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Mike Glennon

Pompei’s Latest: Texans, Flowers, Glennon

May 6th, 2014 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

In his latest Read Option piece, Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report makes the case that Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack represents the best choice for the Texans with the first overall pick. For his part, Mack would love to come off the board first, but recognizes that it’s not necessarily the most important thing.

“I don’t think it matters if I go first,” Mack said. “I feel like I’ve worked hard and shown I can be a great player and teammate. If every team knew everything I was about, I feel they would draft me. But what matters is what happens after you are picked.”

Here’s more from Pompei:

  • The Texans want to add more picks, and have long been rumored to be exploring trades involving the first overall pick. However, Pompei suggests the team may end up trading its first pick in the second round, rather than the first — Houston has actively been shopping that 33rd overall pick, according to Pompei’s sources.
  • The Chiefs are believed to be willing to discuss trades involving cornerback Brandon Flowers in an effort to land more draft picks, says Pompei. We’ll have to wait to see how serious Kansas City is about that possibility, but if the team looks to find a deal, I wonder if the Jets might be a match — New York has a need at cornerback, plenty of 2014 draft picks (12), and more than enough cap space to take on Flowers’ $5.25MM base salary.
  • While some quarterback-needy teams say the Buccaneers haven’t called them to shop Mike Glennon, that might change after the draft, according to Pompei, who writes that coach Lovie Smith and GM Jason Licht are expected to “stir up the quarterback position.” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com agrees that Glennon will be shopped if the Bucs draft a signal-caller, though he says that Tampa Bay won’t just give Glennon away, adding that the asking price could be a second-round pick (all Twitter links).

NFC Draft Notes: Eagles, Vikings, Giants

May 3rd, 2014 at 10:12pm CST by Peter Sowards

Eagles coach Chip Kelly is on record saying how much he loves Johnny Manziel. Kelly recruited Manziel while at Oregon, but Manziel spurned Kelly’s best efforts and ended up at Texas A&M.

Is a possible reunion in order?

Andrew Kulp of The 700 Level pegs Johnny Football as the best fit for the Eagles at No. 22, citing Kelly’s affinity for the free-wheeling Texan. It’s highly unlikely that Manziel slips that far, but it sure would make for must-see TV every Sunday.

More draft notes from the NFC…

  • The Vikings select Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley in Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ latest mock draft. Vikings brass could be skittish after the Christian Ponder pick didn’t work out so well, Tomasson writes.
  • A strong relationship between head coach and general manager is key to a team’s success in the draft room, and it appears that the Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman of the Vikings are in the process of building one, reports Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune.
  • The Giants will need to get as close as they can to batting 1.000 in the upcoming draft, says Tom Rock of newsday.com. After building a reputation as a draft savant — leading to two Super Bowls — general manager Jerry Reese has not had the same success in recent years.
  • Three players that the Giants could target at No. 12, according to the New York Daily News’ Ebenezer Samuel: North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron, Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans and Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin.
  • If the Seahawks want to stay on top of the league, they’ll have to do more of the same — draft well. But, as The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta writes, it’s become even more important to hit on late-round picks now that key players like safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas are earning second contracts and eating up prime real estate on the salary cap.
  • The Bucs may have to take Manziel if he’s on the board at No. 7, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. If not, Stroud thinks the team could take a QB in the second or third round, possibly offering 2013 third-round pick Mike Glennon in a trade.
  • The Panthers worked out Fresno State cornerback L.J. Jones, reports Aaron Wilson of National Football Post. Jones is projected as a late-round pick after being named as an All-Mountain West-Conference honorable-mention.
  • You can try your hand as Ted Thompson and play GM of the Packers with an online roster builder tool launched by Press-Gazette Media, spending up to $133MM and cutting the roster down to 53 players.

South Notes: Glennon, Bucs, Falcons, Titans

May 1st, 2014 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers are currently carrying three quarterbacks on their roster, but with the club expected to add another one in next Thursday’s draft, one of those three could be on the move. ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan indicated on WDAE 620 AM in Tampa Bay this week that, while the Bucs have denied shopping Mike Glennon, Caplan thinks he’s “as good as gone” (link via Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune).

“It’s obvious to me and people around the league that [the Bucs] are going to try to move him,” Caplan said.

Following up on his comments, via Twitter, Caplan suggested he doesn’t think Tampa Bay should move Glennon unless the team can land a third-round pick in return, given the 24-year-old’s impressive rookie season.

