North Notes: Golson, Browns, Lions
In the past few drafts, the Steelers have made a concerted effort to bolster their defensive backfield, an area that has been something of a weakness in the second half of the Ben Roethlisberger era. The team selected a cornerback on the first or second day of the last three drafts (Cam Sutton in 2017, Artie Burns in 2016, and Senquez Golson in 2015), and safety Sean Davis was selected in the second round of the 2016 draft. Pittsburgh’s secondary was improved last season, but after it was gashed by the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, the Steelers’ coaching staff plans to implement more man coverage in 2017, as Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. Dulac says the team is confident that Sutton and Burns can handle those concepts, but the staff is openly pessimistic about Golson, who has not played in a preseason or regular-season game in his two years in the league due to injuries. Golson, who is at least healthy enough to practice at the moment, seems to be on the verge of losing his roster spot altogether, and he may need to prove his worth on special teams just to make the club.
Now for more from the North:
- Kenny Britt and Corey Coleman sit squarely atop the Browns‘ wide receiver depth chart, but the No. 3 job is wide open, and there are a number of second-years players who could fill that role. However, Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com says the team hopes Ricardo Louis, last year’s fourth-round selection, can be the guy. Though Louis appeared in all 16 games for the club last season, he caught just 18 passes for 205 yards, but given the big-play potential he flashed at Auburn, Cleveland will give him every opportunity to earn a key role this summer.
- Speaking of Coleman, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com says he will be eased into the grind of training camp, and he may not be a full-go from the first day of camp. The same is true of 2017 No. 1 overall selection Myles Garrett, who suffered a left lateral foot sprain in minicamp.
- Lions safety Miles Killebrew, a fourth-round selection in 2016, was a fixture in the team’s dime package last season, but as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes, Killebrew could be in for a much bigger role in 2017. The Southern Utah product is currently listed as the third safety on the depth chart behind Glover Quin and Tavon Wilson, but Meinke believes Killebrew could push Wilson for the starting strong safety job with a solid training camp. As we learned yesterday, the Lions and Quin are discussing a new contract.
- Jake Rudock lost the Lions‘ backup quarterback competition to Dan Orlovsky last season because of Orlovsky’s experience and knowledge of the team’s offense, but now Rudock himself is the player with the experience advantage. As Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com writes, Rudock’s grasp of OC Jim Bob Cooter’s scheme is miles ahead of rookie Brad Kaaya‘s, thereby making Rudock almost a lock for the backup job.
NFC Notes: Fairley, Packers, Lane, Lions
Nick Fairley‘s heart issue has stalled his career to the point the Saints are preparing for this season as if the recently re-signed defensive tackle won’t play, Larry Holder of NOLA.com reports. Last we heard, the 29-year-old defender was getting a third opinion on the condition. Fairley signed a four-year, $28MM deal to stay in New Orleans in March. But if he’s not going to play this season, Holder notes the Saints are going to be at a loss. They used 2016 fourth-rounder David Onyemata alongside Sheldon Rankins on the first-string defense during minicamp, but Holder notes the starting nose tackle will probably be Tyeler Davison, a 2015 fifth-rounder who started 15 games last season. Davison is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
Here’s the latest from around the NFC.
- Davante Adams has shot to the top of the Packers‘ 2018 UFA contingent after a breakout 2016 season, one that also includes Morgan Burnett, center Corey Linsley and guard Lane Taylor, Rob Reischel writes for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This could mean Randall Cobb faces a pivotal season, with Reischel noting the Packers could elect to prioritize an Adams deal and move on from Cobb despite his young age. The slot target will only be 27 this season, but Cobb recorded a modest (for him) 60-catch, 610-yard season. He’s signed through 2018 and has cap numbers of $12.6MM and $12.7MM this season and next, respectively.
- The Seahawks have a pair of cornerbacks that have suffered severe injuries in recent years, but while DeShawn Shead rehabs, Jeremy Lane looks like the starter opposite Richard Sherman. Pete Carroll said Shead is recovering well from the ACL and meniscus tears sustained in January, but with the re-signed player unlikely to be ready for Week 1, the team may be turning to Lane. “He’s physically as fit as he’s been in a long time,” Carroll said, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “Remember, he had a really difficult offseason a couple years back (following knee and arm injuries in Super Bowl XLIX) and it’s taken him almost a couple years to overcome all of that, and he’s back to full form.” The Seahawks drafted Shaquil Griffin in the third round and moved rookie sixth-rounder Mike Tyson from safety to corner, but those first-year talents look to enter camp as depth pieces behind Lane.
