Extra Points: Jets, Fowler, Jaguars, Bolts
Jets quarterback Geno Smith, Ravens tackle Eugene Monroe, and Buccaneers cornerback Alterraun Verner are among the veteran players who may have been put on notice as a result of their respective teams’ draft picks last weekend, writes Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. PFR’s Dallas Robinson singled out all three of those players, and a handful of others, when he explored the same subject earlier in the week.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- One year ago today, Dante Fowler suffered a torn ligament in his knee, ending his rookie season before it began. The Jaguars, understandably, want to take things slowly with last year’s No. 3 overall pick. “Everything that we’ve seen, the drill work he’s done, the running, the reports we hear — he looks really good,” coach Gus Bradley said, as Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union writes. “I think he just needs reps now and that’s when it will come, in the OTAs. We’re just taking it day by day with him and seeing his conditioning level.” Fowler notched 8.5 sacks in his final season at Florida and finished his three-year Gators career with 14.5 sacks in total.
- In the wake of the 2016 draft, the Chargers are the latest team to make changes to their personnel department. A source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link) that San Diego’s changes will include the dismissal of at least one staff member.
- Woody Paige of The Denver Post wonders if Mose Frazier will be the next great free agent to make the Broncos‘ roster. Frazier, a Memphis product, was quarterback Paxton Lynch‘s favorite target at Memphis. In the past two seasons, Frazier has caught 117 passes from the quarterback for 1,305 yards. Despite his chemistry with Lynch, he might be facing an uphill battle in Denver. As of this writing, the Broncos have eleven wide receivers under contract.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
NFC Notes: Goff, Rams, Hardy, Cowboys
We’re only a few days into rookie minicamp, but it sounds like Jared Goff might be setting himself up for the Rams‘ starting job already.
“He’s doing a great job picking up our offense,” coach Jeff Fisher told the team’s website. “We’ve given him a lot more information than we did at the private workout and then that we did here at our meeting, and he’s handled it without any problem. And that’s the impressive thing…I passed him last night walking to the room and he was leaving the meeting room at 10 o’clock. He’s that kind of guy. He’ll spend the time. It’s important to him.”
Here’s more from the NFC:
- With Greg Hardy and Jeremy Mincey no longer in the mix at defensive end in Dallas, the Cowboys will be counting on unsung pass-rushers to get after opposing quarterbacks during the 2016 season, as Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details.
- After their former punter, Brad Nortman, headed to Jacksonville in free agency, the Panthers will head into camp with Swayze Waters and Michael Palardy competing for the 2016 job. However, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer observes, there should be veteran options out there if Carolina wants to go in that direction. Former San Diego punter Mike Scifres is already a free agent, while Denver’s Britton Colquitt is a release candidate.
- The Eagles are set to hire Joe Douglas as their personnel chief. Douglas, who joined the Bears approximately a year ago, spent the previous 15 years with the Ravens, serving as Baltimore’s national scout from 2012 to 2015.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Week In Review: 5/2/16 – 5/8/16
A look back at PFR’s biggest stories of the last week..
Headlines:
- The Dolphins signed Cameron Wake to a two-year extension. The deal is worth $15MM over two years with $10MM in fully guaranteed money.
- Guard Matt Slauson was deciding between the Bills and Chargers last week and he ultimately went with the better weather. San Diego signed Slauson to a two-year deal with the hope that he can bolster their offensive line, which placed dead last in the NFL in 2015.
- Cordy Glenn has a massive new deal with the Bills. Ditto for the Saints and tackle Terron Armstead.
- Tight end Delanie Walker inked a deal with the Titans that will keep him in place beyond 2016. Walker, 31, enjoyed a career year and earned his first Pro Bowl berth in 2015, his 10th NFL season.
- The Seahawks officially placed Marshawn Lynch on the reserve/retired list.
Signed:
- Steelers – Bruce Gradkowski, QB (link)
- Chargers – Matt Slauson, C/G (link)
Released:
- Dolphins – Damontre Moore, DE (link)
Option Decisions:
- Last week marked the deadline for teams to decide on fifth-year options for players taken in the first round of the 2013 draft. Click here for a full rundown on all 32 players.
