HEADLINES

Month: March 2020

NFL Might Push Back May Meetings

March 21st, 2020 at 10:07pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The NFL recently cancelled their annual spring meeting, an important event where rule changes get discussed among other orders of business, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time they announced those discussions would instead take place at a May 18-20th meeting in California, which had been expanded due to the cancellation.

Now that meeting is up in the air and the league is unsure if it will proceed, Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets. In follow-up tweets, Maske posted a letter that commissioner Roger Goodell sent to NFL staff that he obtained. “While there have been changes to the way we work and some of our plans, we have an unwavering commitment to upholding the NFL’s legacy and lifting the spirit of America,” Goodell wrote.

“We will get through these difficult days together and every one of you should be proud knowing that you have played an important role to help our world emerge stronger and more unified,” he continued. Goodell also said in his letter that the league would use April’s draft “to help support fans and those people impacted in our communities.”

There was initially a lot of talk about pushing the start of the league year and delaying free agency due to COVID-19, but that ended up getting avoided after the players’ union pushed back. If the May meeting does get scrapped, it’s entirely possible the owners will have to debate and vote on rule changes and other important agenda items for the 2020 season remotely.

Jets Exercise 2021 Option On Ryan Griffin

March 21st, 2020 at 8:53pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Jets want Ryan Griffin to stay around. New York has exercised their 2021 option on the tight end, a source told Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Originally a sixth-round pick of the Texans in 2013, Griffin spent his first six years in Houston. He showed some flashes and had 442 yards in 2016, which earned him a three-year extension the following year. He played a little bit smaller role the next two seasons and was released in May of last year not long after he was arrested for punching a hotel window. The Jets scooped him up last summer, and he turned into a pleasant surprise for the team.

He ended up starting all 13 games that he appeared in for Gang Green, catching 34 passes for 320 yards and five touchdowns. The Jets were impressed enough to give him a three-year, $10.8MM extension in November of last year, which included this option year. Overall, he’s under team control through 2022. He’ll try to fend off third-year player Chris Herndon for the starting job in training camp.

Redskins Shopping Quinton Dunbar

March 21st, 2020 at 8:17pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Another cornerback could be on the move soon. Just moments after we heard the Eagles were looking for a Rasul Douglas trade partner, we’ve got word that the Redskins are shopping corner Quinton Dunbar, via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.

Dunbar had a stellar 2019 season, and he publicly announced his desire to be released or traded last month after the Redskins apparently failed to meet his extension demands. Washington didn’t do anything at the time, but now they’re willing to listen to offers. Unlike the Eagles with Douglas, the Redskins might actually be able to get something significant for Dunbar.

He’s dealt with significant injuries the past two years but was great in the 11 games he started last season, grading out as Pro Football Focus’ second-best cornerback in 2019. The Florida product signed with the Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2015, and he is set to enter the final season of a three-year, $10.5MM contract he signed a couple of years ago.

The 27-year-old had four interceptions and eight passes defended in only 11 games last year. Assuming they move Dunbar, Washington’s secondary is going to look quite a bit different in 2020 under Ron Rivera after they already jettisoned Josh Norman earlier this offseason. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear more, but there should be plenty of interested teams.

Eagles Shopping CB Rasul Douglas

March 21st, 2020 at 7:19pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Eagles just traded for a cornerback in Darius Slay, and now they’re looking to ship one out. Philadelphia is shopping Rasul Douglas, sources told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.

Philly drafted Douglas in the third-round back in 2017, and he’s played a pretty big role for them the past few years. He’s started at least five games in each of his three pro seasons. Last year he appeared in all 16 games with six starts, racking up 35 tackles and ten passes defended while playing about 57 percent of the defensive snaps.

He’s been one of the few guys who have managed to stay healthy in the Eagles’ secondary recently, but the acquisition of Slay made him expendable. The West Virginia product is only 25 and won’t make a huge salary in the final year of his rookie deal, but it’s unclear how much trade value he’ll have.

Douglas received poor marks from Pro Football Focus last year and was benched after Week 7, with his defensive playing time being limited after that point. Philly’s secondary has been one of the most injured units in the league in recent years, and they made upgrading it a priority this offseason. They likely won’t be able to get anything more than a late-round pick for Douglas.

Details On Raiders’ Pursuit Of Tom Brady, Quarterback Situation

March 21st, 2020 at 6:56pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Tom Brady is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer now and that’s settled, but we’re starting to learn more about the process that ended in him landing there. It’s been reported that the Chargers and Buccaneers were the only two teams to make concrete offers, and that Brady also had the option of returning to New England. But while some have said the Raiders were never that serious in their pursuit, Las Vegas was indeed “sniffing around Brady as late as this week,” sources told Vic Tafur of The Athletic.

While Tafur acknowledges that the Raiders never made an official offer to Brady, he writes that “some ballpark numbers were made known to him at some point.” Tafur also reports that the Raiders weren’t willing to spend the $50MM guaranteed the Bucs ended up giving over two years as the “game film the last two years just didn’t warrant that in the Raiders’ minds.”

Had Brady signaled to the Raiders that they were a “serious finalist,” they would’ve started shopping Derek Carr, Tafur writes. But while they were interested in adding the legendary Brady, that doesn’t mean they aren’t satisfied with Carr. Tafur writes that the team won’t be pursuing another veteran, and they won’t be making a surprise trade up in the draft to take a quarterback early.

