HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

This Date In Transactions History: Cardinals Sign Josh Rosen

May 10th, 2021 at 10:38am CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 2018, the Cardinals inked their quarterback of the future. At least, they thought that’s what they were getting when they signed No. 10 overall pick Josh Rosen. 

The Cardinals’ quarterback search was an open secret, one that dragged for years. In 2017, they tried and failed to trade up for Patrick Mahomes – they settled for Haason Reddick at No. 13 instead. This time around, they didn’t want to walk out of the 2018 draft with “what-ifs,” so they vaulted up from No. 15 to No. 10 for Rosen, a promising young passer out of UCLA.

Most evaluators viewed Rosen as the most polished and most NFL-ready passer in the entire class. There was a lot to like, especially after the Hebrew Hammer threw for 59 touchdowns over the course of three college seasons. He also saved his best for last. As a junior, Rosen turned in the best TD/INT ratio of his career (26/10) and his best completion rate (62.5%).

Rosen’s talent was apparent – he didn’t have a cannon for an arm, but his technique and footwork were virtually flawless. He was also an all around bright kid, though some evaluators wondered if he was too brainy for his own good. Curiously, his own head coach was among the nay-sayers.

“Because of fit, I would take Sam Darnold if I were the Cleveland Browns,” said Jim Mora. “I think that blue collar, gritty attitude, I think his teammates will love him, I think the city will love him. He’ll say the right things. He will come in and he will represent well. I think he kind of represents what Cleveland is. And if I was one of the New York teams, I would take Josh *snap* just like that. I think they will both be great in the pros.”

Later on, Mora backtracked, but only slightly. Ultimately, the Browns chose the brash confidence of Baker Mayfield over the “gritty attitude” of Sam Darnold. Today, the Browns are pretty happy with their decision.

Rosen went 3-10 as the Cardinals’ starter as a rookie, completing just 55.2% of his throws with 11 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. A deeper look at Rosen’s rookie stats and metrics don’t do him any favors, either. Rosen completed 55% of his throws and averaged just 5.8 yards per attempt. He also finished with a league-worst 26.1 Total QBR and Football Outsiders listed him as the league’s worst full-time quarterback.

Midway through the year, offensive coordinator Mike McCoy got the heave-ho. After the season, head coach Steve Wilks was sent packing. Ditto for Rosen – just one year after the Cardinals selected him, they drafted his replacement in Kyler Murray. Rosen hoped for a fresh start after he was traded to the Dolphins, but he floundered in his three starts.

In 2020, Rosen had a cup of coffee with the Bucs’ practice squad before being claimed by the Niners. Now, after being retained as an ERFA, Rosen is set to battle for his place on SF’s Week 1 roster.

Shaquem Griffin Drawing Interest From Multiple Teams

May 10th, 2021 at 10:27am CST by Zachary Links

Multiple teams have expressed interest in signing free agent Shaquem Griffin (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Although he’s spent much of his career as a true linebacker, Pelissero hears that he could transition to a full-time edge rusher. 

Griffin has suited up for 46 games over three seasons with the Seahawks. Serving mostly as a special teamer, he’s compiled 25 total tackles, one sack, and one pass defensed over the course of his career. The twin brother of cornerback Shaquill Griffin, Shaquem has managed a solid career of his own, despite playing with one hand.

In his final year at Central Florida, Griffin finished as a first-team all-American Athletic Conference selection with 74 tackles (13.5 for loss), a team-high seven sacks, one interception, three pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.

Antwaun Woods Visiting Colts

May 10th, 2021 at 10:19am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts are set to meet with defensive tackle Antwaun Woods (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). This marks Woods’ first known visit since he was released by the Cowboys last week.

The Cowboys retained Woods as a restricted free agent, but opted to cut him after adding younger (and cheaper) defensive linemen in the draft. Now, fourth-rounder Osa Odighizuwa and sixth-rounder Quinton Bohanna have a clearer path to the field in Dallas. Meanwhile, in Indy, Woods could backstop starters DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. But, odds are, there’d be only one spot available between him and reserve Taylor Stallworth.

Woods has started most of his games for Dallas over the past three years, tallying 80 tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and a pair of fumble recoveries.

Bengals, Vikings Interested In Dede Westbrook

May 10th, 2021 at 10:14am CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals and Vikings have had conversations with Dede Westbrook (Twitter link via Josina Anderson). The wide receiver is also being recruited by Chiefs players, Anderson hears, though the front office’s interest level is unclear.

