Rams Rumors: Draft, Bradford, Bucs, Manziel
The Rams own the No. 2 pick and head coach Jeff Fisher told reporters earlier today that he sees a lot more than two players they could be happy with, writes Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk. “We’ve identified six to eight players that we think could potentially fit us at two,” Fisher said. If that’s the case, trading down would make a lot of sense for St. Louis. Here’s more from today’s presser..
- While that kind of trade might make sense, Fisher insisted that another much-discussed trade — the Rams moving quarterback Sam Bradford — is not in the cards, Smith writes. “With respect to Sam, he’s our starter, as you guys know,” Fisher said. “No. We are not shopping Sam.”
- Asked if things could change on Bradford between now and Thursday, Fisher didn’t say no, but did say it would be highly unlikely, tweets Howard Balzer of USA Today.
- There’s chatter in league circles that the Buccaneers could end up being the team that moves up to No. 2 with their No. 7 pick, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. It’s unclear what it would take for the Bucs to move up five spots and also unclear who Tampa Bay might target.
- The Rams have worked out 45 players in person and Johnny Manziel is one of about a dozen quarterbacks they have looked at, tweets Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.
Titans GM Talks Draft, RBs, Kickers
Earlier today, we recapped comments made by Redskins GM Bruce Allen and Vikings GM Rick Spielman in their respective pre-draft press conferences. Now we’ll turn our attention to the AFC South, where Titans GM Ruston Webster spoke to local reporters today at Tennessee’s pre-draft presser. Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean and Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweeted several highlights, so let’s dive in….
- The Titans only have six picks in this year’s draft and would like to acquire more if possible. In Webster’s opinion, the best chance to do so will happen when Tennessee is on the clock later this week.
- Webster stressed that it’s important for the Titans to draft players who will fit into the team’s new offensive and defensive systems, noting that the change to a 3-4 defense opens things up to land a pass rusher in the draft.
- About 26 or 27 prospects received first-round prospects from the Titans, according to Webster.
- While Tennessee filled several holes in free agency, there are still a couple areas of need, including running back, said Webster. However, don’t expect the Titans to target backfield help too early — the club feels there will be value at the position in the fourth or fifth rounds.
- The Titans will be having multiple kickers compete to replace Rob Bironas, who was released this offseason, and Webster didn’t rule out the possibility of adding one on the third day of the draft.
Redskins Cut Tanard Jackson
4:51pm: Jackson passed his physical today, so his release appears to be contract-related rather than health-related, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times. Meanwhile, a person familiar with the situation tells Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link) not to rule out a potential return to Washington for Jackson, though nothing is set in stone yet.
3:44pm: Shortly after he was reinstated following an indefinite suspension by the NFL, Tanard Jackson will hit the free agent market. The Redskins have terminated Jackson’s minimum-salary contract, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).
Jackson, 28, was effective early in his career in Tampa Bay after being selected by the Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2007 draft. He hasn’t appeared in a regular-season NFL game since 2011, however. Given his past violations of the league’s substance abuse policy, and question marks about his conditioning following his absence, it could be an uphill battle for him to earn an NFL roster spot this year.
Still, the timing of the move comes as a bit of a surprise, since Redskins general manager Bruce Allen indicated earlier today that the team may give Jackson a chance this summer. The safety had been expected to take a physical this afternoon, so perhaps the club was unimpressed with the results of that exam.
Draft Updates: Cowboys, Watkins, Ealy, Pryor
As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk pointed out last month, since Jerry Jones have overseen Cowboys drafts, the team has traded up or down in the first round in 20 of 25 instances, or 80% of the time. That would suggest there’s a good chance Dallas won’t stand pat on Thursday, but it doesn’t sound like the club is too engaged in trade talks yet.
“We haven’t heard a lot from other clubs,” Jones said today, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “We haven’t found that to be particularly productive. That’s day-of-draft type dynamics. I’d be surprised if there are not trade opportunities by the time you get to where we’re going to be picking or certainly afterwards.”
Here’s more on the 2014 NFL draft, which is now just a little over 50 hours away:
- The Lions have frequently been linked to wide receiver Sammy Watkins, and Watkins confirmed today to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (Twitter links) that Detroit was the only team to meet with him more than once. “That sounds like they really want me, but you never know,” said the Clemson wideout.
- If two meetings are a signal of legit interest, count the Cowboys, Falcons, and Bears among the potential landing spots for defensive lineman Kony Ealy. As Hubbuch tweets, all three clubs met with Ealy multiple times.
- The Jets‘ interview of Calvin Pryor was extensive, the Louisville safety told Hubbuch (Twitter link). “They really seemed interested,” according to Pryor.
- Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post passes along updates on Florida State running back Devonta Freeman and Utah cornerback Keith McGill. According to Wilson, Freeman met with the Steelers and worked out for the Falcons, Patriots, and Dolphins, while McGill either visited or worked out for the Cowboys, Buccaneers, Redskins, and Raiders, among other teams.
La Canfora On Raiders, Browns, Cards, 49ers
Albert Breer of the NFL Network suggested earlier today that Johnny Manziel could end up on a team whose owner likes the idea of injecting some life into his franchise, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com makes a similar case in his latest column, pointing out that you should never underestimate the role an owner can play in the selection of a quarterback.
According to La Canfora, in the case of the Raiders, owner Mark Davis “is smitten” with Derek Carr. Fifth overall is too high to draft Carr, but if Oakland trades down, or perhaps decides to acquire a second pick later in the first round, it could be a sign that the team is targeting the Fresno State signal-caller.
