HEADLINES

Devin McCourty

La Canfora On Pats, McCourty, Redskins

August 6th, 2014 at 5:38pm CST by Zachary Links

In today’s column, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes that the Redskins’ offensive line is looking solid for the first time in a while. Left tackle Trent Williams is in excellent shape and it appears that offensive line coach Chris Foerster has done a nice job of molding the unit as it adapts to a team that will incorporate elements of power running under head coach Jay Gruden. Here’s more from La Canfora..

  • Devin McCourty is looking good at safety and it has solved what was a lingering issue for the Patriots. They’ll want him around a long time but there’s nothing brewing as he enters the final year of his deal. The sides exchanged some initial proposals this offseason, sources told La Canfora, but weren’t particularly close, and there hasn’t been any movement since. The safety franchise tag is quite team friendly, so that could be lessening New England’s urgency in working on a new deal. Still, La Canfora feels the sides could talk again before the start of the season.
  • It’d be tough for the Redskins to pull off a trade well past the draft, but La Canfora wonders if Washington could get more calls at some point in 2014 on backup quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins has two years on his rookie deal and the Browns offered a mid-round pick for him this offseason, though La Canfora hears that Skins GM Bruce Allen wanted a second-rounder. Cousins has plenty of fans in some other front offices and coaching rooms, but the Redskins might want to hang on to him since Robert Griffin III remains an injury risk.
  • The Patriots are quietly pleased with what they have seen from receiver Brandon LaFell, who they signed as a free agent this offseason. He has shown a grasp of their system and with injury troubles plauging Danny Amendola, Aaron Dobson, and Rob Gronkowski, there is an opportunity for LaFell to get lots of looks.

AFC Notes: Pouncey, Bengals, McCourty

July 23rd, 2014 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

While Mike Pouncey‘s initial recovery timetable from hip surgery suggested he’d miss the first month of the season, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports that the veteran center may not return for a few more weeks after that. According to Salguero, Pouncey’s rehab could extend into late October, meaning he’d miss nearly half the regular season.

Meanwhile, extension talks between Pouncey and the Dolphins have been put on hold for now, says Salugero (via Twitter). Besides the fact that Pouncey, who turns 25 tomorrow, isn’t healthy, it’s still a little early to make serious progress on a new contract, considering the team has exercised its fifth-year option for 2015. So far, no 2011 first-rounders have signed extensions, since their teams still have most of the leverage.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • For years, Bengals owner Mike Brown has served as the team’s de facto general manager, but speaking to reporters – including Joe Danneman of Fox19 – Brown said yesterday that his daughter Katie Blackburn and head coach Marvin Lewis are now running the franchise (Twitter link). As Paul Dehner of the Cincinnati Enquirer details, Brown still has the final say on personnel decisions, but typically follows the lead of Blackburn and Lewis.
  • A report in early June suggested extension talks between the Patriots and safety Devin McCourty had gotten underway, but according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter), there have been no new talks since that initial dialogue. Regardless, McCourty isn’t phased by heading into the regular season on an expiring deal.
  • Focusing on how contract situations may affect players’ roster security, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe breaks down the Patriots who may be on the hot seat as roster cuts approach.
  • Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star consults cap expert Joel Corry to determine whether or not the Chiefs will be able to lock up both Jamaal Charles and Justin Houston to new long-term contracts. The answer: Yes, though the team will have to be careful about how it spreads out the money on the cap.

AFC East Notes: Unga, McCourty, Jets

July 20th, 2014 at 8:52am CST by Rory Parks

The Bills will be the first team to open training camp in 2014, with a 6pm practice this evening. And, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets, every team in the league will be in camp by this time next week. As the anticipation continues to build, let’s take a look at some Bills notes and swing around the rest of AFC East on this Sunday morning:

Patriots Notes: Revis, Edelman, Anderson

June 7th, 2014 at 3:28pm CST by Peter Sowards

Defense was the cornerstone of the Patriots’ three Super Bowl victories between 2001 and 2004, and stellar play from the secondary had much to do with it. Now, with the addition of Darrelle Revis, arguably the best defensive back in football, coach Bill Belichick has more flexibility than ever to implement his defensive strategy, opines ESPN.com’s Jeffri Chadiha.

Revis’ inclusion to the team means good things for the rest of his defensive counterparts, per Chadiha. Safety Devin McCourty can take more chances, defensive end Chandler Jones could add to his 11.5 sacks last season, and the defense could regain the swagger last seen in the Romeo Crennel days of yesteryear.

