Jets Notes: Wilkerson, Hardy, Carter
The Jets have had a relatively quiet offseason — especially compared to their 2015 free agent haul — as they’ve added complementary pieces like Matt Forte and Steve McLendon while retaining inside linebacker Erin Henderson and running back Bilal Powell. The elephant in the room remains free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and earlier today Rich Cimini of ESPN.com looked at how the ongoing Colin Kaepernick trade talks might affect the possibility of Fitzpatrick returning to New York.
Let’s take a look at a few more notes from the Big Apple, all courtesy of Cimini’s column…
- Though Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan has said he is not “actively pursuing” a trade involving defensive ed Muhammad Wilkerson, Cimini says the Bears are a “team to watch” as the draft approaches, noting that New York would instantly accept an offer of the No. 11 overall pick. Wilkerson, who was designated as the Jets’ franchise player, can be assigned the franchise tag again in 2017, essentially allowing Gang Green to lock him up for $34.5MM over two years.
- The Jets have no interest in free agent defensive end Greg Hardy, per Cimini — though the club could certainly use help at pass-rusher, Hardy simply carries too much off-the-field baggage to be worth the risk. Most of the news surrounding Hardy this offseason has been teams saying they are not interested in bringing in the mercurial defensive end, though Jason Cole of Bleacher Report said last month that several clubs are pursuing Hardy using an “under the radar” approach for fear of generating bad PR.
- After agreeing to terms with linebacker Bruce Carter on Saturday, the Jets are expected to use something of a platoon at inside linebacker, according to Cimini. While veteran David Harris will likely remain an every-down player, Henderson will probably play on early downs before ceding to Carter on third down.
- Just a few years ago, Mike Catapano was a defensive tackle with the Chiefs, but after slimming down to the 260-pound range, he’s getting the opportunity to act as a full-time linebacker with the Jets, per Cimini.
Week In Review: 3/27/16 – 4/3/16
Rumors:
- The 49ers and Broncos were thought to be close to reaching a Colin Kaepernick trade agreement, but the latest reports have that deal on hold. Check out the latest rumors on the proposed swap from Saturday and Sunday.
- The Texans and quarterback Brian Hoyer are expected to part ways, either through trade or release.
- The Dolphins and Chiefs have discussed a trade involving a running back, with the likely centerpiece being Kansas City RB Knile Davis.
- The Raiders are expected to shop tight end Mychal Rivera as the draft approaches.
- Former Patriots and Bills tight end Scott Chandler is contemplating retirement following offseason surgery.
Extended:
- Chiefs – Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West, RBs (link)
- Patriots – Patrick Chung, S (through 2018)
Signed/Re-Signed:
- Bears – Omar Bolden, S (link); Ted Larsen, G (link); Manuel Ramirez, OL (link)
- Bengals – Karlos Dansby, LB (link)
- Chiefs – Stevie Brown, S (link)
- Jets – Bruce Carter, LB (link)
- Lions – Stevan Ridley, RB (link) and Geoff Schwartz, OL (link)
- Packers – Jared Cook, TE (link)
- Panthers – Brandon Boykin, CB (link)
- Patriots – E.J. Biggers, CB (link); Clay Harbor, TE (link); Terrance Knighton, DT (link)
- Saints – Nick Fairley, DT (link)
- Seahawks – Chris Clemons, DE (link)
- Texans – Brandon Weeden, QB (link)
- Vikings – Chad Greenway, LB (link)
- Washington – Vernon Davis, TE (link)
Released:
- Browns – Donte Whitner, S (link)
Retired:
- Husain Abdullah, S (link)
Draft Rumors: Elliott, Ramsey, Nkemdiche
The Cowboys have added Alfred Morris this offseason to go along with incumbent running back Darren McFadden, but there’s still speculation that Dallas will add another back in the upcoming draft. The draft’s highest-rated runner, Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott, will fly to Texas tomorrow for a meeting with the Cowboys (having already been worked out by the club in Columbus), according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
The first round of this year’s draft gets underway in 26 days, so let’s take a look at the latest updates…
- Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey, widely regarded as one of the five best available prospects, has visits planned with both the Jaguars and the Ravens, reports Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link). Ramsey, who can play both corner and safety, may not fall to the fifth or sixth selection, where Jacksonville and Baltimore respectively pick.
- The Saints will work out California tight end Stephen Anderson on Monday, tweets Getlin, adding that Anderson’s workout with the Falcons went well. Anderson has also been linked to the Patriots, Titans, and Texans.
- The Bears intend to meet with Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche and Southern Illinois quarterback Mark Iannotti in the next few weeks, writes John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. Nkemdiche is a first-round talent who may slip in the draft due to character concerns, while Iannotti is considered a late-round pick or UDFA.
