AFC Notes: Bradham, Broncos, Dolphins
Bills linebacker Nigel Bradham is one of three starters for the team whose contract will expire at season’s end. While Bradham was a better fit under Jim Schwartz‘s defensive scheme in 2014 than he has been for Rex Ryan and Dennis Thurman this year, the veteran linebacker would still like to return to Buffalo next season, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com details.
“Yeah, I will always envision [being in Buffalo next season],” Bradham said today. “I’m here now, so I’m hoping that I’ll be here next year. But it’s one of those things where you never know. I just look forward to being here.”
Here’s more from across the AFC:
- Despite an up-and-down first year in Buffalo, Bills head coach Rex Ryan is almost certainly safe. However, GM Doug Whaley‘s job security is less certain, writes Rodak in a separate ESPN.com piece.
- Former third overall pick Trent Richardson is among the players working out for the Broncos today, according to Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). However, Klis adds that the players auditioning for Denver today are only being considered for future contracts, not for this season.
- The Dolphins have invested big money into their defense, but the unit still looks like one in need of an overhaul, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Middle linebacker, safety, and cornerback are among the positions Miami needs to address this offseason, in Salguero’s view.
- It’s true that some NFL team owners oppose the Raiders moving to Los Angeles, tweets Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego. That’s why, in Acee’s estimation, it’s foolish to think that Chargers owner Dean Spanos would never team up with Rams owner Stan Kroenke.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Jaguars Sign Jonas Gray
1:03pm: The Jaguars have officially signed Gray, cutting wide receiver Rashad Lawrence to create an opening for the running back, per a team release.
9:21am: Former Patriots running back Jonas Gray is moving from one Florida team’s roster to another, as the Jaguars are signing Gray from off the Dolphins’ practice squad, agent Sean Stellato tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Gray, 25, was on Miami’s active roster for several games earlier this season, earning 31 carries for 122 yards, along with six receptions for another 72 yards. The Notre Dame product emerged as a potential starter for the Pats last season during his 201-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Colts, but was leapfrogged on the club’s depth chart by LeGarrette Blount and others down the stretch, ultimately leading to his release.
For the Jaguars, Gray provides some insurance in the backfield as starter T.J. Yeldon deals with a knee injury. If Yeldon is unable to play, Denard Robinson figures to see the bulk of the carries for Jacksonville, and Joe Banyard may be in the mix as well, but Gray could get some touches down the stretch.
North Notes: Ravens, Barnidge, Daniels, Packers
The five-year, $37.5MM contract the Ravens gave to left tackle Eugene Monroe in 2014 looks like an obvious mistake now, but it was applauded at the time, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. After missing just three games due to injury in his first four seasons, Monroe hasn’t been able to stay on the field during the last two years, and now the team will face a tough offseason decision.
While cutting Monroe in the offseason is one option, the Ravens wouldn’t clear much cap room by doing so, since the lineman’s deal still includes $6.6MM in dead money. It seems to me that a more logical solution would be to rework Monroe’s deal to convert a chunk of his $6.5MM salary for 2016 into per-game roster bonuses. That would allow Monroe to keep his spot on the roster and give him an opportunity to earn his full salary, while also alleviating the risk for the Ravens — if the veteran tackle gets hurt again, Baltimore won’t be on the hook for his entire salary.
As we wait to see what the Ravens decide on Monroe, let’s round up some other items from around the AFC North, including a couple more out of Baltimore….
- Within the above-linked piece, Zrebiec also notes that if Kelechi Osemele holds up well at left tackle over the final three games of the season, it could change the lineman’s outlook for free agency. The Ravens likely can’t afford to sign another guard to a lucrative contract after extending Marshal Yanda, but if Osemele can play left tackle, that’s a position the team would be willing to spend on — of course, so would many other rival clubs.
- Before the Ravens decided to sign Ryan Mallett, the quarterback assured the team that he has received professional help for personal issues that led to his ouster in Houston, a league source tells Ed Werder of ESPN.com. Having been signed for the 2016 season, Mallett could serve as Joe Flacco‘s backup next year if the Ravens like what they see from him.
- Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter links) passes along a few more details on Gary Barnidge‘s new contract with the Browns, reporting that the three-year, $12.3MM pact features $5.73MM in guaranteed money, though not all of that money is fully guaranteed yet. Barnidge’s $1.5MM salary for 2016 becomes fully guaranteed in March.
- Speaking of contract details, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter links) has a few for Packers defensive lineman Mike Daniels, providing the year-by-year cap breakdown for Daniels’ extension. Daniels will count against the cap for $7.4MM in 2016, with his hits jumping to the $10-11MM range for the final three years of the deal.
- Now that the Packers have extended Daniels, who’s next in line for a new contract in Green Bay? Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com takes a closer look at some possibilities.
