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NFC North Notes: Cutler, Austin, Barr

December 19th, 2014 at 5:04pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Packers and Lions continue to vie for the NFC North crown, while the Vikings and Bears battle to stay out of the cellar, let’s check in on the latest Friday notes from around the division….

  • While Bears head coach Marc Trestman indicated on Thursday that he wanted his team to “hear from me first” when he benched Jay Cutler, only a few players actually did, with many learning of the change via social media. As Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes, that rubbed a few Bears players the wrong way.
  • Taking Cutler’s enormous contract and cap numbers into account, trading him won’t be easy. In a piece for the National Football Post, former agent Joel Corry explores how the Bears could attempt to complete a deal involving the veteran quarterback.
  • Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will be a top candidate for head coaching jobs this offseason, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com details. For now though, Austin is still focused on the Lions’ playoff hopes. “It’s flattering,” Austin said. “But that’s all it is right now.”
  • Vikings first-round pick Anthony Barr will miss the final two games with a season ending knee injury, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Barr has undergone knee surgery to repair a slight meniscus tear, according to Marc Sessler of NFL.com. The rookie linebacker is expected to be ready for offseason activities.

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Saints, Carr, Barr, Hyde

August 2nd, 2014 at 11:41am CST by Matt Feminis

Writing about the Saints, OverTheCap.com’s Jason Fitzgerald says, “On one end of the spectrum they do a pretty poor job with planning for tomorrow due to restructures, void years, etc… but on the other end of the spectrum they also find these really good bargains on players.” Fitzgerald references Marques Colston, Zach Strief and Junior Galette chief among those bargains, deeming Galette the team’s best contract. On the flip side of the coin, however, is Curtis Lofton. Fitzgerald says the veteran linebacker’s guaranteed money is out of whack, and his deal is “littered” with prohibitive roster bonuses and a potentially costly voidable year.

Read on for several more NFC news and notes:

  • Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr hasn’t joined the Cowboys for training camp yet because he’s been with his cancer-stricken mother, who passed away on Wednesday.
  • Another player who has been sidelined for training camp is 49ers tight end Garrett Celek. He missed four games last season because of a hamstring injury, and is dealing with a back injury right now. Division III product Derek Carrier stands to benefit, writes SFGate.com’s Eric Branch, as Carrier and Celek are the contenders for the third tight end job behind Vernon Davis and Vance McDonald. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman believes in Carrier’s ability: “He’s got a chance to be a productive player in this league. There’s no doubt. Derek’s got a nice feel for the passing game, he’s got good hands, and he can cover some ground now – he can really run. I don’t like to put timetables on people, but this a big year for him. He’s got a hell of an opportunity this year to really take a big step.”
  • Meanwhile, 49ers coaches are raving about the mental prowess of rookie runner Carlos Hyde, going so far as to call him savant-like, writes Matt Barrows in the Sacramento Bee.
  • Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer says there is a “strong” chance first-rounder Anthony Barr could start the season opener, reports Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune.
  • Bears rookie linebacker Christian Jones was one of the highest-profile undrafted free agents because he was key member of the national champion Florida State Seminoles, because he’s an impressive athlete who garnered second-round grades from draft evaluators and because he failed a drug test at the Combine. Not surprisingly, he’s made early waves in training camp for the linebacker-needy Bears, writes ESPN’s Michael C. Wright, who says it would be a surprise if Jones didn’t make the team: “The question now is whether Jones can maintain the momentum. Through the first seven practices, Jones appears to be one of the most athletic linebackers on the team, and probably the only true strongside linebacker at the position.”
  • ESPN’s Pat Yasinkas checks in on a handful of Buccaneers position battles, including the worrisome guard spots: “This one remains wide open. Jamon Meredith, Oniel Cousins, Patrick Omameh and Kadeem Edwards have been taking turns working with the first team and it doesn’t look like anyone has pulled ahead of the pack yet.”

NFC Notes: Williams, Seahawks, Vikings

June 22nd, 2014 at 10:48pm CST by Peter Sowards

New Seahawks defensive tackle Kevin Williams has a Hall of Fame résumé, but Seattle isn’t getting that player, Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times writes.

