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Month: September 2024

PFR Originals: 6/16/19 – 6/23/19

June 23rd, 2019 at 4:10pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

  • PFR’s ‘This Date in Transactions History’ series saw five more chapters added.
    • Ben Levine took a look at the Patriots’ signing of David Harris. Harris was a ten-year veteran of the Jets who had spent his entire career in New York, so his decision to go to their AFC East rival was a big deal. Harris ended up only spending one year with New England before retiring.
    • Sam Robinson discussed the Dolphins extending Sam Madison, which at the time was the largest contract in team history. Overall the contract worked out pretty well for both sides, as Madison kept up his stellar play. Eventually the Dolphins cut him after the 2005 season, and Madison went on to win Super Bowl XLII with the Giants.
    • Zach Links reflected on the Bengals cutting Terrelle Pryor back in 2015. At the time Pryor was still a quarterback, and his release from Cincinnati would end up greatly altering his career path. Pryor had previously insisted he wouldn’t play any other position, but after the Bengals cut him he changed his mind. He agreed to line up at receiver, and ended up having a breakout 1,007 yard 2016 season.
    • Zach also took a look at the Panthers’ unwise decision to extend offensive tackle Michael Oher in 2016. They signed Oher to a three-year deal with $21.6MM in new money, but Oher never played a snap under the new contract. Oher missed most of the 2016 due to concussion issues, and then was released with a failed physical designation following a few bizarre offseason incidents.
    • Sam broke down the extension Robert Mathis got from the Colts in 2006. Mathis had only started one game his first three years in the league, but had shown a ton of promise coming off the bench. Indianapolis showed a lot of confidence in him, making him one of the league’s highest-paid pass-rushers despite his inexperience. The move paid off, as Mathis would go on to play another 11 years with the team and rack up a franchise-record 123 sacks.
  • As part of our offseason glossary refreshers, Zach broke down what each of the following terms entail. The glossary terms explain specific rules relating to free agency, trades, or other aspects of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement
  • Zach also took a look at two potential release candidates this summer
    • Kenneth Dixon. Dixon looked like the Ravens’ running back of the future for a while, but now finds himself squarely on the roster bubble. He’s put up pretty good numbers when on the field, but he’s been plagued by injuries and was also slapped with a four-game suspension for PEDs. The Ravens signed Mark Ingram this offseason, making Dixon expendable, and it appears as of right now that he’s on the outside looking in.
    • Tavon Austin. When the Cowboys traded for Austin during the draft last year, they initially insisted they had big plans for him. But a groin injury ended up limiting Austin to just seven games, and Dallas barely used him even when he was on the field. Austin only has $500K guaranteed for this season, and the Cowboys now have Randall Cobb in the slot and rookie Tony Pollard as a returner/change of pace back behind Ezekiel Elliott. Austin is going to face an uphill battle to crack Dallas’ 53.
  • Zach looked at the quarterbacks with the biggest cap hits for 2019.
  • Zach broke down the remaining draft picks that have yet to sign their rookie deals, and as of June 19th there were only 16 picks left unsigned.
  • The Patriots have dominated the AFC for many years, and Sam asked readers in a poll who their biggest threat in the conference is in 2019. The Chiefs were the overwhelming winners, getting over 33 percent of the vote.
  • As part of our ‘Extension Candidate’ series, Zach examined where things stand between Julio Jones and the Falcons. Jones still has two years left on his deal, so it’ll be tricky. As Zach points out, former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry recently suggested adding on three new years with $60MM in new money. The two sides have been inching closer to a deal, and something should get done at some point.
  • Being an NFL head coach is one of the toughest jobs in all of sports, and inevitably some of the new head coaches hired this cycle won’t pan out. Last year, Steve Wilks was canned by the Cardinals after just one season. With that in mind, Zach asked readers in a poll which new head coach will have the least successful 2019 season. It was a close three-way race between Kliff Kingsbury with the Cardinals, Brian Flores with the Dolphins, and Zac Taylor with the Bengals, but Kingsbury ended up ‘winning’ with just over 24 percent of the vote.

Myles Jack Discusses Contract Situation

June 23rd, 2019 at 2:15pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Jaguars have been dealing with a lot of contract drama recently. Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue held out from the team’s mandatory minicamp in pursuit of a longterm deal, and cornerback Jalen Ramsey recently made it clear he won’t be taking a hometown discount from the Jags.