Here are more highlights from La Canfora:
- The Browns‘ ideal situation may involve taking a player such as Sammy Watkins or Greg Robinson at No. 4, then nabbing a QB like Carr or Teddy Bridgewater at No. 26. As La Canfora notes, Carr may not be available that late in the first round, and if ownership gets involved, that may tip the scales toward Manziel early in the first round. For what it’s worth, head coach Mike Pettine told Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com today that there are five or six guys he’d be happy to land with that fourth overall pick (Twitter link).
- La Canfora continues to hear that teams who aren’t being frequently linked to quarterbacks will be the ones to draft them, and perhaps higher than expected. He goes on to cite affordable fifth-year options as one reason why clubs will pounce on QBs in the first round, though I feel as if seeing Christian Ponder, Blaine Gabbert, and Jake Locker have their options turned down last week will remind teams that the fifth-year option isn’t really a factor if you don’t select the right player.
- La Canfora “would be surprised” if the Cardinals didn’t select Carr or Blake Bortles with the 20th overall pick. Peter King of TheMMQB.com tweeted this afternoon that, after sending Bortles to the Browns at No. 26 in his early-morning mock draft today, he now thinks that’s too low, and that the Browns or Cardinals will target him earlier in the first round.
- Four tackles could come off the board within the first 12 picks on Thursday, and two or three more could be selected in the first round, says La Canfora.
- The 49ers are likely to trade up if possible, with wideouts Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandin Cooks among their potential targets.
- Several evaluators strongly believe A.J. McCarron will be the fourth or fifth quarterback drafted, and rave about his film.
- La Canfora thinks Aaron Donald will be the third defensive player off the board, likely no lower than eighth overall.
- The Patriots may end up drafting multiple tight ends, including a late-round project, in La Canfora’s view.
NFC Links: Rams, Cowboys, Eagles, Draft
Rumors continue to swirl linking the Rams to Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, but Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is skeptical that there’s any weight to those rumblings. According to Thomas, most sources he has spoken to are saying variations of the same thing — no one around the league believes St. Louis will actually select Manziel, and the Rams are attempting to drum up trade interest for the pick.
We only have two more days until we know for sure what to believe on draft night. In the meantime, let’s check out a few NFC items….
- The Cowboys would remove a player who failed his drug test from their draft board, but the team won’t do so with Florida State defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan, who remains a potential target for the club, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com.
- Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) keeps hearing that there will be a cornerback run in the middle of the first round and that the Eagles may be in a position to draft a wide receiver with their 22nd overall pick.
- Xavier Su’a-Filo, one of the top guards among this year’s draft class, had workouts with the Rams and Falcons, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who adds that the UCLA lineman also visited the Broncos.
- The Cardinals worked out Virginia Tech wide receiver D.J. Coles, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. According to Wilson, Coles has also drawn interest from a handful of AFC teams, including the Texans, Broncos, and Raiders.
Vikings Rumors: Ponder, Bradford, Draft
Rick Spielman of the Vikings became the latest NFL general manager to speak to the media this afternoon, and ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling, Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and Tom Pelissero of USA Today were among the reports in attendance. Spielman made a handful of interesting comments, so let’s dive right in and see what the Minnesota GM had to say (all links go to Twitter)….
- The Vikings have no intention of trading Christian Ponder on draft day, per Spielman. Such a move would leave the club short-handed at quarterback, according to the GM, who says Minnesota turned down Ponder’s fifth-year option to keep its financial options open.
- Spielman would “love to be active on draft day,” and has already had some calls and texts this week about potential trades. Teams have already made tentative offers for the Vikings’ second- and fourth-round picks, depending on whether their targets are available, according to the GM.
- Despite rumors that the Vikings may be discussing Sam Bradford with the Rams, Spielman says his team hasn’t had any specific trade conversations with St. Louis.
- Sharrif Floyd, last year’s first-round pick, drew praise from Spielman, but Floyd’s presence won’t preclude the team from drafting a pass-rushing defensive tackle this year.
- The Vikings won’t reach for a quarterback with the No. 8 overall pick if one they like isn’t available. If a player they don’t want to pass on is available, they’ll draft him, but the club also would “love” to move down, says Spielman.
- Spielman says he has read several mock drafts, but that writers are missing a few players the Vikings could take eighth overall.
Charles Godfrey Accepts Pay Cut
The Panthers and Charles Godfrey have reworked the safety’s contract, and the new 2014 amount represents a significant pay cut for Godfrey. Field Yates of ESPN.com reports that Godfrey’s base salary has been reduced from $5MM to $750K, creating more than $4MM in cap savings for Carolina (Twitter links).
Godfrey, 28, was sidelined for most of the 2013 season after tearing his Achilles in Week Two. His new 2014 salary also includes up to $1.7MM in per-game roster bonuses, per Yates. Most of that amount won’t count against the cap, since the fact that Godfrey only appeared in two games last season means the bonuses are considered unlikely.
As for the rest of the veteran safety’s contract, there’s no indication that the remaining years have been altered — Godfrey has cap hits of $7.1MM and $6.4MM in 2015 and 2016.
Bradie James To Retire As Cowboy
Veteran linebacker Bradie James will announce his retirement today as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, reports Joe Trahan of WFAA Sports. Presumably, like Marcus Trufant did with the Seahawks earlier this offseason, James will sign a one-day contract with the Cowboys to make it official.
James, a fourth-round pick in 2003, spent nine seasons with the Cowboys before joining the Texans for 2012. His best stretch came from 2008 to 2010, when he averaged about 115 tackles per season as a full-time starter in Dallas. The 33-year-old also set a career high in ’08 with eight sacks.
Pompei’s Latest: Texans, Flowers, Glennon
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).