Justin Britt - Pro Football Rumors

OL Rumors: Tunsil, Decker, Seahawks

May 7th, 2016 at 2:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite being selected at No. 13 overall, Laremy Tunsil is slotted at a foreign position to him. The Dolphins are currently planning to station the Ole Miss left tackle at left guard, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

A three-year starter with the Rebels exclusively at left tackle, Tunsil told media (including Jackson) he has never played guard but expressed willingness to line up anywhere on the Fins’ front. Branden Albert and Ja’Wuan James remain as the Dolphins’ tackles, leaving Tunsil to join Billy Turner on Miami’s first unit at guard. With Albert, James and Mike Pouncey in the fold, guard has been a troublesome spot for the Dolphins recently.

Pro Football Focus graded the Dolphins as the league’s No. 31 line, ahead of only the injury-ravaged Chargers, with former starting guard Dallas Thomas receiving the site’s worst marks among its starters. PFF graded Miami as the league’s worst run-blocking line last season.

Here’s more on Tunsil and the latest from the respective offensive fronts around the league.

New offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen categorized Tunsil as the best lineman in the draft and was stunned he fell to Miami’s draft slot. “The further he dropped, I started feeling myself get a little knot in my stomach. I’m going, ‘Ah, don’t get your hopes up. You know better than to do that. There’s five places to go,'” Christensen told media, including Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. “And even when it was one spot away, I was going, ‘Somebody is trading up. Do not let yourself get your hopes up. You’ve done this before. It’s no fun. You’ll be disappointed.’ When it did happen, I couldn’t believe it did happen.”
Although some expected the Lions to place Taylor Decker at right tackle considering 2012 first-rounder Riley Reiff has started on the left side for the past three seasons, the Ohio State blocker will begin his Detroit tenure at left tackle, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Jim Caldwell did not specify the team’s plans for its first-rounder, but Decker lined up at that position during Saturday’s minicamp workout. Decker started 28 games at left tackle for the Buckeyes during the 2014-15 seasons but played right tackle as a sophomore. Birkett writes that Reiff’s future in Detroit could be tied to Decker’s ability to handle left tackle. Set to play this season on his fifth-year option, Reiff will be a free agent in 2017. Beyond Reiff, the Lions employ Michael Ola and 2015 seventh-rounder Corey Robinson. However, the team signed Geoff Schwartz to a modest accord in the offseason, and although he’s coming off two injury-prone seasons with the Giants, Schwartz has been a quality player at guard and right tackle when healthy. He may make the most sense to play right tackle if Detroit deems Decker its left tackle.
The Seahawks are planning to slide Justin Britt from guard to center, Tom Cable told media — including Liz Mathews of 710 ESPN (Twitter link). Primarily a left tackle in college at Missouri, Britt will have now moved from right tackle to guard to center in his three seasons in the league if this transition sticks. Britt rated as PFF’s seventh-worst full-time guard last season.
Seattle’s staff plans to begin Germain Ifedi‘s career at right guard, with the Texas A&M tackle’s next spot potentially being right tackle, according to an Associated Press report. The Raiders’ starting right guard for all 16 games last season, J’Marcus Webb is expected to return to tackle, where he began his NFL career with the Bears.

NFC Camp Notes: Seahawks, Lyerla, Eagles

June 22nd, 2014 at 9:54am CST by Rory Parks

Now that OTAs and minicamps are behind us, writers from around the league are looking ahead to training camp, anticipating roster battles, and wondering if anything we saw in the past few weeks of workouts will translate into the regular season. Here are some such notes from the NFC:

Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times writes that the Seahawks‘ most heated position battle will be at right tackle, where Michael Bowie and Justin Britt appear to have equal footing heading into training camp.
Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel lists 10 Packers storylines to watch before training camp, including JC Tretter‘s hold on the center position and how the team will replace Jermichael Finley. Perhaps undrafted tight end Colt Lyerla, who Dunne also lists as a player to watch this summer, could be part of that solution.
Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer, like most writers, notes that reports from OTAs and minicamps are typically full of optimism. But trouble always lurks beneath that hopeful veneer, and for the Eagles, that trouble comes in the form of depth along the offensive line and the wide receiver corps. Then there is the question of whether the team’s projected starters in the defensive backfield are good enough to compete on a weekly basis.
On the more optimistic side of the coin, Rich Tandler of RealRedskins.com points to five reasons for Redskins fans to feel hopeful heading into training camp, including what promises to be a more productive pass rush.
Matt Bowen of The Chicago Tribune liked a lot of what he saw from the Bears‘ defensive unit this spring, including the promise displayed by Brock Vereen and Shea McClellin.

