Cowboys Notes: Dez, Claiborne, Peterson
The Dallas Morning News’ mailbags touched on some Cowboys news on Sunday night. Here are some of the highlights …
- Tim Cowlishaw does not envision a Dez Bryant extension being completed this offseason, even with the nearly $13MM the Cowboys freed up in cap space from Tony Romo‘s restructuring. The Cowboys reportedly intend to use it on the draft. Bryant has a $12.8MM cap figure this season and could be re-franchised next offseason if the sides can’t come to a agreement on a long-term contract.
- The Cowboys don’t have plans of picking up Morris Claiborne‘s fifth-year option, reports staff writer Brandon George, giving 2015 a make-or-break aura for the injury-plagued cornerback. The former first-rounder out of LSU who missed most of last year with a torn patellar tendon, hasn’t graded positively on Pro Football Focus’ metrics in three seasons. Claiborne, who hasn’t started more than seven games in a season since his rookie year of 2012, will make just more than $5MM this season — sixth on the team.
- Brandon Carr could be a post-June 1 cut if he doesn’t take a pay reduction, reports George. The Cowboys won’t offer the high-priced corner an extension to lower his $12.7MM cap number (third-most on the team), either. George, however, doesn’t think Carr will have a hard-line stance on this matter.
- The Adrian Peterson-to-Dallas connection remains a discussed topic. Jon Machota doesn’t see a trade occurring after the draft, narrowing the Cowboys’ window to land the player they’ve long coveted. The second round is the ideal place for the Cowboys to land DeMarco Murray‘s long-term successor, opines Machota.
NFC Rumors: Bucs, Safeties, Vikings, Cowboys
With uncertainty at the back of their defense, the Buccaneers are targeting safeties in the draft, tweets Bleacher Report analyst Matt Miller. The team brought in Louisville’s Gerod Holliman for a visit today, and Arizona State’s Damarious Randall will trek to Tampa on Monday.
Both are projected to be selected in the middle rounds of the draft.
The Bucs traded both of their 2014 starting safeties in Mark Barron and Dashon Goldson and now do not have much financial allocation at that spot.
Elsewhere around the NFC on Sunday night …
- The dearth of quality safeties available in this year’s draft could be explained by the position being a second-tier destination for premier athletes, writes Dave Spadaro of PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Since coaches at the high school and college levels funnel the fast, rangy athletes to the perimeter playmaking positions, the back line may be the second-hardest place behind quarterback to find talent, offers Spadaro. The Eagles have been searching for stability there since All-Pro Brian Dawkins left in 2009, but Malcolm Jenkins‘ 2014 arrival helped considerably. Spadaro said Earl Wolff, recovering from microfracture surgery, will have a good shot at the unsettled strong safety job, with second-year corner Jaylen Watkins and recently signed E.J. Biggers set to receive looks there as well.
- Minnesota running back David Cobb has drawn the interest of the local NFL team, visiting the Vikings this past week, reports Darren Wolfson of KSTP on Twitter. The Vikings will obviously be at the Golden Gophers’ pro day tomorrow, and Cobb — projected to go in the mid- to late rounds after a 1,626-yard season in 2014 — will be a key performer they’ll observe.
- Miller does not expect Amari Cooper to be Washington‘s pick at No. 5, instead anticipating a defender heading to D.C. (Twitter link). ESPN’s Todd McShay and Mel Kiper each have Florida defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. going to Washington.
- Cornerbacks Marcus Peterson and Kevin Johnson top the list of potential targets for the Cowboys at No. 27, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. Machota clearly expects defense to be the priority here, as he includes Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown, UConn workout wonder Byron Jones and UCLA linebacker Eric Kendricks in his top five for the Cowboys.
NFC East Notes: Eagles, Harris, Cowboys, Williams
Whether the decisions made by Chip Kelly over the past month and a half turn out to be good or bad, the Eagles had a strange offseason. One of the stranger developments was Frank Gore agreeing to join the team and then backing out before signing a deal. Gore ended up with the Colts, and the Eagles ended up with a reputation as a place free agents were not excited about playing for.
Some believed that Kelly’s rigorous practice schedule was one reason 31-year-old Gore chose Indianapolis over Philadelphia. However, Jeff McClane of the Philadelphia Inquirer does not believe that Kelly’s practice methods are a real deterrent for free agents.
Here are a few other notes from around the NFC East:
- Kelly is in New Hampshire to meet with R.J. Harris for a pre-draft workout, reports Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter). The receiver from the University of New Hampshire is a possible late-round pick for the Eagles.
