NFC Links: Eagles, Lynch, Suh, Panthers
Former offensive tackle Tra Thomas was a member of the Eagles coaching staff this past season, but the 40-year-old wasn’t retained for 2015. Thomas spent time as a full-time assistant on both offense and defense, and he felt like he was actually making an impact on the players.
As a result, it was a surprise when he learned he wouldn’t be back with the organization next season.
“I was a little bit surprised just because when I switched over to the outside linebackers, they improved last year,” Thomas said on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philly (via Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com). “The last season, they put up 16 sacks, and then you switch me over to the other side, I start working with ’em, and then this past season we put up 26.5 sacks. Connor Barwin went from five sacks to 14.5 sacks. So I was a little bit surprised just because you can look at the numbers and see that there was improvement in that group. But it’s just the way it goes.
“I went in and asked Coach [Kelly] what my situation was gonna be, and what I was told was that position I had was just kind of something they made up for me to get me some experience on this side of the game, and that it’s not gonna exist next year.”
More from the Eagles amid notes from the NFC…
- Looking ahead towards the Eagles‘ tight end depth in 2015, Kapadia believes the team will ultimately keep Brent Celek and Zach Ertz. Due to James Casey‘s contract, Kapadia believes the team will part ways with the veteran if they think Trey Burton can adequately replace him.
- It isn’t a guarantee that running back Marshawn Lynch will play in the NFL next season, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. With only one year remaining on his contract, Florio believes the threat of Lynch not playing could be enough to force the Seahawks to pay the running back. According to the writer, there’s also a chance that the 28-year-old has simply decided he’s “had enough.”
- Following news yesterday that the Lions informed a free agent defensive tackle that they expect Ndamukong Suh to be back in Detroit next season, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press says the two sides have not resumed negotiations.
- As the Panthers seek help on the offensive line, Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer suggests the team checks out former Ravens and Titans lineman Michael Oher. The former first-rounder was released by Tennessee earlier this week.
2015 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates: NFC South
The deadline for assigning a franchise or transition tag on a 2015 free-agent-to-be is less than a month away, and we’re in the process of taking a look at players who are candidates to be tagged this year. Last week, we examined all four AFC divisions, covering the East, North, South, and West. This week, we’ve shifted our focus to the NFC — we kicked things off on Tuesday with the East and tackled the North on Wednesday. Today, we’ll turn to the South. While there are fewer candidates to be tagged in this division than perhaps any other division in the league, here’s a breakdown of the possible franchise and transition tag candidates for the Falcons, Panthers, Saints, and Buccaneers:
Atlanta Falcons:
- Candidates: Matt Bryant
- Odds of being used: Possible
- There are many Falcons regulars eligible for free agency, but the list isn’t particularly inspiring. Among a group that includes Dwight Lowery, Kroy Biermann, Osi Umenyiora, Corey Peters, Josh Wilson, Robert McClain, Antone Smith, and Jacquizz Rodgers, there are no real candidates for the franchise tag, but Bryant could qualify. He currently falls just outside of the league’s top 10 highest-paid kickers, but he has been a model of consistency for Atlanta in recent years. In his past two seasons with the team, he has missed six total field goals, and five of those came from 50+ yards. The Falcons will want him back, so tagging him could be an option if the two sides don’t work anything out before March 3.
Carolina Panthers:
- Candidates: None
- Odds of being used: Extremely unlikely
- When examining other divisions and other teams, I’ve generally listed players as candidates to be tagged if their teams used a tag on them a year ago. But it’s hard to argue the case for Greg Hardy to get the franchise tag again. A domestic violence charge relegated Hardy to the exempt list all season, and the defensive end may be facing an additional suspension for the 2015 season. There’s no question he’s talented, and if he makes it to the open market, Hardy should draw interest from teams willing to look past his off-field troubles. But Carolina certainly shouldn’t need to commit to another eight-digit salary to bring him back. The club’s only other conceivable candidate is Byron Bell, but that’s only because he played an important position in 2014. Bell’s trial run at left tackle wasn’t a real success story — Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him 83rd out of 84 qualified tackles.
