Trade Candidate: Michael Roos
As our Luke Adams wrote at the end of May, Titans offensive tackle Michael Roos told Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean that he will be in Tennessee for one more year. As Adams observed, Roos’ statement certainly indicates that an extension is not on the horizon for him, which is not surprising given the four-year deal the team handed out to Michael Oher in free agency and the fact that the team selected Taylor Lewan in the first round of last month’s draft.
However, whether Roos will, as he says, stay in a Titans uniform for one more season may still be in doubt. Unless someone in the Tennessee front office told Roos that the team planned on keeping him on board, Roos remains a prime candidate to be traded or released. As our Ben Levine pointed out several weeks ago, Roos checked in at number four on NFL.com’s Chris Wesserling’s list of the top 10 players most likely to be traded this summer.
Roos, 31, is entering the final year of a six-year, $43MM deal, and he carries a 2014 salary cap hit of $6.62MM. That salary would make it difficult for Tennessee to deal him, and considering that the team would not take on any dead money by simply cutting Roos, a release is probably more likely than a trade at this point.
It is odd, though, that the team would consider cutting ties with him at all. Although he finished in the middle of the pack among offensive tackles in 2013 according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), he finished as the third-best tackle in 2012 and has anchored the team’s offensive line for years. If nothing else, he provides top-quality depth if Lewan should struggle out of the gate–or if the team wanted to bring Lewan along more slowly–or if Oher should falter (although Roos has not played right tackle since he was a rookie in 2005, it is difficult to believe he would be a downgrade from Oher at that position).
In sum, then, the Titans are in full control of the situation at this point. If they hang onto Roos, they have either a quality starter or an excellent insurance policy. If they need to create come cap space for whatever reason, they can release Roos with no negative cap ramifications. Or, if a team gets desperate enough later on in camp–Wesserling listed the Ravens and Panthers as potential landing spots for Roos if Tennessee were to trade him, and both teams are still unsettled at at least one tackle position–it is possible that the Titans could end up with a late round pick in 2015. A rare win-win-win scenario in today’s NFL.
Photo courtesy of USA TODAY Sports Images
Poll: Should The Cowboys Bring Back Josh Brent?
We learned several days ago that the Cowboys would not rule out the possibility of defensive tackle Josh Brent‘s returning to the team upon his release from jail. Brent, of course, is currently serving a six-month sentence for intoxication manslaughter for his role in a drunken car crash that killed teammate and best friend, Jerry Brown. Brent is set to be released on July 23, and the Cowboys open training camp the next day.
David Moore of the Dallas Morning News lists the pros and cons of Brent’s would-be return. Moore notes that one common refrain among Cowboys fans is that Brent is simply not a good enough player to warrant the public relations nightmare and similar off-field concerns that his comeback would entail. Although Brent started just five games for the team in his three-year career, compiling just 1.5 sacks over that time and no more than 22 tackles in any one season, the fact remains that Dallas’ defense is in dire need of any kind of help.
The Cowboys ran a 3-4 defense when Brent last played for the club, but they now operate out of a 4-3 formation. As a 1-technique lineman in a 4-3 scheme, Brent would not be expected to generate a great deal of pressure on the quarterback, and it is difficult to say if he would provide any sort of upgrade over veterans Nick Hayden and Terrell McClain or rookies Ken Bishop and Davon Coleman.
Of course, Moore writes that neither desperation nor Brent’s talent level–such as it is–should factor into the Cowboys’ decision regarding Brent. He does add, however, that Brown’s mother, Stacey Jackson, has continued to publicly support Brent and has expressed her hope that that team will do the same. Jackson’s support would be something of a crutch for the Cowboys in the court of public opinion if they wanted to bring Brent back into the fold.
In order to do that, there are a number of hurdles to clear. Before training camp began last summer, Brent sent a retirement letter to the league, so he would have to apply for reinstatement. Then there is the question of what punishment commissioner Roger Goodell would levy upon reinstatement. Putting those substantial issues aside for the time being, Moore writes, “The Cowboys appear willing to give Brent a chance to resume his career if that’s what he wants,” but nothing more than that.
So what say you, hivemind? Should the Cowboys bring back Josh Brent?
Should the Cowboys Bring Back Josh Brent?
