Tony Romo Discusses Future, Organization, Collins
Tony Romo isn’t getting any younger, and the Cowboys’ recent moves could be indication that the team is loading up for one final playoff run. Three of the team’s moves have received particular attention: the selection of defensive end Randy Gregory and the signings of defensive end Greg Hardy and offensive lineman La’el Collins.
Whether these moves are successful remains to be seen. Regardless, the team’s franchise quarterback is a particular fan of the transactions, and he indicated that some of the signings could actually help extend his career. Michael Florek of the Dallas Morning News caught up with Romo at the Emmitt Smith’s Charity Invitational Dinner, and the veteran discussed his reactions to the moves. We’ve compiled some of the more notables quotes below…
On the Cowboys’ window to compete for a Super Bowl:
“I just think the way Jason and Stephen and Jerry have built this team over the last three or four years has been from the inside out and you’re seeing the benefits of that. We’re still going. This wasn’t a one-year, two — we’re building this for the next five, six, seven years to sustain and any time you get an opportunity to get a guy like Collins you should take advantage of that.”
On how long he can continue playing in the NFL:
“When you have a good offensive line like we do the thought definitely crosses your mind to ensure you do everything possible to play longer than maybe what you had envisioned. We’ll reassess that in a few years. My wife will tell you, I’m talking a little more long term than I maybe had been. So we’ll see.”
On the Cowboys’ signing of La’el Collins, and the rookie’s journey:
“There are different paths to where you want to go. His was not ideal, nor was mine. His was different than mine, I don’t pretend, but I do know what it’s like not to get drafted when you know you have an opportunity to and I couldn’t imagine if you were a first-round guy who had to go from that weekend.
“This doesn’t happen 20 years ago, simply because of the internet and social media and what could happen and the way it could be perceived. I feel bad. That’s the one area you have to watch in life is just the attacks. In the court system it’s innocent until proven guilty but in the social world it’s really guilty until you’ve shown everybody you’re innocent. He’s a classic example of that. You hurt for guys like this that take a big hit.”
On Collins’ ability to pick his destination:
“Very few people are afforded that. I feel lucky and blessed now. If you’re going to be a player … there are benefits to picking your team. We all want to go in the first round but that doesn’t happen. You can look at it anyway you want but it still ended up being a very good thing for him.”
AFC Mailbags: Chiefs, Raiders, Dolphins, Texans
It’s Saturday, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s take a look at some of the interesting notes from the AFC…
- The Chiefs appear content with their current roster and aren’t eyeing any current free agents, says Adam Teicher. Of course, injuries could quickly alter the team’s plans.
- Meanwhile, Teicher can understand the connection between the organization and free agent wideout James Jones (particularly the receiver’s relationship with Chiefs general manager John Dorsey), but he’s uncertain the team will pursue the veteran.
- Had James Jones remained with the Raiders, Bill Williamson believes the wideout would have affected “the long-term progress of the group.” While the team’s selection of Amari Cooper seemed like a natural explanation for Jones’ release, Williamson instead points to the Raiders’ acquisition of Michael Crabtree.
- The draft was the Dolphins‘ “final chance” to acquire an impact linebacker, opines James Walker. Since the team did not draft a player at the position, the writer says the team will be forced to “coach up” backups Chris McCain and Spencer Paysinger.
- Tania Ganguli says it was “not necessarily” a mistake by the Texans to not select a tight end in the draft. Instead of going after someone like Maxx Williams, the organization selected the best available player in the first round, and then they addressed critical needs with their later picks.
NFC Notes: Lions, Giants, Panthers
Lions safety James Ihedigbo is seeking a new contract, and the 31-year-old will not be attending his team’s voluntary workouts as he presumably negotiates a new deal.
While Ihedigbo isn’t breaking any rules by not attending, that doesn’t mean he isn’t drawing the ire of his coach. On Friday, Jim Caldwell talked to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press about his desire to have a full team at workouts.
“What I try to do is to make certain that they understand that, in our business, it’s unique. They have things that they have to look at from their vantage point, what they think is best. My business is to make certain we’ve got the best team we possibly can. So my interest is getting him here, and getting him here pronto, right?
