2020 May - Pro Football Rumors

CFL Exploring Partnership With U.S. Spring League

May 29th, 2020 at 7:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Canadian Football League hovers on the verge of a canceled season, but an unusual proposition has surfaced that would potentially open the door to the CFL playing games in 2020.

Brian Woods, CEO of an American-based developmental league known as The Spring League, reached out to CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie about a partnership to form a 14-team alliance that would hold games during fall weekdays, according to Dan Ralph of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Ambrosie asked Woods for a proposal to take to the CFL’s board of governors, Ralph adds.

The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened to cancel the CFL season. Ambrosie said recently September is a best-case scenario for the league starting what would be an abbreviated season. He asked the Canadian government for financial assistance, per Ralph.

It does not appear CFL teams would play full 18-game schedules if a partnership with The Spring League happens, but the league combining with an American developmental league would be one of the more interesting developments in recent football memory. The Spring League is seeking to align with the CFL this year to play games Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays this September, Ralph reports.

In operation since 2017, The Spring League consists of four teams — which would be upped to five to match up with the CFL’s nine — that plays a handful of games per year in March and April. The CFL has previously signed players who have played in The Spring League, which has also seen the likes of Johnny Manziel, Ahmad Bradshaw, Zach Mettenberger and Greg Hardy suit up since its inception. The league has already played games this year — in Las Vegas — and defeated the Japanese national team in an exhibition game held in March in Frisco, Texas.

Additionally, a CFL-Spring League union would be open to college players — should the coronavirus impact the 2020 college season. The games would take place in the United States. Memphis, Birmingham, San Antonio, Atlanta, Dallas, and Nashville are on the list for potential host cities, Ralph notes. Interestingly, this plan would use both American and Canadian football rules, depending on the teams involved in certain games.

NFC West Notes: Ford, Clowney, Collier

May 29th, 2020 at 6:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dee Ford played a key part of the 49ers‘ dramatic pass rush improvement last season, but the former Chiefs edge defender spent the season battling injuries. The 49ers did not use Ford last season nearly as much as the Chiefs did in 2018, with Ford’s knee and hamstring troubles contributing to his sporadic deployment. Ford took a step to a healthier 2020 season by undergoing knee surgery this offseason, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area notes. Ford described the operation as a “pretty extensive cleanup.”

He underwent the procedure a few weeks after Super Bowl LIV. Ford encountered multiple bouts of knee tendinitis last year, first in training camp and then aggravating the injury while training on artificial surfaces when the 49ers prepped for their Bengals game in Ohio. This preceded his hamstring trouble, but it sounds like Ford’s knee was an issue throughout the season. The 29-year-old defender said he “feels great” months later.

“I’m able to actually explode off of this knee,” said Ford, who finished with 6.5 sacks last season. “Thinking back on it, I can’t believe I played a whole season on it. And we knew at the end of the day what we had to do — (it) had to be surgical. But I didn’t want to miss the season. We had too much going on. I didn’t want to miss that. It’s in the bag now. I’m confident in that.”

Here is the latest from the NFC West, shifting to some Seahawks defensive line matters:

Although he has most recently been connected to the Browns and Titans, Jadeveon Clowney remains on the Seahawks‘ radar. Clowney’s most recent team remains interested in a reunion, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. But, as has been the case throughout, the Seahawks appear to be hoping Clowney will drop his asking price. Clowney already did so earlier this offseason, but based on his 2 1/2-month free agency stay, the former No. 1 overall pick appears to still be asking for more than teams are willing to pay.
L.J. Collier did not accomplish much on the field during his rookie season, playing only 152 defensive snaps and making just three tackles. Collier, however, suffered a high ankle sprain in the preseason and said he may have rushed back from the injury. The TCU product is healthy now as training camp approaches (Twitter links via Condotta). The Seahawks plan to give Collier a shot to play a Michael Bennett-type role in their defense. Collier is slated to work at both defensive end and D-tackle, Condotta adds (on Twitter).
The Cardinals have not made a strong effort to lock up Patrick Peterson on another extension, but the contract-year cornerback said he still wants to play his entire career in Arizona.
Conversely, Rams No. 1 corner Jalen Ramsey received a strong endorsement from his head coach about both his future with the Rams and ability to reset his position’s market.

