T.J. Lang

NFC North Notes: Asiata, Lions, Vikes, Bears

May 14th, 2017 at 8:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Matt Asiata‘s visit with the Lions occurred this weekend, but the team is not ready to offer the former Vikings starter a contract yet, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Birkett adds that the workout went well for the first-time UFA running back, but the Lions are currently going with their holdovers. Detroit’s present backfield houses Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, Dwayne Washington and Zach Zenner. The Lions did not draft a running back. An Asiata pact would seemingly stand in the way of the Lions adding LeGarrette Blount. One of the suitors linked to the now-uniquely positioned free agent, the Lions have a need for a reliable runner after Abdullah has failed to stay healthy. The unavailability of he and Riddick, who is already a passing-down specialist, hurt the Lions last season. Asiata has not drawn any other known interest to this point.

Here’s more from Detroit and the latest from some of the Lions’ chief rivals.

Jarrad Davis will play middle linebacker and relegate Tahir Whitehead to the competition for one of the outside spots, Birkett notes. Whitehead led the Lions with 132 tackles last season — 45 more than any other Lion recorded in 2016 — but drew scrutiny from Pro Football Focus, which graded the veteran as its second-worst full-time linebacker. Davis played middle linebacker in each of the past two seasons at Florida and appears set to open there for the Lions, who also added Paul Worrilow to the equation there this offseason. Whitehead looks to be the frontrunner for one of the outside jobs in Detroit’s 4-3.
Brian Robison said he agreed to a restructured Vikings contract — one that amounts to a paycut in 2017, with his salary being slashed from $5.3MM to $3.9MM — not because the franchise forced him to but because it gives him an opportunity to play 2018 with the franchise. “No. 1 I didn’t have to take a pay cut. It was something I chose to do,” Robison said, per Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “With the Vikings, I thought it was a very complimentary deal both for myself and the organization. On the flip side of it, I got an opportunity to play an extra year here in Minnesota and gives me an opportunity to retire as a Viking and play my entire career in one uniform.” Now 34, the 11th-yaer defensive end is the Vikings’ longest-tenured player and is signed through 2018, and he plans to make that his final NFL season.
High-priced Lions guard T.J. Lang won’t join his teammates in workouts until training camp, Birkett reports. The former Packers Pro Bowler is recovering from a January hip surgery, which will shelve him for Detroit’s OTAs and minicamp.
The Bears are adjusting some of their quarterback coaching plan for rookie Mitch Trubisky, John Mullin of CSNChicago.com notes, adding, however, John Fox won’t be thinking long-term when he decides who will start come September. Mullin writes that Mike Glennon‘s status as the current starter, one he held at this juncture in the 2015 Buccaneers’ offseason, won’t deter the Bears from starting Trubisky on Day 1 if he’s ready. Trubisky is viewed as more of a project than Jameis Winston, but the Bears’ investment is quite similar to the Bucs’ then.

NFC West Rumors: Lang, Ware, 49ers, Rams

March 13th, 2017 at 10:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

T.J. Lang saw the Lions change his mind at the last minute and possibly changing the fortunes of the team that beat Detroit in the wild-card round. The ninth-year guard was “99 percent” sure he was going to sign with the Seahawks after the sides’ Saturday summit. But the Lions improved their offer and ended up signing the Michigan native to a three-year, $28.5MM deal.

“I didn’t know Detroit was coming back with a counter-offer,” Lang said in an interview with 97.1-FM (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “When I left Seattle I was about 99 percent sure I was flying back there to sign a contract and Detroit stepped up and things changed pretty quick.”

Lang’s former team did not offer him as much as the Lions did. The Packers proposed a three-year deal worth $21.5MM. While the Lions pact includes $19MM in guarantees, the Packers’ offer housed just $6.5MM guaranteed. Opining on the Packers’ usual free agency-phobic tendencies, Lang said Green Bay’s offer made this decision easier.

“I think just throughout the years they were able to get some guys back in town because they used the whole, we’re good, we’re competitive, we compete for championships every year. Do you want to play with the best quarterback in the NFL-type thing, you’re going to have to take a little less money, and I think it just kind of wore some guys out the last couple years and watching guys leave,” Lang said during the radio interview.

