Blake Bortles - Pro Football Rumors

Jaguars Notes: Stanzi, Joeckel, Clemons

May 31st, 2014 at 8:06pm CST by Peter Sowards

The Jaguars claimed quarterback Ricky Stanzi off waivers last season after he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs. Some stated this was a play by the Jags to pick Stanzi’s brain — Jacksonville played Kansas City Week 1, and lost, 28-2 — but the former Iowa QB is still in Northeast Florida, holding on to a roster spot.

That roster spot got less assured when the team selected Blake Bortles No. 3 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, as Vito Stellino of The Florida Times-Union writes.

And, for three straight seasons since college, Stanzi hasn’t had an opportunity to see the field, inactive for all but four games last year.

As it stands right now, the Jags have four QBs on the roster — Stanzi, Bortles, veteran Chad Henne and Stephen Morris, an undrafted free agent rookie from Miami who projects as a developmental player.

Stellino writes that Stanzi has made a good impression on head coach Gus Bradley, who was surprised with the slinger’s arm strength.

More news and notes from “America’s Team,” as NFL.com’s Adam Schein likes to call them:

Luke Joeckel, the former Texas A&M offensive tackle selected No. 2 overall in last year’s draft, is hoping to put the injury that sidelined him after five games last season behind him, writes Hays Carlyon of jacksonville.com. Joeckel participated in all three OTA practices and said he was pleased with how his ankle held up.
Henne, Stanzi, wide receiver Cecil Shorts, defensive end Andre Branch and safety Jonathan Cyprien were named by Bradley as players who stood out during the team’s first week of OTAs, The Times-Union reports. Bradley said he has “98% confidence” that defensive end Chris Clemons will be on the field Monday when the team gets back on the field.
While the biggest challenge facing the Jags in 2014 is getting Bortles ready to play, The Times-Union’s Gene Frenette says no challenge is more daunting than meshing the team’s rag-tag offensive line.

Cardinals Notes: Peterson, Thomas, Draft

May 16th, 2014 at 6:26pm CST by Rob DiRe

Cardinals’ general manager Steve Keim spoke about Patrick Peterson‘s upcoming contract extension, saying “We’re hoping to try to get something done here in the near future,” reports Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Weinfuss notes that Keim knows he has time to get the deal done.

Here are some other notes from the Cardinals organization:

Cardinals’ fourth-round pick Logan Thomas believes he will sign sometime early next week, according to Weinfuss (via Twitter). The quarterback will likely serve as a backup to Carson Palmer this season, and could ultimately become head coach Bruce Arians’ big armed starter in the future.
Keim had a favorite quarterback in the draft, but never had a chance to draft him because Blake Bortles was off the board with the third-overall pick, reports Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com. He had high praise for the quarterback out of Central Florida.“We liked Blake Bortles a lot … when you looked at his size, his athleticism, his ability to improvise. He doesn’t quite have the arm strength that Ben Roethlisberger had, but he has some of the same skill set with his foot speed and [the] athleticism to get out of the pocket and make plays with his feet as well as stand tall in the pocket and make some of the throws down the field,” said Keim. “And he’s a guy, being a junior coming out, he still had some developing to do … but we think his upside is really big.”
Another player coveted by the Cardinals was linebacker Marcus Smith, according to the Eagles’ Insider Twitter Feed. Smith said he heard rumors that the Cardinals and Redskins were interested in him if the Eagles had let him fall past pick number 26.

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Bradford, Bortles, Lions

May 12th, 2014 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Cowboys didn’t come away from the 2014 draft having selected a new quarterback, which head coach Jason Garrett says is just fine. Garrett explained the thinking to Todd Archer of ESPN.com:

“The thing you’re concerned about is developing them for somebody else,” Garrett said. “You develop them for two, three, four years and he goes and plays for another football team. We don’t think that’s a worthwhile thing. There’s been a theory around the league, teams like Green Bay for years always took a guy late and if that player develops into something that was a good thing for their team or to trade to somebody else. … It’s a philosophy a lot of teams, they agree with that. But when you have other issues on your team I think it becomes a little bit of a luxury to do that.”