West Notes: Tebow, Thomas, 49ers, Seahawks

June 2nd, 2014 at 6:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Tim Tebow still has hopes of returning to the NFL someday, even as he continues his television work with the new SEC Network, writes Mike Organ of the Tennessean. Tebow, who lead the Broncos to the playoffs in 2012, spent one season with the Jets before attending training camp with the Patriots in 2013. “I’m training every day and feel like I’m the best that I’ve ever been,” said Tebow. “I still love it, love playing, talking about it, and I’m just excited about whatever the future holds. Who knows what could happen? But I’m excited about it, though.”

More notes from the West divisions:

Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas is looking at a huge payday, says Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Thomas, an unrestricted free agent following the upcoming season, could be in line for a contract close to that of Larry Fitzgerald, who earns over $16MM annually and received $27MM in guarantees.
Raiders safety Charles Woodson might have retired had the Oakland not re-signed him in March, but that doesn’t mean that 2014 will be the veteran’s final NFL season, tweets ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez. Woodson, 37, graded out as the league’s 28th-best safety in 2014 per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), excelling more in coverage than in run defense.
Sio Moore will likely play more weak-side linebacker for the Raiders next season, says Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter). Moore spent most of 2013 on the strong side, but Oakland’s first-round pick, Khalil Mack, will move into the SAM position.
Chargers offensive lineman Jeromey Clary, already recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, recently underwent hip surgery, leaving his training camp availability in question, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego.
The 49ers, along with the Ravens and Packers, are masters of the compensatory pick system, and Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com thinks that San Francisco could be in line for additional picks in the sixth and seventh rounds, citing the losses of Donte Whitner and Tarell Brown.
Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin had hip surgery today, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). While Condotta notes “there is not real prognosis yet,” Irvin himself chimes in on Twitter, saying that he will return by training camp.
Several lesser-known players are getting opportunities for the Seahawks, as defensive lineman Jordan Hill is receiving some playing time in nickel packages (filling the void left by Clinton McDonald), and rookie offensive lineman Justin Britt is manning right tackle while Michael Bowie deals with a minor injury, per Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times.

Seahawks Sign Justin Britt

May 22nd, 2014 at 4:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Second-round offensive tackle Justin Britt has signed his four-year rookie contract with the Seahawks, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). With Paul Richardson and Cassius Marsh also locked up, Seattle has now secured its top three draftees, and six of nine total picks.

The final player selected in the second round, Britt should receive a signing bonus worth about $834K, according to Jason Fitzgerald’s figures at OverTheCap.com. In total, Britt’s contract will have a base value in the neighborhood of $3.457MM for the first four years of his career.

Paul McQuistan and Breno Giacomini each logged more than 550 snaps at one of the two tackle positions for the Seahawks in 2013, and departed via free agency this offseason. So while Britt may not become an immediate starter in Seattle, he could end up seeing plenty of playing time in his rookie year, given the team’s need for depth at left and right tackle.

Pete Carroll Discusses Seahawks’ Rookies

May 18th, 2014 at 6:09pm CST by David Kipke

Head coach Pete Carroll was very impressed with the incoming Seahawks’ rookie class after the team’s three-day mini-camp. According to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, Carroll spoke highly of both the draft picks and UDFA players that participated in the camp. Carroll spoke about several rookies in particular, so let’s check in on the highlights:

Carroll envisions fourth-round draft pick Cassius Marsh perhaps eventually stepping into a role similar to the one currently being performed by the recently re-signed Michael Bennett.
Justin Britt will compete immediately with Michael Bowie to become the team’s swingman on the offensive line.
Second-rounder Paul Richardson, a wide receiver out of Colorado, suffered from a sore shoulder in Friday’s practice, but that the injury was only day-to-day.
Carroll also loved what he saw from fullback Kiero Small, a seventh-round pick from Arkansas. He said that the back had a “really good accelerator,” and that “he can catch the ball really well.”