2017 May - Pro Football Rumors

PFR Originals: 5/7/17 – 5/14/17

May 14th, 2017 at 2:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

With the news that Saints center Max Unger could be questionable for the start of the 2017 campaign, Zach Links examined 10 centers New Orleans could consider. Subsequent reports have indicated Unger could return at some point during the preseason, but that doesn’t mean the Saints wouldn’t ponder adding more depth at the pivot. Free agent Nick Mangold, the Eagles’ Jason Kelce, and the Browns’ Cameron Erving all stand out as potential options for the Saints.
The Patriots used a May 9 tender on free agent running back LeGarrette Blount, which could complicate his market over the next few months. With that in mind, Ben Levine asked PFR readers where Blount will sign. Thus far, a plurality of respondents (35%) believes Blount will end up back with the Patriots.

Ravens, Nick Mangold In Holding Pattern

May 14th, 2017 at 1:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Ravens and free agent center Nick Mangold remain in a holding pattern, and it’s unclear if the two sides will ultimately agree on a deal, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Money is likely the issue holding up a potential contract, but Baltimore probably prefers to ink Mangold sooner rather than later, per Hensley.

2016 starting Ravens center Jeremy Zuttah was traded to the 49ers earlier this year, so Baltimore’s top options on the interior are currently Ryan Jensen, John Urschel, and fourth-round rookie Nico Siragusa, the latter a natural guard who expressed confidence he could shift to center. Mangold, then, would given the Ravens a veteran presence at the pivot, and allow those younger lineman to compete with Alex Lewis for time at guard.

Mangold, 33, missed eight games last season with an ankle injury before being released by the Jets in February. He met with the Ravens in April, and general manager Ozzie Newsome & Co. are reportedly comfortable with Mangold’s medicals. Mangold has also drawn interest from the Giants since being cut.

NFC Notes: D. Martin, Giants, Joeckel

May 14th, 2017 at 12:10pm CST by Rory Parks

We heard last month that the Buccaneers may retain RB Doug Martin, and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times explains why Martin remains relevant to the Bucs. For one, Tampa Bay did not select a running back in the draft that could make an instant impact, so Martin is still the most talented back on the roster. But the Bucs do have enough talent at the position to get away with a running back-by-committee until Martin returns from suspension in October, so they can afford to be patient. Plus, Martin has something to prove, and he has shown that, when motivated, he can be highly productive. The team has expressed a great deal of optimism about Martin’s prospects since the draft, so it is looking more likely than ever that he will play out the 2017 campaign with the Bucs.

Now for more from the NFC:

The Giants were one of the most logical suitors for free agent RB LeGarrette Blount, but the Patriots’ decision to use a May 9 tender on Blount probably takes New York out of the picture, according to James Kratch of NJ.com. Plus, Kratch believes the team’s reported interest in adding a veteran back was always a bit overblown, as the Giants have three young RBs that they want to give opportunities to, along with veteran Shane Vereen.
In the same piece, Kratch observes that Giants cornerstones Justin Pugh, Weston Richburg, Landon Collins, and Odell Beckham will all reach the end of their rookie contracts over the next two seasons. Kratch says it will be difficult for Big Blue to re-sign all four, but it’s not impossible, and he lays out how New York could go about it.
Former West Virginia center Tyler Orlosky is part of the Eagles‘ 2017 class of UDFAs, and as Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com writes, it was a bit surprising that Orlosky chose to sign with Philadelphia. After all, he garnered plenty of interest as a UDFA, and the Eagles have three centers on their roster that they are invested in to some degree. But Shorr-Parks suggests that Orlosky may know something we don’t, and if Orlosky performs well in camp, Shorr-Parks says Philadelphia could ship veteran Jason Kelce, whom the club has been trying to trade anyway, off to the highest bidder.
Luke Joeckel represents the biggest investment the Seahawks made in free agency this offseason, but given his disappointing tenure as a left tackle for the Jaguars — which ultimately forced him to move to guard — and his season-ending knee injury in 2016, there is plenty of skepticism about his ability to bolster Seattle’s underwhelming O-line. But Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable is bullish on Joeckel’s outlook. As Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com writes, Cable said during a recent radio interview that Joeckel played as well as any guard in the league before his injury last season, and he believes his coaching will only make Joeckel better. Of course, Joeckel only signed a one-year pact, so if he does play well and stay healthy, the Seahawks will likely have to pay a premium to keep him.
The Rams‘ center position is hardly settled, as injury-prone John Sullivan sits atop the depth chart with only Demetrius Rhaney, a special-teams contributor and a natural guard, behind him. As such, Rich Hammond of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that UDFA Jake Eldrenkamp, who did not play center at all in college but whose body and skill-set are best-suited to center at the professional level, has a real chance of winning the starting job this summer. At the very least, he could make the team as Sullivan’s backup.

