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Blake Bortles

AFC Mailbags: Chiefs, Colts, Jags, Bengals

July 18th, 2015 at 10:48am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s take a look at some interesting notes from the AFC…

  • Adam Teicher points to wideouts Reggie Wayne and James Jones as potential targets for the Chiefs. He also adds that offensive lineman Evan Mathis is still available, but notes that coach Andy Reid previously said the team has no interest in the 33-year-old.
  • Mike Wells says Colts fans shouldn’t be upset or concerned where Reggie Wayne lands, even if it’s with the rival Patriots. The writer refers to New England’s interest in the wideout back in 2012.
  • The Jaguars could have waited a year and tried to draft Jameis Winston, but Mike DiRocco believes that would have been too much of a risk. The team believed Blake Bortles could be the future of the franchise, so the writer doesn’t blame the front office’s strategy.
  • Coley Harvey opines that it’d be “hard to justify” the Bengals signing A.J. Green to a Dez Bryant/Demaryius Thomas-type contract. Green has certainly established himself as one of the top wideouts in the league, but Harvey believes the receiver’s injury history may have hurt his value. Ultimately, Harvey thinks both sides will wait to negotiate until after this season, and he’d be shocked if Green received more than $43 million in guaranteed money.
  • Harvey also believes there is zero chance Jermaine Gresham will be returning to the Bengals next season.

AFC Notes: Raiders, Amaro, Suh, Bortles

June 30th, 2015 at 5:50pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Let’s take a look at some notes from around the AFC:

  • The Raiders are looking to build up their offensive line for the future, meaning they could be a candidate to select former Clemson tackle Isaiah Battle during the supplemental draft on July 9, but ESPN’s Bill Williamson isn’t sure he’ll be worth it. Oakland already has a developmental tackle in seventh-round pick Anthony Morris, Williamson notes, as well as third-year man Menelik Watson vying for a starting role.
  • ESPN’s AFC East staff – James Walker, Mike Rodak, Mike Reiss and Rich Cemini – examined how the offenses of the Bills, Patriots and Jets will combat Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. They concluded that all three teams have questions along their offensive lines and could have serious issues against the four-time Pro Bowler in 2015.
  • The Jets’ Jace Amaro had a difficult rookie season as a tight end and is shifting to H-back under new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. Brian Costello of the New York Post looked at what that could mean for Amaro this year.
  • Like Amaro, Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles had a rough rookie year and the jury is certainly out on whether he’ll be a viable starter going forward. Conor Orr of NFL.com watched tape on Bortles and wrote about what 2015 could hold for the former third overall pick, noting that he’ll have a difficult time progressing if his offensive teammates don’t improve.

AFC Notes: Bortles, Pats, Bills, Titans

June 10th, 2015 at 9:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Leon Washington is out of the picture in Tennessee, but Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt feels that he can find his next return man in-house between wide receiver Jacoby Ford, running back Antonio Andrews and running back Dexter McCluster. “We’ll look at a lot of different guys,” Whisenhunt said, according to John Glennon of The Tennessean. “We’ll see where Jacoby fits in that mix. Antonio did a nice job for us last year. Dexter has done it before, and we’ll see what other guys (might be in the mix).” Washington, meanwhile, remains a free agent. Here’s more from the AFC..

  • Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles has taken notice of the big money being thrown around for quarterbacks lately and wants a $100MM contract of his own, as Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union writes. Panthers QB Cam Newton inked a five-year, ~$104MM extension lat week and Ryan Tannehill just signed a deal for under $20MM per year. Obviously, Bortles won’t have to think about his next deal for a while but he’s definitely thought about it. “That’s the goal. I try and get better each and every day and why not make a career out of this, not a job? I want to be here long term and do as much as I can to make this team better and have a blast doing it,” Bortles said.
  • Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler missed the team’s first OTA practice because he a missed flight due to weather issues and he was held out of practice for three weeks as a result, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald writes. Meanwhile, Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that the NFLPA is looking into the Butler situation since the CBA prohibits teams from punishing players for missing voluntary workouts.
  • Bills coach Rex Ryan says that he’s not ready to declare a winner or even a leader in the quarterback race between EJ Manuel, Matt Cassel and Tyrod Taylor, as Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News writes. As we heard earlier this offseason, Manuel might not have a spot on the team if he doesn’t come away with the starting gig.

    • Extra Points: Texans, Jaguars, Bucs, Kraft

    May 23rd, 2015 at 7:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

    Let’s run down some bits and pieces from the league from Saturday.

