HEADLINES

Month: July 2016

Arian Foster To Work Out For Dolphins, Lions

July 17th, 2016 at 7:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Arian Foster will attempt to find a second NFL employer this week, making commitments to visit the Dolphins and Lions, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The former All-Pro will first visit the Dolphins, being scheduled to do so on Monday, and then meet with Lions representatives later this week.

Coming off a torn Achilles’ tendon last October, Foster had previously been connected to three teams this offseason. It’s looking like two could well be the Dolphins and Lions, both in need of backfield depth.

The Dolphins were pretty clearly one of those monitoring his situation since Foster already visited Miami in March. However, the team’s latest known stance on the veteran was regarding him as a fallback option in case of injury. Miami appears to have moved off that status, one that as recently as early June did not indicate much interest.

Potential late-July workouts have served as Foster’s plan for months, so the 29-year-old former rushing champion appears to have remained on schedule as he attempts to play an eighth NFL season.

Miami lost starting running back Lamar Miller to Houston, where he will take over for Foster, and attempted to find several replacements. The Fins signed C.J. Anderson to an offer sheet that the Broncos ended up matching and then tried to sign James Starks and Chris Johnson. Both eventually returned to their respective teams. Miller’s 2015 backup, Jay Ajayi, and Derrick Henry‘s backup at Alabama, Kenyan Drake, look to be Miami’s top two ball-carrying options right now.

Detroit parted ways with Joique Bell this offseason and is seemingly in need of running back help, with Ameer Abdullah coming off of an offseason surgery and Theo Riddick profiling as more of a passing-down specialist. The Lions also picked up Stevan Ridley, who hasn’t enjoyed a significant role since a season-ending injury ended his Patriots tenure prematurely in 2014.

However, neither Ajayi nor Abdullah have proven to be surefire starting backs, so a healthy Foster would have a clearer path to a first-unit role by signing with one of these franchises.

The former UDFA averaged approximately 1,900 yards from scrimmage and 16 touchdowns from 2010-12 but saw injuries limit him to 25 games from 2013-15. Foster still rushed for 1,246 yards in 2014, however, and took only 184 handoffs in the ’13 and ’15 seasons combined. So, he’ll be relatively fresh for a player his age and could still have value, even if he comes with obvious risk.

West Notes: Rams, Fisher, Snead, Mason, Bosa

July 17th, 2016 at 4:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the latest out of the NFL’s two West divisions:

  • A early June report indicated that the Rams were working on extensions for both general manager Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher, but Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link) suggest that little progress has been made on either front, noting that there is no “present timeline or parameters” on negotiations with either Snead nor Fisher. Both men are entering the final year of their respective contracts, and despite the club’s lack of success under the pair’s management, teams generally don’t like their GMs or head coaches to enter lame-duck seasons, so one-year extensions (at the least) wouldn’t be surprising. Fisher, for his part, is already thought to be among the highest-paid coaches in the league, as he’s reportedly earning around $7MM annually.
  • Fisher told reporters that last month that the Rams had to prepare as if running back Tre Mason would not be with the club after Mason was arrested in March for resisting arrest, possession of cannabis, and reckless driving, but according to Bonsignore (Twitter link), a decision has not yet been made as to whether Mason will be involved in training camp. It’s still unclear if Mason’s potential absence is related to a looming league-imposed suspension or because Los Angeles is considering waiving him. Regardless, Mason already saw his role with the club dwindle in 2015, as the presence of Todd Gurley meant that Mason’s carries dropped from 179 in 2014 to just 75 last year.
  • No. 3 overall pick Joey Bosa continues to haggle with the Chargers over his rookie deal, and while negotiations haven’t yet gotten unpleasant, that could change if the battle goes on much longer, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Bosa and his agent are reportedly angling to remove offset language from his contract, and to improve the overall cash flow of the pact. For what it’s worth, former agent and current CBSSports.com contributor Joel Corry recently said that Bosa and his camp have a much better shot at upgrading the payout schedule than getting rid of offsets. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk argues that San Diego should cave on both issues, noting that getting Bosa into camp is far more important than possibly recouping a small amount of cash years down the road, a view we’ve espoused on PFR.
  • Earlier today, we learned that the Rams are planning on bringing quarterback Nick Foles to camp, but are still holding out hope that another club will express interest in trading for the signal-caller.

