HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Titans Sign Second-Round WR A.J. Brown

June 12th, 2019 at 5:17pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Titans have wrapped up their 2019 draft class by signing second-round wide receiver A.J. Brown, the club announced today.

Brown was the fourth wideout off the board — following Marquise Brown (Ravens), N’Keal Harry (Patriots), and Deebo Samuel (49ers) — when Tennessee selected him at 51st overall. Brown was the second Ole Miss alum to be drafted, following offensive tackle Greg Little, one of two Rebel receivers (joining fellow second-rounder D.K. Metcalf), and one of six Ole Miss products to be drafted in 2019.

Although he was viewed as a pro-ready pass-catcher coming out of college, Brown may not become an immediate starter for the Titans. 2017 first-round pick Corey Davis and free agent addition Adam Humphries — inked to a four-year, $36MM deal — are locked into starting spots, so Brown will compete with the likes of Taywan Taylor and Tajae Sharpe for snaps as Tennessee’s third wide receiver.

Brown led Ole Miss in receptions (85), yards (1,320), and touchdowns (six) during his final collegiate season, and topped 1,000 yards in each of the past two years. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compared the 6’0″, 225-pound Brown to Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, lauding Brown’s route-running ability and competitiveness.

Here’s the Titans 2019 class in its entirety:

Patriots Accuse Texans Of Tampering

June 12th, 2019 at 4:22pm CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday, the Patriots filed tampering charges against the Texans for their attempted hire of Nick Caserio as their next GM, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The NFL is now expected to gather relevant informant to open its investigation against the Texans.

Soon after the Texans’ surprise firing of GM Brian Gaine, the club was immediately linked to Caserio, the Patriots’ VP of player personnel. Initially, the belief was that the Patriots could not block Gaine from taking the job since it would be a clear elevation in titles and responsibility. But the Patriots, who are intent on keeping Caserio, may have found another way to ward off Houston.

The NFL’s anti-tampering policy states that “any interference by a member club with the employer-employee relationship of another club or any attempt by a club to impermissibly induce a person to seek employment with that club or with the NFL” is impermissible. Reading between the lines, it sounds as though the Patriots believe the Texans engaged in direct talks with Caserio before getting the green light from New England.

The Texans firing of Gaine the night after the Patriots’ ring ceremony set off some alarm bells in New England, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Now, the league office must make a ruling before the Texans proceed with their planned hire of Caserio.

Jets Targeting CB Help

June 12th, 2019 at 4:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Jets GM Joe Douglas is getting a late start on the job, but he says it’s not too late to upgrade the roster.

“The hunt never stops for players,” the GM said (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini).

Douglas also noted that the Jets have No. 3 waiver priority and plan to be active in that area. The GM also plans to improve the cornerback group as he acknowledged that it’s an area of need.

Currently, the Jets have Trumaine Johnson and Darryl Roberts as their starting outside corners with Brian Poole in line to man the nickel position. It’s not a stellar trio and the supporting cast isn’t any great shakes either.

Their cornerback search could theoretically lead them back to Morris Claiborne, who remains on the open market. Sam Shields, Davon House, Captain Munnerlyn, and Coty Sensabaugh, and Marcus Williams are other veteran free agent corners who could hold appeal for Gang Green.

Steelers’ Joe Haden Wants Extension

June 12th, 2019 at 1:34pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have yet to open extension talks with Joe Haden, but the cornerback seems eager to get things underway. The 30-year-old says he’s ready to start discussing a new deal and wants to ultimately retire as a member of the Steelers (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). 

After a long run with the division-rival Browns, Haden inked a three-year deal with the Steelers just prior to the 2017 season. That deal has one more year and $10MM remaining.

Over the years, the Steelers have struggled to address the cornerback position through the draft, but Haden has provided valuable support in the secondary. Haden has started every game that he has played in with the Steelers, and he has reestablished himself as a shutdown cover corner despite drawing the No. 1 WR on opposing offenses. This year, the Steelers will pair Haden with former Chief Steven Nelson, who signed a lucrative free agent deal with Pittsburgh in March.