- The Cowboys have a number of needs along their defense, but have been linked to running back prospects with their top picks. If they pass on Melvin Gordon and Todd Gurley in round one (and both might be off the board by the time the Cowboys pick), Boise State tailback Jay Ajayi could be an option somewhere in the second round. Ajayi worked out with the team on Friday, writes Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram. The team also met with T.J. Yeldon and Tevin Coleman.
- Washington’s Pro Bowl offensive tackle Trent Williams has changed agents in preparation for his free agency, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Williams fired Ben Dogra who was himself fired by CAA before joining Relativity Sports, but the tackle retained Vincent Taylor of MS World LLC. The team still plans on attempting to reach an agreement on an extension with Williams.
Extra Points: Hardy, Winston, Eagles, Saints
Some tidbits from around the NFL as Friday evening comes to a close…
- The Cowboys and newly signed defensive end Greg Hardy continue to await the NFL’s decision regarding the star pass rusher’s forthcoming suspension for domestic violence issues. Hardy will likely sit four to six games with the possibility of the amount being cut in half after appeal, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Tim Cowlishaw.
- Despite his overwhelming success on the field, Florida State quarterback and potential No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston had some concerning moments away from the gridiron during his time with the Seminoles. Because of that, David Cornwell – one of Winston’s advisors – cautions that Winston doesn’t yet have everything it takes to be an NFL player. “Jameis is ready to be an NFL player on the field. He’s not ready to be an NFL player off the field,” Cornwell said Friday, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “The idea that, standing alone, he’s ready to get into this shark-invested pool, it’s crazy.”
- Although the Eagles acquired quarterback Sam Bradford earlier this offseason, they continue to be linked to one of the draft’s top two QBs, Marcus Mariota, largely because of his time at Oregon with Chip Kelly. The Eagles won’t be able to land Mariota with the 20th overall pick, and ESPN’s Ron Jaworski believes Mariota is a prospect for whom moving up in the draft is justifiable. “You have to mortage your future,” Jaworski said on Philly Sports Talk, according to CSNPhilly.com. “I know [Kelly] says he’s not going to, but what mortgage means is you get something now and you pay later.” If Kelly ultimately does trade up for Mariota, it would likely mean moving into the top five – which would carry a steep cost for the Eagles.
- Larry Holder of NOLA.com took a look at some under-the-radar Saints issues heading into the 2015 season, with the status of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan being one area of interest. After overseeing the second-worst defense in the league in 2014, Ryan’s job is far from secure going forward, according to Holder – who believes newly hired assistant Dennis Allen could take over if head coach Sean Payton elects to make an in-season change.
NFC East Notes: Williams, Butler, Collins
As Trent Williams enters his final year of his rookie contract, CSNWashington.com’s Rich Tandler examines whether Washington needs to re-up its best lineman at a top-end price.
The three-time Pro Bowl left tackle’s rookie deal signed under the old CBA and its lavish sums for high draft choices has Williams occupying more than $13MM of Washington’s cap this season — by far the highest figure on the team. The contracts for Tyron Smith ($12.2MM per year) and Joe Thomas ($11.5MM per) are probably what Williams, who left agent Ben Dogra, will use to negotiate with the struggling franchise. But Tandler offers another reality where the team drafts his potential successor in the first or second round this year and plays him at right tackle before allowing Williams to get his money elsewhere in 2016.
Although Tandler still bets Williams receives his checks in D.C. after this deal expires, he expands on Greg Cosell’s analysis from a recent MMQB.com podcast which illustrates a change in thinking regarding the importance of the blind-side protector.
“Most coaches, when they put together pass-protection concepts, they will slide the protection to one side or the other. You can slide the protection to the left. You can slide the protection to the right. The left tackle, just by gospel now these days, has become the most important position. But it’s not necessarily that way,” Cosell said to podcast host Andy Benoit.
Here are some more rumors coming out of the NFC East on Friday afternoon …
- LSU offensive tackle La’el Collins visited the Eagles last week, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Collins is projected as a mid- to late first-round selection as a right tackle.
- The Cowboys worked out quarterback Bryce Petty last week at Baylor, Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports on Twitter.
- Linebacker Victor Butler drew a four-game suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, becoming the fifth Giants player in five years to do so, reports Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. The former Cowboys, Saints, Cardinals and Colts backer signed a reserve/futures contract with the Giants and should now be considered unlikely to make the roster or possibly make it to training camp. Butler, 27, joins Eric Herman, Will Hill, Tyler Sash and Jimmy Kennedy as Giants who’ve been suspended for PEDs since 2011, reports Vacchiano.