Ravens Announce Several Roster Moves
In addition to formally confirming the signing of quarterback Ryan Mallett, the Ravens have announced several other roster moves today, removing three players from their 53-man roster and filling those openings by signing Mallett and promoting two practice squad players.
Here’s the full breakdown of the Ravens’ transactions:
Signed:
- QB Ryan Mallett
Promoted from practice squad:
- RB Terrence Magee
- CB Jumal Rolle
Waived:
- RB/KR Raheem Mostert
- QB Bryn Renner
Placed on injured reserve:
- DE Chris Canty
With Renner cut, the Ravens are back down to three quarterbacks – Mallett, Matt Schaub, and Jimmy Clausen – on their active roster. I would expect the team to attempt to re-add Renner to its practice squad if he clears waivers.
Canty, meanwhile, is perhaps the most notable veteran featured in today’s moves, and he technically remains under contract with the Ravens for the 2016 season. However, ’16 is an option year for the veteran defensive end, whose 2015 season is over due to a torn pectoral. Baltimore could decide to cut him before the end of the ’15 league year, avoiding paying him a $2MM base salary and a $150K roster bonus for next season.
NFC South Notes: D. Allen, Falcons, Martin
As Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com details, new Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen received plenty of praise from head coach Sean Payton this week after the team’s win over the Buccaneers, in which New Orleans held Tampa Bay to just 17 points.
Since Payton’s future remains uncertain, it’s hard to say for sure that Allen’s job as Saints DC is safe next season — a new head coach may want to bring his own assistants. Still, if Allen finishes the season strong after taking over the NFL’s worst defense, he shouldn’t have any trouble finding work for 2016.
Here’s more from around the NFC South:
- With the Falcons in the midst of a six-game losing streak, it’s looking more and more like owner Arthur Blank will make changes to the front office in the offseason, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. According to La Canfora, there have been rumblings since before training camp that Seahawks executive Trent Kirchner could end up in Atlanta, working with ex-Seahawk Dan Quinn, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Kirchner replaces Thomas Dimitroff as the Falcons’ general manager.
- Buccaneers running back Doug Martin only got 11 carries on Sunday against the Saints’ league-worst rushing defense, despite racking up 81 yards on those 11 attempts. While the Bucs’ usage of Martin was questionable, the conspiracy theory that the team is trying to limit his yardage totals to make him easier to re-sign doesn’t make sense, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times writes.
- Rookie Panthers linebacker David Mayo will miss at least the next two weeks with a hamstring issue, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Mayo hasn’t played much for Carolina this season, so we’ll see if the club decides to place him on injured reserve or keep him on its roster for the playoffs.
Community Tailgate: Top Free Agents Of 2016
As the NFL regular season nears its home stretch, there are plenty of topics and storylines to discuss, and PFR’s Community Tailgate is designed to address those stories. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. We’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.
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Earlier this week, two AFC clubs with plenty of future cap room took advantage of that long-term flexibility by locking up their leading receivers. The Browns signed tight end Gary Barnidge to a three-year extension, while the Raiders locked up wideout Michael Crabtree for four years. The moves took a pair of intriguing free-agents-to-be off the market for 2016, and in the coming weeks, we’ll likely see several more potential free agents taken off the board, having signed extensions with their current teams.
That doesn’t mean that there won’t still be plenty of intriguing free agents available this winter, however. In our first installment of our 2016 free agent power rankings last night, we had a hard time narrowing down the options to just 10. These were the 10 players we chose, ranked by how much guaranteed money we think they could land on long-term deals this offseason:
- Von Miller, OLB (Broncos)
- Alshon Jeffery, WR (Bears)
- Josh Norman, CB (Panthers)
- Muhammad Wilkerson, DL (Jets)
- Russell Okung, T (Seahawks)
- Kelechi Osemele, G (Ravens)
- Cordy Glenn, T (Bills)
- Eric Berry, S (Chiefs)
- Brock Osweiler, QB (Broncos)
- Kirk Cousins, QB (Washington)
We noted at the bottom of the list that players like Kelvin Beachum (T, Steelers), Mike Daniels (DL, Packers), Malik Jackson (DL, Broncos), Olivier Vernon (DE, Dolphins) Eric Weddle (S, Chargers), and Derek Wolfe (DL, Broncos) just missed out. However, those weren’t the only other players we considered.
There are a pair of talented defensive ends set to reach free agency, and based on talent alone, you could make the case that Greg Hardy and Jason Pierre-Paul should be on the list. Still, Hardy has become toxic in Dallas, as more details about his domestic violence case have surfaced, and it’s hard to imagine any team signing him to a big, long-term contract. As for JPP, any potential suitor would have to seriously consider how his injured hand will affect him going forward. He has been solid since returning to the Giants, but he has yet to record a sack in four games this year.
