NFC Notes: Romo, Elliott, Seahawks, Graham
Quarterback Tony Romo could ask for his release this offseason, and the Cowboys should grant it, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. If that were to happen, Romo would be able to pick his next employer (perhaps Denver) and negotiate a good deal for himself, and that team wouldn’t weaken itself by giving up a draft pick(s) for the soon-to-be 37-year-old. On the other hand, Florio notes that the Cowboys have the right to seek compensation for Romo via trade, though he points out that the club could otherwise designate Dak Prescott‘s backup as a post-June 1 cut and save $14MM in cap space in 2017.
Speaking on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wasn’t willing to elaborate on what he’ll do with Romo in the coming months. “We’ve got a lot to think about here, but that’s in the future,” he said (via Todd Archer of ESPN.com). Jones did opine, though, that Romo has enough left in the tank to lead a team to a Super Bowl.
More from Dallas and another NFC city:
- Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is unhappy with the pace of the NFL’s investigation into domestic abuse claims against him, he said after the team’s divisional-round loss to Green Bay on Sunday. “I do want closure,” Elliott told reporters, including Archer. “I would rather it not drag on this long. If there was something to find, which there’s not, they would’ve found it by now. The police did a very thorough investigation. I will tell you this — it just seems like they’re dragging their feet right now. Who knows, man? I’m just ready for it to end.” The league has been investigating Elliott since July, and it reportedly regarded him as “Public Enemy No. 1” as of November. That didn’t seem to affect Elliott on the field, as the rookie easily led the league in ground yards (1,631) and finished third in rushing touchdowns (15).
- Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll revealed Monday that cornerback Richard Sherman played this season with a “significant” MCL injury. Sherman’s knee problem wasn’t disclosed during the year via the injury report, however, and now the NFL is “looking into” the situation, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. While Seattle was clearly in violation of league policy, its unclear what type of punishment the franchise could face. Last September, of course, the league took a fifth-round pick and a week of OTAs away from the Seahawks for 2017 after they violated its rules regarding contact practices in the offseason.
- The Seahawks would open up $10MM in spending room and incur no dead money by releasing tight end Jimmy Graham, but they’re likely to keep him for the last year of his contract, per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com. An extension is even a possibility after what Carroll called “a terrific year” for the longtime Saint. “We’re always looking at all of those,” Carroll stated Monday. “We know how that’s going, and those conversations come up when we can get to them. I’m glad you reminded us, but (general manager) John [Schneider] is on that.” Graham bounced back from a subpar 2015 campaign, one that ended early because of a torn patellar tendon, to finish second on the Seahawks in receptions (65), targets (95), yards (923) and touchdowns (six).
Texans Hope To Retain Romeo Crennel
With offensive coordinator George Godsey now out of the organization, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien is going to have at least one new high-level assistant on his staff next season. He could end up on the search for a defensive coordinator, too, as Romeo Crennel‘s contract is up. Crennel intends to coach again next season at the age of 70, and the Texans want to retain him, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.
“Romeo’s done a great job,” O’Brien said Monday. “I know we’d love to have him back. I haven’t sat down with any coaches yet, but I can tell you Romeo’s a great coach. He means a lot to me personally, and we’d love to have Romeo back.”
Crennel has been atop the Texans’ defense since 2014, and the unit has ranked between sixth and eighth in DVOA all three seasons on his watch. Houston also led the NFL in yardage allowed in 2016, which was no small feat given that end J.J. Watt – the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year – only played in three games and went on injured reserve in late September. The Crennel-led, Watt-less Texans had other stars emerge, including end Jadeveon Clowney and cornerback A.J. Bouye (like Crennel, he’s also without a contract), while linebacker Whitney Mercilus‘ excellence continued.
If the Texans aren’t able to work out a deal with Crennel heading into 2017, it’s possible he could join another staff. However, as PFR’s Coordinator Tracker shows, only the Redskins and Chargers are currently without defensive chiefs. The likelihood is that the 49ers will also be on the lookout for a coordinator after they hire a new head coach. For Crennel, taking over another team’s defense would mean doing so for a fifth franchise. Along with Houston, he has been a D-coordinator in Cleveland, New England and Kansas City.
Related:
Cowboys Unlikely To Re-Sign Ronald Leary
Guard Ronald Leary sought a trade out of Dallas last offseason because he was poised to serve as a backup in 2016. The Cowboys weren’t willing to oblige, which ended up being a plus for both them and Leary. After starting left guard La’el Collins went on injured reserve in late September, Leary took his place and thrived as part of an elite offensive line. The timing was great for Leary, who’s scheduled to hit the open market in March.
