HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Rams, Aaron Kromer To Part Ways

February 18th, 2021 at 7:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams have lost numerous coaches from their 2020 staff, with Brandon Staley‘s departure being the most notable change for Sean McVay‘s squad. They will soon lose another staffer.

Run-game coordinator and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer and the Rams agreed to mutually part ways, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports (on Twitter). Kromer has been with the Rams since McVay’s 2017 arrival.

It is not believed this separation relates to Kromer seeking a position elsewhere, Rodrigue adds, noting that Kromer’s son, Zak Kromer, is expected to stay on as a quality control staffer. But this will mark a change during an offseason that has featured many in Los Angeles.

McVay’s staff already lost Staley, passing-game coordinator Shane Waldron, cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant and linebackers coach Joe Barry. The Rams also lost college scouting director Brad Holmes and pro scouting director Ray Agnew. They are now atop the Lions’ front office hierarchy. Waldron’s departure to become the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator also meant the exit of Rams assistant O-line coach Andy Dickerson, who is following Waldron to Seattle. McVay will soon be assembling a new O-line staff.

Kromer has been an NFL assistant since 2001 and an O-line coach since 2002, when he broke into that role for the ’02 AFC champion Raiders. He rose to the role of Saints interim head coach during Sean Payton‘s 2012 suspension and worked as the Bears’ offensive coordinator under Marc Trestman from 2013-14.

Pro Football Focus ranked the Rams’ offensive line third last season, with the team bouncing back after a down O-line season in 2019. PFF slotted the Rams’ O-line sixth in 2017 and ’18.

Kevin Colbert On Contract Situation, Mike Tomlin Status

February 18th, 2021 at 7:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Coming off an upset playoff loss, the Steelers have one of the NFL’s most difficult cap situations to navigate. Ben Roethlisberger‘s status is uncertain, and the team faces the prospect of losing several longtime starters in free agency.

GM Kevin Colbert is tasked with leading the franchise out of this predicament, but his status is not locked in for the 2021 season. With the Steelers since 2000, the Pittsburgh native’s contract expires in May. The Steelers gave Colbert an extension by this point in the 2020 offseason, having signed him to a one-year deal on Feb. 5, 2020.

Colbert did not provide assurances he will be back with the Steelers in 2021, though he indicated that discussion with ownership would come.

“Quite honestly, that’s all I deserve because we have to continue to prove ourselves year after year,” Colbert said of his lack of a long-term contract, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Joe Rutter. “We didn’t do good enough. That is the evaluation I’m making on myself. Art (Rooney II) and I will discuss it at the appropriate time.”

The Steelers hired Colbert after he spent every 1990s season with the Lions. Rumblings of Lions interest in rehiring the 64-year-old GM emerged early this offseason, but nothing developed on that front. The Lions agreed to terms with former Rams college scouting director Brad Holmes to succeed Bob Quinn.

Pittsburgh resides in an unusual place, having overtaken Baltimore in the AFC North but seeing its season end after a disastrous wild-card outing against Cleveland. The Steelers have endured upset losses in their past two playoff games, with the loss to the Jaguars three years ago ending a 13-3 season. And they turned an 11-0 record into a 12-4 finish this past season. The Steelers are more than $30MM over the projected $180MM cap, and JuJu Smith-Schuster, Bud Dupree, Alejandro Villanueva, Mike Hilton and James Conner are free agents. Maurkice Pouncey retired last week.

“Coach can only do so much with the players he’s given,” Colbert said of the state of the team’s Mike Tomlin-led roster. “I can provide him with what I think are the right fits. When it works, great. When it doesn’t, we both know we weren’t good enough.”

Tomlin is signed through the 2021 season, and the Steelers have a team option on their coach for the ’22 season. Tomlin has coached the Steelers for 14 seasons. He is one season away from matching Bill Cowher and becoming the third straight Steelers coach to enjoy a 15-year tenure. Tomlin, Cowher and Chuck Noll have been the franchise’s only coaches since 1969.

