NFL Grants Compensatory Picks To Teams
The NFL announced that they have awarded a total of 32 compensatory picks to 16 different teams. Compensatory draft picks are given to clubs who lose more or better compensatory free agents (CFAs) than it acquires in the previous year. Those picks are slotted within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the free agents lost.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that there are no more than 32 compensatory picks granted each year. Due to that wrinkle, the Rams (one pick), Packers (one pick), Steelers (two picks), and Cardinals (three picks) will not receive those picks in accordance with the formula. Each of those four clubs will receive compensatory selections for other CFAs lost whose final numerical values ranked within the top 32.
This year, there is one notable change to the compensatory draft selection rules: teams can now trade those picks.
Click below for the full rundown:
Cardinals Re-Sign Jeremy Ross
The Cardinals are re-signing kick returner Jeremy Ross to a one-year deal, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Ross appeared in two games for the Cardinals after joining the team late in the 2016 season. 
Ross was initially brought aboard for depth after the release of Michael Floyd. After returning eleven kicks for 224 yards, the Cardinals want to see more from him this offseason. The soon-to-be 29-year-old has bounced around quite a bit in the professional ranks, so he’s probably hoping to stick with Arizona for a while. Ross has previously appeared in games for the Packers, Lions, Raiders, Ravens, and Jets.
In other Cardinals news, linebacker Kevin Minter says he’d like to return to the team but is also intrigued by the idea of reuniting with Todd Bowles on the Jets. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are reportedly not interested in signing Jay Cutler as Carson Palmer‘s backup.
Colts’ Trent Cole Plans To Continue Playing
Back in January, Trent Cole hinted on Instagram that he would continue playing in 2017. Roughly six weeks later, we’re getting some mixed messages. Cole told SiriusXM (Twitter link) that he will retire if he is not offered enough money on his next deal. However, he took to Twitter minutes later to say “no retirement happening here.”
[RELATED: Top 3 Offseason Needs: Indianapolis Colts]
The Colts linebacker is scheduled to hit free agency this March. For many years, Cole was a starter for the Eagles, but he has been slowed somewhat by injuries and age since joining Indianapolis. In seven games last year, Cole amassed 17 tackles and two sacks. In the year prior, he totaled 32 tackles and three sacks. His Pro Football Focus scores have been in the 70s over the last two years, framing him as a slightly above-average linebacker rather than the force that he was in his Philly prime.
Cole, 35 in October, has two Pro Bowl nods and eight playoff appearances on his resume.
Chiefs Sign RB C.J. Spiller
C.J. Spiller has a new NFL home. The Chiefs announced on Friday morning that they have signed the veteran running back. 
[RELATED: Could Chiefs Could Part Ways With Alex Smith?]
In 2016 alone, he bounced between three teams. He started the campaign with the Saints and he was quickly signed by the Seahawks following his release by New Orleans. The former first-rounder eventually found his way to the Jets, but his stint there ended after about five weeks. Spiller finished the year with six carries for 18 yards.
At one point in time, Spiller was considered to be a starting-caliber back. Now, on the cusp of his 30th birthday, it’s not clear if he’ll be able to stick on anyone’s roster. The Chiefs are about to find out.
The Chiefs now have four running backs under contract for 2016: Jamaal Charles, Spencer Ware, Charcandrick West, and Spiller. Charles is scheduled to count for nearly $6.2MM on Kansas City’s 2017 salary cap and is considered to be a release candidate.
As Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) points out, Spiller shares an agent with pending free agent safety Eric Berry. The Chiefs may or may not be paying a favor to agent Chad Speck, but we at least know that the two sides are speaking.
Top 2017 NFL Free Agents By Position: Offense
[UPDATE: CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST EDITION OF THE TOP 2017 NFL FREE AGENTS BY POSITION]
NFL free agency will get underway on Thursday, March 9th, and while the list of free agents will change between now and then, we do have some idea of who will be available when free agency kicks off. The frenzy is right around the corner and it’s time for us to break down the outlook for each position. We’ll start today on offense, before getting to defense and special teams later this week.
Listed below are our rankings for the top 15 free agents at each offensive position. The rankings aren’t necessarily determined by the value of the contracts that each player is expected to land in free agency, they are simply the players we like the most at each position, with both short- and long-term value taken into account. Restricted and exclusive-rights free agents are not listed here since they are unlikely to actually reach the open market.