Of course, the Raiders ended up signing Marcus Mariota in free agency, but Tafur doesn’t view him as a serious threat to Carr’s job. Instead he writes that many in the organization feel Carr deserves a third year in Jon Gruden’s system. Carr’s numbers certainly got better in his second year under Gruden, but the offense as a whole wasn’t great and Carr once again received a ton of criticism for being too risk-averse.

Carr and Gruden clashed on the sidelines a number of times and while they both downplayed the incidents, both Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock hedged instead of committing to him this offseason. Tafur no longer thinks the Raiders are considering Utah State’s Jordan Love with either of their first-round picks, so it sounds like Carr will be entering 2020 as the starter no matter what. How long his leash will be is an entirely different question.

Jets To Sign Greg Van Roten

March 21st, 2020 at 6:10pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Jets continue to bolster their offensive line. New York has agreed to terms with guard Greg Van Roten, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

It’s a three-year deal for Van Roten according to a tweet from Connor Hughes of The Athletic, who notes that New York has had their eye on him since before free agency opened. We heard a handful of days ago that the Jets had turned their attention to Van Roten and other second-tier interior linemen after whiffing on their attempt to sign Graham Glasgow, and now they’ve got their guy.

Van Roten was one of the top linemen left on the market, and the available pool just got that much thinner for teams still looking for O-line help. Van Roten has had an unusual path to prominence, as he entered the league as an UDFA back in 2012 but didn’t start a game until 2018. He then became a full-time starter for the Panthers the past two seasons, earning reasonably strong marks from Pro Football Focus.

The Jets have been remaking their unit, and they signed Connor McGovern to a big deal to be their center earlier this week. Jets beat writers seem to expect Van Roten to start at right guard with Alex Lewis at left. This could mean the end of the line for guard Brian Winters in New York, Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. The Jets could save a little over $7MM by cutting him. They also signed new left tackle George Fant in free agency, so this offensive line is going to look completely different in 2020.

Raiders To Add TE Nick O’Leary

March 21st, 2020 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders have agreed to terms with a second tight end this week. Days after their Jason Witten commitment, the Raiders are signing Nick O’Leary, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter link).

Tight ends currently on the Raider roster: Darren Waller, Witten, Derek Carrier, Foster Moreau and now O’Leary. It would appear Carrier’s roster spot is in jeopardy.

O’Leary spent last season with the Jaguars and Dolphins. Initially a 2015 fifth-round pick, O’Leary spent three seasons with the Bills. He topped out with 22 receptions for 322 yards and two touchdowns on the 2017 Bills but spent the 2018 season on Adam Gase‘s final Dolphins squad.

While O’Leary is not a prolific receiver, he will certainly not be asked to do that much in Las Vegas given the Waller-Witten tandem’s presence. O’Leary graded as the NFL’s best tight end in a somewhat obscure skill last year, however. He rated as significantly ahead of the next-closest player in pass protection among tight ends. He played 320 snaps with Miami and Jacksonville in 2019.

Chiefs To Sign T Mike Remmers

March 21st, 2020 at 3:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mike Remmers will have a shot to contribute to a seventh NFL team in nine seasons, and the free agent tackle will be joining the defending Super Bowl champions.

The veteran tackle signed with the Chiefs, the team announced. This will be a one-year deal, according to Remmers’ agent, Brett Tessler (Twitter link).

While the Chiefs do not have a starting job available, with Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz locked up long-term, Remmers figures to compete to be Kansas City’s swing man. Although Schwartz is one of the NFL’s most durable players, Fisher missed eight games last season.

This will mark a pace change for the 30-year-old blocker. Remmers has started 78 of the 79 games he’s played in his eight-year career. He caught on with the Giants last year and was the Vikings’ right tackle starter over the previous two seasons. Prior to that, Remmers spent two-plus seasons operating as the Panthers’ starting right tackle — a tenure that included a Super Bowl start and a tough matchup against Von Miller.

Despite the Giants opting not to re-sign Remmers, he graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 48 overall tackle last season. The Chiefs’ swing man in 2019, Cameron Erving, came in at 80th on that hierarchy in a tough stretch filling in for the injured Fisher.

Colts Plan To Keep Jacoby Brissett

March 21st, 2020 at 3:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite Philip Rivers, Jacoby Brissett and Andrew Luck (dead money) accounting for more than $53MM on the Colts’ 2020 payroll, the team plans to keep its recently demoted quarterback.

Brissett remains in the Colts’ plans for 2020, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Colts released Brian Hoyer minutes ago and now have Rivers at a $25MM price. Brissett is due a $7MM guarantee Sunday, but Fowler notes the team plans to retain the fifth-year passer to play behind Rivers.

After Luck’s retirement, the Colts gave Brissett a two-year, $30MM deal. He is set to count $21.4MM against Indianapolis’ cap next season. The Colts saw Brissett improve mightily from his 2017 performance, but after Jim Irsay said all options were on the table this offseason, the team signed Rivers. Brissett will return to the QB2 role he played in 2018. Rivers has never missed a start since taking the Chargers’ reins at the 2006 season’s outset.

The Colts rejected multiple trade offers for Brissett in 2018, and Irsay said that year he would be unlikely to trade the former Patriots draftee for a first-round pick. Chris Ballard and Frank Reich came out in support of Brissett after Luck’s healthy 2018 season, and the Colts have one of the league’s best backup quarterbacks in the fold — albeit at a higher-than-usual rate.

With the Colts still in need of a long-term answer, it is unclear how they will proceed with Brissett beyond 2020. But for now, it looks like he will be a high-priced backup and play a fourth year in Indianapolis.

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