AFC South Notes: Luck, Allen, Texans, Titans
Though there are items to nitpick in Andrew Luck‘s new contract with the Colts, the former No. 1 overall pick comes out ahead when it comes to cash flows, writes Jason Fitzgerald of the Sporting News. Starting in year three of the deal (2019), Luck will have lapped the field when it comes to quarterback contracts that are currently on the books — he’ll have earned more than $79MM while Russell Wilson, for example, will have taken home only $70.6MM by year three of his deal. Downsides of the pact, according to Fitzgerald, include the $32MM signing bonus, which doesn’t stack up in terms of percentage of total contract value, and historical relevancy, as Luck still falls short of Aaron Rodgers‘ deal once inflation is accounted for.
Here’s more out of the AFC South:
- Both of the Colts‘ top two tight ends were eligible for unrestricted free agency during the offseason, but the club chose to re-sign Dwayne Allen instead of Coby Fleener in large part because of the former’s versatility, according to Kevin Bowen of Colts.com. Head coach Chuck Pagano has pointed out that Allen is a more well-rounded tight end that’s more adept in the blocking game, and given that new offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski heavily employs the tight end in his scheme, it made sense for Indianapolis to go with the more complete option.
- Many members of the Colts‘ scouting staff had positive things to say about seventh-round linebacker Trevor Bates, as Bowen writes in a separate piece. PFR has been posting its own reviews of the AFC South draft classes, with evaluator Dave-Te Thomas providing his expert analysis on each selection. We’ve already taken a look at the Texans, Jaguars, and Titans, and the Colts piece will be coming soon.
- Mike Mularkey‘s tenure with the Titans will be determined by quarterback Marcus Mariota‘s development, opines Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com. Mularkey was somewhat surprisingly promoted to full-time head coach after taking over as the club’s interim leader midway through the 2015 season. After Mularkey posted poor records in his previous stops with the Bills and Jaguars, many observers thought new general manager Jon Robinson would want to bring in an outside hire at head coach. Instead, Tennessee opted for continuity, likely with an eye on Mariota’s future.
- The Texans will face some growing pains on offense with new quarterback Brock Osweiler in tow, but Houston’s defense is so spectacular that the club is still in a solid position, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com. After giving Osweiler $37MM in guaranteed money, the Texans didn’t stop adding to their roster, adding weapons such as Lamar Miller, Will Fuller, and Braxton Miller to the offense, while solidifying the line by bringing in Jeff Allen and Nick Martin.
Rolando McClain Suspended 10 Games
The Friday afternoon NFL news dump is happening a day early. Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain has been suspended 10 games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, according to Adam Schefter and Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Johnnny Manziel, Sheldon Richardson suspended]
The 10-game ban indicates that McClain has entered stage three of the league’s substance policy for marijuana. McClain missed the first four games of last season while on suspension, so the penalties will keep increasing as McClain continues to fail drug tests. The 26-year-old McClain has dealt with plenty of off-the-field question marks throughout his career, and his free agency earnings have thus been relatively modest. Still, he’s now set to lose about $2.35MM as a result of this latest ban.
In 2015, McClain graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 28 linebacker (subscription required). In his suspension-shortened season, McClain recorded 80 total tackles, 2 sacks, and 3 pass deflections. The former first-round pick had been sitting out Dallas’ team activities while reportedly dealing with a family issue, an occurrence that had apparently caused a minor dispute between owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jason Garrett.
McClain is the third Cowboys defender to face a multi-game ban for 2016, as defensive lineman Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory are scheduled to miss the first four games of the year with their own suspensions — in fact, Archer reports that Lawrence’s appeal has been denied, ensuring that he will in fact be suspended. I recently listed Dallas as a potential landing spot for veteran edge rusher Dwight Freeney, and though he wouldn’t be directly replacing McClain, Freeney could help a Cowboys defense that is now in dire need of talent.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Waive QB Connor Shaw
The Browns have waived quarterback Connor Shaw, as Shaw himself indicated by thanking the organization for his time in Cleveland via Twitter. Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal has since confirmed the move (Twitter link). Because he’s not a vested veteran, Shaw will have to pass through waivers — if he’s not claimed by another club, he’ll become a free agent.
