2017 NFL Draft Order Through Most Of Week 14
The final month of the regular season will dictate the playoff futures for teams like the Cowboys, Patriots, Chiefs, and Raiders. For other teams, the postseason is a statistical impossibility. Already, the Jets, Jaguars, Browns, Rams, Bears, and 49ers have been mathematically eliminated. The Chargers, Saints, Panthers, Eagles, Bengals, and Cardinals are not technically out of it, but their chances are remote.
Here’s where those teams and the others not currently ticketed for the playoffs stand in the draft order (Note – Ties are broken by strength of schedule):
- Browns 0-13
- 49ers 1-12
- Jaguars 2-11
- Bears 3-10
- Rams 4-9 (pick belongs to Titans)
- Jets 4-9
- Panthers 5-8
- Chargers 5-8
- Saints 5-8
- Eagles (pick belongs to Browns) 5-8
- Cardinals 5-7-1
- Bengals 5-7-1
- Bills 6-7
- Colts 6-7
- Titans 7-6
- Vikings (pick belongs to Eagles) 7-6
- Packers 7-6
- Redskins 7-5-1
- Ravens 7-5 (Note – The Ravens play their Week 14 game tonight against the Patriots.)
- Dolphins 8-5
Strength of schedule via SB Nation.
Redskins Bring Kory Lichtensteiger Off IR
SATURDAY, 5:35pm: Washington activated the ninth-year veteran and seventh-year Redskins starter in advance of their Week 14 game, Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter). He’s expected to serve as the backup behind Sullivan against the Eagles. To make room for Lichtensteiger’s return, the team cut defensive lineman A.J. Francis, per Jones.
WEDNESDAY, 12:20pm: The Redskins announced that Kory Lichtensteiger will return from injured reserve. In related news, cornerback Dashaun Phillips has been signed to the practice squad.
Lichtensteiger was placed on IR in September after suffering a calf injury. That was a tough blow for a Redskins team that was already thin at the center position. When he went down, Washington turned to Spencer Long and added veteran John Sullivan as a backup. So far, Long has done a decent job, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ No. 21 center out of 37 qualified players. Sullivan, with just 43 total snaps, is not among those qualifying players, but he has a similar grade in his smaller sample size. Ditto for Lichtensteiger, who has 159 snaps on the year.
Phillips started the year as the Redskins’ primary nickel cornerback. Earlier this week, he was released, but he’s now on call in case a spot opens up again in D.C.
Aldon Smith Meets With Roger Goodell
In what could be the first step towards his return, Raiders outside linebacker Aldon Smith met with commissioner Roger Goodell and other league officials today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, no decision will be made today. Since the business week ends today, it sounds like we will not have a verdict on Smith until Monday at the earliest. The timetable for the league’s ruling is not immediately clear. 
[RELATED: No Deadline For Aldon Smith Decision]
Smith has had multiple run-ins with the league’s substance abuse policy and his latest slip-up led to him spending roughly four months in a rehab clinic. Under the terms of his suspension, Smith was eligible to apply for reinstatement on October 3rd in advance of his ban ending on November 17th. We’re now several weeks past that possible return date and the league has done little to advance his case. Today could be a breakthrough for the defensive star.
After last night’s loss to the Chiefs, the Raiders have slid to second place in the AFC West. Getting Smith back could help Oakland regain the divisional crown and make a strong postseason push.
Saints’ Vaccaro Drops Suspension Appeal
Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro is dropping his appeal, a source tells Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter). His suspension will begin immediately. 
Roughly one month ago, Vaccaro was hit with a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s drug policy by taking Adderall. Conveniently, he is dropping the fight with four games to go in the 2016 season at a time when it seems improbably that the Saints will land a playoff berth.
Now at 5-7, the Saints would have to run the table to have any mathematical chance of qualifying. Even then, they’d have to surpass the 7-5 Falcons and Buccaneers to win the division or leapfrog a host of teams to get an NFC Wild Card spot. The Saints aren’t out, but they are certainly down, and they would rather be without Vaccaro now than have him miss the start of the 2017 season.