The Steelers have been to the playoffs eight times under Tomlin, winning Super Bowl XLIII and losing in Super Bowl XLV. But they have only advanced to the AFC championship game once in the past 10 seasons, marking a downturn for the six-time Super Bowl-winning franchise.

“Mike Tomlin has done so much more good in this league than not good,” Colbert said. “Mike is an excellent NFL head coach. He’s won a Super Bowl. He’s been to two. Have we had the success we wanted to have recently? No, that’s a collective ‘we.’ We’ll just continue to work to make sure (a downward trend) doesn’t happen.”

Latest On Panthers’ Quarterback Outlook

February 18th, 2021 at 5:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers were prepared to part with their current starting quarterback and their No. 8 overall pick for Matthew Stafford, and owner David Tepper appears prepared to approve a guns-blazing push for Deshaun Watson.

Carolina is believed to be in on a few quarterbacks in this complex offseason at the position, according to The Athletic (subscription required), but the team was not viewed as a serious Carson Wentz suitor. Taking it a step further, Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan tweets the Panthers were not interested in the former Eagles passer.

Teddy Bridgewater, offered to the Lions in the Panthers’ Stafford proposal, may not be long for his role as Carolina’s QB1. But the Panthers sat out the Wentz process, joining the Patriots and Broncos — who were also in the mix for Stafford, though the QB did not want to be dealt to New England — in that regard. This led to the Eagles shipping Wentz to the Colts. Philadelphia’s initial ask of a Stafford-type haul for Wentz induced multiple teams to bow out of the pursuit early.

As for the Panthers’ next move, it might not be a trade for Sam Darnold. They do not appear especially high on the Jets quarterback, according to The Athletic, and a growing sense has emerged that Bridgewater may be back at the controls for the 2021 Panthers. Armed with the draft’s No. 2 overall pick, the Jets are mulling a Darnold decision. Multiple teams have inquired on Darnold thus far. Their choice could impact the Panthers, who may be out of position — barring a trade-up maneuver — to snag one of the top three QBs in this draft.

Returning OC Joe Brady remains confident in Bridgewater, per The Athletic. Bridgewater signed a three-year, $63MM deal last March. However, Tepper is said to be hoping the team finds an upgrade — even if Watson cannot be pried from the Texans.

Latest On Von Miller, Broncos

February 18th, 2021 at 4:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

The only non-specialist remaining from the Broncos’ Super Bowl-winning team, Von Miller is going into a contract year and doing so after missing the 2020 season. The superstar pass rusher may be on somewhat unstable ground with the Broncos.

The final season of Miller’s six-year, $114.5MM contract doubles as a club option. New GM George Paton has until the final day of the 2020 league year — March 16 — to decide on picking up that option, and Mike Klis of 9News notes the recently arrived executive has yet to contact the future Hall of Famer’s camp on this topic (Twitter link).

Miller is due to make $17.5MM in base salary next season, with a 2018 contract restructure bumping his 2021 cap number up to $22.13MM. While Miller was tethered to a $25.6MM cap number last year, when he missed the season because of a severe ankle injury, Troy Renck of Denver7 notes that the Broncos will not bring him back under his current contract.

We heard last month the Broncos were expected to ask their all-time sack leader to return at a lower rate, and they remain on this course. Should the Broncos release Miller, they would create $18MM in cap space. But they would be forced to replace one of the best players in franchise history.

When Miller signed this contract in 2016, the $19.1MM-AAV figure established a new benchmark for defensive players. It took more than two years for a player to exceed it, which Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack did in the same week. Joey Bosa‘s $27MM-per-year deal far eclipses Miller’s pact, with the cap having risen by more than $40MM in between those accords being signed. But the Broncos are now under new management, though John Elway remains with the team in a non-GM role.

The Broncos saw Miller replacement Malik Reed emerge with eight sacks and 17 QB hits last season, joining Pro Bowler Bradley Chubb (7.5, 19) in anchoring the team’s pass rush. Vic Fangio has only coached four games with Miller and Chubb in the lineup together, limiting his defenses. However, Denver placed 13th in defensive DVOA in both the 2019 and ’20 seasons.