    • The Lions acquired Haloti Ngata via trade to plug one of their defensive tackle holes vacated by the departures of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, and CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora notes (on Twitter) Detroit could make a similar play to find more help on its defensive interior. Detroit picked Gabe Wright in Round 4 and signed Tyrunn Walker, he of one career start, from the Saints, so a need obviously remains.
    • Blake Bortles‘ offseason development choice was working with the same motion analysis specialists Tom Brady has in the past, Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union writes. The columnist reports Bortles, who rushed for 345 yards as a rookie with the Jaguars, dropped from 250 pounds to 238.
    • Jags remaining unsigned draft choices T.J. Yeldon and A.J. Cann should agree to terms this week during OTAs, Ryan O’Halloran of the Times-Union notes.
    • The Texans are the favorites to be this year’s featured team on HBO’s Hard Knocks, reports ESPN.com’s Tania Ganguli (on Twitter).
    • Johnthan Banks figures to present a tough challenge for veteran Mike Jenkins to reclaim his starting cornerback job alongside Alterraun Verner with the Buccaneers, writes ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinkas. Although Pro Football Focus doesn’t rate Banks, a starter for most of his two NFL slates, as a particularly good cover man (93rd among corners last year; subscription required), the third-year player did intercept four passes and deflect 10. A Pro Bowler with the Cowboys in 2009, Jenkins is entering his age-30 season. Although only on a one-year contract after not being tendered as a restricted free agent by Dallas, Sterling Moore should be in this conversation as well after his breakout 2014.
    • Yasinkas also expects Charles Sims to give the suddenly mediocre Doug Martin a stiff challenge for the Bucs’ top ball-carrying job. Sims averaged just 2.8 yards per tote as a rookie in limited duty, while Martin averaged 3.7 per carry on 134 carries.
    • Justin Smith‘s retirement didn’t exactly catch the 49ers in an experience sinkhole like Suh and Fairley’s did for the Lions, with Darnell Dockett and Glenn Dorsey (234 starts between them) fronting the competition. But other candidates loom in what could be more of a committee-type arrangement, writes the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch. First-round pick Arik Armstead and Tank Carradine are among those potentially able to supply depth after the loss of the unit’s leader. Dorsey rated ahead of the departed Ray McDonald — via PFF during his last healthy season in 2013, but both McDonald and Smith boasted top-flight marks last season.
    • The Boston Globe’s Christopher L. Gasper argued Patriots owner Robert Kraft put his own legacy ahead of his team’s immediate future in withdrawing from a potential battle with commissioner Roger Goodell over the team’s Deflategate penalties. The Pats boss backed Goodell on the Saints’ Bountygate punishment and his initial ruling in the Ray Rice domestic-abuse incident before objecting to sanctions against his own team.

    Extra Points: Peterson, Johnson, Jaguars

    April 19th, 2015 at 10:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

    The Vikings‘ reported asking price of a second-round pick and the inclusion of an additional late-rounder for Adrian Peterson may not be all the team covets here. A first-round pick and a staring-caliber cornerback appears to be the Vikings’ latest demand in order to part with their disgruntled franchise performer, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.

    Signed to the highest-paying contract for any running back and now 30, Peterson’s lack of leverage beyond a serious holdout, which won’t reach an elevated threat level until minicamp-related fines ensue in mid-June, allows his current team to play hardball here.

    Let’s look at some of the week’s final news here …

    • Minnesota could look to supplement its backfield as early as the third round in this year’s draft, writes Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Vensel expects Peterson and the Vikings to eventually find common ground. Despite the roster housing elusive ex-quarterback Jerick McKinnon and touchdown-producer Matt Asiata, another back would shuttle in and vie for the No. 2 job in that scenario.
    • The most notable veteran running back remaining in free agency, Chris Johnson is training for a potential audition with a team with a bullet still inside his body, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
    • Miami wide receiver Phillip Dorsett will pay a visit to the Eagles‘ facilities Monday, reports Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Listed as a Day 2 pick in our Rob DiRe’s analysis of this class’ wide receivers, Dorsett ran two sub-4.3-second 40-yard dash times at the Hurricanes’ pro day recently and visited the Titans previously.
    • Also from Wilson: the Browns will meet with West Georgia defensive lineman Tory Slater this week. The former high school wideout-turned-Division II defensive lineman already met with the Falcons, 49ers and Seahawks.
    • Blake Bortles‘ window at establishing himself will include the next two seasons, writes the Florida Times-Union’s Hays Carlyon. The Jaguars‘ No. 3 overall pick in 2014 will halt the team from using the same selection on a quarterback — or drafting one altogether — this year. But the Jags’ coaching staff is watching and discussing the top quarterbacks in the draft should either Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota fall past the top two slots and an antsy team eyes a trade into Jacksonville’s slot.
    • OverTheCap’s Zack Moore sees the market for wide receivers becoming more reasonable despite stars like Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas and A.J. Green set for new deals soon. In a lengthy piece, the salary cap website writer examines how this year’s contracts for Randall Cobb and Jeremy Maclin were more team-friendly than recent deals for Larry Fitzgerald, Mike Wallace and Vincent Jackson, and that teams can be more firm in their stances due to a growing influx of cheaper talent ready to contribute in each draft class.
    • Philly.com’s Bob Brookover writes Tim Tebow‘s persistence has little chance to catapult him back onto a 53-man roster come September.

