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Offseason In Review: New York Giants

July 13th, 2015 at 1:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The most notable Giants offseason story is still developing, as Jason Pierre-Paul‘s status is fluid after the All-Pro end underwent a finger amputation stemming from the now-infamous fireworks mishap. The Giants did make many notable moves before the final link to their legendary Super Bowl-winning defensive end corps put his season in jeopardy. However, this incident overshadows them, considering Big Blue didn’t bring in or lose a high-profile player in free agency in its quest to rebound from a 6-10 mark — its worst finish since 2004.

Notable signings:

When Rashad Jennings was healthy, he was clearly the Giants’ best runner last season. But overall, the team struggled on the ground, ranking 23rd in rushing yards, with their free agent acquisition starting just nine games. Andre Williams offered flashes of potential, but the rookie remained raw, averaging just 3.3 yards per carry. The experience the 2014 fourth-rounder accrued, coupled with an enviable size/speed package, appeared to have the ex-Boston College runner’s stock pointing upward. But Williams’ playing time figures to be reduced this season after the Giants splurged on Vereen.

The Patriots’ preferred third-down back will be the Giants’ best backfield receiving target since Tiki Barber, with a key path toward passing-down work in New York. Vereen’s 52 receptions last season would’ve outdone any Giant runner since Barber’s 58 in ’06. Needless to say, the fifth-year veteran represents a significant upgrade for the Giants’ passing game. Jennings served as a three-down back under optimal circumstances last season but will lose that third-down role to Vereen, who could loosen Jennings’ grip on early-down carries. Although Vereen’s 96 totes last season doubled as his career high, while Jennings has three straight 100-plus-carry campaigns. The ex-Pats pass-catcher will now make the 10th-most money, on average, among backs, per OverTheCap.

Another former Patriot would’ve easily been the Giants’ biggest free agency coup, but Devin McCourty balked at Big Blue’s offer and returned to New England. Instead, the Giants doled out some of that money in curious fashion, handing Harris $3.5MM per season. This marks the second straight offseason the Giants signed a returner, and they gave a less-accomplished specialist far more money than they did to Trindon Holliday last year. Although an injured Holliday departed without playing for the Giants, Harris is set to be the team’s second-highest-paid wideout in 2016 with a $3.8MM cap number set to dwarf Odell Beckham‘s.

Special teams weren’t exactly a Giants strength last season — 18th in kickoff-return average; 19th on punt returns — but devoting that kind of cash to a player who at best will be fourth on a healthy receiver depth chart is interesting. Harris didn’t have a particularly good contract year in the return game but compiled solid seasons prior to that to give the indication that while the payment is outlandish, the Giants will be in better hands in the return game. The contract of Thomas, who was the worst Jaguars linebacker last season on Pro Football Focus’ metrics, figures to give the former Jags and Bears cog a good chance to start in New York after accruing just 12 in four seasons. It seems like Big Blue could’ve acquired this kind of player in the draft at a much cheaper rate.

In light of Will Beatty‘s torn pectoral malady that will force the left tackle to miss at least the first half of the regular season, Newhouse could reascend into a starting role. That kind of responsibility hasn’t been good to the journeyman tackle, who’s ranged from inconsistent to consistently bad in his four-year career, but the Giants have him slotted to start at right tackle entering training camp. This allows Justin Pugh to move to guard, where Giants coaches believe the former first-round pick can play at an All-Pro level. As strange as that may sound after Pugh’s adequate-at-best tackle output, he may have to relocate again if Newhouse struggles while Beatty’s out.

Notable losses:

The obvious subtraction on this roster comes at safety, where New York lost its top three performers. With Rolle, Demps and Brown departing, the Giants enter training camp thin on their back line. Playing 16-game seasons in each of his five Giants dockets, Rolle left to sign with the Bears. While on the downside of his career after a shaky 2014, Rolle held key leadership responsibilities for the Giants and was a Pro Bowl-caliber player as recently as 2013.

Two years removed from his freakish eight-interception 2012 slate, Brown did not follow that up with seasons which maintained that value. The former seventh-round Raiders draft pick ended up taking a one-year deal from the Texans. PFF rated Demps worse than Brown last year, and the two formed an unremarkable coalition at free safety. But their work may be better than what could be in store at that spot this season. Fifth-round picks with zero combined snaps, Cooper Taylor and Mykkele Thompson, from 2014 and 2015, respectively, will join Nat Berhe (32 career snaps) in the tussle for the job. Gordy and Bennett Jackson may join this makeshift battle as former corners who were reassigned due likely to the lean depth here.

The Giants’ secondary reboot also meant moving on from Bowman and Thurmond, respectively, leaving Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara as the only New York secondary cogs who participated in more than half of last season’s snaps due back. Signed to a one-year, $3.5MM deal out of Seattle last March, Thurmond played just 67 snaps last season before heading to injured reserve, signing with the Eagles for almost the same amount and lobbing a salvo at Tom Coughlin on the way out. Thurmond’s injury, though, helped create time for Brown, Jayron Hosley, Mike Harris and Trumaine McBride, the latter receiving positive marks at PFF in each of his first two seasons with the team. With no cornerbacks selected in the draft, this quartet of veterans represents the Giants’ outside depth.

Save for DRC and Robert Ayers, much of the Giants’ 2014 free agent corps did not produce favorable returns, with Walton at the forefront of these shortcomings. The former Broncos starter who did not exactly come to New York with a track record of success lived up to his reputation by grading out as the fourth-worst center in the league, per PFF. Axed one year into a two-year, $5MM deal, Walton, after starting auditions with two teams, appears set for utility work in Miami. Walton’s departure paves a path for Weston Richburg to slide over from left guard, where he sputtered as a rookie, and play his natural center position. Richburg will be the Giants’ third starting center in three years.

Kiwanuka, once part of the famed NASCAR package during Super Bowl title campaigns, saw injuries help him deteriorate into a liability the past two seasons. The nine-year Giant’s release saved the team $4.83MM in cap space and leaves Amukamara as the team’s longest-tenured defender. With Kiwanuka gone and Pierre-Paul’s status uncertain, Ayers will be asked to play a bigger role after performing well in 386 snaps last season. Though the former first-rounder sputtered when given a full-time role early in his Denver tenure, Ayers quietly has become a solid performer, stringing together three straight respectable campaigns. He might be ready to assume more responsibility this season.

Extensions and restructures:

As our Dallas Robinson noted recently, Jenkins and Beason were likely to be asked to relinquish their playbooks had they not agreed to these restructures. Once a coveted free agent, the 34-year-old Jenkins occupies just a $2.1MM hold on the Giants’ cap this year. Still just 30, Beason may be close to the end, having missed 40 games the past four seasons. The former first-round pick may be the best option the Giants have to deploy in the middle, but Beason certainly can’t be counted on for steady availability. Jameel McClain may again be needed to provide emergency help after playing 993 snaps last year and finishing as the Giants’ tackles leader.

Schwartz enters the season as the Giants’ most valuable offensive lineman. Despite missing most of last year and helping to plunge the New York offensive front deep into mediocrity in doing so, Schwartz will be counted on in 2015 to deliver the kind of production he did for the Chiefs in 2013. And he’ll be attempting to do so at a bargain rate. PFF still favored Schwartz’s run-blocking on a sieve-like unit that featured horrendous gap creation, leading to the Giants’ 3.6 yards-per-carry average that ranked 28th in the league. A Schwartz-Pugh guard tandem will be in a better position to raise that figure than their predecessors.

Trades:

  • Acquired a 2015 second-round pick (No. 33; S Landon Collins) from the Titans in exchange for a 2015 second-round pick (No. 40; WR Dorial Green-Beckham), a fourth-round pick (No. 108; FB Jalston Fowler), and a seventh-round pick (No. 245; WR Tre McBride).

Draft picks:

  • 1-9: Ereck Flowers, T (Miami): Signed
  • 2-33: Landon Collins, S (Alabama): Signed
  • 3-74: Owa Odighizuwa, DE (UCLA): Signed
  • 5-144: Mykkele Thompson, S (Texas): Signed
  • 6-186: Geremy Davis, WR (Connecticut): Signed
  • 7-226: Bobby Hart, T (Florida State): Signed

The aforementioned dearth at safety made the trade to No. 33 vital for the Giants. With Collins projected by some to go in the first round, paying this price to move up seven spots to select the first-team All-American could prove critical. Collins’ range, which is not his strong suit, will be tested immediately come Week 1, considering the Giants’ strong safety situation won’t exactly force the rookie to put together a strong training camp to crack the starting lineup. The Alabama alum will see extensive action, as will the team’s top-10 pick.

Flowers will open the season as the Giants’ starting left tackle, as opposed to the more familiar right side where he was expected to line up. Although the ex-Hurricane has his detractors, the Giants now appear wise to have addressed this position in a prominent spot; Flowers represents Big Blue’s biggest investment in a rookie offensive lineman since they selected guard John Hicks at No. 5 in 1974. Pugh did not work out as hoped at right tackle, and Flowers has a more imposing rookie challenge in preparing to set the left edge for a unit that performed poorly in 2014. The 6-foot-6 standout did not allow a sack against ACC competition and obviously has a high ceiling, but Flowers will need to ramp up his consistency against competition a bit more daunting.

Destined for a nickname, Odighizuwa may be in a position to contribute earlier than his college profile of 12.5 sacks in four seasons suggests (although PFF refers to this facet of Odighizuwa’s game as underrated). But two hip surgeries do raise concerns for the newest contributor at an edge-rushing position that’s suddenly one of the Giants’ questionable areas after being a massive strength for most of the past 35 years.

Other:

The Pierre-Paul ordeal is the most interesting issue plaguing one of the Giants’ veteran bastions, but it’s not the only one. Victor Cruz‘s recovery from a torn patella tendon places the slot target’s ability to reach his former performance standard in question, and Eli Manning is entering the last year of his deal.

The 55-year-old Spagnuolo returns to the post he occupied in 2007 and ’08, but he doesn’t remotely have the weaponry at his disposal those teams possessed. After guiding a Saints corps that set an NFL record for yielded yardage in 2012, Spagnuolo has seen his reputation take a hit since the Rams hired him as their head coach in 2009. An alarming number of Fewell’s charges went down with season-ending injuries, but the Giants weren’t soaring before the ailments piled up. Fewell’s five-year tenure is long in modern coordinator standards, and the unit’s repeated pratfalls in recent slates (they were ranked 31st in 2012 and 29th last season in yardage allowed) probably necessitated a transition.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

  1. Eli Manning, QB: $19,750,000
  2. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE: $14,813,000
  3. Victor Cruz, WR: $8,125,000
  4. Will Beatty, LT: $8,050,000
  5. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB: $7,250,000
  6. Prince Amukamara, CB: $6,898,000
  7. Jon Beason, LB: $4,154,166
  8. Jameel McClain, LB: $3,400,000
  9. David Baas, C: $3,225,000 (dead money)
  10. Steve Weatherford, P: $3,075,000

Even though they were bound to get better with the potential for a Week 1 featuring Schwartz and Cruz back among the starting 11, the Giants probably improved offensively this offseason. But the issues with their top offensive and defensive linemen cloud any such progression. The latter leaves New York’s pass rush in doubt, and plenty will have to coalesce to envision the Giants contending with the Cowboys and Eagles for the division title deep into the season.

Contract information from OverTheCap and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.

Offseason In Review: Cincinnati Bengals

July 12th, 2015 at 3:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The early-2000’s “Cincinnati Bungles” moniker is no longer appropriate for the club that resides in the Queen City. Yes, the team has gone one-and-out in the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, and yes, head coach Marvin Lewis is still 0-6 overall in the postseason. But the mere fact that that Bengals have earned a playoff berth for four consecutive years is impressive in and of itself, and the organization — through its approach to the draft, free agency, and the salary cap — is on its way to becoming one of the more respected franchises in the NFL. How did the offseason’s happenings affect their fortunes?

Notable signings:

Armed with nearly $35MM of cap space when the offseason began, the Bengals — as is their wont — didn’t do all that much during free agency, handing out just $15.655MM in total guarantees. Sticking to their strategy of signing and retaining familiar players, Cincinnati gave money to just three players — linebacker A.J. Hawk, receiver Denarius Moore, and safety Shiloh Keo — who hadn’t played for the club at some point during their career.

Defensive end Michael Johnson was one of four signees who had previously spent time in the Queen City; the 28-year-old had spent the first five seasons of his career with the Bengals before defecting to Tampa Bay prior to the 2014 season. The Buccaneers released Johnson just one season into a five-year deal, incurring $7MM in dead money in the process, and the Bengals quickly swooped in (warding off former defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and the Vikings) to reunite with the veteran end, agreeing to a four-year pact that, while worth $26MM in total, contains just $4.5MM in guaranteed money. Johnson isn’t the sort of elite pass rusher than many thought Cincinnati — which finished with an NFL-low 20 sacks — might go after in free agency, but he did post two top 10 finishes among 4-3 defensive ends during his last two seasons with the Bengals, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), thanks in large part to his acumen against the run.

Unlike Johnson, guard Clint Boling never left Cincinnati, re-signing on a four-year, $26MM deal on the second day of free agency after the Jets, Falcons, and Vikings all expressed interest. Boling, 26, has been a full-time starter along the Bengals’ front five for three seasons, starting 44 games during that span. After grading as PFF’s 20th-best guard in 2014, he’ll continue to add stability to an offensive line that, for 2015 at least, should remain intact, before serving as a veteran presence in the years to come, when said line could see some upheaval — more on that later.

At linebacker, Cincinnati re-signed Rey Maualuga, who will man the middle of the defense for the seventh straight season. In our Bengals Offseason Outlook post earlier this year, I wrote that Maualuga should probably expect to be retained via a modest, one-year deal, similar to the contracts he’d signed with the club in the past. So it was a bit surprising to see the Bengals not only commit to three years with the former second-round pick, but hand him the same amount of guaranteed cash that Johnson received. Maualuga has never been an above-average player, but he’s reliable and well-versed in the team’s defensive scheme, qualities Cincinnati obviously values. The club also brought in former Packer A. J. Hawk on a short-term agreement, and while the veteran has certainly lost a step, he’s capable of acting in a reserve role, and could be valuable insurance in the event that Vontaze Burfict continues to deal with injuries.