[RELATED: Updated Cleveland Browns depth chart]
Shaw, who will be 25 years old during the upcoming season, has just one career NFL appearance to his name. He started the final game of the 2014 season for the Browns, completing 14-of-28 pass attempts for 177 yards and one touchdown in a loss to the division rival Ravens. Expected to compete for Cleveland’s No. 3 quarterback job in 2015, Shaw suffered a thumb injury prior to the regular season, and was placed on injured reserve.
The Browns coaching staff and front office have given lip service to an all-out quarterback competition taking place in advance of the regular season, but it still seems overwhelmingly likely that free agent signee Robert Griffin III will take the first snap in Week 1. Veteran Josh McCown is still on the roster, though he’s been the subject of trade speculation, while Cleveland also has Austin Davis and third-round rookie Cody Kessler under contract.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Community Tailgate: First $25MM Player?
Though the period between the end of OTAs and the beginning of training camp is usually relatively quiet — at least, by NFL standards — one of the bigger stories of the past calendar year broke yesterday, as quarterback Andrew Luck agreed to an extension with the Colts that will lock him up through the 2021 season. The details of the pact show that Luck will be extremely well-paid, as he’ll average $24.594MM over the life of the deal; he also received a hefty $47MM in full guarantees and $87MM in injury guarantees.
But despite those figures, some observers have noted that the contract is a little underwhelming. Luck will be the highest-paid player in the league on an annual basis, but he didn’t set a new record for guarantees. Ndamukong Suh still holds that mark after scoring $60MM fully guaranteed from the Dolphins last season, while Aaron Rodgers is tops among quarterbacks, at $54MM.
Additionally, Luck didn’t break the $25MM per year barrier. Now, that distinction could seem inconsequential — Luck came close, and he’s only $406K per year short. But most expected him to shatter that mark, and the fact that he came up a little light was somewhat surprising. Perhaps it’s simply that fact that we like round numbers, but that $25MM figure seems like the next annual salary that players — more specifically, quarterbacks — will look to attain.
So which signal-caller will be the one to crash through that ceiling? Just this morning, former agent and current CBS Sports contributor Joel Corry argued that Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford could be the most logical candidate, given that he’s posted comparable statistics to Luck and only has a couple years left on his deal. From my vantage point, Stafford does look like he could reach the $25MM mark because he could opt for a contract with a short length, as he did last time around when he agreed to a three-year extension. Without having to worry about large guarantees on the back end, or a massive signing bonus that could make it untenable to cut Stafford loose down the road, Detroit could be willing to meet $25MM per year.
What about Drew Brees? Yes, the Saints quarterback will be 38 years old when free agency begins next year, but he’s showed no signs of slowing down, and plenty of teams would back up the Brinks truck to lure him in. Kirk Cousins, too, could be a free agent in 2017 if the Redskins don’t use the franchise tag again. Clearly, Cousins isn’t in the same class as Brees, but with the quarterback scarcity around the league, even a merely above-average talent like Cousins can cash in. Rodgers, meanwhile, is signed through the 2019 season, but the Packers could be open to reworking his deal in order to make him the highest-paid QB in the NFL.
It’s always possible that we’ll have to wait until the current crop of young quarterbacks hits free agency before someone cracks the $25MM mark. Blake Bortles, Jameis Winston, and Marcus Mariota have all had varying levels of success at the NFL level, and none can even sign an extension yet, but if one of those three truly breaks out in the next few years, they could be looking at a record-breaking deal. Further down the line, rookies such as Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, and Paxton Lynch could be in line for hefty contracts, but it won’t probably won’t take until 2018-19 until someone tops $25MM.
A non-quarterback theoretically could cross over the $25MM line, but Suh currently leads all defenders at around $19MM per year, so there’s a long way to go before someone on the defensive side of the ball redefines contracts to that level. Wide receivers, meanwhile, are currently topping out at $15MM, while offensive lineman haven’t even hit $14MM. J.J. Watt, perhaps, could have gotten to $25MM had he hit free agency, but it’s probably going to be a quarterback.
So who will it be? Will Brees hit free agency next year and stun the market with a record-breaking deal? Will a surprising option like Stafford hit $25MM first? Will Rodgers renegotiate his deal? Or will we have to wait for a younger quarterback to sign an extension? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section!
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Johnny Manziel, Sheldon Richardson Suspended
Free agent quarterback Johnny Manziel will be suspended four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, according to TMZ. Meanwhile, Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson will miss the 2016 season opener, as the NFL has announced that Richardson will be suspended one game for violating the personal conduct policy.