    Jaguars Links: Blackmon, Rookies, Shorts

    December 25th, 2014 at 4:12pm CST by Ben Levine

    The Jaguars will be scoreboard watching this weekend, but not because of the playoffs. Instead, the team will be hoping that fellow 3-12 teams, the Jets and the Raiders, win their respective games. If those two teams win their contests and the Jags lose, Jacksonville will clinch the third pick in this year’s draft.

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

    Extra Points: Goodell, Vikings, Harvin, Dogra

    November 22nd, 2014 at 11:08pm CST by Rob DiRe

    In the wake of the Adrian Peterson decision, tensions between the NFL and the player’s union are high once again, writes Mark Maske of the Washington Post. Commissioner Roger Goodell exerted significant power in suspending Peterson for the season, singular power the the union was under the impression he would no longer be wielding on his own. According to Maske’s source, the two sides have no good will between them.

    “I think it reflects a fundamental disagreement about the role of the commissioner’s office in the disciplinary process,” said Gabriel Feldman of the sports law program at Tulane University. “I think it’s a reflection of the tension that has existed. It’s not surprising. It would have been surprising if the Players Association had not sought so vigorously to have Peterson reinstated. To some extent, it is each side playing the role it’s supposed to play.”

    Here are some other notes from around the NFL this Saturday evening:

    • In Peterson’s absence, the Vikings will be forced to continue the season using a running back-by-committe approach, and that may be the plan going forward, writes Matt Vensel of the Minnesota Star-Tribune. He writes that the player taking carries for the Vikings next season could be any one of the players on the active roster, Peterson, or someone they take in the 2015 NFL Draft.
    • The Jets‘ have seen a lot of improvement with their midseason acquisition of Percy Harvin, and are happy with how he has fit in so far, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. They will have a tough decision to make at the end of the season on whether to keep him at his hefty price tag of $10MM, but Harvin hopes to remain with the team.
    • Since Ben Dogra has been fired, CAA Sports has also terminated the contracts of a number of employees who worked closely with the embattled NFL agent, writes Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal. On behalf of Dogra, his attorney, Rusty Hardin, stated that he was unsure of any “supposed cause” for his firing and ensured that none of the agent’s clients had left (via Twitter). He also commented on Dogra’s future, saying he “hasn’t decided where he is going to land or whether he is going to start his own firm.” (via Twitter).
    • Three of the top four quarterbacks selected in this past NFL Draft have seen significant game action this season, and Greg Gabriel of the National Football Post has compared their play to see who has played best and who has shown the most promise for the future. The answer to both questions so far point to Derek Carr, who has impressed with his decision-making and his quick release, according to Gabriel. Blake Bortles has struggled and Teddy Bridgewater has yet to be unleashed, while Johnny Manziel is the only one of the four to not receive any significant playing time this season.

    Bridgewater, Bortles In Line To Start

    September 21st, 2014 at 10:09pm CST by Rob DiRe

    Two quarterbacks chosen at opposite ends of the first round this offseason got their first opportunities at some live game action this Sunday. The Vikings traded back into the tail end of the first round to select Teddy Bridgewater, but did not give him the starting job many fans and pundits believed he earned coming out of the preseason.

    Today, Matt Cassel was forced out of the matchup against the Saints with a broken foot. Bridgewater came into the game and failed to ignite the offense. Completing 12 of his 20 passes for 150 yards, he was able to survive, but not thrive, in his NFL debut. Considering the success that Matt Ryan and Brian Hoyer had against what looked to be an overrated Saints’ defense, Bridgewater came up short. Without Cassel for the immediate future, the team will have to play Bridgewater whether they want to or not, writes Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.

    The Vikings struggled on offense the last two weeks without Adrian Peterson, but rolled to a huge blowout victory over the Rams with their starting running back in week one. With Peterson tied up in his child abuse case, he will not be back with the team for a significant amount of time if at all. Bridgewater will get his first start this Sunday at home against the Falcons.

    Blake Bortles was selected third overall, and like his counterpart in Minnesota, the Jaguars took a patient approach with him. The plan was to use his rookie season to leave him on the bench and groom him to take over the team in 2015. That plan was accelerated during the blowout loss to the Colts.