We’ll almost certainly be higher or lower on some guys than you are, so we encourage you to make your voice heard in our comments section to let us know which free agents we’ve got wrong.
Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by offensive position for 2017:
Quarterback:
- Kirk Cousins
- Mike Glennon
- Nick Foles
- Brian Hoyer
- Ryan Fitzpatrick
- Case Keenum
- Matt McGloin
- Mark Sanchez
- Geno Smith
- Ryan Mallett
- Josh McCown
- Christian Ponder
- Blaine Gabbert
- Matt Schaub
- Ryan Nassib
Honorable mention: Shaun Hill
As of this writing, Kirk Cousins is far and away the best potential free agent quarterback in this year’s crop. By the time March gets here, we’re fully expecting Cousins to be spoken for. Ultimately, the Redskins could franchise tag him, work out a long-term deal with him, or swing some type of trade that nets them a massive haul of talent and picks. That will leave a crop of retread quarterbacks that would probably best serve as transitional options for QB-needy teams. 
Mike Glennon hasn’t done much in his 18 career starts, but talent evaluators are still in love with his size and potential. The 6’7″ quarterback will get more money this spring than you might expect, particularly since there are no surefire QBs in this year’s draft.
Teams looking for stopgap QBs will find a plethora of experienced, though perhaps uninspiring, signal callers. Nick Foles, Brian Hoyer, and Ryan Fitzpatrick all have their best football behind them, but they could hold down the fort for a team in 2017 and maybe even find some success if the defense is strong enough. Of course, the ideal role for those guys would probably be as a backup to a better, younger quarterback.
Running back:
- Le’Veon Bell
- Eddie Lacy
- LeGarrette Blount
- Latavius Murray
- Darren McFadden
- Jacquizz Rodgers
- Rashad Jennings
- Danny Woodhead
- Rex Burkhead
- Tim Hightower
- DeAngelo Williams
- Andre Ellington
- Chris Johnson
- Christine Michael
- Robert Turbin
Consider Le’Veon Bell‘s name written in Etch-A-Sketch, because he is very unlikely to get near the open market. That could leave Eddie Lacy as the best tailback available in March. Lacy has struggled with weight issues in recent years and he lost much of the 2016 season to injury. Still, he is a bruising back that could nicely complement a quicker ball carrier. Before he was shut down for the year, Lacy was averaging 5.07 yards per carry in five games for Green Bay.
In the last two years, LeGarrette Blount seems to have put his off-the-field troubles behind him. Whether that’s a sign of his maturity or a product of the Patriots’ culture remains to be seen. Teams can ignore his past indiscretions, but they will be wary of his age. Blount turns 31 in December.
Latavius Murray has shown glimpses of being a special running back, but he has been inconsistent and his 4.0 yards-per-carry average of the last two years isn’t overly impressive. Darren McFadden ran for more than 1,000 yards in 2015, but 2016 was pretty much a lost year for him. Jacquizz Rodgers seemed to break out last year, but he wound up succumbing to the same injury bug that took down a host of other Buccaneers running backs. Speaking of injuries, Rashad Jennings was initially brought to the Giants to be a workhorse back, but two of his three years in New York were marred by ailments. Everyone in this tier has the potential to make a difference, but none should be counted on as anyone’s main guy in 2017.
Jets Release Breno Giacomini, Nick Folk
The Jets’ spring cleaning is underway. The Jets have announced the release of former starting right tackle Breno Giacomini and kicker Nick Folk. 
[RELATED: Cardinals LB Kevin Minter Interested In Jets]
Giacomini was slated to count for $5.1MM against the cap, but the Jets will save $4.5MM by cutting him. Folk, meanwhile, was scheduled to carry a $3.6MM cap number and his release means $3MM in savings. In total, the Jets have created $7.5MM in cap room between these two moves.
The release of Giacomini has been long expected. Last year, injuries limited him to just 266 total snaps. He did not see enough action to qualify for ranking, but his 44.3 overall score from Pro Football Focus would have placed him among the 15 worst tackles in the NFL. After Ryan Clady was let go, Giacomini stood the team’s only tackle with significant starting experience, but that did not Gang Green from going cheaper and younger. Giacomini will turn 32 in September.
Folk, 33 in November, connected on 27 of his 31 field goals last year, good for an 87.1% mark. He also went 24-for-26 on extra points. Folk finishes his Jets career with the second-most field goals made in franchise history. He has converted on 175 three-point tries with Gang Green in addition to his 64 makes with the Cowboys.