The rest of Cincinnati’s additions are a mix of backup/special team-type players (Eric Winston, Cedric Peerman), veterans unlikely to make the final 53-man roster (Brandon Tate, Devon Still) and interesting dart throws, one of which is receiver Denarius Moore. Though it seems as though he’s been in the league for quite a long time, Moore is still only 26 years old, and though his 2015 was a far cry from his 2012-13 numbers — when he averaged a 48/618/6 line — he’s proficient enough to serve as the Bengals’ fourth receiver.

Notable losses:

The Bengals didn’t add much in free agency, but they also didn’t lose a ton, either, as their biggest loss is tight end Jermaine Gresham, who as of this writing still hasn’t found a new team (largely due to his undergoing back surgery earlier this year). Gresham played the most 2014 snaps of any departing free agent (900 on the dot), but he wasn’t overly effective outside of pass blocking situations. A return to Cincinnati can all but be ruled out — Gresham reportedly angered some in the locker room by failing to play through injuries near the end of the season (though the fact that he had surgery might prove that said injuries were more serious than originally thought) — as the club will turn to Tyler Eifert and two draft picks to fortify the tight end position.

At age 36, Terence Newman actually played the second-most snaps of any Bengals cornerback, as the club continued to take the slow route in terms of Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard‘s development. But with those two primed to take on a larger role in 2015, Leon Hall assigned to slot duties, and fellow veteran Adam Jones still hanging around, it didn’t make sense for Cincinnati to retain Newman, who’d been with with the club for three years. Newman, a first-round pick way back in 2003, followed Zimmer to Minnesota, inking a one-year, $2.5MM deal. Taylor Mays — a defensive back who had primarily become a dime linebacker — also won’t be back, having already joined two NFC North clubs (Vikings, then Lions) this offseason.

Quarterback Jason Campbell is three years younger than Newman, but it sounds as if he’s already set to call it a career, as reports last month indicated that although nothing is official, Campbell is planning to retire in the near future. The news isn’t that important in and of itself (Campbell only attempted 19 passes last year), but it does mean that second-year pro A.J. McCarron is poised to take over the No. 2 quarterback job. The Bengals have already signed and released Terrelle Pryor, and while veteran Josh Johnson is back in town after a one-year hiatus, most expect McCarron to run with the backup job in 2015.

Along the offensive line, Cincinnati saw the loss of both Marshall Newhouse and Mike Pollak — both played around 400-450 snaps last season, but Pollak was the more effective player according to PFF, garnering a +5.0 grade compared to Newhouse’s -11.6. The Bengals didn’t attempt to re-sign Newhouse, as he he wouldn’t have had a role given that the club spent two high draft picks on offensive tackles. Pollak, meanwhile, was released, and subsequently retired a few months later.

Finally, defensive end Robert Geathers may have had the quietest exit of any player who had spent more than a decade with a club. The 31-year-old once posted 10.5 sacks (back in 2006) and had started 104 games during his tenure in Cincinnati, but he hadn’t registered a start in more than two years. Given that he ranked dead last in PFF’s 4-3 defensive end rankings, it’s conceivable that Geathers’ career is over.

 Draft picks:

  • 1-21: Cedric Ogbuehi, OL (Texas A&M): Signed
  • 2-53: Jake Fisher, T (Oregon): Signed
  • 3-85: Tyler Kroft, TE (Rutgers): Signed
  • 3-99: Paul Dawson, LB (TCU): Signed
  • 4-120: Josh Shaw, DB (USC): Signed
  • 4-135: Marcus Hardison, DT (Arizona State): Signed
  • 5-157: C.J. Uzomah, TE (Auburn): Signed
  • 6-197: Derron Smith, S (Fresno State): Signed
  • 7-238: Mario Alford, WR/KR (West Virginia): Signed

Both Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher were popular Bengals targets in mock drafts leading up to the actual event, but almost everyone was surprised that the club snagged both of them. Not only did most people think Fisher would be gone by pick No. 53, but no one surmised that Cincinnati would use its first two picks on offensive lineman, especially given that the team’s front five is mostly set. But with Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith both heading for free agency at year’s end, the picks could prove astute.

Ogbuehi, recovering from a ACL tear, is a candidate to begin the season on the physically unable to perform list. Even if he is healthy enough to play at some point this season, his snaps figure to be limited by the presence of Whitworth. While his ascendance to playing time might wait until 2016, Fisher could see a fair amount of snaps this year. Cincinnati coaches worked Fisher at nearly every spot along the line during rookie minicamp and OTAs, so he could fill in either at tackle or guard in the event of an injury (or even supplant Smith at right tackle if the veteran struggles again in 2015).

Elsewhere, Tyler Kroft and C.J. Uzomah will be pressed into duty almost immediately, as they’re expected to act as starter Tyler Eifert‘s backups at tight end. Paul Dawson, who fell in the draft due to character concerns, has been lauded as a steal by those in the know, with some painting him as a poor man’s Vontaze Burfict. Josh Shaw and Derron Smith will compete for backup spots in the secondary, while Mario Alford is likely to push Brandon Tate off the roster.

It’s odd, but the Bengals rookie that figures to see the most snaps in 2015 (barring injuries) is Kroft, the team’s third-round pick. Given the state of the club’s offensive line, Ogbuehi’s recovery from injury, and the lack of depth at tight end, Kroft will be thrown into the fire immediately.

Other:

Marvin Lewis inked his 8th new contract/extension with the Bengals, and for the second consecutive year, he signed a deal that will extend his contract by one season. Thanks to the fresh contract, he won’t be a lame duck coach, but if the Bengals once again fail to win a playoff game, it’s fair to wonder if Lewis will be around much longer. Lewis, the second-longest tenured head coach in the NFL, owns the record for most career victories by a Bengals head coach.

Cincinnati picked up the fifth-year options on both Dre Kirkpatrick and Kevin Zeitler, and an April report indicated that the club is anxious to sign both to long-term extensions. The Bengals just invested a hefty sum in fellow guard Clint Boling, and drafted offensive lineman with their first two picks, so they might have some leverage over Zeitler as talks progress. Kirkpatrick is probably more important to lock up — as Leon Hall and Adam Jones age, Kirkpatrick is essentially the team’s No. 1 corner.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

  1. A.J. Green, WR: $10,176,000
  2. Andy Dalton, QB: $9,600,000
  3. Leon Hall, CB: $9,600,000
  4. Geno Atkins, DT: $9,000,000
  5. Rey Maualuga, LB: $7,137,500
  6. Andre Smith, RT: $6,362,500
  7. Andrew Whitworth, LT: $6,200,000
  8. Vontaze Burfict, LB: $5,175,000
  9. Clint Boling, G: $5,100,000
  10. Carlos Dunlap, DE: $4,900,000

Anyone expecting the Bengals to have an overly active offseason was — predictably — disappointed once again. Cincinnati will never be a club that goes after the Ndamukong Suh‘s of the world, but they will keep their own, as evidenced by their retaining players like Boling and Maualuga, and bringing back familiar faces like Johnson. It’s an approach that works (see: Green Bay Packers), but until the Bengals finally get over the hump and win a playoff game, it won’t mean much to those observing the team.

Contract information from Over the Cap and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.

Offseason In Review: Baltimore Ravens

July 12th, 2015 at 12:50pm CST by Rory Parks

Notable signings:

The Ravens’ weakest link last season was, without question, their secondary. Veteran corner Lardarius Webb missed three games early in the 2014 campaign with a lower back injury that clearly plagued him throughout the course of the season, and he would finish the year ranked 78th out of 108 qualified cornerbacks per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). An even bigger problem was the loss of standout corner Jimmy Smith, whose season was ended by a Week 8 Lisfranc injury. Due to injury and inconsistent performance, Baltimore was forced to deploy Anthony Levine, a natural safety, at cornerback, call on the services of bargain bin veterans such as Dominique Franks and Danny Gorrer, and thrust Rashaan Melvin from the practice squad into a starting role.

Making matters worse was the disappointing play of 2013 first-round pick Matt Elam, who was moved to his natural position of strong safety after spending his rookie campaign at free safety. PFF ranked Elam 78th out of 87 eligible safeties, which included an especially poor -12.7 grade in coverage. As his struggles continued, Elam appeared to lose confidence, and his ignominious season ended with his failing to make several relatively simple tackles in the team’s Divisional Round loss to the Patriots. Indeed, it was that playoff contest, in which the Ravens’ secondary failed to present even a meager challenge to New England’s pass offense, that prompted Baltimore to devote a great deal of attention to the unit this offseason.

The Ravens retained Will Hill on an original-round RFA tender, which was something of a no-brainer. Hill was suspended for the first seven games of the 2014 season, but he played very well when he returned to action, living up to the promise that he showed with the Giants in 2013. Joining him in the defensive backfield will be Kendrick Lewis, who parlayed a strong season as Houston’s free safety into a three-year, $5.4MM deal with Baltimore. Lewis will not make anyone forget about Ed Reed, but he and Hill should bring some much-needed stability to the Ravens’ safety position.

Baltimore also bolstered its cornerback corps by signing Kyle Arrington, who was released by the Patriots in May. Although Arrington has struggled when defending receivers outside the hash marks in his career, he has proven to be a very capable slot corner, which is most likely how the Ravens will use him.

The team’s secondary depth is still suspect; Baltimore did not select a corner in the 2015 draft until using a fourth-round selection on Texas Southern project Tray Walker, and it may still need to rely on the contributions of largely unproven players like Melvin and Asa Jackson and uninspiring veterans like Cassius Vaughn. However, the additions of Lewis and Arrington, the re-signing of Hill, and the anticipated good health of Smith and Webb may help turn a glaring weakness into a relative strength.

Outside of the secondary, Baltimore also addressed its backup quarterback situation by allowing Tyrod Taylor, who had served as Joe Flacco’s backup for four seasons, to leave in free agency. To replace him, the Ravens signed veteran Matt Schaub, whose skill set is more similar to Flacco’s and who brings a great deal of experience to the table. Schaub struggled in the team’s offseason practices, but he should at least be able to steady the ship for a couple of weeks should Flacco suffer an injury that keeps him out of game action for the first time in his career.

The Ravens also retained Justin Forsett on a relatively team-friendly deal after the journeyman back finally got his big break in 2014, gaining 1,266 yards while maintaining an excellent 5.4 yards per carry average and serving as a capable blocker and receiver. He did seem to slow down in the latter stages of the season and will likely be spelled more frequently by second-year back Lorenzo Taliaferro and rookie Buck Allen, but his return assures the Ravens of at least one high-quality player in the backfield.

Notable losses:

Luckily for the Ravens, they did not lose any truly irreplaceable players via release or free agency (the one player who may qualify as irreplaceable was traded, as we will detail below). Owen Daniels filled in nicely as the starting tight end after Dennis Pitta was lost for the season after a Week 3 hip injury, but Daniels, who has struggled with injury himself, is past his prime and was likely overpaid by the Broncos, who gave the Wisconsin product a three-year, $12MM deal this offseason. The Ravens hope that Pitta will be able to fully recover from his second major hip surgery in two years, but even if that seems unlikely at this point, Baltimore has confidence in second-year tight end Crockett Gillmore, who has shown proficiency as a blocker and some talent as a receiver, and highly-touted rookie Maxx Williams.

It was something of a curious decision to release Jacoby Jones, as the move did not save the Ravens a great deal of cap space and will leave the team without one of the more dynamic kick returners in the league. Baltimore has several potential replacements in Jackson, Michael Campanaro, and undrafted free agent DeAndre Carter, but it will be difficult to replace Jones, who is a threat to score whenever he touches the ball.

Torrey Smith, of course, is the biggest name to depart in free agency. However, Smith never developed into the complete receiver that the Ravens had hoped for, and though he played a crucial role in the Ravens’ success during his career in Baltimore, it wouldn’t have made much sense for the team to match the five-year, $40MM pact Smith landed from the 49ers. That is especially true for a receiver who is a good deep threat and who has an underrated knack for drawing pass interference penalties, but who seemed to regress in 2014 and who still struggles with route running and making contested catches. The Ravens are confident in their unheralded collection of receivers behind Steve Smith Sr., a group that includes Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown, Campanaro, and, most notably, Breshad Perriman, the team’s first-round pick in the 2015 draft who should at least be able to provide the deep threat that the Ravens lost with Torrey Smith’s departure.

On the opposite side of the ball, Pernell McPhee landed a five-year, $40MM contract from the Bears, which seems to be a steep price to pay for a player who has been used primarily as a situational pass rusher in his career. However, the Ravens will certainly miss McPhee’s Swiss Army knife ability to line up virtually anywhere along the front seven and get to the quarterback with such aplomb (despite his limited snap count, PFF graded McPhee as the second-best 3-4 OLB in the league, and his pass rush grade was lower than only two other players: All-Pros Justin Houston and Elvis Dumervil). Although Baltimore’s front seven, anchored by C.J. Mosley, Terrell Suggs, Dumervil, and Brandon Williams, should continue to be a strength, it will certainly need younger talents like Za’Darius Smith, Brent Urban, and Kapron Lewis-Moore to help fill the pass-rushing void.

Extensions and restructures:

As outlined above, Baltimore really had no other choice but to lock up Jimmy Smith with a long-term deal, despite the season-ending injury he suffered in Week 8. And, given the contracts handed out to top-flight corners like Patrick Peterson and Richard Sherman, and the lucrative deal that Byron Maxwell was able to pull down from Philadelphia, the extension for Smith looks eminently reasonable. He has demonstrated shutdown ability and is still in the prime of his career, so as long as he stays healthy, the contract may end up looking like a bargain.

