NFC East Notes: Pryor, Redskins, FA Strategies
Following up on his article on Saturday where he wrote that Oakland QB Terrelle Pryor would be a good fit for the Eagles if he is released by the Raiders, Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com elaborates in a different piece today. He notes that Pryor is almost certainly done in Oakland after the Raiders–who value Matt McGloin as a back-up–traded for Matt Schaub, and that Pryor’s athleticism and mobility would fit well in Chip Kelly‘s offense.
Mosher adds that Kelly actually had a great deal of interest in Pryor when Kelly was the head coach at Oregon and Pryor was a prized high school recruit. In short, then, the dots are there to connect, and if the Raiders release Pryor outright, the Eagles would be interested. If, however, the Raiders are more interested in trading Pryor for a late-round pick, the Eagles would probably balk, having already given up their extra fifth-round choice for Darren Sproles.
More from the NFC East:
- Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com writes that, despite the signing of Tracy Porter, the Redskins‘ secondary is still a work in progress and they remain in pursuit of a free agent cornerback. The team hosted Brandon Browner before he signed with New England and had a visit scheduled with Walter Thurmond before he signed with the Giants.
- Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News writes that the Cowboys are still in the market for free agent defensive players even after the acquisitions of Henry Melton, Jeremy Mincey, and Terrell McClain. Executive vice president Stephen Jones, though, is looking “harder than ever” at a free agent’s age and injury history before striking a deal.
- Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News writes that the Giants have departed from their typical approach to free agency by spending big this offseason, and he believes they were right to do it.
Big Cats Notes: Gettleman, Jags Draft Targets
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes that Panthers GM Dave Gettleman has taken a great deal of criticism for how he has handled this offseason (see here for a couple of illustrative links), but Volin believes that solid football and economic reasons motivated every move and non-move that Gettleman has made over the past few weeks.
For instance, former GM Marty Hurney made a mess of Carolina’s salary cap situation after he handed out lucrative and ill-advised contracts to running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, so Gettleman has been forced to deal with limited cap space in the present while also looking ahead to big-money deals for Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly in the future.
Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer writes that Gettleman has redeemed himself to some degree with his recent series of quality, low-cost signings, but Person does note that Gettleman has yet to sign a free agent tackle. Person suggests that right tackle Byron Bell might be on the move to the left side of the line, which is not ideal but would allow the Panthers to focus on right tackle in the draft, a position that is much easier to fill than left tackle (particularly for a team with a late pick).
Now onto some Jaguars notes:
- Yesterday, our Peter Sowards took a look at what Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union had to say about potential landing spots for departing RB Maurice Jones-Drew, but O’Halloran also had some worthwhile tidbits about players who will be or may be on the Jags’ roster next season.
- For example, O’Halloran noted that head coach Gus Bradley and GM Dave Caldwell will be in attendance at QB Johnny Manziel‘s Pro Day at College Station on Thursday. Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch was at Fresno State last Thursday to watch QB Derek Carr.
- Speaking of Fisch, O’Halloran writes that one player the Jags may target in the middle of the 2014 draft is Central Florida RB Storm Johnson, who met with the Jaguars at the Scouting Combine and who played for the University of Miami in 2010, when Fisch served as the offensive coordinator there.
- Scout Tim Mingey was at Vanderbilt’s Pro Day on Friday, probably to get a better look at Commodores WR Jordan Matthews, who had an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl. Matthews has been projected to be drafted as high as the late first round, but more likely is a second-round target.
AFC North Notes: Blount, Harrison, Extensions
The Ravens have interest in free agent RB LeGarrette Blount, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Wilson writes that the Ravens do not have a visit scheduled for Blount at this time, but they will continue to monitor his market. Baltimore struggled mightily in most aspects of its offense last season, and short-yardage situations were particularly troublesome. Blount would be a boon in that regard, and he would also provide necessary depth given Ray Rice‘s struggles last season–and his legal troubles this offseason–and Bernard Pierce‘s injury concerns. As our Peter Sowards reported yesterday, Blount is scheduled to meet with the division rival Steelers later this week.
More notes from the AFC North:
- Speaking of the Steelers, Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes that a reunion with James Harrison makes a great deal of sense for a team with little defensive depth and limited salary cap space. Starkey could envision a limited role for Harrison as a situational pass-rusher and short-yardage defender. As our Luke Adams noted several days ago, there is mutual interest in Harrison’s potential return to Pittsburgh.
- Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com and Pat McManamon of ESPN.com offer some opinions on Browns QB Brian Hoyer and WR Greg Little. Grossi believes that Hoyer has demonstrated enough to go into the season as the starting QB, and McManamon believes the Browns may feel the same way. As for Little, despite the frustration of Browns’ fans, Grossi notes that Little’s reasonable contract, his size, and his durability are all reasons why the Browns will probably hang onto him for another season. McManamon makes a similar point, though he does point out that if the Browns were to draft someone like Clemson WR Sammy Watkins, Little could be on his way out.
- Coley Harvey of ESPN.com writes that there is nothing on the horizon yet regarding contract extensions for Bengals standouts A.J. Green, Andy Dalton, and Vontaze Burfict, but that negotiations could become more serious once the current phase of free agency concludes.
- Despite the signing of Marshall Newhouse, Harvey believes the Bengals would “absolutely” consider an offensive tackle in the early rounds of the draft.
Lions Notes: Ihedigbo, Hill, Draft, Suh
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets that free agent safety James Ihedigbo is choosing between the Lions and Bears, and in a separate tweet he writes that a resolution to Detroit’s safety situation could happen tonight but is more likely to come tomorrow. Ihedigbo was said to have narrowed his choice down to three NFC teams, but now it appears two teams remain in the mix. As our own Rob DiRe pointed out yesterday, the Lions are expected to sign one of the three safeties who have recently visited with the team: Ihedigbo, Chris Clemons, or Thomas DeCoud.
A couple of other quick notes out of Detroit:
- Birkett tweets that the team is still waiting on word from backup QB Shaun Hill, but that Hill was still considering a return to Detroit several days ago
- Birkett projects the Lions to select UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2014 draft.
- Mike O’Hara of DetroitLions.com writes that the Raiders’ signing of Matt Schaub means they will not select a QB with the No. 5 overall pick. As a result, Clemson WR Sammy Watkins will have another potential landing spot among the nine teams choosing before the Lions, and the possibility that Watkins could fall to Detroit has become even more remote.
- O’Hara adds that president Tom Lewand‘s statements that he plans to meet with Ndamukong Suh‘s agent in Orlando this week at the NFL’s annual meetings is a start to the negotiation process with Suh, but nothing more.
Pats Notes: Blount, Ayers, Wilfork, McCourty
Even though the Patriots may lose LeGarrette Blount this offseason, Christopher Price of WEEI.com notes that the team is still ahead of the game with its stable of running backs and the complementary skill-sets those backs possess. Although Price notes that Maurice Jones-Drew and Knowshon Moreno are still available, he believes that if the Pats want to replace Blount, they are more likely to do so with a big-bodied back in the middle rounds of the draft.
Now for some more Patriots notes:
- As far as the team’s need for a pass-rusher is concerned, although Andre Carter may want to come back to New England, it is unclear if the feeling is mutual. Given Carter’s age (he will turn 35 in May) and Jared Allen‘s price tag, both Price and Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald believe that Robert Ayers is a more realistic option to bolster the team’s pass rush and provide some support to the revamped secondary. Guregian notes that Shaun Phillips might also be a potential fit.
- Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com notes that there is a belief that, the longer Vince Wilfork remains under contract, the greater the possibility that the two sides will work something out. Wilfork, of course, requested his release from the team a little more than a week ago, but the Patriots have not obliged just yet. For his part, Reiss believes every option is still on the table as far as Wilfork is concerned, and he is intrigued to see what owner Robert Kraft has to say about the situation when he speaks with reporters at the NFL’s annual meeting in Orlando over the next several days.
- Considering the big-money deal that Jairus Byrd recently landed with New Orleans and Earl Thomas‘ impending free agency, Reiss believes the Patriots will approach Devin McCourty with a lucrative contract extension before he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2014 season.
- Reiss also expresses surprise that free agent guard Ryan Wendell, who started every game for New England in each of the past two seasons, has not garnered more interest on the open market.
Broncos Sign Emmanuel Sanders
1:57pm: The Broncos have officially announced the transaction.
12:20pm: After he allegedly accepted a deal with the Chiefs, the Broncos officially announced that they have signed former Steelers wideout Emmanuel Sanders, tweets ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Schefter reports that it is a three-year, $15MM deal, and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun adds (via Twitter) that it is worth a maximum of $18MM with escalators.
Assuming he passes his physical, a press conference is scheduled for 1:30 MST, tweets Lindsay Jones of USA Today.
Giants Sign Quintin Demps
1:08pm: The team has officially announced the transaction.