“I’d like to have every guy here. But the fact of the matter is it doesn’t always happen that way. Guys got to look at things. He’s been around long enough and make his own determination and make his own decisions in that regard. But he’s not mandated to be here at this point in time, so we’ll see when he is mandated, what happens.”
Let’s take a look at some more notes out of the NFC…
- Birkett wonders if undrafted rookie quarterback Anthony Boone could make the Lions roster. While the Duke product would have to leapfrog veterans Dan Orlovsky and Kellen Moore for the backup gig, one of his former coaches is confident he’ll make the leap. “Anthony’s real smart,” David Cutcliffe said. “He’s going to pick the system up quickly. And I told Anthony: Odds are, you’re probably a backup quarterback, which means you’ve got to be able to know the system and perform well without a lot of snaps, period. That’s the National Football League. And I think he’s capable of being that. I really, really do.”
- After missing most of last season with an injured knee, Giants defensive back Bennett Jackson is looking forward to competing for a roster spot. It appears that his coaching staff appreciates the player’s versatility, as Newsday’s Tom Rock writes that the cornerback has been asked to play safety in 2015. “I didn’t ask any questions,” Jackson said. “I was all for it.”
- Panthers second round pick Devin Funchess tweaked a hamstring and was carted off the field yesterday, reports ESPN.com’s David Newton (via Twitter). The severity of the injury is not yet known.
AFC Rumors: Marshall, McCoy, Anderson
Already traded three times in his nine-year career, Brandon Marshall narrowly missed out on what could’ve been his highest-profile transaction.
In an appearance on ESPN 1000, the Jets wideout said he was nearly traded to the Patriots before last season, writes Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Bears pondered trading Marshall but instead gave the now-31-year-old receiver a three-year, $30MM extension last May. They ultimately trading Marshall to the Jets this offseason after acquiring him in 2012. Marshall, who saw his streak of seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons end last year, preferred to remain in Chicago for the remainder of his career.
Elsewhere around the league on Friday night …
- New Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, while praising Matt Forte‘s fitness level, said his old charge in the backfield, C.J. Anderson, had to be subbed out frequently due to being “a little chubby” sometimes. The Broncos’ newfound starter told 9News‘ Mike Kils that his weight issues are nothing new. “Hey, everybody knows I’m a weight guy,” Anderson told Klis. “My body can go up and down.” The Broncos‘ offense became increasingly reliant on Anderson last season despite the former undrafted performer hovering on the fourth level of the depth chart during training camp due to his inconsistent shape status.
- In a lengthy ESPN piece on Chip Kelly‘s enigmatic offseason, one NFL executive told ESPN.com’s Ashley Fox he saw merit in the Eagles coach’s madness and did not agree with the Bills‘ decision to immediately extend LeSean McCoy. “He had an impressive five-year run, but measure it statistically,” the executive said. “Over time, most running backs have a five- to six-year run, then they decline relatively precipitously. They don’t become bums overnight, and they don’t fall off the cliff, but Buffalo made an extremely stupid mistake extending him. They should’ve played it out. He will not earn that money.” Buffalo tacked three years onto McCoy’s contract, which is now a five-year deal worth $40MM, shortly after acquiring him from Philadelphia.
- Following Dante Fowler Jr.‘s torn ACL that’s expected to sideline him for the season, the Florida Times-Union’s Ryan O’Halloran looks at the team’s remaining candidates to play the “Leo” defensive end in Gus Bradley‘s 4-3 scheme. Chris Clemons now goes from third-down rush specialist to every-down player, while 2012 second-rounder Andre Branch escapes the roster bubble with much more playing time available, notes O’Halloran.
Cowboys Add 14 UDFAs
The Cowboys’ ballyhooed acquisition of La’el Collins will overshadow the remainder of the team’s undrafted free agent contingent. But 14 additional players joined the would-be first-rounder in signing with the Cowboys, per ESPN.com’s Todd Archer.
