HEADLINES

Connor Barwin

NFC Notes: Vikings, Eagles, Barwin, Panthers

December 29th, 2016 at 6:28pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

It’s unclear whether Sam Bradford or Teddy Bridgewater will be the Vikings’ starting quarterback next year, but the former has a clear advantage based on health. Moreover, Bradford’s performance has impressed head coach Mike Zimmer, who heaped praise on the 29-year-old Thursday. “I think, honestly, if you sat back and looked at all the things — being traded, trying to learn a new system, having a new coach, having to learn teammates — all these things that he’s had to deal with. Injuries on offense. I thought he’s done an unbelievable job,” said Zimmer (via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com).

Minnesota paid a high price to acquire Bradford from Philadelphia in early September after Bridgewater suffered a catastrophic knee injury. Now a disappointing 7-8, the Vikings won’t replicate their playoff-bound 2015 campaign under Bridgewater, though Bradford has nonetheless fared respectably despite having little help from his offensive line or running game. With a 71.3 percent completion percentage, the seventh-year man is on track to surpass the single-season record of 71.2. He has also amassed 17 touchdowns against just four interceptions and posted a career-best 98.3 passer rating in 14 starts. Those numbers are somewhat the product of a conservative offense, though, as Bradford ranks last in the league in air yards per attempt (6.24), notes Goessling.

More from the NFC:

  • As a less-than-ideal fit for Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz‘s 4-3 scheme, pass rusher Connor Barwin could end up a cap casualty in the offseason. But the 30-year-old would consider taking a pay cut from $7.75MM to remain with the club, he told Marcus Hayes of Philly.com. “I’m willing to do something,” he said. “So, we’ll see.” Barwin added that he’s “optimistic about the system, and the growth I can have in it from this year to next year.” The fourth-year Eagle has four sacks, his fewest since totaling three in 2012, and has racked up only seven quarterback hurries after accumulating 18 in 2015. Releasing him would save Philadelphia $7.75MM against just $600K in dead money.
  • Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis has no plan to retire, David Newton of ESPN.com tweets, meaning the back-to-back Pro Bowler will return for a 12th season in 2017. Davis has played 93.9 percent of the Panthers’ defensive snaps this year and filled the stat sheet with 15 starts, 104 tackles, three interceptions, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble. The soon-to-be 34-year-old is set to count $8.25MM against the Panthers’ cap in 2017, the last season of his contract.
  • Left tackle Michael Oher, another integral Panthers cog, is likely to return next year, offensive lineman Trai Turner told Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. “I think he’ll play again,” Turner said Thursday. “He never said or gave me an indication that he wouldn’t.” Oher already shot down retirement rumors earlier this year, but that was before a concussion forced him to injured reserve Nov. 25. The 30-year-old played in a mere three games this season – none past Sept. 25 – and dealt with serious concussion-related problems (sensitivity to light and issues with vision, movement and balance) before going on IR, according to Person.

East Notes: Cowboys, Dak, Romo, Eagles, Pats

December 15th, 2016 at 9:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys expect defensive end Randy Gregory to return to practice on Monday, tweets Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. Reports last week also indicated the Gregory was close to to returning to the field, but the NFL subsequently informed the Cowboys that Gregory would not be allowed to practice. Still appealing a one-year ban, Gregory’s status for Dallas’ Week 16 game Lions is still unclear, but his being allowed to practice is clearly a good first step.

Here’s more from the NFC’s two East divisions:

  • Despite Dak Prescott‘s struggles against the Giants in a close loss in Week 14, the Cowboys are insistent that they won’t be turning things over to veteran Tony Romo any time soon, as Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. “You can make it as simple or complex as you want to make it,” head coach Jason Garrett said this week. “It’s pretty simple for us: Dak’s going to play quarterback as we go forward.” Meanwhile, a debate is reportedly raging with the Cowboys organization, as some decision-makers believe Romo should be given live game snaps in order to prepare him if Prescott is injured, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
  • Pass rusher Connor Barwin was a better fit in the Eagles‘ 3-4 scheme of years past than the club’s current 4-3 look, opines Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. For his part, Barwin realizes that he hasn’t played up to his contract, and understands that he could be released at season’s end (a move that would save the Eagles $7.75MM in cap space). “He’s too smart for that defense,” an NFL personnel director told McLAne. “That’s a defense for . . . linemen that can just pin their ears back and not think. He’s neither athletic nor strong enough to consistently win battles against the best left tackles.”
  • The Patriots are dealing with injuries at wide receiver in the short-term, and while those issues likely played a role in New England claiming Michael Floyd off waivers today, the club is likely looking taking a long-term view in assessing Floyd’s fit with the team, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. While the Pats will pay a relatively high price tag for a three-game regular season audition, that time will allow the team to see how Floyd meshes with the organization, and determine if he could be part of the franchise going forward.