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No 66% (134)
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Yes 34% (69)
Total votes: 203
AFC Notes: Shorts, Cameron, Patriots
In addition to having a delightful name, Jaguars‘ receiver Cecil Shorts has been one of the few bright spots on the club over the past couple of seasons. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times Union examines the recent extension that Doug Baldwin signed with the Seahawks, and wonders if a similar contract would make sense for Shorts, who will become a free agent at the end of the 2014 season.
O’Halloran concludes that if Jacksonville were to offer Shorts a contract resembling the one that Baldwin received–the Seahawks added two years to Baldwin’s contract to create a three-year, $13MM with $8MM guaranteed–Shorts should jump at the opportunity. Both players have put up similar numbers during their three years in the league, but considering that the Jaguars drafted highly-touted receivers Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee last month, and given that rookie quarterback Blake Bortles will probably find himself under center at some point this season, Shorts’ stats may take a hit. This is not to mention the fact that Shorts has frequently been able to bolster his numbers in garbage time, when the Jaguars were forced to throw the football and opposing teams were willing to let them eat up big but meaningless chunks of yardage. If the Jaguars are more competitive this season, as they expect to be, those opportunities would decrease.
On the other hand, Shorts is doubtlessly a talented and sometimes electric playmaker, so he certainly could eclipse the 1,000-yard mark and drive up his price, particularly if he is able to stay healthy. As such, both sides would do well to consider an extension, and we will see if they enter into talks as we move closer to training camp.
Now a quick look at the AFC:
- Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com observes that, for the time being, Danny Amendola looks like the player that the Patriots thought they were getting when they signed him to a big free agent deal last year.
- Staying on the subject of the Patriots, Christopher Price of WEEI.com notes that the team is “taking it slowly” with the tackle position. Starters Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer have been limited this spring, so the team has been working out Marcus Cannon on the left side of the line and Jordan Devey on the right. Price notes that New England could be on the lookout for depth at tackle, especially since June 1 has come and gone.
- Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com notes that Browns tight end Jordan Cameron‘s already-impressive numbers stand to improve in Kyle Shanahan‘s offense and in the absence of Josh Gordon, and that improvement–along with Cameron’s recent changing of agents–should make any long-term negotiations between the two parties very interesting.
- Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explains why the Steelers, to the surprise of many, waited until the fifth round of last month’s draft to select a corner. In short, the team believes Antwon Blake and Brice McCain have a great deal to offer should the opportunity arise.
- Mike Klis of the Denver Post reexamines the 2011 draft-day trade between the Broncos and 49ers that landed Colin Kaepernick in San Francisco and Rahim Moore, Quinton Carter, and Julius Thomas in Denver.
Sunday Roundup: AFC North, Broncos, Lions
Let’s have a look at some notes from around the league as we head into the afternoon of this ever-important June 1:
- Greg Gabriel of the National Football Post identifies a few second-year players in the AFC North that might break out in 2014.
- Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times identifies a few free agents the Ravens could target to address their biggest needs, right tackle and cornerback.
- Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes that the Steelers are working hard to reestablish their identity has a running team, and Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette similarly notes that LeGarrette Blount hopes to provide a strong complement to Le’Veon Bell.
- In his weekly mailbag, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com notes that although Browns coaches are excited about the potential of the team’s offensive line, they are reserving judgment until they see how the unit adapts to offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan‘s zone-blocking scheme.
- Mike Klis of the Denver Post notes that the Broncos are currently carrying seven running backs on their roster, none of whom have a regular season start. Klis believes the team should not go after one of the remaining veteran free agents–Felix Jones, Michael Bush, and Ronnie Brown, for instance–to take reps away from Denver’s stable of young-but-intriguing RBs, but he concedes that it will be a tough call.
- In a separate piece, Klis writes that Broncos‘ QB Peyton Manning intends to play out his contract with Denver, which runs through 2016 (Manning will turn 40 in March of that year).
- In two separate pieces, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union discusses how a healthy Roy Miller will impact the Jaguars‘ defense and Gus Bradley’s creation of the “Otto” linebacker, who will replace the traditional “Sam” linebacker and serve as a “physical/athletic/versatile player who will be positioned along the line of scrimmage.” Dekoda Watson will enter the season as the team’s “Otto.”
- Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle writes that second-year wideout DeAndre Hopkins surprisingly became one of the few holdovers from the Texans‘ tumultuous 2013 season, and he is essentially a rookie again in 2014. Smith notes, however, that Hopkins has prepared himself well for the challenge.
- Kevin Meinke of MLive.com writes that Lions‘ defensive end Devin Taylor is an integral component of new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin‘s desire to bring pressure from all three levels of the defense, and, in a similar vein, Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News writes that players believe aggressiveness will be a hallmark of the Lions’ defense in 2014.
Notable Free Agents Impacted By June 1st Date
A number of writers–including ourselves–have published lists of the best free agents available within the past couple of months. However, now that June 1 is finally here, we can expect a number of names to come off of those lists. Our Luke Adams described the importance of June 1 as it pertains to free agency several days ago, but to summarize just one pertinent point from his piece, any free agents signed after June 1 will not impact the signing team’s compensatory pick formula.
As such, there is often a “mini-surge” of free agents signed after June 1, as teams are attaching more and more value to their compensatory picks. However, the important thing to keep in mind is that signing players whose contracts did not expire naturally–in other words, players who were released–does not impact the compensatory pick formula anyway. Those players, then, will not necessarily be impacted by the June 1 date.
As the offseason progresses and as players get injured and coaches reevaluate their rosters, released players like Santonio Holmes, Asante Samuel, James Harrison, Richie Incognito, and Michael Bush may find an opportunity. But teams are not going to pay any more attention to them simply because June 1 has arrived. With that said, here are a few of the top free agents whose contracts expired naturally and who will therefore receive more interest simply because of today’s date:
- Jermichael Finley: Finley recently received full medical clearance to play and had a free agent visit lined up with a “mystery team” on Friday. Given his athletic abilities and the fact that he is in the prime of his career, Finley may find work sooner rather than later despite his injury history. The Patriots make a good deal of sense, considering how thin they are at tight end behind Rob Gronkowski, who of course has major health concerns of his own. Some have speculated that New England is, in fact, the aforementioned “mystery team.”
- Kevin Williams: the long-time Viking still offers value as a run-stopper in the interior of a defensive line, and he visited the Giants and Seahawks this offseason, but he has stated he will consider retirement if he does not get an offer he likes.
- Eric Winston: Winston played very well for the Texans for a number of years, but he was released by the team in 2012, and he was cut by the Chiefs in 2013 after just one season in Kansas City. He did not impress after signing a one-year deal with the Cardinals last season, but he may still find a team that will give him a chance to start. The Ravens have been mentioned as a natural fit because of their lack of experience at right tackle and Winston’s familiarity with Baltimore’s new offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak.
- Terrell Thomas: Thomas played fairly well in 2013 after back-to-back torn ACLs, and he recently visited with the Lions and Patriots. Teams looking for a third corner could do much worse. Other veteran cornerbacks who teams might also look to include Drayton Florence and Quentin Jammer.
- Brett Keisel: Kesiel’s age (he will turn 36 in September) and recent struggles with injuries limit his market, but he did post four sacks and fair PFF grades last season. He could certainly offer veteran leadership and some pass rush capabilities to someone’s defensive line. Although Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin did not rule out a reunion with Keisel, it is unclear if other members of the Steelers brass are interested in Keisel’s return.
AFC East Notes: Jets’ QBs, Pats’ TEs, Woods
As our Zach Links wrote several days ago, Jets‘ offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has tilted the team’s quarterback competition in favor of second-year man Geno Smith, but Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com wonders if that is a good idea. Cimini writes that there are benefits and drawbacks to both Smith and Michael Vick, so a truly open competition would eliminate any confusion and would also create a “best-man-wins scenario.”
Let’s take a quick look around the rest of the AFC East:
- In the same piece, Cimini writes that although Jets‘ right guard Willie Colon is expected to be fully healthy by training camp, his injury has revealed the glaring lack of experienced depth along the team’s offensive line, which Cimini believes should be addressed with a veteran acquisition or two.
- Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes that, since we have reached that magical June 1 date, the Patriots are in a good position to add quality depth to their tight end group by signing a player like Dustin Keller or Jermichael Finley.
- In a separate piece, Reiss empties out his notebook from the Patriots‘ first week of OTAs.