- Synjyn Days, RB, Georgia Tech
- George Farmer, WR, USC ($55K of contract guaranteed; $15K signing bonus; $40K guaranteed base salary, according to the USA Today’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter)
- Antwan Goodley, WR, Baylor
- Deontay Greenberry, WR, Houston
- Ray Hamilton, TE, Iowa
- Nick Harwell, WR, Kansas
- Shane McDermott, C, Miami ($5K signing bonus, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun)
- Daniel Quave, OT, Louisiana-Lafayette ($1.500 guaranteed signing bonus, per Wilson on Twitter)
- Joel Ross, CB, Appalachian State
- Tim Scott, S, North Carolina
- Jameill Showers, QB, UTEP
- Jason Wilson, CB, Central Michigan
- Ray Vinopal, S, Pittsburgh ($2K signing bonus, tweets Wilson)
- Lucky Whitehead, WR, Florida Atlantic
North Notes: Manziel, Erving, Barrett
Johnny Manziel‘s chances of claiming the Browns‘ starting quarterback job in his second season are already starting to fade. Josh McCown will take the first-team repetitions in minicamp, and coach Mike Pettine expects him to do so in training camp, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot.
Cabot added Manziel has little chance of pressing McCown, signed this offseason after a disappointing year with the Buccaneers, for the job in the foreseeable future. The second-year coach prefers to see Manziel work on becoming a professional quarterback, essentially. Pettine is not concerned with McCown’s 1-10 record in Tampa last year, calling it an “aberration.”
McCown completed just 56.3 percent of his passes last season, leaving the Browns with one of the league’s worst quarterback situations.
“We’re not going to start talking competition. Josh, like I said will more than likely be the starter going into camp and in the foreseeable future I don’t see that changing,” Pettine told Cabot.
Here is some other news from the North divisions.
- Cameron Erving will begin his NFL career at right tackle, per Cabot, but will move around before the team slots him at a position. Although Erving was the No. 1 center in the draft, Cabot envisions the Florida State product starting his career on the right side, with Alex Mack locking down the snapping job this season. Mitchell Schwartz and John Greco occupy Cleveland’s top spots at right tackle and right guard, respectively.
- Undrafted Ravens rookie safety Julian Wilson broke his leg in minicamp and will miss the season, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Aaron Wilson categorized Julian Wilson as one of the Ravens’ most heavily recruited rookies, snaring a $9K signing bonus.
- Assigning rookie Quinten Rollins No. 24 doesn’t close the door on a Jarrett Bush return, coach Mike McCarthy told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. The soon-to-be-31-year-old special teams stalwart remains an unrestricted free agent seemingly without a spot, considering the Packers matched Sean Richardson‘s Raiders offer to keep the younger safety in Green Bay.
Jets Add Nine UDFAs; Corey Hilliard Retires
9:12pm: The Jets also added cornerback Greg Henderson, an undrafted free agent out of Colorado, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini on Twitter.
12:32pm: The Jets have been busy today, announcing several roster moves as their rookie minicamp gets underway. In addition to signing eight undrafted free agents, the team has also cut two players, and will be working out former first-round wide receiver A.J. Jenkins this weekend.
The team has also seen an offseason addition decide to retire — offensive tackle Corey Hilliard, who signed with the Jets in March, has elected to call it a career.
The 30-year-old saw his 2014 season come to an early end when he sustained a Lisfranc foot injury and tore ligaments in that foot during the Lions’ Week 1 game. It was the second time in three years that he missed essentially an entire season, which likely prompted his early retirement, but he had been effective as a swing tackle when he was healthy. In 2013, Hilliard played 459 offensive snaps for Detroit, starting seven games at right tackle for the team.
Here are the rest of the roster moves for the Jets:
Undrafted free agents:
- Deion Barnes, DE, Penn State
- Durell Eskridge, S, Syracuse ($8.5K bonus, plus $5K guaranteed salary, per Aaron Wilson)
- Julian Howsare, LB, Clarion
- Taiwan Jones, LB, Michigan State
- Demarkus Perkins, S, Florida International
- Wes Saxton, TE, South Alabama
- Davon Walls, DL, Lincoln ($15K bonus, per Wilson)
- Jordan Williams, DE, Tennessee
Cut:
- Chris Pantale, TE
- Chris Young, LB
Draft Signings: Falcons, Cowboys, Ravens
Here are some of the signings of players selected between the third and seventh round of the draft that took place today.
- Third-round pick Carl Davis agreed to a contract with the Ravens, Wilson reports. The defensive tackle’s deal is for four years and worth $2.95MM with a 625K signing bonus. First-rounder Breshad Perriman is the team’s only unsigned player from this year’s class.