Webb, meanwhile, is on the downside of his career, and he knew that if he did not take a pay cut, he would likely be released. He therefore agreed to rework his deal with the Ravens, which still allows him to earn more money than he would have received on the open market, but it also gives Baltimore a little financial flexibility. He and Smith will remain atop the Ravens’ cornerback depth chart this year, and the team did well to retain what should be a pretty strong starting tandem.

The Koch extension keeps one of the league’s more reliable punters under club control through 2020. Koch had been set to become a free agent after the 2015 season.

Trades:

  • Acquired a 2015 fourth-round pick and a 2015 fifth-round pic from the Lions in exchange for DT Haloti Ngata and a 2015 seventh-round pick.
  • Acquired a 2016 fourth-round pick from the Broncos in exchange for C Gino Gradkowski and a 2016 fifth-round pick.
  • Acquired a 2015 second-round pick (No. 55; TE Maxx Williams) from the Cardinals in exchange for a 2015 second-round pick (No. 58; DE/OLB Markus Golden) and a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 158; DE Shaq Riddick).

Losing Ngata is the biggest blow the Ravens were dealt in the offseason. The five-time All-Pro has been a mainstay in the interior of Baltimore’s defensive line since 2006, and he has put together a career that will easily get him entrenched in the Ravens’ Ring of Honor and could arguably earn him a bust in the NFL Hall of Fame. Ngata managed to do the dirty work required of interior linemen—eat up blockers and double-teams to give the linebackers room to run—while also establishing himself as a dominant playmaker in his own right. Excellent against both the run and pass, Ngata’s fearsome presence will missed in Baltimore.

However, he was suspended for the final four games of 2014 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and in those four games, the Ravens saw their two young linemen, Brandon Williams and Timmy Jernigan, effectively carry the load. With continued growth from those two players, along with expected contributions from solid if unspectacular mainstays like Chris Canty and DeAngelo Tyson—not to mention high-upside rookie Carl Davis—Baltimore can reasonably hope to minimize the impact of losing Ngata. Furthermore, the team created $8.5MM of cap room by dealing Ngata, and it used one of the draft picks obtained in the trade to land potential McPhee replacement Za’Darius Smith and the other as part of a package to land Williams, the consensus top tight end in the draft.

Draft picks:

  • 1-26: Breshad Perriman, WR (UCF): Signed
  • 2-55: Maxx Williams, TE (Minnesota): Signed
  • 3-90: Carl Davis, DT (Iowa): Signed
  • 4-122: Za’Darius Smith, DE/OLB (Kentucky): Signed
  • 4-125: Buck Allen, RB (USC): Signed
  • 4-136: Tray Walker, CB (Texas Southern): Signed
  • 5-171: Nick Boyle, TE (Delaware): Signed
  • 5-176: Robert Myers, G (Tennessee State): Signed
  • 6-204: Darren Waller, WR (Georgia Tech): Signed

We have already touched on most of these selections. Perriman will be expected to be an immediate contributor, and his speed, athleticism, and playmaking ability give him the potential to be an effective replacement for Torrey Smith. Perriman’s hands and his struggles with drops in his collegiate career have been justifiably criticized, but the Ravens have contended that those drops were due to more of a lack of concentration than a fundamental flaw in his ability. Even if Perriman does not become the top-flight wideout that has always eluded the Ravens, his physical gifts should at least help take the top off of opposing defenses and open underneath routes for Steve Smith Sr. and the team’s stable of tight ends.

Williams, meanwhile, has drawn favorable comparisons to former Raven Todd Heap, and his ability to stretch defenses and make catches up the seams should land him a fair amount of playing time in 2015, particularly if Pitta is unable to recover from his hip injury. Davis appears to be a steal at the No. 90 overall pick and should immediately become an effective part of the team’s defensive line rotation, and Za’Darius Smith—the less-heralded teammate of Pittsburgh first-round selection Bud Dupree—showed terrific edge-setting ability in college and has upside as a pass rusher.

Allen will likely be the team’s No. 3 running back to start the season, but his abilities as both a runner and receiver may allow him to overtake Taliaferro on the Ravens’ depth chart at some point in the 2015 campaign, and he certainly has the upside to be the eventual replacement for Forsett. Walker, as mentioned above, is raw and a developmental project, but Boyle and Waller are intriguing late round prospects who have the size to be effective redzone targets in their rookie seasons. Boyle also brings abilities as an inline blocker and could team with Gillmore and Williams to form a surprisingly effective tight end corps.

Other:

  • Hired Marc Trestman to replace Gary Kubiak as offensive coordinator.
  • Signed nine players to reserve/futures contracts.
  • Signed 15 undrafted rookie free agents following the draft.

Of these players, UDFA Carter probably has the best chance to make the club, thanks to his upside as a return man. Julian Wilson, the former Oklahoma cornerback who became one of the most sought-after UDFAs before agreeing to sign with Baltimore, suffered a broken leg during a spring practice and will miss the 2015 season. The Ravens often strike gold with undrafted free agents, and Wilson, largely because of his prototypical size and Baltimore’s need for secondary depth, was a good bet to make the club if he had stayed healthy. Former Prairie View A&M signal-caller Jerry Lovelocke has some promise, and the Ravens may stash him on the practice squad with the hopes of grooming him to take over the backup quarterback role in the near future. Former East Carolina wide receiver Cam Worthy has some upside but will find it difficult to crack a largely unproven but talented group of receivers.

The Ravens did see one major coaching change, as Gary Kubiak turned his success as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator into his second head coaching gig, taking over the top job with the Broncos. Marc Trestman, who flopped as the Bears’ head coach in the past two seasons, is still a well-respected offensive mind who generally adheres to the same West Coast principles and zone-blocking schemes as Kubiak. Flacco, who enjoyed a career year under Kubiak, should be pleased, and the Ravens offense as a whole should be able to maintain last year’s success.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

  1. Joe Flacco, QB: $14,550,000
  2. Ray Rice, RB: $9,500,000 (dead money)
  3. Lardarius Webb, CB: $9,250,000
  4. Marshal Yanda, G: $8,450,000
  5. Eugene Monroe, LT: $7,700,000
  6. Haloti Ngata, DT: $7,500,000 (dead money)
  7. Elvis Dumervil, OLB: $7,375,000
  8. Dennis Pitta, TE: $6,200,000
  9. Steve Smith Sr., WR: $4,166,666
  10. Terrell Suggs, OLB: $3,950,000

As this list indicates, the Ravens are absorbing a combined cap hit of $23.2MM for players who either will not suit up for them in 2015 (Rice, Ngata) or who may not suit up (Pitta). Considering those limitations, GM Ozzie Newsome has done a nice job of addressing the team’s biggest needs and putting together what looks to be a playoff roster. The AFC North, which sent three teams to the playoffs in 2014, will once again be a tightly-contested division, but Baltimore, which advanced further in the playoffs than rivals Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, looks like a better team on paper than it did when its season ended in Foxboro in January. As such, look for the Ravens to make some noise as they attempt to qualify for postseason play for the seventh time in eight years of the John Harbaugh/Flacco era.

Contract information from Over the Cap and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.

Offseason In Review: New England Patriots

July 9th, 2015 at 9:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots made headlines all winter and spring long thanks to the DeflateGate scandal. Their actual football moves, however, didn’t garner as much ink. It remains to be seen how the Pats will actually fare in 2015, but right now this offseason appears to be more about what they lost than what they gained.

Notable signings:

The Patriots were always said to be in the driver’s seat when it came to safety Devin McCourty and they struck agreement with the Pro Bowler days before the opening of free agency. The new pact is worth $47.5MM over five years and McCourty reportedy turned down more lucrative offers to stay in New England. It also doesn’t hurt that the deal includes $28.5MM in guaranteed cash for the Rutgers product. The Jaguars, Eagles, and Giants all made hard pushes to sign the play making free safety, but it sounds like McCourty didn’t have much interest in signing elsewhere.

Jabaal Sheard saw his sack count decrease in each of his NFL seasons, from 8.5 in 2011 to just 2.0 in 2014. The Browns also took him out of the starting lineup this past season, reducing his snap count to 690. However, Sheard played very well in the new role — out of all the league’s 3-4 outside linebackers, only Terrell Suggs had a better grade against the run, per PFF. If the Patriots can keep him off the field in passing situations, Sheard can do some serious damage for them either as a linebacker or a defensive end.

Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski signed his one-year franchise contract tender in early March, giving him a salary of $4.6MM for the upcoming season. The 31-year-old has led the NFL in field goals in each of the last two seasons, making 73 of his 78 total attempts during that stretch, for a 93.6% mark. Gostkowski has also made all 95 of his extra point tries over the last two years. That success prompted the Pats to designate him as their franchise player, rather than using the tag on McCourty.

In January, the Pats signed safety Patrick Chung to a three-year extension worth up to $8.2MM, with $3.4MM guaranteed. The advanced statistics suggest that Chung was one of the best safeties in the league in 2014, as Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him as the 12th-best at his position. Chung will now be sticking with the organization that selected him in the second round of the 2009 draft. Chung signed a one-year deal with the Eagles two years ago, but a mediocre 2013 season prompted his release.

Shortly after extending Chung, the Pats reached agreement on a new pact with cornerback Brandon Bolden. Bolden was set to hit restricted free agency this offseason, but the 24-year-old is now signed to be a part of the Pats’ backfield through 2016. Bolden joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2012, and the former Mississippi standout quickly made a name for himself. In only his third career game, the running back rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown against the Bills. Since then, he hasn’t produced much on the ground, and he only compiled 28 carries for 98 yards and a score in 2014.

Tight end Scott Chandler was released by the Bills in March but quickly found a new home in the AFC East. The 6’7″ athlete hauled in 47 catches for 497 yards and three touchdowns in 2014. Chandler was something of a late bloomer in the league, as he did not see any time on an NFL field between his debut in 2007 with the Chargers and his return in 2010 with the Bills. In Buffalo, he asserted himself as a real NFL talent and not just a taxi squad filler.

Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Bradley Fletcher as the 92nd best cornerback last season out of 108 qualified players at the position. He was much better in 2013, however, having been ranked 44th out of 110 players at the position. The Pats are hoping that they can get Fletcher to revert to his old form and they weren’t the only team with that idea in mind. The veteran also drew interest from the Vikings before the official start of free agency.

After losing Shane Vereen, the Patriots signed former Saints back Travaris Cadet to fill a similar role. Cadet, 26, saw his first significant action for the Saints in 2014, hauling in 38 passes on 51 targets, totaling 296 yards and a touchdown on those receptions. Although he was listed as a running back and generally lined up in the backfield, the Appalachian State product only had 10 carries for 32 yards.

Notable losses:

The Patriots decided not to pick up the 2015 option on star cornerback Darrelle Revis, not because they didn’t want him, but because the $25MM cap hit would have been too much to bear. Now, the Pats will have to deal with seeing him multiple times each season now that he’s back with the Jets, but they’re probably not envious of the price Gang Green paid to get him. The 29-year-old appeared in all 19 of the Patriots’ games in 2014 (playoffs included) and ranked as the fourth-best cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ grading system (subscription required). He also earned his sixth Pro Bowl nod and fourth First-Team All-Pro selection.

Revis’ secondary partner Brandon Browner was also shown the door. The veteran corner, who turns 31 in August, appeared in nine regular season games for New England in his suspension-shortened season. He recorded 32 total tackles, seven pass deflections, and one interception during that time. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) wasn’t wowed by Browner’s performance in 2014, ranking him No. 79 out of 108 qualified cornerbacks.

In May, the Pats decided that they might as well get rid of all of their top CBs when they released Kyle Arrington. Arrington had two years left on his deal at non-guaranteed salaries of $3MM in 2015 and $3.5MM in 2016 and while a reunion at a reduced rate was thought to be possible, he wound up signing with the Ravens.

Two notable running backs – Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley – made their exit from New England this offseason. Vereen joined up with the Giants on a deal with an AAV of ~$4MM. The 26-year-old ran for 391 yards off of 96 carries in 2014, good for an average of 4.1 yards per attempt. He was also heavily involved in the Pats’ passing game for the second year in a row, recording 52 catches for 447 yards. Pro Football Focus (sub. req’d) placed him as the 28th best tailback out of 57 qualified players last season with a slightly below average grade of -1.0. Ridley, meanwhile, has joined the rival Jets. Ridley was once one of the brightest young running backs in the league, but he couldn’t hang on to the ball in 2013 and his season was cut short by injury in 2014.

The Pats elected not to exercise their option on Vince Wilfork in early March, making him a free agent. The veteran spent all 11 years of his career with the Patriots, playing 158 regular season games for the club, and starting 148 of those. An anchor in the middle of the defensive line in New England for the last decade, Wilfork looked like he may be leaving the team a year ago, before the two sides worked out a new deal to keep him around for the club’s Super Bowl 2014 season. This time, he’s gone for real.

Tim Wright, who came to the Patriots last year as a part of the Logan Mankins deal with the Buccaneers, was released in June. The move was somewhat surprising, but the Pats likely felt that Wright’s role on the team can be filled by offseason pickup Scott Chandler.

Extensions and restructures:

Jerod Mayo’s previous contract with the Pats called for a $6.25MM base salary in 2015, and cap numbers averaging about $10MM for the next three years, through 2017. Now, the new pact is a one-year contract that includes $4.5MM in guaranteed money. That amount is equivalent to the injury guarantee New England would have owed the 29-year-old if the club had cut him before he was deemed healthy.

Danny Amendola‘s new deal is a bit more reasonable for the Pats given his production and overall health. Last year, Amendola caught 27 passes for 200 yards with one touchdown. The advanced stats at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) gave Amendola an overall grade of -7.0, ranking him 93rd out of 110 qualified wide receivers.