- Eastern Washington offensive linemen Clay Debord and Aaron Neary did “extensive white board” work with the Cardinals following their pro day, according to Tony Pauline of WalterFootball.com. 22 clubs were present at the EWU pro day.
Colin Kaepernick Rumors: Saturday
Trade rumors have swirled around 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for months, but it looks like a resolution might be close, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier today that San Francisco is close to working out a trade that would send Kaepernick to the Broncos. The only issue reportedly obstructing a deal is Kaepernick’s $11.9MM base salary, which became fully guaranteed yesterday. Let’s dive into the latest on the trade talks…
- Though Schefter indicated that the 49ers and Broncos had agreed upon the parameters of a trade — with San Francisco sending a mid-round pick to Denver — Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) reports that no such agreement is in place. The deal can still happen, says Rapoport, but there many obstacles and Kaepernick’s visit with Broncos general manager John Elway didn’t change things.
- Schefter, meanwhile, doubled down on his initial report, adding (via Twitter) that the two clubs agreeing on draft pick compensation was the “easy part” of the talks. But a finalized trade is still not close because the Broncos need to convince Kaepernick to take less money, per the ESPN scribe.
- Mike Klis of 9News chimes in (Twitter link), noting that the term “mid-round pick” could conceivably identify any slot in rounds three through five. However, Denver doesn’t have a pick in the fourth round, having lost their selection as a part of a trade with the Ravens to acquire Gino Gradkowski. The Broncos do own pick No. 94 in the third round and No. 144 in the fifth round, and additionally, it’s possible that a trade might include future draft pick compensation.
- The Broncos have long been the most likely landing spot for Kaepernick, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, but “a lot” of progression is still needed before any trade becomes finalized.
- Nothing is imminent in terms of a trade, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), who also hears the draft pick compensation has not yet been agreed to.
Browns Release Donte Whitner
The Browns have continued their purge of veteran players, as they’ve announced the release of safety Donte Whitner. Tony Grossi of ESPN.com (Twitter link) was the first to report the news. Whitner himself alluded to the move earlier in the evening, tweeting “Cleveland I’m gone!”
“It is important for us to thank Donte for all of his contributions to the Cleveland Browns over the last two seasons,” said Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown in a statement. “His passion for this city and dedication to his craft was contagious. These are difficult decisions to make but we felt it was the best decision for the Browns at this time. We wish him the best as he continues his career.”
[RELATED: Browns waive CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu]
Whitner, who will turn 31 this summer, is the latest Brown to be released, as Cleveland also parted ways with linebacker Karlos Dansby and receiver Dwayne Bowe last month. Of course, those weren’t the only Browns who won’t be returning for the 2016 season, as the club has seen free agents Mitchell Schwartz, Alex Mack, Travis Benjamin, Tashaun Gipson, and Craig Robertson sign elsewhere over the course of the last month.
Cleveland has added a few players — namely quarterback Robert Griffin III, linebacker Demario Davis, and safety Rahim Moore — but the release of Whitner is sure to add fuel to the notion that the Browns are “tanking,” Agents complained last month that the club was hesitant in negotiations to bring back any of its internal free agents, and the team’s revamped front office, led by Brown and former MLB executive Paul DePodesta, has been under scrutiny for the entirety of the offseason. Whitner himself added a few parting shots (Twitter links), saying that Cleveland is playing “Moneyball” and that he would have preferred to be released earlier to get a head start on free agency.
Whitner will now hit the free agent market after playing out only two seasons of a four-year deal he signed with the Browns prior to the 2014 season. A former top-10 draft pick, Whitner started 30 games for Cleveland, posting more than 120 tackles and one interception over the past two years. In 2015, Whitner graded as the league’s No. 24 safety among 89 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
The release of Whitner will save the Browns nearly $4MM against the cap, but the club will also incur a dead money hit of $4.5MM. Even after accounting for Whitner’s dead money, Cleveland would still have more than $30MM in cap space, so financially, the team can handle the hit. But it’s fair to wonder if the Browns will designate Whitner as a post-June 1 release, spreading his dead money out over the next two years ($2.25MM in both 2016 and 2017).
