HEADLINES

Orlando Franklin

AFC Notes: McCown, Chargers, Bills

October 25th, 2015 at 8:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the AFC…

  • Browns quarterback Josh McCown wasn’t checked for a concussion until after today’s game, and Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets that the NFL will “review” whether the signal caller’s potential head injury was “handled properly.”
  • Chargers offensive lineman Orlando Franklin was carted off the field during his team’s loss to the Raiders, and Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune believes (via Twitter) the former second-rounder suffered a left leg injury. Franklin didn’t speak following the game, but Gehlken tweets that the lineman could “barely walk.”
  • Furthermore, Gehlken tweets that Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman left the stadium with his right arm in a sling. It’s believed to be a biceps injury, and the writer says the team is worried there’s a possible tear.
  • Bills coach Rex Ryan is confident that Tyrod Taylor will return following the team’s bye, reports Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News (via Twitter). Ryan also said the EJ Manuel would “100 percent” be the Bills backup quarterback.

Contract Details: Franklin, Kern, Cole, Vereen

March 10th, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by Luke Adams

A few details on some noteworthy new contracts from around the NFL:

  • Orlando Franklin, G (Chargers): Five years, $35.5MM base value. $15.5MM fully guaranteed at signing (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
  • Brett Kern, P (Titans): Five years, $15MM base value. $2.5MM signing bonus. $5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com).
  • Trent Cole, OLB (Colts): Two years, $14MM base value. $2MM signing bonus. $8MM guaranteed at signing. $1MM annually in playing-time/sack incentives (Twitter links via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com).
  • Shane Vereen, RB (Giants): Three years, $12.3MM base value. $3.5MM signing bonus. $4.75MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
  • J.T. Thomas, LB (Giants): Three years, $10MM base value. $4.5MM guaranteed. $1MM annual escalators in 2016, 2017 (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Virgil Green, TE (Broncos): Three years, $8.4MM base value. $4.2MM guaranteed. Max value of $11.25MM (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Sergio Brown, S (Jaguars): Three years, $7MM base value. $1MM guaranteed. Escalators can push total value up to $9MM (Twitter link via Pelissero).
  • Ed Dickson, TE (Panthers): Three years, $6.8MM base value. $2MM signing bonus ($700K deferred) (Twitter link via Pelissero).
  • Joe Berger, OL (Vikings): Two years, $2.155MM base value. $130K guaranteed. $800K available in incentives (Twitter link via Pelissero).

Orlando Franklin To Sign With Chargers

March 10th, 2015 at 3:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

TUESDAY, 3:37pm: It will be a five-year deal for Franklin, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 6:47am: Franklin has told people that he’ll leave the Broncos and sign a five-year deal with the Chargers, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links). When it gets finalized, Franklin’s deal will come in at close to $36.5MM, with $20MM guaranteed, says Schefter.

SUNDAY, 11:20pm: According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (Twitter link), the deal Franklin is expected to sign with the Chargers is worth $7.2MM per year, with $14MM in guaranteed money. Based on those figures, it sounds like it’ll be a four- or five-year pact.

4:36pm: A deal between free agent offensive lineman Orlando Franklin and the Chargers is “unofficially done,” a source tells Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). If correct, the contract would presumably be finalized on Tuesday when the new league year begins.

The 27-year-old Franklin has spent the first four years of his career with the Broncos, playing right tackle from 2011-13 before moving to left guard last season. With D.J. Fluker manning the right side in San Diego, Franklin would stay at guard, replacing either Chad Rinehart or Johnnie Troutman, both of whom struggled mightily in ’14, at either left or right guard. Franklin excelled in his positional transition, finishing as the league’s 13th-best guard according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

The Chargers have already made one move to solidify their offensive line in recent weeks, agreeing to a four-year extension with left tackle King Dunlap. Adding Franklin, PFR’s No. 25 free agent, would only improve the line even more. San Diego could probably use more help at guard, however, and center could also be upgraded, though Chris Watt was serviceable in limited playing time last year.

