HEADLINES

Adrian Wilson

Extra Points: Wheaton, Wilson, Ravens

April 6th, 2014 at 12:44pm CST by Rory Parks

Although the Steelers were prepared to lose WR Emmanuel Sanders in free agency, they did not expect to lose Jerricho Cotchery as well, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gaztte. Although the team replaced Cotchery with the similarly-reliable Lance Moore, Pittsburgh is still looking to add a big-bodied receiver in the draft.

The Steelers, like many teams, would like to draft Texas A&M WR Mike Evans, but Evans’ strong combine performance might have put him out of reach for Pittsburgh, who hold the N0. 15 overall selection. So, even though they are still likely to take a receiver early in the draft–perhaps with that No. 15 pick–the development of second-year player Markus Wheaton will be critical to the Steelers’ offensive success.

Wheaton dazzled in training camp last year but was primarily a special teams contributor during the regular season, appearing in 11 games and catching 6 passes for 64 yards. He will have ample opportunity to show Steelers coaches what he can do this summer, but he will likely have at least one high-ceiling rookie nipping at his heels.

Some more notes from around the league:

  • Mike Wells of ESPN.com examines whether recently-released S Adrian Wilson could be a fit for the Colts. He writes that while GM Ryan Grigson will explore all options, the Colts already have two players in the secondary who could not stay healthy last season–LaRon Landry and Greg Toler–and do not need to add another. Free agent safety Kurt Coleman visited the team last week, and safeties Jimmie Ward and Terrence Brooks are possibilities in the second round of the draft.
  • Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean, just as he did yesterday, takes a look at some more impacts of Chris Johnson‘s departure on the Titans, noting that the team is likely to take a running back-by-committee approach.
  • Although inside linebacker has not been discussed as a major position of need for the Ravens after the re-signing of Daryl Smith and the expected emergence of second-year man Arthur Brown, head coach John Harbaugh would like to add one or two inside linebackers to the roster, according to Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com. Harbaugh made no mention of Rolando McClain, whose rights the team still holds.

Patriots To Release Adrian Wilson

April 4th, 2014 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Not long after we published a post identifying the notable defenders still on the free agent market, another big name is about to become available. The Patriots have informed veteran safety Adrian Wilson that he’ll be released today, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Wilson himself broke the news a little earlier, tweeting: “Thank you to the Patriots organization for the opportunity. I look forward to the future.”

After spending 12 seasons with the Cardinals, Wilson was set to play for the Patriots in 2013, but tore his Achilles in the team’s preseason finale and missed the entire season. According to Garafolo, however, the 34-year-old will be healthy for the 2014 season and wants to continue his playing career. Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link) believes a return to the Cards is unlikely for Wilson, but considering he isn’t far removed from his most recent Pro Bowl season (2011), the former third-round pick should receive some interest.

For New England, Wilson became expendable when the club decided to re-sign a former Patriot, adding Patrick Chung to the safety mix earlier this week. Wilson had a cap number of about $1.833MM, so cutting him will leave the team with about $667K in dead money on the books for 2014, creating about $1.667MM in cap savings.

Extra Points: Packers, Muamba, Polian

February 3rd, 2014 at 10:45pm CST by David Kipke

Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette thinks that the Packers will be forced to lean heavily on a cadre of young defensive lineman that will step into starting roles next season. Defensive linemen Mike Daniels, Datone Jones, and Jerel Worthy will likely replace departing free agents B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett, and Johnny Jolly on the defensive front of the Packers’ base 3-4 defense. Defensive line coach Mike Trgovac expects Jones and Worthy to mimic Daniels’ 2013 campaign with breakout performances next year.

A few more Monday night notes:

AFC Notes: Kraft, Talib, Wilson, Blackmon

January 31st, 2014 at 11:06pm CST by Matt Feminis

Patriots owner Robert Kraft sat down with Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti on Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub (full interview here), addressing the team’s window to contend for a championship in relation to 36-year-old quarterback Tom Brady‘s twilight years. When asked if the closing window inspires the organization to be more aggressive in surrounding Brady with win-now players, Kraft brushed off the philosophy: “We have to try to sustain success by managing as wisely as we can. It’s not dependent on any one player. . .I think a better strategy is to try to be solid and be able to compete year in and year out.”

  • When asked about free agent-to-be Aqib Talib, Kraft laid the groundwork for the team’s typical hardball approach, saying, “He wasn’t on the field a lot of the time since he’s been with us.” However, in the next breath, Kraft expressed his belief that both parties would be interested in extending the relationship: “I think he’s happy here and would like to be here, and we’re happy with him and we’d like to have him here. Now it’s just about doing business.”
  • Patriots veteran safety Adrian Wilson, who spent the year on IR, spoke with “The Drive” with Jody, MJ and Bauer on Fox Sports 910 AM Phoenix, saying he doesn’t know if he’ll be back in New England despite signing a three-year deal in 2013.
  • Jaguars owner Shad Khan “absolutely” wants suspended receiver Justin Blackmon back on the team when he is reinstated, according to Florida Times-Union beat writer Ryan O’Halloran (via Twitter).
  • In theory, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton should be entering his prime, but it’s not unreasonable to draft another quarterback, according to ESPN’s Cole Harvey.