Here’s more from the NFC West.

DeMarcus Ware‘s Rams visit did include discussions with Wade Phillips and new HC Sean McVay, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports. But he adds the sides did not get into serious talks about the now-retired pass-rusher joining the Rams.
UFA tackle Byron Bell visited the 49ers this weekend, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. He did not play during the 2016 after dislocating his ankle on the first day of Titans OTAs last summer. Bell proved versatile for the 2015 Titans, however, starting 16 games but at three different spots — eight at right tackle, seven at left guard and one at left tackle. The 28-year-old Bell has been a career-long starter, serving as the Panthers’ primary left tackle from 2011-14.
Kyle Juszczyk received an even better offer than the fullback-record deal (four years, $21MM) he signed with the 49ers, Peter King of TheMMQB.com reports. The fifth-year fullback’s agent told King one team would have paid Juszczyk more than what the 49ers offered. The Bills, Browns, Eagles and Jets were also in on this competition.
The Seahawks‘ Jared Cook visit will create questions regarding Jimmy Graham‘s long-term spot with the team, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. Graham is already 30, having turned 25 during his rookie year. However, Cook is less than six months younger. Graham will be a UFA in 2018, and the Seahawks have potential third contracts for Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor to consider. Both have observed other safeties surpass their second Seattle contracts in terms of value in recent years. Pete Carroll said at the Combine there is no reason to doubt Graham’s status on the 2017 Seahawks. He will count $10MM against Seattle’s cap this year.
Jarvis Jones‘ Rams visit will occur Tuesday, per Gonzalez. The Rams signed their most recent visitor, cornerback Kayvon Webster, on Monday night.

NFC North Notes: Packers, Lacy, Lang, Lions

March 12th, 2017 at 4:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although Eddie Lacy said last month the Packers were pushing to re-sign him, they’re reportedly not offering him much money, tweets Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who notes Green Bay will likely stand by its initial proposal. Lacy, 26, is scheduled to to take free agent visits with both the Vikings and Seahawks. The running back market as a whole has been incredibly slow to develop, as only one back on PFR’s top 10 list of free agent RBs has signed (Danny Woodhead).

Here’s more from the NFC North:

If Lacy expects the Packers to change their tune, he may want to look at the example of right guard T.J. Lang, who today signed a three-year deal to join the division-rival Lions. Green Bay didn’t make a competitive offer, as their final proposal was $21.5MM over three years with $6.5MM guaranteed, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Instead, Lang will earn $28.5MM and $19MM in guarantees over the same three-year term with Detroit. Lang would have re-signed with the Packers if the offer was close, reports Demovsky.
The Packers may not have an obvious internal candidate to replace Lang, as Demovsky details. 2016 second-round pick Jason Spriggs slid inside to guard for a few games last season, but he’s more likely to stay at tackle long-term, leaving Don Barclay, Lucas Patrick, and Kyle Murphy as other option to take over for Lang. While Green Bay could look to add a veteran on the cheap, the club will most likely use the draft to find a new interior lineman, per Demovsky.
Cornerback Marcus Cromartie visited with the Lions on Saturday, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Cromartie, 26, hit the open market last week after San Francisco declined to offer him a restricted free agent tender. Cromartie has appeared in 21 games during his three-year NFL tenure, mostly acting as a special teams player during that time.

Lions Sign T.J. Lang

March 12th, 2017 at 3:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions have signed free agent guard T.J. Lang the club announced today. It’s reportedly a three-year deal worth $28.5MM that includes $19MM in guarantees. Lang said earlier today he was deciding between Detroit, Seattle, and Green Bay.

By adding Lang, the Lions have now completed a transformation on the right side of their offensive line. While Detroit lost both right tackle Riley Reiff (Vikings) and right guard Larry Warford (Saints) in free agency, the club has arguably upgraded at both spots by adding Lang and Ricky Wagner. The Lions’ front five — which ranked in the bottom half of the league in both adjusted line yards and adjusted sack rate in 2016 — now contains significant investments at multiple positions, including first-round picks at both tackle (Taylor Decker) and guard (Laken Tomlinson, who will likely act as a reserve).