- Robert Griffin‘s injury history makes Washington picking up the 2012 rookie of the year’s fifth-year option, at $16.16MM salary guaranteed against injury, an ill-advised move, writes ESPN’s John Keim. Washington has until May 3 to use this on Griffin.
NFC Notes: Bennett, Cowboys, Falcons, Bucs
General manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll have already dismissed an offseason rumor about Michael Bennett wanting a new contract and/or a trade to Atlanta, but it wasn’t until today that the Seahawks defensive end himself weighed in on the matter, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times details.
“I never asked for it. I didn’t come to them asking for a trade,” Bennett said on 710 ESPN Seattle. “I’m still trying to figure out how a guy from Dallas (Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram) makes up a story about me, I’m living in Seattle, I’m like how does that happen? I’m in Hawaii surfing, got the kids surfing in the ocean and they are talking about something else.”
While Bennett downplayed the story, Hill’s initial report said that the defensive end wanted a trade — not that he’d necessarily requested one. Bennett, who didn’t address the part of the story about wanting a new contract, also said today that he has “been talking” to the team, suggesting there’s something worth talking about. So while Bennett almost certainly isn’t going anywhere, I’m not sure there’s absolutely zero truth to the initial report.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Florida State cornerback P.J. Williams, who was arrested for DUI last week, paid a visit to Dallas today to meet with the Cowboys, says Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter). The incident could hurt Williams’ draft stock, but as the Cowboys showed when they signed Greg Hardy, they aren’t afraid to add a player who could be facing off-field issues, or an on-field suspension.
- Speaking of players with off-field question marks, Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory worked out privately for the Falcons in the days after word of his failed combine drug test broke, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- In addition to confirming the previously reported visit of Nate Orchard, the Buccaneers also announced today that they hosted TCU linebacker Paul Dawson, LSU defensive end Jermauria Rasco, and Utah defensive back Eric Rowe.
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun passes along a pair of updates on recently-signed Eagles, reporting (via Twitter) that wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu got $380K guaranteed on his minimum salary deal, while cornerback E.J. Biggers didn’t receive a signing bonus on his minimum salary pact.
- Brock Lutes, a Bemidji State basketball player and NFL tight end hopeful, will pay a visit to the 49ers on Tuesday, per Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link).
Draft Updates: Mariota, White, Falcons, Jags
The previously-reported visits for top draft prospects Marcus Mariota, Leonard Williams, and Dante Fowler Jr. are all happening today for the Titans, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Although the Titans are getting a closer look at Mariota, another team in the top five apparently won’t get an opportunity to do so. Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that Washington had planned to bring in Mariota for a visit, but the two sides couldn’t work out a time, so that trip is now off.
The news may not mean anything significant, but Charles Robinson notes in his latest piece for Yahoo! Sports that sources around the league are skeptical that Washington is truly interested in selecting Mariota with the No. 5 overall pick. “They’re trying to create leverage to get someone to [trade] up,” said one AFC personnel source.
With a report today suggesting that the Browns have real interest in moving up for Mariota, the Oregon quarterback is certainly generating the most draft buzz this week, but we have plenty of updates on other prospects as well. Here’s the latest:
- Within Robinson’s previously-linked piece, he notes that Buccaneers ownership will ultimately make the final call on whether or not to draft Jameis Winston, adding that there have been some internal questions about the community relations impact of selecting Winston.
- Kevin White, arguably the top receiving prospect in this year’s class, said today that he’s setting up visits with the Jets, Bears, Rams, and Giants, per Ross Tucker of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link).
- The Falcons are hosting a pair of top-tier pass rushers today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Clemson’s Vic Beasley and Kentucky’s Bud Dupree are in town.
- Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union provides a full list of the 20 prospects that visited the Jaguars this week. While we’ve passed along many of those names already, there are also plenty of new ones: Javorius “Buck” Allen (RB, USC), T.J. Yeldon (RB, Alabama), Amari Cooper (WR, Alabama), Rashad Greene (WR, FSU), DeAndre Smelter (WR, Georgia Tech), Cedric Ogbuehi (T, Texas A&M), Andrus Peat (T, Stanford), Eli Harold (DE, Virginia), Arik Armstead (DL, Oregon), Landon Collins (S, Alabama), and Trae Waynes (CB, Michigan State).
- In addition to visiting the Eagles, UCF wide receiver Breshad Perriman met with the Raiders, Colts, and Steelers this week, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
- Washington cornerback Marcus Peters, Stanford cornerback Alex Carter, and Virginia linebacker Max Valles made visits to Pittsburgh to meet with the Steelers today, tweets Scott Brown of ESPN.com.