Latest On Underclassmen Combine

July 17th, 2016 at 3:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Earlier this month, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer revealed that he was working to develop some form of a combine for underclassmen, and added that he had discussed the issue with Alabama head coach Nick Saban in the past. Saban, meanwhile, has taken a step further, and plans to meet with the NFL about the possibility, according to Chase Goodbread of NFL.com.Nick Saban (Vertical)

“I think the NFL is very much interested in this,” Saban said on Wednesday. “We have a meeting scheduled in the near future to discuss some ways to implement this.”

NCAA juniors don’t currently have a venue in which to work out for NFL scouts, coaches, and front office personnel without first declaring for the draft, and Meyer said in early July that would like to see an opportunity for underclass players to showcase their skills without losing their eligibility. “It’s not a process that’s well done right now,” said Meyer at a youth football camp. “There’s a rule that says the NFL can’t look at juniors. Well of course the NFL [scouts] are going to look at a junior. And they should look at a junior.” The only feedback underclassmen receiver from the league at the moment is from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, which projects juniors’ draft stock in January prior to the draft.

“There is a cross-section of people out there who maybe aren’t giving young men responsible information about making this decision, which is indicative of 107 guys going out for the draft last year. Probably at least half of those guys probably shouldn’t have made that decision relative to whether they didn’t get picked, or where they got picked,” said Saban. “They’d have been better off enhancing their draft status by staying in school and developing as a player. There is a group of people out there not being responsible on how they help these guys, and create unrealistic expectations of what their future might be as a football player based on where they are in their development.”

Saban has offered solutions to this problem in the past, but as Goodbread has previously noted, Saban’s proposal would involve pro day-esque events at every college campus, which would only serve to increase the required hours put in by NFL staffs. Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema has also suggested allowing undrafted players to return to college, an idea that is fraught with problems, per Goobread.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

PFR Originals: 7/10/16 – 7/17/16

July 17th, 2016 at 3:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The original analysis and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

6 Key Stories: 7/10/16 – 7/17/16

July 17th, 2016 at 2:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

The franchise tag deadline spurs action. 3pm CT came and went on Friday with three more franchise players agreeing to extensions with their respective clubs. Broncos linebacker Von Miller was first, inking a six-year, $114.5MM deal that made him the highest-paid defender in the NFL. Kicker Justin Tucker was next, signing a four-year, $16.8MM pact with the Ravens after some acrimony. And at the eleventh hour, Muhammad Wilkerson shocked the league by agreeing to a five-year, $86MM accord with the Jets. Meanwhile, Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery, Chiefs safety Eric Berry, Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, and Redskins Kirk Cousins all failed to reach extensions with their respective clubs.

Deflategate is finally over…probably. The NFL’s long national nightmare is over, as Patriots quarterback Tom Brady announced that he would no longer fight his four-game suspension that resulted from the Defaltegate controversy. Brady hadTom Brady (vertical) considered taking his appeal to the Supreme Court, but will instead accept a ban that will cause him to miss games against the Cardinals, Dolphins, Texans, and Bills, leaving Jimmy Garoppolo in the starting role for the first month of the season. The NFLPA, however, might not be ready to give up Brady’s cause.

Extensions continue to roll in. We are squarely in the midst of extension season, and two players agreed to long-term pacts this week. Just months after being waived by the Redskins, cornerback David Amerson is now a highly-paid starting corner, inking a four-year, $38MM extension with the Raiders. It’s quite the turnaround for Amerson, who turned into a reliable option once he arrived in the Bay Area. Meanwhile, Giants punter Brad Wing also signed on the dotted line of a three-year, $6.45MM pact which contains $3.725MM in guarantees (No. 7 among punters).

Suspensions affect 2016 plans. Amidst the franchise tag news on Friday, the NFL also announced two substance abuse-related suspensions, banning 49ers linebacker Aaron Lynch (link) and Bills running back Karlos Williams (link) for four games apiece. Perhaps the best edge rusher on San Francisco’s roster, Lynch might have to wait on scoring a long-term extension until the club deems him reliable. Williams, meanwhile, had already shown up to camp overweight, and will only add to Buffalo’s running back problems, as rookie Jonathan Williams was recently arrested for DUI.

Isaiah Crowell posts a disturbing image. The Browns have no plans to waive Crowell after the running back made an Instagram post depicting a police offer being stabbed in the neck by a hooded man, but the club and the public have expressed Isaiah Crowell (vertical)disappointment with the third-year back. Crowell quickly deleted the post, and has since made public apologies to both the Cleveland and Dallas police departments. In addition, Crowell will donate his Week 1 game check to the Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation.