More from the defending AFC East champs below…

Extension Talks Underway For McCourty, Casey

June 6th, 2014 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

The Patriots have reached out to Devin McCourty‘s camp to begin contract negotiations for the standout safety, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, reports Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link) clarifies that while the Pats have informed McCourty they’re interested in an extension, the two sides haven’t officially begun to negotiate specific figures yet.

Meanwhile, according to Breer (via Twitter), McCourty isn’t the only notable AFC defender whose team is eyeing a new contract — nose tackle Jurrell Casey and the Titans have also had early discussions about an extension.

McCourty, 26, didn’t post the same flashy numbers in 2013 that he has in past seasons, grabbing just one interception after totaling 14 in his first three NFL seasons. However, the former 27th overall pick received excellent scores for his overall performance from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), whose grades ranked him as the league’s best safety in ’13. Given the big-money deals signed by fellow safeties like Jairus Byrd and Earl Thomas in recent months, McCourty should be in line for a multiyear contract that rivals the $9-10MM annual salaries earned by those players.

As for Casey, the 24-year-old is coming off a breakout season in which he compiled 10.5 sacks and 55 tackles, ranking fourth among 69 qualified defensive tackles, per PFF’s metrics (subscription required). Casey’s pass-rushing grades placed him behind only Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh as an interior rusher, as he racked up 54 quarterback pressures for the season. Not coincidentally, Suh and McCoy are the league’s top two highest-paid defensive tackles by per-year salary, so Casey, who will earn a $1.431MM base salary in the last year of his rookie contract, should also expect a lucrative long-term deal.

AFC East Notes: Bridgewater, Decker, Patriots

April 12th, 2014 at 2:00pm CST by Rob DiRe

As Louisville quarterback Terry Bridgewater continue’s to see his stock fall, teams in the mid-to-late first round have to be seriously considering the possibility of him being on the board when they draft. Once thought to be the potential top pick, GangGreenNation.com asks if the Jets should consider taking Bridgewater should he be on the board when they come up to the podium.

While the Jets have Geno Smith and Michael Vick in the fold, Bridgewater could represent the long-term solution at quarterback that some fans and pundits hope Smith can still become. It also increases the trade value of the pick should the Jets decide to move down in the draft, as teams moving up to take a quarterback are often willing to overpay in a trade.

Here are some other notes from the AFC East:

  • GangGreenNation.com also notes the despite the Jets’ improvement the quarterback situation should experience, that adding Eric Decker would not adequately fix the depth chart at receiver. They note that while Decker is an upgrade, he is not the elite type receiver that would be able to change the offense. Also, the belief that Stephen hill will be the second receiver would give pause, as he has not proven himself as a viable option in his first two seasons.
  • In a series of tweets, Albert Breer of the NFL Network discusses the Patriots’ offseason. He notes that the team has made a focused effort to be good in 2014, although the team says they are all in for the Super Bowl every year. Breer notes that Nate Solder and Devin McCourty are the top priorities going forward, and that interior line play and backup tight end will be priorities in the draft.
  • The Dolphins are set at running back after signing Knowshon Moreno, and they will not pursue free agent Chris Johnson, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. However, the team has a backlog at the position, and while Lamar Miller is safe, Daniel Thomas and Mike Gillislee will fight for a roster spot.

AFC East Notes: Patriots, Bills, Jets

April 3rd, 2014 at 5:52pm CST by Ben Levine

Ryan Mallett hasn’t had much of an opportunity to prove himself as a starting-caliber quarterback since joining the league in 2011. Tom Brady‘s backup is entering the final season of his contract and there have been rumblings that team’s could be interested in trading for the former Razorback. If the Pats did decide to pull the trigger and trade Mallett, they aren’t likely to get much back, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. Reiss actually has little faith that the team would get anything of use in return, and thinks Mallett is more valuable even as an expiring-contract backup than as a trade asset.

Let’s take a look at some more rumblings from around the AFC East…

  • In the same article, Reiss discusses his confidence that Devin McCourty will sign an extension with the Patriots. Reiss expects to see a new contract as early as this offseason.
  • Reiss also addresses Ryan Wendell‘s new contract with the Patriots, stating that the new deal doesn’t guarantee that Wendell will be starting this season. Reiss sees the offensive lineman as more of a backup and believes that the team will continue to look at upgrading the position.
  • The Bills announced that Mary Wilson, wife of the team’s late founder and owner, will now be the controlling owner, according to a post on BuffaloBills.com. Meanwhile, a source tells Tim Graham of The Buffalo News that the team won’t “ease” into the sale process and that a deal could come as soon as October.
  • Wide receiver Brandin Cooks has scheduled a pre-draft visit with the Jets, reports Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).