- Once Taylor Decker suffered a shoulder injury that will keep him out up to six months, the Lions gave first-team left tackle reps to Joe Dahl. The second-year player worked as a guard in six games last season. But after the additions of Greg Robinson and Cyrus Kouandjio, Dahl seems on his way back to guard, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press notes. Neither Robinson nor Kouandjio participated in Detroit’s minicamp, but Jim Caldwell confirmed they will compete for the now-vacant left tackle job come training camp. A fifth-round pick last year, Dahl would then be in line to compete for a guard spot with Graham Glasgow and Laken Tomlinson opposite T.J. Lang.
Adrian Peterson On Injury, FA, Comeback
Adrian Peterson averaged just 1.9 yards per carry during an injury-marred season that featured just 37 totes, but that per-handoff figure was by far a career-low mark. That said, Vikings staffers did not believe Peterson lost much physically before the torn meniscus shelved him for months, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. However, they saw avoiding future injury at an advanced age and adjusting to a new offense as potential impediments to a bounce-back tenure in New Orleans.
A string of prominent Saints lavished praise upon the 32-year-old with praise during the team’s minicamp this week. As for Peterson himself, he detailed what kind of damage he did to his meniscus and why he feels confident he can return to previous levels.
“It’s knowing what I was able to do on the field before I got injured, knowing that the meniscus was completely healed. I tore 90 percent of it, and it was no longer a factor (during his Saints work thus far),” Peterson said, via Breer, from Saints minicamp. “And then it was getting into my regimen—nothing had changed. I was still explosive, fast, working with all the young guys, I didn’t have no doubt at all.”
But after the abbreviated season and an untenable 2017 salary, the Vikings cut Peterson. And although he also visited the Seahawks and Patriots and was connected to other teams, the four-time All-Pro was unemployed for 47 days before catching on with the Saints. The future Hall of Fame running back, though, knew that long stay as a free agent was a possibility.
“Yeah, it was different,” Peterson told Breer about his sudden status change in the NFL after 10 seasons being the unquestioned Minnesota starter. “But I knew coming off the meniscus tear, it could happen. If I came out and led the league in rushing (last season), I’d have been off the market. That wasn’t the situation I was in. So in my mind — this is the situation, this is the position you’re in. It’s not what you envisioned going into the offseason, but this is where you’re at. So how are you gonna handle it?
Peterson joined a backfield that as of now has Mark Ingram atop the depth chart and one that now has rookie Alvin Kamara installed as the passing-down back. Peterson famously returned from a torn ACL to post the second-most rushing yards in a season in NFL history, in 2012. He points out that he led the league in rushing yards just two years ago as evidence he can still function at a high level.
“Outside sources that doubt because of age? I led the league when I was 30, and it was the same thing then,” Peterson said. “‘He’s going downhill.’ I played with a mediocre offensive line and still led the league at 30. I just look at things different. If I started buying into what everyone was saying, I probably would’ve retired three or four years ago.”
AFC East Rumors: Jets, Glenn, Dolphins
While the Josh McCown–Christian Hackenberg battle for this season’s quarterback job looks closer than expected exiting minicamp, the Jets‘ focus could be on the 2018 crop of passers. As of now viewed as a better quarterback draft class than 2017’s, the 2018 contingent is where the Jets are expected to look for their next starter here, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Hackenberg’s development is the caveat here, Cimini writes, with the former Penn State starter still tentatively the quarterback of the future entering this season. Noting the Jets could have upwards of $80MM in cap space in 2018, Cimini doesn’t hear Gang Green planning for a monster offer to Jimmy Garoppolo or Kirk Cousins — should those players become available.