The supplemental draft ends quickly. The 2016 supplemental draft didn’t see a single player chosen, as every NFL club passed on its chance to draft one of seven eligible players. Before the Rams picked offensive tackle Isaiah Battle in 2015, three years had gone by without a player being selected, so a quiet supplemental draft isn’t exactly without precedent. However, two players who were involved in the draft did find landing spots relatively soon, as defensive tackle Ra’Zahn Howard signed with the Texans and wide receiver Rashaun Simonise agreed to terms with the Bengals.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Foles, Redskins, Orr

July 17th, 2016 at 12:29pm CST by Rory Parks

Nick Foles, currently listed as the Rams‘ No. 3 quarterback on the team’s depth chart (per Roster Resource), is a prime trade candidate, and as Vincent Bonsignore of The Los Angeles Daily News tweets, nothing has changed in that regard. Bonsignore notes that, barring a last-second trade, the plan is to bring Foles to training camp and to wait for another club to have a need open up at quarterback as a result of injury or underperformance. At that time, Los Angeles hopes to deal Foles to such a quarterback-needy team. And, because the Rams already paid out Foles’ guaranteed $6MM roster bonus, an acquiring club would only be on the hook for Foles’ $1.75MM base salary, which is certainly a palatable figure for a backup quarterback. Also, since the $6MM roster bonus is already a sunk cost, the Rams could simply cut Foles if they cannot find a trade partner during camp.

Now let’s take a look at a few more notes from around the league:

  • The Redskins‘ cornerback competition will be a fascinating one to watch this summer, as Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com writes. Tandler observes that the maximum number of corners Washington can keep without creating a major numbers squeeze elsewhere is five, and Josh Norman, Bashaud Breeland, Kendall Fuller, and Quinton Dunbar are all virtual locks to make the club. That means that the team will have to cut a player it would prefer to keep, or else try to sneak such a player onto its practice squad. Dashaun Phillips, Greg Toler, and rookie Lloyd Carrington will all battle for that fifth spot, and Toler is the only member of that trio without practice squad eligibility.
  • Ravens‘ third-year inside linebacker Zach Orr will be under the microscope in training camp, as Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. Orr is currently the favorite to start alongside fellow ILB C.J. Mosley, but despite the fact that his playing time increased late in the 2015 season, he is still largely unproven. If he should struggle, the Ravens could turn to Albert McClellan, Arthur Brown, or (more likely) a free agent.
  • After Isaiah Crowell made headlines for all the wrong reasons last week, many Browns fans have clamored for his release. Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, however, confirmed that Cleveland will not cut Crowell at this time. She says the club believes his public apology was sincere and adds that the Browns will give him a chance to be part part of the solution instead of the problem. Crowell will be donating $35K to the Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation and will continue doing “other things in the community” to atone for his mistake.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com continues his ongoing series on each club’s best and worst contracts. In his opinion, Tashaun Gipson‘s five-year, $36MM deal is the most team-friendly contract on the Jaguars‘ books, while Julius Thomas‘ five-year, $46MM contract is the worst.

Community Tailgate: Biggest Deadline Surprise

July 17th, 2016 at 10:44am CST by Rory Parks

The July 15 deadline for a club to extend a franchise-tagged player came and went accompanied by a typical flurry of activity, and now that the dust has settled, we would like for you to weigh in on the biggest surprise of deadline day. However, given that the whole football world was taken aback by the Muhammad Wilkerson extension, we’ll make it a little harder on you and take that development off the table for this discussion.

As of July 14, the franchise-tagged club looked like this (of course, the extension that Cordy Glenn signed with the Bills and the Panthers’ decision to rescind Josh Norman‘s tag removed two players from this group):

Franchise players (exclusive):

Franchise players (non-exclusive):

At one point, it seemed likely that Berry and the Chiefs would put pen to paper on a long-term deal, but while both sides remain optimistic that Berry will be manning the defensive backfield in Kansas City for the foreseeable future, they could not come together on a multi-year contract and will have to revisit those talks after the season.