Another player who will need a new deal soon is linebacker Myles Jack, although his situation has flown much more under the radar. Speaking to John Reid of the Florida Times-Union recently, Jack emphasized that it’s been by choice that his contract isn’t getting too much attention. Jack is purposefully keeping a lower profile, and isn’t going to be making public demands anytime soon.

“When my time comes up, that’s when it’s going to come up. But right now, I’m just focused on going out there winning games, getting numbers and then by the end of the season that all will take care of itself,” Jack said. The UCLA product knows his payday will be tied to the stats he puts up, saying “obviously in my position, Telvin (Smith) is gone, so that’s 120 tackles unaccounted for, and I want at least 50 of those so I can get 150 tackles to create some leverage for myself.”

Telvin Smith recently announced he won’t be playing in 2019, meaning Jack will be even more important to the defense. Heading into the final year of his rookie deal, Jack has been a very solid player since Jacksonville took him 36th overall in 2016. He’s been durable and hasn’t missed a game since entering the league, making 16 starts each of the past two seasons. Knee issues caused Jack to fall out of the first round in the draft, so it’s been a very good sign for his next contract that he’s been able to stay healthy.

Jack also acknowledged Ngakoue’s situation, and said that he and his teammates are paying attention to what’s happening across the league. “Obviously we love the game, but at the same time, we see the ESPN tickers going and guys getting this amount of money,” Jack said. “In [Ngakoue’s] case, from the numbers that he’s put up versus the other guys getting paid, he’s either better or neck and neck with (them). I completely understand why he’s doing what he’s doing.”

Jack was a large part of the team that helped Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship Game in 2017, and they’d surely like to keep him around. Some teams don’t like giving out big contracts to inside linebackers though, and it’ll be interesting to see how highly Tom Coughlin and co. value Jack. Still only 23, Jack could land a huge contract from a team desperate for linebacker help next offseason.

Extra Points: Michel, Jets, Eagles, Browns

June 23rd, 2019 at 12:30pm CST by Micah Powell

Patriots running back Sony Michel missed the team’s minicamp following arthroscopic surgery on his knee. He is “progressing quickly” in his recovery and is reportedly running at “full tilt,” the NFL Network’s Mike Girardi tweets.

That’s a good sign for the second-year back, who sounds like he is on track to return to action when the team opens training camp in July.

A first-round pick in 2018, Michel impressed in his rookie campaign with 931 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He turned it up a notch in the postseason, adding another six rushing scores in New England’s run to a Super Bowl title.

Even if the Georgia product misses a little time, the Patriots should still be in good hands in the backfield. The team still boast James White and added Damien Harris, a running back from Alabama, in the draft in April.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • The Browns were deemed to have the best offseason, an ESPN NFL Nation post states. Each team was given a designation of elite, above average, average and too soon to tell, and Cleveland was the only squad to garner an elite ranking. The explanation for the lofty ranking was the team succeeding on its goal of surrounding second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield with talent at the skill positions with Odell Beckham and Kareem Hunt.
  • With Joe Douglas now with the Jets, the former Eagles vice president of player personnel could look to fortify his new squad with players from his old team, NBC Sports’ Dave Zangaro writes. Zangaro identifies 10 players who could be cut or have reduced roles in the coming weeks who Douglas could have his eyes on, three of which are in the secondary in cornerbacks Cre’Von LeBlanc and Josh Hawkins, and safety Deiondre’ Hall.

One Team Was Interested In Recently Retired Josh McCown

June 23rd, 2019 at 9:55am CST by Micah Powell

Earlier this week, longtime quarterback Josh McCown called it quits on a 17-year career. He had the opportunity to push it another year, ESPN’s Rich Cimini writes. 

McCown, 39, who became a free agent this offseason, had at least one team interested in bringing in the veteran QB as recently as two weeks ago. The journeyman signal-caller decided to retire instead of take that offer.

It’s safe to assume that team would have pursued McCown as a mentor to a young quarterback, similar to the situation he was in with the Jets in 2018 as a de facto coach to first-round pick Sam Darnold.

Cimini also asked McCown about what Darnold could improve upon entering his second season. McCown responded with, “Playing fast and smart on early downs.” That criticism was dead on from the veteran, as Darnold performed better on third downs than he did on first and second downs as a rookie in 2018.