Buccaneers To Cut CB Alterraun Verner
The Buccaneers are releasing cornerback Alterraun Verner today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Verner has not lived up to expectations in his three seasons in south Florida. The 28-year-old was scheduled carry a $6.5MM cap number in 2017, a number that was not at all palatable for Tampa Bay. Verner hasn’t been a regular starter since 2015 and last season he did not show any signs of getting back to his old form. In 16 games, he made three starts and finished the year with 12 total tackles and seven passes defensed. Verner saw only 241 snaps on the year, putting him far behind Brent Grimes and Vernon Hargreaves in terms of playing time.
Verner will now enter a competitive free agent cornerback market. As of this writing, A.J. Bouye, Trumaine Johnson, Logan Ryan, Stephon Gilmore, Prince Amukamara, Morris Claiborne, and Dre Kirkpatrick are all potential unrestricted free agents.
Broncos To Decline Russell Okung’s Option
The Broncos have informed Russell Okung they will not be picking up his option, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The option was technically for $1MM, but it would have triggered a four-year, $48MM deal with $20.5MM in guaranteed cash. 
[RELATED: Examining Russell Okung’s Self-Negotiated Contract]
Last year, Okung made the unusual decision of negotiating his free agent deal without the help of an agent. Although the pact came with the possibility of guaranteed money for 2017 and beyond, there was really nothing in guaranteed cash at the time of signing. If Okung had an agent at the time, it’s hard to imagine that he would have ever agreed to such terms. After all, even minimum-salary players often receive guaranteed $80K signing bonuses. He also put himself behind the 8-ball since agent-less players cannot interact with teams during the legal tampering period before free agency officially starts.
Okung bet on himself and his gamble did not pay off. Although he turned in his first-career 16-game season, the advanced stats at Pro Football Focus gave him a 73.5 grade, which placed him as the No. 38 tackle in the NFL last year. Okung drew a dreadful 55.0 score for his pass blocking, though his 79.7 run blocking grade was the 21st best showing in the league in 2016.
This year’s free agent tackle class currently includes Andrew Whitworth, Ricky Wagner, Kelvin Beachum, Riley Reiff, Ryan Clady, and other notable names. It’s not the strongest OT crop I’ve seen, but Okung ranks no better than the third tackle in this group in my estimation.
Mitch Trubisky Will Throw At Combine
North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky could be the first quarterback off the board and possibly the first player drafted in April. Sometimes, elite QB prospects like him forego drills at the combine, but he’ll be throwing for scouts in Indianapolis, his father tells Mark Podolski of the News Herald. 
Trubisky will participate in most of the drills offered at the combine, including the 40-yard dash. However, he will not do the bench press. Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II has a similar gameplan and will not attempt to bench 225 pounds as many times as possible (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson told The Associated Press that he plans to do “everything” when it comes to combine drills (link via The Associated Press). Ditto for Cal’s Davis Webb (via Dalton Johnson of CSNBayArea.com). Overall, it sounds like most of this year’s top quarterbacks will be full or near full participants in the Underwear Olympics.
Trubisky’s biggest test might not be in the drills, but in the measurements portion of the combine. His high school coach told the News Herald that he is a legit 6’2″, but there are rumors that he is actually under 6’1″. That may not sound like a big deal, but only two QBs at 6’1″ and under (Johnny Manziel and Rex Grossman) have been selected in the first round in the last 15 years.
Eagles To Retain Jason Peters
Despite some speculation to the contrary, left tackle Jason Peters will be back with the Eagles in 2017, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Peters was is set to earn a $9.95MM base salary in the coming year, according to Rapoport, though Over The Cap has his base pay listed as $10.45MM. 
[RELATED: Former Eagles LB DeMeco Ryans Joins 49ers Staff]
Earlier this month, the Eagles approached Peters about taking a pay cut. Apparently, those talks were not fruitful, but the Eagles are still willing to keep Peters at his current salary. The 35-year-old may be pricey, but he is still one of the best tackles in the game. Last season, Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics placed Peters as the eighth-best tackle in the entire league. His 88.3 overall score on PFF ranks as the third-highest showing of his career. In short: Peters is as good as ever and the Eagles are unwilling to leave Carson Wentz‘s blindside exposed.
For his career, Peters has made nine Pro Bowls and is a three-time first-team All-Pro.