And while it had been reported for some time that Cousins would likely play out the 2016 campaign under the franchise tag, did anyone think Wilkerson was more likely than Washington’s quarterback to score a massive extension? After all, both the Redskins and Cousins are taking major gambles here. If Cousins’ 2016 season looks anything like his 2015 campaign, the Redskins will have cost themselves a great deal of money–although it’s hard to imagine they would be complaining too much–but if Cousins should struggle, he might have cost himself any semblance of long-term security. Plus, although neither Rich Tandler nor Tarik El-Bashier of CSNWashington.com believe Cousins will feel added pressure in 2016 as a result of the fact that he does not have a multi-year deal under his belt, it is hard to imagine it will not at least cross his mind.

And then we have the sheer numbers of Miller’s contract, which are beyond staggering. Although both sides did a fair amount of predictable posturing over the course of their negotiations, it was hard to imagine that Miller would sit out the 2016 season, or that the Broncos would trade their superstar pass rusher. But did even those who predicted that the two sides would strike a deal think the deal would be quite as lucrative as it is?

So have at it. What was the biggest surprise of deadline day (non-Wilkerson division)? The Miller deal, the Cousins or Berry non-deal, or something else entirely? And if you want to weigh in with your thoughts about the Wilkerson extension, feel free to do so.

East Notes: Wentz, Garoppolo, Jets

July 17th, 2016 at 10:06am CST by Rory Parks

It’s won’t come as much of a surprise, but Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz will likely be spending at least the first part of his rookie season on the inactive list, according to head coach Doug Pederson (article via Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com). Said Peterson, “Typically, the third quarterback is down. It’s hard right now to look down the road, but if we had to play this week, Carson would be down. He’d be the third quarterback. He’d be deactivated. That’s probably the direction we’re heading, I would think is going that route.”

After re-signing Sam Bradford this offseason and acquiring Chase Daniel, the Eagles can afford to be patient with Wentz, whom the team selected with the No. 2 overall pick of this year’s draft after sending a ransom of draft picks to Cleveland to grab that second overall selection. Philadelphia fully expects Wentz to be a long-term fixture under center, but it knows that the North Dakota State product will need time to transition to the pro game.

Now let’s take a look at a few more notes from the league’s east divisions:

  • In the wake of Tom Brady‘s decision to not file a petition for writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court, Jim McBride of The Boston Globe lays out what to expect from Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo‘s four-week audition to open the 2016 season. McBride opines that, if Garoppolo can lead his club to a 3-1, or even 2-2 mark, he will have solidified his place as an NFL starter. And while he will of course turn the reins back over to Brady at that point, New England could seek to lock him up long term or else try and deal him after the season for a draft pick or two. Garoppolo’s contract expires at the end of the 2017 season–Brady’s does not expire until the end of the 2019 campaign–and a successful stint as a starter in 2016 could make him a highly-coveted free agent at that time. The Patriots, of course, are fully aware of this prospective timeline, which was a significant factor in their decision to grab Jacoby Brissett in this year’s draft.
  • Brian Costello of The New York Post believes Jets GM Mike Maccagnan scored “big points” when he found a way to keep Muhammad Wilkerson in the fold on a long-term basis with an 11th-hour extension, but the longer the Ryan Fitzpatrick situation remains unresolved, the worse things could get for Maccagnan. If the team does not come to an agreement with Fitzpatrick, it is not difficult to envision default starter Geno Smith struggling out of the gate, at which point Maccagnan’s approval rating, which is pretty high right now, would plummet, as he, rather than Smith or head coach Todd Bowles, would be the scapegoat. Neither the GM nor Fitzpatrick has blinked during these negotiations, and as training camp inches closer, there are no new developments to report.
  • Yesterday, PFR’s Dallas Robinson looked at how the Wilkerson deal with the Jets came together, and what it means for the future of the club’s defensive line.

NFC Notes: A. Lynch, C. Johnson, Cook, Best

July 16th, 2016 at 8:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Linebacker Aaron Lynch‘s four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy will not only put a cap on his 2016 production, but make an long-term extension with the 49ers increasingly unlikely, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. The 23-year-old Lynch, considered perhaps the best edge rusher on San Francisco’s roster, is a building block on a club that isn’t expected to win many games during the upcoming season. He’ll be eligible for a new deal after the 2016 campaign, but general manager Trent Baalke & Co. will likely want to ensure that Lynch can be trusted before locking him up for the long haul, per Maiocco.