“He needs to know when to cut bait on a play and when to rip it,” McCown said. “That will be more fine-tuned this year because I know Adam [Gase] will help with that. That will be the biggest jump for him. If he can eliminate five or six incompletions per game, it’ll be a major improvement.”

As Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes, McCown has accepted a position as an NFL analyst for ESPN.

NFL Safety Exec Discusses New Initiatives

June 23rd, 2019 at 8:57am CST by Micah Powell

Among the safety initiatives coming to the NFL this season include safer helmets and cleats, the banning of some practice drills and the elimination of blindside blocks to any part of a defender’s body. The NFL’s executive vice president of health and safety initiatives, Jeff Miller, discussed these changes in an interview with the Toronto Sun’s John Kryk.

In regards to helmets, the NFL ranked the brands of helmets and gave them ratings from green (safest) to red (least safe). Those 11 helmet models that received a red listing were banned for the 2019 season. In 2018, less than 40 players wore a red helmet while 74 percent were in greens, according to Kryk.

“It is one of the pillars of our 2019 concussion-reduction strategy — to move the 26% of the league’s players still wearing either yellow or red helmets into green,” Miller said. “We know that 32 players who were in the red have to move into the better-performing helmets, but we’re also spending time and effort with the clubs to get those who were in yellow into green, because those are the helmets that test best in the laboratory, and there is a correlation with how those performed on the field.”

Miller also said that the punt has become the play with the highest rate of injuries. To help reduce that rate, the NFL is instituting a ban on the blindside block.

“We shared this information with the competition committee, and they came back and not only eliminated blind-side blocks, and broadened the (offending action) on the punt, but also prohibited the blind-side block on all other plays.”

Miller also discussed at length the banning of drills, such as the Oklahoma drill, in practices and a similar rating system for cleats that it already uses on helmets.

Extra Points: Steelers, Lions, Broncos, Jets

June 22nd, 2019 at 9:15pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Nat Berhe had a disappointing season in Pittsburgh last year. The safety signed with the Steelers last April, was released at final cuts, and then re-signed before Week 1. He was a minor contributor on defense and special teams for a few weeks, before landing on injured reserve with a pec injury. Berhe remains a free agent now, and he recently told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com that he had “some early contact” with the Steelers this offseason (Twitter link).

Berhe also told Fowler that he’s open to returning to the Steelers in 2019, but for now he’s “focused on adding size” before landing in a training camp. A San Diego State product, Berhe originally entered the league as a fifth round pick of the Giants back in 2014. He spent the first four years of his career in New York before signing a one-year, $790K deal with the Steelers. It’s not shocking that teams haven’t exactly been beating down his door to sign him.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • 2019 is going to be a very key season for Lions receiver Marvin Jones. After Detroit traded away Golden Tate, Jones was supposed to take over as the clear top receiver. Unfortunately, Jones’ season was ended in late November by a knee injury. According to Dake Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, there was some drama between Jones and the team after Jones criticized Matt Patricia’s policy of having injured players watch games from the press box on social media. Interestingly, Birkett writes that Jones “doesn’t seem long for a Patricia-coached team that has moved on from other players who aren’t yes-sir-I’ll-do-whatever-you-say types.” That being said, Birkett would be shocked if anything were to happen before the end of the season, as they’re counting on Jones to be a large part of the offense. Still it sounds like Jones, who didn’t participate in OTAs or minicamp due to his injury, might not be in the team’s longterm plans.
  • Heading into last season, the Broncos had one of the most stable kicking situations in the league. They had recently given a huge extension to Brandon McManus, but then McManus struggled last season. He wasn’t himself, and then Denver added former AAF kicker Taylor Bertolet this offseason. Despite the addition of competition, it “doesn’t appear McManus’ job is in any jeopardy,” writes Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post. Per Fredrickson, Broncos coach Vic Fangio recently said McManus is the “obvious incumbent,” and that Bertolet “would have to knock him out like in a heavyweight battle” to win the job.
  • The Jets made a splashy move this offseason by bringing in Le’Veon Bell, but he wasn’t the only running back they added. New York also signed Ty Montgomery, who has apparently been making an impression. Montgomery started his career with the Packers, and was traded to the Ravens at the deadline last season before inking a one-year deal with the Jets in April. Montgomery so far has “been the beneficiary of Le’Veon Bell staying away for much of the voluntary portion of the offseason program,” as he’s “gotten a ton of reps,” according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Costello writes that he’s also the “current favorite to be the kick returner” in 2019. Montgomery was a starter at times for the Packers in 2016 and 2017, but fell out of favor in Green Bay. Playing for only $895K with just $90K of it guaranteed, it sounds like he’s got a decent shot to re-establish himself with the Jets.