That’s not such a bad thing, though.

The Seahawks employ one of the deeper defensive line rotations in the league. Williams played more snaps last season for the Vikings than any Seattle end or tackle, and he’s looking forward to being used more sparingly: “I think if I’m playing 500 plays versus 700 plays at this age I can definitely still get after the quarterback.”

Williams, who played 718 defensive snaps in 2013, will look to replace Chris Clemons, Red Bryant and Clinton McDonald, former Seahawks defensive linemen who took their talents elsewhere in free agency.

Elsewhere around the NFC…

Vikings, Anthony Barr Agree To Terms

May 20th, 2014 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Vikings have reached an agreement with the first of their 2014 first-round picks, according to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that linebacker Anthony Barr has agreed to terms with the club. In addition to reaching a deal with Barr, Minnesota has also agreed to a contract with seventh-rounder Shamar Stephen, says Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

According to Jason Fitzgerald’s figures at OverTheCap.com, Barr, the ninth overall pick this year, is in line for a signing bonus of about $7.588MM. Barr’s four-year should have an overall base value of about $12.744MM, and will include a fifth-year option for 2018. As for Stephen, the 220th overall pick should receive a signing bonus worth about $65K and a four-year contract worth around $2.285MM in total.

With Barr and Stephen set to sign their deals, the Vikings will have secured half of their 10 draftees. The team’s second first-round pick, Teddy Bridgewater, is among the five players who still need to be locked up.

NFC North Notes: Bears, Houston, Packers, Vikings

May 17th, 2014 at 8:52am CST by Matt Feminis

Following one of the worst defensive seasons in team history, the Bears’ scheme under defensive coordinator Mel Tucker will “undergo significant alterations in 2014,” says ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “There are some significant changes in terms of techniques that we’re going to play; how we’re going to fit the run, some of our alignments,” Tucker said. “We’ll have some alternative fronts that we’ll play. I’m not sure how much of a difference you’ll see during the OTAs and things like that because we’re going to work to lay the foundation on our base principles and techniques, which will allow us to do pretty much anything we want down the road.” Wright also mentions that the team plans to cross train all of the defensive linemen in an effort to achieve better flexibility and versatility.

In other NFC North notes. . .

  • Lions veteran cornerback Chris Houston had toe surgery earlier this week, and the team is uncertain if he’ll be ready for the start of training camp, writes Dave Birkett in the Detroit Free Press.
  • The Packers drafted four defensive rookies. Of the group, first-round safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and third-round defensive lineman Khyri Thornton are expected to contribute as rookies. “There’s a reasonable chance Clinton-Dix will be plugged in as a starter on Day 1 of training camp,” says Tyler Dunne in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “Thornton, while raw, was taken in the third round for a reason. Green Bay envisions him adding rotational juice to the defensive line.”
  • Because of an NFL rule, Vikings rookies Anthony Barr, Scott Crichton and David Yankey can’t join the team full-time until next month, writes Master Tesfatsion of the Minnesota Star-Tribune. The players’ schools — UCLA, Oregon State and Stanford, respectively — are on quarters instead of semesters, and the players are required to return to school until the term ends in June.
  • Meanwhile, the Vikings envision third-round pick Jerick McKinnon, an option quarterback at Georgia Southern, as the type of complimentary, all-purpose back that has thrived in so many of offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s units, writes ESPN’s Ben Goessling.

Vikings Rumors: Rookies, Peterson, Ponder

May 11th, 2014 at 8:12pm CST by Ben Levine

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman was very aggressive during the draft, pulling off four trades over three days. The team started with eight picks but ended up with ten selections, including first-rounders Anthony Barr and Teddy Bridgewater. As Matt Vensel of The Minneapolis Star Tribune points out, the team only picked in three of their original draft spots. It sounds like this was all part of Spielman’s strategy:

“We thought that if we accumulated more picks, there was enough depth there to add to our roster and create competition,” said Spielman.

The team wasn’t finished adding rookies. Yesterday, the Vikings announced the signings of 15 undrafted free agents.

