HEADLINES

Brandon Carr

Extra Points: Carr, Cowboys, Green, Spikes

March 24th, 2015 at 10:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s round up some assorted items from around the NFL…

  • Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said the club isn’t certain it will ask cornerback Brandon Carr to take a pay cut, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star Telegram (Twitter link). Jones adds that Dallas has accounted for Carr’s salary in its books, and discussions are still ongoing. For his part, Carr has indicated that he is not amenable to a pay reduction.
  • Florida offensive lineman Chaz Green will have a full schedule, as he has visits set up with the Buccaneers, Panthers, Falcons, Texans, Cowboys, Bills, Saints, and Chargers, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
  • The Vikings’ signing of Casey Matthews probably signals the end of their interest in Brandon Spikes, says Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link). Minnesota was only “lukewarm” on Spikes as it was, and Wolfson hears that Spikes is asking for to much money.
  • Western Oregon receiver Tyrell Williams already had a workout with the Patriots, and he also has a private workout with the Lions lined up, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
  • In his review of free agency, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap analyzes the 10 worst contracts handed out during the offseason, listing Ndamukong Suh and Byron Maxwell‘s deals Nos. one and two, respectively.
  • Also at Over the Cap, Bryce Johnston uses his expected contract value metric to determine which contracts are the most likely to be “one-and-done,” with Tramon Williams (Browns) and Andre Johnson (Colts) topping the list.

Brandon Carr Not Taking Pay Cut

March 23rd, 2015 at 5:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Throughout the offseason, we’ve heard whispers that Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr would inevitably have to restructure his contract. Those assumptions may have been a bit off, as the player’s agent, Ben Dogra, told Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram that his player would not be accepting a pay cut (Twitter link).

Carr’s $12.7MM cap hit in 2015 certainly doesn’t justify his production. The former fifth-round pick finished 2014 with 54 tackles and zero picks, the first time in his career that he failed to record a single interception. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) wasn’t fond of his performance last season, ranking him 90th among 108 cornerback candidates.

In spite of the poor rating, Carr is still guaranteed the second-most money among cornerbacks in 2015 (behind Darrelle Revis). The team could reasonably move from the cornerback and his $8MM base salary following post-June 1st cuts, when they’d only be left with $4.7MM in dead money.

Previously, Jason Fitzgerald of OvertheCap.com suggested that Carr could be a cap casualty if he wasn’t willing to accept a pay cut. However, the organization may be forced to keep the 28-year-old while fellow cornerback Morris Claiborne recovers from an ACL tear.

East Notes: Cowboys, Maclin, Forbath

March 1st, 2015 at 11:23am CST by Rory Parks

Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray have understandably dominated the discussion surrounding the Cowboys‘ offseason, but there are still other decisions for Dallas to make once the Bryant and Murray situations are resolved. For instance, Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News recently predicted that the team would opt not to exercise Morris Claiborne‘s fifth-year option, which is surprising in that it directly contradicts what owner Jerry Jones said last month. And, on the topic of underperforming defensive backs, Machota thinks the Cowboys will retain Brandon Carr but that Carr will probably end up taking a pay cut, which reaffirms what our Ben Levine wrote last night.

Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:

  • Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News takes a look at how the Cowboys will address their backup quarterback situation in 2015. Although Brandon Weeden is still under contract, Jones did not give Weeden a ringing endorsement at the NFL combine a few weeks ago, and the team is high on third-stringer Dustin Vaughan. George does not believe Dallas will ultimately sign a free agent to replace Weeden, but he does note that the Cowboys would not hesitate to do so if the right deal came along.
  • The Cowboys’ decision to put the franchise tag on Bryant is good news for the Eagles, as it prevents Bryant from setting a market price for wide receivers like Jeremy Maclin that Philadelphia would be unable to meet. But Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com tweets that, if the Eagles cannot agree to a long-term deal with Maclin by tomorrow afternoon, then Maclin will also get the franchise tag.
  • Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com passes along Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman‘s thoughts on trading up in the draft. Roseman is generally against such a move, which is interesting given the rumors surrounding the team’s alleged desire to move up to select Marcus Mariota. But Roseman, of course, will not have a say in the Eagles’ ultimate decision to trade up or stay put as a result of his redefined role in the team’s front office.
  • Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com examines whether Washington should part ways with kicker Kai Forbath, a restricted fee agent. Washington has not been particularly eager to extend an offer to Forbath, who would be the most accurate kicker in team history if he had enough attempts to qualify, and Tandler says the reason for that is Forbath’s leg strength. Forbath was near the bottom of the league in net kickoff average, and the team may choose to trade a little accuracy in field goal attempts below 50 yards for improved field position and the chance to make a long-range field goal every once in a while.
  • After the Bills missed out on Josh McCown, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News took a look at other signal-callers that the team could pursue. The free agent class is, of course, underwhelming, with the possible exception of Brian Hoyer, though Nick Foles or even Jay Cutler could be intriguing trade targets.
  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com looks at the free agent case of right guard Willie Colon. Colon could make sense for another team looking for a one-year stopgap, but the Jets are likely to seek an upgrade in free agency.