- The Cowboys inked linebacker Mark Nzeocha and defensive end Ryan Russell to deals, reports ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. A fifth-round selection, Russell will receive a signing bonus of nearly $203K. Nzeocha, taken in the seventh round, claimed a $64K bonus.
- The Falcons have signed fifth-round defensive tackle Grady Jarrett to his four-year rookie deal, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. As Over the Cap’s data shows, Jarrett’s contract will be worth about $2.528MM in total, including a $248K signing bonus.
- Washington continues to agree to terms with its rookies, reaching a deal with sixth-round safety Kyshoen Jarrett today, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Jarrett will formally sign his contract when he gets into town on Sunday.
- The Steelers have started locking up their draft picks, signing sixth-round defensive tackle L.T. Walton to his rookie contract, the club announced today (Twitter link). The first of two players drafted in the sixth round by the Steelers, Walton is in line for a signing bonus worth nearly $117K.
Cowboys Notes: Collins, Leary, Jones
La’el Collins decided to choose the Cowboys because of what he hopes will be a more lucrative second contract, reports Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
Cole describes Collins’ mindset of attempting to catch on with the league’s best offensive line in hopes of inflating his value in the process. Collins, who Cole expects to start at left guard in place of Ronald Leary this season, can renegotiate his deal after two years, something the LSU product hopes to do after the circumstances that conspired to keep him out of the draft depreciated his value considerably.
Here is some more news coming out of Dallas on Friday night …
- Collins’ arrival doesn’t necessarily mean potential competitors up front are trade bait, Jerry Jones tells Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Leary is perceived to be the weak link on a formidable front, but the 26-year-old guard improved his play considerably last season, finishing as the 19th-best guard in football on Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Davison does list Collins among his locks to start up front — either at left guard or right tackle — along with Tyron Smith at left tackle, Zack Martin at right guard and Travis Frederick at center. Right tackle Doug Free signed a three-year extension in March.
- Jones has been busy not just adding three players with first-round talent but discussing it. Calling into a Dallas radio station KRLD, the Cowboys owner said he’d be open to trading the team’s 2016 first-round pick for help now, writes David Helman of Fox Sports Southwest. The question posed to Jones centered on running back or defensive help, to which the owner replied: “I’d be reluctant to, but certainly if the right situation came along that could improve us now, with where we are with (Tony) Romo, his career and where we are with what we’ve put together, it’s a good time to go for it,” Jones said. So the Adrian Peterson-to-Dallas rumors may still be clinging to life. Jones has traded first-rounders for talent in the past with sketchy results, sending the Lions three picks for Roy Williams in 2008 and exchanging two first-rounders with the Seahawks for Joey Galloway in 2000.
- Appearing on KESN in Dallas, TheMMQB.com’s Peter King likened the Cowboys’ acquisition of Collins to a “stealth bombing,” allowing Dallas to procure three top-20 players on its draft board. “I bet the average salary of those two guys this year is going to be a million dollars,” King told the radio station. “If that. And so to me, the Cowboys caught a tremendous break in some ways.” They’ll likely total more than $1MM together next year, but a tremendous bargain nonetheless, should these gambles result in consistent on-field availability.
- The Cowboys owner offered extensive praise for Collins in an interview with KRLD. Summarized by the Dallas Morning News, the conversation featured Jones preferring Collins’ versatility and desiring a young line that could stay together for as many as 10 years.
Minor Moves: Friday
Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the league:
- Houston parted ways with three players, free safety Josh Aubrey, defensive end Keith Browner and running back Ben Malena, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports on Twitter. The 24-year-old Aubrey played in eight games for the Browns and Texans in 2013 and ’14, respectively, while Malena spent part of last season on the Texans’ practice squad. Browner, 27, spent multiple seasons on Houston’s taxi squad before playing in three games last year.
- The Jets cut linebacker Mario Harvey, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini on Twitter. A 27-year-old who spent time on the Jets’ practice squad last year after two years on the Colts’ active roster, Harvey has 16 career tackles.
- The Titans waived tight end Brett Brackett, per The Tennessean’s Jim Wyatt (Twitter link). Brackett started four games for the Titans last year but suffered a knee injury in December, which led to the 27-year-old Penn State product finishing the season on injured reserve. Since coming into the league in 2011, Brackett’s seen action for four teams — the Eagles, Jaguars, Seahawks and Titans.