According to the advanced numbers, Vaccaro’s play is roughly in line with what he provided in 2015. The Saints have Vaccaro under contract through 2017 after exercising his fifth-year option.
Lions Waive TE Brandon Pettigrew
The Lions have released tight end Brandon Pettigrew from the physically unable to perform list. 
Pettigrew returned to practice in November but was unable to get healthy enough to make a return. Since he was unable to play this year, the Lions dropped Pettigrew in order to save $129K/week. Initially signed to a four-year, $16MM deal prior to the 2014 season, Pettigrew’s deal was reworked this year to a “split contract,” giving the Lions a discount while the tight end was on the PUP list.
It’s worth noting that Pettigrew’s knee is structurally sound and he’s “ready to go” (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). That means rival teams could take a hard look at the veteran tight end. He may not get claimed on waivers, but he can be expected to field calls once he’s a true free agent.
Once a target for Matthew Stafford in the passing game, Pettigrew has been used mainly as a blocking tight end in recent years. Pettigrew, 31, caught only 17 passes for 137 yards between 2014 and 2015.
Saints Sign LB Travis Feeney
Yoink. The Saints have plucked linebacker Travis Feeney off of the Steelers’ practice squad, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal will be finalized upon completion of a physical exam. 
The linebacker exploded as a senior at Washington, tallying career highs in tackles for a loss (17.5), sacks (8.0), and forced fumbles (3) to go along with 56 total tackles. In the spring, the Steelers selected him in the sixth-round. Feeney just missed the Steelers’ 53-man cut in September, but he signed on with the practice squad soon after. After patiently waiting to see NFL action in Pittsburgh, he’ll instead get his chance with the Saints, a team that was eyeing him heading into the draft.
Feeney is expected to provide depth and special teams help for New Orleans. If active, he may make his NFL debut against the Bucs on Sunday.
Bills GM Refuses To Commit To Tyrod Taylor
The Bills have a big decision to make at the quarterback position this offseason. When asked about whether the team will retain Tyrod Taylor for 2017, GM Doug Whaley told WGR 550 that no decision has been made (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak). He added that he will sit down with coaches and ownership after the season to make the call. 
“He’s got four more games to write this chapter. Then after this season, like everybody on the team, we’re going to do an evaluation and then we’ll go from there,” Whaley said.
The Bills have a tough call to make. On one hand, quarterbacks aren’t easy to find. On the other hand, the Bills currently have the league’s worst passing offense. Taylor had a strong 2015, but keeping him beyond this year will mean kickstarting a new five-year, $80MM+ deal. If the contract is exercised, the Bills would be on the hook for a whopping $30.75MM fully guaranteed at signing.
All in all, Taylor’s deal was drawn up to be a team-friendly pact if he built on his trajectory from 2015. But, given that he has been up-and-down this year (and mostly down as of late), the decision has become much more complicated. Further muddling the situation is the questionable job security of Whaley and Rex Ryan. Whaley says that he will make the call with Ryan and the Pegula family, but the GM and coach may not be at the table if the Bills cannot qualify for the playoffs.
The Bills are now 6-6 after an ugly implosion against the Raiders. Buffalo likely has to run the table to get to the postseason and that means they’ll have to beat the Steelers on Sunday and the Dolphins on Dec. 24. On the plus side, their other two games come against the Browns (Dec. 18) and the Jets (Jan. 1).
Panthers Cut CB Robert McClain
The Panthers are getting rid of yet another cornerback. The team has released Robert McClain, a source tells Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).
McClain started Super Bowl 50 for the Panthers, but his role decreased this year after the Panthers drafted three cornerbacks. Of course, the team hasn’t gotten the best results out of its secondary after dropping Josh Norman and kickstarting a youth movement. In fact, fifth-round pick Zack Sanchez didn’t even make the 53-man roster to start the year.
McClain’s individual performance has been pretty bad this season. Pro Football Focus has him ranked as the No. 115 cornerback in the NFL out of 123 qualified players. Interestingly, it has been a while since PFF was high on McClain. While with the Falcons in 2012, he earned an 84.0 overall mark, which positioned him as a starting-caliber CB. In 2013, he regressed to a 70.1 grade, which still put him on the fringes of a cornerback worthy of starting. Since then, he has basically been in the cellar in terms of advanced metrics.