 

Trades:

  • Acquired a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 111; G Tre Jackson), a fifth-round pick (No. 147), and a sixth-round pick (No. 202; TE A.J. Derby) from the Browns in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick (No. 96; DT Xavier Cooper) and a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 219; ILB Hayes Pullard).
  • Acquired a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 166; LS Joe Cardona) and a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 247; CB Darryl Roberts) from the Packers in exchange for a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 147; QB Brett Hundley).

Draft picks:

  • 1-32: Malcom Brown, DT (Texas): Signed
  • 2-64: Jordan Richards, DB (Stanford): Signed
  • 3-97: Geneo Grissom, DE (Oklahoma): Signed
  • 4-101: Trey Flowers, DE (Arkansas): Signed
  • 4-111: Tre’ Jackson, G (Florida State): Signed
  • 4-131: Shaq Mason, OL (Georgia Tech): Signed
  • 5-166: Joe Cardona, LS (Navy): Signed
  • 6-178: Matthew Wells, OLB (Mississippi State): Signed
  • 6-202: A.J. Derby, TE (Arkansas): Signed
  • 7-247: Darryl Roberts, CB (Marshall): Signed
  • 7-253: Xzavier Dickson, DE (Alabama): Signed

With their first-round pick, the Pats plucked Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown, ostensibly as a replacement for Vince Wilfork. Brown broke out in 2014 with 6.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss and he became the first defensive tackle to lead Texas in both categories in 30 years. If Brown can attract double teams the way that Wilfork did, the Pats might not miss the veteran all that much in 2015.

Other:

Brady is still awaiting word on his appeal but as we learned Thursday, we could be getting closer to a ruling.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

  1. Tom Brady, QB: $14,000,000
  2. Rob Gronkowski, TE: $8,650,000
  3. Nate Solder, LT: $7,438,000
  4. Sebastian Vollmer, RT: $7,020,833
  5. Jerod Mayo, LB: $6,100,000
  6. Devin McCourty, S: $6,000,000
  7. Darrelle Revis, CB: $5,000,000 (dead money)
  8. Rob Ninkovich, DE: $4,750,000
  9. Julian Edelman, WR: $4,656,250
  10. Stephen Gostkowski, K: $4,590,000

The Patriots had enough question marks this offseason with so many familiar faces out of the picture. Now, the prospect of being without Brady for the first month of the season looms over them. You can never count the Patriots out, but the AFC East now seems more wide open than ever.

Contract information from Over the Cap and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.

Offseason In Review: Dallas Cowboys

July 8th, 2015 at 9:05pm CST by Zachary Links

After years of building up the unit, the Cowboys’ offensive line helped propel them to the top of the NFC East. Tony Romo, who has had his ups and downs in recent years, finished the year as the No. 6 quarterback in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). DeMarco Murray took advantage of those truck-sized holes created by the o-line and rushed his way to a career year. Dez Bryant cemented himself as one of the very best (if not the best) receivers in the NFL, lighting up opposing cornerbacks on a weekly basis. Meanwhile, the defense went from last in the league in 2013 to 19th overall in 2014 – not exactly the 1985 Bears, but a step up from being the “-Allas” Cowboys.

Now, the Cowboys will look to take a step forward in 2015 without the services of 2014’s top rusher.

Notable signings:

It wouldn’t be a true Cowboys offseason with at least one splashy move and Dallas checked that box in March with the signing of former Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy. Hardy, who had 15 sacks in 2013 for the Panthers before missing most of the 2014 season, is currently slated to serve a whopping 10-game suspension. The 26-year-old made the Pro Bowl in 2013 after he compiled a career-high 15 sacks, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him as the second-best overall defensive end in the league. He signed a $13.1MM deal for the 2014 season and wound up playing in just one game for that entire campaign. Now, he’ll earn a base of $3.218MM and the rest of his possible cash is heavily tied to incentives.

A day after losing Murray to Philly, the Cowboys agreed to terms on a two-year deal for former Raiders running back Darren McFadden. Outside of a 2010 campaign in which he posted 1,157 rushing yards and added another 507 yards through the air, the 27-year-old has never been able to stay healthy and put it all together for a full season. 2014 was the first year in which he played all 16 games for Oakland, but he was underwhelming, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry, his third straight season with a mark of 3.4 or lower. After accepting his original-round RFA tender, Lance Dunbar will also be on the depth chart at RB.

This time last year, no one knew what to expect out of Rolando McClain. The 25-year-old went on to record 87 tackles and a sack to go along with two interceptions in 13 games for the Cowboys in 2014. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked the former first-round pick eighth out of 60 qualified inside linebackers, and he excelled in every aspect of the game — PFF’s grades placed him eighth as a pass rusher, seventh as a cover man, and 11th as a run defender, among inside linebackers. Now, he’s back on a new deal, but he’s off to a bad start already with a four-game suspension looming. In addition to retaining McClain, the Cowboys added three notable free agent linebackers in Keith Rivers, Jasper Brinkley, and Andrew Gachkar.

Doug Free was set to become of the top offensive lineman available on the open market in 2015 but the Cowboys struck a deal with him in early March to keep him in Dallas. By re-signing Free, the Cowboys held together an offensive line widely regarded as the league’s best. The 31-year-old missed some time due to an ankle injury in 2014, snapping a streak of consecutive games played that had dated back to the 2009 season. The veteran has manned the right tackle spot in Dallas since 2012, when Smith first made the switch to the left side. Last season, he ranked 21st out of 84 qualified tackles, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required), performing particularly well as a run blocker for Murray.

Cole Beasley, 26, has developed into one of Tony Romo‘s more reliable targets over the last couple seasons and it was no surprise to see Dallas lock him up. In 2014, the SMU product set career highs with 420 receiving yards and four touchdowns, while totaling 37 receptions.

Notable losses:

DeMarco Murray had the best season of his career in 2014 but the Cowboys didn’t put up much of a fight to keep him in Dallas. Murray, who has struggled with injuries in years past, put it all together in 2014 for his best campaign yet. The 26-year-old ran for 1,845 yards and 13 scores with 2,261 all-purpose yards. The advanced numbers also showed that Murray was also at the top of the heap last season. Pro Football Focus‘ numbers (subscription required) resulted in an overall score of 15.2, placing him fifth amongst all tailbacks in 2014. His lack of meaningful production in the passing game, fumbles, and below average blocking were his only real demerits. The Cowboys will still get to see plenty of him in 2015 when he leads the way for the Eagles.

Bruce Carter, a former second-round choice, didn’t really live up to expectations in Dallas, but he was still a desirable free agent thanks to his freakish athleticism. Despite his underwhelming body of work, he still managed to land a four-year, $17MM deal from the Bucs this offseason. Carter was given a negative grade by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) in 2014 and ranked as just the 34th best outside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme out of 40 qualified players. In 13 games (with eight starts), the 27-year-old recorded 82 total tackles with an eye-popping five interceptions and one sack.

Fellow linebacker Justin Durant left in free agency to join new coach Dan Quinn in Atlanta. Durant spent 2014 with the Cowboys and missed 10 games with a torn bicep, amassing 49 tackles in six contests. Durant finished 17th out of 40 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus’ 4-3 OLB rankings. The Cowboys “hoped” to retain the 29-year-old, but he wound up joining the fourth team in his career.

Defensive tackle Henry Melton joined the Cowboys in 2014 and played well in part-time action, recording five sacks. However, the team decided not to pick up his pricey option for 2015 and beyond, making him a free agent in March. Melton, a former fourth-round pick, broke onto the scene with the Bears in 2010, when he finished with 13 tackles and 2.5 sacks. His best season in Chicago came in 2012, when he compiled 32 tackles and six sacks, earning him a trip to the Pro Bowl and a top-six spot on Pro Football Focus’ rankings (subscription required) of defensive tackles.

Free started eleven games at right tackle for the Cowboys in 2014, but Parnell started seven, including the two playoff games while Free was out with injuries. In February, PFR’s Luke Adams looked at the market for prospective free agent offensive tackles and while Parnell didn’t land in the first tier with the likes of Free, Bryan Bulaga, King Dunlap, and Byron Bell, Parnell was in the second tier of attractive options thanks to his solid play in limited time as a starter. He wound up inking a five-year deal with the Jaguars.

Trades:

  • Acquired a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 246; TE Geoff Swaim) from the 49ers in exchange for a 2016 sixth-round pick.

Extensions and restructures:

Scandrick still had four years remaining on his previous contract, but wasn’t happy with the terms of that deal, which called for him to make just $1.5MM in base salary in 2015. After initially not reporting to the Cowboys’ voluntary offseason workouts, the 28-year-old showed up in Dallas in May as a sign of good faith as the two sides negotiated a new contract. Scandrick ranked as the 10th-best cornerback in the NFL in 2014 out of 108 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required).

In order to accommodate the re-signing McClain and additional forthcoming moves, the Cowboys created some extra cap space by restructuring Tony Romo‘s contract. The move saved the team nearly $13MM in cap space. Romo, 35, had been slated to count for $27.773MM against the cap in 2015, including a $17MM base salary. Tyron Smith also helped the Cowboys out by restructuring his deal. $10MM of his pay was converted to a signing bonus.f

Draft picks:

  • 1-27: Byron Jones, CB (Connecticut): Signed
  • 2-60: Randy Gregory, DE/OLB (Nebraska): Signed
  • 3-91: Chaz Green, T (Florida): Signed
  • 4-127: Damien Wilson, ILB (Minnesota): Signed
  • 5-163: Ryan Russell, DE (Purdue): Signed
  • 7-236: Mark Nzeocha, OLB (Wyoming): Signed
  • 7-243: Laurence Gibson, T (Virginia Tech): Signed
  • 7-246: Geoff Swaim, TE (Texas): Signed

Byron Jones was the Cowboys’ first pick of the draft but it was Randy Gregory who was the biggest name in Dallas’ haul this year. The Nebraska defensive end was widely pegged as a first-round pick, possibly even as a top 10 pick heading into the draft. However, after failing the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine drug test for marijuana, he fell to the backend of the second round where the Cowboys happily picked him up.

Other:

The Cowboys and Dez Bryant continue to wrangle over a new contract, but in the interim the wide receiver is scheduled to play out the 2015 season on a ~$12.8MM deal.

Collins had been viewed as a likely first-round pick before he was connected to a murder investigation. He and his camp had asked if he could enter the supplemental draft instead, but that request was turned down by the NFL. Multiple reports also suggested that Collins would sit out a year if he was selected on day three in the draft, opting to re-enter the draft pool in 2016, in the hopes of being picked much higher. Ultimately, since he went undrafted, Collins’ options were limited. Shortly after visiting Jerry Jones, he agreed to join the Cowboys.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

  1. Tony Romo, QB: $14,973,000
  2. Dez Bryant, WR: $12,823,000
  3. Brandon Carr, CB: $12,717,000
  4. Jason Witten, TE: $8,512,000
  5. Sean Lee, LB: $5,450,000
  6. Morris Claiborne, CB: $5,175,069
  7. Miles Austin, WR: $5,106,200 (dead money)
  8. Tyron Smith, LT: $5,039,000
  9. Orlando Scandrick, CB: $4,382,271
  10. Doug Free, RT: $3,980,000 (dead money). Free also has a separate $3MM cap hit for his current contract.

The Cowboys didn’t have the most eventful offseason in the NFL but, then again, they really didn’t need to. The Cowboys look primed to make another run at the NFC East crown in 2015 and they’ll be extra scary if Hardy gets his suspension cut down in the coming weeks.

Contract information from Over the Cap and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.

Offseason In Review: Washington

July 7th, 2015 at 6:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Notable signings:

Washington’s secondary was rather dreadful in 2014 and it was no secret that they’d be going hard after corners on the open market. A few days after the start of free agency, Washington reached agreement with ex-49ers corner Chris Culliver on a four-year deal that features $16MM in guaranteed cash. When Luke Adams listed PFR’s top 50 free agents in March, he ranked Culliver 24th overall and fourth among cornerbacks, behind Byron Maxwell, Brandon Flowers, and Kareem Jackson. Culliver will help shore up a secondary whose cornerbacks got burned on a regular basis in 2014. Bashaud Breeland, E.J. Biggers, and David Amerson saw the majority of the snaps at the position for the team, and all three corners ranked inPro Football Focus’ bottom 10 at the position. Culliver limited opposing quarterbacks to a completion percentage of 50.7% and a 66.5 passer rating when they threw into his coverage, according to PFF (subscription required). PFF’s grades placed Culliver as the 14th-best cornerback out of 108 qualified players. Elsewhere in the secondary, Washington picked up former Seahawk Jeron Johnson. Johnson was Seattle’s No. 3 safety behind the league’s best tandem, but now he’ll have a chance to make his own mark with a new team – likely as a starter.

Not content with just beefing up the secondary, Washington invested a great deal of money in improving their defensive line. Their biggest free agent D-Line deal went to noteworthy defensive tackle Stephen Paea. Only Suh and Kyle Williams had more quarterback pressures from the defensive tackle position in 2014 than Paea’s 47, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required). Now in a 3-4 system, Paea figures to see time at both nose tackle and at defensive end.

Ricky Jean-Francois was released by the Colts in February for cap reasons and Washington was delighted to pick him up soon after. Jean-Francois, 28, parlayed a part-time role with the 2012 NFC champion 49ers into a four-year, $22MM pact with the Colts, who made him a starter and increased his playing time. Jean-Francois held his own in the increased role, ranking 26th out of 47 qualified 3-4 defensive ends in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required). He also set new career highs last season with 34 tackles and three sacks.

It’s always hard to peg how much free agents will get once they hit the open market but few expected Terrance Knighton‘s personal market to collapse the way it did. The man known as Pot Roast ranked 16th on our top 50 free agents list early in the offseason but wound up having to settle for a one-year, $4.45MM pact with $2.95MM guaranteed. One can speculate that Knighton’s physical conditioning scared off some teams, but whatever the reason, Washington appears to have come away with one of the best free agent values of the offseason. The six-year veteran was an integral part of a Broncos team that had the league’s second-best run defense in 2014, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Knighton 12th among 81 qualifying D-tackles last season.