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • After being released and re-signed by the Panthers, defensive end Charles Johnson admits this is something of a make-or-break year. “Of course,” Johnson told Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer. “I’ve got to prove myself, right? I’m only signed to a one-year deal, so I got to go out and prove myself.” Carolina saved $8MM by cutting and re-signing Johnson earlier this year, lowering his base salary from a scheduled $11M down to $3MM. Though he played in only nine games in 2015 and posted just a single sack, Johnson was also hampered by injury, so his performance can be somewhat excused. Johnson isn’t exactly washed up, either, as he’s still under 30 years old, and averaged 11 sacks per season from 2012-14.
  • Packers general manager Ted Thompson went outside his comfort zone and signed an external free agent this offseason, inking tight end Jared Cook after he was released by the Rams, and Aaron Rodgers is hoping Cook and incumbent Richard Rogers can form a lethal combination. “We haven’t figured that out yet,” Rodgers told Rob Reischel of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “Obviously we haven’t even put the pads on, so we’re just trying to work through it. Obviously when you have two tight ends on the field it creates a matchup problem, so we’ll see where that goes.” Cook, who has never appeared in a playoff game during his NFL career, signed a one-year, $2.75MM deal with Green Bay that contains $900K in incentives.
  • Former Lions running back Jahvid Best will compete in the Summer Olympics as a member of Saint Lucia’s track team, write Nick Zaccardi and Seth Rubinroit of NBC Sports. Best, who holds dual citizenship and has a Saint Lucian father, will become the first athlete with NFL experience to compete in the Summer Games. Former NFLer Herschel Walker participated in the 1982 Winter Olympics, while Patriots safety Nate Ebner could join Best this summer, as he’s trying out for the U.S. rugby squad.

Franchise Tag Leftovers: Mo, Miller, T. Johnson

July 16th, 2016 at 7:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As of last weekend, Muhammad Wilkerson and his camp had all but accepted that a long-term deal with the Jets was not to be, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. But beginning on Wednesday night, when New York began to make a last-ditch effort to retain its franchise player for the long haul, things began to change, as the club sent a new offer to Wilkerson’s agent. Though the star defensive end was angling for a six-year contract, Wilkerson was open to a five-year pact as long it contained an average value and guarantees similar to that of Fletcher Cox, who signed an extension with the Eagles last month. The club responded by emailing a final proposal at 3:15am ET Friday morning, and Wilkerson and his team accepted in time for the paperwork to be completed by Friday’s 4pm ET deadline.

Here’s more on several of the franchise-tagged players:

  • Despite his off-the-field drama, Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson is likely to be more expensive than Wilkerson whenever the club looks to extend him, writes Darryl Slater of NJ.com. While Wilkerson has never been involved in any off-the-field incidents, Richardson served a four-game suspension in 2015 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and is facing a one-game ban in 2016 for a conduct policy infraction. Still, given that the salary cap is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years, Wilkerson should be able to score a large contract. Of course, New York has increased its leverage by locking up Wilkerson and drafting Leonard Williams in the first round last year.
  • While Von Miller is fully guaranteed $42MM under the terms of his extension with the Broncos, the All Pro edge rusher is essentially guaranteed $78.5MM given the structure of the contract, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk details. Because of the payout schedule, Denver would have to accept $32.8MM in dead money in order to cut Miller before March 2018. The next year, $9MM of Miller’s $17.5MM fully guarantees in March, meaning the Broncos would need to be willing to release Miller rather than pay him for one more season at an effective cost of $8.5MM. Jason Fitzgerald of the Sporting News, meanwhile, points out that Miller’s relatively cheap signing bonus ($17MM) means he doesn’t have much dead money protection in the final two years of the deal.
  • The Rams made the right call in not extending cornerback Trumaine Johnson, argues Vincent Bonsignore of InsideSoCal.com. Johnson was largely part-time player prior to 2015, and while he posted a breakout campaign during his first season as a full-time starter, there’s still some uncertainty regarding his play. And given that Johnson had no incentive to sign a new deal that averaged less than his $13.9MM franchise tag, Los Angeles didn’t have much room to negotiate. Instead, the club can use 2016 as a measuring stick, and either franchise Johnson again after the season, or re-engage talks about a long-term deal.
  • As Florio opines in a separate piece, the franchise tag isn’t a bad proposition for the players who didn’t agree to extensions with their respective clubs. Though none of Alshon Jeffery, Kirk Cousins, Eric Berry, or Johnson scored long-term security, they will each be among the highest-paid players at their positions for the upcoming season.
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