Lang, 29, had spent the past eight seasons in Green Bay, having already agreed to one extension with the club back in 2012. A full-time starter since his third year in the league, Lang appeared in 119 games (94 starts) during his Packers tenure. In 2016, Lang graded as the No. 8 guard in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

Green Bay’s offensive line takes another hit with the defection of Lang to an NFC North rival, as the club already lost top reserve J.C. Tretter to the Browns earlier this week. Fellow All Pro guard Josh Sitton, meanwhile, was released prior to last season and, like Lang, is still playing in the division with the Bears. With Lang gone, 2016 second-round pick Jason Spriggs appears to be the favorite to over right guard for the Packers.

Lang was the last elite option left on the free agent market guard market, as Kevin Zeitler, Ronald Leary, and Warford had already landed new deals. Jahri Evans, John Jerry, Nick Mangold, and Tim Lelito are the best interior lineman who still remain unsigned.

Lang’s agent Mike McCartney first tweeted the news of the deal and its length. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) added the overall value and guarantees. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

T.J. Lang Down To Packers, Lions, Seahawks

March 12th, 2017 at 11:26am CST by Dallas Robinson

Appearing on WXYZ-TV in Detroit today, free agent guard T.J. Lang said he’s narrowed his potential landing spots to the Packers, Lions, and Seahawks, tweets Brad Galli of WXYZ. Lang added he hopes to make a final decision by today.

The best guard remaining on the market, Lang may be in a position to garner as much as $10MM per year, as Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports recently reported. Green Bay has interest in retaining Lang, while the 29-year-old has already completed visits with Detroit and Seattle. The Seahawks fielded one of the worst (and cheapest) offensive lines in the league in 2016, and have added only Luke Joeckel thus far, while the Lions are searching for a Larry Warford replacement,

Lang, a former fourth-round selection, has spent the past eight seasons in Green Bay, having already agreed to one extension with the club back in 2012. A full-time starter since his third year in the league, Lang has appeared in 119 games (94 starts) during his Packers tenure. In 2016, Lang graded as the No. 8 guard in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Falcons also expressed interest in Lang at one point, but as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reported yesterday, Atlanta no longer believes it’s in the mix for Lang’s third contract. Additionally, Lang had a visit scheduled with the Broncos, but that did not end up materializing after Denver signed Ronald Leary to a four-year deal on the first day of free agency.

Latest On T.J. Lang

March 11th, 2017 at 5:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

T.J. Lang has now visited two teams and may have a final answer soon. The longtime Packers guard just completed a visit with the Seahawks and plans to have an answer for them by Sunday, Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post reports (on Twitter).

Having already visited the Lions as well, the Falcons expressed interest in the 29-year-old guard as well. But Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports the Falcons no longer believe they’re in the mix for Lang’s third contract. Lang had a visit scheduled with the Broncos, but that did not end up materializing after Denver signed Ronald Leary to a four-year deal on the first day of free agency.

As of Thursday, the Packers had interest in retaining Lang as well. The last of the high-end guards left unattached, Lang would become by far Seattle’s highest-paid lineman. Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com connected him to a deal that could pay as much as $10MM per year.

No team spent less on its O-line last season than did Seattle, and the Seahawks have experienced issues up front for the past two years. Pro Football Focus ranked the Seahawks’ line last in the league. Lang finished as a top-10 guard, per PFF, last season and was PFR’s No. 2-rated UFA guard coming into free agency. Seattle added Luke Joeckel on a one-year deal earlier this week, but a Lang pact would stand to make a bigger difference based on his past performance.

The Falcons have much more committed to their line, having Ryan Schraeder signed for $6.3MM per year and Alex Mack for $9MM annually. Andy Levitre still has $12MM-plus remaining on his contract, and Jake Matthews is entering a contract year. Levitre has a $6.6MM cap number this year.