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of Minnesota…

  • Neither of the team’s first-round picks are guaranteed to start, but Barr is expected to be on the field for the team’s first defensive snap next season, Vensel mentions in another article . The writer adds that the team plans to use Barr as a strong-side linebacker in their 4-3 base defense.
  • Offensive coordinator Norv Turner regards Bridgewater as the most impressive rookie quarterbacks and compares him to former Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Trent Green, writes Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune.
  • The Vikings are looking to trade star running back Adrian Peterson sooner than later, writes Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report. “This (coming) season will be Peterson’s last with the Vikings,” an AFC general manager told Freeman. “Despite the cap hit, they’ll make some sort of move to get him off the roster.”
  • In regards to Christian Ponder‘s future with the team, Vensel tweets that the team wants to keep a third quarterback. The writer also adds that a trade probably isn’t an option because Ponder doesn’t have much trade value.

NFC Notes: Eagles, 49ers, Giants, Packers, Saints, Gettleman

May 10th, 2014 at 9:58am CST by Matt Feminis

Eagles GM Howie Roseman met with the media following the first-round selection of Marcus Smith 26th overall, and Philly.com’s Jeff McLane had seven follow-up thoughts. Most notably, Roseman shared his initial plan of attack. Plan A entailed the team having a list of six players likely to be gone by No. 22 (where the Eagles originally were position prior to the trade down) but worth moving up for. To the best of McLane’s knowledge, that list included Anthony Barr, Odell Beckham Jr., Kyle Fuller, Ryan Shazier, Brandin Cooks and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

When those players were gone, Roseman was prepared to move down, pick up an additional pick and choose the best player available. McLane is ” not convinced Smith was at the top of that list, but of the players there he played a premium position of need and thus was moved to the front.” McLane also spoke to other teams’ representatives whose grades on Smith ranged from second to fourth round.

Here’s several more quick-hitting, NFC news and notes:

  • The Eagles place on emphasis on college graduates, says Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
  • The Giants drafted Weston Richburg 43rd overall last night, and what made him attractive to the team was his ability to not only block effectively, but handle the responsibility associated with the position, says ESPN’s Dan Graziano. “[Tom] Coughlin and GM Jerry Reese both said the center’s responsibility for handling line and protection calls will increase under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. Giants VP of player evaluation Marc Ross said Richburg scored an impressive 31 on the Wonderlic test and impressed the Giants in his combine interview with his intelligence.”
  • The 49ers were very active Friday night, making five trades that netted veteran receiver Stevie Johnson as well as running back Carlos Hyde (No. 57), center Marcus Martin (No. 76), linebacker Chris Borland (No. 77) and offensive lineman Brandon Thomas (No. 100). Eric Branch at sfgate.com recaps the team’s busy day here. The 49ers also have seven picks in the final four rounds.
  • The 49ers deep stable of running backs now includes Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter, LaMichael James, Marcus Lattimore and Hyde. James wants more playing time and is open to a trade, but the team has no plans to move him, says ESPN’s Bill Williamson.
  • The Packers are confident Davante Adams is the next in a long line of productive receivers drafted in the second and third round, writes Bob McGinn in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
  • Redskins second-rounder Trent Murphy, whom the team expects to contribute right away as a nickel rusher, “protects the team’s long-term interests at OLB,” tweets NFL Network’s Albert Breer.
  • With the selection of big cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste 53rd overall, the Saints continue to build a “Seattle-like secondary,” writes Larry Holder of Nola.com.
  • The Panthers announced via Twitter that GM Dave Gettleman will draft remotely via Skype today so he can be present for his son’s college graduation.

NFC Notes: Bridgewater, Cowboys, Falcons

May 8th, 2014 at 11:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings ended the first night of the draft with a bang by trading into the first round to snag Teddy Bridgewater, and in his presser with reporters, GM Rick Spielman confirmed that the fifth-year option was a consideration in the trade-up for Bridgewater, tweets Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. Here’s more on that pick, along with a few more draft-night leftovers….

