Extra Points: Kaepernick, Patriots, Draft
There’s a belief that free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick‘s a behind-the-scenes distraction because of his political activism, but his previous head coach, Chip Kelly, said otherwise Wednesday. “Kap was awesome,” the former 49ers head coach told ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Jon Schlosser of All22). “You know, at the beginning of the year, he made a stance in terms of what he believed was right. We recognized and supported his ability to do that. But he never brought that into the locker room.” Kelly also denied that Kaepernick isn’t dedicated to football, saying, “He came to work every day, extremely diligent in terms of his preparation, in terms of his work ethic.”
More from around the game:
- In a detailed piece focusing on the use of analytics in the NFL, Albert Breer of The MMQB writes that teams around the league are sure the Patriots are “knee-deep in the numbers.” The reigning Super Bowl champions are “completely consistent with what sophisticated analytics would tell you to do,” said one executive, with Breer noting that the Patriots’ “analytics guy” is former Wall Street trader Ernie Adams, who’s friends with head coach Bill Belichick. Added an AFC executive: “[Belichick] does it with intuition. You know because you’ve been coaching for so long, how you match these 11 guys against those 11 guys. It all makes sense to you. At some point, maybe we can all come to those conclusions without having Bill Belichick’s brain. We’re still a long way from that.”
- While it’s unlikely to happen, the league should explore holding the draft prior to free agency, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Both the NBA and NHL do it that way, notes Florio, though he concedes that the NFL wouldn’t be able to move the draft up by much because of the combine, pro days, team visits and private workouts. As such, free agency wouldn’t open until April or May.
- As training camp approaches, the staff at ESPN.com lists one notable veteran per team who could end up off their clubs’ rosters by Week 1, whether by release or trade. Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, Bengals cornerback Adam Jones, Bills center Eric Wood, Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny and 49ers tight end Vance McDonald are among the names.
AFC Notes: Orr, Raiders, Chiefs, Bell
A few AFC-themed notes:
- Free agent linebacker Zach Orr, who retired in January thanks to a congenital spinal condition, announced Wednesday that he’s planning a comeback. Now, nearly half of the NFL’s 32 teams have interest in Orr, though the Raiders aren’t among those clubs at the moment, reports Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link). The 25-year-old’s agent, Rob Sheets, told Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun on Wednesday that Orr is “100 percent confident he will play this season. This is a one-in-a-billion situation. I couldn’t even make this up.” But Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun is less than enthusiastic about Orr’s potential return, opining that the defender should stay retired instead of coming back and risking paralysis. Regardless of whether Orr plays in 2017, Schmuck doesn’t anticipate him rejoining the Ravens, as there’s doubt that their doctors would deem him healthy enough to play.
- Chiefs ownership fired general manager John Dorsey in part over concerns about how he presented himself, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Dorsey is “more comfortable in a sweatshirt than a suit and tie,” writes La Canfora, leading to questions over whether he was corporate enough for chairman Clark Hunt’s liking. Despite that, there were no indications Dorsey was in over his head in the role – the team did go 43-21 with him at the helm, after all – and one agent told La Canfora: “He’s wily. He’s guile. He plays like he doesn’t know, but he knows. He’s creative in his approach to negotiations and he can be strong willed when he has to be. He’s a very smart negotiator. He’s going to get another job, I’m sure, and he’ll show why he is one of the best GMs in the league. He already has to be one of the top evaluators in the game.” Like that agent, La Canfora doesn’t expect Dorsey to go without a job for long, but he also doesn’t see him rushing into a lesser role than the one he just had.
- There’s no deal in sight for Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, who will either ink a long-term contract by the July 17 deadline for franchise players or go through the season under the tag. With the calendar moving toward that date, each of Jamison Hensley, Pat McManamon and Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com agree that the Steelers should extend Bell, arguing that the 25-year-old – unlike most running backs – is worth a significant investment.
