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Month: September 2024

AFC North Notes: Bengals, Browns, Hurst

February 26th, 2020 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Were Joe Burrow to be drafted by the Bengals, he wants the team to keep A.J. Green. The Bengals are believed to be zeroing in on the Heisman winner, who told NFL.com’s Jim Trotter he would like Green to be back in Cincinnati — if, in fact, the Bengals follow through on drafting the LSU quarterback (video link). The franchise tag window opens Thursday, and the Bengals have been linked to tagging Green. The nine-year veteran has voiced opposition to this, going into his age-32 season, but said he would play on the tag. However, Green also indicated he would likely miss extensive offseason workouts. An injury last summer shelved Green for all of 2019.

Here is the latest from the AFC North:

  • The Ravens have seen 2018 third-round tight end Mark Andrews become Lamar Jackson‘s top target, leaving 2018 first-round tight end Hayden Hurst in a strange position. The former minor league baseball player-turned-South Carolina football prospect may be on the trade block, with Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweeting there is a “real chance” the Ravens trade Hurst. The former Pirates draftee played hurt as a rookie and caught 30 passes for 349 yards last season. Andrews caught 64 passes for a Ravens-most 852 yards in 2019. For what it’s worth, the tight end-needy Patriots have not contacted the Ravens about Hurst, Howe adds (on Twitter), but Hurst may be a name to monitor in Baltimore in the coming weeks.
  • The Browns will meet with Joe Schobert‘s agent at the Combine, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes. After being so far apart on terms with ex-GM John Dorsey, Schobert is back in the picture to stay in Cleveland, Cabot adds. New GM Andrew Berry‘s hire has reopened the lines of communication with the Browns’ top tackler. Cleveland already has Christian Kirksey attached to a big contract, but the linebacker has struggled with injuries since signing that extension and may be a cap casualty.
  • David Njoku stands as player who likely would have been gone had Dorsey and Freddie Kitchens stayed in power, Cabot adds. But with Kevin Stefanski planning more two-tight end sets, the 2017 first-round pick looks likelier to stay in Cleveland. Having Berry back doesn’t hurt here, either, with the Sashi Brown-Berry-Paul DePodesta regime being in power when Njoku was drafted.
  • Although Dorsey upgraded the Browns’ talent level, his offensive line acquisitions did not pan out. The Browns will not re-sign Greg Robinson, and 2018 right tackle addition Chris Hubbard may be elsewhere next season as well. However, the Browns will likely spend big on at least one offensive lineman, Cabot adds. Jack Conklin, Brandon Scherff and Joe Thuney profile as the top targets who are in line to reach free agency.

Redskins Planning To Host Burrow, Tua

February 26th, 2020 at 3:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Redskins used a first-round pick on a quarterback last year, and with the exception of the Cardinals from 2018-19, no team has used back-to-back first-rounders on passers in over 35 years. But a new regime now resides in Washington, and Ron Rivera plans to use at least two of the team’s allotted 30 pre-draft visits on quarterbacks.

Rivera said Wednesday the team is planning to host Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa on visits. The first-year Redskins coach has praised 2019 first-rounder Dwayne Haskins but has not named him the starter for next season.

“Everything is an option. We’re not closing the door on anything,” Rivera said, via NBC Sports Washington’s J.P. Finlay. “One of the things that [VP of player personnel] Kyle [Smith] and I talked about is that we have to go through this process because you don’t know what’s going to happen in front of you and we don’t know what’s going to happen with you. So we’re going to go through and Tua is one of the guys that were bringing in, just so everybody knows. We’re bringing in Burrow and were bringing in Tua, and we will see both of their workouts.”

Rivera added the Redskins will look at Chase Young and cornerbacks at No. 2 overall. Washington has been linked to Young in just about every major mock draft, but the Redskins were split on drafting Haskins last year. He finished with by far the NFL’s worst QBR figure last season, so it cannot be assumed yet the Rivera-led regime will automatically rule out quarterback in Round 1. Although some uncertainty exists regarding Burrow’s interest in playing for the Bengals, he is not expected to be available by the time the Redskins pick.