Extra Points: Lang, Jones, Jeffery, Cyprien

March 10th, 2017 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Some assorted notes from around the NFL…

Free agent guard T.J. Lang will not be visiting the Broncos following the team’s signing of lineman Ronald Leary, tweets Mike Kliss of 9News. The second-best free agent interior lineman still has plenty of suitors, as he’s set to meet with the Lions and Seahawks. The Packers, his former team, also have interest.
Had the Cardinals not extended Chandler Jones, the pass rusher would have eaten up over $14MM of spending space as their franchise player in 2017. He’ll instead take up around $10MM of cap room in 2017, tweets Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic.
Alshon Jeffery‘s one-year, $14MM deal with the Eagles is the largest non-franchise tag one-year pact in NFL history, according to the NFL Media Research Group (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Jeffery’s pact eclipsed Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s one-year, $12MM deal with the Jets.
The Jaguars didn’t make a contract offer to strong safety Jonathan Cyprien, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets. After spending four seasons in Jacksonville, the 26-year-old joined the Titans on a four-year, $25MM contract.
The Rams‘ release of defensive end Eugene Sims came with a failed physical designation, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets. The 31-year-old was let go by the team early this morning.
Akeem Spence said the Buccaneers expressed interest in bringing him back next season, but the defensive tackle needs a “fresh start,” tweets ESPN’s Michael Rothstein. Spence ultimately inked a three-year, $10.5MM deal with the Lions.
Rudy Ford ran a 4.25 at today’s Auburn Pro Day, tweets agent Blake Baratz. The safety was told earlier this week that he wasn’t healthy enough to participate at the combine. Baratz declares Ford “the most underrated prospect in the draft.”

Updates On Top Remaining Free Agents

March 10th, 2017 at 12:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Some big names came off the board on Wednesday and Thursday, but tons of notable free agents remain. Here’s a look at some of the notables who are still out there and where they stand:

Adrian Peterson, RB (Vikings): Poor, poor AD. As we summed up on Friday morning, there are no clear suitors for No. 28 at this time. Despite previous reports to the contrary, the Texans, Patriots, Raiders, Giants, and Seahawks are showing little to no interest in signing the veteran running back. The incumbent Vikings haven’t put an offer on the table since declining his bloated $18MM option. Peterson is one of the best running backs in NFL history, but teams are skeptical of what he can do as he looks to rebound from another serious right knee injury on the verge of his 32nd birthday. We know that there will be teams with interest in Peterson – perhaps even some of those aforementioned clubs – but Peterson is far from their Plan A and it doesn’t sound like any team wants to pay him like a top running back. Ultimately, Peterson seems likely to settle for a low-base, one-year deal with a good amount of performance incentives. His best payday, I think, would come from the Vikings. Peterson is a fan favorite and the organization would probably like to have him finish his career in purple. With all that said, Adrian’s dad publicly trashing the team probably isn’t helping matters.
Eddie Lacy, RB (Packers): The Vikings, Seahawks, and incumbent Packers seem to be the frontrunners for Lacy at this time. The Seahawks will meet with Lacy, but they also have meetings scheduled with Latavius Murray and Jamaal Charles. The Vikings, of course, are looking into Peterson replacements. Even though Lacy has had problems with consistency and conditioning over the years, he’s my top-ranked running back in this year’s FA crop.
Dont’a Hightower, LB (Patriots): Hightower, surely, has interest from a number of clubs. But, for whatever reason, leaks have been kept to a minimum. For all the speculation about the Dolphins and other clubs swarming the non-rush linebacker, we’ve only heard talk of “positive” dialogue between Hightower and the Pats. The Patriots are more unpredictable than ever, but I think the most likely outcome is that he re-signs. Bill Belichick was cocky enough to trade Jamie Collins and Chandler Jones in the same year – and it obviously worked out – but I don’t think he’s crazy enough to also let Hightower leave.
Dontari Poe, DT (Chiefs): The defensive tackle market is starting to take shape. Brandon Williams has re-upped with the Ravens on a lucrative five-year, $54MM deal that includes $27MM in guarantees. Chris Baker, considered a run below Williams and Poe, has a three-year, $15.75MM with $9MM guaranteed. We had Williams and Poe fairly close to each other on the Top 50 list and the early thinking was that they could fetch similar contracts. However, the latest word is that he may have to settle for a one-year, prove-it deal. The Falcons, 49ers, and Redskins have been linked to Poe this week, but the Redskins might not be in the market for him anymore after adding Stacy McGee.
Johnathan Hankins, DT (Giants): Hankins’ camp has been keeping things on the QT. There have been estimates that he could fetch around $7MM to $8MM per year (or more) on a multi-year deal. The Giants would love to keep the soon-to-be 25-year-old and we’re sure that other teams want him too, but there have been zero leaks from his negotiations. Hankins may not be as good as Williams right now, but the age factor could allow him to approach or top his contract. Teams also might feel better about committing years and dollars to Hankins over Poe. Of course, it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison since Hankins is a 4-3 DT and Williams and Poe are 3-4 nose tackles. They are different players and they have different groups of suitors due to their scheme fits.
T.J. Lang, G (Packers): Lang is a talented guard, but teams are concerned about his surgically-repaired hip. Right now, the Packers, Lions, and Seahawks are known to be in the mix for him, but he might not sign right away as teams go over his medical info. Teams might want to see him work out in full before committing to him. He’s ranked No. 14 overall on my Top 50 list and was second only to Kevin Zeitler on our list of free agent interior linemen.
Martellus Bennett, TE (Patriots): There’s heavy mutual interest between the Raiders and Bennett and the Giants and Bills have also been linked to him. However, after the Giants spent a good chunk of coin to add Rhett Ellison, it’s not clear if Bennett is still a consideration. Bennett is far and away the best available tight end out there and he should fetch a nice payday for himself. It’s just not clear where that might be. A Patriots return can be ruled out after the Dwayne Allen trade. The Lions are also looking into tight ends, but we haven’t specifically heard about them reaching out to Bennett.
Jared Cook, TE (Packers): The second-best tight end on the board is drawing interest from the Lions and Bills. Contract talks with the Packers have reportedly broken off, so he could very well wind up leaving.
Jabaal Sheard, DE (Patriots): The Dolphins were linked to Sheard, but I’m guessing they’re no longer interested after acquiring William Hayes in a brilliant trade with the Rams on Thursday. He’s on his way to meet with the Colts and we haven’t heard a peep about any possible Pats reunion. Towards the end of the season, the feeling was that Sheard would not be back in New England.