Draft Signings:
- Many of the players taken in last week’s draft have already signed their rookie contracts. Click here for a team-by-team breakdown.
North Notes: Browns, Buckner, Packers
Before the draft, the Browns indicated they had zeroed in on a player with the No. 8 pick. Of course, during the draft, Cleveland traded down to No. 15 where they selected Baylor’s Corey Coleman. In today’s mailbag, Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer wonders aloud if the team could have been targeting Oregon pass-rusher DeForest Buckner, who went to San Francisco at No. 7. Some have wondered if Ezekiel Elliott could have been Cleveland’s target, but that’s not likely considering all of the positive things coach Hue Jackson has said about the team’s current stable of running backs.
Here’s a look at the AFC and NFC North:
- University of Texas-San Antonio defensive tackle Brian Price battled through injuries in college and shoved an official to the ground in a fit of rage, but he still had more than 20 teams interested in signing him after the draft, agent Daniel MacNeil tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel. Ultimately, Price says he chose to sign with the Packers because of the opportunity they could provide. “I just heard the Green Bay Packers had a reputation for developing guys through free agency and having them play in the starting lineup whether a game down the road or a year down the road,” Price said. “I felt like they were a better choice because of the developmental aspect they put their guys through.”
- Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com made some early wide receiver depth chart predictions for the Ravens. At the end of the day, Brown sees Baltimore keeping seven WRs: Steve Smith Jr., Breshad Perriman, Kamar Aiken, Mike Wallace, Chris Moore, Keenan Reynolds, and Michael Campanaro. That would leave Daniel Brown, Marlon Brown, Jeremy Butler, Kaelin Clay, and Chris Matthews on the outside looking in.
- Last week ex-Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel appeared in the news again as he was booked in his domestic violence case.
AFC East Notes: Jets, Bills, Glenn, Patriots
A decorated Division II college quarterback, Jason Vander Laan is attempting to make the Jets as a tight end, as Brian Costello of the New York Post writes.
“It’s a different perspective,” said Vander Laan, who has never played tight end before. “It’s different being in the huddle and not calling out the play. It’s different lining up and not touching the ball every play. But I’m having a great time and having fun out here. There’s still plenty of learning to be done. I’m just trying to get the hang of things and pick up the system.”
The former Ferris State star won D2’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy in each of the last two years. In 2015, he threw for 2,626 yards and 27 touchdowns and rushed for 1,542 yards and 24 touchdowns. Now, he’ll try and apply that athleticism to a brand new position.
Here’s more out of the AFC East:
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap was surprised by the big money contracts given to Terron Armstead and Cordy Glenn. While both players came away with sizable deals, Fitzgerald believes that Glenn is the bigger winner of the two with cap hits in ’17 and ’18 that could very likely be restructured. As for the Bills‘ side of things, Fitzgerald isn’t sure why the team traded its future financial flexibility for immediate cap relief when it wasn’t necessary.
- Malcolm Butler‘s rise from undrafted free agent to Pro Bowler has made other UDFAs want to join up with the Patriots, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. This year, the Pats signed three undrafted corners in Illinois’ V’Angelo Bentley, Auburn’s Jonathan Jones and Florida Atlantic’s Cre’Von LeBlanc. “Clearly when a tryout guy like Malcolm Butler ends up where he does, it’s an example of how they play the best players and it’s truly an open competition, no matter how you got there,” said Joe Linta, who represents Jones. Jones is a particularly interesting prospect – he posted a 4.3 second 40-yard-dash time, but teams were concerned about his 5’9″ height.
- On Saturday, the Dolphins and Cameron Wake reached agreement on a two-year, $15MM extension. The seven-year veteran made only seven appearances last season due to a torn ACL, but the team ostensibly believes that he has fully recovered from that injury.