- The Giants, Steelers, and Texans have hosted visits for Ohio State cornerback Doran Grant, who has also worked out for the Cowboys, Raiders, and Buccaneers, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
Minor Moves: Wednesday
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
- We learned yesterday that the Raiders have officially secured all five of their restricted free agents, and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets today that the team has locked up its exclusive rights free agents as well. Rival clubs couldn’t make a play for those ERFAs, so there wasn’t much suspense about whether or not they’d be returning to Oakland. Defensive end Denico Autry, tight end Brian Leonhardt, tackle Matt McCants, fullback Jamize Olawale, and cornerback Neiko Thorpe are now under contract.
- Cornerback Antwon Blake, who received the low-end RFA tender from the Steelers last month, has officially signed that tender, according to Wilson (via Twitter). Blake will return to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal for 2015 worth $1.542MM.
- Former Texans and Bears defensive lineman Amobi Okoye has been released by the Cowboys, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Okoye appeared in 87 games between 2007 and 2012 before he was sidelined by a medical issue, and had been attempting to make it back to the NFL — if he intends to continue his comeback attempt, it looks like it’ll have to happen with another team.
- The Packers have cut tackle Aaron Adams with a failed physical designation, per Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette (Twitter link). The former Kentucky lineman tore his ACL and MCL during training camp last year and missed the entire 2014 season.
NFC Notes: Peterson, Vikings, 49ers, Draft
In his latest mailbag at TheMMQB.com, Peter King examines a potential trade for Adrian Peterson, suggesting that the Cardinals and Cowboys remain “the leaders in the clubhouse.” However, King doesn’t think either team will do anything rash to acquire the former MVP from the Vikings, pointing out that with the second-round pick it might take to trade for Peterson, potential suitors might be better off simply drafting a much younger, cheaper back.
Let’s check out a few more notes from around the NFC, with a focus on pre-draft visits:
- The Vikings are taking a closer look at a ton of draft prospects this week, and we can add at least a couple more new names to the list today. Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net tweets that Mississippi State defensive end Preston Smith is in Minnesota to meet with the team, while Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune says (via Twitter) that Virginia safety Anthony Harris is also in town.
- Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who grew up in Sacramento, is making a pre-draft visit to meet with the 49ers, writes Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. The Niners added Darnell Dockett in free agency but could be in the market for more defensive line help if and when Justin Smith decides to retire.
- Utah cornerback Eric Rowe, who is viewed as a first- or second-day pick, is visiting the Lions today, says Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Rowe, a four-year starter at Utah, is a versatile defensive back, with experience at safety as well.
- Tight end Nick O’Leary was among the players to have a private workout with the Buccaneers, a source tells Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (Twitter link).
- The Packers are hosting Pittsburgh offensive lineman Matt Rotheram for a visit today, tweets agent Jeff Jankovich.
Draft Notes: Eagles, Fowler, 49ers, Parker
The Eagles have signed three cornerbacks within the last month, adding E.J. Biggers today to go along with Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond, but the team continues to consider options at the position with the draft approaching. As Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com outlines, the team hosted LSU cornerback Jalen Collins, a potential scheme fit, on a pre-draft visit today.
Here are a few more draft-related updates from around the NFL:
- Although he thinks he’ll probably end up in Jacksonville with the No. 3 overall pick, Dante Fowler Jr. is meeting with a couple NFC teams in the top 10, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, who tweets that the Florida pass rusher will visit the Buccaneers and Falcons this weekend.
- The 49ers are meeting with Louisville receiver DeVante Parker, who is expected to be one of the first wideouts to come off the board, writes Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
- UTC pass rusher Davis Tull, a former wide receiver, has pre-draft visits lined up with the Saints and Falcons, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- Over at The National Football Post, Aaron Wilson passes along updates on a pair of prospects, writing that Northwestern quarterback Trevor Siemian has visited the Broncos and is working out for the Bears, while Bowling Green linebacker Gabe Martin is visiting the Cowboys today.
- Per Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), the Cowboys “love” Damarious Randall, and consider the Arizona State alum the best safety in this year’s draft class.
- Rutgers tight end Tyler Kroft has had individual workouts with the Eagles, Jaguars, and Buccaneers, and is scheduled to visit the Bears and Broncos this week, says Dan Duggan of NJ.com.
- The Patriots had a private workout with Northwestern State defensive tackle Deon Simon last week, a league source tells Christopher Price of WEEI.com.