Extra Points: Eagles, Pace, Cromartie, Jags

May 7th, 2016 at 8:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

According to Connor Barwin, Sam Bradford was caught off guard when the Eagles swapped picks with the Browns to trigger their seminal Carson Wentz selection at No. 2 overall.

Not that it’s a surprise Bradford wasn’t expecting this given his recent actions, but the fourth-year Eagles pass-rusher expects things to cool down for the former No. 1 overall pick and that the presumptive Week 1 starter will return to the team, per Zig Fracassi of Sirius XM Radio (Twitter link).

Signed to a two-year, $35MM deal, Bradford probably represents the Eagles’ best chance of competing right away. He was 7-7 as a starter for last season’s dysfunctional team and completed 65% of his passes, by far a career-high mark. But like 2015 Philadelphia teammate Mark Sanchez, it is a matter of time until the first-round pick takes the reins.

Some speculated the 28-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner will retire a la Carson Palmer and wait for a potential solution to develop, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk doesn’t see this drama paying off for Bradford. The former Ram’s prolonged absence will make his learning curve in Doug Pederson‘s offense steeper.

Here’s the latest from around the league as rookie minicamp weekend continues.

  • Antonio Cromartie and Calvin Pace remain free agents, and Todd Bowles said the “door is not closed” on potentially bringing them back to the Jets, Kimberley Martin of Newsday reports. Pace’s two-year, $5MM deal expired after the 2015 season. The pass-rusher had been a staple on the Rex Ryan-era defenses, having started 16 games from 2008-14. Last season, the now-35-year-old Pace started in 13 games. The Jets cut the 32-year-old Cromartie after just one season. Gang Green, though, remains deadlocked with Ryan Fitzpatrick on a deal that looks to pay the quarterback at least $8MM AAV and as of Saturday possesses $3.2MM in cap space.
  • The Jaguars moved Brandon Linder to center, Gus Bradley told media (including Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union). An 18-game starter at right guard the past two years, Linder missed 13 games due to a shoulder injury last season. After Stefen Wisniewski opted to sign with the Eagles, Linder will be the Jaguars’ fourth center in four years.
  • Meanwhile, Jacksonville’s line looks to have two former Cowboys backups, with Mackenzy Bernadeau set to move into the Jags’ starting left guard position, O’Halloran writes. Like Jermey Parnell in 2015, Bernardeau left Dallas and its loaded offensive front and will have a better opportunity to be a first-string presence for a less-accomplished line. The 30-year-old Bernadeau did not sign a high-end deal for his position like Parnell did a year ago, but he brings a similar profile, having played as a key backup with the Cowboys the past two years. Prior to that, the former seventh-round Panthers pick in 2008 started 27 games at guard for the Cowboys in 2012-13. Bernadeau started 19 contests for the pre-Cam Newton Panther teams in 2009-10.

East Notes: Barwin, McCoy, RG3, Young

February 13th, 2016 at 3:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

New Eagles DC Jim Schwartz identifies Connor Barwin will fit in well at defensive end in his 4-3 scheme, per Schwartz’s appearance on a podcast with Dave Spadaro (via Chris McPherson and Julie Bacanskas of PhiladelphiaEagles.com).

“I think he fits real well for what we’re going to do in the defensive end standpoint,” Schwartz said. “He’s done that in the past. I think that size-wise, effort-wise, skill set-wise, he fits well there.”

Barwin, who acknowledged his position switch will put him at left end this coming season in Philadelphia, has played outside linebacker each season since signing with the Eagles in 2013.

Here’s more on Barwin, as well as the latest from the rest of the Eastern divisions on the first offseason Saturday of 2016.