This draft-based thinking follows an Albert Breer TheMMQB.com report that indicated many in the league are under the impression the Jets are positioning themselves to make a run for the No. 1 pick and use this as a developmental year. Tanking, essentially. Specifically, Breer wrote that owner Woody Johnson, and not the football staff, has his eyes on the No. 1 pick and a potential franchise quarterback. USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Wyoming’s Josh Allen are the early prizes, but Breer cautions in planning too far ahead, noting Mitch Trubisky and Patrick Mahomes were not thought to be first-round picks a year ago.
Here’s more from the AFC East.
- New Bills HC Sean McDermott expects Cordy Glenn to be ready for training camp, but the cornerstone left tackle spent all three minicamp practices in a walking boot, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News reports. Glenn suffered a high ankle sprain during training camp last year and missed five regular-season games. This ankle problem intervened last season and has plagued the sixth-year left tackle for many months now. The Bills drafted Dion Dawkins in the second round and re-signed right tackle Jordan Mills, so they have a bit more depth this year on the edge.
- The NFL is investigating an alleged incident that took place between Jets linebacker Darron Lee and his girlfriend at a music festival earlier this month. Todd Bowles described it as an argument between Lee and his girlfriend, and Cimini (Twitter link) doesn’t expect a suspension to come for the second-year inside linebacker. Lee was a part-time starter last season, but now that David Harris is off the roster, Cimini expects the ex-Ohio State standout to be a locked-in starter.
- DeVante Parker has drawn immense praise from the Dolphins this offseason. OC Clyde Christensen said he expects the third-year wideout to have a “gigantic year.” Breer wonders where Jarvis Landry fits into this equation, especially if Parker follows through on this offseason promise. Miami re-signed deep threat Kenny Stills to a four-year, $32MM deal. Parker would be on course to surpass that should he progress, but the 24-year-old wideout is under team control through 2019 — provided the Fins pick up his fifth-year option next May. Landry is entering a contract year and confirmed the team and his camp are discussing an extension, but the slot dynamo said those talks aren’t in the serious stage yet. Landry does not plan to hold out, but with the 24-year-old wideout having been the Fins’ most reliable receiver over the past three years, this wideout contract puzzle is a situation worth monitoring.
- The veteran purge the Jets have orchestrated this summer could conceivably include Buster Skrine, but Cimini doesn’t expect the cornerback to be cut (Twitter link). Skrine is signed through 2018, and it would cost the Jets $5MM in dead money to cut him. That number drops to $2MM next year. He’s owed $8.5MM in each of the next two years. New York, which has created significant cap space this offseason, has Morris Claiborne and Marcus Williams signed through this season. Skrine is the only notable Jets corner signed beyond 2017.
Saskatchewan Roughriders Cut Vince Young
A potential comeback for Vince Young encountered a significant obstacle. The former NFL offensive rookie of the year and Heisman Trophy winner saw the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders waive him on Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Young tore his hamstring during Roughriders training camp on June 6, and the 34-year-old is once again without a team, agent Leigh Steinberg told Schefter. Young was vying with CFL veteran Kevin Glenn and former North Carolina quarterback Marquise Williams, who started over Mitch Trubisky for two years, with the Roughriders. Young signed a nonguaranteed two-year contract, making a separation easier for Saskatchewan.
The former Titans starter and Texas superstar has not played in an NFL regular-season game since 2011. He saw multiple opportunities in subsequent preseasons but did not stick. The Browns cut him in 2014, and the Packers and Bills, respectively, parted ways with Young after taking him to camp in the two previous seasons.
Young announced his retirement in 2014 but was attempting a comeback with the CFL franchise. This injury is expected to keep him out for more than a month. The CFL regular season starts June 22.
Texans Sign D’Onta Foreman
Two days after their minicamp wrapped up, the Texans signed D’Onta Foreman, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports. The team and the third-round running back agreeing to terms completes the negotiating process with the 2017 draft class.
The Texans drafted seven players, and all are under contract. Foreman arrived via pick No. 89 and signed for the customary four years. The deal is worth $3.259MM and comes with a $759K signing bonus, McClain reports.
Foreman participated in Houston’s minicamp this week and will vie for time behind Lamar Miller come training camp. During his only season as a college starter, the Texas product rushed for 2,028 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was the eighth running back selected, following third-rounders Alvin Kamara (Saints) and Kareem Hunt (Chiefs).
