February 28th, 2019 at 9:15am CST by Zachary Links
Kyler Murray could be well on his way to being a top 5 pick in the NFL Draft. The Oklahoma quarterback measured in at 5’10” at the NFL Draft combine, which should give teams some comfort in his ability to see over defenders.
Murray’s formal measurement put him at one-eighth of an inch over 5’10”, which was no small matter. There were rumblings of Murray being no taller than 5’9″ without shoes and such a measurement would have been devastating for his draft stock.
Murray’s hand also measured at 9.5 inches, which should be good enough to palm and handle an NFL football. That might not sound like a big deal, but quarterbacks have slid down the board in the past due to their hand size. His weight of 207 pounds should also bring comfort to execs who were concerned about whether he’d able to absorb hits at the pro level.
With those hurdles cleared, Murray should be one of the first names called in April. He may even be a contender for the No. 1 overall pick, which may or may not be kept by the Cardinals.
Although the Broncos agreed to acquire Joe Flacco, they will still be linked to this year’s top rookie quarterbacks — as they were last year. If Kyler Murray is available at No. 10, they may serve as a spot for teams looking to trade up. John Elway does not appear to believe the shorter passer would be a fit for an offense that will use plenty of under-center looks under new OC Rich Scangarello, per Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). The Broncos passed on Josh Allen and Josh Rosen last year and have been connected to Drew Lock. If Denver sticks at No. 10 and chooses a non-quarterback, the team will have had back-to-back top-10 picks without addressing its long-term QB need with one of them. The 2020 draft is expected to have high-profile passers, but it’s obviously no lock the Broncos will be in position to draft or trade up for one.
Here is the latest from Denver (via Indianapolis):
Despite the Flacco deal, Elway’s preference is to keep Case Keenum. It would take a restructured deal, though, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic tweets. Keenum is attached an untenable $21MM cap number. With Flacco set to bring an $18.5MM figure to Denver, it is hard to see Keenum staying due to the pay cut it would require. The 30-year-old incumbent has not requested a trade, Elway said (per the Denver Post’s Ryan O’Halloran, on Twitter), adding the Broncos would allow him to seek one.
Matt Paradis probably looms as the Broncos’ top free agent priority. Elway has spoken with the Broncos’ center of the past four years and informed him they would like him back, Jhabvala tweets. But Paradis’ injury and price point will be a factor. The 29-year-old snapper has been expected to reach free agency, where a new market-setting deal may well await him — considering teams’ need for higher-end linemen. However, multiple executives predicted (via O’Halloran, Twitter link) Paradis will end up back in Denver on a one-year deal because of the broken fibula that ended his season last November.
The Broncos’ need for a cornerback is as great as it has been in five years, and Elway acknowledged (via Klis, on Twitter) the team needs to find a No. 2 corner to team with All-Pro Chris Harris. This would seem to point to Bradley Roby departing, which has been the expectation. Vic Fangio said (via Jhabvala) the Broncos will let Roby test free agency, a good sign he will not be back in 2019.
As for Harris, Elway said the team has not considered an extension yet and whether or not the Broncos do go in this direction will depend on their free agency period, per Troy Renck of Denver7 (on Twitter). However, Renck added earlier (Twitter link) the expectation is the Broncos will meet with Harris’ agent at the Combine. The 29-year-old corner has been one of Denver’s cornerstone players this decade, and with Roby likely to leave and Aqib Talib having been traded, Harris represents the Broncos’ only surefire option at corner. Denver is also set to let Tramaine Brock walk.
