NFC Links: Saints, Cowboys, Cardinals, Rams
Saints tight end Ben Watson was keeping tabs on the franchise tag situation regarding his team and the player he backs up, Jimmy Graham. However, the 33-year-old is confident that both sides will be able to move on and told ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett that heated moments accompany any contract negotiation…
“I’m very confident that it’ll be resolved the right way and guys can move forward. Obviously it’s always tough when you go through litigation with somebody, and it can probably get heated. And I’m sure there are emotions on both sides. But that is the business side of the game.
“And it’s unfortunate that it came to that and that it was so public. But I really think – I know, I don’t think – I know that Jimmy loves New Orleans and I know that he loves our team and the organization and he loves playing here. And we love him, everybody wants him here, coaches included. So when it comes down to contract situations, that’s just a necessary evil…not even evil, but just a necessary progression of getting a player here.”
Let’s check some more NFC notes…
- Nick Hayden had a great comeback last season with the Cowboys, but Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News writes that free agent addition Terrell McClain will push him for the starting defensive tackle gig.
- Cardinals linebacker Ernie Sims is hoping to play ten seasons in the NFL, the veteran told Jim Henry of the Tallahassee Democrat. The 29-year-old has played for four teams during his eight-year career.
- Count Will Witherspoon as a Kenny Britt fan. The former Rams linebacker thinks his former Titans teammates will flourish in St.Louis, the free agent said on SiriusXM NFL Radio (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com). “I think the addition of Kenny Britt will be a huge boost for the Rams offense,” Witherspoon said. “I expect him to blossom into a star.”
East Notes: Redskins, Bills, Bryant, Jordan
Tanard Jackson wasn’t a lock to make the Redskins‘ roster before word of his second indefinite suspension broke, so his absence from training camp doesn’t figure to have a huge effect on the secondary. A source tells Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link) that the club is unlikely to bring in another safety to fill Jackson’s roster spot, and John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that as of this morning, Washington had not reached out to free agent safety Reed Doughty, who has spent his entire eight-year career with the team.
Here’s more out of the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Jeffrey Gundlach, CEO of Los Angeles-based investment firm DoubleLine Capital, still has interest in making a bid for the Bills, reports Tim Graham of the Buffalo News. Gundlach has previously expressed interest in purchasing the franchise and keeping it in Western New York, and appears to have rebounded from a financial perspective after an “ugly courtroom divorce”
- In a conversation with Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com (video link), star wideout Dez Bryant admitted it was hard for him to hear that the Cowboys cut Miles Austin this offseason. Bryant, entering the final year of his rookie deal, also downplayed his contract situation, suggesting he intends to focus on football. “When it’s time to talk about it, that’s when I’ll talk about it. I’m gonna let that stuff take care of itself,” Bryant said.
- Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com notes that the worst-case scenario for Bryant this year would involve those extension talks becoming a distraction and having an effect on his on-field performance.
- Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan has no plans to appeal his four-game suspension and will serve it at the start of the 2014 season, according to James Walker of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That’s no surprise, since the NFL typically doesn’t announce a suspension until it has already gone through the appeal process.
Extra Points: Cowboys, Smith, Bucs, Jackson
As a part of a roundtable discussion on FOX Sports Live, Randy Moss was quite critical of Jason Garrett and the Cowboys‘ coaching staff, writes Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “When you look on paper, it’s every year that the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders have a lot of talent on their team,” Moss said. “I mean, talented, top-end players. For the Dallas Cowboys to keep sputtering every year, it’s not the players – some of it falls on the players – but go on up top and see what’s going on.” More out of the NFC..
- 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith has left CAA Sports to join up with Relativity Sports, according to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal (on Twitter). NFL agents Doug Hendrickson & CJ Laboy will represent the talented and troubled athlete.
- Jason Fitzgerald’s series on teams’ best and worst contracts continues today at OverTheCap.com with a closer look at the Rams’ cap situation. Offensive tackle Jake Long and tight end Jared Cook earn respective best and worst contract honors for St. Louis for the second straight year, according to Fitzgerald.