Poll: Should NFL Change Onside Kick?

May 29th, 2020 at 6:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

More support for a rule change that would significantly diminish the onside kick’s impact on the game emerged this week. The NFL discussed a proposal that would give teams the opportunity to attempt 15-yard conversions to keep the ball, rather than try onside kicks. Although the league tabled the proposal, ownership was nearly dead-even on it.

This year’s fourth-and-15 proposal — which would have given teams the option of trying two 15-yard conversions (on untimed downs) per game — is believed to have received support from 16 teams, whereas the other half of the league was against. Steelers owner Art Rooney II represented one of those against, calling it “gimmicky,” but expressed support for finding a way to change the onside kick.

Since the NFL prevented kicking-team players from receiving running starts before onside kicks take place, the play has become a less relevant part of the game. Non-surprise onside kicks have been recovered at around a 9% rate since 2018, per NFL data and analytics head Michael Lopez.

From 2010-17, non-surprise onside kicks were recovered by kicking teams 13.2% of the time. Teams have converted third- or fourth-and-15 plays 16.5% of the time over the past 15 years, according to Warren Sharp of SharpFootballStats.com. While 2020 will increase the sample size for the current form of onside kick, the alternative scenario would seemingly provide teams better chances at making comebacks.

The sect of NFL owners who came out against the fourth-and-15 proposal did so because of concerns it would threaten the kickoff’s place in the game. Both of the past two spring-league efforts — 2019’s Alliance of American Football and 2020’s XFL reboot — did not use the NFL’s kickoff setup, with the AAF removing the play altogether and the XFL using a creative format that placed everyone but the kicker and return man five yards apart to reduce the chances of high-speed collisions. The NFL made an effort to do the same nine years ago by moving the kickoff back to the 35-yard line — after it stood at the 30 from 1994-2010. This increased the touchback rate. The onside kick, however, will remain in place for another season. Is it on borrowed time?

Should the NFL move toward introducing a fourth-and-15 sequence (or a similar play involving the offense) to replace the onside kick? Vote in PFR’s latest poll (link for app users) and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.

Broncos Announce Front Office Moves

May 29th, 2020 at 5:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Matt Russell has been with the Broncos since Josh McDaniels‘ run as head coach, and the team rewarded the holdover from the previous regime Friday.

The Broncos promoted Russell to VP of player personnel, the team announced on Friday. This will be Russell’s 12th year with the franchise. Previously the team’s player personnel director for nearly eight years, Russell has overseen the Broncos’ pro and college personnel departments during most of John Elway‘s tenure. Although Elway did not hire him, Denver’s current GM continues to hold Russell in high regard.

The former Patriots and Eagles scout played a key role in the Broncos’ drafts in the late 2010s, ones that produced better returns than the team’s selection hauls immediately preceding them, and before that helped Elway transform Denver’s roster in between Super Bowls XLVIII and 50.

Although Russell has not been mentioned in GM searches, his and Elway’s partnership has given the Broncos rare continuity. Only the Patriots (Bill Belichick–Nick Caserio) and Cowboys (Jerry and Stephen Jones) have seen their top two personnel execs work together this long — among active staffs — according to the Broncos’ website.

Denver also promoted another staffer who arrived during its previous regime. Mark Thewes, who began as assistant to McDaniels in 2009, will now serve as VP of football operations. Thewes was previously the Broncos’ director of team administration. Additionally, the Broncos promoted western regional scout Darren Mougey to assistant director of college scouting.