49ers Tried To Trade Into Mid-First Round For Reuben Foster

May 14th, 2017 at 10:35am CST by Rory Parks

We learned several weeks ago that the 49ers were willing to make Alabama LB Reuben Foster the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft if edge rushers Myles Garrett and Solomon Thomas were already off the board. Ultimately, of course, San Francisco grabbed Thomas with the No. 3 overall selection and dealt its No. 34 and No. 111 overall picks to Seattle to move up to No. 31 and select Foster, the third-ranked player on its board.

But as Peter King of The MMQB writes in his piece detailing 49ers GM John Lynch‘s 24 hours up to and during the draft, Lynch and Co. were trying to land Foster long before that. The team did not believe Foster would fall past Baltimore’s selection at No. 16, as the Ravens had an apparent need at middle linebacker and Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome has a perceived proclivity for selecting Alabama players. The 49ers therefore offered Baltimore a second-, third-, and fourth-round selection to move up to No. 16, and Newsome countered with the second-rounder and both of the 49ers’ third-rounders.

The 49ers declined, but they kept trying. They offered the same package they offered to Baltimore to the Redskins, who held the No. 17 overall selection, but Washington declined as well (for what it’s worth, John Keim of ESPN.com says Redskins head coach Jay Gruden was unaware of the trade proposal, but it’s likely that team president Bruce Allen would have rejected the deal before it reached Gruden anyway). Lynch also called the Giants before they made their No. 23 overall choice, but he was rebuffed by New York GM Jerry Reese. Lynch finally, and unexpectedly, got his man eight picks later.

We now know that Foster could miss the entire 2017 season due to a shoulder injury, so it’s not surprising that he fell as far as he did on draft night (his watered-down urine sample and pre-draft argument with a hospital worker did not help his cause either). And, as our Dallas Robinson pointed out in the post linked above, it’s not a great look for Lynch and the 49ers staff that they were willing to use the third overall pick — or to trade significant draft assets to get back into the middle of the first round — for a player who ultimately fell to the end of Round 1.

However, by getting Foster in the first round, they can keep him under contract for five years, so it will be easier for them to treat 2017 as a medical redshirt season if necessary. Plus, if Foster can stay healthy, he and Thomas could form a fearsome duo in the middle of San Francisco’s defense for years.

Hue Jackson: Browns’ QB Job Is Cody Kessler’s To Lose

May 14th, 2017 at 9:40am CST by Rory Parks

The Browns have been searching for a franchise quarterback for a long time, and that search continued during this year’s draft, when the club nabbed Notre Dame signal-caller DeShone Kizer with the No. 52 overall selection. We heard several weeks ago that Cleveland is open to having Kizer start right away if he performs well in training camp and in the preseason, and since he has far and away the most upside of any QB currently on the roster, the club certainly hopes he earns the starting job sooner rather than later.

But as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, second-year player Cody Kessler, whom the Browns selected in the third round of the 2016 draft, currently sits atop the Browns’ depth chart, and the starting QB job is his to lose. Head coach Hue Jackson said, “They have to take it from [Kessler]. They better take it from him because I know him — he is not going to give it up. It will be fun. That is what competition is all about. Until someone takes something from someone and shows that they can do it at a high level play in and play out, then we have to keep going in the direction where we’re traveling.”

Kessler performed reasonably well in nine games for the club last year, and Jackson said back in October that the USC product was one of the best rookie quarterbacks he had ever coached. It therefore makes sense that Kessler would get the early opportunity to take control of the starting job, but Jackson also made it clear that there will be an open competition among Kessler, Kizer, Brock Osweiler, and Kevin Hogan.

Jackson said that all four players will have the opportunity to take first-team reps, and he unsurprisingly sounded the most pessimistic about Osweiler, whom the Browns acquired from Houston as part of a salary dump in order to take the Texans’ second-round selection in this year’s draft. Jackson said, “Brock is learning our system and learning the things that we do at the position. I think the other guys have done it. They have been through the process with me and understand how to play. That doesn’t mean that he can’t have an opportunity to exceed or succeed anybody” (interestingly, Kizer, like Osweiler, has not yet “been through the process” with Jackson either, so that statement could suggest just how little the team values Osweiler).

In any event, the training camp battle to watch will be Kessler v. Kizer, though Kizer will almost inevitably get his shot at some point in the near future.

Saints’ Max Unger To Be Ready For Week 1?

May 14th, 2017 at 8:47am CST by Zachary Links

It now sounds like Max Unger might not miss the start of the season after all. Saints head coach Sean Payton said yesterday that he expects Unger to return to the field in early August with the hope of suiting up for the ever important third preseason game (via Herbie Teope of the Times-Picayune). This jives with a report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk earlier this week, who wrote that the Saints expected their starting center to be back in action in time for the preseason.

Last Monday, a report indicated that Unger could miss the start of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a lingering foot injury. While the PUP list was mentioned as a possibility, it now sounds like he should be ready to go in Week 1. If that’s the case, then the Saints might not have to look into trading for a quality center after all.

It is fair to wonder why the Saints waited until May to have Unger undergo surgery, but Payton says the medical staff hoped rest after the regular season would work. However, the team noticed at the start of the offseason workout program in April that the problem needed further evaluation.