On the other side of the ball, Washington retained Niles Paul with a three-year deal before he could reach free agency. The 25-year-old saw just 28 total targets during his first three seasons in the NFL, primarily serving as a blocker and a special-teamer in Washington. However, when Jordan Reed was sidelined early in the 2014 campaign, Paul got an extended look as a pass-catcher, and took advantage by setting new career highs in receptions (39) and receiving yards (507).

After the start of free agency, Washington struck a deal to retain backup quarterback Colt McCoy. While McCoy will be behind Robert Griffin III on the depth chart to start the year, either he or Kirk Cousins could get the nod if RGIII struggles.

Notable losses:

Brian Orakpo signed with the Titans after a disappointing 2014 season that ended after just seven games when he tore his pectoral muscle and was placed on IR. Still, despite the fact that he logged just 0.5 sacks last year, the former first-round pick was viewed as one of the top free agent players a year ago, when he was coming off a 10.5-sack season and earned a franchise tag from Washington. Orakpo was ranked as the NFL’s fourth-best 3-4 outside linebacker in 2013 by Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required). Per PFF, Orakpo racked up an impressive 51 total quarterback pressures in ’13.

Safety Ryan Clark indicated that he wanted to keep playing back in December, but he had a change of heart in the New Year. After a career in which he played 177 games (152 starts), racking up 928 total tackles, 55 passes defended, and 16 interceptions, Clark signed a one-day deal with Pittsburgh so that he could retire as a member of the Steelers.

Running back Roy Helu rushed for only 216 yards in Washington last year, but was a focal point of the club’s passing attack, catching 42 balls for nearly 500 yards. He drew interest from several teams around the league before ultimately putting pen to paper with Oakland.

Chris Chester, 32, signed a five-year, $20MM deal with Washington before the 2011 season, and started every game the team has played since then, at right guard. While Chester hasn’t been consistently above-average at the position, he hasn’t been a major liability either and it was somewhat surprising to see him let go. In 2014, he played the eighth-most offensive snaps among guards (1,091), and ranked 33rd among 78 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required).

Right after siging Jean-Francois, Washington released veteran defensive tackle Barry Cofield. Cofield, 31, suffered his first major injury in 2014, as he missed about half the season after an ankle injury forced him onto the injured reserve list with the designation to return. While the veteran lineman returned to action in November, he only started three of eight games for the season, marking the first time since 2007 that he appeared in a game he didn’t start.

Santana Moss says that he still wants to play in the NFL, but he might have to settle for an off-field role. Washington owner Daniel Snyder has already spoken with the veteran about a potential job, so it sounds likely that he’ll still be in the nation’s capital in 2015.

Veteran cornerback Tracy Porter had one year left on his deal but Washington opted to let him hit the open market early. Porter, 28, was a full-time starter at cornerback for the Raiders in 2013, and signed a two-year, $6MM deal in free agency last year with Washington, but saw his role reduced significantly in 2014. Before he landed on the injured reserve list in November, ending his season, Porter only played 89 snaps for Washington, finding himself buried on the depth chart behind Bashaud Breeland, E.J. Biggers, David Amerson, and others for a good chunk of 2014.

Biggers, of course, is also gone. The 28-year-old spent his five-year NFL career in Tampa Bay and Washington, playing 76 overall regular season games before signing on with the Eagles this year. Although he has experience at both cornerback and safety, Biggers primarily played corner in 2014, recording 32 tackles and four passes defended in 465 defensive snaps. He also occasionally contributed on special teams.

Tyler Polumbus was Washington’s primary right tackle for the last three seasons, but his services were no longer needed in D.C. this year with a top draft pick taking over the position. Polumbus signed on with Atlanta in May.

Extensions and restructures:

After signing a four-year extension worth $17MM in February of last year, cornerbackDeAngelo Hall played in only three games before tearing his Achilles and being placed on injured reserve. He later re-tore the Achilles in October, leaving his future even further in doubt. With that in mind, Hall agreed to a contract restructure that will eliminate his 2015 salary guarantees. Hall, in all likelihood, probably would have been shown the door if he didn’t agree to the move.

Trades:

  • Acquired S Dashon Goldson and a 2016 seventh-round pick from the Buccaneers in exchange for a 2016 sixth-round pick.
  • Acquired a 2015 third-round pick (No. 95; RB Matt Jones), a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 112; G Arie Kouandjio), a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 167), and a 2015 sixth-round pick (No. 181; S Kyshoen Jarrett) from the Seahawks in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick (No. 69; WR Tyler Lockett).
  • Acquired a a 2015 sixth-round pick (No. 187; WR Evan Spencer) and a 2016 sixth-round pick from the Saints in exchange for a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 167; CB Damian Swann).

NewWashington GM Scot McCloughan was a member of the 49ers’ front office when the team drafted Dashon Goldson back in 2007 and he decided to orchestrate a reunion this year. Goldson signed a lucrative five-year contract with the Bucs after coming off an All-Pro season in San Francisco. However, his production has slipped a little over the last two seasons, as he has battled injuries. In 2014, among 87 qualified safeties, only the aforementioned Ryan Clark performed worse than Goldson, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Goldson’s -14.5 pass coverage grade was dead last among safeties — per PFF, he allowed a 69.7% completion percentage and a 127.2 passer rating on throws into his coverage. Goldson is hopeful that a change of scenery will allow him to return to his prior form.

Draft picks:

  • 1-5: Brandon Scherff, OL (Iowa): Signed
  • 2-38: Preston Smith, DE/OLB (Mississippi State): Signed
  • 3-95: Matt Jones, RB (Florida): Signed
  • 4-105: Jamison Crowder, WR (Duke): Signed
  • 4-112: Arie Kouandjio, G (Alabama): Signed
  • 5-141: Martrell Spaight, OLB (Arkansas): Signed
  • 6-181: Kyshoen Jarrett, S (Virginia Tech): Signed
  • 6-182: Tevin Mitchel, CB (Arkansas): Signed
  • 6-187: Evan Spencer, WR (Ohio State): Signed
  • 7-222: Austin Reiter, C (South Florida): Signed

A number of teams in need of offensive line help had their eye on Iowa’s Brandon Scherff. Washington wound up taking him at No. 5, which surprised some since Washington was believed to be looking at pass rushers. Scherff is expected to start his NFL career at the right tackle position, across from Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams.

In the fourth round, McCloughan stayed local and chose DeMatha star Arie Kouandjio.

Other:

Fans have been clamoring for a GM change for years now and they finally got their wish when Scot McCloughan took over Bruce Allen‘s former title. The former 49ers general manager also discussed positions with the Jets and Raiders, but in hindsight it now looks like those talks were more about leverage than anything else. McCloughan will report to Allen, but will have final say over the club’s 53-man roster.

Washington looked hard at former 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio for their own DC job, but he wound up choosing the Bears. After that, Washington opted to hire Joe Barry. Barry will be tasked with turning around a unit that finished 27th in DVOA in 2014, including 32nd against the pass. The team also allowed 27.4 points per game this season, tied for the third-worst mark in the NFL. Barry has one previous stint as a DC under his belt, with the Lions from 2007 to 2008. Of course, Barry left that position at a low point, following the club’s 0-16 campaign in ’08. Barry’s run in Detroit is perhaps best remembered for prompting one reporter to ask his father-in-law, head coach Rod Marinelli, if he wished his daughter had “married a better defensive coordinator.”

There was some question as to whether Washington would exercise it’s 2016 option for Robert Griffin III given his struggles and injury history. Ultimately, they decided to trigger the fifth-year option worth $16.155MM. It’s a significant investment for a player who doesn’t even have the starting quarterback job locked up, but the salary doesn’t become fully guaranteed until the first day of the 2016 league year.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

  1. Trent Williams, LT: $14,230,393
  2. Pierre Garcon, WR: $9,700,000
  3. Desean Jackson, WR: $9,250,000
  4. Ryan Kerrigan, OLB: $7,038,000
  5. Robert Griffin III, QB: $6,719,713
  6. Jason Hatcher, DT: $5,203,125
  7. DeAngelo Hall, CB: $4,812,500
  8. Kory Lichtensteiger, C: $4,300,000
  9. Chris Culliver, CB: $4,250,000
  10. Stephen Paea, DT: $4,250,000

In January of 2014, Washington hired Jay Gruden to be the team’s next head coach after Mike Shanahan was let go. Almost a year later, many wondered if he’d get a second season. Ultimately, Gruden was assured his job after a convincing Week 16 victory over the Eagles. If Washington struggles again in 2015, it’s far from an automatic that Gruden will get a third year to try and right the ship.

Contract information from Over the Cap and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.

Offseason In Review: Philadelphia Eagles

July 6th, 2015 at 9:32pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ve seen some teams shake things up in the offseason, but few teams have undergone the kind of overhaul that the Eagles have. Coach Chip Kelly secured complete control in the front office and we’re all waiting to see whether he’s crazy, a genius, or some mixture of both.

Notable signings:

Byron Maxwell was widely viewed as the best FA corner available and ranked as the No. 9 overall free agent on PFR’s Top 50 list. The 27-year-old enjoyed his first season as full-time starter for the Seahawks in 2014, starting 12 games as Seattle made it second consecutive Super Bowl appearance. The Eagles were long seen as the favorites to land Maxwell and they were able to go wire-to-wire to land him as the Jets, another possible suitor, were zeroed in on a reunion with Darrelle Revis. At $63MM over six years with $25MM fully guaranteed, it’s very possible that Maxwell was an overpay. However, the Eagles believe that he will be a significant upgrade over Cary Williams, who was cut loose. Interesting note on that front, however: Pro Football Focus (subscription required) didn’t see a big difference between Maxwell and Williams in 2014. Maxwell finished the year with a -0.2 overall grade, good for 45th amongst corners. Williams, meanwhile, finished with a -1.0 score, putting him 49th amongst all corners. In short, both players were painted as average corners by the advanced metrics. He’ll be joined in the secondary by Walter Thurmond, who apparently was not thrilled with the Giants’ medical care. Thurmond will be making the switch to safety, a transition he says he can make comfortably.

DeMarco Murray (vertical)

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Did DeMarco Murray put too many miles on his odometer during his brilliant 2014 campaign? Kelly certainly doesn’t think so. There were many teams who were linked to the former Cowboys star throughout the year, but no one expected the Eagles to get heavily into the mix and come away signing him. Murray, who has struggled with injuries in years past, put it all together in 2014 for his best campaign yet. The 27-year-old ran for 1,845 yards and 13 scores with 2,261 all-purpose yards. After a season in which he showed that he can stay healthy, produce (4.7 YPC), and work at a nearly unprecedented rate, Murray hit the open market as the top RB available. The advanced numbers also showed that Murray was also at the top of the heap last season. Pro Football Focus‘ numbers (subscription required) resulted in an overall score of 15.2, placing him fifth amongst all tailbacks in 2014. His lack of meaningful production in the passing game, fumbles, and below average blocking were his only real demerits. Can Murray repeat his ’14 performance? Or, at the very least, can he do better than the guy he’s replacing? (More on that later.)

Before the Murray signing, the Eagles added Ryan Mathews and, at the time, it appeared that he would be the new No. 1 back in Philadelphia. Once Murray was inked, many wonders if Mathews would wind up elsewhere or, at the very least, reworking the performance-based incentives in his contract. At the end of the day, Mathews stayed and he’s now slated to work in tandem with Murray and Darren Sproles. Considered an injury-prone player for the first three seasons of his career, Mathews finally stayed healthy and put it all together for the Chargers in 2013, rushing for a career-high 1,255 yards. He was unable to keep that run of good health going in 2014 though, playing just eight games for San Diego due to injuries. The former 12th overall pick can be one of the league’s best backs when he’s at 100% and he could help form a lethal three-headed backfield if he stays healthy.

Now, the question is, who will be handing the ball off to those backs? Well, one possibility is Mark Sanchez, who was re-signed to a two-year contract worth $9MM with $5.5MM guaranteed. Sanchez played nine games for the Eagles in 2014, with mixed results. He completed over 64% of his passes, averaging 268 yards per game with a 14 to 11 touchdown to interception ratio. Sanchez, a former No. 5 overall pick, will duke it out with a former No. 1 overall pick to be the team’s starting signal caller. Tim Tebow is also on the depth chart, though he is considered to be the fourth quarterback at this time.

If Murray ever finds himself homesick, he turn to Miles Austin for some familiarity. Austin, of course, isn’t the same sort of impact player Murray is at this stage of his career, but he had a decent bounce-back season in Cleveland last year. In 2014, Austin caught 47 balls for 568 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games. The 30-year-old has racked up 348 catches for more than 5,000 yards during his nine-year NFL career, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods during his time with the Cowboys. Of course, he has also missed a ton of time due to injuries in recent years.

After some offseason deliberations between offers from the Eagles and Giants, linebacker Brandon Graham ultimately opted to remain in Philly. In February, Graham was said to be seeking a four-year deal in the neighborhood of $30MM, with $20MM in guaranteed money. Ultimately, he settled for less, but still got $14MM guaranteed on a $26MM pact. The 21-year-old recorded 5.5 sacks and 46 total tackles in 2014. The former first-round choice has moved around a bit in the front seven over the years, having seen time at defensive tackle, defensive end, and outside linebacker. Last season, he played the bulk of his snaps at outside linebacker and enjoyed his best season to date. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) placed him as the third best OLB in a 3-4 set last season. PFF was also high on Graham in 2013, ranking him as the 15th best outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

Notable losses:

The Eagles and Evan Mathis were wrestling over a contract dispute all offseason long until the situation reached a rather surprising conclusion. Many expected that Mathis and the Eagles would eventually reach a compromise or that the guard would find a suitable trade after he was given permission to seek one out. Instead, the Eagles simply decided to cut Mathis loose in June. Mathis, of course, is considered one of the league’s best guards. In 2014, despite playing just 608 offensive snaps, the former third-round pick ranked as the league’s best left guard, performing particularly well as a run blocker, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required). PFF had previously graded Mathis as the NFL’s No. 1 guard in 2011, 2012, and 2013. The veteran continues to look for his next NFL home.