Latest On Chiefs, Chris Jones

May 29th, 2020 at 3:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Chiefs have begun negotiations with Patrick Mahomes, they are moving slower with their franchise-tagged player. Chris Jones and the Chiefs have not engaged in any extension talks since the Super Bowl champions used their tag in late February, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Jones has not participated in the Chiefs’ virtual offseason program and has no plans to do so, Rapoport adds. The fifth-year defensive tackle has kept in touch since being tagged, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, but this is a slow-moving process (Twitter link). It is also in line with the slow pace of last year’s negotiations.

The former second-round pick skipped Kansas City’s 2019 offseason program, though he reported to training camp. But the sides did not make much progress last year, and Jones played out his rookie deal. He is now attached to a $16.1MM tag for a team that already has a $20MM-plus-AAV defensive lineman (Frank Clark) and has begun talks for what will almost certainly be a record-setting extension with Mahomes.

GM Brett Veach said in April the team would like to extend Jones, and franchise tag negotiations often move slowly due to the four-plus-month gap between the deadline to apply tags and the deadline to extend tagged players. Jones, understandably, is not exactly thrilled about his current arrangement.

“It’s like a mix of emotions,” Jones said in March. “Because you figure, you know, after four years, you do everything the right way, within the team way, you try to stay under the line, out of trouble, and be a good citizen for a team and for the city, you expect to be rewarded. … It’s like, ‘Man, what else you want me to do?’”

Last year, Jones sought a deal north of $20MM per year. The Chiefs wanted to keep the price tag below that number. With DeForest Buckner having now agreed to a $21MM-per-year with the Colts, Jones may have an even higher price floor. That will be difficult for the Chiefs to accommodate. Five teams are paying a pass rusher north of $20MM on average; none of them have another pass rusher more than $12MM per year. This will be a key situation to monitor through the July 15 deadline.

Dez Bryant Receiving NFL Interest

May 29th, 2020 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Dez Bryant on the field, but he could be on the verge of making his return. The former Cowboys star has received calls from teams interested in potentially signing him, according to his coach Steven Sims (Twitter link via John Keim of ESPN.com).

Bryant has spent the last several months training and Sims says he’s lost about 15-20 pounds in his post-rehab regimen. We haven’t heard much from the outspoken wide receiver in a few months, but at last check, he was lobbying the Cowboys for a reunion. When asked, owner Jerry Jones didn’t dismiss the possibility, though that was before the start of free agency and the NFL Draft. Today, they have a dozen receivers on the roster, headlined by star Amari Cooper and promising first-round pick CeeDee Lamb.

Bryant, 32 in November, posted at least 1,200 yards in three seasons for Dallas (2012-2014) and earned three Pro Bowl trips (2013, 2014, 2016). His 2014 showing – 88 catches for 1,320 yards and a league-leading 16 touchdowns – earned him a five-year, $70MM extension. After that, injuries started to slow him down. In 2016, he bounced back with a career-high 15.9 yards per catch, but he couldn’t sustain that in 2017. Despite turning in his first fully healthy season in years, Bryant finished with just 838 receiving yards in his last time out.

Bryant famously rejected a three-year, $21MM offer from the Ravens, only to sign a short-term midseason deal with the Saints in 2018. He never took the field for New Orleans, thanks to a ruptured Achilles.

After spending last year away from the game, Bryant is itching to get back on the field. And, according to his coach, there are teams ready to help facilitate.

PFR’s NFL Glossary: Returning From Injured Reserve

May 29th, 2020 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Once upon a time, the injured reserve designation would automatically rule a player out for the entire season. But, thanks to an update in 2012 and many tweaks over the last eight years, that’s no longer the case.

In 2012, the NFL and the players’ union agreed that each team could bring back one player from IR, though that player had to be designated before Week 1 of the ’12 season. Gradually, that rule was revamped to allow every team to return two players from IR each year, with the flexibility to make that determination midway through the season as teams monitored each player’s recovery.