The TMZ report specifies that Manziel’s suspension is for substance abuse, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports that Manziel will be subject to the NFL’s personal conduct policy if he returns to the league. Manziel was involved in a domestic violence incident with his ex-girlfriend earlier this year, and is thought to be the subject of an NFL investigation. Earlier this week, Manziel’s father spoke out about his son, labeling him a “druggie” and indicating that he needs help and rehabilitation.
Clearly, this suspension only adds to any reluctance a club would have when considering signing Manziel. Manziel does need to be on an NFL roster to serve the ban — in other words, even if he signs in Week 5, he’ll still have to sit out four games. But if he doesn’t return to the league in 2016 (which at this point seems likely), the suspension will not roll over to 2017, according to TMZ. There will be no appeal of the ban, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), because Manziel has refused to cooperate with the appeals process.
Richardson, meanwhile, avoided jail time for a July 2015 incident in which he was charged with resisting arrest, speeding, and running a red light, but he won’t evade punishment from the NFL. This marks the second suspension for Richarson, who also missed the first four games of last season after violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The former-first round pick will lose nearly $475K in base salary as a result of the suspension.
New York faces the Bengals in Week 1, so the club will have to count on other defensive lineman to compensate for the loss of Richardson. As Roster Resource shows, Gang Green has a solid stable of lineman it can rely on, including last year’s first-round pick Leonard Williams, All Pro Muhammad Wilkerson, and free agent signings Steve McLendon, Jarvis Jenkins, and Shelby Harris, among others.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC North Notes: Stafford, Patterson, Jeffery
Andrew Luck is now the highest-paid player in the league after agreeing to a long-term extension with the Colts yesterday, but former NFL agent Joel Corry believes Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford could soon be the next to hold that title, as Justin Rogers of MLive.com writes. With the salary cap continuing to rise, the “highest-paid” moniker often falls on whichever player — or typically, whichever quarterback — has signed the most recent deal. Stafford and Luck have posted comparable statistics, and given how often Detroit management has discarded the notion of quarterback victories, Rogers doesn’t believe the club would hold Stafford’s win-loss record against him in negotiations. Stafford is signed through 2017, with cap hits north of $22MM in each of the next two seasons.
Here’s a look at a few more items coming out of the NFC North:
- Any way you look at it, Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson has been a disappointment since the club selected him in the first round of the 2013 draft. But now that Minnesota has declined Patterson’s fifth-year option, meaning he’ll become a free agent after the upcoming season, Patterson is planning to make the most of what could possibly be his final season with the team. “Sometimes you can be here and you feel like you’ve got to be on the team,” Patterson told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “You feel like, ‘Yeah, I’m a first-round pick, I’m on the team.’ Things like that, sometimes they make you not work hard, they make you don’t want to do things, make you be lazy.” Patterson is an excellent return man, but he won’t have a shot to score in free agency unless he contributes in the passing game.
- Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery signed his franchise tender, guaranteeing himself nearly $15MM for the 2016 season, but then chose to stay away from Chicago’s voluntary workouts. That course of action doesn’t send a great message as Jeffery continues to negotiate a long-term contract with the Bears, opines Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Jeffery has until July 15 to hammer out an extension with Chicago, and recent reports indicate that a deal is still possible.
- Sam Shields‘ four-year, $39MM extension with the Packers could set a baseline in talks between cornerback Darius Slay and the Lions, as Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com writes. Shields garnered only $12.5MM in guarantees on that deal, and given how salaries have risen in the two-plus years since it was signed, Slay would probably ask for more. Slay recently indicated that he wants to be paid as a “top-seven” cornerback — on an annual basis, that would put him around $13MM, while in terms of guarantees, Slay would presumably want more than $20MM.
- The Vikings announced two changes to their personnel department on Thursday, stating that they’ve promoted Scott Kuhn to director of analytics/pro scout, and Anne Doepner to director of football administration.
Offseason In Review: Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have a tried and true offseason approach that’s enabled them to reach the postseason for five consecutive seasons — winning a game once they’ve made the playoffs has been a different story, however. Still, the club followed their template: re-sign their own free agents, extend young players that they believe are a part of their core, and bring in a few veterans who won’t affect the compensatory formula. Let’s take a look at how Cincinnati executed that strategy over the offseason…
Notable signings:
- Adam Jones, CB: Three years, $22MM. $6MM guaranteed.
