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Will Beatty

NFC Mailbags: Packers, Giants, Cowboys

July 4th, 2015 at 9:44am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s start with notes from the NFC, with a cameo from the Dallas Morning News’ Bob Sturm…

  • Quarterback Brett Hundley is a lock to make the Packers roster, says Rob Demovsky. At wideout, the writer believes Jeff Janis and Jared Abbrederis will make the team.
  • The Packers could opt to keep a pair of fullbacks (John Kuhn and Aaron Ripkowski) on their opening day roster, writes Demovsky. This would probably require the team to keep only two running backs, and the writer can’t imagine the Packers going into the year with only Eddie Lacy and James Starks. If there were to be a third running back, Demovsky believes the competition is between Rajion Neal and John Crockett, with Neal being the favorite.
  • If Giants rookie Ereck Flowers shows promise at left tackle, Dan Graziano says the team could move on from veteran Will Beatty following the season. Beatty, who is scheduled to make $6.675MM next season, is expected to be out until at least November.
  • The Cowboys must be careful when Terrance Williams becomes a free agent in an effort to not overpay what Sturm calls an “adequate” wideout in a mailbag.
  • Sturm also predicts the Cowboys will regress in the running game but won’t be set for a freefall without DeMarco Murray, with Tony Romo ready to assume more control of the offense. Sturm expects Joseph Randle to be the starter in what is expected to be a coalition approach to replacing the league’s rushing leader.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

East Notes: Tannehill, Spikes, Cowboys, Pats

May 21st, 2015 at 11:41am CST by Luke Adams

While Ryan Tannehill‘s new contract with the Dolphins includes $45MM in guaranteed money, only $21.5MM of that amount is fully guaranteed, and $11.5MM of that amount comes in the form of a signing bonus, says Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). As Corry notes, the deal allows the team to pick up more than $4.5MM of much-needed cap relief for the 2016 season. However, even after taking into account Tanehill’s extension, Miami still has more money committed to ’16 contracts than any other team in the NFL.

Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link) passes along a few details on Tannehill’s contract as well, reporting that the quarterback’s cap hits for 2015 and 2016 are just $4.873MM and $11.64MM respectively. The cap numbers for the last four years of the deal are in the neighborhood of $20MM.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • Corry and Pelissero (Twitter links) also have the specifics on Brandon Spikes‘ one-year contract with the Patriots. The pact includes an $800K base salary, $200K in per-game roster bonuses, a $50K workout bonus, a $25K signing bonus, and a $25K Week 1 bonus, along with up to $900K in playing-time incentives. In total, the contract can be worth a max of $2MM.
  • We heard earlier this morning that Ben Tate is working out for the Cowboys, but he’s not the only player auditioning for the team today. Rob Phillips of DallasCowboys.com tweets that the Cowboys are working out a group of running backs and wideouts, while Bryan Broaddus of DallasCowboys.com (Twitter link) hears that Felix Jones is also a part of that group.
  • Several sources tell Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report that, while the league will deny that any sort of agreement is in place, Robert Kraft‘s decision not to appeal the Patriots‘ DeflateGate penalties was a calculated business move, and those sources think it will have an impact on Tom Brady‘s appeal. One owner also tells Freeman that Roger Goodell had “strong support from many owners” regarding the discipline levied on the Pats, and Kraft almost certainly wouldn’t have won an appeal anyway.
  • The Giants confirmed today in a press release that tackle Will Beatty underwent surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle, and will be sidelined for five or six months. Here are more details on that story.

Giants’ Will Beatty Suffers Torn Pectoral

May 20th, 2015 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Giants offensive tackle Will Beatty has suffered a torn pectoral muscle, and is undergoing surgery to repair it, tweets Tom Rock of Newsday. Rock expects the recovery to be about five months, which would mean Beatty would likely miss at least the first half of the 2015 season. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports first reported (via Twitter) that Beatty sustained the injury.

The injury is a huge blow for the Giants, who used their first-round pick in this year’s draft on a tackle in an effort to solidify their offensive line. Beatty was one of the league’s more effective left tackles in 2014, grading as a positive contributor as both a run- and pass-blocker, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). PFF ranked him 14th overall out of 84 qualified players at the position.

With Beatty out, the Giants figure to lean more heavily on ninth overall pick Ereck Flowers right out of the gate. While Flowers may not be ready to play left tackle immediately, the Giants could potentially play him on the right side, with right tackle Justin Pugh shifting over to replace Beatty.

NFC Mailbags: Panthers, Peppers, Beatty, Reese

October 25th, 2014 at 11:22am CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at ESPN’s AFC mailbags earlier today. Let’s check out what ESPN’s NFC writers had to say…

  • David Newton thinks it’s pretty clear that the Panthers will focus on their offensive line in the upcoming draft. Meanwhile, he doesn’t expect the team to consider a running back until at least the third or fourth round.
  • If Julius Peppers return to the Packers next season, it would have to be with a restructured contract, writes Rob Demovsky.
  • Todd Archer says that Jerry Jones certainly deserves some credit for the Cowboys‘ success this season.
  • Dan Graziano writes that the Giants will have an interesting decision to make this offseason with left tackle Will Beatty. If the team decides to part ways with the former second-rounder, they could target an offensive lineman in the draft or free agency.
  • Graziano clarifies that Giants general manager Jerry Reese is not on the hot seat and is not in any danger of losing his job.