We may never know the real inner workings of the negotiations between Jeremy Maclin and the Eagles, but it didn’t seem like Philly put up much of a fight to retain him in March. Maclin, coming off a breakout season in which he caught 85 passes for more than 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns, was quickly scooped up by the Chiefs, who gave him a five-year, $55MM deal with $22.5MM fully guaranteed.

Despite initially engaging in discussions to keep him around on a reworked contract, the Eagles opted to part ways with Trent Cole in early March. Cole, 32, was a fixture on the Eagles’ defense since being selected by the club in the fifth round of the 2005 draft. During his 10 years in Philadelphia, Cole played 155 games (145 starts), racking up 85.5 sacks, 569 tackles, and 19 forced fumbles. However, after posting six consecutive seasons with eight or more sacks from 2006 to 2011, Cole’s production fell off — he has recorded just 17.5 sacks since 2012. Cole eventually wound up hooking on with the Colts on a two-year, $16MM deal with $8MM guaranteed. Graham will now be counted on to supply the production in Cole’s absence.

Byron Maxwell came east to join the Eagles and Cary Williams switched places with him, joining the Legion of Boom in Seattle. The 30-year-old Williams started all 16 games in each of the past three seasons but he was probably miscast as a No. 1 corner with the Eagles. Williams can earn $18MM over three seasons on his new deal with the Seahawks and he won’t have to pay state income tax either.

Nate Allen started 15 games for the Eagles last season at safety, racking up 62 tackles, four interceptions, three fumble recoveries, five pass deflections, and a sack. Allen had a pretty solid year in 2014, finishing out with a 3.9 overall grade according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), good for 28th out of 87 qualified safeties. Still, as expected, the Eagles let him go in free agency.

Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Bradley Fletcher as the 92nd best cornerback last season out of 108 qualified players at the position. That doesn’t make Fletcher sound like much of a corner, but was much better in 2013 when he ranked 44th out of 110 players at the position. The Eagles didn’t have the patience to find out of he could get back to his old form, but the Pats decided to roll the dice.

Long before Mathis was shown the door, the Eagles did the same with fellow offensive lineman Todd Herremans. Over the course of the last decade, the 10-year veteran has appeared in 127 games for the Eagles, starting 124 of them at every spot besides center on the offensive line. In recent years, Herremans had served as Philadelphia’s right guard or right tackle, though his 2014 campaign came to an early end due to a biceps injury.

Extensions and restructures:

DeMeco Ryans’ 2014 season came to an early end when he suffered a torn Achilles and landed on the injured reserve list. In the eight games he played for the Eagles, he logged 45 tackles, recovered a fumble, and grabbed an interception. Ryans saw his deal extended by one season, even though the Eagles didn’t seem to necessarily need him in the wake of one of their biggest offseason moves. Ryans’ 2014 season came to an early end when he suffered a torn Achilles and landed on the injured reserve list. In the eight games he played for the Eagles, he logged 45 tackles, recovered a fumble, and grabbed an interception.

Trades:

  • Acquired LB Kiko Alonso from the Bills in exchange for RB LeSean McCoy.
  • Acquired QB Sam Bradford and a 2015 fifth-round pick from the Rams in exchange for QB Nick Foles, a 2015 fourth-round pick, and a 2016 second-round pick. Eagles will acquire a 2016 fourth-round pick if Bradford plays less than 50% of Philadelphia’s snaps in 2015, or a 2016 third-round pick if Bradford doesn’t play at all in 2015 due to injury.
  • Acquired a 2015 second-round pick (No. 47; DB Eric Rowe) and a 2015 sixth-round pick (No. 191; CB JaCorey Shepherd) from the Dolphins in exchange for a 2015 second-round pick (No. 52; DT Jordan Phillips), a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 145; CB Bobby McCain), and a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 156; CB Tony Lippett).
  • Acquired a 2016 third-round pick from the Lions in exchange for a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 113; DT Gabe Wright).

The trade of star running back LeSean McCoy to the Bills for linebacker Kiko Alonso will go down as one of the most surprising moves of the 2015 offseason and also as the trade that nearly broke PFR. There were rumblings of discord between Kelly and McCoy, but few saw a deal like this coming.

McCoy was not the electrifying playmaker in 2014 that he was in 2013 but he still had a very productive season in terms of traditional stats, with 1,319 rushing yards and a 4.2 YPC average. The advanced metrics, meanwhile, show a much sharper contrast between the two campaigns. In 2013, McCoy was rated as the very best tailback in football according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), racking up a 27.3 overall rating which was more than 8 points higher than the runner-up, Jamaal Charles. In 2014, however, McCoy was near the bottom of all qualified tailbacks with a fairly terrible -9.3 grade thanks in large part to his poor showing in the passing game.

Alonso, 25 in August, didn’t see the field in 2014 after tearing his ACL in July of 2014. After being selected in the second round of the 2013 draft, Alonso finished second in voting for Defensive Rookie of the Year after totaling 87 tackles, four interceptions, and two sacks. PFF (subscription required) rated Alonso as the ninth-best inside linebacker in the NFL in his rookie season. Because Alonso spent the year on the NFI (non-football injury) list, he’ll only be a restricted free agent after 2016. He’s also significantly cheaper than McCoy, which gave Kelly some additional breathing room this spring.

Right around the start of free agency, the Eagles shipped Nick Foles to the Rams in exchange for former No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford. Surprisingly, it was the Eagles who gave up more in draft compensation to make the swap happen. Foles had his 2014 season ended prematurely by a collar bone injury, but he’s not that far removed from his impressive 2013 run. Bradford, of course, has battled injuries over the past two seasons, including an ACL injury that forced him to miss the entire 2014 season. In his last full season, the former first-overall pick threw for 3,702 yards, 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. During that 2012 campaign, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Bradford 21st among 38 quarterback candidates. Soon after, it was rumored that the Eagles were dangling Bradford in an effort trade up to the No. 2 pick to grab Oregon star Marcus Mariota. Ultimately, the Titans stood pat and the Eagles are now set to roll with either Sanchez or Bradford as their No. 1 QB. The Eagles are reportedly considering an extension with Bradford as well.

Draft picks:

  • 1-20: Nelson Agholor, WR (USC): Signed
  • 2-47: Eric Rowe, CB (Utah): Signed
  • 3-84: Jordan Hicks, ILB (Texas): Signed
  • 6-191: JaCorey Shepherd, CB (Kansas): Signed
  • 6-196: Randall Evans, CB (Kansas State): Signed
  • 7-237: Brian Mihalik, DE (Boston College): Signed

Nelson Agholor was a fast riser in the draft and he found his way up to No. 20 where the Eagles were selecting. The 6’0″ USC product has drawn comparisons to Jeremy Maclin for his sharp route running and also has pretty advanced hands. Agholor could prove to be a major weapon for whomever is under center for the Eagles in 2015 and also figures to make an impact in the return game.

Other:

  • Announced new front office roles for Chip Kelly and Howie Roseman, with Kelly taking over the club’s personnel department.
  • Promoted Ed Marynowitz to vice president of player personnel.
  • Exercised 2016 fifth-year option for DE Fletcher Cox ($7.799MM).
  • Rescinded RFA tender to RB Chris Polk.
  • Signed nine players to reserve/futures contracts.
  • Signed 16 undrafted rookie free agents following the draft.

In January it was announced that Howie Roseman would be elevated to the role of executive vice president of football operations with Kelly now officially overseeing the player personnel department. Of course, the term “elevated” isn’t 100% accurate with Kelly having final say over everything regarding the roster. Ed Marynowitz was promoted from assistant director of player personnel to the team’s vice president of player personnel. For what it’s worth, he says that everyone’s roles are well defined.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

  1. Sam Bradford, QB: $12,985,000
  2. Jason Peters, LT: $9,050,000
  3. Byron Maxwell, CB: $8,700,000
  4. Connor Barwin, OLB: $7,000,000
  5. Brandon Graham, OLB: $6,000,000
  6. Malcolm Jenkins, S: $5,666,666
  7. Lane Johnson, RT: $5,225,974
  8. DeMarco Murray, RB: $5,000,000
  9. Brent Celek, TE: $4,800,000
  10. Riley Cooper, WR: $4,800,000

Crazy? Genius? Both? We can’t wait to find out.

Contract information from Over the Cap and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.

Offseason In Review: Miami Dolphins

July 6th, 2015 at 8:57am CST by Rob DiRe

After being a staple in the playoffs for roughly the entire history of the franchise, the Dolphins have only one playoff appearance since 2001, including six consecutive seasons without a winning record. It finally feels like the Dolphins have the quarterback in place to make a run at the division – and it doesn’t hurt that their biggest competition might be missing theirs – and their offseason centered around winning the Ndamukong Suh sweepstakes. However, Miami did much more than just that to put itself in a position to make a run at the playoffs, and the team might not be finished just yet.

Notable signings:

The numbers speak for themselves: Six years, $114.375MM. $59.955MM guaranteed. LeBron James makes it hard to say that Suh is hand down the biggest free agent South Beach ever drew, and Giancarlo Stanton’s contract overshadows Suh’s, but the Dolphins made a very large move for a very large man. No matter which direction this team goes, Suh will get the lion’s share of the credit (or blame), at least on the defensive side of the ball. His detractors will note that he isn’t as good as J.J. Watt, but you could argue Suh is the best player to hit free agency in the prime of his career since Reggie White, and he got paid like it.

It’s a big gamble to devote that many precious cap dollars to one player, but Suh is a true difference maker on the defensive line. He’s a stout run defender, and he’s among the best in the league at rushing the passer from the interior — he has the talent to live up to that massive contract.

Suh wasn’t the only defensive tackle the Dolphins added. They also signed his former Lions’ teammate C.J. Mosley, who was thought by many to be a lock to return to Detroit in an increased role. Instead, Mosley should provide cheap insurance for the Dolphins in case Suh misses time, and he should also fit nicely in a rotation that can’t afford to be that deep with all the resources devoted to Suh. The team also spent a second-round pick on one of the top college nose tackles, but we’ll get to that later.

The Dolphins traded Mike Wallace and replaced him with veteran Greg Jennings. Charles Clay signed an offer sheet with the Bills and the Dolphins declined to match the offer, instead signing Jordan Cameron as a replacement. The club also took a flier on LaMichael James to complement Lamar Miller, in the role Knowshon Moreno was supposed to fill before going down with injury last year.

In addition to the holes they made sure to fill, the Dolphins also added J.D. Walton and Jason Fox along the offensive line. Both players are likely to provide depth, each bringing six years of NFL experience that could prove extremely helpful considering the recent struggles along the offensive line. Louis Delmas, Brice McCain, and Zackary Bowman should all provide similar depth along a thin defensive backfield, and if all goes right they should see the field plenty with a chance to have an impact.

One more notable name Miami brought in was Josh Freeman, who may have a chance to stick on the roster if he has a strong preseason and flashes the upside that made him a first-round pick to begin with. However, keeping Matt Moore in the fold was much more important, as he’s considered to be a high-end backup capable of steering the ship in the event of an unfortunate injury to Ryan Tannehill.

Notable losses:

A number of the Dolphins’ offseason losses were either expected or at least left the team indifferent, such as Philip Wheeler, Daniel Thomas, Shelley Smith, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Nate Garner, Cortland Finnegan, and Daryn Colledge, all of whom had struggled. Miami appeared happy to move on from them, and that’s a good thing, considering an 8-8 team that spent so much in free agency usually would have to part with much better players to stay under the cap.

Still, the team was forced to let go of a number of players who were still making an impact, and chief among them is Jared Odrick. Odrick was still playing at a high level, and was rewarded with a big contract of his own with the Jaguars. Suh is definitely an upgrade, but Odrick had played well in Miami for years and the decision not to re-sign him is the cost of doing business. Randy Starks is another defensive tackle who has been a staple of the Dolphins defense, but the team decided to go younger at the position behind Suh.

After that, Jimmy Wilson, R.J. Stanford, Jason Trusnik, and Jonathan Freeny are all usable players, but since they’re more or less replacement level, the Dolphins could afford to let them leave during the offseason in order to throw their resources elsewhere on the roster.

Extensions and restructures:

Tannehill is the spiritual brother to Suh on the Dolphins, in that the team’s success will be directly linked to how he plays as far as the public is concerned. He could complete 65% of his passes with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, but if the Dolphins don’t make the postseason, Tannehill won’t get the respect as one of the rising stars in the league. Considering the blowback when he signed his deal, coming off a season where he completed 66% of his passes for 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, Dolphins’ fans are ready for a postseason berth.

Luckily for Tannehill, he should have the best offensive line in front of him he has had yet in his career, starting with the newly-extended Mike Pouncey, who signed a deal to keep him with the team through 2020. Pouncey will look to lead an offensive line that returns last year’s big free agent signing Branden Albert and last year’s first-round pick Ja’Wuan James, along with a pair of young guards, to keep Tannehill upright and run the ball effectively again.

Trades:

  • Acquired WR Kenny Stills from the Saints in exchange for LB Dannell Ellerbe and a 2015 third-round pick.
  • Acquired a 2015 fifth-round pick from the Vikings in exchange for WR Mike Wallace.
  • Acquired a 2015 second-round pick (No. 52; DT Jordan Phillips), a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 145; CB Bobby McCain), and a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 156; CB Tony Lippett) from the Eagles in exchange for a 2015 second-round pick (No. 47; DB Eric Rowe) and a 2015 sixth-round pick (No. 191; CB JaCorey Shepherd).

Trading Wallace isn’t going to hurt too much, as he was scapegoated for many of Tannehill’s struggles with the deep ball, and the team hedged against it by trading for Kenny Stills, who was one of the best in the league at hauling in deep passes during his time with Drew Brees. Getting rid of Ellerbe in the deal justifies the high price paid for Stills, and is the closest thing seen in the NFL to the NBA version of using draft picks to sweeten a salary dump.