NFC Notes: Eagles, Mariota, Vikings
The latest on a pair of NFC franchises:
- Philadelphia was reportedly aggressive in trying to trade up to No. 2 in the 2015 draft to land quarterback Marcus Mariota, who played under then-Eagles head coach Chip Kelly at Oregon in 2012. But Kelly shot that down in a discussion with ESPN’s Adam Schefter, revealing that talks didn’t go anywhere because Tennessee wasn’t interested in moving the pick (via Matt Lombardo of NJ.com). “That’s all speculation that’s out there, you hear stories that ‘we offered this, we offered that,” said Kelly. “We didn’t offer anything because they weren’t taking any offers for it.” Unable to move up 18 spots to land Mariota, the Eagles ultimately stayed at No. 20 and selecting wide receiver Nelson Agholor, who has disappointed in the NFL. Kelly didn’t even finish out the 2015 season with the Eagles, who fired him prior to Week 17 and then went on to select a different potential franchise signal-caller, Carson Wentz, after moving up to No. 2 overall (by way of a trade with the Browns) in 2016.
- Just over a month after signing running back Latavius Murray in free agency, presumably to start, the Vikings selected ex-Florida State rusher Dalvin Cook in the second round of the draft. Murray addressed that Wednesday, telling NFL Network (per Kevin Patra of NFL.com): “I was home, watching the draft — I try to keep up regardless, just with the game itself. So they draft him. It wasn’t a surprise. When you see a guy, again, first-round potential sitting there in the second round, they snatch him up, you can’t be surprised. It motivates me regardless, because they’re always going to bring in somebody to take over for your position.” Even with Cook in the fold, Murray expects to rack up the lion’s share of the Vikings’ rushing attempts in 2017, and the ex-Raider plans to mentor the younger back. “As I said, MJD [Maurice Jones-Drew], Darren McFadden, Marcel Reece, those guys did everything they could to try and help me be a better player, and I’m going to do the same for Dalvin,” Murray noted. “Again, it’s going to come down to who is going to be the best player that can play. Because I give Dalvin knowledge and try to help him, doesn’t mean, OK, that I shouldn’t go out there and outperform him and outcompete.”
- The Vikings believe they may have a steal on their hands in another newcomer, defensive tackle Will Sutton, suggests Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune. Sutton, whom the NFC North rival Bears cut in May and who signed with the Vikings a week later, wasn’t playing in an ideal scheme in Chicago, according to Minnesota’s brass. “We felt like when [the Bears] went to a 3-4, it was probably not a real good fit for him,” said Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. “His game is based on quickness and acceleration and penetration, so we’ve kind of had our eye on him for a while.” Pro Football Focus disagrees with Zimmer, for what it’s worth, as the outlet gave Sutton easily the best grade of his three-year career last season. He posted poor marks over the two prior seasons, though, including a rookie campaign (2014) spent in a 4-3.
Rams Notes: Donald, Gurley, Johnson
Let’s take a quick look at the latest from Los Angeles:
- The Rams and defensive tackle Aaron Donald are “in agreement” that the fourth-year pro has exceeded his current contract, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter links). While that’s seemingly an obvious statement given that Donald, an All Pro in each of the past two seasons, is scheduled to earn a paltry $1.8MM in 2017, the Rams don’t believe Donald is acting in a “selfish” manner in regards to his contract situation, per Bonsignore. Los Angeles has reportedly worked on an extension with Donald, who is controlled through the 2018 campaign via the fifth-year option. Donald, 26, has managed 28 sacks during his first three years in the league and last year graded as the NFL’s No. 1 interior defender, according to Pro Football Focus.
- While Donald has performed more than well enough to warrant an extension, the same can’t be said for running back Todd Gurley, as Bonsignore tweets. Given that he’s only completed two NFL seasons, Gurley isn’t even eligible for a new deal until the 2017 campaign concludes, but if his production doesn’t improve next year, it may be tough for Gurley to justify an extension, per Bonsignore. Gurley, 22, saw his yards per carry drop by 1.6 yards a season ago, but a revamped offensive line could help matters next season. Los Angeles’ front five ranked 29th in adjusted line yards in 2017, but the club has since added left tackle Andrew Whitworth and center John Sullivan.