NFC East Notes: Redskins, Guice, Giants

June 22nd, 2019 at 7:40pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Redskins’ backfield situation didn’t go as planned last year. The team drafted Derrius Guice in the second round to be their starter, but then Guice tore his ACL in the preseason. They ended up signing Adrian Peterson at the last minute, and he unexpectedly became the team’s workhorse. Peterson played well all things considered, but noticeably wore down toward the end of the year and won’t be expected to handle the same workload in 2019. Guice had some complications while recovering from his injury, but is expected to be fully recovered soon.

Guice is the much younger player who would appear to have more upside, but don’t count out Peterson yet. Speaking after a recent minicamp practice, Redskins running backs coach Randy Jordan said he envisions a 50-50 or 60-40 split between the two backs this season, per Kareem Copeland of the Washington Post. Washington was depleted by injuries last year, and getting Guice back is a great step in the right direction. Assuming they end up starting Dwayne Haskins at quarterbackthey’ll need a strong running game to help take some of the load off, and a Guice/Peterson partnership has the potential to be one of the league’s better backfields.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

  • With Haskins and Guice now in the fold, the Redskins’ offense is going to look a lot different next year. They won’t be the changes, as second-year receiver Trey Quinn is coming back from an injury of his own. A seventh round pick out of SMU last year, injuries limited Quinn to just three games as a rookie. He’s reportedly been a standout this offseason though, and the team is very high on him. Speaking to the media recently, Redskins coach Jay Gruden declared him a starter. “Trey Quinn has taken over the inside slot role,” Gruden said, per JP Finlay of NBC Sports. Quinn must’ve been really impressive in practices for the coaching staff to have this much confidence in him. After Jamison Crowder left in free agency the Redskins were left with a hole in the slot, and they’re apparently comfortable with Quinn filling it.
  • Mike Remmers signed with the Giants last month, and is widely expected to be their starting right tackle in 2019. The offseason back surgery he underwent was initially deemed minor, but Remmers didn’t participate at all during OTAs or minicamp, according to Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com. Remmers apparently isn’t fully healthy, and Dunleavy thinks there’s a chance Chad Wheeler will take advantage of the opportunity to keep the starting job. Wheeler, a 2017 UDFA, was the starter for most of last season, but played poorly. Remmers is still the favorite, but if he can’t get back soon he might end up losing the job.
  • In the same piece, Dunleavy also breaks down the Giants’ situation at receiver beyond Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate. Shepard and Tate are locked in as the top two options, but there’s not much clarity after that. Cody Latimer and Bennie Fowler both operated as the third receiver last season, but Dunleavy thinks Corey Coleman is the favorite for that role in 2019. Dunleavy writes that Coleman showed well in recent practices, as “Latimer started the offseason with the upper hand and Coleman finished with the edge.” A 2016 first round pick of the Browns, Coleman has had a bumpy road in the pros. The Browns, Patriots, and Bills have all given up on the Baylor product, but it looks like he could make a home for himself in New York.

Albert Wilson Might Not Be Ready For Training Camp

June 22nd, 2019 at 5:57pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We haven’t had many updates on Dolphins receiver Albert Wilson since he got hurt, but now we have one. Wilson was having a breakout season in Miami last year, which unfortunately got cut short by a serious hip injury. 

Wilson landed on injured reserve back in October, and he’s apparently not that close to getting cleared. Wilson might not be ready for training camp, and the team “plans to be cautious with him in August,” per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. On the bright side, Jackson does write that Wilson’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said during a recent radio appearance that Wilson will be ready for the start of the regular season.

We heard at the time it was a labral issue, but never got full details on the injury. Wilson had some highlight reel plays during the seven games he played for the Dolphins, and he had just had one of the best weeks of any receiver in the league right before his injury. The week before he went down, he torched the Bears’ vaunted defense for 155 yards and two touchdowns in an overtime win.

Wilson was averaging an extremely efficient 11.2 yards per target thanks to his run-after-catch ability, and losing him was a brutal blow to Miami’s offense. He’s a player that very much relies on his speed and athleticism, so hopefully he’s 100 percent healthy when he makes his return.

