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.
Bucs Start Contract Talks With Gerald McCoy
Buccaneers GM Jason Licht has contacted Ben Dogra, the agent for DT Gerald McCoy, in the hopes of initiating long-term contract talks, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. McCoy, who is set to become a free agent after the 2014 season, has established himself as one of the more dominant defensive linemen since he was drafted by the Bucs with the third overall pick of the 2010 draft.
Tampa Bay head coach Lovie Smith has deemed a new contract with McCoy a “priority.” Geno Atkins‘ new five-year, $55MM deal with the Bengals has set the bar high for top defensive tackles like McCoy.
Extension Candidate: Jimmy Smith
The Ravens had high hopes for Jimmy Smith when they selected him with the 27th overall pick of the 2011 draft. Labeled by some as the most “pro-ready” cornerback in that draft class, Smith’s stock took a hit because of perceived character issues stemming from several failed drug tests and an aggravated assault charge. The Ravens, noting that those incidents came early in his collegiate career, rolled the dice on Smith, hoping he and Lardarius Webb might combine to form a fearsome duo in the secondary.
Although Smith has had no off-field troubles since entering the league, his career got off to an inauspicious start when he suffered an ankle injury covering the Ravens’ first kickoff of the first regular season game of 2011. Smith returned to the field a few weeks later and showed flashes of his elite skill throughout the rest of the season, including an interception of Tom Brady in the 2011 AFC Championship Game.
In 2012, however, Smith battled through health and performance problems, missing five games due to a sports hernia injury and struggling with his consistency when he did see the field. But in Super Bowl XLVII, Smith played an integral role in the Ravens’ goal-line stand that denied the 49ers’ attempts to take the lead in the closing minutes, and that effort appeared to catapult him into 2013.
Smith started all 16 games in 2013, recording two interceptions and finally displaying on a consistent basis the blend of athleticism and technical skill that made him so appealing to Baltimore in 2011. As such, it was a foregone conclusion that the Ravens would pick up his fifth-year option, which they did in April of this year, keeping him in Baltimore through the end of the 2015 campaign.
Nonetheless, the team has expressed interest in extending its budding star. As our Luke Adams pointed out in his piece on the extension possibilities for the Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson, extensions for top cornerbacks are becoming more and more lucrative. Richard Sherman‘s new deal with the Seahawks averages $14MM annually, while Joe Haden‘s extension with Cleveland includes a $22MM guarantee. Those contracts represent a sizable increase from the already hefty free agent deals handed out to 2014 free agents Darrelle Revis, Aqib Talib, and Vontae Davis.
Admittedly, Smith is not yet in the same conversation as Sherman, Haden, and Peterson. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) ranked all three players among the top 20 cornerbacks in the league, whereas Smith checked in at No. 36. Of course, Peterson’s value is further enhanced by his return skills, and although Smith was a reliable special teams contributor earlier in his career, his value as a shutdown corner far outweighs his value as a gunner.
The Ravens, however, would stand to benefit from extending Smith sooner rather than later. A cornerback with his abilities is an increasingly critical component of a championship formula, and there is no reason to believe his 2013 successes were a fluke. If he repeats his 2013 performance in 2014, he will have officially established himself as one of the top corners in the league, and he will be justified in asking for a contract similar to Sherman’s and Haden’s. Although Smith’s second contract will probably not quite reach that level of lucrativeness, the longer the Ravens wait, the more expensive he will be.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Sunday Roundup: Pats, Jags, Browns
With the increasing importance of tight ends in today’s game–the current average for tight ends on a roster is 5.5–it is not surprising that the Patriots have brought in veteran free agent TEs Dustin Keller, Ben Hartsock, and Nate Byham for tryouts over the past couple of weeks, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. The team has two open spots on its 90-man roster, and would like to add more depth to the tight end position with Rob Gronkowski currently unavailable to practice. If the Patriots do decide to pull the trigger on any of those players, Reiss expects it will be after June 1, so they can protect their compensatory picks.
Now for some more notes around the league on this Sunday morning:
- In the same piece, Reiss says that if the Patriots are looking to add a veteran linebacker, James Anderson might be their guy. He was in for a tryout last week, and he offers solid coverage abilities. Again, if New England were to sign him, it would be after June 1.
- Finally, Reiss takes a look at the players the Dolphins drafted with the picks they received in the Brandon Marshall trade and comes to an obvious conclusion: the Bears got the better end of the deal.
- Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union examines UDFA Allen Hurns‘ path to the Jaguars‘ roster and what attracted the team to Toby Gerhart, who currently tops the Jacksonville’s depth chart at running back.
- Chris Boden of CSNChicago.com offers his early projections as to how the Bears‘ final roster might shake out, with the caveat that injuries and veteran additions will inevitably happen.
- Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com looks at a number of Browns-related topics in his weekly mailbag, including several clarifications on the Josh Gordon saga and an early look at the right tackle position battle.
- Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee offers an early take on the 49ers‘ roster battle at inside linebacker.
Suh Attending OTAs This Week
TUESDAY, 5:52pm: Pictures on the Lions’ website confirm that Suh is in attendance for OTA and participating in drills.
SUNDAY, 1:01pm: Lions head coach Jim Caldwell expects Ndamukong Suh to participate at OTAs this week, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press and Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Birkett notes in a separate tweet that, if Suh indeed shows up, it would be in keeping with his normal offseason routine.
Suh did not attend the team’s voluntary minicamp in April, and shortly thereafter rumors began to circulate that the Lions may be willing to trade Suh, though common sense indicated that, even if those rumors were true, it would be virtually impossible for Detroit to pull off such a trade. Suh carries an exoribitant $22.4MM cap hit in 2014, which had led to preliminary extension talks between Suh’s camp and the Lions’ brass.
As our Luke Adams noted last month, and as Birkett indicated above, Suh’s absence from early offseason workouts and his participation in May’s programs is par for the course for him, and so Caldwell’s statements are not surprising. It may, however, come as a relief to Lions fans that Suh is going about business as usual and presumably does not plan to hold out for an extension. It will be interesting to keep tabs on whether or not extension talks do indeed resume and if they progress beyond the preliminary stage.
Minor Moves: Sunday
We will keep an eye on any minor transactions from today and update this post with news of any such transactions (most recent news on top).
- The Patriots have signed sixth-round cornerback Jemea Thomas, tweets his agency, Universal Sports Management. Thomas played college football at Georgia Tech.
- The Saints will sign edge player Cheta Ozougwu, who spent the past two seasons with the Bears before being waived about a month ago, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link).
Earlier Updates:
- The Colts have waived WR Greg Moore and signed WR Ryan Lankford, tweets Craig Kelley of Colts.com.
- The Bears will release punter Drew Butler, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The release was confirmed via Twitter by Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune and Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The release leaves the door open for new draftee Pat O’Donnell to become the team’s punter.