East Notes: Pats, Beckham, Beatty

June 16th, 2014 at 10:41pm CST by Rory Parks

There were a great deal of notes from the league’s east divisions today. Our Luke Adams and Dallas Robinson rounded up some of those notes earlier this evening, and we will close out the night by emptying out our east notebook.

  • The Patriots appear to be playing musical chairs with Kyle Auffray and Derrick Johnson. The team cut Auffray earlier today after signing him last week, and Johnson was the player the Pats released to make room for Auffray. Now, however, Johnson may be back in the fold. Mike Lowe of the Portland Press Herald reports that Johnson was told by the club that he would be re-signed once he recovered from a sprained left knee that caused him to miss a week of practices. The former University of Maine receiver hopes to be ready for New England’s three-day minicamp that opens tomorrow (or at least by training camp in July).
  • Brian Costello of the New York Post outlines the Jets‘ search for a No. 2 receiver to play opposite major free agent acquisition Eric Decker. Stephen Hill and David Nelson took the most reps at that spot during the portion of the team’s OTAs that were open to the media, and though Nelson is probably the favorite, wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal seems to believe Hill may finally begin to live up to his still-significant potential.
  • In the same piece, Costello looks at other major storylines surrounding the Jets this summer, including the injury status of Dee Milliner and Willie Colon and the progress of rookie tight end Jace Amaro.
  • Paul Schwartz of the New York Post examines the injury status of Giants left tackle Will Beatty. Although Beatty stills hopes to be ready for the start of training camp on July 21, there is no guarantee he will even be given clearance to play in the season opener on September 8. Even if he is ready, his poor play in 2013 and the fact that the team did not make any meaningful moves to address the left tackle position in the offseason leaves plenty of room for concern.
  • In the same piece, Schwartz writes that the Giants may hold first-round pick Odell Beckham Jr. out of minicamp as a result of his hamstring injury. Although Beckham insists the injury is minor, the team will undoubtedly want to play it safe with him.
  • Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com shares some of his notes on what he has seen from the Eagles thus far this offseason. He writes that the struggles of Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley have been overblown, as have the Jordan Matthews–Terrell Owens comparisons. He adds that, outside of kicker, there are no real position battles to watch out for at this point.
  • James Walker of ESPN.com gives a list of top storylines to look out for during the Dolphins‘ three-day mandatory minicamp that begins Tuesday, including the development of Bill Lazor‘s offense and the position battles at left guard, running back, slot receiver, and cornerback.

Sunday Roundup: Texans, Cowboys, Panthers

May 4th, 2014 at 1:03pm CST by Rory Parks

We wrote last week about the dilemma quarterback-needy teams will face in the first-round of the draft, and Ben Volin of the Boston Globe provides a specific example of how overvaluation of the quarterback position can lead to disastrous results. Volin describes how Charlie Casserly, former GM of the Texans, over-inflated the value of David Carr in 2002 because he believed the team needed to hit the ground running with a solid, if unspectacular, signal-caller.

Like this year’s crop of top QBs, those in 2002 had some intriguing upside along with equally troubling drawbacks. As the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock has stated about the 2014 class, “the more tape I watch…the more questions I have.” Will current Houston GM Rick Smith take the highest-rated prospect in the draft–Jadeveon Clowney–and avoid the temptation that having an unsettled quarterback situation creates (as Casserly now admits he should have done with Julius Peppers, the top prospect in the 2002 class)? Or do Smith and his staff believe strongly enough in one of the top QBs to pull the trigger?

As we delve into some more draft notes from around the league, it is worth noting this little nugget that Volin passes along from a current NFL executive: “Isn’t it ironic that every team that perceivably needs a quarterback this year signed one in free agency?”

And now onto those notes:

  • Mike Klis of the Denver Post writes that the Broncos figure to devote their greatest attention to inside linebacker and cornerback in the draft. Klis tweets that if QBs start to fall, he expects Denver to try and trade up to grab a top player at one of those positions. One such trade-up target might be Alabama’s C.J. Mosley. Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post writes that Denver’s defense would be dominant with Mosley on-board.
  • Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that he would not be surprised if the Cowboys took a WR with their No. 16 overall selection to pair with Dez Bryant.
  • Commenting on the depth of this year’s WR class and the history of players drafted at that position, Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer writes that the Panthers, who are in need of a receiver, are just as likely to find a long-term contributor later on in the draft as they are at the top of the draft.
  • Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes that what the Giants do in the first round of the draft–i.e. whether or not they take an offensive tackle–will demonstrate how they feel about the status of Will Beatty, who is coming off a terrible season and a fractured right leg.
  • Brian Costello of the New York Post writes that the Jets will not rule out drafting a QB.
  • ESPN.com’s Field Yates (subscription required) explains why he believes the Buccaneers should take Texas A&M receiver Mike Evans with the No. 7 overall pick.