Cowboys Notes: Dez, McClain, Murray, Carr

February 28th, 2015 at 9:04am CST by Ben Levine

Following news that the Cowboys will likely place the franchise tag on Dez Bryant, Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com surveyed some who were in favor of the move from the player’s perspective. This included Jordan Woy, the agent for Cowboys defensive end Anthony Spencer. The veteran received the tag in both 2012 and 2013.

“If you sign it right away, it’s automatically guaranteed,” Woy said. “You can still negotiate to get a long-term deal. But I don’t see the benefit in not signing it because if I don’t sign it, it’s not guaranteed, No. 1. The team could take it away and if you wait too long other things can happen (like teams not having cap space). Or people could change their mind. I think it’s better signing it and having the guaranteed money sitting there.”

Owner Jerry Jones echoed that sentiment:

“I’ve never seen anybody just pout to the extent that they wouldn’t do it over this kind of money. That usually is not realistic. It’s just too much money. And consequently it’s not set up or packaged the way that parties might want — and I want to emphasize again – it’s not really set up in our best interest at all. There’s a much better way for our future and our cap this year if we didn’t franchise, but this is here when you don’t have your meeting of the minds about how you want to structure something long term. And so if anything it’s in the right situation, it’s a placeholder for addressing it as you move through the future.”

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

  • NFL Network’s Dan Hellie, Heath Evans and Willie McGinest discussed the pros and cons of the Cowboys signing Bryant to a longterm contract (via The Dallas Morning News). The pundits ultimately believe it’d be in the team’s best interest to include some character clauses in the receiver’s contract.
  • In his weekly chat, Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News talks about Rolando McClain and his continuous off-the-field issues. The writer believes all the press doesn’t help the free agent, but he also argues that the linebacker’s production would make it difficult for the team to just cut ties.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has some suggestions for the Cowboys as they head into free agency. The writer believes the team ran running back DeMarco Murray “into the ground” last season, and he’s doubtful that the 27-year-old could ever repeat that production.
  • Fitzgerald also opines that cornerback Brandon Carr‘s tenure in Dallas could be over unless the player accepts a pay cut. If the team releases the 28-year-old before June, they’ll save an estimated $8MM.

NFC East Notes: Graham, Carr, Dez, RG3

December 19th, 2014 at 10:30am CST by Dallas Robinson

It’s looking increasingly likely that the Cowboys will be the only team from the NFC East to earn a postseason berth. Dallas, at 10-4, is only a game ahead of the Eagles at 9-5, but Football Outsiders’ playoff odds paint a more disparate picture. The Cowboys are 86% likely to make the playofsf, while Philadelphia’s chances sit at just 35.3% — for perspective, the Birds’ odds were at roughly 79% before Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys. Dallas will face the Colts and Washington over the final two weeks of the season, while the Eagles will also take on Washington, and close out with the Giants. Here’s more from the division…