While Leary is open to staying in Dallas, the 27-year-old realizes Collins’ return to health will likely prevent that, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“Going into the season I didn’t think I was going to be playing at all,” Leary said Monday. “As far as free agency, that’s one thing I’m just going to let it play itself out, see how things work out and talk with my agent and see how things go from there.”
Leary, who entered the NFL in 2012 as an undrafted free agent from Memphis, has spent his entire career with the Cowboys. He started in 35 straight appearances over his first three seasons, but he dealt with a groin injury in 2015 and Collins usurped his No. 1 role. With Collins on the shelf for most of this season, Leary made 12 starts in 13 games and ranked an impressive 25th in overall performance among Pro Football Focus’ 76 qualified guards.
Bjoern Werner Retires
After three disappointing seasons, free agent defensive end Bjoern Werner‘s NFL career is over. The 26-year-old revealed on German television that he’s retiring because teams aren’t showing interest in him, in part because of knee problems, per Scott Horner of the Indianapolis Star. Werner has undergone eight knee operations in the past eight years.
A former star at Florida State, where he racked up 18 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in 2012, the German-born Werner entered the pros as the Colts’ first-round pick in 2013. He was never able to live up to his status as the 24th overall selection in Indianapolis, where he appeared in 38 games and totaled 6.5 sacks. Four of those sacks came in his second season, as did a career-high 15 starts. Werner started only once as a rookie and not at all in 2015, when he also went without a sack in 10 games.
On the heels of his less-than-stellar third season, the Colts waived Werner last March. He then inked a deal with the AFC South rival Jaguars in the spring, but they released him at the end of August. Werner auditioned for the Lions and Saints during the season, though he wasn’t able to land a contract with either team.
Coaching Notes: Bills, Broncos, Rams
At the outset of the Bills’ head coaching search earlier this month, general manager Doug Whaley was open to relinquishing control over the team’s 53-man roster to Rex Ryan‘s successor. It turns out Whaley will continue to oversee the roster in 2017, Year 1 of the Sean McDermott era, the rookie head coach announced at his introductory press conference Friday. “Doug has control of the 53,” said McDermott, who added he’s “very comfortable with the situation” (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
More coaching-related notes:
- The Broncos will retain running backs coach Eric Studesville, reports Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). Studesville has held that position since 2010, but he interviewed with the Jets for their vacant offensive coordinator job earlier this week. While the Jets had “strong interest” in Studesville, he’ll instead stay in Denver and work under his fourth different head coach in seven years. Of course, Studesville is familiar with newly named offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, who was previously at the helm of Denver’s ‘O’ from 2010-12.
- The Rams, led by new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, are hiring Bill Johnson to coach their D-line, according to Sporting News’ Alex Marvez (Twitter link). The Saints parted with Johnson last week, thus ending an eight-year run with the organization.
- Chargers special teams coach Craig Aukerman will interview for the same position with the Broncos, tweets Marvez. Former Bolts special teams coach Kevin Spencer is also in the running, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). Those two join Marwan Maalouf and Derius Swinton II as known candidates for the top ST job in Denver under new head coach Vance Joseph.
Todd Wash To Continue As Jags’ D-Coordinator
New Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone cleared out most of the team’s defensive staff earlier this week, but he elected to retain coordinator Todd Wash. It was unclear, though, whether Wash would continue in the same role. It’s now official that he will once again serve as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator in 2017, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
The 48-year-old Wash has been in Jacksonville since 2013, though this past season was his first as its coordinator. The unit was mostly impressive on his watch, finishing sixth in the NFL in yardage, 13th in DVOA and 25th in scoring. Those were across-the-board improvements for the Jags, who ranked 24th, 26th and 31st, respectively, in those categories under Wash’s predecessor, Bob Babich, in 2015.
Marrone’s decision to keep Wash in a prominent position comes on the heels of a continuity-geared move to retain offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Now that he knows his status for next season, Wash will get to work on filling out his staff, including finding new defensive line, linebackers and defensive backs coaches, as O’Halloran notes (Twitter link).
Chargers Likely To Replace John Pagano
The beginning of Anthony Lynn‘s tenure as the Chargers’ head coach will likely bring about the end of defensive coordinator John Pagano‘s long run with the organization. The club isn’t expected to retain Pagano, reports Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).
With high-profile defensive coordinator candidate Gus Bradley set to interview for that role with the Chargers, the news of Pagano’s forthcoming exit comes as no surprise. Bradley is reportedly the front-runner to land the job with the newly minted Los Angeles franchise. Further, the idea of Bradley joining a Lynn-fronted staff has come up as a possibility since the latter was the Bills’ interim head coach at the end of the regular season.
