Jets Notes: Wilkerson, Bowles, Maccagnan
Here’s a look at Gang Green:
- Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson reported to the team facility today (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News). Wilkerson, who has repeatedly been tardy for team functions this year, did arrive at the morning meeting on time. It is expected that the Jets will cut ties with Wilkerson this offseason. He is slated to earn $16.75MM in 2018, but that figure is guaranteed for injury only until the third day of the league year. Therefore, the Jets will probably bench Wilkerson for the final two games of the season to avoid getting stuck with his salary. Meanwhile, the Jets are reportedly considering a reunion with his former trench-mate Sheldon Richardson.
- Wilkerson, who was not allowed to travel with the team for the Jets‘ Week 15 game, has “served his sentence,” coach Todd Bowles said on Wednesday (Twitter link via Mehta). Bowles added that the defensive lineman “made a mistake” and the team has “moved on,” but he did not indicate whether Wilkerson will play this week. Again, it would be a surprise if they had him suit up.
- The Jets have about $80MM to spend this offseason, but Brian Costello of the New York Post isn’t sure that GM Mike Maccagnan is the right guy to conduct the spending spree. In 2016, Maccagnan had money to work with and doled out ill-advised deals to Wilkerson (five-year, $86MM) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (one-year, $12MM). Technically, he was also responsible for Darrelle Revis‘ five-year, $70 million deal in 2015, though that was at the behest of owner Woody Johnson. Maccagnan has shown that he can identify talented small-ticket players like Demario Davis, Kony Ealy, and Jermaine Kearse, but it remains to be seen whether he can get it right with major dollars involved.
Giants Interview Dave Gettleman For GM Job
The Giants interviewed Dave Gettleman for their GM vacancy on Wednesday. He is the second person to sit for a formal interview with team brass, following VP of player evaluation Marc Ross. 
The former Panthers GM has been connected to the position ever since Jerry Reese was fired in early December. It has been widely reported that he is the frontrunner for the position, though he is in competition with Ross, interim GM Kevin Abrams, and likely several other experiences executives.
There’s a lot of work to be done in New York, but Gettleman has experience with turning around a franchise that is behind the 8-ball. When Gettleman took over in Carolina, the Panthers were in a horrendous salary cap situation. He fixed things in short order as the Panthers made the postseason in each of his first three years in Carolina, including a Super Bowl appearance. The Panthers went 6-10 in his final year at the helm, but they’re riding high once again this season with the roster that he constructed.
Former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi is serving as a consultant in the team’s search and he has a longstanding relationship with Gettleman. In 2013, Accorsi helped to steer Gettleman into the Panthers GM seat.
According to a press release put out by the team, Gettleman interviewed with Accorsi, team president John Mara, and chairman Steve Tisch. If history is any indication, it might not take long for the Accorsi-led search to wrap up. The 76-year-old consulted with the Panthers (2013), Bears (2015), and Lions (2016) and each team made their hire roughly one week after the regular season ended.
Gettleman’s own ties to the Giants organization should also give him an advantage. He served as an assistant to then-pro personnel director Tim Rooney in 1998, which was Accorsi’s first season as GM. He was promoted to pro personnel director in 1999 upon Rooney’s retirement and remained in the position for 13 years.
Bengals Place Andre Smith On IR
The Bengals have placed tackle Andre Smith on injured reserve. In related moves, the Bengals signed fellow tackle Justin Murray off the Saints practice squad. They also signed linebacker Connor Harris to the taxi squad. 
Smith, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with Cincinnati after being selected No. 6 overall in the 2009 draft, reunited with the Bengals in the offseason. He signed a one-year deal with the notion that he would be the team’s starting right guard. He lost that competition to Trey Hopkins, but a spot opened up at right tackle when Jake Fisher was shut down for the year with a heart condition.
Even at his native tackle position, Smith didn’t really deliver. Pro Football Focus rates him as just the No. 64 tackle in the league out of 85 qualified players. Smith hasn’t earned a quality score from PFF since 2014, a sign that he has declined in recent years.
The soon-to-be 31-year-old will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in January. He’s lost a step or three, but his experience and versatility could allow him to find work in 2018.
Buccaneers Place TE O.J. Howard On IR
Tight end O.J. Howard and safety Justin Evans have been ruled out for the year, the Buccaneers announced. As previously reported, cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, guard J.R. Sweezy, and linebacker Adarius Glanton have also been placed on IR, meaning that the Bucs have shut down five players for the year on the same day. 
[RELATED: Buccaneers Place Vernon Hargreaves On IR]
Howard (first round) and Evans (second round) were the Bucs’ top draft picks in 2017. Howard was productive in the end zone this year, notching six touchdowns with 26 catches and 432 yards. Evans, meanwhile, made nine starts and recorded 49 tackles with three interceptions. Needless to say, both players will play a major role on the team next year.
Fellow tight end Cameron Brate, who also had a strong season, is expected to be retained with a high restricted free agent tender.
The 4-10 Buccaneers would have the No. 7 pick in the draft if the season ended today. The Texans (pick belongs to the Browns), 49ers, and Bears all have equal records, but the Bucs rank lower in the draft order due to their strength of schedule.
Patriots’ Alan Branch To Miss Time
The Patriots will be without Alan Branch for the final two games of the regular season, at minimum. The defensive lineman does not need surgery to fix his injured meniscus, but he is expected to miss “a few weeks,” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears. 