While most of the free agent money has already been spent, Whitner will vault to the top of the free agent safety rankings, where his only real competition is former Bengal Reggie Nelson. Walter Thurmond (who is contemplating retirement), William Moore, and Roman Harper make up the rest of the available class at the position, so any club still looking for safety help is sure to place a call to Whitner’s representatives. Because he was released, Whitner won’t factor into the compensatory pick formula, a positive for the team that signs him.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
North Notes: Lions, Bears, Ekpre-Olomu, Doss
Matthew Stafford is locked in as the Lions‘ starting quarterback, but don’t be surprised if Detroit selects a signal-caller in this year’s draft. “I think it’s really good football business to acquire a young quarterback every year or every other year,” Lions general manager Bob Quinn told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “There’s such a value in the position and nowadays in college football there’s a lot of spread offenses, which means it’s a lot different than pro football. So it takes these young quarterbacks time to develop. So if you can add a young quarterback every year or every other year to your roster, it’s good football business in my mind.”
Let’s take a look at a few more items from the NFL’s two North divisions…
- The Bears‘ mass signings to their offensive line signal uncertainty for the group, John Mullin of CSNChicago.com writes. Bobby Massie looks set at right tackle, but Kyle Long‘s move to right guard isn’t a lock, despite John Fox placing the Pro Bowler there in the meantime. Ted Larsen and Manny Ramirez could supplant Hroniss Grasu and Matt Slauson at center and left guard, respectively, per Mullin. Insiders inform Mullin the Dowell Loggains-led Bears will aim to run more than Adam Gase‘s group did, which was 47% of the time in 2015.
- Cut by the Browns earlier today, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu told NFL.com’s Rand Getlin (Twitter link) he’s 100% healthy and is “certain he’ll be playing football at a high level this year.” Cleveland released the cornerback with an injury designation. An Oregon product and seventh-round pick of the Browns’ last year, Ekpre-Olumu hasn’t played since tearing his ACL prior to the 2015 Rose Bowl.
- Former Ravens draft pick Tandon Doss was present at Indiana University’s pro day, catching passes as he tries to make his way back on an NFL roster, according to Tony Pauline of WalterFootball.com. Doss, 26, spent three seasons in Baltimore before latching on with the Jaguars for the 2014 season. He never appeared in a game for Jacksonville, however, and didn’t play in the league last year.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
NFC Notes: Kaep, Sowell, D. Young, Packers
Let’s take a look at a few notes from around the league as Easter Sunday comes to a close…
- Colin Kaepernick‘s $11.9MM 2016 salary becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, but a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the 49ers might still be on the hook for that total even if they cut Kaepernick before April begins. Kaepernick’s base salary is currently guaranteed for injury only, and because he’s undergone three offseason surgeries, the NFLPA would argue that the San Francisco signal-caller is entitled to his pay even if he’s released. Of course, the 49ers have said they’ll keep Kaepernick on the roster if he’s not dealt, and a source tells Florio that that sentiment is not a facade.
- Because Russell Okung looked destined to leave Seattle, the Seahawks appealed to free agent tackle Bradley Sowell because they offered the possibility of playing on the blind side, as Sowell explained to 710 ESPN. “They showed a lot of interest. They called me right away,” Sowell said. “For a guy who hasn’t started a ton over the last couple of years, that’s a little bit rare to get that kind of interest quick. Usually a guy like me would have to wait a little longer, but they were really quick, so obviously they had done film study on me and stuff. They were really quick and called me, and when I got here, they basically kept making me an offer.”
- Washington‘s offense will be phasing out fullbacks in favor of tight ends, said former Washington fullback Darrel Young, which is the key reason that he didn’t re-sign with the club, he told Alex Marvez on SiriusXM Radio (Twitter link).
- The Packers and general manager Ted Thompson refuse to negotiate against themselves and are content with slow-playing free agency, a strategy that has worked well for them in the past, writes Weston Hodkiewicz of PackersNews.com.
Browns Did Not Promise Starting Job To RG3
The Browns haven’t promised Robert Griffin III anything in terms of a starting job, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (video link). Although his two-year, $15MM deal certainly suggests that Griffin will be given a chance to win the starting role, Cleveland will continue with its draft preparations as if it hadn’t brought in an external option at quarterback.
[RELATED: Browns execs talk offseason departures and strategy]
As such, Breer reports that there’s a “good chance” that the Browns use the second overall pick on a quarterback, likely Carson Wentz of North Dakota State or Jared Goff of California. Griffin has said that it would not bother him if Cleveland selects a signal-caller at No. 2, and a Browns contingent — Hue Jackson, Pep Hamilton, and vice president of player personnel Andrew Berry — was on hand to watch Wentz’s recent pro day.
The term “analytics” has been tossed around quite a bit since the Browns promoted Sashi Brown and hired Paul DePodesta, but one “Moneyball”-esque approach might be collecting quarterbacks and letting them compete. Instead of drafting Wentz or Goff at No. 2 and pinning the franchise’s hopes on one young player, Cleveland will “take as many shots as they possibly can” at quarterback, per Breer, hoping that its odds of finding a successful QB will improve as more options are added. It’s a method akin to that of Bill Belichick and the Patriots, who constantly trade down in the draft to acquire more capital with the idea that more bites at the apple leads to better odds of a hit.