- George Iloka, S: Five years, $30MM. $5MM guaranteed.
- Vincent Rey, LB: Three years, $10.5MM. $3MM guaranteed.
- Brandon LaFell, WR: One year, $2.5MM. $1MM guaranteed.
- Karlos Dansby, LB: One year, $2MM. $700K guaranteed. $500K available via incentives.
- Pat Sims, DT: Two years, $2.3MM. $250K guaranteed. $600K available via incentives.
- Brandon Tate, WR: One year, $1.024MM. $100K guaranteed.
- Eric Winston, T: One year, $1.09MM. $80K guaranteed.
- Brandon Thompson, DT: One year, $840K. $50K guaranteed.
- Taylor Mays, S: One year, $840K. $25K guaranteed.
While the Bengals weren’t able to retain either one of their key free agent receivers, they did re-sign the two most important members of their secondary, agreeing to new deals with cornerback Adam Jones and safety George Iloka. Jones received the seventh-highest full guarantee among all free agent corners, an unusual accomplishment for a player entering his age-33 season. But Jones doesn’t have wear-and-tear of a typical veteran — in fact, Jones has the started the fewest career games among 2005 draftees who can still be considered starters at this point in their careers, and it isn’t particularly close. For example, Jones has only 77 starts under his belt, while Antrel Rolle, the other defensive back selected in the top eight of the ’05 draft, boasts a whopping 146. Jones, for all intents and purposes, only has about half the tread on his tires of a typical starter with a decade in the NFL, making this deal less onerous that it looks at first glance.
Iloka, meanwhile, can be considered a victory of Cincinnati’s “draft, develop, and retain” model — a former fifth-round pick, Iloka blossomed into a full-time starter during his second year in the league, and graded out as the NFL’s No. 15 safety during his platform season, according to Pro Football Focus. 
Still, he didn’t fully cash out during the free agent process, garnering only $5MM in guaranteed money. Rodney McLeod, a comparable player who is the same age as Iloka, got more than double that figure from the Eagles, while Tyvon Branch, a middle-of-the-road veteran nearing age-30, equaled Iloka’s guarantees (and only on a two-year deal!). Iloka is incredibly likely to play out his entire contract — most Bengals do — but even then, he doesn’t rank inside the top-10 in average annual value among safeties, and he’ll continue to be pushed further down that list as the cap increases and salaries rise.
The Bengals did venture away from their internal free agents to bring in a couple of outside additions, but they were sure to only sign players who had been released by their former clubs, ensuring that they wouldn’t sacrifice any precious compensatory selections (Cincinnati is projected to snag four comp picks, the maximum allowed under the system). Wide receiver Brandon LaFell will line up opposite A.J. Green on the outside, and the Bengals are hoping that the former Patriot can come closer to his 2014 numbers — when he caught 74 passes for nearly 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns — than his 2015 production (37 receptions for 515 yards and zero scores). LaFell, 29, should see a good deal of single coverage as defenses shift their focus towards Green, so he’s a decent candidate for a rebound season.
Linebacker Karlos Dansby, another external addition, was signed to supplement Cincinnati’s front seven — on the surface, he’s replacing fellow veteran A.J. Hawk, but Dansby will be counted on to play a much larger role than Hawk, who saw action on just over a quarter of the Bengals’ defensive snaps last season. Not only will Dansby help 
account for the absence of Vontaze Burfict, who is suspended for the first three games of the year, but he’ll stay on the field in sub packages. A starting caliber, three-down linebacker for just $2MM is a solid deal, and Dansby figures to make a sizable contribution to a Cincinnati defense that will seek to match — or better — its 2015 No. 10 DVOA rating.
Elsewhere in the linebacking corps, the Bengals also re-signed Vincent Rey, a former undrafted free agent who’s made his NFL name as something of a jack-of-all-trades ‘backer. Need a direct replacement for Burfict while he’s suspended? Vincent Rey. Who will stay on the field in nickel packages alongside Dansby? Vincent Rey. Special teams unit needs an extra body? Vincent Rey. Rey played the most defensive snaps of any Cincinnati linebacker in 2015, and given that Dansby is aging, Burfict will miss almost 20% of the season, and Rey Maualuga is a two-down run-stuffer, Rey could end up leading the Bengals LBs in playing time once again.