While the Broncos convinced DeMarcus Ware to take a pay cut in 2016, a more eventful sequence unfolded the previous time they asked a cornerstone pass rusher to do so. That 2013 process featured a fax machine play a key role in Elvis Dumervil‘s departure. It will be interesting to see how the Miller process unfolds. The former Super Bowl MVP would certainly generate considerable interest were he to decline a pay cut and have a path to free agency.

Raiders Bring Back DL David Irving

February 18th, 2021 at 3:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

David Irving booked multiple visits to other teams early this offseason, but the veteran defensive lineman will make his way back to Las Vegas.

The Raiders and Irving agreed on a deal that will keep this partnership going for a second year. The team announced the move. After the NFL reinstated him midway through last season, Irving signed with the Raiders. He will stick around and hope to see more playing time.

Known mostly for his work in Dallas and issues with the NFL’s drug policies, Irving made visits to Detroit and Indianapolis this year. But he opted for a second season with Raiders D-line coach Rod Marinelli, who was previously his defensive coordinator in Dallas. Irving will work in a new system, however, with Gus Bradley now overseeing Las Vegas’ defense.

While Irving landed with the Raiders in October of last year, he played in just two games with the team and saw action on just 40 total defensive snaps in his initial Vegas season. A former Chiefs UDFA, Irving has shown flashes previously. He registered seven sacks in eight games with the 2017 Cowboys, moving to primarily an inside-rushing role. However, issues with the league’s substance-abuse policy led to Irving missing the 2019 season. Irving has incurred four suspensions since entering the league in 2015.

The 27-year-old defender has not had a full offseason with a team since 2018. A suspension and an off-field issue interrupted Irving’s 2018. Back in the NFL’s good graces, Irving will attempt to rebound this year.

Bears Did Not Make Offer For Carson Wentz

February 18th, 2021 at 2:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the two known Carson Wentz suitors during this trade saga, the Bears do not appear to have presented legitimate competition to the Colts for the former Eagles quarterback.

The Bears did discuss Wentz with the Eagles, but Jay Glazer of Fox Sports tweets the team did not make an offer for the former No. 2 overall pick. Chicago backed out of the trade talks recently, according to Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio (on Twitter). The Colts concluded the race by sending a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 second-rounder to the Eagles to land Frank Reich‘s former pupil.

Regardless of the Bears’ finishing position in the respective sweepstakes for Wentz and Matthew Stafford, they remain in search of a quarterback. Chicago does have a first-round pick for the first time since the 2018 draft, but thanks to the team’s late-season resurgence, that selection sits at No. 20 overall.

The Colts, who pick 21st, secured Wentz and will not be in the market for a major trade-up maneuver come April. Although other QBs may well be available for trade in this action-packed offseason, the Bears will be connected to a first-round trade-up going into a crucial year for the Ryan Pace–Matt Nagy regime. Nick Foles remains under Bears control for the 2021 season, on an easily manageable salary ($4MM), but the team will almost certainly bring in a starter-caliber passer via trade, free agency or the draft.

Falcons Release Ricardo Allen, Allen Bailey

February 18th, 2021 at 12:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have released safety Ricardo Allen and defensive end Allen Bailey (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Together, the moves will free up $10.75MM in salary cap space for Atlanta. 

Allen agreed to a simple contract restructuring last year to give the Falcons additional breathing room last year. This time around, the Falcons chose to wipe his entire deal off of the books. Previously, the safety was set to play out the final year of his three-year, $19.5MM deal. Instead, the Falcons will save a pretty penny with just $2.125MM in dead money left on the books.

Allen, a 2014 fifth-round pick, cracked the starting lineup in his second pro season. After 77 games (76 starts), he’ll seek new employment elsewhere. In 12 games last year, the 29-year-old registered 25 stops and a pair of interceptions.

Bailey inked a one-year, $4.5MM extension in the 2020 offseason. After spending his first eight seasons with the Chiefs, he found a regular role with the Falcons in 2019, appearing in 15 games and making five starts. Last year, he had perfect attendance with four starts, but the Falcons are looking to go younger and cheaper on the edge. In total, Bailey has 133 regular season games and 22 sacks to his credit.