The Texans also have Alfred Blue and 2016 fourth-round pick Tyler Ervin as candidates to fill the backup job behind Miller.
The third round having the murkiest language regarding rookie contracts, there are still four unsigned players chosen in that round. Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis, Lions wideout Kenny Golladay, Packers defensive tackle Montravius Adams and Raiders defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes remain unsigned.
AFC North Notes: Browns, Shazier, Harrison
Myles Garrett‘s recent trouble with left leg maladies returned this week, with the Browns announcing the No. 1 overall pick sprained his left foot. Although he’s expected to be ready for training camp in just more than five weeks, the fact that Garrett’s junior season at Texas A&M was interrupted by left ankle trouble is not a good sign. But the Browns have invested heavily in their edge rushers over the past few years.
The Browns have some additional options at defensive end this season to supplement Garrett, with recent draft picks now firmly stationed there. Whereas the team moved Emmanuel Ogbah from outside linebacker to end in the team’s previous 3-4 scheme last season, the 2016 second-round pick is a more natural 4-3 end, Terry Pluto of cleveland.com notes. This applies to 2016 third-rounder Carl Nassib as well, with Nate Orchard now lining up there too. Prior to becoming a 3-4 outside ‘backer with the Browns after being taken in the 2015 second round, Orchard registered 18.5 sacks at Utah as a senior while at end.
Cleveland’s defensive end contingent also features Desmond Bryant, who is returning from a torn pectoral muscle that erased his 2016 season. Bryant has not played 4-3 end since he was with the Raiders, and he also saw time as a defensive tackle with the Silver and Black. The 31-year-old Bryant would be a good bet to be one of the players the Browns could shift to tackle in sub-packages.
Here’s the latest from the North divisions.
- Had Ryan Shazier been a second-round pick in 2014 instead of going in the first, he would be entering a contract year. But the Steelers picked up the inside linebacker’s fifth-year option in April to tie him to the team through 2018. Shazier is not on board with this setup. “Yeah, that kind of sucks,” Shazier said, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, of the system that can tie first-rounders to their rookie deals for five years. “Sometimes guys have to wait five years. Other guys don’t. But that’s what they agreed on in the past. Next time (during CBA negotiations) we’ve just got to do a better job of structuring what we want to do.” Also weighing in on the positions 2014 draft class mates Odell Beckham and Aaron Donald are in, Shazier said rookies should have the opportunity to renegotiate their deals before they accrue three years of service time. “At the end of the day, that’s between you and the team. If the team wants to do that, it’s great,” Shazier said. “… If you play at that level, you should be able to re-up whenever you want to.” Shazier is signed through 2018, with a guaranteed-against-injury ’18 salary of $8.78MM set.
- It doesn’t sound like James Harrison will be going through a regular training camp. The Steelers know what they have in the 39-year-old veteran, and he knows the team’s system. In minicamp, Pittsburgh gave the league’s oldest defender freedom to prepare on his own, giving his reps to first-rounder T.J. Watt, per Fowler. Notorious for conducting unusual workouts in the offseason, Harrison enters his 14th Steelers season. Fowler notes Harrison will work participate in 11-on-11 drills on some days but will be excused during others. “It’s good for the young guys to get the reps,” linebackers coach Joey Porter said at minicamp. “Right now, we’re not going to ask him to do a whole lot. The defense is learning, getting comfortable.”
- It’s looking more like the latest hip injury Dennis Pitta suffered, one that led to the Ravens releasing the longtime tight end, will end his career.
Myles Garrett Diagnosed With Foot Sprain
Myles Garrett did not complete the Browns’ three-day minicamp, sitting out the final day before leaving Cleveland while in a walking boot after suffering an injury Wednesday. But the team shed some light on the No. 1 overall pick’s situation on Saturday.
The former Texas A&M phenom suffered a left lateral foot sprain, the team revealed (via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com). Two doctors confirmed the diagnosis, per Cabot, who adds the Browns expect him to be ready for training camp. Rookies report to Berea, Ohio, on July 25, giving Garrett just more than five weeks to recover.