8:20am: The Giants have agreed to sign free safety and return specialist Quintin Demps. Demps tweeted the news himself late Saturday night, and the signing has since been confirmed by multiple sources. Demps provides New York with the quality return skills they were seeking from Jacoby Jones and Ted Ginn, Jr. before those players signed elsewhere.
Demps returned 33 kickoffs for 992 yards last season, and he also performed well in the defensive backfield. He saw the field a great deal in the Chiefs’ subpackages, and he tallied a career-high four interceptions. His presence will add quality depth to the Giants’ secondary, who have concerns about Will Hill and Stevie Brown.
As for the Chiefs, the team will now have to replace their top kick returner and their top punt returner following the departures of Demps and Dexter McCluster. Husain Abdullah and 2013 fifth-round pick Sanders Commings will get the first crack to take Demps’ place at safety, though Kansas City could of course address the position via free agency–where the number of safeties available has rapidly diminished–or the draft.
Giants Sign Walter Thurmond
1:06pm: The team has officially announced the transaction.
8:48am: The deal is worth $3.5MM, tweets CBSSports’ Jason La Canfora.
8:41am:The Giants have agreed to a one-year deal with former Seahawks cornerback Walter Thurmond, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter (via Twitter). It was a very busy Saturday night and early Sunday morning for the Giants, as they added both Thurmond and Quintin Demps to their defensive backfield over the course of a few short hours.
Thurmond was a valuable part of Seattle’s tremendous secondary last season, and he visited with the 49ers, Jaguars, and Redskins before agreeing to terms with the Giants. He missed four games in 2013 due to a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy, but he did record 24 tackles to go along with one interception and one sack, and he could fill the slot corner role vacated by Terrell Thomas.
Even after acquiring Thurmond and Demps, New York may not be done adding to its secondary. The team still has a visit scheduled with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie later today (Twitter link), and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the Giants “want him badly” but that any potential deal would of course depend on the length and terms of the contract.
AFC West Notes: LBs, Watson, Wilfork, Chiefs
The Broncos have responded to their Super Bowl loss by attempting to win the offseason Super Bowl, signing DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, and (controversially) Emmanuel Sanders. However, they still have a gaping hole at middle linebacker, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post. The Broncos missed out on D’Qwell Jackson and also had interest in Karlos Dansby, Jon Beason, Perry Riley and Daryl Smith before those players signed elsewhere.
If the season started today, the talented but oft-injured Nate Irving and the unproven Steven Johnson would be battling for the “Mike” linebacker position. As a result, Klis writes, the Broncos will be forced to compile a “Plan B” list of free agent linebackers and/or find a gem in the draft. Klis suggests Michigan State’s Max Bullough would be an intriguing option in the third round.
More from the AFC West:
- After the Rodger Saffold debacle, the Raiders‘ offensive line is still in flux. ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez writes that the team would love it if Menelik Watson won the job and was healthy enough to keep it, but if Auburn’s Greg Robinson is still available when Oakland is on the clock with the fifth-overall pick in this year’s draft, he would be very difficult to pass up.
- Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com writes that Vince Wilfork, assuming he is released by New England, would fill a major need for the Chargers as a run-stuffer in the interior of their defensive line. However, Williams also notes that San Diego has little cap room and would have to release someone in order to bring Wilfork in.
- The Chiefs thought they had a deal in place with Emmanuel Sanders, but Sanders ultimately signed with Denver instead. But even if the Chiefs had landed Sanders, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com writes that wide receiver would have remained a top priority for Kansas City. The team signed CFL veteran Weston Dressler and has expressed an interest in Devin Hester and Jason Avant, but all of those players are complementary pieces and the Chiefs may be looking at Hester solely as a return man. Given that the Sanders deal fell through, Kansas City will almost certainly address their dearth of receivers in the very deep 2014 draft.
Buccaneers Sign Oniel Cousins
The Buccaneers have signed offensive guard Oniel Cousins to a one-year deal, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. Cousins was drafted by the Ravens in the third round of the 2008 draft out of UTEP, and he never performed up to expectations.
Baltimore released him prior to the 2011 season, and he was claimed by the Browns several days later. He made just one start for Cleveland in 2011 and no starts in 2012, but he did start four games for the Browns in 2013. Although he has played right tackle in his career, Cousins will likely compete for time at right guard given the recent signing of Anthony Collins. Presumably, however, this is simply a depth signing for Tampa Bay.