Chargers Rumors: Suh, Flowers, Cobb, OL

March 7th, 2015 at 5:37pm CST by Luke Adams

We hadn’t heard the Chargers linked to many big-name free agents before today, but – armed with about $26MM in cap room – it seems the team is prepared to make some noise this coming week. Here’s the latest out of San Diego:

  • The Chargers are preparing to make a run at Ndamukong Suh, joining a long list of potential suitors for 2015’s top free agent, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Albert Breer of the NFL Network adds (via Twitter) that sources from teams who are in the mix for Suh suggest the bidding could reach $18MM+ per year, and the Chargers may not be willing to go quite that high to land the star defensive tackle.
  • According to Rapoport (via Twitter), the Chargers are making a “hard push” to hang onto Brandon Flowers, and there’s a good chance the team will be able to bring back the veteran cornerback. No agreement has been reached yet, but Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun also reports (via Twitter) that Flowers is expected to remain in San Diego.
  • Eyeing potential offensive lineman help, with Nick Hardwick and Jeromey Clary having retired at season’s end, the Chargers are expected to pursue 49ers guard Mike Iupati, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Per Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter), the club may also be in on Broncos lineman Orlando Franklin. Iupati is widely regarded as the top interior lineman available this month, so Franklin may be a Plan B if the team is unable to land the veteran Niner.
  • Within the previously-linked story, Gehlken notes that Randall Cobb is considered a free agent worth keeping an eye on for the Chargers as well. That seems like a long shot, but perhaps it would become more plausible if San Diego strikes out on its other top targets.

Packers, Broncos Face Offseason Dilemmas

February 8th, 2015 at 10:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys’ and Broncos‘ respective approaches with their All-Pro wide receivers following statement contract years will draw the most headlines this offseason, but not far off that radar will be the Packers‘ decision on slot target Randall Cobb.

Not possessing the traditional build of a No. 1 target Demaryius Thomas or Dez Bryant have, Cobb put together a consistent campaign — 106 catches, 1,465 yards, 13 touchdown receptions in 18 games — but the Packers have a history of allowing their receivers to walk and restocking the position with home-grown talent: see Greg Jennings in 2013 or James Jones last March. But Cobb’s case may be unique, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Packers hall of fame receiver James Lofton weighed in on this issue, via Dunne.

“Which free-agent wide receiver has left a team and gone on to become a Pro Bowler on a new team?” Lofton said. “Vincent Jackson did in his first year at Tampa. … Emmanuel Sanders was (an alternate), when he went to Denver, but that’s an extenuating circumstance when you have Peyton Manning throwing the ball. So where can these guys find a home that was better than where they were? We saw Greg Jennings leave Green Bay — who was a good player — and now he’s an average player at best.”

Jennings exceeded 1,100 yards for three straight seasons in Green Bay — 2008-10 — but hasn’t topped 805 in two years with the Vikings. Jones scored 14 touchdowns in Green Bay in 2012 and set a career high in receptions with 73 in Oakland last year, but the 30-year-old averaged just 9.1 yards per catch as primarily a wide receiver. Almost exclusively a slot man when not stationed in the backfield, Cobb, only 24, averaged 14.1 per grab last season in a position not known for over-the-top proficiency, a statistic which increases his case to be paid like a top wide receiver. The franchise tag for wideouts is expected to be around $12.7MM, and the Packers have just more than $23MM in cap space, according to OverTheCap.com.

Meanwhile, the Broncos made a rather controversial shift from their three-wide receiver, no-huddle-based attack to a power-running approach midway through last season, and while free agents-to-be Orlando Franklin and Will Montgomery posted top-15 finishes at guard and center, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), new coach Gary Kubiak is likely to reshape the front based on his zone-blocking past, writes ESPN’s Jeff Legwold.

The Broncos entered the season with two first-team All-Pros on their front in left tackle Ryan Clady and right guard Louis Vasquez, but both regressed — Clady graded negatively on Pro Football Focus’ overall rating for the second time in four years after returning from the foot injury that ended his 2013 campaign after two games; Vasquez was marginalized when moved to right tackle to compensate for others’ struggles at that spot — and weakened the line. While Clady, the only lineman who played for the Broncos when they deployed Mike Shanahan‘s zone-blocking scheme, and Vasquez are expected back, Franklin and Montgomery are free agents, Manuel Ramirez slipped after a solid 2013, and the team is still without a viable right tackle option.