  • Though reports recently indicated that the Eagles have opened extension talks with edge-rusher Brandon Graham, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer doesn’t believe it makes sense for Graham to re-sign with the Birds before free agency begins. Graham, 26, currently plays as a 3-4 OLB in the Eagles defensive scheme, but could have more value to a club that employs a 4-3 front, where Graham could play defensive end. Some insiders have cited Everson Griffen‘s five-year, $42.5MM extension with the Vikings as a comparable mark for Graham, and McLane suggests that the pass-rusher could maximize his earnings by hitting the open market.
  • In terms of total guarantee, the Cowboys’ Brandon Carr is the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, but as Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News writes, Carr hasn’t played to that level. In fact, his lack of production could lead to Dallas asking him to face a pay cut, or be released. “I think that one of the things that create a challenge for him is it’s like the same one that a No. 1 draft pick has. The expectation of what he’s supposed to bring to the table is one that is really very difficult to meet,” said owner/GM Jerry Jones. “Now, has he played at a Pro Bowl level? No, he has not. And therein lies the issue.”
  • Carr is just one piece of the Cowboys’ roster that will be in flux this offseason, as the club also has decisions to make on Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray. Field Yates of ESPN.com lays out the scenarios in which the duo could return to Dallas, arguing that it’s a near lock that Bryant will remain a Cowboy.
  • Rich Tandler of RealRedskins.com runs through the financial implications of the moves that Washington could make with regards to Robert Griffin III, noting that while the third-year quarterback is likely to be on the roster in 2015, the club probably won’t exercise its fifth-year option on RG3.

Extra Points: Draft, Irsay, Carr, Incognito

June 7th, 2014 at 12:46pm CST by Matt Feminis

The NFL draft has become a behemoth, so much so that rumors of its location changing have become headlines. Meanwhile, small details such as, ya know, the players involved, tend to get lost in the shuffle. After 36 of 98 underclassmen who declared early eligibility (i.e. giving up collegiate eligibility) went undrafted, and Senior Bowl executive director Phil Savage is calling for reform.

Speaking to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, Savage advocates for pushing back the declaration deadline in order provide teams with more evaluation time and prospects for more thorough, insightful feedback:

“The bottom line is we have to figure out a way to make it more attractive to stay in school for one more year for some of these guys [and] give them a chance to go from being a sixth-round pick to a third-round pick. . .Some of these kids are going to come out regardless. They weren’t going to be going back to school or they have families to support or something else. But a lot of them think they run a 4.5, and then get to the combine and they run a 4.75 and they’re surprised and disappointed with what happens. That kind of information, maybe that helps reduce the numbers. Maybe we can give them a window where they’re really assessed, then understand it and then they say, ‘I really need to go back to school.'”

Here’s a handful of miscellaneous links from around the league:

  • “People around the league” think Colts owner Jim Irsay will be suspended six to eight games and be fined $1MM, according to Pro Football Talk, who cites a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
  • Ravens insider Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun compares the contracts of Joe Flacco and 49ers trigger man Colin Kaepernick. While Flacco’s $120.6MM deal and Kaepernick’s $126MM deal seem similar on the surface, Wilson says, “the reality is that the deals are vastly different and the original reports about Kaepernick’s financial windfall are fairly misleading.” Wilson calls Kaepernick’s contract “extremely team-friendly” and characterizes it as “pay-as-you-go.”
  • In a video piece for NFL Network, Albert Breer reports, “There is now an internal belief” Raiders projected starter Matt Schaub will be pushed by second-round rookie Derek Carr.
  • Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr could be playing for his Cowboys future in the opinion of ESPN’s Todd Archer, who thinks a good season could lead to a contract restructuring, while a bad season could spell the end. Carr is in the third year of a five-year, $50MM deal which includes $25.5MM guaranteed and has cap hits of $12.2MM in 2014, $12.7MM in 2015 and $13.8MM in 2016. Last season, Carr managed an overall grade of -0.9, according to Pro Football Focus, including a -5.0 coverage rating.
  • Whether or not Richie Incognito gets another shot in the NFL “is going to be a football decision, not an emotional one,” thinks Bleacher Report’s Michael Schottey.

Cowboys Rumors: Draft, Spencer, Smith

April 3rd, 2014 at 6:52pm CST by Ben Levine

Let’s take a look at a handful of notes pertaining to America’s Team…

NFC Rumors: Bucs, Saints, Finley, Cowboys

February 25th, 2014 at 10:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers are making a push to re-sign fullback Erik Lorig, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. The strong blocker has opened up holes for Doug Martin and the club’s other running backs and can also pitch in at tight end (link). La Canfora still expects the unrestricted free agent to test the open market, but he could still wind up back in Tampa Bay even if he does (link). More from around the NFL..