In 2016, Unger graded out as the No. 11 center in the NFL, per the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. Unger, who came to New Orleans in the Jimmy Graham deal with the Seahawks, has two Pro Bowl nods and a First-Team All-Pro selection on his resume. Teope says Senio Kelemete will likely take the bulk of Unger’s reps at center while Unger is sidelined.

Bills Name Joe Schoen Assistant GM

May 14th, 2017 at 8:24am CST by Rory Parks

Less than a week after the Bills tabbed Brandon Beane as their next GM, the club has made former Dolphins director of player personnel Joe Schoen its assistant GM, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Florio adds that Miami could have blocked the move, but Dolphins executive vice-president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum allowed Schoen to take a promotion with a division rival in order to foster an atmosphere of upward mobility in Miami.

Schoen has steadily worked his way through the front office ranks, having began his professional career as a scouting assistant with the Panthers in 2001. He spent seven years in Carolina before joining the Dolphins as a national scout in 2008, and Miami promoted him to assistant director of college scouting in 2013 before bumping him up to director of player personnel one year later. During his collegiate days, he enjoyed a standout career as a wide receiver at DePauw University (via a press release from the Dolphins announcing his 2014 promotion).

Schoen is now well-positioned to become a GM himself if he enjoys some success during his tenure with Buffalo. Of course, the Bills enter 2017 with a completely new crop of top decision-makers after hiring head coach Sean McDermott earlier this year and replacing departed GM Doug Whaley with Beane a few days ago. While there have been some conflicting reports as to whether McDermott or Beane will have control over the Bills’ 53-man roster — team owner Terry Pegula tried to set the record straight on Friday by announcing that Beane will have the final say — the longtime coworkers will certainly collaborate on roster construction. Schoen, another young front office talent, will now have the opportunity to join that collaboration.

Cardinals Sign Three Draft Picks

May 13th, 2017 at 8:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cardinals announced that they’ve signed three 2017 draft picks: fifth-round offensive lineman Will Holden, fifth-round running back T.J. Logan, and seventh-round defensive back Rudy Ford.

Holden, selected with the 157th overall pick, is now one of seven reserve offensive lineman on Arizona’s roster, so he could face an uphill battle to earn a spot on the squad despite his draft status. Logan, a North Carolina product, could see time as a kick returner during his rookie campaign and could even carve out a role on offense, as the Cards only have one other back — Kerwynn Williams — behind starter David Johnson. Arizona traded up in the seventh round to select Ford, whom the Cardinals are listing as a cornerback.

Arizona has now signed three of its seven-man draft class, and still needs to ink first-round linebacker Haason Reddick, second-round safety Budda Baker, third-round wide receiver Chad Williams, and fourth-round offensive lineman Dorian Johnson.

Khalif Barnes, Steve Williams Earn Tryouts

May 13th, 2017 at 8:26pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Offensive lineman Khalif Barnes and cornerback Steve Williams have landed tryouts with the Saints and Cardinals, respectively, according to Nick Underhill of the Advocate and Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter links).

Barnes, notably, was signed four separate times by the Saints in 2016, but never actually appeared in a game for the club. The 35-year-old Barnes offers two attributes in spades — experience and versatility. In 11 seasons, Barnes has appeared in more than 150 games (117 starts) with the Jaguars and Raiders. Moreover, Barnes is able to play both inside and out, so he could act as a backup at up to four offensive line spots.

Williams, 26, spent time with both the Chargers and Rams in 2016, appearing in six games (two starts) between the two clubs. Waived by the Rams in December, Williams worked out for the Ravens and 49ers but had yet to land a contract. While the Cardinals are still searching for a cornerback to play opposite Patrick Peterson, Williams would be relegated to special teams duty if signed.

Latest On Free Agent RB LeGarrette Blount

May 13th, 2017 at 7:17pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots used a May 9 tender on free agent running back LeGarrette Blount earlier this week, ensuring that they’d be entitled to a compensatory pick if Blount signs elsewhere. Clubs with interest in Blount are now attempting to “navigate” the compensatory pick process, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com, and are working on “deal structures” that could work around the comp selection system.

Blount, 30, had reportedly been nearing a deal with an unidentified team before being slapped with the New England tender. He can still negotiate with other clubs, but will now count against the 2018 compensatory formula. However, the last compensatory pick is currently tied to a $2.05MM annual salary, so the club that inks Blount would only sacrifice a 2018 comp selection if Blount earns more than that total.

Some teams with interest in Blount, such as the Lions, don’t have to consider any possible compensatory pick forfeiture, as they aren’t projected to earn any comp selections in 2018. Other clubs, like the Giants and Ravens, could conceivably work out a trade with the Patriots after New England signs Blount, as Nick Korte of Over the Cap speculates.

If Blount doesn’t sign by July 22, the Patriots will own exclusive negotiating rights through Week 10 of the regular season. If Blount doesn’t sign his tender (or agree to another deal) with New England before then, he’ll be forced to sit out the entire 2017 campaign.