Pats Notes: Blount, Ayers, Wilfork, McCourty

March 23rd, 2014 at 8:39am CST by Rory Parks

Even though the Patriots may lose LeGarrette Blount this offseason, Christopher Price of WEEI.com notes that the team is still ahead of the game with its stable of running backs and the complementary skill-sets those backs possess. Although Price notes that Maurice Jones-Drew and Knowshon Moreno are still available, he believes that if the Pats want to replace Blount, they are more likely to do so with a big-bodied back in the middle rounds of the draft.

Now for some more Patriots notes:

  • As far as the team’s need for a pass-rusher is concerned, although Andre Carter may want to come back to New England, it is unclear if the feeling is mutual. Given Carter’s age (he will turn 35 in May) and Jared Allen‘s price tag, both Price and Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald believe that Robert Ayers is a more realistic option to bolster the team’s pass rush and provide some support to the revamped secondary. Guregian notes that Shaun Phillips might also be a potential fit.
  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com notes that there is a belief that, the longer Vince Wilfork remains under contract, the greater the possibility that the two sides will work something out. Wilfork, of course, requested his release from the team a little more than a week ago, but the Patriots have not obliged just yet. For his part, Reiss believes every option is still on the table as far as Wilfork is concerned, and he is intrigued to see what owner Robert Kraft has to say about the situation when he speaks with reporters at the NFL’s annual meeting in Orlando over the next several days.
  • Considering the big-money deal that Jairus Byrd recently landed with New Orleans and Earl Thomas‘ impending free agency, Reiss believes the Patriots will approach Devin McCourty with a lucrative contract extension before he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2014 season.
  • Reiss also expresses surprise that free agent guard Ryan Wendell, who started every game for New England in each of the past two seasons, has not garnered more interest on the open market.

AFC Notes: Jags, McCourty, Decker

February 8th, 2014 at 10:00am CST by Matt Feminis

The Jaguars have been upfront about the team’s desire to re-sign Chad Henne as well as draft at least one quarterback, but GM Dave Caldwell told Jacksonville.com’s Vito Stellino (subscription required) he won’t be a slave to need: “If we’re going to give into pressure (to take a quarterback high if they have other players rated higher), we’re going to make the wrong decision,’’ he said. “Our vision is to build a franchise that can sustain and win over a period of time. In that process, if a quarterback presents himself, we’ll grab him.’’

Patriots Notes: Amendola, Edelman, McCourty

January 26th, 2014 at 12:24pm CST by Rory Parks

The Patriots may cut Danny Amendola this offseason, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. The Patriots are facing a difficult cap situation, with $127MM already committed to the team’s top 51 players, not to mention the dead money created by players that have already been cut. In order to alleviate some of their financial constraints, the Pats may elect to designate Amendola as a post-June 1 cut. If the team were to cut Amendola before June 1, the team would immediately take a $4.8MM cap hit. However, if they made Amendola a post-June 1 cut, they would take a $1.2MM hit in 2014, and a $3.6MM hit in 2015.

New England could then use some of the money they save on Amendola to pay free agent Julian Edelman, who emerged as quarterback Tom Brady‘s favorite target after the departure of Wes Welker and in the absence of tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Amendola has had difficulty staying healthy throughout the course of his career, but he was able to parlay his flashes of excellence with the Rams into a five-year, $28.5MM free agent contract with the Patriots last March. Despite his continued injury problems in his first season with New England, he would generate significant interest if the Pats were to cut him. Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times tweets that the Ravens would likely take a good look at Amendola should he hit the open market again.

New England might also look to extend safety Devin McCourty to free up some more cap room. Christopher Price of WEEI.com notes that McCourty’s salary is due to take a significant hike for the 2014 season, from $920K to about $3.92MM. His cap hit would be an even larger $5.115MM. As such, Price writes that the Pats would do well do extend McCourty, whose strong ball skills and leadership in the secondary make him a valuable part of the team’s success. McCourty is entering the final year of his rookie contract and would be a free agent at season’s end.