Westbrook went down in late October against the Chargers on an ill-fated kick return. Soon after he was carted off of the field, doctors confirmed that his year was through. The Oklahoma product is now more than six months removed from his ACL tear and plans to be ready before training camp in August.

Before all of that, Westbrook recorded 66 grabs in both 2018 and 2019 for an average of 699 yards and four touchdowns per slate. He was hoping to build on that last year — instead, he played in just two games between the ACL tear and a separate early season injury.

Westbrook would make sense for the Bengals,. Even after selecting Ja’Marr Chase at No. 5 overall, the departures of A.J. Green, John Ross, and Alex Erickson have left them fairly thin at wide receiver. Meanwhile, the Vikings would give him a great opportunity to bounce back, particularly given the presence of Keenan McCardell, his old WR coach in Jacksonville.

49ers, Richard Sherman In Talks

May 10th, 2021 at 10:07am CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers are discussing a new deal with Richard Sherman, according to Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. This jibes with recent comments from the cornerback, who says he has also chatted with the Seahawks, Raiders, and Saints.

Sherman probably won’t land with the Raiders, now that they’ve reunited Casey Hayward with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. The 49ers, meanwhile, still need a boundary corner. The Niners brought back Emmanuel Moseley and Jason Verrett while using third- and fifth-round picks on corners. However, between Verrett’s injury history and the greenness of the rookies, they could use someone like Sherman. And, unlike the other experienced vets on the market, Sherman offers familiarity with the 49ers’ system.

Sherman, 33, was limited to just five games in 2020. But, in the previous year, he was a second-team All-Pro. The Stanford product isn’t lacking for confidence, but he’s taken a patient approach to the offseason.

“Well, apparently we got to wait ’til the draft happens before anything else shakes out, because everybody has their hopes and dreams in the draft, which is understandable,” Sherman said back in April. “You turn 33, and then it’s like, ‘We’ll wait until we get a young pup; and if we can’t get a young pup, we’ll take an old fool.’ So that’s where we’re sitting.”

2021 NFL Draft Results By Position

May 9th, 2021 at 6:27pm CST by Zachary Links

The 2021 NFL Draft made history with eight quarterbacks selected in the first three rounds. That was just enough to edge the previous record of seven QBs in the first three rounds, which had been achieved six times (most recently in 2012). However, there were only two more QBs taken in Rounds 4-7, making this a fairly light year on the whole for passers. For reference, there were 13 signal callers taken in 2018, 11 in 2019, and 15 (virtually) drafted in 2020.

Curious to see how the rest of the field panned out? After breaking it down pick by pick and team by team, here’s a look back at the 2021 NFL Draft, position by position:

Quarterback: 10

Running Back: 18

Read more

5 Key Stories: 5/2/21 – 5/9/21

May 9th, 2021 at 5:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Been busy? Let’s get you caught up with a look back at some of the NFL’s biggest stories from the past week:

  • Aaron Rodgers wants out, and he’s said to be eyeing the Broncos, Raiders and 49ers. Still, those familiar with Rodgers’ thinking are split on whether he’s heading for divorce with the Packers. Rodgers has reportedly refused to play for GM Brian Gutekunst, but even that notion has been challenged by old teammate James Jones. Meanwhile, the Browns won’t get into the Rodgers mix, preferring to stick with the younger Baker Mayfield instead.
  • The Broncos are set to go another season without high-priced right tackle Ja’Wuan James. On Tuesday, James suffered a torn Achilles tendon, which puts his $10MM base salary in jeopardy and leaves the team with a major hole to fill on the offensive line. After passing on Rashawn Slater in the draft, the Broncos are scouring what’s left of the open market. For James, this may cap his Denver tenure at just 63 total snaps.
  • The Lions inked center Frank Ragnow to a record extension, making him the highest-paid center in NFL history. Ragnow will receive $70MM in total with $25.5MM fully guaranteed, vaulting him ahead of Chargers center Corey Linsley for the richest contract at the position. Ragnow has started every game for the Lions ever since he was taken with the No. 20 overall pick in 2018, save for three missed games due to injury.
  • Kerryon Johnson was cut by the Lions, but he didn’t make it to free agency. Instead, the Eagles swooped in to claim the once-promising Auburn product. As a rookie, Johnson averaged 5.4 yards per carry and scored four touchdowns in ten games. If he can put his history of knee trouble behind him, he could be a solid contributor alongside starter Miles Sanders.
  • The Dolphins bounced Bobby McCain late last week, nixing the final two seasons of his four-year, $27MM deal. The 2015 fifth-rounder started in 55 of his 87 games for Miami, collecting seven interceptions and four sacks along the way. However, he ranked just 55th out of 94 qualified safeties last year, per Pro Football Focus. Now, he’ll hit the free agent circuit and meet with the Washington Football Team.