  • Barwin also identified Brandon Graham as the player who will start opposite him at defensive end during an interview with 97.5 The Fanatic (per Matt Lombardo of NJ.com). “It’ll be me and Brandon Graham as defensive ends. Vinny [Curry] and Graham could move inside and play 3-technique from time to time,” Barwin said during the interview. “… I’m excited because in a 3-4, it’s a lot of movement. It’s a lot of disguise. There won’t be as many games anymore. I’m going to line up, pass rush and be able to work a guy over for an entire game.”
  • Darrel Young‘s special teams prowess should induce Washington to re-sign him, CSNMidAtlantic.com’s Rich Tandler writes. Even though Young averaged only seven snaps per game last season, down from 13.4 in 2014, CSNMidAtlanci’s Tarik El-Bashir would be surprised if the soon-to-be-29-year-old fullback doesn’t discuss an extension in the near future. Said pact wouldn’t have to be for much more than the veteran minimum.
  • If LeSean McCoy is eventually charged for aggravated assault in his alleged role in a brawl with off-duty police officers, the Bills running back runs the risk of missing the 2016 season, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. McCoy could find himself in the same spot Ray Rice, Greg Hardy and Adrian Peterson did in 2014, with the latter two spending the bulk of their respective seasons on paid leave. Florio expects McCoy to be charged and writes that an unpaid suspension would void the running back’s 2016 guarantees, totaling $4.8MM after March 9, and would allow Buffalo to recoup some of its recent trade acquisition’s signing bonus. If McCoy lands on paid leave, that doesn’t affect his guaranteed money.
  • Robert Griffin III could be a fit with the Bills, but as EJ Manuel‘s replacement instead of Tyrod Taylor‘s, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News writes. In this event, Griffin would come into a Greg Roman-designed scheme that successfully used a running quarterback in 2015 — and did so with Colin Kaepernick with the 49ers in 2012-13 — and one and would do so at a low price as a reclamation project, Carucci offers.

Eagles Notes: Bradford, Mathis, Barwin

March 25th, 2015 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Eagles head coach Chip Kelly drew a big crowd at this morning’s NFC coaches’ breakfast in Arizona, and many of those reporters in attendance passed along noteworthy comments and quotes from the team’s de facto GM. Here are a few of the highlights from Kelly, with all links going to the Twitter accounts of various reporters in Phoenix:

  • Since being offered a first-round pick shortly after he acquired Sam Bradford from the Rams, Kelly hasn’t received any other trade inquiries involving the quarterback. As for that original offer, Kelly declined to confirm which team offered the first-rounder pick for Bradford, but it was certainly the Browns, who also offered the Rams the 19th overall pick for the QB.
  • Discussing the Bradford trade, Kelly said the Eagles had originally tried to get the deal done with just picks, in the hopes of keeping Nick Foles, but the Rams wanted Foles as part of the package.
  • According to Kelly, the Eagles haven’t actively shopped guard Evan Mathis, but the club has given Mathis and his agent permission to seek a possible trade. At the end of the day, Kelly said, he’s willing to listen to offers for any player.
  • Explaining the decision to spend big on cornerback Byron Maxwell and not wideout Jeremy Maclin, Kelly indicated that there had been an imbalance of money devoted to the offensive side of the ball, as opposed to the defensive side of the ball, and “it showed” on the field.
  • Kelly confirmed that Connor Barwin‘s contract restructure didn’t help the Eagles’ cap at all — Kelly reworked the deal simply because he felt like Barwin had exceeded and outperformed his initial contract.
  • It sounds as if wide receiver will be an area the club targets in the draft. Kelly said today that wide receiver may be the position with the most depth in this year’s draft class.
  • The Eagles remain active in some discussions with free agents, but Kelly isn’t sure if the team will sign any more players.
  • Although Kelly said today that LeSean McCoy wasn’t “moving off” his large cap number – prompting the team to part ways with him – Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer hears from sources that the team never approached the running back about restructuring his deal.

East Notes: Bills, Gresham, Barwin, Scandrick

March 20th, 2015 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

As the working week winds down, let’s round up a handful of Friday updates out of the NFL’s two East divisions….