On its offensive line, Denver will bring back Ronald Leary, Elway confirmed (via Jhabvala, on Twitter). Leary has more than $5MM in injury guarantees due if he cannot pass a physical by March 17. It’s been previously reported the veteran guard will be unable to pass said physical by then. Leary has seen both of his Denver seasons end early because of injury. Also on the Broncos’ O-line: Elway said (per Renck, on Twitter) the team would like to re-sign right tackle starter Jared Veldheer and utility blocker Billy Turner. If Veldheer departs, the Broncos would have a sixth Week 1 right tackle starter in six years.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic believes the 49ers would jump at the chance to trade for Odell Beckham Jr. if the Giants actually make him available, but Barrows is more skeptical about San Francisco’s interest in Antonio Brown. It has been rumored that Brown’s preferred destination is the 49ers, but Barrows says San Francisco would only be a serious suitor for Brown if the Steelers’ trade demands are modest. Of course, we recently heard that Pittsburgh may not get more than a third-round pick for AB, so maybe that is modest enough for the Niners to take the plunge.
Now for more from around the NFL (and XFL):
In the same piece linked above, Barrows writes that the 49ers must re-sign guard Mike Person, and he says the club plans to meet with Person’s agent at the Scouting Combine this week.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Giants are expected to hire Everett Withers as their new DBs coach. Withers spent the last three seasons as the head coach of Texas State and had previously agreed to become the defensive coordinator for Florida International in 2019. He will take over for Lou Anarumo, who left Big Blue to become the Bengals’ DC.
Former Bengals RBs coach Kyle Caskey will join the Lions in the same capacity, per Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network (via Twitter). It is a logical hire for Detroit, as Caskey did good work in his five years coaching Cincinnati’s running backs.
Colts WR Marcus Johnson, an exclusive rights free agent, has been cleared to resume football activities, Johnson himself tweeted. Johnson was placed on IR in October.
Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmonsis not at this week’s Scouting Combine in Indianapolis due to his surgery to repair a torn ACL (plus, while he would have been permitted to participate in limited interviews and undergo medical testing, he was banned from participating in drills). However, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets that Simmons will attend the medical recheck in Indianapolis in April, which will give interested clubs the chance to see how his recovery is progressing.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out an odd quirk in the league’s rule concerning a prospect’s eligibility to fully participate in the Scouting Combine. Since the ban on drills that players like Simmons have faced only encompasses convictions, that means that players who have not been convicted of a crime but who are still facing potentially serious charges — like Wyoming DE Carl Granderson — are allowed to participate in all aspects of the Combine. Of course, current NFL players may face league discipline even if they avoid legal repercussions for their misdeeds, so Florio believes the rule banning prospects only if they have been convicted of a crime should be eliminated.
Appearing on The Mighty 1090 (audio link), draft guru Tony Pauline expressed his belief that Oklahoma QB Kyler Murraywill definitely be drafted in the first round; it is merely a question of where in the first round he will fall.
Former Redskins head coach Jim Zorn, who also served as the quarterbacks coach for five different NFL clubs, has been named the head coach and GM of the XFL’s Seattle franchise, the league announced via Twitter.
February 23rd, 2019 at 6:18pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg
Last week the new league Alliance of American Football, the AAF, received a cash infusion of $250MM from investor Tom Dundon. Dundon, who owns the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, reportedly bailed the league out of some financial trouble, and effectively assumed control of the AAF. But according to a new report, Dundon may not be as tied to the league long-term as it intially seemed, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.
Apparently Dundon has yet to transfer over all $250MM, and the money will instead be procured over a period of time. Dundon apparently has the ability to pull the plug on the deal and stop funding the league if he determines the investment is no longer with it. None of this means that the league is in any immediate danger or that Dundon has had any sort of change of heart, but it adds another interesting wrinkle to the ordeal. The league has been very tightlipped about the circumstances surrounding Dundon’s investment, and concrete information has been hard to come by.
Here’s more from the football universe:
Speaking of alternative pro football leagues, the XFL named its latest head coach, and it was a notable NFL name. Pep Hamilton will be the coach of the league’s Washington franchise, according to Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports. Hamilton was the offensive coordinator of the Colts from 2013-15, and spent the past couple of years as an assistant on Jim Harbaugh’s staff at Michigan. He was also an assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach with the Browns in 2016.
