during his appearance on “The Game Plan” podcast on the Raiders Podcast Network (via Raiders.com). “What he brings to the table, he’s got great resources around the NFL. He’s been in every building, he’s on a first-name basis, everybody knows Mike and I think he’s going to be on the phones quite a bit with the two picks you talked about. Who knows, we may move up with the No. 4 pick, we may move back with that pick. We’ll see how it all unfolds.”

In the first round, the Raiders have their own pick (#4), the Bears’ pick (#24), and the Cowboys’ pick (#27). Otherwise, the team has seven selections between the second and seventh round.

Of course, the organization is also focused on free agency. While Gruden seemed to indicate that the team will be active, he also cautioned that they’ll be targeting a specific grouping of players.

“We’ve been doing nothing but studying free agents,” Gruden said. “Guys [whose] contracts are up, obviously we aren’t looking to add players that are at the end of their career. We’re looking for blossoming young players, those guys usually don’t get to free agency. The pickings are slim for everybody, but there are a couple diamonds in the rough. We’ll see where the market goes, but you don’t want to spend all your money that you have on a few free agents, you want to try and keep some of that money available in case a trade might develop during the draft.”

After signing a 10-year, $100MM contract last offseason, Gruden’s team disappointed during his first season at the helm. The team ultimately finished the season 4-12, their worst showing since 2014.

Rams Hire Zac Robinson As Asst. QBs Coach

February 23rd, 2019 at 11:32am CST by Ben Levine

The Rams have found their Zac Taylor replacement. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Sean McVay has hired Zac Robinson as the team’s new assistant quarterbacks coach.

After helping Jared Goff establish career-highs in completion percentage (64.9-percent), passing yards (4,688) and touchdowns (32), Taylor was hired as the Bengals new head coach earlier this month. Since that time, McVay and the Rams have been searching for a replacement. Schefter notes that the decision ultimately came down to Robinson and former NFL quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.

Robinson will see what he can do with one of the most desirable non-coordinator gigs in the league. The 32-year-old originally joined the NFL as a player, as he was a seventh-round pick by the Patriots back in 2010. He ended up having brief stints with the Seahawks, Lions, and Bengals before hanging it up in 2013.

Since that time, Robinson has spent time as an analyst for Pro Football Focus, and Schefter notes that he’s also been working as a “QB trainer.” Now, he’ll have a chance to take these experiences to the coaching circuit. One of his first duties as the Rams assistant quarterbacks coach will be working with the front office to find a backup for Goff. Former third-rounder Sean Mannion is set to be a free agent this offseason.

Alabama S Deionte Thompson Underwent Surgery

February 23rd, 2019 at 11:02am CST by Ben Levine

One of the NFL Draft’s top defensive back prospects will be sidelined for a while. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Alabama safety Deionte Thompson had surgery on Friday to repair a torn ligament in his wrist.

Unsurprisingly, it’s unlikely that Thompson will be able to participate in the NFL Scouring Combine, which takes place next week. Fortunately, Rapoport says the safety isn’t facing any long-term issues stemming from the injury.

Along with Mississippi State’s Johnathan Abram and Delaware’s Nasir Adderley, Thompson was considered to be one of the top safety prospects in the upcoming draft. The 22-year-old had a hot start to the 2018 campaign, with some pundits giving the safety a first-round projection. However, a rough second half of the season hurt his draft stock, and this most recent surgery could bump him back even further. While Thompson has the ability to be a starting-caliber NFL player, he may not be selected until the third day of the draft.

During his first full season as a starter, the six-foot-two, 196-pound senior finished with 79 tackles, six passes defended, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions. He had primarily served as a backup during his sophomore and junior seasons at Alabama.

Complete 2019 NFL Draft Order

February 23rd, 2019 at 9:55am CST by Ben Levine

The full 2019 NFL draft order can be found below, sorted by round. The list of 254 selections includes all traded draft picks and compensatory picks. We’ll continue to update the list leading up to the draft if additional deals are made.

Here’s the complete 2019 NFL draft order:

Updated: 4-23-19 (12:50pm CT)

Round 1:

  1. Arizona Cardinals
  2. San Francisco 49ers
  3. New York Jets
  4. Oakland Raiders
  5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  6. New York Giants
  7. Jacksonville Jaguars
  8. Detroit Lions
  9. Buffalo Bills
  10. Denver Broncos
  11. Cincinnati Bengals
  12. Green Bay Packers
  13. Miami Dolphins
  14. Atlanta Falcons
  15. Washington Redskins
  16. Carolina Panthers
  17. New York Giants (from Cleveland)
  18. Minnesota Vikings
  19. Tennessee Titans
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers
  21. Seattle Seahawks
  22. Baltimore Ravens
  23. Houston Texans
  24. Oakland Raiders (from Chicago)
  25. Philadelphia Eagles
  26. Indianapolis Colts
  27. Oakland Raiders (from Dallas)
  28. Los Angeles Chargers
  29. Seattle Seahawks (from Kansas City)
  30. Green Bay Packers (from New Orleans)
  31. Los Angeles Rams
  32. New England Patriots

Round 2:

  1. Arizona Cardinals
  2. Indianapolis Colts (from New York Jets)
  3. Oakland Raiders
  4. San Francisco 49ers
  5. New York Giants
  6. Jacksonville Jaguars
  7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  8. Buffalo Bills
  9. Denver Broncos
  10. Cincinnati Bengals
  11. Detroit Lions
  12. Green Bay Packers
  13. Atlanta Falcons
  14. Washington Redskins
  15. Carolina Panthers
  16. Miami Dolphins
  17. Cleveland Browns
  18. Minnesota Vikings
  19. Tennessee Titans
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers
  21. Philadelphia Eagles (from Baltimore)
  22. Houston Texans (from Seattle)
  23. Houston Texans
  24. New England Patriots (from Chicago)
  25. Philadelphia Eagles
  26. Dallas Cowboys
  27. Indianapolis Colts
  28. Los Angeles Chargers
  29. Kansas City Chiefs
  30. New Orleans Saints
  31. Kansas City Chiefs (from Los Angeles Rams)
  32. New England Patriots

Read more

Extra Points: Gruden, Raiders, Rams, Browns, Chiefs

February 22nd, 2019 at 9:43pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Jon Gruden seemed to indicate the Raiders wouldn’t be overly aggressive in free agency this offseason during a recent podcast interview, per Scott Bair of NBC Sports. “Obviously, we’re not looking to add players at the end of their career. We’re looking for blossoming young players. Those guys usually don’t get to free agency, so the pickings are slim”, Gruden said, adding “we’ll see where the market goes, but you don’t want to spend all the money you have on a few free agents. You want to try to keep some of that money available in case a trade might develop during the draft.” Gruden separately again emphasized the possibility of making a trade, saying “I think there’s a lot of potential for trades.”

Here’s more from around the league on this Friday night:

  • The Rams are making another change to their coaching staff. So far this offseason they’ve lost Zac Taylor to the Bengals, promoted Jedd Fisch and Shane Waldron, and hired Wade Phillips’ son Wes to be their tight ends coach. Now, they’re hiring away Eric Henderson from the Chargers to be their new defensive line coach, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Henderson had been serving as an assistant defensive line coach with the Chargers. Before that, he had been an assistant with Oklahoma State. The Rams haven’t made any announcement, but Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic was able to confirm that their incumbent defensive line coach, Bill Johnson, won’t be back with the team next year (Twitter link).
  • Browns receiver Antonio Callaway had his marijuana charge from last October dropped recently, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Callaway had maintained all along that he had no idea the small amount of marijuana was in his car, and apparently he was right. Callaway had previously tested positive at the combine before he was drafted, so his citation turned into somewhat of a big deal.
  • Earlier this week, we heard that the Chiefs intended to franchise tag pass-rusher Dee Ford. The team could be facing a fight with Ford though over which position he’ll be classified as, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Ford has played outside linebacker in old defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s scheme, but Ford is a pass-rusher first and foremost and will want to be classified as a defensive end for tagging purposes. As Florio points out, because the tag is valued based on what the top players at a given position are being paid, it’s the difference of several million dollars. Newly-hired defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo runs a 4-3 defense so Ford will be a defensive end in 2019 anyway, but Florio writes that Spagnuolo intentionally declined to talk specifics about positions in his defense during recent comments to reporters, perhaps because of an impending battle between Ford and the club.

Extra Points: Free Agency, Williams, Humphries, Lions

February 22nd, 2019 at 8:09pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’re just a few weeks away from the start of free agency, and the market is starting to heat up. Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network were recently discussing the wide receiver market, and both think that Chargers receiver Tyrell Williams is in for a big payday (Twitter link). Pelissero points out that “four NFL players since 2015 have averaged over 16 yards on 150+ catches: DeSean Jackson, T.Y. Hilton, Rob Gronkowski“, and Williams.

Williams has been quietly producing for the Chargers the past few years, but has mostly been hidden behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. It doesn’t sound like Los Angeles is looking to commit major resources to their third receiver, so it seems probable that he walks next month. Both Garafolo and Pelissero seem to think he could wind up as some new team’s number one wideout. A former undrafted free agent from Western Oregon, Williams had 653 yards and five touchdowns last year.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • In a separate video posted to Twitter, Garafolo and Pelissero broke down this year’s class of free agent slot receivers. Notably, Garafolo thinks Buccaneers receiver Adam Humphries is an under-the-radar player who could “cash in” on the open market. Like Williams, Humphries has proven to be a player very capable of producing, but has been buried on a Tampa Bay roster stacked at the skill positions.
  • The Lions released safety Glover Quin last week, and his run with Detroit apparently ended much sooner. Quin revealed in a recent podcast interview that he had actually asked the team to release him last offseason, shortly after the team hired Matt Patricia to be their coach, according to Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press. The Lions obviously declined, and kept Quin for this past season before cutting ties. Quin is 33 now and his play has been declining the past few years, but he’s still a serviceable player and should have no problem finding a new home.
  • In case you missed it, the Steelers’ GM confirmed that three teams had reached out to inquire about an Antonio Brown trade.

 

Minor NFL Transactions: 2/22/19

February 22nd, 2019 at 6:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Today’s minor moves will be posted here:

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles locked up a pair of specialists today on one-year deals. Both Elliott and Lovato were exclusive-rights free agents, meaning they weren’t going anywhere and their re-signing was somewhat of a formality, as long as the Eagles wanted them back. Both players will now be restricted free agents next year.

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