“Yes, that’s absolutely, 100 percent correct, three new starters minimum,” said ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth, a former Broncos zone-blocking bastion, via Legwold. “… Athletically speaking, they’re not good enough at left guard, center, and they need to find a right tackle.”

Solutions for both Cobb and Denver‘s offensive line don’t have to come from free agency, however, and may not require a No. 1 draft choice. From 2012-14, 37% of the Pro Bowlers came into the league in the third round or later, including 21 undrafted talents, ClevelandBrowns.com’s Kevin Jones measured. Cornerbacks from Denver (Chris Harris Jr.) and Green Bay (Sam Shields) contributed to that total as 2014 Pro Bowlers.

Sunday Roundup: Mauga, Peppers, AFC North

July 20th, 2014 at 12:42pm CST by Rory Parks

More and more beat writers are providing season previews, roster breakdowns, position battles, etc. as training opens (for one team, at least) in just a few hours. So let’s have a look at some links from around the league:

Broncos Notes: Franklin, Knighton, Gase

June 22nd, 2014 at 4:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Broncos have done some reshuffling along their offensive line this offseason — Ryan Clady will return from injury to protect Peyton Manning‘s blindside at left tackle, meaning his replacement last season, Chris Clark, will move to right tackle to compete with Winston Justice. In turn, Orlando Franklin, the 2013 starter on the right side, will find a new home at left guard, taking over for the departed Zane Beadles. As Mike Klis of the Denver Post writes, Franklin initially perceived the position switch as a slight, before deciding to embrace the move for the good of the team. The 6’7″, 320-pound Franklin is larger than a typical guard, and he admits he still has some work to do in order to master the position. “I’m definitely not a finished product, but I’m more comfortable today than what I was nine weeks ago at the position,” said Franklin. “It’s like learning all over again. Offensive tackle is a little different. They’ve got a lot more moves and there’s a lot more space. Being inside, yeah, they’re a lot bigger in there, but it’s like fighting in a phone booth.”

  • In a separate piece, Klis expounds on the confidence of defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, who excelled last season after signing a two-year contract with Denver. “…I think I’m in the prime of my career. I honestly don’t feel like there’s a center that can block me,” said the 27-year-old. “I’ll just keep working at it. I’ve watched film from last year, and I’ve watched future opponents. Right now, I’m just trying to go out there and dominate and continue where I left off.” Knighton, who will earn a base salary of $1.5MM in 2014, could be in line for a sizeable deal next offseason if he continues to perform well.
  • Offensive coordinator Adam Gase was the hot name among head coaching candidates this offseason, and was atop the Browns’ wishlist, writes Woody Paige of the Denver Post. However, Gase admits he made some poor play-calls in the Super Bowl, and feels the Broncos can accomplish even more on offense in 2014. Of course, that would lead to his being even more in demand next offseason, but Paige thinks Gase might stick around in Denver for the remainder of Manning’s tenure, and even posits that the 36-year-old could become the Broncos’ head coach at some point in the future.
  • Fielding an imposing pass rush shouldn’t be a problem for the Broncos given the presence of Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, but ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold thinks 2013 fifth-rounder Quanterus Smith could be a wild card next season. Smith was leading the nation in sacks while at Western Kentucky in 2012 before he tore his ACL; he then spent all of last season on injured reserve.
  • In a separate piece focusing on OTA highlights, Legwold opines that receiver Emmanuel Sanders, signed to a three-year deal in the offseason, has exhibited versatility and put in extra work with Manning, leading Legwold to believe that rapport could continue into the regular season.

Free Agency Notes: Jones-Drew, Veldheer, Finley

February 3rd, 2014 at 6:25pm CST by David Kipke

With free agency looming, let’s discuss some of the veteran players that find themselves in uncertain contract situations…

Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com thinks that Maurice Jones-Drew‘s days playing for the Jaguars are over. DiRocco explains that because Jones-Drew will have likely have to take a less lucrative contract to stay in Jacksonville, he will likely leave to pursue a a free agent deal similar to the ones received by Steven Jackson, Reggie Bush, and Shonn Greene last offseason.