New Orleans Saints:
- Candidates: Shayne Graham
- Odds of being used: Unlikely
- Like the Falcons, the Saints’ top candidate for a tag is their kicker. In New Orleans’ case, however, it’s more of a long shot. Graham performed passably for the team in 2014, but it certainly wasn’t the sort of season that warrants paying the 37-year-old like one of the league’s best kickers. Mark Ingram is another intriguing name among the Saints’ list of free-agents-to-be, but given the cost of the franchise tag for running backs compared to what most backs are actually being paid these days, it wouldn’t make much sense to tag him.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
- Candidates: None
- Odds of being used: Extremely unlikely
- Safety Major Wright and linebacker Mason Foster are perhaps the Buccaneers’ most notable prospective free agents, and neither player was a core player — both guys only played about half the team’s defensive snaps. There’s no viable franchise tag candidate in Tampa Bay.
NFC South Notes: Haralson, Saints, Panthers
The Saints are starting to work on their free agents but there’s nothing new regarding linebacker Parys Haralson yet, according to Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter). The 31-year-old played in all 16 games in 2014 and made 12 starts. He registered 36 total tackles, 3.0 sacks, and 1 fumble recovery on the year. More from the NFC South..
- Renee Benson testified Wednesday that her stepmother has kept her from seeing her father, Saints owner Tom Benson, Katherine Sayre of The Times-Picayune writes. Renee, Rita and Ryan Benson are waging a legal fight to have Tom Benson declared incompetent to manage his sports empire and other wealth. Last month, the 87-year-old announced that he intends to leave full ownership and control of the Saints (and the NBA’s Pelicans) to wife Gayle Benson rather than the three previous heirs.
- Assistant wide receivers coach Carter Sheridan officially left the Saints to become the receivers coach at Tulane, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes. Sheridan was with the Saints organization for eleven years, starting out as an intern in the marketing department in 2004 before he made the transition to the coaching staff.
- The Panthers promoted assistant Bruce DeHaven to the position of special teams coordinator and he’ll have his work cut out for him. If DeHaven and the Panthers are serious about improving in the third facet of the game, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer says they need to start by adding a veteran returner since they never properly replaced Ted Ginn last year. GM Dave Gettleman said last month he was considering bringing in players to play exclusively on special teams and Person supports that idea. The Panthers finished at or near the bottom in a number of key special teams categories under Richard Rodgers, who was moved to the defensive staff.
South Notes: Jones, Blackmon, LeBeau
News out of the AFC and NFC South..
- Some have concluded that since Julio Jones has one year left on his contract and is on the verge of getting a lucrative extension that new Falcons coach Dan Quinn would prefer to trade him for extra draft picks. However, his comments during a Tuesday news conference indicate that Jones is a part of Quinn’s gameplan going forward. “Absolutely — I can’t wait (to meet him). Just a chance to go through the process with him. … We love great players. We’re trying to celebrate all the good guys. We’re trying to collect more great players, not the other way around,” Quinn said, according to Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- The odds are against guys like Josh Gordon and Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon making it back to the NFL, opines Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Both have lots of work ahead of them in the league substance abuse program and have spent a good deal of time away from the team structure.
- Dick LeBeau might have several former players who could be available to join him with the Titans, as Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. Safety Troy Polamalu, defensive end Brett Keisel, linebacker James Harrison, and cornerback Ike Taylor could all be available and interested in a reunion with the 77-year-old coach. Polamalu currently has two years left on his deal with Pittsburgh but it’s conceivable that they could part ways. Taylor was considering retirement but recently decided that he would return to football.
- Panthers coach Ron Rivera reassigned special teams coordinator Richard Rodgers, sources told Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Carolina’s special teams finished at or near the bottom in a number of major special teams categories this past season. Rivera will promote Rodgers’ assistant Bruce DeHaven to fill that role.
NFC Mailbags: Rams, Panthers, Lions, Giants
We took a look at notes from ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now shift our focus to the NFC…
- Even if the Rams end up re-signing wideout Kenny Britt, Nick Wagoner believes it wouldn’t be farfetched for the team to take a receiver with their first-round pick.
- Greg Olsen would like to get an extension worked out before next season, and David Newton says it’d be wise for the Panthers to sign the tight end. The writer points out that signing Cam Newton is the team’s main priority, but re-signing Olsen is not far down the list.
- Michael Rothstein writes that it’s “feasible” for the Lions to pay Ndamukong Suh more than J.J. Watt, but the writer notes that it would likely depend on the contract’s structure. Rothstein believes the team may have an eye towards the expected cap increases in future seasons, which means the team would prefer a backloaded contract.