This also may be a sign the Redskins, like the Giants and Lions, are willing to shop their pick. Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert suitors may determine they need to move ahead of certain teams, and the Redskins, Lions and Giants profile as franchises who will not take a quarterback in Round 1. Teams with greater needs at quarterback — the Dolphins, Chargers and Panthers — sit at Nos. 5-7.

Colts Interested In Philip Rivers

February 26th, 2020 at 3:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rumored as a Colts fit for multiple reasons, Philip Rivers does appear to be on Indianapolis’ radar. The team has interest in the eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).

Rivers remains close to ex-Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich and former Bolts quarterbacks coach Nick Sirianni. Those two now serve as the Colts’ HC-OC tandem. Many around the league expect Rivers to end up with the Colts, Rapoport adds.

GM Chris Ballard said at the 2019 season’s conclusion Jacoby Brissett‘s future as the team’s starter is uncertain. Jim Irsay added that all options are on the table for the team, which lost franchise centerpiece Andrew Luck to a surprising retirement last August. The Colts signed Brissett to a two-year, $30MM extension. He is on Indianapolis’ books at $21MM and would cost the Colts $12.5MM in dead money to release him.

The Chargers announced they will not re-sign Rivers, who is coming off his worst season in at least seven years. The 38-year-old quarterback has said he wants to return for a 17th season, adding that he’s set a two-year window and would not make sense on a rebuilding team. While the Colts struggled last season, they voyaged to the AFC’s divisional round in 2018 with Luck.

Rivers sits sixth on the NFL’s all-time passing yards and touchdowns lists and finished seventh in QBR in 2018, when the Chargers went 12-4. For the most part, he played the past three seasons without a home-field advantage. The Colts also have a far superior offensive line compared to the Bolts, and it’s looking like free agent left tackle Anthony Castonzo is headed back to Indianapolis. The Colts could use help at wide receiver, but this situation would have some selling points for Rivers. Indianapolis’ $86MM-plus in cap space sits second in the league.

Titans Hope To Extend Ryan Tannehill Before Tag Deadline

February 26th, 2020 at 3:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the next CBA now up for a vote, the Titans face the prospect of only being able to use one tag. The team has Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry and Jack Conklin set for free agency. Some clarity may be emerging on the Titans’ navigation plan.

Tennessee brass is planning to ramp up Tannehill extension discussions, in hopes of finalizing a deal before the March 12 deadline to apply franchise and transition tags, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link).

This could point to a franchise tag for Henry, the reigning rushing champion. Nothing has emerged regarding Conklin on this front, so the Titans’ four-year right tackle looks headed to free agency. The Titans, who have been linked to a Henry tag, are set to have just more than $50MM in cap space.

The Titans and Tannehill began negotiating back in November, but the sides remain apart. The quarterback’s former agent said in December that his then-client would give the Titans “every opportunity” to work out a deal, but Tannehill changed agents earlier this month. He’s now working with CAA.

It would make sense for the 31-year-old passer to stay in Tennessee, given his belated breakout that helped lift the Titans to their first AFC championship game in 17 years. But the former first-round pick is a key part of this complex quarterback market. During an appearance on PFT Live, Mike Vrabel was tight-lipped about a Tannehill re-up. This comes after a January report indicated the team was not certain about Tannehill’s viability as a long-term answer.

Case Keenum On Browns’ Radar

February 26th, 2020 at 2:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Drew Stanton‘s contract up, the Browns may be moving in a different direction at backup quarterback. Case Keenum is on the team’s radar, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Both Stanton and Keenum signed two-year contracts in 2018. Keenum was tabbed to be the Broncos’ starter that season, but Denver traded him to Washington. He is expected to draw interest as a backup or potential bridge starter this offseason, and the Browns’ head coach choice points to Cleveland being a fit.

Kevin Stefanski worked with Keenum during his best NFL season, when the latter led the 2017 Vikings to a surprising NFC championship run. While Pat Shurmur called Minnesota’s plays, Stefanski was Keenum’s position coach and played a key role in the passer leading all quarterbacks in 2017 DVOA.

Chase Daniel could also be a fit, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (on Twitter), but Keenum is the first name to be connected to the Browns’ search for Baker Mayfield‘s next backup.