T.J. Lang To Meet With Lions, Seahawks

March 9th, 2017 at 4:12pm CST by Ben Levine

Offensive guard T.J. Lang‘s first two free agent visits will be with the Lions and Seahawks, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). The reporter adds that the Packers, Lang’s former team, are still in the mix. ESPN’s Michael Rothstein adds that Lang met with the Lions today, noting that the lineman only lives 20 minutes from Allen Park. Rothstein believes the player’s physical “will be the key here.”

The 29-year-old is one of the more popular names in free agency. The three teams listed above consistently been connected to the lineman. The interest isn’t much of a surprise, as the guard has proven to be one of the Packers’ more reliable options. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2011, Lang has only missed five regular season games.

Pro Football Focus was particularly fond of his 2016 performance, despite the fact that he “only” played in 13 games. The website ranked Lang as the NFL’s eight-best guard, with his pass blocking skills being graded as elite.

Meanwhile, PFR ranked Lang as the second-best free agent interior lineman behind Kevin Zeitler. Zach Links predicted that the lineman would earn the 14th-highest contract this offseason.

Packers Prioritizing Other Re-Ups Over Hyde

March 9th, 2017 at 11:28am CST by Sam Robinson

One of several notable Packers free agents, Micah Hyde may be on his way out of the NFL’s smallest market. The Packers look to have slotted the defensive back at a lower-priority spot in their free agent queue, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets.

Green Bay’s priorities seem to be Nick Perry, T.J. Lang and Jared Cook, per Silverstein. The Perry accord may already be done, with Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reporting the parties have agreed to a deal that will keep Perry in Wisconsin.

Not factoring in any Perry agreement yet, the Packers have $37MM in cap space. That would be enough for the traditionally free agency-averse team to re-sign at least two of these players. Cook, though, has other suitors who may be willing to pay more in the Lions and Bills. Lang was set on hitting free agency but was planning to give the Packers the option of matching whatever offers he received.

Hyde has played in Green Bay for four seasons, functioning as a return man, safety and slot corner for the perennial NFC contenders. He has not shown the ability the aforementioned UFAs have, though.

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