Cardinals Hope To Re-Sign Patrick Peterson

February 18th, 2021 at 12:20pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals hope to retain Patrick Peterson, owner Michael Bidwill says (via the team website). The cornerback has spent his entire ten-year career in Arizona, but he’ll be eligible for free agency in March. 

“Pat and I have had a number of conversations. I’ve been very clear that we want to have him back,” Bidwill said. “We all know that the salary cap is going to go down. I think a lot of these veteran players need to work with us, and they need to understand that while their salary expectations and their compensation expectations may be one thing, we’ve got to look at it from the reality that the salary cap is going down. It’s our hope we can work something out that works for both the club and for Pat to keep him in a Cardinals uniform. He’s been an important part of what we’ve done in the past, and hope to keep him in the future.”

Bidwill’s comments regarding the salary cap decrease are accurate, though the drop might not be all that severe. Earlier today, we learned that the league’s salary cap floor will be set at $180MM, rather than $175MM. That bodes well for the max, which was once projected to be $180MM-$181MM for 2021.

Peterson, meanwhile, is one of the most accomplished defenders in franchise history. Of courses, things have been bumpy in recent years. P2’s performance has slipped a bit over the past two seasons, and his 2019 PED suspension didn’t help his case much. Coincidentally, Peterson backed down from his trade demand right around the same time. In 2020, Pro Football Focus ranked Peterson as just the No. 83 CB in the NFL. In 2018, he placed fifth.

The Cardinals have a leg up on other teams, with Kyler Murray having multiple years to go on his rookie deal. However, they’ll have to balance their affinity for Peterson against other needs. They’ll also look to re-sign Larry Fitzgerald, if he ultimately decides to return for another season.

Eagles Trade Carson Wentz To Colts

February 18th, 2021 at 10:46am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles have agreed to trade Carson Wentz to the Colts, according to Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will send a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 second-round pick to Philadelphia. That conditional choice could turn into a first-round selection if Wentz plays 75% of the snaps or 70% with a playoff appearance (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). 

Not long ago, Wentz was a legitimate MVP candidate. Things took a sharp turn in the Eagles’ Super Bowl season when Wentz’s injury gave way to the rise of Nick Foles. When Wentz, he wasn’t the same. Neither was the relationship between him and Doug Pederson. Now, they’re both out of Philadelphia.

Wentz will now try to fill the void left by Philip Rivers‘ retirement. Meanwhile, the Eagles are now poised to turn things over to Jalen Hurts, Wentz’s younger and more athletic counterpart.

There were other suitors for Wentz, but the Colts have long been linked to the former No. 2 overall pick. Three former Eagles coaches — Frank Reich, Mike Groh, and Press Taylor — are on the Colts’ staff, giving Wentz instant familiarity with the offense. The Bears, who have one-time Wentz QB coach John DeFilippo on the staff, were also said to be in the mix. Ditto for the Broncos, though they were lukewarm on him. The Broncos will now try to piece together an even bigger package for someone like Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson. If they can’t land a top-tier QB, they’ll reportedly stay the course with Drew Lock.

Wentz’s injuries and apparent decline hurt his stock, but his contract was also a limiting factor. On the plus side, his cap number will be tamped down to ~$25MM for Indy, due to guarantees that will remain on the Birds’ books.

The Colts will now have Wentz under contract through 2024. His deal calls for a $25.4MM cap hit this year, with $15.4MM guaranteed and a $10MM roster bonus. In 2022, they’ll have him at a $22MM salary/cap hit, with $15MM locked in. After that, the guarantees dissipate, giving the Colts an escape hatch should things go awry.

With the Wentz deal, there are now zero first-round QBs from the 2009-2016 drafts with their original teams, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The deal also marks the trades of the 2016 draft’s No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks, inside of three weeks. Jared Goff — once a rising star in Los Angeles — was shipped to the Lions for Matthew Stafford just days ago.

Load More Posts