Since coming into the league with the Texans as a 2012 UDFA, Keenum has started 62 NFL games — including 24 over the past two seasons. The 31-year-old passer finished with a 64.7 completion percentage with the Redskins, throwing 11 touchdown passes and five interceptions. That TD-INT ratio was considerably better than the 18-15 ratio he compiled in his one Broncos season.

Stanton missed all of last season with a knee injury and joined the Browns during since-departed GM John Dorsey‘s tenure. He did not play a regular-season snap as a Brown. Garrett Gilbert is expected to remain with the team, per Cabot.

Latest On CBA, Franchise Tags

February 26th, 2020 at 1:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFLPA’s board voted 17-14 (with one abstention) to send the owners’ collective bargaining agreement proposal to their full membership, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports. While the voting of 1,900-plus players is not expected to be tallied until early March, the board moving it into the next phase is seemingly a good sign for it being approved.

Despite this progress pointing to the next CBA beginning for the 2020 season, one part of the 2011 CBA lingers. The parties are meeting Wednesday to discuss this offseason’s rules. Since there is nothing agreed to as of now, teams can still use their franchise and transition tags when the window for applying tags opens on Thursday, Graziano adds (on Twitter).

This could create the interesting scenario of teams being able to do so for part of the two-week window, but perhaps not all of it. So a flurry of tag action could transpire beginning Thursday. Teams have from Feb. 27-March 12 to designate franchise/transition players.

The outcome of the vote is not expected for around two weeks, NFL.com’s Judy Battista tweets, so teams are likely to still have time to discuss extensions with impending free agents. As for the possibility of a new CBA retroactively stripping teams of the right to use their franchise and transition tags, Battista adds the league does not have an answer yet (Twitter link).

That said, teams might be hesitant to use both tags. If ratified, the new CBA would take effect immediately, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, adding that the NFLPA would expect teams who use both tags to have to vacate one of those (Twitter link). This is an interesting subplot for teams with multiple marquee free agents.

On Tuesday, the NFL management council also agreed to adjust its pay scale for the 17th game on existing contracts. The owners agreed to eliminate the $250K cap on players’ 18th-week earnings, Graziano adds. Giving teams an extra bye week was once part of these negotiations, but the CBA will not include it. The players also hoped to move the owners to reduce the offseason schedule at Tuesday’s meeting; they did this back in 2011. But the owners did not agree to further shorten it, per Graziano. Padded training camp practices would, however, be substantially reduced, going from 28 to 16.

This proposal going into effect for 2020 will mean a 17-game season could start as soon as 2021. A 14-team playoff bracket, which has been in the discussion cycle for over five years, is also slated to begin this coming season. There are several other previously discussed components in this CBA proposal, but the players green-lighting it would mean 2020 could be the final year for the 16-game schedule (in place since 1978). The league used a 12-team playoff field from 1990-2019.

Vikings Plan To Keep Everson Griffen

February 26th, 2020 at 12:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Last week, Everson Griffen opted out of the remainder of his contract. He’s now set for free agency in March, but head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters on Wednesday that he still expects to keep him (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin).

Griffen earned the right to turn down the last three years of his pact by hitting a pair of statistical benchmarks. The rest of the deal would have paid him nicely, but there was no guarantee that the Vikings would have kept him at the same rate. By opting out, Griffen simply opened up his options – he says he’d like to stay in Minnesota, but he can also gauge the market for other offers.

The Vikings met with the veteran defensive end’s agent on Tuesday night, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The team also stood by him after he spent time away because of a mental health issue during the 2018 season. Griffen missed more than a month of action that season but bounced back in 2019. The 10-year veteran registered eight sacks and 24 quarterback hits. He will enter the 2020 season as the franchise’s fourth all-time leading sacker (since 1982).

Griffen returning will also continue a pattern for the Vikings. They have opted to keep their defensive core together for years, doing so despite annually being up against the cap. Minnesota’s $1.3MM in cap space ranks last in the league. While it cannot be ruled out Griffen departs, the Vikings have established continuity on defense for years now and have managed to maintain it while paying out Kirk Cousins‘ three-year, fully guaranteed contract.

Texans’ Bill O’Brien Cedes Play Calling Duties

February 26th, 2020 at 12:37pm CST by Zachary Links

Bill O’Brien decided that he already wears enough hats for the Texans. This week, the team’s head coach and GM announced that offensive coordinator Tim Kelly will take over play calling in 2020. 