Kyler Murray spoke to the media today, and elaborated a bit on his decision to play football instead of baseball, per Jake Trotter of ESPN.com. Murray said that while it was hard letting the Oakland A’s know he would be going with the NFL, it was something he’d “known for a while.” He reiterated his commitment to playing quarterback at the next level, and said while the A’s “can hold out all the hope they want to”, he definitely wasn’t going to be changing his mind. It’s unclear exactly where Murray will be drafted, but most current projections have him going sometime in the top half of the first round.
The Niners have the No. 2 and No. 36 overall picks in the draft, giving them ample ammo to land one of the game’s most dynamic receivers. An outright swap of the No. 2 pick for OBJ may be too high of a price for the 49ers to pay, but Florio suggests that the Giants could send back a third- or fourth-round pick to balance things out.
Florio also wonders if the already star-studded Rams could reignite their OBJ pursuit. Brandin Cooks seems to have the WR1 position covered, but they could theoretically put together a package with draft capital and a receiver like Robert Woods to make a strong offer.
While you ponder those OBJ possibilities, here’s more from around the NFL:
Now that Colin Kaepernick‘s collusion grievance has been settled, the door may be open for the quarterback to return to the NFL. With that in mind, the beat writers of The Athletic ran down potential fits with each of the league’s 32 teams. The entire piece is worth a read, though there is a common refrain – Kaep may be a fit for several teams, but PR issues would ultimately 86 the chance of deals in most cases. The Seahawks, who previously explored a Kaepernick signing, may be among the most likely landing spots for the polarizing QB.
Oklahoma quarterback and dual-sport star Kyler Murray is training for the Scouting Combine, but he is unsure about whether he will throw in Indianapolis, as Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram tweets. Murray, presumably, will run the 40-yard dash, and he says he posted an impressive 4.3-second time when he last tried it in 2016. Teams will also be eager to measure the QB. An Oklahoma official recently claimed that Murray comes in at just 5’9″ and 7/8 inches in socks.
February 18th, 2019 at 10:23am CST by Zachary Links
Antonio Brown has scared off at least one interested team with his tweets, Peter King of NBC Sports hears. The Steelers star hasn’t been shy about airing his dirty laundry over social media and King suspects that other potential suitors are also viewing his outspokenness as a red flag.
Brown’s latest Twitter outburst included shots at coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, which jibes with reports of serious friction between Brown and key team figures in recent months.
“No conflict just a matter of respect! Mutual respect!” Brown said, on Twitter. “He has a owner mentality like he can call out anybody including coaches. Players know but they can’t say anything about it otherwise they meal ticket gone. It’s a dirty game within a game. #truth.”
Over the past 40-plus days, Brown has requested a trade and been involved in a domestic dispute. Meanwhile, he’s denied any wrongdoing in connection with the incident.
Here’s more from King’s column:
King is skeptical of the Texans reaching a long-term deal with Jadeveon Clowney this offseason because he’s “not as hard of worker bee some others on that defense are.” However, that could change if Clowney receives the franchise tag and proves himself in 2019. Clowney recently earned a payment of $1.005MM to resolve a dispute over the position designation for his fifth-year option, so he’d earn roughly $17.3MM under the terms of the tag.
The Raiders have three first-round picks and there has been speculation that they could target a quarterback early in the draft, despite the presence Derek Carr. The Raiders, King hears, are fascinated with Murray. If that’s the case, he wonders whether Oakland might flip Carr to to the Jaguars, Dolphins, or Redskins and select the Oklahoma star. If that happens, Murray could wind up playing his first home games on the field of the Oakland A’s.
The long-awaited speculation surrounding Kyler Murray‘s future was answered on Monday when the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from Oklahoma announced his plans to commit to football and enter the NFL Draft.
This is big news, of course, because Murray was drafted by the Oakland A’s in the first round of the 2018 MLB amateur draft. The team agreed to let Murray play quarterback at Oklahoma with the expectation he would join the club for spring training in February. That plan backfired, as Murray took home college football’s top honor after throwing for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns, and adding 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground in his first season as a starter in Norman.
The success propelled the dual-threat passer into a potential first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and led to his decision to forego his deal with the A’s to pursue the NFL.