- In case you missed it, Rams franchise-tagged cornerback Trumaine Johnson isn’t going to sign an extension before the July 17 deadline. Instead, Johnson will play out the season — his second consecutive campaign under the tag — while earning $16.742MM.
Karlos Williams Suspended At Least One Year
Free agent running back Karlos Williams has been suspended for at least one year, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Williams had been handed a 10-game ban last November after violating the league’s substance abuse policy, so this latest suspension is likely the next step in an ongoing punishment process. The 24-year-old signed a reserve/futures contract with the Steelers this offseason, but had been waived in May. With a long-term penalty hanging over his head, it’s going to be difficult for Williams to land another job at any point in the near future.
A former fifth-round pick, Williams posted an extremely promising rookie campaign with the Bills in 2015, averaging 5.6 yards per carry on 93 attempts while scoring seven touchdowns. Buffalo cut Williams in the summer of 2016 following his first substance abuse suspension (and amid reports that he arrived at camp overweight).
Cowboys’ David Irving Suspended Four Games
Cowboys defensive end David Irving has officially been suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season after violating the league’s PED policy, the NFL announced today.
News that Irving had reportedly failed a drug test broke last month, but it was unclear what length of time Irving would be forced to miss. A positive test for a diuretic or masking agent without a banned substance detected calls for a two-game ban, while a positive result for an anabolic agent, however, would mean a four-game suspension. Despite indications that Irving may have been able to fight a four-game ban, the NFL has decided to give him the lengthier punishment.
Irving, 23, appeared in 15 games for Dallas last season and developed into a serviceable pass rusher, especially near the end of the year. All told, he managed four sacks and 17 tackles while grading as the league’s No. 29 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus. Now, Irving’s 500+ defensive snaps are likely to go other defenders — such as first-round pick Taco Charlton — for the first quarter of the season.
Given that he’s set to earn $615K next year, Irving will lose roughly $145K in base salary as a result of this suspension. He’ll be allowed to participate in all Cowboys offseason activities and preseason games.
Latest On LB Zach Orr’s Comeback
After announcing this morning that he’s mulling a comeback attempt, linebacker Zach Orr has drawn the interest from at least eight NFL clubs. Orr plans to meet with each and every one of those teams before making a decision on where (and possibly if) to sign, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The Lions were the first club to reach out to Orr, per Birkett, so he’ll take his first visit with Detroit.
Here’s more on Orr as he ponders whether to make a return to the NFL:
- Orr’s search for “dissenting medical opinions” was not new, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), and the former Ravens ‘backer finally “found a doctor who told him what he wanted to hear,” a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Baltimore’s doctors wouldn’t clear Orr after a congenital spine condition was discovered, and it’s unclear if another club’s physicians will have a differing view. Initially, doctors told Orr that he was at risk of death or paralysis if he continued his career.
- The Ravens opted not to use a restricted free agent tender on Orr because they assumed he was retiring, meaning Orr can now choose his next team unfettered. It’s possible another player could attempt to “escape” the restricted free agent process by feigning retirement, as Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk writes. That’s not to insinuate Orr’s retirement was anything but genuine, as his serious medical condition is clearly limiting. But another player could use Orr’s situation as a template to hit free agency on his own terms in the future (although a club could simply tender said player at the cheapest level, allowing the team to hold the player’s rights).
- Now that Orr returning to the NFL is a viable possibility, his former Ravens teammates are lobbying for Orr to re-sign with Baltimore, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. The Ravens haven’t added a free agent or draft pick to replace Orr’s 932 defensive snaps, and currently have 2016 second-round pick Kamalei Correa penciled in to play opposite fellow middle linebacker C.J. Mosley. Given that it was Baltimore’s doctors that failed to medically clear Orr in the first place, it seems unlikely he’ll end up back with the Ravens.