Still, the basic parameters applied – the players had to spend a minimum of six weeks on injured reserve without practicing. After that, they’re permitted to practice, but they’re required to wait at least another two weeks before seeing live action. That’s the minimum amount of time. If the player isn’t activated after ~21 days, they’re no longer eligible to play that season. It’s known as the “three week window” in the NFL, and teams cannot reuse that return spot if the player isn’t good to go. So, while the revamped rule gives teams some much-needed flexibility, there’s still a lot that goes into the decision.

In May, the NFL gave the rule yet another facelift. Going forward, teams will be allowed to bring three players back from IR each season to provide a little extra padding for clubs strained by injuries and the limitations of the 53-man roster.

Dolphins S Bobby McCain Expects To Be Ready For Week 1

May 29th, 2020 at 11:52am CST by Rory Parks

Dolphins safety Bobby McCain saw his 2019 campaign cut short by a shoulder injury, and he subsequently underwent surgery. Per Barry Jackson and Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald, McCain’s recovery is going well, and he plans to be ready for the start of the 2020 season.

As Jackson and Beasley note, McCain is likely to remain at safety. The 2015 fifth-rounder spent the first four years of his career at cornerback, but he converted to safety last season and held up reasonably well in coverage. In nine games (eight starts), he recorded 25 tackles and two interceptions.

For his part, McCain is willing to play anywhere. “It’s not my decision to make decisions,” he said. “My job is just to play football. So you know I love playing football. I love doing what I do. I am able to do it all.”

McCain also indicated that, even though safety is generally a more physical position than corner, he is not worried about another injury. “You can get hurt doing anything, making a simple tackle,” he said. “Sometimes the easiest plays to make are the ones that hurt the most. It’s just football. Things happen.”

Miami is deeper at corner than it is at safety, which is one of the reasons why McCain is likely to stay put in 2020. The Dolphins did select Texas safety Brandon Jones in the third round of this year’s draft, but the starting FS job appears to be McCain’s for now.

Pursuant to the four-year, $27MM extension McCain signed in June 2018, he is due a base salary of $6.4MM this year.

Contract Details: 5/29/20

May 29th, 2020 at 11:23am CST by Rory Parks

Here are the details on a few recently-signed contracts:

Eli Apple, CB (Panthers): One year. $3MM, including $750K signing bonus. Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Anthony Chickillo, LB (Saints): One year. Veteran salary benefit. $1.047MM base salary ($68,750 guaranteed). Twitter link via Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.
Carlos Hyde, RB (Seahawks): One year, max value of $4MM. $1.5MM base salary, $750K signing bonus, $500K in per game roster bonuses. Up to $1.25MM in incentives. Twitter link via Rapoport.

Texans, G Zach Fulton Rework Contract

May 29th, 2020 at 10:55am CST by Rory Parks

The Texans and starting right guard Zach Fulton have agreed to a reworked contract, per ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter). Pursuant to the terms of the four-year pact Fulton signed in March 2018, the 28-year-old was due to earn $6.5MM in base salary in each of the next two seasons, along with $500K roster bonuses.

However, none of those amounts were guaranteed, which means that Fulton may have been a potential cap casualty. In order to guard against that, he agreed to a pretty sizable paycut. He will earn a fully-guaranteed $5MM in 2020 and is now due to receive $3MM in 2021, but that sum is non-guaranteed.

Houston was not exactly strapped for cap space, with about $17MM or so of wiggle room. However, the club is gearing up for a massive extension for quarterback Deshaun Watson, and LT Laremy Tunsil‘s cap number will approach $20MM next season, so the Texans need all the help they can get.

Fulton, a former sixth-round pick of the Chiefs, has started all 28 games in which he has appeared for Houston. His run-blocking has always been suspect, but his pass-blocking is what allows him to be a starter in the NFL. In 2019, Pro Football Focus ranked him as one of the best pass-blocking guards in the league, though his weak run-blocking marks brought down his overall score.

The reworked deal will allow him to continue his quest to keep Watson upright in 2020. It also gives the Texans a rare chance at continuity, as the club will return all five of its 2019 O-line starters this season.