To this point, Pagano has spent his entire coaching career with the Chargers, who hired him as a defensive quality control coach in 2002. He eventually climbed to the defensive coordinator position in 2012, though the unit mostly struggled under Pagano. In his first four years on the job, the Chargers didn’t post a better defensive DVOA ranking than 18th, and they finished last in the NFL in 2013. The defense turned in its best Pagano-led showing in 2016 (eighth), but it doesn’t appear that will be enough to save the 49-year-old.
While Pagano is on his way out, some of his assistants will remain in place. Earlier Friday, Sporting News’ Alex Marvez reported that defensive line coach Giff Smith, defensive backs coach Ron Milus and assistant DBs coach Chris Harris will return in 2017. Linebackers coach Bob Babich is gone, though, having taken a job with Lynn’s previous employer – Buffalo.
Latest On Raiders’ Potential Relocation
While businessman Sheldon Adelson could contribute $650MM toward a $1.9 billion domed stadium for the Raiders in Las Vegas, the franchise might not need the casino mogul’s support to relocate. The Raiders have informed the NFL that Goldman Sachs is committed to financing the stadium even without Adelson’s involvement, reports Richard N. Velotta of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Adelson and the Raiders have hit snags in their negotiations, though they had made progress toward an agreement as of Jan. 4. For now, “talks are ongoing,” Adelson family spokesman Andy Abboud revealed Thursday. The Raiders, meanwhile, echoed a similar sentiment.
“Right now, negotiations are proceeding and we’ll see if we come to an agreement with the Sands [Adelson] family,” said Raiders senior vice president of stadium development and operations Tom Blanda. “I’m not really sure who else we’ll talk to.”
Cognizant that their bid to construct a Las Vegas stadium might not include help from Adelson, the Raiders told the league’s stadium and finance committees Wednesday that they’re exploring ways to proceed without him.
“The Raiders are looking at the potential of doing [it] without Mr. Adelson if it comes down to that,” said Steelers owner Art Rooney II, who’s also chairman of the league’s stadium committee.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/13/17
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters.
Philadelphia Eagles
- FB Andrew Bonnet
San Francisco 49ers
- P Brock Miller
Draft Notes: QBs, Browns, Alabama
Thanks in part to his heroics this past Monday in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, outgoing Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson‘s draft stock is soaring, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN. After Watson completed 36 of 56 passes for 420 yards and four touchdowns (one rushing) in Clemson’s 35-31 win over Alabama, two NFL personnel directors and one general manager informed Schefter that the 21-year-old will go in the top half of the first round this spring. All regard Watson as a soon-to-be top 10 pick, and it’s possible he’ll go to the Browns at No. 1 overall.
“He struggled some in midseason, so everyone got off him,” said a personnel director. “But these last couple of weeks, he’s skyrocketing up to the top 10 picks, with the two playoff game wins. Now people are going to say, ‘Wait a minutes, he’s played Alabama the past couple of years really well, he won a national championship, he can be a Mariota, he can be a [Dak] Prescott, great character, great kid.’ People will not want to miss him. I think he’s definitely going in the top 10.”
A bit more on Cleveland and the draft:
- While the Browns also own the 12th pick in the draft, odds are they’ll have to take a quarterback at No. 1 – be it Watson, North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky or Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer – if they like him enough, several draft experts and talent evaluators told Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “A lot of teams need quarterbacks and they will overvalue them and reach,” an NFL personnel executive said. In assessing the three signal-callers, a talent evaluator opined, “[Watson] was very impressive in that game and has a special skill set. Accuracy is always a concern. His body of work makes him safer than Trubisky, but Trubisky has a big upside. Kizer is solid, but I don’t think he’s ready to play right away. Watson appears to be the only one who could hold his own right now.” The Browns reportedly “love” Trubisky, but taking him, Watson or Kizer would mean passing on Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett – with whom they’re also smitten.
- Alabama offensive tackle Cam Robinson, wide receiver ArDarius Stewart and cornerback Marlon Humphrey each declared for the draft Friday. CBS Sports ranks Robinson as the 12th-best player in this year’s class and the top tackle in a weak crop. Humphrey isn’t far behind (No. 15), while the outlet projects Stewart to go in the second round.
- Another Alabama product, edge rusher Tim Williams, is likely to slip out of the first round because of Randy Gregory-esque issues with substances (marijuana, to be exact), according to Charlie Champbell of WalterFootball.com. Like Gregory, whom the NFL handed a one-year suspension earlier this month (already the third ban of his two-year career), Williams has several failed drug tests to his name. Williams picked up 18.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss during his final two years at Alabama, but similarly excellent college production wasn’t enough for Gregory (16.5 sacks, 26.5 TFL) to go in Round 1 in 2015. It seems Williams’ case will be a repeat this year.