Wilson is still only 26 and likely a part of the team’s longterm plans as they enter a rebuild, so it makes sense why they’re being cautious with him. An undrafted free agent out of Georgia State back in 2014, Wilson originally signed with the Chiefs. His playing time was sporadic in his four years in Kansas City, but he showed enough flashes to earn a three-year, $24 million deal from the Dolphins last offseason. Whether it’s Josh Rosen or Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, they’ll need Wilson as a weapon next year.

West Rumors: Miller, Celek, 49ers, RBs

June 22nd, 2019 at 4:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Von Miller turned 30 this offseason and will soon start his ninth NFL season, but it doesn’t look like the Broncos will need to consider making plans for a near-future Miller retirement. Denver’s all-time sack leader said (via USA Today’s Lila Bromberg) he wants to play long enough to make a run at Bruce Smith‘s NFL record. That will be quite difficult, with Miller (98 sacks) having averaged 12.25 sacks per season (a figure weighed down by his 2013 suspension-shortened slate) and Smith having recorded 200 during his 19-year career. Miller would need to average 10.2 sacks over the next 10 seasons to get there. However, Miller sits second among active NFLers in sacks — trailing only Terrell Suggs (132). While the odds are against him eclipsing the Smith standard that has stood for 16 years, it is notable the likely Hall of Fame-bound pass rusher plans on playing for several more seasons. Three seasons remain on Miller’s six-year, $114.1MM contract.

Here’s the latest from the West divisions, shifting to the NFC West:

  • The back surgery 49ers tight end Garrett Celek underwent this month features an approximate two-month recovery timetable, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area notes, adding that it no longer appears certain the 31-year-old skill-position cog will be able to continue his career. Celek ended last season in concussion protocol, where he remains for procedural purposes, and the extension he signed in 2016 has just one more season remaining on it. The 49ers prepared for this possibility by signing Levine Toilolo, drafting Kaden Smith in the sixth round and adding Wyoming product Tyree Mayfield as a UDFA.
  • Tevin Coleman‘s history with Kyle Shanahan, and the time Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida missed this offsason, makes him the best bet to be San Francisco’s top back, Maiocco writes. McKinnon is expected to return for the start of training camp, but it has been a while since the former Vikings running back — who received $18MM guaranteed in 2018 — has played. The 49ers will likely make one of these players a healthy scratch on game days, with Maiocco adding the presences of Kyle Juszczyk and top special-teamer Raheem Mostert will force Shanahan to deactivate one of his top three backs. This situation bears monitoring during the preseason, as it would seem a trade could benefit the 49ers.
  • Robert Nkemdiche‘s recent arrest may spell the end of his underwhelming Cardinals stay.
  • More clarity emerged on the Todd Gurley front, but the two-time All-Pro Rams running back’s situation figures to remain murky until we near the regular season.

49ers Decided On Nick Bosa At Combine?

June 22nd, 2019 at 3:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nick Bosa has yet to sign his rookie contract and has run into more injury trouble, a grade 1 hamstring strain sidelining him for part of OTAs and the 49ers’ minicamp. The 49ers have run into a spate of injuries this year, with several carrying over from 2018. The team is not concerned about Bosa’s contract situation dragging into training camp like his older brother’s did three years ago and doesn’t appear fazed by the younger Bosa’s history (he missed most of his junior year due to a core muscle malady).

The team has been committed to the standout defensive end prospect since the Combine, with Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reporting 49ers executive VP of football operations Paraag Maranthe telling Bosa’s agent in Indianapolis he would be the 49ers’ pick at No. 2 — provided the Cardinals did not take him first overall.

Like Joey Bosa‘s situation in 2016, offset language serves as one of this deal’s holdups, Maiocco adds. The other snag is how the money will be paid out. Nick Bosa’s slot price comes in at $33.55MM, and it will be fully guaranteed.

Nick Bosa-to-San Francisco seemed like one of the best bets in this draft. Had the 49ers not taken Bosa, it was reported the Jets would have selected him at No. 3. The 49ers have not featured an edge rusher record a seven sacks in a season since Aldon Smith in 2013. They now have Bosa and Dee Ford in a pass rush mix that still includes the three interior rusher types chosen in the first round from 2015-17 — Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas.

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