The upside is obvious with Murray, who possess Michael Vick-like quickness with a much more honed passing arm. Unlike Vick, Murray has been in pass-happy offense all the way back to his days with Texas high school powerhouse Allen, where he never lost a game in the highest classification in the Lone Star State. His ability as a passer and a runner makes him much more like Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson. Any team looking for a quarterback in the NFL Draft would be foolish not to give the Sooners star a look.
The drawback is also obvious. At an estimated 5-foot-9, Murray would easily be the shortest quarterback in the league. It’s not just the height that gives team pause, however, as he also possesses a slight build that is unlikely to add more bulk. While the height issue might be a little overblown following the success of Wilson, Drew Brees and Baker Mayfield, the slight profile is much more concerning and could make him much more susceptible to injury.
Those factors make trying to pick a landing spot for Murray a difficult task. Early in the process, many mock drafts had the Oklahoma quarterback as a late-first-round pick or a Day Two selection. Now, many of those same prognostications have him going in the top 10 or 15 picks. New Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury also drew headlines when a video surfaced of him saying he would take Murray No. 1 overall when he was coach at Texas Tech. He has since committed to Josh Rosen as his quarterback.
So, where in the 2019 NFL Draft does Murray go. Is he the top quarterback taken? Does he slip to the teens or the end of the first round? Or does the size question push him all the way to a Day Two or Three selection? Let us know your pick in the poll and give us your thoughts in the comments.
The Seahawksstarted talking contract with star defensive end and free agent-to-be Frank Clark last month, and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times says the Seahawks will not let Clark get away. If the two sides cannot work out a long-term deal in the next couple of weeks, Seattle will put the franchise tag — valued at roughly $18MM for defensive ends — on the 25-year-old. That will at least buy them until July to come to terms on a multiyear pact, which could have a total value of up to $90MM. Clark, though, appears perfectly willing to play out the 2019 campaign on the one-year franchise tender, which would make him eligible for free agency again next year.
Let’s round up a few more items from the NFC:
It does not appear that the Eagles will re-sign Golden Tate before free agency opens next month, Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk opines. Alper does not cite a source, but a recent tweet from Tate himself and executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman‘s silence on the matter suggest that Tate will be looking for a new home soon. Tate has indicated he would like to be back in Philly, but given the Eagles’ tight salary cap situation, that could be a tall order, especially if Tate is still seeking a Jarvis Landry-type deal.
Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury continues to dismiss the speculation connecting Kyler Murray to Arizona. Many pundits believe Murray would thrive in Kingsbury’s offense, but Kingsbury insists that the team is committed to last year’s first-round pick, Josh Rosen (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic tweets that team president Michael Bidwill is also adamant that his club will not pursue Murray (at least not with the No. 1 overall pick).
Budda Baker has functioned as the Cardinals‘ slot corner, but new DC Vance Joseph said that Baker will be moved back to his natural safety position in 2019 (Twitter link via Mike Jurecki of AZCardinals.com).
Despite the torn ACL that ended Kwon Alexander‘s season in October, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com believes Alexander will cash in, though it may not be with the Buccaneers. Laine says that Tampa Bay was not willing to pay $10MM per year for Alexander even before the ACL tear, though she believes that other teams will be happy to hit that figure. Given that Alexander appears to be progressing well in his recovery, Laine thinks his market will be robust (Twitterlinks).
Kyler Murray previously hired Scott Boras to represent his MLB interests, but now that the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner has announced intentions to pursue an NFL path, he made a decision on that front.
Entering the week without an NFL agent, Murray hired Select Sports Group’s Erik Burkhardt, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports (on Twitter). Select Sports was believed to be the favorites for Murray, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill (Twitter link).
The Oklahoma-developed quarterback will enter the pre-draft process as one of the most unusual prospects in memory. A 5-foot-10 (with most expecting him to measure up at 5-8 or 5-9 at the Combine) dual-threat passer with one year of full-time college gridiron work, Murray was a top-10 MLB draft pick. He will now force quarterback-needy teams to do extensive homework in advance of the NFL draft.