Brett Veach, Louis Riddick Favorites For Chiefs GM?
Although the Chiefs are interviewing Titans director of player personnel Ryan Cowden today, he’s not currently the frontrunner for the Kansas City vacancy, Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com reports. Instead, Chiefs co-director of player personnel Brett Veach and ESPN commentator Louis Riddick are considered the “strongest candidates” for the job, per McCormick. Indeed, a “growing belief” exists around the league that Veach will end up being promoted, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
Given that head coach Andy Reid is now “running the show” in Kansas City following the firing of ex-GM John Dorsey, familiarity with Reid seems to be playing an integral role in the club’s general manager search. Veach, of course, has worked with Reid with the Chiefs and also spent time with him in Philadelphia. Riddick, too, has a relationship with Reid based on the pair’s time with the Eagles.
The Chiefs are expected to interview Veach, whose name was tossed out during the Bills GM hunt, at some point this week. Riddick, meanwhile, is a candidate for the Kansas City despite his public denial. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Monday that the Chiefs have reached out to Riddick’s representation, but perhaps not Riddick himself.
As our Chiefs GM Search Tracker shows, Cowden, Veach, and Riddick are three of six candidates who have been linked to the Chiefs’ vacancy. Seahawks co-director of player personnel Scott Fitterer will interview this week, Chiefs co-director of player personnel Mike Borgonzi has been mentioned as a contender, and Vikings assistant general manager George Paton declined an interview.
Lions Notes: Asiata, Caldwell, Quin
Here’s a look at the Lions:
- Matt Asiata’s chances of making the Lions may have improved a bit when the team released fullback Michael Burton, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. With Burton out of the way, the Lions may keep five running backs instead of four, potentially allowing Asiata to slot in behind Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, Zach Zenner, and Dwayne Washington. Recently, coach Jim Caldwell spoke highly of Washington’s potential and that could be a sign that his spot is safe. If there are only four running backs on the 53-man roster, Asiata seems likely to get squeezed out.
- The Lions did not add a safety this offseason, despite the fact that Glover Quin turned 31 in January. That is a sign that the team has faith in Quin continuing his solid play even at his advanced age, Nate Atkins of MLive.com writes. The Lions and Quin are working on a new contract as he enters his walk year and the deal ranks as Detroit’s No. 2 priority, after locking up quarterback Matthew Stafford. With that in mind, Atkins writes that a Quin extension is a matter of when, not if. The Lions would not be operating without a safety net if they did not see Quin as a starting safety for at least one additional year.
- The Lions arranged to meet with free agent linebacker Zach Orr, just moments after he announced that he will consider an NFL return.
- Speaking of Lions safeties, Tavon Wilson is being accused of punching his ex-girlfriend in the face. Historically, the Lions have had a zero-tolerance policy regarding domestic abuse.
Lions To Host Zach Orr On Visit
Well, that didn’t take long. The Lions have scheduled a visit with linebacker Zach Orr, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter), just hours announced that he is mulling a comeback. In addition to the Lions, seven other teams have already reached out to the 25-year-old.
[RELATED: Zach Orr Considering Comeback]
Orr was a restricted free agent with the Ravens, but they did not tender him a deal after he elected to retire in January. Months later, Orr has gotten new opinions regarding his congenital spinal condition and the doctors he has consulted with say he can play. The Ravens reportedly doubt their own doctors would clear him for action, so we’ll have to wait and see whether doctors for the Lions will give him a thumbs up.
Last year, Orr finished out with a team-leading 130 tackles and earned second-team All-Pro honors. From a football perspective, the Ravens would probably like to have him back on the field, but it doesn’t sound like they’ll be pursuing a new deal based on what GM Ozzie Newsome had to say Wednesday.
“I spoke with Zach yesterday and he informed me that he would like to continue to play football,” Newsome said in a statement. “He is a free agent.”