- Besides Jason Pierre-Paul, Dan Graziano isn’t entirely sure which of the Giants free agents the organization would want to re-sign. Antrel Rolle could return, but Graziano doesn’t expect the safety to take a discount. The writer has similar feelings toward safety Stevie Brown and defensive tackle Mike Patterson.
NFC Notes: Maclin, Frank Gore, Ed Dickson
Let’s take a look at some news items from the NFC…
- We heard earlier today that Jeremy Maclin‘s agent had begun extension talks with the Eagles, and now the veteran receiver has weighed on in the notion that Philadelphia can’t afford both he and running back LeSean McCoy (who has indicated he isn’t open to a pay cut). “I don’t know where everything started, people saying they can’t keep us both,” Maclin told Comcast SportsNet’s John Clark (link via Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com). “I think that’s crazy. As far as what he does with his deal, that’s not my place to comment on that. There’s no reason why you can’t keep us both. That’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve heard all offseason.”
- Had the 49ers hired Rob Chudzinski as offensive coordinator, Matt Barrows of the Sacrament Bee would have placed good odds on running back Frank Gore returning to San Francisco next season, as Chud was Gore’s OC at the University of Miami. Now that the club has instead promoted Geep Chryst, Barrows thinks Gore’s future in the Bay Area is less clear.
- After signing a one-year deal for the veteran minimum to join the Panthers last year, tight end Ed Dickson would like to return to Carolina in 2015, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Dickson would like to sign a multi-year contract, and has spoken to offensive coordinator Mike Shula about augmenting his role in the offense, Person adds.
South Notes: Titans, Panthers, Falcons, Saints
The Titans have parted ways with vice president of player personnel Lake Dawson, the team announced on Twitter. “This was not an easy decision and I want to thank Lake for his time with the team,” general manager Ruston Webster said. “This new structure will help us streamline things from both the college and pro perspectives. We will move forward without a VP of Player Personnel and the college and pro sides will report directly to me.” It’s a bit surprising that Tennessee would fire Dawson, who’s been with the club since 2007, as he’s been in high demand around the league — he had interviewed for the GM posts in Miami, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, and Chicago.
Let’s look at some more notes from the South divisions:
- Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis is looking forward to seeing what GM Dave Gettleman and the front office can do this offseason to improve Carolina’s roster, as he tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Gettleman recently said the Panthers would be moving out of the “dollar store” this winter, and Davis was “very encouraged” by those comments. “It’s going to be interesting to see how things go this offseason,” Davis said. “We’ve had two offseasons where we didn’t do a whole lot in free agency. But we’ll see what happens this year.”
- With a new head coach set to be introduced next week and a front office that has undergone some changes this month, it’s not entirely clear who will have the final say on certain football decisions in Atlanta. Speaking to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, Falcons owner Arthur Blank repeatedly stressed that he expects most football matters to be collaboratively decided by Dan Quinn, Thomas Dimitroff, and Scott Pioli. Quinn and Dimitroff will report separately to Blank, while Pioli will report to Dimitroff.
- Asked today on The Jim Rome Show about what went wrong for the Saints in 2014 and how it can be addressed for 2015, quarterback Drew Brees pointed to an unusual amount of roster turnover, particularly involving core players: “It’s about getting back to building our organization and framework from the ground up again and make sure we are on the same page” (link via NewOrleansSaints.com).
NFC Notes: Lions, Highsmith, Fewell
Throughout the course of last offseason and in the season, Lions GM Martin Mayhew made a plethora of moves to try and improve the team. Some worked and some didn’t and Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com broke it all down. Mayhew hit on some, like wide receiver Golden Tate, who proved to be one of the best free agent pickups in the entire NFL. The same can’t be said for tight end Brandon Pettigrew, however, who was brought back on a deal with $8MM in guaranteed money and hardly used in the passing game. More from the NFC..
- The Packers denied Washington‘s request to interview personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith, a league source tells Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Texans were blocked from hiring him a few years ago, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes.
- Washington announced that they have hired former Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell as their new defensive backs coach, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Fewell replaces Raheem Morris, who was plucked away by the Falcons earlier this week.
- Brandon LaFell doesn’t understand why Panthers GM Dave Gettleman rebuilt the roster after a successful 2013, but he’s not dwelling on it, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. “They didn’t give me an explanation for why they did it. They didn’t owe me one,” LaFell said. “I appreciate those guys drafting me and giving me an opportunity to play ball. I love those guys and wish them the best.” LaFell got a three-year, $9MM offer from New England and Carolina chose not to match.