Raiders To Focus On Carr’s Deal Before Mack’s
The Raiders are under the CBA-mandated minimum expenditure over the past four-year period. However, the Raiders have a few good ideas for how they can spend that cash, including new deals for quarterback Derek Carr and star linebacker Khalil Mack. The Raiders are currently expected to focus on signing Carr before Mack, a source familiar with the situation tells Mike Florio of PFT. 
[RELATED: No Deadline For Aldon Smith Decision]
One might think the Raiders are prioritizing Carr because he plays a more important position, but the real reason is that the Raiders hold a fifth-year option on Mack because he is a first-round pick. As a former second-round choice, Carr has only one year left on his rookie deal. Without a new contract, the Raiders would be forced to use the expensive franchise tag to keep Carr away from free agency after the 2017 season.
It will be interesting to see what kind of deal Carr will look for from Oakland. Kirk Cousins, who is considered to be an above-average quarterback and will be 29 next season, is said to be seeking nearly $24MM/year on his next deal. Carr, meanwhile, doesn’t turn 26 until March and has been outplaying Cousins by just about every metric this season.
Mack, meanwhile, is having a monster season of his own with ten sacks and 58 total tackles through 12 games. The Raiders, ideally, would like to lock up both players before they get anywhere near the open market.
Albert Breer On Schwartz, Mayfield, Watson
After a solid start, the Eagles defense has slipped over the past few weeks. They have allowed an average of 28 points in the last three games and that’s not a great reflection on defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Still, he remains a hot coaching candidate, Albert Breer of The MMQB writes.
Schwartz’ head coaching candidacy could be swayed by how things go over the next month. Next up for the Eagles is a intra-divisional showdown with the Redskins and that’s an offense that can put up some points against Philadelphia. Things get a little bit easier after that with games against the Ravens (17th in the NFL in total yards) and Giants (26th), but they close the regular season out against Dallas (4th).
Here’s a look at some more highlights from Breer’s column:
- The Rams recently gave extensions to coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead, but the two men aren’t getting along very well in L.A., Breer hears.
- Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield has had a bizarre journey through the collegiate ranks that has led him to being named a Heisman finalist for the 2016 season. Can he continue to succeed at the next level despite having a skill set that isn’t necessarily geared towards the NFL? “He’s got another year (of eligibility) and all signs point to him returning, but he should probably think about that,” said one area scout assigned to the Sooners. “In a weak quarterback class, he could sneak up there where you wind up saying, ‘Oh wow, I can’t believe he went there!’ Normal year, he’s a late-round guy. But he throws a nice deep ball, he’s mobile and can extend plays, he’s shifty and tough and competitive as hell. He’s impressed me. You wanna say he’s a poor man’s (Johnny) Manziel because of how he makes plays, but Johnny was a lot more talented. But Baker has developed as a passer, he’s developed his fundamentals and mechanics, and he’s an interesting one to look at.” Mayfield’s best comp might be Chase Daniel, a career backup who was valued enough to score a lucrative free agent deal from Philly this offseason. He may never be a starter, but he could be worth a later-round pick given that some backups earn $5MM/year or more. The Sooner QB had 3,669 yards and 38 touchdowns through the air plus six rushing scores during the regular season.
- Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson has garnered draft buzz, but his stock has fallen to the point where he is just the No. 3 QB in this year’s draft behind North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer (assuming all three go pro). Watson has completed a high percentage of his passes over the last couple of months, but scouts are growing increasingly concerned about his playing style. “He’s a heck of college player, and he’s a great kid,” said one NFC exec. “He’s thrown for a ton of yards. But for the pro game, it’s tricky with quarterback. He’s not great reading defenses, and you see him force the ball at times. And if the first read isn’t there, you see his first instinct’s to run. And you can see it, in how his eyes come down. That’ll be a problem in the league. In the pocket, you have to slide and move and buy time. All the great ones have pocket presence. And we just haven’t seen it from him.”