Pat Sims appeared in only eight games in 2015, but the Bengals apparently saw enough during his second tenure with the club that they re-signed him to a two-year deal (though it’s essentially a one-year deal with an option for 2017). The 30-year-old Sims will compete with fourth-round rookie Andrew Billings for playing time as a rotational lineman behind starter Domata Peko. Fellow defensive tackle Brandon Thompson tore his ACL in January, but he still generated interest from the Seahawks before inking a new deal with Cincinnati. The PUP list is clearly an option for Thompson as he recovers, but he could be late-season contributor.
Brandon Tate, Eric Winston, and Taylor Mays are all veterans with experience in the Bengals’ system, and none figure to have large responsibilities next season if all goes as planned. Tate’s lack of dynamic ability as a return man has frustrated Cincinnati fans for years, but he’ll continue to act in that capacity until the club finds someone who’s as reliable. Winston will compete to serve as the second swing tackle behind Jake Fisher, while Mays, in his second Bengals tour, will handle special teams duties and play the occasional dime linebacker role. If any player from this trio plays significant snaps in 2016, something went terribly wrong.
Continue reading about the Bengals’ offseason…
NFC East Notes: Eagles, Redskins, Elliott
Howie Roseman wrested back control of the Eagles‘ personnel staff over the offseason, and quickly turned to remaking the roster on his terms, dealing away several of former head coach Chip Kelly‘s acquisitions — such as DeMarco Murray and Byron Maxwell — while extending much of Philadelphia’s young core, including Fletcher Cox, Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz, and others. This approach was by design, as Roseman (now the club’s de facto general manager) explained to 94 WIP in Philadelphia.
“When you look at it, some of the mistakes we’ve made have been going out and spending a lot of money,” Roseman said (link via Turron Davenport of USA Today). “A lot of those mistakes were on guys that aren’t our own. They were guys that we’ve brought from another organization, and we thought we knew.
“We went and looked at our plan for our roster over the next couple of years and said we will never let Fletcher Cox leave the building,” Roseman continued. “We will never let Lane [Johnson] leave the building, we will never let Zach [Ertz]…if we do it now, we do it a little early and maybe save on those guys and add to the team, keep as many guys around as possible. We have this core, and we can build off of that.”
Let’s take a look at more out of the NFC East:
- As Roster Resource details, the Redskins are expected to start Kory Lichtensteiger at center, with Josh LeRibeus and Austin Reiter serving as backups. According to Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com, Lichtensteiger is the only member of that trio who can be considered a lock to make the 53-man roster, and he’s highly unlikely to face any competition for the starting job. The 31-year-old Lichtensteiger did miss 11 games due to injury last season, so Washington needs to have an effective contingency plan in place in the event that the veteran center goes down once again.
- The Giants boast one of the league’s best running back contracts, writes John Breitenbach of Pro Football Focus, who places the two years remaining on veteran Rashad Jennings‘ pact among the top-five deals in the NFL (from a team perspective). Jennings, 31, originally signed a four-year, $10MM deal with New York, and is now scheduled to earn base salaries averaging roughly $2.3MM in each of the next two seasons. After rushing for more than 800 yards in 2015, Jennings is expected to form a rotation with Shane Vereen, rookie Paul Perkins, and others during the upcoming season.
- Ezekiel Elliott is capable of matching the success that DeMarco Murray had behind the Cowboys‘ offensive line in 2014, and could flirt with 1,500 rushing yards, opines Dan Graziano of ESPN.com, who notes that even middling back Darren McFadden was able top 1,000 yards on the ground last year with the help of Dallas’ front five. McFadden, of course, is still on the roster (but injured for the time being), while the club also signed Alfred Morris in free agency and re-signed Lance Dunbar. But Elliott, the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft, should get every opportunity to dominate touches in the Cowboys’ backfield.
Top 10 Teams That Could Sign Dwight Freeney
When I originally outlined this list, I saw more than half the clubs in the NFL as possible landing spots for veteran edge rusher Dwight Freeney. Even in his age-35 season, Freeney managed eight sacks for the Cardinals while playing only 255 defensive snaps. Many teams around the league could use that kind 
of production.