- The Bills primarily utilized the unique route-running ability of departed wide receiver Stevie Johnson out of the slot last season, and head coach Doug Marrone believes Robert Woods can excel in that role, writes Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News.
- Much like Philadelphia’s Chip Kelly, new Dolphins offensive coordinator Bill Lazor utilizes a system that focuses on tempo, and James Walker of ESPN.com examines the budding relationship between Lazor and third-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill and Lazor’s expectations for his young signal-caller.
- In a separate piece, Walker wonders if Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace is ready to break out in 2014.
NFC East Notes: Hitchens, Robinson, Grimble
The Cowboys have signed fourth-round pick Anthony Hitchens, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The 6-foot, 240-pound linebacker out of Iowa has already been more heavily scrutinized than many fourth-rounders, as he has been running with Dallas’ first-team defense since Sean Lee tore his ACL. Hitchens did note just a few days ago that he may not be ready to immediately fill the void created by Lee’s injury, but he is at least getting an early chance to show what he can do.
Now for some more notes around the NFC East:
- Rich Tandler of RealRedskins.com compiles five takeaways from the Redskins‘ first week of OTAs, including his belief that Keenan Robinson has the best chance to fill the hole at inside linebacker left by London Fletcher and his observation that Leonard Hankerson appears destined for the PUP list.
- A number of Eagles notes this morning. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer previews the battle for backup quarterback between Matt Barkley and Mark Sanchez, and Zack Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines what the team saw in new safety Malcolm Jenkins.
- Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com looks at how Brandon Graham, entering his contract year, fits in the Eagles‘ defense and Graham offers his thoughts on the earlier rumors that he might be traded: “if that was something that they wanted to do, I would have been gone,” Graham said. Meanwhile, Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com looks at the role that rookie Marcus Smith will play in the team’s defensive unit.
- Paul Schartz of the New York Post writes that the Giants have high hopes for undrafted TE Xavier Grimble, who was considered the top tight end prospect in the country when he was recruited out of high school.
Extension Candidate: Gerald McCoy
Yesterday, we learned that the Buccaneers have reached out to the agent of star defensive tackle Gerald McCoy in hopes of initiating talks on a contract extension, so it only makes sense to continue our series on extension candidates with a more detailed piece on McCoy.
McCoy, taken in the first round of the 2010 draft–just one pick after Lions DT Ndamukong Suh–struggled with injuries in each of his first two seasons in the league, missing three games with a left biceps tear in 2010 and missing 11 games with a right biceps tear in 2011. However, he showed flashes of dominance during those years and then established himself as a bonafide star in 2012, racking up five sacks, 37 quarterback hurries, and, most importantly, anchoring the interior of Tampa Bay’s stifling run defense.
Things only got better for McCoy in 2013, as he piled up 10 sacks and, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), graded out as the top defensive tackle in the game. He will become a free agent at the end of the 2014 season, and, if he has not received an extension by that time, will be hitting the free agent market as a game-changing interior lineman at age 27.
As a top draft pick in the last year of the old CBA, McCoy is already a very wealthy man, having a signed a five-year, $63MM rookie contract in the summer of 2010. So what will his next contract look like? Probably pretty similar to the first one. The Bengals’ Geno Atkins, who is about a month younger than McCoy and who finished right above McCoy as PFF’s best defensive tackle in 2012–Atkins was 11th best in 2013, despite missing seven games with an ACL tear–signed a five-year, $55MM extension with Cincinnati in September of 2013. Two years earlier, a then-27-year-old Haloti Ngata signed a five-year extension with the Ravens worth $61MM. Ngata was reportedly offered a lucrative, long-term extension this offseason, but there is some dispute surrounding that rumor and no concrete financial details were released.