Garrett suffered the injury while rushing Brock Osweiler in a two-minute setting. The Browns excused the defensive end from the last day of minicamp Thursday and from attending a youth clinic with the team’s rookies at FirstEnergy Stadium a day later. The team hoped Garrett avoided structural damage, and it appears he has. But the injury to the left foot could be a sign of concern because of the left ankle trouble he had during the 2016 season.
Garrett missed some time during OTAs with a sore foot but had left ankle trouble last season while at Texas A&M. The high ankle sprain limited Garrett to 10 games as a junior. He registered 8.5 sacks, which were a career low, and 4.5 of those came against Texas-San Antonio.
Extra Points: Washington, Williams, Chung
Daryl Washington hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2013, but a potential comeback attempt got some hope following his reinstatement in April. Now, the 30-year-old isn’t only focused on making it back to the league, but he’s focused on becoming a dominant force.
“[NFL executive Adolpho Birch] asked me, ‘How you know I’m not going to see your face again and you’re not going to be in the same situation?’” Washington told Tom Pelissero of USA Today. “I said, ‘Adolpho Birch, next time you’re going to see me is if you’re at my Hall of Fame speech.’”
In fact, Washington has even outlined how the entire comeback attempt will play out. The Dallas native wants to sign with the Cowboys, win the Comeback Player of the Year award, earn a Pro Bowl birth, and lead his team to a Super Bowl championship.
“I think that star will be on my helmet real soon and it’s going to be a great moment, man,” he said.
“You’ve got to have your mind in a positive place, say ‘I can do this.’ In my mind, I already know I can do it. I don’t know if that’s pride, ego, cockiness, but it’s confidence for me. I know I can play to the best of my abilities. Football is easy. Life is challenging.”
Let’s take a look at some other notes on this Saturday afternoon:
- Meanwhile, free agent defensive back Tramon Williams said he’s willing to play multiple positions if it means he could join a contender. “The team I’m looking for is stable and wants to win,” he told SiriusXM NFL Radio (via Twitter). “I’m ready to help a team at cornerback or safety.”
- Williams also indicated that he was ready to give up on the Browns during the 2016 season. “There was a point during the season last year where I wanted to be released,” he said. The 34-year-old appeared in 12 games (seven starts) last season, compiled 36 tackles, five passes defended, and one interception – his lowest totals since 2007.
- Patriots safety Patrick Chung was given “a chance” to earn an additional $800K in incentives this upcoming season, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (via Twitter). This will now bring the veteran’s potential incentives total to $1.7MM. Chung, who has two years remaining on his contract, compiled 91 tackles in 16 starts for New England last season.
NFC Notes: Rams, Hicks, Vikings
Former Rams’ second-overall pick Greg Robinson was traded to the Lions earlier this week, and former first-overall pick Jared Goff said that he’ll miss his former lineman.
“When I woke up and saw that at first it was a little shocking,” Goff said (via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times). “But part of the business, man. It sucks. But Greg was a good teammate, a good friend and wish him the best.”
Robinson started all 14 of his games in 2016, his lone season protecting Goff. The quarterback ultimately played in seven games as a rookie, completing 54.6-percent of his passes for 1,089 yards, five touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Goff was also sacked a team-high 26 times.
Let’s take a look at some more NFC notes…
- Defensive end Akiem Hicks had a chance to join the Patriots last offseason, but he took a more lucrative offer with the Bears. The 27-year-old ended up winning three games in Chicago, while New England ultimately won the Super Bowl. Despite this fact, Hicks doesn’t regret his decision. ‘‘Not in the slightest,’’ he told Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘Because one of the reasons I came here was . . . a chance to rebuild. I had a chance to be a part of something growing. Being a prominent player [on the Patriots], I enjoyed that aspect of it. I think it’s going to benefit me going forward.’’
- Vikings 2015 third-round pick Danielle Hunter is focused on earning a starting spot in 2016, and his apparent offseason body transformation has some of his teammates supporting that sentiment.“I feel like a few more pounds can be good,’’ Hunter, who gained five pounds of muscle, told Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com. “My goal was to just gain weight (during the offseason). I thought I was a little bit too light last year.’’ Hunter will presumably be competing with veteran Brian Robison for a starting gig.
- Yesterday, commissioner Roger Goodell denied that free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick is getting blackballed by NFL owners.