Here’s more from around the NFC:

While there have been rumblings about possible Sam Bradford trade talks lately, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said on today’s Dan Patrick Show that the club has neither made or received any calls about Bradford’s availability (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
If the Jaguars hadn’t selected Blake Bortles with the third overall pick, neither the Vikings or Titans would have drafted him, but the Cowboys would’ve considered it at No. 16 and the Cardinals would’ve pulled the trigger at No. 20, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
The Lions strongly considered picking a quarterback on the third day of the draft, but the club’s targets came off the board before Detroit had a chance to select them, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com.
If the conditional pick traded to the Eagles by the Bills in this weekend’s Bryce Brown trade doesn’t change hands next year, it can become a 2016 third-rounder if Brown rushes for 800+ yards in either of the next two seasons, according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News provides an interesting look at how safety Jimmie Ward became the 49ers’ man in the first round last Thursday.
Longtime Vikings college scouting director Scott Studwell resigned from the position following this weekend’s draft, and will transition into a new role within the organization, writes Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune.

King’s Latest: Manziel, Browns, Jags, Falcons

May 12th, 2014 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest Monday Morning Quarterback column, Peter King of TheMMQB.com leads off by writing about the Rams‘ drafting of Michael Sam and Johnny Manziel‘s Thursday night wait in the green room. King also provides a few interesting tidbits, so let’s dive in and round them up….

Manziel thought there was a decent chance he’d be selected by the Rams at No. 13, and when St. Louis passed, he became concerned about a free fall. Before the Browns eventually jumped up to No. 22 to nab Manziel, the Eagles were close to trading the pick to another club, likely the Vikings.
Browns GM Ray Farmer on the decision to trade the No. 4 overall pick to the Bills, who used it to select wide receiver Sammy Watkins: “We were very close to turning in the card. We very easily could have turned in the card with Sammy’s name on it.”
The Jaguars and Falcons had “many discussions” about a trade that would have included Jacksonville’s No. 3 overall pick and Atlanta’s No. 6. The Falcons would also have included at least a third-round pick to complete the deal, but the Jags decided to stay put to make sure they got Blake Bortles. Had the Falcons moved up to third overall, they planned to take the same player they ended up landing at No. 6: Jake Matthews.
Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell on turning down the trade: “There were so many teams that wanted quarterbacks—at one, four, five, seven and eight, and they were all within striking distance of us. I just kept thinking, ‘One of those teams has to see what we were seeing in Bortles.’ So let’s say we move back and make a deal. What are we going to take in the third? A guard? You can find guards. You can’t find the quarterback you think fits your team best. So in the end it wasn’t a hard decision for us.”

Caldwell Didn’t Tell Anyone About Bortles

May 10th, 2014 at 8:42am CST by Matt Feminis

Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell didn’t tell anyone Blake Bortles was his man at No. 3 overall until two days before the draft. Literally. In fact, his wife was the first to know, as we learned in an interesting Sports On Earth article by Dan Pompei, who details the process by which Caldwell settled on Bortles and kept the decision under wraps:

By October, Caldwell was already anticipating having a pick at the top of the draft.
Caldwell took notice of Central Florida’s near-upset of South Carolina, a game in which Bortles threw for 358 yards.
By Halloween, Caldwell felt Bortles had potential to be a No. 1 overall selection.
The Jags held scouting meetings in December, at which time Caldwell still had not mentioned Bortles to anyone, not even on his scouting staff.
Caldwell instructed his coaches and scouts not to share opinions on prospects. “I didn’t want to influence anyone, or for anyone to be influenced by anyone else,” said Caldwell. “I wanted guys to come back with their own evaluations and see if we could find a consensus. They came back with a consensus [that Bortles] was the best quarterback for our system.”
Coaches and a team crosschecker shared the same opinion: Bortles was the best QB available.
After Bortles passed the eye test, analytic evaluation revealed he excelled under pressure, on third down and outside the pocket. “For our system, we want a combination of a guy who can create outside the pocket, but also who can stand in the pocket and deliver with pressure in his face,” Caldwell said.
In February, Bortles impressed at the Combine. In March, he validated his standing with an impressive pro day in front of 70 NFL people.
By the end of the process, Bortles “checked all the boxes.” Furthermore, Caldwell is comforted when he hears other teams also value him highly.
Two days before the draft, Caldwell told his wife that Bortles is the Jags’ man. Bortles had no idea.
Come Thursday night, Caldwell was not swayed by trade offers, and head coach Gus Bradley was on board with the pick.
Said Caldwell: “We feel if we can solidify the quarterback position, that’s huge for 10, 12 years down the road. And when you evaluate quarterbacks, they aren’t making 6-5, 240-pound quarterbacks very often who are very athletic and have the production and arm strength that Blake has.”

NFC South Rumors: Cooks, Falcons, Benjamin

May 9th, 2014 at 9:43am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints had no doubt in their mind that they wanted to go with Brandin Cooks at No. 20, writes Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune. “Periodically you have a real strong conviction on a player, and this was one of those players,” head coach Sean Payton said. The Oregon State star tallied 128 receptions, 1,730 yards, and 16 touchdowns last season, cementing himself as a first round talent. More out of the NFC South..

Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff told 92.9 in Atlanta that there’s no truth to any rumor about Chiefs safety Eric Berry being a trade target, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Dimitroff also said that by the time the Jaguars took Blake Bortles at No. 3, there was no doubt he’d be selecting tackle Jake Matthews at No. 6 (link).
Dimitroff also told 92.9 that the Jaguars, led by his protege David Caldwell, were his most viable potential trade partner last night, tweets McClure.
The Panthers hit a trifecta with first-round pick Kelvin Benjamin, writes ESPN.com’s David Newton, as the 6’5″, 240-pound Florida State receiver addresses a need, provides value and makes quarterback Cam Newton happy. David Newton also quotes GM Dave Gettleman, who said “unusual ball skills” and the ability to make contested catches sold the team on Benjamin.

Matt Feminis contributed to this post.

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.

QB Rumors: Manziel, Bortles, Vikings, Browns

May 8th, 2014 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

It seems as if Jay Glazer of Fox Sports has spent a good chunk of this week ruling out potential destinations for Johnny Manziel. After reporting on Tuesday that the Browns wouldn’t pick Manziel at No. 4 and the Raiders would pass at No. 5, Glazer says today (via Twitter) that the Buccaneers won’t draft the Texas A&M signal-caller at No. 7.

Here are a few more QB-related notes, as the start of the 2014 draft inches closer….

There are mixed reports on which quarterback is No. 1 on the Cowboys‘ draft board. After ESPN.com’s Todd McShay and Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) suggested earlier today that Manziel is the team’s top choice, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported (via Twitter) that Manziel is actually behind another QB on Dallas’ board, while Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) and David Moore of the Dallas Morning News said the Cowboys’ top signal-caller is Blake Bortles.
Assuming Manziel is still on the board at No. 8, he remains a possibility for the Vikings, according to Rapoport, who tweets that the team’s owners are flying in for a late pre-draft meeting to make a final decision on Minnesota’s first-round pick. Albert Breer of the NFL Network adds (via Twitter) that the club also likes Teddy Bridgewater, though probably not at eighth overall.
If the Vikings do select a quarterback with a top-10 pick, it would be a first for the franchise, writes Mark Craig of the Star Tribune.
According to Sal Paolantonio of ESPN (via Pro Football Talk), the Browns commissioned a $100K study of quarterbacks, in an effort to better understand the qualities necessary to succeed at the position. The study, which was started under former team president Joe Banner and was only recently completed, concluded that Bridgewater is the top signal-caller in this year’s class.