  • The Vikings had a private workout with Bridgewater in Florida and it seems that was what ultimately sold them. Spielman told reporters, including Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that Bridgewater looked “totally different” than he did at his Pro Day and his performance in the workout matched his game tape. Meanwhile, the quarterback himself said Minnesota showed more pre-draft interest in him than any other team, according to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (via Twitter).
  • According to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, his team was targeting four players at No. 16 — Anthony Barr, Aaron Donald, Ryan Shazier, and Zack Martin (Twitter link via Matt Mosley of ESPN 103.3). The first three players were off the board, but the Cowboys grabbed Martin.
  • The Falcons made an effort to pick up a second first-round pick, and made calls to try to land a pick in the early 20s, according to GM Thomas Dimitroff (Twitter links via ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure). Dimitroff didn’t specify a target, but D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that the club was eyeing Shazier and Dee Ford.
  • Looking ahead to the second round, Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (on Twitter) says that guards Xavier Su’a-Filo and Trai Turner are guys to keep an eye on for the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is in serious need of an offensive guard.

Draft Rumors: Bills, Texans, Fisher, Clowney

May 8th, 2014 at 5:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest draft talk as we wait for the Texans to get things started..

  • Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (Twitter link) hears it’s all quiet right now for the Bills in terms of trade talks. The Bills are ready to hold their draft position at No. 9 but they’re ready if talks heat up while they’re on the clock.
  • Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter) hears there’s still a chance for a trade at No. 1 with the Texans.
  • Jeff Fisher told the NFL Network that there are “four to six” players the Rams feel good about taking at No. 2, tweets Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. That’s down from the “six to eight” number Fisher gave reporters earlier this week. Fisher added (link) that the phone is starting to ring a little more as the draft draws near.
  • Fisher also said that if Jadeveon Clowney was available at No. 2, the Rams “wouldn’t complain,” tweets Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch.
  • Two people who know Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff well expressed doubt he would meet the Texans‘ high demands for the No. 1 overall pick, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. While that kind of deal could be tempting, Dimitroff knows that the team needs depth.
  • If the Lions don’t trade up for a wide receiver, UCLA pass rusher Anthony Barr is a player worth keeping an eye on as a fit, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, adding that the Lions “love” Barr.
  • Sources close to UCF standout Blake Bortles tell Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer that the QB wouldn’t be surprised to see the Browns take him at No. 4. Bortles has been mentioned as a dark horse possibility for Cleveland.
  • Agent Scott Bergman tweeted to Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors) to pass along word that client Essray Taliaferro received a call from the Colts earlier today. The running back out of Marshall ran for 1,140 yards off of 221 carries last season, good for a 5.2 yards per carry average.

New York Rumors: QBs, Barr, Draft, Spencer

April 26th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Rob DiRe

With the uncertainty surrounding the quarterback situation, there is a chance one of the signal callers could still be on the board when the Jets pick at 18. The most likely to free fall is Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater, and Rich Cimini of ESPN.com believes the Jets should still pass on him. However, Cimini writes that if Johnny Manziel is the quarterback available, the team would have to think and long and hard about taking the Texas A&M star.

Here are some other notes from around the AFC:

  • UCLA’s Anthony Barr is another prospect who was once thought of as a sure fire top-10 pick, but who is now slipping on draft boards. Cimini also believes the Jets would be unwise to draft Barr should he be available at 18, because of his limited experience on the defensive side of the ball.
  • The Giants have a number of needs after a down season, with more holes to fill in any draft in recent memory. They need an upgrade at tight end, and must add depth to their defensive line if they want to return to Super Bowl form, writes Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. The team also needs to add a center, a receiving threat on the outside to replace Hakeem Nicks, and more help at linebacker.
  • The Giants have a number of options with the 12th pick in the draft, and pundits are pencilling in many different players into that slot in recent mock drafts. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com collected some of the mock drafts, and Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald has become the most popular choice for the Giants to take.
  • While the Cowboys just re-signed Anthony Spencer, Raanan adds that the Giants had considered Spencer as well. However, the health concerns were too high, causing the Giants to pass on offering him a contract (via Twitter).
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