Here’s more on the Bucs and a few more NFC and AFC South clubs:

  • Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggests (via Twitter) that the Buccaneers will likely be open to moving down in the draft. As Rapoport notes, Bucs GM Jason Licht previously worked under Bill Belichick, who has made a habit of trading down.
  • Free agent tight end Bear Pascoe is meeting with and working out for the Falcons today, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). The 28-year-old spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Giants.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com gives the Titans a grade of C for their moves in free agency, which included signing linebacker Wesley Woodyard and offensive tackle Michael Oher, as well as letting cornerback Alterraun Verner walk.
  • Wide receivers Brian Robiskie and Jheranie Boyd are participating in the Titans‘ minicamp on a tryout basis, tweets ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky.
  • He won’t be drafted as high as fellow Louisville safety Calvin Pryor, but Hakeem Smith was a four-time All-Conference selection and had private workouts with the Titans and Falcons, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
  • The Texans and Jaguars are among the teams that have expressed interest in Wake Forest quarterback Tanner Price, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). According to Wilson, the Ravens, Bears, and Dolphins are a few other clubs with interest.

Buccaneers To Seek Veteran QB

February 23rd, 2014 at 12:29pm CST by Rory Parks

Earlier today, we learned that the Jets may be in the market for a veteran QB–specifically Josh McCown–to push young signal-caller Geno Smith. Now, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the Buccaneers are “absolutely” looking to bring in an experienced quarterback to compete with and possibly replace second-year QB Mike Glennon.

With just five picks in the 2014 draft but a great deal of cap space to work with, Tampa Bay plans to be active in free agency, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. New GM Jason Licht said that, with a new coach and a new regime, he cannot simply “hand the keys over” to the incumbent QB and declare him the starter without at least bringing in some competition. New head coach Lovie Smith agreed, stating, “This roster wasn’t set up with our system in mind. Not that it’s going to be that much different, but we’ll probably change more players than you think.”

Regarding his quarterback situation, Smith added, “In an ideal world, you would like to have some kind of a veteran in the mix instead of three young guys that haven’t played a lot. I think you can maybe get away with it at some of the other positions, but it’s not ideal (at quarterback).”

Of course, as Florio observes, the veterans available on the free agent market are more placeholders than long-term answers. Those options include McCown, Michael Vick, Matt Cassel, and (most likely) Matt Schaub.

Bucs Notes: Williams, Glennon, Clowney

February 2nd, 2014 at 9:53am CST by Rory Parks

Although Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Williams signed a five-year contract worth just under $40MM last season, his status with the team is far from certain, according to Tom Carpenter of ESPN.com. After tearing his hamstring halfway through the 2013 campaign, Williams accumulated over $200K in fines for being late to team meetings, missing team meetings altogether, and missing his scheduled rehab days, problems exacerbated by the “constant partying” that Williams documented on his Instagram account.

Carpenter writes that Williams’ behavior did not come as much of a surprise to former GM Mark Dominik. Dominik structured Williams’ new deal so that the team would have an “out” in 2014 if it needed one. As Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report observes, Williams’ deal includes a base salary of just $1.2MM in 2014. That way, if the wideout’s maturity became too much of an issue, or if his 2013 performance did not merit the length of the contract or the financial commitment, the team could release him this offseason and suffer just a $1.8MM cap hit in 2014.

However, new head coach Lovie Smith would probably like to have someone with Williams’ potential on board, particularly since his cap hit this year is so low. Since Williams’ contract is no longer guaranteed after 2014, the Bucs can simply go in a different direction if Williams doesn’t live up to that potential.

A couple of other Bucs tidbits:

  • For his part, ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas seems to think Williams will be back with Tampa Bay next year. In response to a reader’s question as to whether the Bucs will draft a receiver in the early rounds of the 2014 draft, Yasinskas said he thinks that the team has greater needs in other areas but that Tampa Bay would do well to target a speed receiver in the middle rounds of the draft or in free agency to complement Williams and fellow wide receiver Vincent Jackson.
  • In what is becoming an increasingly-popular question from fans around the league, another reader asks Yasinskas if the Buccaneers will trade up in the draft to nab South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Yasinskas replied that the Bucs would only make such a move if the team is comfortable with Mike Glennon as their quarterback. If so, and if the Bucs therefore don’t believe they need to take a QB in the first round, Yaskinsas thinks the defensive-minded Smith may push for the elite pass rusher.