Moving down five spots in the draft doesn’t seem like as big a move, but the two cornerbacks chosen with the fifth-round picks could go a long way to rebuilding a defensive backfield the team could have trouble filling out with all the money devoted to the defensive line and pass rushers.

Draft picks:

  • 1-14: DeVante Parker, WR (Louisville): Signed
  • 2-52: Jordan Phillips, DT (Oklahoma): Signed
  • 4-114: Jamil Douglas, G (Arizona State): Signed
  • 5-145: Bobby McCain, CB (Memphis): Signed
  • 5-149: Jay Ajayi, RB (Boise State): Signed
  • 5-150: Ced Thompson, S (Minnesota): Signed
  • 5-156: Tony Lippett, CB (Michigan State): Signed

DeVante Parker should quickly rise in the pecking order on offense, and if Stills comes through as a major deep threat but not much more, it shouldn’t be long before Parker emerges as the No. 1 wideout in Miami. Jennings may play that role early on, but he’s in the twilight of his career, and while he adds veteran value, it seems awfully optimistic to expect an 80-catch season at this stage of his career.

The more interesting selection came in round two, where the 6’5″, 329-pound Jordan Phillips comes in with an NFL-ready body who could plug in at nose tackle from day one and eat up blocks on the inside. He gives the Dolphins some flexibility with where to play Suh along the defensive line, allowing him to bump out in certain situations.

Jamil Douglas, a fourth-round pick, could be the starter at guard as a rookie, slotting in between Pro Bowlers Pouncey and Albert to ease his transition into the NFL. After that, the team was smart to take three depth pieces for the defensive backfield and an NFL-ready running back in Jay Ajayi, who was lauded for his abilities to run, catch, and block, even if his knees were red flag enough to drop him to the fifth round with the stigma that he may not survive until his second contract.

Other:

  • Hired Mike Tannenbaum as executive VP of football operations.
  • Learned DE Dion Jordan would be suspended for the entire 2015 season.
  • Claimed OL Donald Hawkins off waivers from the Cowboys.
  • Signed six players to reserve/futures contracts
  • Signed 16 undrafted rookie free agents following the draft.

The most disappointing part of the offseason was learning that Dion Jordan would be suspended for the entire year. The Dolphins may have already given up on Jordan before last season, as they’ve reportedly tried to trade him multiple times and have either come up with no suitors or asked for too high a return. The former third overall pick missed six games due to a suspension last year, and continues to disappoint the organization and fan base that invested so much in him.

The biggest indictment on Jordan is that with Chip Kelly making personnel decisions in Philadelphia, even he wouldn’t pony up a little something for the former Oregon Duck, when it seems like the Dolphins would have given him away at a bargain rate. Even off the field, Jordan continues to be a headache for the team, and it’s not as if he was producing at a high level the few times he was playing.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

  1. Branden Albert, LT: $10,725,000
  2. Cameron Wake, DE: $10,450,000
  3. Brent Grimes, CB: $10,000,000
  4. Reshad Jones, S: $7,712,942
  5. Mike Pouncey, C: $7,000,000
  6. Mike Wallace, WR: $6,600,000 (dead money)
  7. Dannell Ellerbe, LB: $6,400,000 (dead money)
  8. Ndamukong Suh, DT: $6,100,000
  9. Ryan Tannehill, QB: $4,873,364
  10. Dion Jordan, DE/OLB: $4,682,276

The running theme of the offseason ran through the two big contracts, one for Suh and one for Tannehill. With the commitments made to those two this offseason, the Dolphins have made them the faces of the defense and offense, respectively.

Around the two stars, the team’s plan has for the most part been throwing a lot of things at the wall and hoping they stick. They should be commended for recognizing weaknesses at offensive line and defensive back, and throwing a lot of assets at those spots. However, the dangers of giving big contracts to two players can be seen in that strategy. While the team added and added to both position groups, they did so mostly with middling free agents and low-round draft picks. Hoping that one or two of these players turns into something more than a replacement-level player is a gamble, especially if the coaching staff struggles with player development.

Miami added some high-upside players early in the draft, but even those guys will grab minimal headlines early in their career. Come December, the Dolphins will either be in the playoff hunt or they won’t, and whether they are or not will likely fall on the shoulders of their two big stars.

Contract information from Over the Cap and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.

Offseason In Review: Buffalo Bills

July 4th, 2015 at 5:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Fresh off their first winning campaign since 2004, the Bills’ offseason began with unexpected departures at head coach and quarterback. New owners Terry and Kim Pegula reacted to those exits by flexing their financial muscle in upgrading both the coaching staff and the roster. Thanks to the myriad changes the Bills have undergone from the top down, enthusiasm is in no short supply for their success-starved fans – who purchased a franchise-record 57,500 season tickets in hopes of witnessing the team end its 15-year playoff drought (an NFL worst) in 2015.

Notable signings:

The Bills set out to improve their offense via free agency after finishing 26th in the league in yardage in 2014. Their first move was to to sign guard Richie Incognito in an attempt to repair a horrible offensive line. Incognito sat out the lion’s share of 2013 and all of ’14 because of unbecoming off-field conduct with the Dolphins. To his credit, the 31-year-old was a solid lineman prior to his short-term ouster from the sport, and he shouldn’t have much trouble serving as an upgrade over the dreadful guard play Buffalo received last season.

Accompanying Incognito are a couple more familiar faces from the AFC East: ex-Dolphins tight end Charles Clay (Incognito’s former and current teammate) and erstwhile Jets receiver Percy Harvin. The latter’s production hasn’t been much to write home about since his reign as a feared playmaker with the Vikings from 2009-12 ended. Still, the more options the better, and Harvin gives the Bills a field-stretching complement to go with young star Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods – not to mention a potentially dangerous gadget for new offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

As for Clay, the Bills succeeded in stealing him from Miami, which placed the transition tag on the 26-year-old before concluding that a five-year, $38MM offer sheet was too rich for its blood. Clay broke out in 2013 with career highs in receptions (69), yards (759) and touchdowns (six). He followed that with 58 catches last season and ranked as the 14th-best tight end in the league out of 67 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Elsewhere on offense, the Bills are hoping two less-heralded additions (fullback Jerome Felton and quarterback Tyrod Taylor) pay major dividends. The Bills’ questions along the offensive line don’t bode well for their desire to build a dominant running attack, but having another capable blocker in Felton – who contributed somewhat to Adrian Peterson‘s past success – should help. And while the chances of Taylor turning into a viable starting QB after signing for a relative pittance are quite low, his odds of winning the job aren’t bad. In terms of playing style, the 25-year-old is the closest thing the Bills have to the 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick – whom Roman coached in San Francisco. Moreover, the former Raven and Joe Flacco backup has a fan in new Bills coach Rex Ryan.

“I actually tried to trade for [Taylor] when I was with the Jets,” Ryan told Toronto’s SportsNet 590, per ESPN’s Mike Rodak. “I’m not gonna say he’s Russell Wilson, but he’s got a little of that in him, where he’s able to run zone reads and pull the ball down and be effective.”

The Bills don’t know what they’ll get from Taylor, but they’re confident Jerry Hughes will continue as a menacing pass rusher. Otherwise they wouldn’t have re-signed him for $45MM. Hughes, who struggled with the Colts from 2010-12, has flourished in Buffalo since joining the team in a 2013 trade. Hughes tallied 19.5 sacks the last two years while playing both defensive end and linebacker. He’ll work as a linebacker this season and should once again be a double-digit-sack threat in Ryan’s quarterback-attacking scheme.

Notable losses:

Even though he’s not the most talented player they lost during the offseason, the Bills could end up hit hardest by the departure of Kyle Orton, who retired after 10 seasons. The 32-year-old wasn’t exactly stellar last season, his only one with the Bills, but he did eclipse the 3,000-yard mark and toss 18 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. It’s not unreasonable to think those numbers will be superior to the ones the Bills’ QBs put up this year. It’s also not unreasonable to think the team would be in better hands right now with Orton entrenched as the starter entering training camp, as opposed to the oncoming three-man battle among Matt Cassel, EJ Manuel and Taylor. That’s less a statement of praise for Orton than an indictment of Cassel, Manuel and Taylor.

The Bills’ biggest loss as far as name recognition goes is running back C.J. Spiller, whom they let walk in free agency after he totaled just 425 yards (300 rushing, 125 receiving) and one touchdown in nine games last season. Spiller, Buffalo’s top pick in 2010, had moments of brilliance as a Bill but fell short of expectations overall. With LeSean McCoy in the fold, the Bills are unlikely to miss Spiller going forward.

Defensively, the Bills are hoping the losses of linebacker Brandon Spikes and safety Da’Norris Searcy aren’t felt. Spikes played in just 46 percent of snaps last season because of his unreliability in pass coverage, but he’s a fantastic run defender who helped the Bills go from 28th against opposing ground games in 2013 to 11th in his lone season with them. Searcy turned a breakout 2014 (65 tackles, three interceptions, two forced fumbles) into a $24MM deal with the Titans. Without Searcy, the Bills are betting they’ll be fine at safety with a duo of Aaron Williams and Corey Graham.

Extensions and restructures:

The Bills’ lone offseason extension went to longtime defensive stalwart Kyle Williams. The four-time Pro Bowler has been a member of the Bills since they drafted him in 2006 and, if he sees his extension through, will be with them for at least three more seasons. Williams is entering his age-33 season but hasn’t shown signs of decline, as Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated him seventh out of 81 qualifying D-tackles in 2014. He’ll continue to be an integral part of a line that features fellow linchpins Marcell Dareus and Mario Williams.

Trades:

The Bills addressed their anemic ground game in a big way when they acquired McCoy, a three-time Pro Bowler who surpassed the 1,300-yard plateau three times in six years as an Eagle and proved to be one of the league’s premier workhorses during that time span. However, adding McCoy cost the Bills an outstanding linebacker in Kiko Alonso, who burst on the scene as a rookie in 2013 before missing all of last season with a torn ACL.

Obviously, given that Buffalo had an excellent defense last year without Alonso and has terrific, similarly aged LBs in Nigel Bradham and Preston Brown, the team felt losing Alonso permanently was worth what should be a marked upgrade to its offense. One has to wonder, though, if McCoy will be as effective as he was in Philadelphia. The soon-to-be 27-year-old has plenty of tread on his tires, having accrued 300-plus carries in back-to-back seasons and nearly 1,500 during his career, and won’t have the benefit of running behind a top-level offensive line (the Eagles had the best run-blocking O-line in the league last year, according to Pro Football Focus – which ranked the Bills last in the same category).

Distributing the ball to McCoy could be Cassel, an 11th-year man whose play has been woeful since 2010. As a member of the Chiefs that year, Cassel threw 27 touchdowns against a meager seven interceptions, helped lead Kansas City to the playoffs, and made the Pro Bowl. Aside from that season and 2008, when he played well for the Patriots in place of an injured Tom Brady, Cassel has fared poorly as a starter. He was the Vikings’ No. 1 quarterback going into 2014 and had a lousy three-game stretch before suffering a season-ending foot injury. But Buffalo’s hope – if Cassel wins the job – is that surrounding the 33-year-old with a talented cast of playmakers and a fearsome defense will help mask his deficiencies. That better prove true for Cassel’s sake, as Rodak reported last month that he’s not a lock to make the Bills’ roster. An uninspiring summer showing could send him looking for work elsewhere.

Draft picks:

  • 2-50: Ronald Darby, CB (Florida State): Signed
  • 3-81: John Miller, G (Louisville): Signed
  • 5-155: Karlos Williams, RB (Florida State): Signed
  • 6-188: Tony Steward, OLB (Clemson): Signed
  • 6-194: Nick O’Leary, TE (Florida State): Signed
  • 7-234: Dezmin Lewis, WR (Central Arkansas): Signed

Although the Bills had the third-ranked pass defense and sixth-most interceptions in the league last year, that didn’t stop them from using their top pick on Ronald Darby. The ex-Florida State Seminole will join Stephon Gilmore and Leodis McKelvin at the cornerback position and allow the Bills to move Graham to safety. Darby should reach his potential under Ryan, who is an advocate of fast, physical corners capable of handling one-on-one situations. Regarding Darby, Bills general manager Doug Whaley said (per Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle), “He’s physical, not only with the ball carriers, but as a press guy and Rex is a big press guy.” 

Unlike Darby, third-rounder John Miller isn’t entering into an overly promising group of players at his position. Outside of signing Incognito, the Bills didn’t do anything prior to the draft to upgrade at guard. That’s good news for Miller, the leading candidate to start at whichever guard spot Incognito doesn’t occupy. Miller started 47 games at left guard during his career at Louisville and quickly won the favor of his new coach during offseason workouts. “He might be the opening guy there. He’s been very impressive,” Ryan said, according to WGR 550 (audio link).

Other:

Buffalo’s offseason got off to a peculiar start when Doug Marrone opted out of his contract after just two years as its head coach. Marrone went 15-17 during his tenure, including a 9-7 mark in 2014, and hoped to parlay that into another head coaching job elsewhere. His gambit backfired, though, as he ultimately had to settle for an assistant’s role in Jacksonville. The Bills interviewed at least a dozen candidates to succeed Marrone before giving $27.5MM to Ryan, who coached the division-rival Jets from 2009-14 and helped lead two smash-mouth squads to AFC championship games. Ryan is no stranger to less-than-ideal QB situations and he’s inheriting another in Buffalo, where he hopes to mimic his early success with the Jets and win with a team built on a prolific running game and a suffocating defense.