It seems, then, that McCoy can reasonably expect an extension in the five-year, $55-60MM range. ESPN.com’s Pat Yaskinsas suggested something even more lucrative, calling McCoy Tampa Bay’s “best player” and opining that a contract worth $13MM annually would not be unreasonable. For his part, McCoy has expressed excitement about the defense that new head coach Lovie Smith plans to install and has indicated that he has no intentions of holding out if he does not have a new deal by training camp. Judging by yesterday’s report, the Bucs hope that a new deal will, in fact, be reached before the start of the season, which would allow them to continue to reap the benefits of their star tackle as he progresses through his prime physical years.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
OTA Previews: Panthers, Bears, Seahawks
It’s the calm before the storm tonight, as most teams are set to begin OTAs either tomorrow or Wednesday. Given that, let’s take a quick look at some of the main storylines to follow as we inch ever closer to training camp:
- Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer summarizes the uncertainty facing the Panthers after they replaced nearly their entire secondary and drew criticism for the way they handled their receiving corps. Person wonders who will replace Steve Smith as the team’s primary receiving threat, if Byron Bell is ready to slide over to left tackle, and if Ed Dickson can rekindle the embers of high-level ability he once flashed in Baltimore.
- Like the Panthers, the Bears are prepared to head into the season with a pair of new safeties, and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune describes the positional battle about to unfold between incumbent Chris Conte and new additions like Ryan Mundy and Brock Vereen.
- Staying on the Bears, Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune looks at the adjustments first-round pick Kyle Fuller will have to make as he enters his first OTAs, and Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune takes a deeper look at Shea McClellin‘s transition from defensive end to linebacker.
- Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com looks at what the Redskins must do to fix a special teams unit that floundered in 2013.
- Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com writes that the Chargers will continue to focus on pursuit as OTAs unfold, a concept that escaped them far too often last year, and Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Manti Te’o enters his second year of OTAs at his mental and physical peak.
- Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star looks at a couple of Chiefs highlights from the days leading up to tomorrow’s OTAs, such as the excellent weekend that converted basketball player Demetrius Harris–who spent last season on Kansas City’s practice squad–enjoyed.
- Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times looks at five burning questions facing the defending champion Seahawks.
Extra Points: Contracts, Vikings, Football In LA
In his weekly Sunday column, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe describes an interesting phenomenon regarding “offset language.” Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill was the first top-10 pick to have offset language put into his contract, language that allows a team to avoid paying the full balance of a player’s salary if the player is cut and signed by another team. Since the 2011 CBA essentially reduced all rookie contracts to little more than boilerplate, Volin notes that the issue of offset language is one of the few negotiating points left.
In exchange for the salary offset, the Dolphins converted half of Tannehill’s base salary into bonus money, and eight of the top 12 draft picks in last year’s draft had similar language inserted into their deals. Of the top picks in the 2014 class that have already signed, only Raiders‘ LB Khalil Mack and Falcons‘ OT Jake Matthews have offset provisions in their contracts, but more are sure to come. For your edification, ESPN’s Field Yates tweets a complete definition of the term “contract offsets.”
Now let’s have a look at some notes from around the league:
- Chargers GM Tom Telesco held an online chat with fans earlier this week, and a couple of interesting tidbits came out of it. For instance, Telesco addresses his team’s relatively conservative approach to free agency this season and writes that this year was more about re-signing core players than making a splash with players from other clubs.
- Albert Breer of the NFL Network touched on a couple of rookie storylines in a brief segment on the network’s Total Access program, noting that the Rams plan to start first-round pick Greg Robinson at left guard in his rookie season–much like the Ravens did with Hall-of-Fame LT Jonathan Ogden in Ogden’s rookie year–and the Cowboys will start Zack Martin at right guard.
- Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch lists 10 reasons as to why Sam Bradford remains the Rams’ best option under center.
- Breer also tweets that the Vikings will allow Christian Ponder, Matt Cassel, and Teddy Bridegwater to get reps with the first team in the offseason, but they would like to go into training camp with an established depth chart.
- Tim Graham of the Buffalo News writes that, although Bills fans have been worried about the team’s potential relocation to Los Angeles for years, neither the Bills nor any other club in the league will be heading to Hollywood anytime soon. According to Graham, there are just too many political, social, and historical obstacles for Los Angeles to land an NFL team in the foreseeable future.
- Citing a league source, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that a new league policy concerning DUI infractions is on the horizon. Once the league and the players’ union iron out the last few details surrounding HGH testing, the NFL will implement the policy, which would impose a one-game suspension and fine for a first DUI offense. Currently, the league punishes first-time DUI offenders with a two-game fine; a suspension is not typically imposed until a player is convicted of a second DUI.
- Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune tweets that Mike Glennon definitely has a chance at starting for the Buccaneers this year, and will get his opportunity should Josh McCown get hurt or falter.