Panthers To Audition Washington QB Kevin Thomson

May 9th, 2021 at 12:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Washington quarterback Kevin Thomson will join the Panthers for their rookie minicamp next week, as NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Thomson, who had previous stops at UNLV and Sacramento State, opted to turn pro this year over an eighth year of college eligibility.

Thomson, who turns 26 in September, was on track to win the Huskies’ starting job in 2020. Instead, an undisclosed injury (believed to be his ribs) sidelined him to start the year. It was familiar territory for Thomson, who battled through back issues and other maladies throughout his collegiate career.

After that, redshirt freshman Dylan Morris held on to the job for the rest of the pandemic-shortened slate. Thomson went undrafted as a result, but the Panthers quickly reached out on Day 3. Now older than Patrick Mahomes, he’ll fight for a spot on the Panthers’ depth chart behind Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker, Will Grier, and Tommy Stevens.

“When I was at UNLV going into my second year, I had Tommy John surgery. It put me out for several months and gave me time to reflect on what I really wanted and made me realize how passionate I was about football and how I wanted to continue to pursue it,” Thomson said recently (via Yahoo Sports). “I knew it would take a tremendous amount of work to get where I wanted to be, but I was willing to do that. So I think the injury really made me a better player overall since it forced me to do some self-reflection.”

Per Pelissero, these undrafted QBs will also show their stuff at rookie minicamps later this month:

  • Mississippi State’s K.J. Costello (Chargers)
  • Tulsa’s Zach Smith (Bills)
  • Memphis’ Brady White (Titans)
  • Monmouth’s Kenji Bahar (Ravens)
  • San Jose State’s Josh Love (Browns; 2020 UDFA who spent last offseason with Rams)

Browns Won’t Pursue Aaron Rodgers

May 9th, 2021 at 11:57am CST by Zachary Links

Aaron Rodgers wants out and plenty of teams figure to chase the Packers star. However, the Browns won’t be among them, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer (Twitter link).

Some have speculated that the Browns could upgrade from Baker Mayfield to the reigning MVP. That won’t be happening, because the Browns are “ecstatic” about Mayfield’s progress in 2020, which culminated in their first playoff win since the ’99 reboot. Meanwhile, the Packers see Jordan Love as their future solution under center, which means Mayfield wouldn’t make much sense for them.

The Packers star looked as sharp as ever last year, but the Browns prefer the long-term upside of their 26-year-old passer to the 37-year-old. Meanwhile, Rodgers is looking for a multi-year pact to reflect his most recent performance. The Browns were happy to exercise Mayfield’s option worth $18.858MM for 2022. Beyond that, the Browns will be willing to furnish Mayfield with $30MM-$35MM per annum if he stays on course. And, no matter where Rodgers lands, he’ll want something in the neighborhood of Dak Prescott‘s $40MM/year deal.

Colts Still Considering Eric Fisher

May 8th, 2021 at 8:09pm CST by Zachary Links

Eric Fisher‘s Thursday visit with the Colts ended without a deal. However, a league source tells Jim Ayello of the Indy Star (Twitter link) that the visit went well and a deal remains possible for the veteran left tackle.

The Colts passed on adding a top-level tackle in the draft, so the eight-year Chiefs starter could be a solid candidate for them. It also helps that he has history with GM Chris Ballard who was in KC when they tapped Fisher No. 1 overall in 2013 and extended him in 2016. Now, they need a solid LT to help replace Anthony Castonzo.

The Colts do have other options, including newcomers Sam Tevi and Julie’n Davenport. However, Fisher laps both in accomplishments and experience. The 30-year-old blocker did not miss a start due to injury from 2014-18 and proved instrumental upon return from core muscle surgery in 2019; his re-emergence coincided with the Chiefs’ late-season win streak that ended with a Super Bowl LIV victory.

The Chiefs dropped Fisher, a two-time Pro Bowler after he suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon in the AFC championship game. Since then, they’ve replaced him by trading for Ravens standout Orlando Brown Jr.

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