West Rumors: Seahawks, Baldwin, Rams, Chargers

May 8th, 2014 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

With just a few hours left until the 2014 NFL draft gets underway in New York, the first round is rightly the focus of the football world. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a handful of other reports on non-draft subjects. One such report comes from Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who writes that the Seahawks recently hosted veteran defensive end Andre Carter for a visit. At age 34, Carter is no longer the difference-maker he once was, but he could be a worthwhile backup piece on an elite defensive unit in Seattle.

Here’s more from around the NFC and AFC West divisions:

Wide receiver Doug Baldwin is the only unsigned restricted free agent out there, but it sounds like he and the Seahawks are making progress on a longer-term deal, as he tells Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “I will say things are going in the right direction,” Baldwin said. “I don’t know how much time it’s going to take. They’ve got the draft to deal with. So we are in preliminary talks. But hopefully we will figure something out soon.”
The Rams are more likely to have trade options with the No. 13 pick than the No. 2 pick, unless Jadeveon Clowney is available at No. 2, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. If Clowney goes first, Greg Robinson is viewed as the likely pick for St. Louis — if Clowney is still on the board, another team could push the Rams for a trade.
TheMMQB.com’s Peter King suggested earlier today that if Blake Bortles falls into the twenties, “a team with a very good quarterback” will try to make a trade to land him. King doesn’t name the team, but a Broncos source confirms to Mike Klis of the Denver Post that it won’t be Denver.
Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link) is hearing rumblings about the Chargers having interest in Missouri defensive end Kony Ealy. Acee adds in a second tweet that cornerback remains the team’s top priority in the first round, but that San Diego is performing due diligence on pass rushers.

Pauline On Manziel, Bucs, Bortles, Raiders

May 7th, 2014 at 3:17pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL executives widely believe that if Johnny Manziel is selected in the first eight picks tomorrow, it will be by decree of the owner rather than the scouting department or GM, writes Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net. One source told Pauline that it feels like a lot of GMs are hoping Manziel is off the board before it’s their turn to pick so that there’s no discussion or distraction of selecting the signal caller. This is especially the case in Tampa Bay where Buccaneers owners are pushing for Manziel but coach Lovie Smith is after defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Here’s more from Pauline’s column..

Consistent with what we’ve already heard, the Browns like Manziel but not enough to use the No. 4 pick on him. The name that Pauline hears often connected to Cleveland is receiver Mike Evans and Blake Bortles is a dark horse possibility.
If Bortles slides past the Vikings at No. 8, look for the Cardinals to try and move up for him.
The Raiders are shopping their first round pick and while there’s been interest, no team has matched their asking price. Right now Oakland would like Khalil Mack, Mike Evans, or Sammy Watkins at No. 5. If they are able to trade down the pick is likely to be quarterback Derek Carr.
The Panthers have been known to like Joel Bitonio at No. 28 and Pauline hears the Chargers will also consider him at No. 25.
There’s a feeling the Panthers could attempt to trade up for a receiver or offensive tackle and the Dolphins are the obvious trade partner. Miami, Pauline hears, will entertain offers for the 19th pick if Zack Martin is unavailable. By doing that, the Panthers would assure themselves receiver Brandin Cooks or Marqise Lee, whichever is available. If that’s the case, Bitonio could then land with the Seahawks as the first round closes out.
The 49ers have let it be known they plan to be aggressive on draft day and use their arsenal of top 100 picks to move up. Right now, sources say SF has their eye on receiver Odell Beckham. The price to move up for Evans is a little steep and Beckham fills a need for them. Another plus to Beckham is that they’d provide a safeguard if Michael Crabtree‘s price tag in free agency next year is too high.