“[Kelly is] a really bright guy,” O’Brien said (via ESPN.com’s Mike Wells). “He’s a really good coach. Players really respect him. He just does a great job. Great knowledge of the whole offense from the passing game to the running game.”

O’Brien, who has served as the Texans’ HC since 2014, acted as the OC initially, then later gave those responsibilities to George Godsey. Early on in 2016, he took the headset back from Godsey and parted ways with him after the season.

Last year, the Texans finished 13th in yards per game and 14th in points per contest (23.6, on average). They’ll look to push further with Kelly at the helm.

Kelly and O’Brien go back a long ways, dating to their time together at Penn State. This will be Kelly’s second year as the OC, but his first with full control. O’Brien expressed complete confidence in the soon-to-be 34-year-old and also cited his relationship with Deshaun Watson as a major positive.

Danny Amendola Re-Signs With Lions

February 26th, 2020 at 12:09pm CST by Ben Levine

Danny Amendola will be sticking around Detroit. FOX Sports’ Peter Schrager reports (via Twitter) that the veteran wideout is re-signing with the Lions. It’ll be a one-year deal.

Amendola was released by the Dolphins last March, and he ended up inking a one-year, $4.5MM deal with the Lions. The 34-year-old ultimately put up some of the best numbers of his career, hauling in 62 receptions for 678 receiving yards and one touchdown. He also continued to contribute on special teams, returning 10 punts.

The new one-year deal is worth $5MM with $4.5MM guaranteed, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). He can max out at $6MM with incentives and he’ll cash in at around ~$5.5MM if he matches last year’s work.

In parts of 11 seasons, Amendola has spent time with the Rams, Patriots, Dolphins, and Lions. He earned a pair of Super Bowl rings during his time in New England.

With Amendola back in the fold, Matthew Stafford will be plenty familiar with his targets next season. Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones will continue to lead the depth chart in 2020.

NFC East Rumors: Cooper, Cobb, Giants

February 26th, 2020 at 11:43am CST by Zachary Links

Lots of changes are on the way for the Cowboys under new head coach Mike McCarthy, but the hope is to keep two of their big-name wide receivers in the fold. On Wednesday, McCarthy confirmed that the plan is to retain star Amari Cooper and former Packers star Randall Cobb on the roster (Twitter link via Jon Machota of The Athletic).

Cobb is coming off of a one-year, $5MM deal with $4MM guaranteed. McCarthy saw the slot receiver up-close in his prime, so it stands to reason that he could have a role in the offense.

Keeping Cooper, meanwhile, would be much more costly. Last year, the former first-round pick posted 79 catches with career-high marks in receiving yards (1,189) and touchdowns (8). He’s indicated that he won’t strictly seek dollars in his next deal, but any multi-year deal for Cooper will place him at or near the top of the WR market.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

  • The Giants are “open for business” when it comes to trading back in the draft, GM Dave Gettleman says (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY). Still, the GM knows that there’s “risk” involved with giving up a prized selection, such as the Giants’ No. 4 overall pick. If the Giants stand pat, they could be in line for a prime Gettleman “hog mollie” in Alabama tackle Jedrick Wills. They also have ample cap room to fill their other needs, especially after cutting linebackers Alec Ogletree and Kareem Martin.
  • If the Giants use the franchise tag to keep defensive lineman Leonard Williams and classify him as a defensive tackle, they may have to prepare for a fight, Vacchiano hears. Tagging Williams as a defensive end would net him about $2MM more in 2020 comp, but he might not have much of a case. Last year, Williams saw 466 DT snaps versus just 255 DE snaps. His split wasn’t all that different with the Jets, either.
  • No surprise here, but Cowboys VP Stephen Jones says the team will prioritize defense with many notables on course for free agency. “In general, defense is the priority for this offseason,” Jones said (via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas News). “Whether it’s getting some our own guys back or whether it’s free agency or whether it’s the draft, if you look at our roster obviously most of our offensive roster are either under contract or are going to have restrictions to where we’re going to have a great opportunity to keep them.” Secondary stalwart Byron Jones is getting a lot of attention, but several defensive line pieces including Robert Quinn and Maliek Collins are also out-of-contract.
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