NFL executives are coming around on the diminutive signal-caller. Of the 10 GMs or higher-ranking execs NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport surveyed, nearly all of them believe Murray will be a first-round pick, rising significantly from a small sample Rapoport took in December (video link). Some of these execs said Murray will be a mid-first-round selection. Conversely, Albert Breer of SI.com has not heard personnel people quite as bullish on Murray’s NFL fit, tabbing him as a second- or third-round prospect but a player who, because of positional scarcity, will likely end up as a first-rounder.
The first round has several teams in need of immediate quarterback answers — the Giants, Jaguars, Broncos, Dolphins and Redskins — and some potentially in need of future solutions (the Buccaneers, Bengals, Chargers and Patriots). The Saints also fit into the latter category but do not hold a first-round selection. The Raiders have three, and while they employ Derek Carr, his job security is not nearly as rock-solid as it was under the Reggie McKenzie regime. The Giants also may be leaning against being a player in the Murray sweepstakes.
With Eli Manning entering a contract year and his age-38 season, the Giants will be connected to a few quarterbacks this offseason. Now that Kyler Murray has spurned baseball for the NFL draft, he may be one of them. But Big Blue is not known for non-traditional quarterback types, and one Giants source told SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano that the 5-foot-10 Murray is “probably a little too small” for the team to consider. Murray’s suitor list will become clearer as pre-draft workouts commence, but the Giants are in the thick of the market in holding the No. 6 overall pick and needing a Manning heir apparent. They appear readier to select a passer with a high draft choice this year than they were a year ago, but the Giants have been a traditional quarterback franchise. Manning is 6-foot-3. The Giants deployed 6-5 Kerry Collins and 6-3 Phil Simms. The starting passers that filled the gaps in between the franchise’s three most prominent signal-callers were also north of 6-3. So are top 2019 passing prospects Dwayne Haskins, Drew Lock and Daniel Jones. Pat Shurmur said last year he prefers taller quarterbacks.
This could be music to the ears of quarterback-seeking teams who are intrigued by Murray, who will now be dissected as a prospect after committing to football. Murray could join Michael Vick and Johnny Manziel as the only sub-6-foot-1 passers selected in Round 1 (h/t ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini, via Twitter) in the past 51 years. Here is the latest from the NFC East:
Redskins video assistant Jack Gruden, the son of head coach Jay Gruden, was arrested Saturday and charged with being drunk in public, NBC 4 Sports reports (on Twitter). This occurred in Ashburn, Va., at the same area where Washington safety Montae Nicholson was arrested. Gruden, 22, was involved in three separate arguments, according to NBC Sports Washington. The Redskins are looking into the arrest. Gruden has been a Redskins staffer since 2018.
The Giants made another addition to their coaching staff, hiring Mike Dawson to be their outside linebackers coach. Dawson spent most of his career, including the past three seasons, at the college level. He followed Scott Frost from Central Florida to Nebraska. His lone NFL coaching experience was a three-year stay on Chip Kelly‘s Eagles staffs earlier this decade.
While the Eagles may use 2019 to draft a later-round quarterback and attempt to develop him behind Carson Wentz, the team still likes what it has in Nate Sudfeld, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia writes. Sudfeld should be expected to be Wentz’s backup post-Nick Foles, Zangaro adds. The former Redskins draft choice served as Foles’ top backup after Wentz went down in 2017 and did so again this past season.
A five-year, $100MM deal with $60MM guaranteed would be reasonable for DeMarcus Lawrence‘s long-term Cowboys terms, Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. Lawrence can be expected to slide into the $4MM-plus-AAV gap between Khalil Mack and Von Miller, but with the cap expected to approach or exceed $190MM, the sixth-year defensive end could land a pact closer to Mack’s than Miller’s. Archer’s proposal would guarantee Lawrence 60 percent of his deal; Mack received a 58 percent guarantee. Melvin Ingram signed for 65 percent guaranteed.