Griffin, the 2012 offensive rookie of the year, hasn’t been the same since tearing his ACL in the playoffs that season. Although the former Pro Bowl quarterback completed a career-best 68.1% of his passes in 2014, he threw just four touchdown passes compared to six interceptions and fell out of favor with Jay Gruden. Subsequently, RGIII didn’t take a snap in 2015 as Kirk Cousins captured Washington’s starting job and ultimately received the franchise tag.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cowboys Want To Rework Brandon Carr’s Deal
The subject of Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr‘s cap charges has been a hot topic since the end of the 2014 season — at this time last year, reports were circulating that Dallas wanted Carr to take a paycut (a move that he rejected and ultimately never took place). But once again, as Carr enters the final season of a five-year deal, the Cowboys are hoping to reduce the corner’s compensation, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, who reports that the club has had talks with Carr’s agent Ben Dogra.
[RELATED: Cowboys to sign RB Alfred Morris]
Carr, 30 in May, has started all 48 possible games since joining the Cowboys (and has actually never missed a start during his eight-year career), but he hasn’t registered an interception in the past two seasons and graded as the No. 73 cornerback among 111 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. Carr is scheduled to earn a base salary of $9.1MM in 2016, and according to Archer, the largest sticking point in negotiations with the Cowboys is Carr’s potential worth on the open market. Dallas believes Carr would be signed quickly were he to be released, but it thinks he’s more of a $5-6MM per-year player.
“He, like everyone on our defense, we would like them to be more impactful, more productive,” head coach Jason Garrett said of Carr at the owner’s meetings. “Brandon has to improve but everybody across our defense has to improve. He has been a steady player for us. He has been a productive player for us at times. It’s a valuable position. And he has done a good job covering guys at very challenging spot throughout his time with the Cowboys.”
The Cowboys have certainly made no secret of their goal of improving their secondary this offseason, as, in addition to re-signing Morris Claiborne, they’ve also met with Nolan Carroll, Patrick Robinson, and Leon Hall, the latter of which is still available. Reports also indicated that the club would target Bengals free agent Adam Jones to replace Carr were he to be released, but those plans may have been scuttled when Jones re-signed with Cincinnati.
Dallas could still look to the free agent market in the hopes of adding more options to their defensive backfield, but the corner market is rapidly thinning. Hall, Brandon Boykin, Jerraud Powers, Antonio Cromartie, Sterling Moore, and Charles Tillman are the only cornerbacks remaining who were either ranked or earned an honorable mention on PFR’s list of the best 2016 defensive free agents. Elsewhere in the secondary, the Cowboys are said to be seeking upgrades at safety, having lost out to the Ravens in their pursuit of free agent Eric Weddle.
Week In Review: 3/20/16 – 3/27/16
Headlines:
- The Browns signed former No. 2 overall pick Robert Griffin III to a two-year deal worth $15MM.
- Justin Houston underwent ACL surgery in February, meaning the Chiefs’ star pass-rusher could miss part or all of the 106 season.
- The Saints are expected to extend head coach Sean Payton through the 2020 season.
- The Panthers will exercise their 2017 fifth-year option for defensive tackle Star Lotulelei.
- The NFL tweaked the injured reserve/designated to return rule.
Signed/Re-Signed:
- Bills – Leonard Hankerson, WR (link)
- Buccaneers – Bryan Anger, P (link)
- Colts – Patrick Robinson, CB (link)
- Cowboys – Alfred Morris, RB (link)
- Dolphins – Kraig Urbik, G (link)
- Eagles – Rueben Randle, WR (link)
- Falcons – Courtney Upshaw, LB (link)
- Jets – Erin Henderson, LB (link)
- Lions – Jeremy Kerley, WR (link)
- Patriots – Nate Washington, WR (link)
- Saints – Craig Robertson, LB (link)
- Titans – Rashad Johnson, S (link)
Restricted Free Agency:
- Cowboys – signed Raiders DE Benson Mayowa (link)
- Saints – matched Bears‘ offer to TE Josh Hill (link)
Rumors:
- Von Miller aiming for $22MM annually (link)
- Jim Irsay says Colts hope to extend Andrew Luck by July 4 (link)
- Josh Norman seeking $16MM per year (link)
- Jets shopping Muhammad Wilkerson? (link)
- Dolphins exploring trade market for RBs (link)
- LB Karlos Dansby visiting Bengals (link)
- Steelers host C Stefen Wisniewski (link)
- Saints favorites for DT Nick Fairley; Patriots out (link)