The Patriots have already locked up the AFC East title, but they’re still looking to shore up a first-round bye over the next couple of weeks. If they can manage that, then Branch could theoretically return to action for the Pats’ first playoff game, which would be on January 13th. If they have to play in the Wild Card round, then they might have to start the playoffs without one of their starting defensive tackles.
At 11-3, the Patriots have a 90% chance of getting a first-round bye and a 70% shot at being the AFC’s top seed, per the New York Times’ playoff calculator. A win over the Bills this weekend coupled with a Jaguars loss to the Niners would seal up the bye.
Buccaneers Place Vernon Hargreaves On IR
The Buccaneers are placing cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III on injured reserve, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Hargreaves’ hamstring injury has kept him off the field in recent weeks and the team has decided not to chance things in the final two games of the season. 
Hargreaves, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2016 draft, appeared in only nine games this year with seven starts. Because of the hamstring issue, we haven’t seen him on the field since the Bucs’ November 12th win over the Jets.
The Bucs are still waiting to see the Florida product fulfill his potential. Hargreaves was healthy for all of last season and recorded 76 tackles, but he surrendered the most targets (127), catches (86), and yards (1,271) in the NFL.
He earned a 44.4 overall score from Pro Football Focus in ’16, placing him among the worst qualified corners in the league. This season, he showed some improvement in that regard, finishing out with a 72.8 score, though that barely places him among the top 70 players at his position.
Hargreaves, 23 in June, is under contract through 2019. He’ll be back in Tampa Bay next year with a $3.866MM cap figure.
Dolphins Place Julius Thomas On IR
The Dolphins have placed tight end Julius Thomas and offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod on injured reserve. In related moves, they promoted tight end Thomas Duarte and activated offensive tackle Eric Smith off of injured reserve. 
The move means that Thomas and Bushrod will not be able to suit up for the team’s final two games against the Chiefs and Bills. This could also mean that the two players have played their final snaps for the Dolphins. Thomas is under contract with a $6.6MM cap number next year, but the team can get out of the entire obligation by releasing him. Bushrod, meanwhile, is eligible for unrestricted free agency in March.
This year, Thomas had 41 catches for 388 yards and three touchdowns. It has been widely assumed that he’ll be released outright, but Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald recently suggested that Thomas could instead return at a reduced salary. Recent comments by coach Adam Gase also indicate that Thomas could have a future with the team.
“I see it different than it seems everyone else does,” Gase said. “He’s done everything I’ve asked him to do. I wish there’s been situations we’ve called plays for him and haven’t been able to get the ball to him either by coverage or the ball didn’t go there for whatever reason. When we’ve asked him to do things in the running game he’s given me max effort. He’s been there every day for us in practice and at games.”
Mutual Interest Between Jets, Sheldon Richardson
Earlier this year, the Jets shipped Sheldon Richardson to the Seahawks in a trade that netted them a second-round pick. With Richardson set to reach the open market in March, the Jets are hoping to bring him back, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News hears. The interest is mutual as Richardson would also like to return to New York. 
The Jets are expected to part ways with Muhammad Wilkerson this offseason and reconnecting with Richardson would give them an instant replacement. The Jets bet heavy on Wilkerson with his expensive five-year extension, but he has been tardy to meetings all season long and his production has sagged dramatically. The Jets figured that Wilkerson was the more stable of the two defensive linemen given Richardson’s off-the-field problems, but it sounds like they’re hoping to turn back the clock and reverse their decision.
Richardson hasn’t set the world on fire in Seattle either, but he has still done more on the field than Wilkerson this year. He has 37 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one pass break-up, and one interception – numbers that show he still has a pulse, but nothing earth-shattering. That means the Jets could sign him to a relatively team-friendly deal with the hope that he can get back to his 2013/2014 form.
Bears Place Pernell McPhee On IR
The Bears placed Pernell McPhee on injured reserve on Wednesday. It’s possible that he has played his last game for Chicago. 
McPhee signed a five-year deal, $38.8MM deal with the Bears in 2015, meaning that he has two more years under contract. However, the Bears can cut him this offseason and save $7.075MM while eating just $1MM in dead money. That would be the logical move given McPhee’s injury troubles in recent years.
Earlier this year, when asked if McPhee will ever be the player he was when the Bears originally signed him in 2015, Chicago defensive Vic Fangio gave a simple answer: “Probably not.” Thanks to injuries to both knees and his recent shoulder injury, McPhee has missed 12 games over the last three years.
McPhee could still have a football future elsewhere, but not at the salary he was earning in Chicago. The advanced metrics show that despite the injury, he has still been quietly effective. He currently rates as the league’s No. 40 ranked edge defender, per Pro Football Focus, with an overall score of 79.9.
In related moves, the Bears signed linebacker Jonathan Anderson to the active roster and signed receiver Mekale McKay to the practice squad.
Texans Work Out S Calvin Pryor
The Texans worked out former Jets safety Calvin Pryor on Tuesday, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). 
Nicknamed the “Louisville Slugger,” former Jets GM John Idzik believed that Pryor would bring some old school hard hits to the Jets secondary as a longtime starter. Unfortunately, the first-round pick was a bust in New York. This offseason, Gang Green gave up on him and traded him the Browns. His time in Cleveland was short-lived after he got into a pre-practice fight with teammate Ricardo Louis. Pryor hoped for a restart with the Jaguars, but he was released after spending much of the year on IR.
Pryor may never fulfill his potential, but he could be a good future/reserve candidate in Houston. In 2016, Pryor finished out with 62 tackles and six passes defended in 15 games, so he’s shown that he at least has the talent to be on someone’s 53-man roster.