Ryan will attempt to execute his plan with an accomplished offensive coordinator in Roman. The former Niners O-coordinator should acquit himself better than Marrone’s protege, the in-over-his-head Nathaniel Hackett. On the other hand, defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman has a harder act to follow in replacing Jim Schwartz. The Bills finished last season fourth in both yards and points allowed and third in takeaways. They’ll try to match or better that while transitioning from Schwartz’s 4-3 scheme to the 3-4 of Ryan and Thurman. Bear in mind that the Bills operated under a scheme similar to Ryan’s when one of his disciples, Mike Pettine, ran their defense in 2013. That year, they were 10th in yardage surrendered and third in takeaways. So, given that and the talent the defense possesses, Schwartz’s exit shouldn’t prove deleterious.

One of the defenders at the disposal of Ryan and Thurman will be Gilmore. The Bills exercised his fifth-year option, ensuring he’ll be a pillar of their defensive backfield for at least two more seasons. The 2012 first-round pick intercepted a career-best three passes last season and finished an impressive 26th out of 108 qualifying corners in Pro Football Focus’ grading system (subscription required). That was a vast improvement from the previous two years, when he ranked in the 70s.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

  1. Mario Williams, DE/OLB: $19,400,000
  2. Marcell Dareus, DT: $8,060,000
  3. Kyle Williams, DL: $6,950,000
  4. Eric Wood, C: $6,650,000
  5. Jerry Hughes, DE/OLB: $6,175,000
  6. LeSean McCoy, RB: $5,500,000
  7. Charles Clay, TE: $5,000,000
  8. Leodis McKelvin, CB: $4,900,000
  9. Matt Cassel, QB: $4,750,000
  10. Sammy Watkins, WR: $4,530,819

On paper, this year’s Bills team is the most talent-rich squad the franchise has had in a long time. The problem is that the game’s foremost position, quarterback, looks primed to weigh them down yet again. They’ve missed the playoffs for the entire 21st century because they’ve gotten nothing from a slew of failed passers. Whether it’s Cassel, Manuel or Taylor, someone has to grab the reins and perform respectably in a game manager role. That would allow the Bills to finally break their playoff drought on the strength of a better coaching staff, a big-name running back and a loaded defense.

Contract information from Over the Cap and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.

Offseason In Review: New York Jets

July 2nd, 2015 at 6:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Jets fans have become used to a pretty limited spectrum of emotions. Sad. Frustrated. Furious to the point of throwing your TV out of the window. But, these days, Jets fans are feeling something different: cautious optimism.

After last season the Jets fired Rex Ryan for the sin of coaching his lackluster squad to the exact record it deserved. Not everyone wanted to see the Jets’ jovial fan favorite go, but just about everyone around the team was ready for an organizational change. The Jets got that when they gave GM John Idzik the heave-ho after he gave Rex so little to work with.

This offseason Jets made significant changes in the executive suite, on the sidelines, and most importantly, in between those sidelines.

Notable signings:

At the outset of free agency, Darrelle Revis opted to return to the team that drafted him on a five-year, $70MM deal. The deal matches Patrick Peterson‘s $70MM extension he signed last summer and even though it technically has less guaranteed money, one could argue that Revis came away with the better deal. Revis’ $39MM is fully guaranteed, while a good chunk of Peterson’s $48MM guarantee was for injury only. The 29-year-old appeared in all 19 of the Patriots’ games in 2014 (playoffs included) and ranked as the fourth-best cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ grading system (subscription required). He also earned his sixth Pro Bowl nod and fourth First-Team All-Pro selection.

Yes, everything old is new again in New York and the Jets even brought back Revis’ secondary partner, Antonio Cromartie. The reunion between the two sides was heavily rumored ever since the Jets presented Todd Bowles as their new head coach. Cromartie, 31, enjoyed a career resurgence under Bowles in Arizona and he’ll try to get Jets fans to forget about his up-and-down play and judgement towards the end of his last tenure in Green. Cro made no secret of the fact that he wanted to join the Jets — his Cardinals teammate Patrick Peterson even complained in the spring that all Cromartie talked about was “freaking New York.” Cromartie had a pretty atrocious year for the Jets in 2013, finishing with an overall grade of -11.4 (per Pro Football Focus, subscription required), placing him in the bottom ten of all qualified cornerbacks. However, his season with Arizona earned him a much less harsh -0.2 overall grade, putting him 45th out of 108 cornerbacks.

Before Cromartie and Revis put pen to paper, the Jets pounced on Browns free agent cornerback Buster Skrine. Skrine, who played second fiddle to Joe Haden in Cleveland, is quite familiar with getting picked on as the No. 2 corner. In 2014, Skrine showed that he is durable by playing 1,152 snaps and he held opposing QBs to a respectable 56.9% completion percentage. The Jets are now loaded at cornerback with their new trio and the icing on the cake is that they plucked Skrine away from interested teams including foes such as the Dolphins and Giants.

The Jets also have new blood at safety thanks to the addition of Marcus Gilchrist. The advanced metrics were not kind to the ex-Chargers safety in 2014 as PFF (subscription required) ranked him 72nd out of 87 eligible safeties. However, he graded out much better in 2013, finishing as the 20th-best safety out of 88. Gilchrist isn’t known as a big playmaker, but he has a reputation as a solid tackler and and mentally-sound player.

Just as Cromartie followed his beloved DC to New York, many believed that David Harris would travel upstate to reunite with Rex. However, the Jets came to the table with a three-year, $21.5MM contract with $15MM in fully guaranteed money that kept him in place. Harris, entering his age-31 season, has spent his entire career with Gang Green. He started every single one of the Jets’ regular season games over the last six seasons, averaging about 114 tackles per year over that stretch. In 2014, he racked up 124 tackles, recorded 5.5 sacks, and forced a pair of fumbles, a performance that Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated as middle-of-the-pack for inside linebackers.

Like Harris, running back Bilal Powell was quite tempted to follow his former coach to Buffalo. However, the Jets managed to retain him on a modest one-year, $2MM deal with a $750K signing bonus. Former Patriots notable Stevan Ridley will also be on the depth chart for the Jets. Ridley’s season was cut short in 2014 by an ACL and MCL injury suffered in Week 6 and he didn’t get to rebuild his value quite like he had hoped. However, before his injury-shorted 2014 and fumble-filled 2013, Ridley was regarded as one of the brightest young running backs in the league. He rushed for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns during his sophomore campaign, earning him the 25th-best ranking among running backs from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). If the Jets get anything close to that, then Ridley’s one-year deal will stand as one of the best free agent buys of the year.

Notable losses:

Chris Johnson, also known as CJ2K or, in more recent years, CJ?K, after he was unceremoniously dropped by the Titans. At that point, Johnson was not the elite back that he once was, but he did have a resume of at least 1,000 rushing yards in each of his six NFL seasons and he was durable with just one game missed. Unfortunately, Johnson never really found his footing with the Jets save for a couple of flashback-inducing performances. In February of this year, the Jets declined their second-year option on the veteran.

Before Johnson signed his Jets deal late in the offseason, free agent pickups Eric Decker and Michael Vick were the talk of the town. One of those men figures to be a focal point of the Jets’ offense in 2015 while the other is still looking for work. Vick came to New York saying all the right things every time he was asked about potentially usurping the starting job from Geno Smith. The veteran lefty played the role of good soldier and waited his turn, but unfortunately he wasn’t able to do much when given the opportunity.

Percy Harvin was acquired by the Jets from the Seahawks back in October in the most surprising in-season trade of 2014. However, the veteran receiver and return man didn’t have a huge impact in New York, totaling 29 receptions for 350 yards and a touchdown in his eight games with the Jets. Harvin also averaged just 24.8 yards per kick return, with no TDs. In Harvin’s defense, he joined the Jets late in the year when the offense was a complete disaster and they were all but mathematically eliminated from the postseason. A prime Jerry Rice wouldn’t have been able to do much for a team so defeated both mentally and in the standings.

Trades:

  • Acquired WR Brandon Marshall and a 2015 seventh-round pick from the Bears in exchange for a 2015 fifth-round pick.
  • Acquired QB Ryan Fitzpatrick from the Texans in exchange for a 2016 seventh-round pick. Pick could turn into a 2016 sixth-rounder based on Fitzpatrick’s playing time in 2015.
  • Acquired a 2015 third-round pick (No. 82; OLB Lorenzo Mauldin), a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 152; G Jarvis Harrison), a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 229), and WR DeVier Posey from the Texans in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick (No. 70; WR Jaelen Strong).
  • Acquired a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 103; Bryce Petty) from the Jaguars in exchange for a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 104; S James Sample) and a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 229; TE Ben Koyack).
  • Acquired RB Zac Stacy from the Rams in exchange for a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 224; LB Bryce Hager).

Brandon Marshall, 31, signed a three-year contract extension with the Bears last May that locked him up through the 2017 season. However, with Marc Trestman, Phil Emery, and the old regime out of the picture in Chicago, new GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox decided to move Marshall as a part of their overhaul. For the low, low price of a fifth-round draft pick, the Jets added one of the league’s very best receivers. The question now is, will Marshall be as productive at his advanced age and without the play calling of Trestman?

As it stands today, Marshall figures to be catching balls from rising junior Geno Smith. However, if this season goes like the previous two, it won’t be long before offseason acquisition Ryan Fitzpatrick is under center. The Harvard grad started 12 games for the Texans last season and while he didn’t set the world on fire, he did okay. He completed 63.1% of his passes, posted a 95.3 passer rating, and threw 17 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. Fitzpatrick has one year and $3.25MM left on his contract and he only cost New York a conditional seventh-round draft choice that could turn into a sixth-round pick. All things considered, he looks like a pretty good insurance option in case Smith falters.

Extensions and restructures:

Marshall had one of the least productive seasons of his career in 2014, finishing with 61 catches for 721 yards and eight touchdowns. However, the Jets recognize his talent and in order to help seal the deal in trade talks, the Jets agreed to sweeten his contract before acquiring him from Chicago. On the one-year anniversary of his last deal with Chicago, the Jets bumped his $24.3MM pact to a new three-year, $26MM deal with $1.3MM in fully guaranteed money.

Draft picks:

  • 1-6: Leonard Williams, DL (USC): Signed
  • 2-37: Devin Smith, WR (Ohio State): Signed
  • 3-82: Lorenzo Mauldin, OLB (Louisville): Signed
  • 4-103: Bryce Petty, QB (Baylor): Signed
  • 5-152: Jarvis Harrison, G (Texas A&M): Signed
  • 7-223: Deon Simon, DT (Northwestern State): Signed

Sitting at No. 6, the Jets just might have landed the best player in the entire draft. Many heralded USC star Leonard Williams as the best talent in this year’s draft and posited that he could have been the No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick if the Bucs and Titans weren’t in desperate need of a quarterback. The Raiders at No. 4 seemed like a logical spot for Williams, but when Oakland selected Amari Cooper, that paved the way for Williams to fall to New York. Now, the Jets have a bright young defensive lineman to use against opposing quarterbacks and also against Sheldon Richardson in negotiations as he fights for a lucrative new deal.

Not satisfied with just adding Marshall to the wide receiver group, the Jets also tapped Ohio State standout Devin Smith in the second round. Prior to the draft, NFL Network’s Mike Mayock hailed Smith’s deep threat ability as well as his speed. Smith, who runs a 4.4 second 40-yard-dash, led his team with 931 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014.

In the fourth round, the made an intriguing choice when they selected Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty. With doubts that Smith can be the Jets’ answer under center and Fitzpatrick on the wrong side of 30, Petty could be a candidate for the job if everything goes right. Of course, these things often don’t go right with quarterbacks and Kellen Clemens‘ uneventful time with the Jets serves as an everlasting reminder of that.

Other:

Two years ago, John Idzik convinced Jets owner Woody Johnson that he was the man for the job based on his salary cap expertise. When Idzik was ousted, the Jets replaced him with former Texans college scouting director Mike Maccagnan. Maccagnan, who was championed by team consultant Charley Casserly, isn’t much of a numbers guy but has a wealth of football knowledge and a keen eye for player evaluation.

While the Jets went in a different direction at GM, they went with another defensive-minded coach to replace Ryan when they hired former Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. The 51-year-old is now the Jets’ sixth straight head coach with a defensive background as Ryan, Eric Mangini, Herm Edwards, Al Groh, and Bill Parcells were all defense-first coaches. That may seem like an exceptionally long time to emphasize defense, but one can hardly blame Gang Green for being wary of going back to an offensive-minded HC after two dreadful years with Rich Kotite. Bowles will be assisted by Kacy Rodgers on defense while ex-Bills coach Chan Gailey will be responsible for the offensive playcalling.

In April, the Jets exercised their fifth-year option for outside linebacker Quinton Coples. Following Coples’ up-and-down start to the linebacker’s career, there was speculation that the Jets would allow him to play out his contract. However, the contract is only guaranteed for injury, meaning the organization basically took no financial risk. The former 16th-overall pick tied or set career-highs in 2014 in games played (16), solo tackles (25) and sacks (6.5). However, Coples compiled 708 snaps this past season, a significant decrease from his 2013 total (834). Furthermore, he didn’t receive a positive ranking via Pro Football Focus (subscription required), ranking 40th among 46 3-4 outside linebacker candidates.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

  1. Darrelle Revis, CB: $16,000,000
  2. D’Brickashaw Ferguson, LT: $11,698,670
  3. Nick Mangold, C: $10,407,100
  4. Brandon Marshall, WR: $9,000,000
  5. David Harris, LB: $7,500,000
  6. Antonio Cromartie, CB: $7,000,000
  7. Muhammad Wilkerson, DL: $6,969,000
  8. Eric Decker, WR: $6,500,000
  9. Breno Giacomini, RT: $5,125,000
  10. Dee Milliner, CB: $3,453,028

In total, it really is a new day in New York. The Jets managed to shake up their organization from top to bottom and with the AFC East wide open, they can make a major impact in 2015. The secondary is no longer a sore spot for Gang Green but the quarterback situation seems only marginally better thanks to the presence of Fitzpatrick. The Jets’ signal caller situation will likely dictate exactly how far they go this season.

Contract information from Over the Cap and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.

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