    Chad Henne completed only four of seven passes for 33 yards in the first half, before being replaced by Bortles. The fans in Jacksonville have been waiting to see their future play, and now that he has, the sense is that they will not go back to Henne, writes Michael DiRocco of ESPN.

    Bortles completed 14 of 24 passes for 223 yards, and added two touchdowns to go with two interceptions in garbage time of the 44-17 defeat. He should have a difficult assignment should he get his first start next week on the road against the Chargers, a difficult place for a team with a rookie quarterback to look to lead his team to the first win of the season.

    King’s Latest: CBs, Bortles, Fairley, 49ers

    August 18th, 2014 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

    Those defensive penalties that have plagued preseason games for the last two weeks won’t be going away once the regular season gets underway, according to vice president of officiating Dean Blandino. Blandino tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com that defensive holding and illegal contact penalties will continue to be a point of emphasis throughout the year, and that he expects coaches and teams to adjust their style of play over the next few weeks. In the second weekend of the 2014 preseason, there have been nearly nine more penalties per game than an average 2013 regular season contest, which is a number that will hurt the game if it extends into the regular season, writes King.

    Here’s more from this week’s MMQB:

    • King predicts that we’ll hear of several teams desperate for cornerbacks in the next week or so. “We’re going to get one,” a personnel man for one team said. “But we may have to pay a higher price than we want, or a higher price than the player deserves.” King identifies the Jets, Ravens, Lions, Colts, Vikings, and Buccaneers as teams that may be on the lookout for another corner.
    • While Chad Henne may open the regular season under center for the Jaguars, the team has always planned to transition Blake Bortles into the starting role when he’s ready, regardless of how well or how poorly Henne is playing, says King. Based on how Bortles has looked so far in the preseason, that transition could end up happening sooner rather than later.
    • According to King, Nick Fairley is now behind C.J. Mosley on the Lions‘ depth chart. So far, it doesn’t seem as Detroit’s decision to decline Fairley’s 2015 option as a motivational tactic has paid off for the defensive tackle or the team.
    • One scout suggests the 49ers should be worried about the backup quarterback situation, and King writes that Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke may be thinking about elevating Josh Johnson to No. 2 on the depth chart after another poor performance by Blaine Gabbert.
    • King praises the Bears‘ signing of wide receiver Santonio Holmes, writing that he has “no idea” why so many people view Holmes as a toxic locker-room presence — in King’s view, the veteran wideout has been “mildly disruptive,” but he’s hardly a cancer.

    Sunday Roundup: Clemens, Fairley, Bortles

    August 17th, 2014 at 12:57pm CST by Rory Parks

    The preseason has reached its unofficial halfway point, and teams must trim their rosters to 75 players in just over a week from now. As position competitions continue to smolder and as bubble players strive to prove themselves in preseason contests, let’s take a look at some notes from around the league:

    • Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean offers some lessons learned from the Titans‘ second preseason game against the Saints. He notes that Travis Coons‘ accuracy has made the kicking competition with Maikon Bonani much more interesting than anticipated, and while return specialist Marc Mariani still faces an uphill battle to make the club, his returns on Saturday night have kept him in the picture.
    • Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com believes the Ravens should keep starting corners Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith on the shelf until the regular season opener against the Bengals. Baltimore has been “snakebitten” at the cornerback position and Hensley believes the team’s best bet is to hope that a decent player gets released as the preseason rolls on. He writes that, if free agents like Asante Samuel and Dunta Robinson could help, they would have jobs by now.
    • Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego writes that the Chargers are thrilled to have Kellen Clemens as Philip Rivers‘ backup, as they are confident Clemens could win games for them if he were pressed into duty.
    • Mike Klis of the Denver Post ranks undrafted free agent Juwan Thompson as the Broncos‘ biggest training camp surprise. Though Thompson entered camp as the No. 6 tailback on the roster, he now appears to have a legitimate shot at making the club.
    • Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Lions need to salvage Nick Fairley, who represents their last hope from the now infamous 2011 draft, but if Fairley does not show improvement soon, he could be a midseason trade candidate.
    • Birkett (Twitter links) and Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com offer brief discussions of the Lions‘ wide receiver competition and predict which wideouts may make the club.
    • Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com provides a list of which Packers bubble players helped themselves and who hurt themselves in Saturday’s preseason game against the Rams.
    • Ben Volin of the Boston Globe believes the Browns and Jaguars should hand the reins to Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel right away, rather than have them sit behind the players they will eventually overtake. Since Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan led their clubs to the playoffs during their rookie seasons in 2008, rookie quarterbacks have fared very well when thrown into the fire from day one. For what it’s worth, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida-Times Union tweets that Bortles will finally get reps with the first team offense on Monday and could play with the ones in the second quarter in the team’s upcoming preseason game against the Lions.
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