  • Charles Clay was arguably the Bills‘ top target in free agency this month, and the team made sure that they landed him by signing him to an offer sheet that the Dolphins were unwilling to match. However, Clay wasn’t the only tight end the team was considering. According to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News, the Bills were “giving serious thought” to signing Jermaine Gresham before he underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc. Per Carucci’s source, the club would even have been willing to add both Clay and Gresham to the roster, if the former Bengal had been healthy.
  • Speaking to Howard Eskin on 94WIP in Philadelphia, outside linebacker Connor Barwin, who just received a new deal from the Eagles, said he’d like to play out the rest of his career in Philadelphia. Barwin estimated that he has another “four to six” years left in the NFL, as Andrew Porter of CBS Philly details.
  • Orlando Scandrick, the Cowboys‘ top cornerback, is scheduled to make just $10.5MM over the next four seasons, prompting Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com to wonder if the team should address Scandrick’s contract. As a point of comparison, Archer focuses on Keenan Lewis‘ situation in New Orleans, where the Saints didn’t increase Lewis’ overall pay, but guaranteed a good chunk of his salary and improved his cash flow.
  • Earlier this afternoon, the Dolphins re-signed safety Louis Delmas and running back LaMichael James.

New Deals For Connor Barwin, Rob Ninkovich

March 18th, 2015 at 6:28pm CST by Luke Adams

6:28pm: According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (on Twitter), Barwin’s new deal will guarantee the 28-year-old’s 2015 salary of $6.4MM. Furthermore, the new deal will also partially guarantee $3MM of his 2016 salary.

4:11pm: A pair of veteran edge defenders, Connor Barwin of the Eagles and Rob Ninkovich of the Patriots, have agreed to new contracts, according to reports. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com first tweeted that Ninkovich and the Patriots had agreed to adjust his deal, while Barwin himself broke word of his new contract, via Twitter.

According to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com, the Pats have increased Ninkovich’s compensation for the 2015 season. The veteran defensive end had been set to earn $2.45MM, including a base salary of $2.1MM. However, he’s now in line for a total of $5MM this year, with $4.5MM of that amount fully guaranteed. The exact breakdown of the restructure isn’t yet clear, so it’s possible New England picked up some cap space in the move.

As for Barwin, it appears he also received a bump in pay. Multiple Eagles reporters, including Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com, have indicated that Barwin’s new deal doesn’t lower his cap number for 2015, but rather rewards him for an excellent 2014 campaign.

Barwin, who had 14.5 sacks and made his first Pro Bowl in 2014, had been set to make a base salary of $6.4MM. Mosher notes that the Eagles recently re-signed Brandon Graham for $6.5MM annually, and perhaps wanted to ensure Barwin, as the team’s top outside linebacker, is earning more than Graham, who has been a part-time player in recent years.

Cap Notes: Steve Smith, Ravens, Barwin, ‘Boys

January 16th, 2015 at 9:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Despite being eliminated during the Divisional Round of the playoffs, several Ravens players can rest easy knowing they’ve earned more money based on their 2014 performance. According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, receiver Steve Smith will earn an extra $1MM in incentives, which were based on playing time, individual, and team performance. Linebacker Daryl Smith will also have another $1MM tacked onto his 2014 earnings, and he also hit an escalator that will increase his 2015 salary by $500K. Tight end Owen Daniels earned $755K through incentives, and center Gino Gradkowski will see a pay raise thanks to the proven performance escalator (explained here). Here are more cap-related notes from around the NFL…

  • After an outstanding 2014 season that saw him record 14.5 sacks, Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin will earn a higher base salary in 2015 thanks to escalators in his contract. Per Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link), Barwin hit all of his escalators, meaning he’ll make $5.5MM next year, a bump of $900K.
  • Cowboys safety Barry Church will earn a $1MM raise on top of his scheduled 2015 salary, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, who writes that Church met a playing time threshold by seeing action on 85% of defensive snaps last season.
  • Veteran Saints linebacker Curtis Lofton earned a $200K salary increase in each of the next two seasons thanks to an unknown escalator, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.
  • As we head to the offseason, several teams are willing to offer high guarantees in order to sign highly-coveted players to reserve/futures deals. According to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter), the largest guarantees on reserve deals thus far belong to running back Ryan Williams (who signed a two-year contract with the Cowboys) and defensive lineman Lawrence Okoye, who inked a pact with the 49ers.
  • The Cowboys will carry over $3.26MM in cap space into 2015, tweets Todd Archer of ESPN.com.