PFR Originals: 5/2/16 – 5/8/16
Here’s a rundown of the original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- If you enjoy this website on your smartphone or tablet, you’ve got to download the free Trade Rumors app! Our must-have app includes all of the articles from Pro Football Rumors, MLB Trade Rumors, and Hoops Rumors in an easy-to-navigate, eye-catching format. You can also customize your feed to your liking receive breaking news notifications for your favorite teams and players. Download it today!
- Who got the biggest free agent deal this offseason? Well, there’s more than one way to measure that and Luke Adams ran it down by three different metrics. Of course, Malik Jackson‘s six-year, $85.5MM deal with the Jaguars comes in as the biggest deal by overall base value. However, when you go by fully guaranteed money, Olivier Vernon‘s $40MM haul takes the No. 1 spot. In terms of average annual value, no one bested quarterback Brock Osweiler who will get $18MM per season from the Texans.
- The NFL Draft brings us a brand new crop of talent but it can also displace established veterans. Following the 2016 draft, Dallas Robinson looked at the players who could be most affected by this year’s incoming class. Ravens tackle Eugene Monroe reportedly won’t be cut after the team picked Notre Dame tackle Ronnie Stanley, but the selection might not bode well for his long-term prospects in Baltimore. In Los Angeles, Nick Foles and Case Keenum are on shaky ground after Jared Goff was taken with the No. 1 overall pick. For takes on Alterraun Verner, DeSean Jackson, Sam Bradford, and others, check out Dallas’ list.
- The deadline for teams to pick up the fifth-year options for players selected in the first round of the 2013 draft has come and gone. Luke ran down all 32 decisions and noted that only three top-10 picks had their 2017 options picked up. Luke Joeckel, Barkevious Mingo, Jonathan Cooper, and Dee Milliner are among the underachieving top-10 picks whose options were declined by their respective teams.
Pigskin Links: Elliott, Packers, Texans
Here at Pro Football Rumors, we deliver up-to-the-minute news on NFL transactions and high-quality original analysis. Each week, we also feature some of the best blog articles from around the web in our regular feature, Pigskin Links.
We’re looking for interesting reads on all things football from blogs of all sizes. While PFR is dedicated to player movement, Pigskin Links is open to pieces on all areas of the game. If you would like to suggest your blog post (or someone else’s) for Pigskin Links, send us an email with the link and a brief synopsis at PigskinLinks@gmail.com.
Here’s this week’s look around the football blogosphere:
- NFL Draft Report offered an in-depth look at Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott.
- Fantasy Pros handed out draft grades for the Packers and the rest of the NFC North.
- Wayniac Nation looked back on the Texans’ draft.
- NFL Spin Zone went in-depth on the Panthers.
- Total Sports Live wonders if Sam Bradford could be on the bench.
- Kingdome Of Seattle Sports likes the Seahawks’ draft.
Got a great football blog post that you want to see featured in next week’s Pigskin Links? Email it to Zach or tweet it to him: @ZachLinks.
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Extra Points: Eagles, Pace, Cromartie, Jags
According to Connor Barwin, Sam Bradford was caught off guard when the Eagles swapped picks with the Browns to trigger their seminal Carson Wentz selection at No. 2 overall.
Not that it’s a surprise Bradford wasn’t expecting this given his recent actions, but the fourth-year Eagles pass-rusher expects things to cool down for the former No. 1 overall pick and that the presumptive Week 1 starter will return to the team, per Zig Fracassi of Sirius XM Radio (Twitter link).
Signed to a two-year, $35MM deal, Bradford probably represents the Eagles’ best chance of competing right away. He was 7-7 as a starter for last season’s dysfunctional team and completed 65% of his passes, by far a career-high mark. But like 2015 Philadelphia teammate Mark Sanchez, it is a matter of time until the first-round pick takes the reins.
Some speculated the 28-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner will retire a la Carson Palmer and wait for a potential solution to develop, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk doesn’t see this drama paying off for Bradford. The former Ram’s prolonged absence will make his learning curve in Doug Pederson‘s offense steeper.
Here’s the latest from around the league as rookie minicamp weekend continues.