There are at least a couple talented running backs set to hit the market, in Lamar Miller and Doug Martin. But running backs typically don’t make out too well in free agency, so it’s hard to imagine either player landing a DeMarco Murray-type contract — especially after the league has seen how that Murray deal has worked out this year for the Eagles.
What do you think? Does our list look about right to you, or are there changes you’d make? Are there other players on our list of 2016 free agents that you think deserve more consideration for the top 10 or 15 FAs available this winter? Weigh in below with your thoughts!
AFC East Notes: Patriots, Revis, Bills, Tyrod
Let’s take a quick spin around the AFC East, with notes on three of the four clubs in the division:
- The Patriots had wide receiver DeAndre Carter in for a workout and Thursday, then took a look at wideout Eric Rogers today, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Rogers was the leading receiver for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders this season, racking up 1,448 yards and 10 touchdowns on 87 receptions.
- The Jets spent big money to bring Darrelle Revis back to the team last offseason, committing $39MM in guaranteed money to the star cornerback. However, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes, while Revis makes the team better, he looks like he’s past his peak years.
- Within his weekly column for NFL.com, Albert Breer of the NFL Network touches on a number of noteworthy topics, discussing the possibility of an extension for Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor, the likelihood of a DeMarco Murray trade, and the rising value of Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter.
Giants Waive Damontre Moore
3:24pm: The Giants have officially announced the release of Moore, with GM Jerry Reese suggesting in a statement that the move is “in the interest of both parties.”
2:45pm: Damontre Moore‘s absence from the Giants’ Friday practice has been explained, with Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reporting (via Twitter) that Moore has been cut by the team. According to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Giants made the decision after Moore violated team rules, though the nature of the violation isn’t yet known.
Moore, 23, was a third-round pick in the 2013 draft, selected by the Giants 81st overall. The Texas A&M product has been a part-time contributor since then, recording 32 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 2014, with 17 tackles and three sacks so far this season.
While those aren’t exactly eye-popping numbers, they stack up well compared to some of New York’s other defenders — the team has been starved for pass rushers, and Robert Ayers, who has four sacks, is the only Giant who has gotten to the quarterback more often than Moore.
If Moore clears waivers, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent, with the ability to sign anywhere. However, depending on the nature of his rules violation, he could be a popular waiver target. The third-year defensive end remains under contract through the 2016 season, with salaries and cap hits under $1MM this year and next, so a team that claims him would do so at a minimal cost.
Falcons Place Matt Bryant On IR
The 2015 season is over for Falcons kicker Matt Bryant, who was placed on injured reserve today by the team due to a quad injury (Twitter link). Shayne Graham, who has filled in for Bryant for the last two weeks, will continue to handle extra points and field goals for Atlanta down the stretch.
Although Bryant turned 40 this year, this is the first time since 2009 that he has missed action due to an injury. The veteran kicker remains under contract with the Falcons for two more years, and while he struggled a little this season, missing four of his 18 field goal attempts, I expect he remains in the team’s plans for 2016.
According to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Falcons have filled Bryant’s roster spot by promoting nose tackle Joey Mbu to the 53-man roster from their practice squad, Mbu will provide depth in the middle this weekend for the Falcons’ defensive line, with Paul Soliai sidelined.
North Notes: Browns, Tulloch, Monroe
Whatever differences of opinion might exist within the Browns‘ organization, one thing that head coach Mike Pettine, GM Ray Farmer, president Alex Scheiner and the rest of the front office should agree on is that “it’s a teardown job” in Cleveland, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today. As Pelissero argues, it’s impossible to look at a club that has lost 15 of 17 games by an average of two touchdowns and say that the team just needs to fill a few holes.
While Pelissero acknowledges that tearing down the Browns’ front office structure multiple times within the last few years is hardly ideal, he suggests that the dysfunction within the organization – along with the relative lack of promising young talent – makes it the most logical move for owner Jimmy Haslam to make more big changes this winter.
As we wait to see how the Browns address their front office, coaching staff, and roster this offseason, let’s check in on a few more notes from around the NFL’s North divisions….
- Veteran Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch is due to make a $5.5MM salary, and is in line for a $500K roster bonus in March, raising questions about his future in Detroit, says Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Tulloch has played well in recent weeks, but it’s been an up-and-down season overall, and he remains a liability against the pass. The Lions could create $6MM in cap savings by cutting him this offseason, so the team will have to think about such a move.
- Ravens offensive tackle Eugene Monroe hasn’t seen his injured shoulder make much positive progress over the last several weeks, and may be ticketed for the injured reserve list, which would end his season, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- Cornerback Deveron Carr and wide receiver DeAndre Carter had workouts for the Bengals this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Carr most recently spent time on Washington’s practice squad, while Carter was on Oakland’s practice squad earlier in the season.
- Wilson also passes along word of a Lions tryout, tweeting that Detroit took a look at defensive back Kendall James. James was just cut from the Browns’ practice squad on Tuesday.