[RELATED: Best Available NFL Free Agents: Defense]
I eventually whittled down the list, and given that Freeney has stated he’d like to play for a winning team during the upcoming season, I tried to weed out clubs that seemingly have no shot at contending in 2016. Still, Freeney is an enticing addition not only because of his ability to disrupt the pocket, but because he’ll come cheap — his deal with Arizona last year was only for the prorated veteran’s minimum (though it did include sack incentives). Cap space won’t be an issue when trying to lure Freeney.
With that said, let’s take a spin around the league and examine some potential fits for Freeney (and his devastating spin move)…
Atlanta Falcons — It’s impossible to overstate just how poor the 2015 Falcons were at getting after opposing quarterbacks. They recorded only 19 sacks, the lowest total for any team in in the league since 2009, and finished last in adjusted sack rate. Atlanta’s only meaningful offseason addition to its defensive line was former Dolphin Derrick Shelby, who as Robert Mays gleefully noted in a recent Ringer NFL podcast (audio link), boasts all of nine career sacks. Freeney visited the Falcons at the beginning of June, but head coach Dan Quinn said his club would off — for now — on signing the veteran edge rusher.
Arizona Cardinals — Freeney has always stated that he’d prefer a return to the desert, but it’s not clear if the Cardinals are reciprocating that interest. Arizona acquired former Patriots pass rusher Chandler Jones this offseason, lessening its need to add another edge presence, and the club would also like to see what it has in its younger options, such as Markus Golden, Alex Okafor, and Shaq Riddick. Still, the Cards clearly know what Freeney brings to the table, so a reunion — at some point down the road — still makes a ton of sense.
Baltimore Ravens — All the way back in March, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said his club “wasn’t done in free agency” and casually mentioned that Freeney remained unsigned. Since that statement, Baltimore hasn’t plucked any key players from the open market, but it did select two rush linebackers — Boise State’s Kamalei Correa and BYU’s Bronson Kaufusi — during the draft. The Ravens will already field two aging veterans, Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil, at outside ‘backer during the upcoming season, so perhaps the team doesn’t want another player who’s near the end of his career. General manager Ozzie Newsome, however, loves experienced players, as evidenced by the fact that Baltimore deployed the fifth-oldest AV-adjusted defense in 2015, according to Chase Stuart of Football Perspective.
Buffalo Bills — Bills general manager Doug Whaley specifically name-checked Freeney last month, indicating that the club would only look to add veterans if their younger players weren’t progressing as planned during camp. But Buffalo definitely has a need, as first-round pick Shaq Lawson will miss some regular season action after undergoing shoulder surgery. Rex Ryan is planning on using a more conventional 3-4 look in 2016, so Freeney would spend most of time at outside linebacker, but he clearly has the versatility to shift back to end if Buffalo shows a 4-3 front.
Cincinnati Bengals — Along with the Falcons, the Bengals are one of two teams that has actually met with Freeney, as they had him had him in for a workout at the end of May. Cincinnati has two above-average starters at end in Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson, but the club has little in the way of depth. As Roster Resource shows, the Bengals would be forced to rely on Margus Hunt, Will Clarke, and Marcus Hardison — a group that has all of two sacks to its name — if one of their starters went down. But if Cincinnati does look into officially adding Freeney, reports have indicated that it might not be until training camp begins, or perhaps even later.
Dallas Cowboys — In what is clearly a developing theme among clubs on this list, Cowboys management said at the end of last month that they weren’t interested in Freeney for the time being, as they’d prefer to get a look at their younger rushers first. That stance is going to be a problem for Freeney, who has admitted he’d like to get into a camp as soon as possible in order to prepare mentally. Teams simply don’t have much incentive to sign a veteran who will take practice reps away from less-experienced players. Still, with Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory each facing four-game suspensions, the Cowboys clearly have a pass-rushing need.
Detroit Lions — One side of Detroit’s defensive line is spoken for by the dominant Ziggy Ansah, while the opposite side is manned by the underrated Devin Taylor, an ascending player entering the final year of his rookie deal. However, the Lions did lose both Jason Jones and Darryl Tapp in free agency, so they could certainly use another edge rusher to lessen the load on Taylor, who only played about half of the club’s snaps last season. Freeney would be part of a rotation in the Motor City, which is how he’s best utilized. For what it’s worth, Justin Rogers of MLive.com didn’t dismiss the idea of Detroit signing Freeney when asked earlier this month.