- Antonio Cromartie and Calvin Pace remain free agents, and Todd Bowles said the “door is not closed” on potentially bringing them back to the Jets, Kimberley Martin of Newsday reports. Pace’s two-year, $5MM deal expired after the 2015 season. The pass-rusher had been a staple on the Rex Ryan-era defenses, having started 16 games from 2008-14. Last season, the now-35-year-old Pace started in 13 games. The Jets cut the 32-year-old Cromartie after just one season. Gang Green, though, remains deadlocked with Ryan Fitzpatrick on a deal that looks to pay the quarterback at least $8MM AAV and as of Saturday possesses $3.2MM in cap space.
- The Jaguars moved Brandon Linder to center, Gus Bradley told media (including Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union). An 18-game starter at right guard the past two years, Linder missed 13 games due to a shoulder injury last season. After Stefen Wisniewski opted to sign with the Eagles, Linder will be the Jaguars’ fourth center in four years.
- Meanwhile, Jacksonville’s line looks to have two former Cowboys backups, with Mackenzy Bernadeau set to move into the Jags’ starting left guard position, O’Halloran writes. Like Jermey Parnell in 2015, Bernardeau left Dallas and its loaded offensive front and will have a better opportunity to be a first-string presence for a less-accomplished line. The 30-year-old Bernadeau did not sign a high-end deal for his position like Parnell did a year ago, but he brings a similar profile, having played as a key backup with the Cowboys the past two years. Prior to that, the former seventh-round Panthers pick in 2008 started 27 games at guard for the Cowboys in 2012-13. Bernadeau started 19 contests for the pre-Cam Newton Panther teams in 2009-10.
Dolphins Sign Cameron Wake To Extension
The Dolphins have signed veteran defensive end Cameron Wake to a two-year extension, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets that the deal is worth $15MM over two years, with $10MM in fully guaranteed money.
Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets that Wake was due $8.3MM in 2016, so the 34-year-old ultimately got an extra $1.7MM with the extension. Meanwhile, his expected $9.8MM cap figure should decrease.
The extension is somewhat surprising considering Wake’s age and injury history. The seven-year veteran made only seven appearances last season due to a torn ACL, but Salguero believes the extension is an indication by the organization that Wake is fully recovered. Furthermore, Schefter tweeted that the Dolphins wanted to pay Wake “for what he’s done and will do.”
The team tried to address Wake’s contract in February to no avail, but the sides reconvened for a more successful post-draft result. Wake was previously set to enter the final season of a four-year, $33.2MM accord. After restructuring Ndamukong Suh‘s massive cap hit down to $12.6MM, Miami entered Saturday with more than $18.6MM in cap space. A sizable portion of that will go to its veteran-stacked defensive front.
While decreasing Wake’s ’16 cap hit was probably part of the reason for Miami’s decision, it may ensure one of the franchise’s best signings will finish his career in South Florida. A former UDFA, Wake is coming off a season derailed after seven games by a ruptured Achilles’ tendon. Yet, the former CFL import still registered seven sacks. He’ll team with fellow veteran Mario Williams on the edge for the Dolphins, who have secured a pair of aging-but-effective pass-rushers for the next two seasons.
A four-time Pro Bowler who earned first-team All-Pro recognition in 2012, Wake did not suit up in an NFL game until 2009 and didn’t become a full-time starter until a year later at age 28. And although he’s coming off one of the more severe injuries with which football is associated, the former Penn State product played in at least 15 regular-season games from 2010-14. Vance Joseph said earlier today he expects Wake to be ready for Week 1 despite suffering the injury in late October of last year.
Now that Miami is without Olivier Vernon, whose transition tag the team rescinded to pave a path for a massive Giants-commissioned raise for the former second-round pick, Wake will again serve as a vital component for the Fins’ pass rush. He’s registered double-digit sacks three times — compared to Vernon doing so once — and enters his eighth season with 70 for his NFL career. That total trails only Jason Taylor (139.5) in Dolphins history.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images