- Panthers offensive assistant John Ramsdell is retiring, as Bryan Strickland of Panthers.com writes. Ramsdell has spent 19 years as an NFL coach and 19 more as a college coach.
Extra Points: Pats, Cutler, Adams, Olsen
With many in the media slamming the Patriots over the Deflategate scandal, owner Robert Kraft stood in front of the media on Monday night to defend his team. “If the Wells investigation is not able to definitively determine that our organization tampered with the air pressure in the footballs,” Kraft said, according to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun , “I would expect and hope that the league would apologize to our entire team, and in particular coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady for what they have had to endure this past week.” More from around the NFL..
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com spoke with CSNChicago.com about a number of Bears-centric topics, including quarterback Jay Cutler. At this point, he says, there’s a much better chance of Chicago keeping Cutler than dealing him.
- Mike Wells of ESPN.com feels that the Colts should prioritize re-signing safety Mike Adams. Adams wants to return to Indianapolis, but he also learned last offseason that the business of the NFL doesn’t always allow for a reunion. Adams waited around for the Broncos to re-sign him before finally joining up with the Colts in June. Upon joining the Colts, Adams became a vocal leader in the secondary and their best defensive back not named Vontae Davis this season.
- Panthers tight end Greg Olsen and middle linebacker Luke Kuechly are both set to hit the open market after the 2015 season and are in line for big pay bumps, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. The Panthers can keep Kuechly, the No. 9 pick in the 2012 draft, by exercising their fifth-year option on him. Meanwhile, Olsen said he and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, have yet to have any substantial contract talks with the Panthers, but he hopes something can get done before the start of the season. “We’ll see how the offseason goes. There haven’t been any really major developments on that front,” Olsen said. “Of course, I would love to finish my career there. I’d love to be able to get something done going into this season and know that I’ll be a part of the team for a while.”
- In Monday night’s presser, Belichick expressed gratitude to Patriots owner Robert Kraft for hiring him as head coach many years ago, as Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. “Mr. Kraft gave up quite a bit in order to work out the trade for me to be part of this organization after I resigned from the Jets,” the coach said.
Panthers GM On Veterans, Free Agency, Offseason Priorities
Dave Gettleman has already experienced plenty of success during his brief tenure as the Panthers general manager. Carolina has won consecutive division titles for the first time in team history, and their 12-4 mark in 2013 was the best finish by the organization since 2008. The Panthers finished an underwhelming 7-8-1 in 2014, but they still managed to get past the Wild Card round with a 27-16 victory over the Cardinals.
This offseason could be a big one for the organization as they look to take the next step. Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer sat down with Gettleman to discuss the team’s offseason plans, including the draft and free agency. The entire piece is worth a read, but we pulled out some of the more interesting highlights, which you can find below.
On whether it’s realistic for the team to bring back offensive lineman Byron Bell:
“Anything’s feasible. You’re talking hypothetical again. I’ve said this before, we look to upgrade everywhere. Because of my theory of taking the best player available, we’re going to take the best player available. And if it gives you a glut at that position, so be it. That position will be a hell of a strength. That’s the way we approach it.”
On how much cap room he’d like to have heading into free agency:
“Sitting pretty for anybody would be $20 million under. Here’s what people have to understand, you can’t spend all that money because you have to have your season reverse. And the season reverse has to be $5-6 million. You’ve got to have that. You always want to be in a position where if you get injuries and have to make an add, I don’t go to (director of pro scouting) Mark Koncz and say, ‘I need a receiver, and by the way we don’t have any money for anyone but a zero.’ And I’ve been in that situation when I was a pro (scouting) guy when no one was there.”
On when he’ll start discussing the future with some veteran players, including running back DeAngelo Williams:
“When it’s right. I’m not going to tell you a date. When it’s right. The biggest thing is, they’re men, they’re people, and I’m going to treat them with the utmost respect. The conversations will take place when it’s time.”
On the team’s biggest priority this offseason outside of the draft and free agency:
“The biggest priority is to continue to work the plan we’re working. To understand that it’s a process. It takes time, and we feel we’ve made strong strides with the plan. We’ve been patient and we haven’t pressed and haven’t tried to force square pegs into round holes. That’s the biggest priority is understanding that we’re getting there. You’ve got to keep working the plan. You can’t make emotional decisions or snap judgments.”