Kansas City Chiefs — The Chiefs could be without linebacker Justin Houston, one of the NFL’s best defensive players of the past half-decade, for part or most of the 2016 season after he underwent ACL surgery earlier this year, but Houston isn’t the only Kansas City edge defender dealing with knee issues. Fellow veteran Tamba Hali is also recovering from offseason surgery and hasn’t participated in camp, while Dee Ford left practice earlier this month with knee tendinitis. Freeney wouldn’t help compensate for any loss in coverage, but he’d be an improvement over current Chiefs backups Frank Zombo and Dezman Moses in terms of pass rush.
New Orleans Saints — We’ve discussed at length the historically inept 2015 Saints defense, so suffice it to say that New Orleans can still use all the help it can get. Last year’s second-round pick, Hau’oli Kikaha, was supposed to make the transition from linebacker to defensive end this summer, but he’ll now miss the entire season after suffering a torn ACL in mid-June. Currently projected to rely on Bobby Richardson (who graded as one of the five worst edge defenders in the league last season, according to Pro Football Focus), Obum Gwacham, and fourth-round rookie David Onyemata to line up opposite Cameron Jordan, the Saints could use Freeney perhaps more than any club on this list.
New York Jets — The Jets will continue to run essentially the same defense used by the 2015 Cardinals, as Arizona continued to employ former defensive coordinator Todd Bowles‘ concepts even after he left for the head coaching job in New York. Gang Green’s defense was very good last year, as they ranked fifth in DVOA and first against the run according to Football Outsider’s metrics. The one area where they weren’t exceptional, however, was pass rush (21st in adjusted sack rate). As Roster Resource details, New York is set to count on Lorenzo Mauldin and Jordan Jenkins — who have played a combined 253 snaps in the NFL (all by Mauldin) — as starting outside linebackers. Freeney, then, could be make sense as a edge rusher who sees 20-25 snaps per game.
Others — The Colts could use another rusher off the edge, but Mike Wells of ESPN.com reported last month that Indianapolis hadn’t engaged in talks with Freeney, and added that a reunion was unlikely. Freeney described a possible stint with the Patriots as a “win-win” for both parties, but Mike Reiss of ESPN.com doesn’t see the fit, noting that New England already has a healthy stable of defensive ends and linebackers. In the NFC, the Eagles could be a landing spot as they convert to a 4-3 scheme under new coordinator Jim Schwartz. Brian Robison isn’t anything special opposite Everson Griffen in the Vikings‘ front, while in Carolina, Mario Addison and Wes Horton are currently the last lines of defense for the Panthers if injuries should befall either Kony Ealy or Charles Johnson.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
South Notes: Jaguars, Skuta, Panthers, Falcons
Jaguars linebacker Dan Skuta was arrested on June 19 and charged with misdemeanor battery, but Skuta and his lawyer are now disputing the charges, as Brent Martineau of Action News Jax reports. While a woman claims she was hit by Skuta after she rebuffed his advances, Skuta’s lawyer contends that the linebacker was actually the one who was struck. Jags management, meanwhile, has released a statement saying that while they are “aware of the situation,” they won’t be offering further comment.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two South divisions:
- Panthers GM Dave Gettleman moved on from cornerback Josh Norman this offseason but he replenished the cornerback position by drafting James Bradberry (second round), Daryl Worley (third round), and Zack Sanchez (fifth round). All of them had their moments during OTAs and minicamp, but it remains to be seen how these young cornerbacks will perform in live action, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. The prevailing wisdom is that Carolina doesn’t need shutdown corners, thanks to their heavy use of a zone scheme — not to mention its dominant front seven. Whether this crop of rookie defensive backs can (in part) replace Norman could be a key to the Panthers’ season.
- Former Division II standout C.J. Goodwin is a longshot to make the Falcons‘ roster, but because Jalen Collins is facing a four-game suspension to start the season, Goodwin, a receiver-turned-cornerback, could earn a place on the final 53, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Goodwin, who played only two seasons of collegiate football, switched to the defensive side of the ball while working on Atlanta’s practice squad last year, and with a history of special teams experience, he could make for a solid back-of-the-roster contributor.
- Earlier today, veteran evaluator Dave-Te Thomas examined which Texans rookies could make an impact during the 2016 season.
Zach Links contributed to this post.