The Steelers also have youngsters Mike Hilton and Cam Sutton, plus rookie Justin Layne, but none of those players offer the resume of Haden, a multiple-time Pro Bowler.

Patriots Want To Keep Nick Caserio

June 12th, 2019 at 1:27pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans want to interview Nick Caserio for their GM position, but the Patriots want to keep him, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. For now, things remain in a holding pattern as the Patriots try to figure out how they can hold on to the valuable executive. 

In theory, the Patriots can deny the interview request on the grounds by arguing that the Houston job does not entail sufficient decision-making authority. However, that could be tough to pull off. The Texans seem to want Caserio badly, so one has to imagine that he would wield full authority over all aspects of roster construction. Also, the Texans job would give Caserio the formal GM title, something he lacks in New England.

Bill Belichick has acted as the Patriots’ GM for years, though Caserio holds significant influence in the draft and free agency. Rapoport wonders aloud if this could be a turning point for the Pats in which they give Caserio the official GM title in order to hang on to him.

If the Texans cannot get Caserio in for an interview, Rapoport wouldn’t be surprised if they turn their attention to Monti Ossenfort, who runs college scouting for the Patriots.

Cowboys Sign Connor McGovern

June 12th, 2019 at 1:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have signed third-round pick Connor McGovern, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). With that, the Cowboys have inked every draft pick in their 2019 class. 

McGovern isn’t practicing with the team during its mandatory minicamp due to a pectoral strain. However, once he’s healthy, he says he’ll try to crack the team’s starting lineup.

Even if McGovern isn’t a starter this year, he could provide quality support behind Connor Williams and Zack Martin at the guard spots. Eventually, Williams may be shifted to tackle and current right tackle La’el Collins may depart after this year, his final season under contract, so there’s a clear path for McGovern to start at some point. In theory, strong camps from Williams and McGovern could give Dallas enough confidence to move Collins in a trade and add some draft picks for 2020.

Here’s the full rundown of the Cowboys’ class, via PFR’s tracker:

Jaguars Sign Quincy Williams

June 12th, 2019 at 11:43am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars’ entire draft class is in the books. On Wednesday, the Jaguars announced the signing of third-round linebacker Quincy Williams, the club’s last straggler in the 2019 group.

Williams, the brother of third-overall pick Quinnen Williams, was a surprise pick in the third round. The Murray State linebacker wasn’t among the 400 players scouted by NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, nor was he on the list of 730 prospects compiled by The Athletic’s Arif Hasan. He wasn’t invited to the Combine and Murray State didn’t have a Pro Day, so Williams assumed he was going to go undrafted.

“For me coming from a small school and didn’t get a combine invite, yeah, I kind of did,” Williams said. “Then I had to go to Pro Day somewhere else, so most people thought I was a safety or a smaller linebacker, so yeah it was a thought in my mind. But then I know my abilities, and I believe in myself.”

Here’s the full breakdown of the Jags’ class, courtesy of PFR’s tracker:

Chiefs Sign Mitchell Schwartz To Extension

June 12th, 2019 at 10:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs and offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz agreed to terms on a one-year extension, according to an announcement from his agent. With the add-on, Schwartz will be under contract with Kansas City through the 2021 season. 

Schwartz, 30, joined the Chiefs on a five-year, $33MM deal prior to the 2016 season. Since then, he’s lived up to his contract by continuing the strong play he exhibited over the first four years of his career with the Browns.

Schwartz has yet to miss a game in his NFL career and, last year, he earned his first ever First-Team All-Pro nod. It was a banner year for Schwartz, and the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus supported that. Schwartz finished out with an overall grade of 83.6, good for fourth among all offensive tackles, stationing him behind only David Bakhtiari, Terron Armstead, and Andrew Whitworth.

Exact terms of the additional year are not yet known. In each of the next two seasons, Schwartz will carry a reasonable $8MM cap figure.

Poll: Which Top 10 Pick Has The Highest Bust Potential?

June 12th, 2019 at 10:27am CST by Zachary Links

The NFL Draft is just barely in the rear view mirror, which means that teams are full of hope for their young rookies. But, of course, the NFL Draft is largely a crapshoot, and not every player will realize their full potential. 

This year’s draft had talent, but lacked a true consensus on the top player. Many evaluators pegged defensive end Nick Bosa as the player with the highest ceiling in the 2019 class, but other saw Alabama’s Quinnen Williams as the “safest bet.” The 49ers pounced on Bosa with the No. 2 pick while the Jets (and former GM Mike Maccagnan) were delighted to land Williams at No. 3 overall.

Leading up to the draft, much of the attention was on Oklahoma quarterback (and one-time MLB hopeful) Kyler Murray. When Murray announced that he would ditch the Oakland A’s, his stock exploded – Murray was considered a borderline first-round prospect in the winter, but wound up as the Cardinals’ choice at No. 1 overall. Murray has the speed that teams crave at the QB position, but questions persist about his size and overall lack of experience as a full-time starter.

The Cardinals’ long flirtation with Murray brought us the expected result, but the Raiders gave us the real first shock of the draft when they tapped Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell at No. 4 overall. Not to be outdone, the Giants snagged Duke’s Daniel Jones at No. 6 overall. Heading into the draft, neither player was thought to be anywhere near Top 10 consideration, but Mike Mayock and Dave Gettleman were unwilling to trade down and risk losing out on their guys.

The domino effect created by those picks allowed the Bucs to grab inside linebacker Devin White (No. 5 overall), the Jaguars to land outside linebacker Josh Allen (No. 6), the Lions to snag top tight end T.J. Hockenson, the Bills to draft defensive tackle Ed Oliver (No. 9 overall), and the Steelers to finish out the Top 10 with linebacker Devin Bush. Most of those picks were warmly received, but nothing is certain in the draft.

Which Top 10 pick do you think has the highest bust potential? Click below to cast your vote (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comment section.

This Date In Transactions History: Michael Vick

June 12th, 2019 at 8:57am CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 2009, the Falcons moved on from the biggest star in the history of their franchise. After unsuccessful attempts to trade Michael Vick, the Falcons cut finally ties with the quarterback. 

With the ability to run as well as he could throw, Vick was one of the brightest young stars in the NFL. In six seasons, he earned three Pro Bowl nominations and led the Falcons to the NFC championship game twice. The first go-round in 2002 snapped a four-year playoff drought in Atlanta.

The trajectory of Vick’s career and the entire Falcons franchise changed in 2007 when Vick was indicted for his role in the Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting ring. The Falcons pretty much made up their minds on Vick after the quarterback was sentenced to nearly two years in prison, but there were paperwork and cap issues to sort out. The Falcons successfully recovered ~$20MM of Vick’s $37MM signing bonus in ’07, but it wasn’t until the summer of ’09 that they formally terminated his nine-year deal which had the potential to be worth as much as $130MM.

The Falcons were able to move on from the Vick era after selecting Matt Ryan with the third overall pick in the 2008 draft. Vick, meanwhile, managed a second act in the NFL after landing with the Eagles. He was signed to be Donovan McNabb‘s backup in 2009, but he wound up as the team’s starting QB in 2010 after McNabb was traded and Kevin Kolb suffered a concussion. Vick went on to take the Eagles to the playoffs and eventually sign a six-year, $100MM extension with Philly.

Vick’s subsequent stints with the Jets and Steelers were less remarkable and he was unable to find an NFL home in 2016. In the summer of 2017 – on the eight-year anniversary of his release from Atlanta – Vick retired after signing a ceremonial contract with the Falcons.

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