- The Buccaneers badly need change and that all starts with new head coach Lovie Smith, writes Chris Korman of USA Today. Last year, Tampa Bay had a weird season under coach Greg Schiano and notched just four wins despite having big name talents like Darrelle Revis and receiver Vincent Jackson. It’s already clear that Smith is ready to take a different approach. “This is what I’ve found from men: They will do whatever you ask them to do if you look them in the eye and they feel like you know what you’re talking about and you have a plan,” Smith said. “I never had a hard time. I’ve dealt with very few players I haven’t been able to motivate and get them to do what we ask them to do. They’ll listen.“
- New Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson says that he’s happy to be in the same locker room as quarterback Andrew Luck, writes Kevin Bowen of Colts.com. “It’s a breath of fresh air to see a quarterback on the other side that is learning, getting better each and every day. He’s making my game much better. He does a phenomenal job in practice of managing the offense, making the right reads. Whatever I can do to help him, great, and vice versa.”
- In today’s mailbag, Craig Kelley of Colts.com writes that he believes Brandon McKinney can author a new chapter in his career this season. The defensive lineman signed with the Colts earlier this offseason and is looking to get back in the groove after two knee surgeries.
East Notes: Kerrigan, Bills, Dolphins, Cowboys
The Redskins exercised their fifth-year option on outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan this offseason, ensuring that he remains under contract with the club through the 2015 season. As he tells Ben Breiner of the Muncie Star Press, Kerrigan is cautiously optimistic about an even longer stay in Washington: “I’m going to be a part of [the team] for at least an additional year and hopefully after that, even longer.”
The Redskins also have Brian Orakpo playing under the franchise tag in 2014, and selected Trent Murphy with the No. 47 pick in the ’14 draft, so it remains to be seen whether the club plans on keeping all three OLBs for the long term, or whether one will move on in the next year or two.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Jerry Zremski of the Buffalo News surveyed a handful of local developers on where the Bills‘ next stadium should be built, assuming the team remains in Western New York. As Zremski writes, he wasn’t surprised when his investigation produced “plenty of ideas and little consensus.”
- It was just two years ago that Cortland Finnegan inked a five-year, $50MM deal with the Rams, but after being released this offseason, he’s on a much more modest two-year contract with the Dolphins. According to James Walker of ESPN.com, early reports from the Miami coaching staff suggest the veteran cornerback could be in line for a bounceback performance in 2014.
- Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon, who racked up 11.5 sacks last season, has left Rosenhaus Sports and is said to be meeting with other agents, tweets Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal.
- Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News takes a look at the Cowboys’ left defensive end spot, where Anthony Spencer was re-signed by the team but isn’t being relied upon nearly as heavily as he has been in the past.
Extra Points: Graham, Jones, Cowboys
Earlier today, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk got his hands on testimony from the Jimmy Graham franchise-tag grievance hearing. One of the more interesting highlights: former Buccaneers special assistant to the head coach Butch Davis said that the team’s draft strategy in 2012 was fueled directly by a desire to stop Graham. “We took [safety] Mark Barron in the first round simply because of Jimmy Graham,” Davis said of the team’s decision with the eighth overall pick that year. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, the Saints have gone 4-0 against the Bucs since then. Here’s more from around the league..
- In former Ravens defensive end Arthur Jones, it’s clear that the Colts got the type of player and personality that they’ve been looking for, writes Kevin Bowen of Colts.com. Indianapolis pried Jones away from Baltimore this offseason with a five-year, $33MM deal that includes $10MM in guaranteed money.
- Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com looks back to see what could have been for the Cowboys had they gambled on certain players. For example, if they put in a higher bid in the 2012 supplemental draft, they could have won top prize Josh Gordon, who is suspended for the 2014 season. The Cowboys would also look rather different if they went with Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel in this year’s draft. While both athletes are talented, right now it seems like the Cowboys were better off steering clear of both of them.
- Brandon George of the Dallas News writes that the Cowboys have depth but very little experience at the left defensive end spot.
NFC East Links: Giants, Cowboys, Hankerson
As we continue counting down the days until NFL training camps open, let’s check in on a few of the latest items out of the NFC East….
- The Giants were among the teams that passed on Johnny Manziel in this year’s draft, but even if the club needed a quarterback, it sounds as if its interest in Manziel may have been lukewarm. Co-owner Steve Tisch told TMZ (link via Cleveland.com) that the former Texas A&M star’s lifestyle would concern him if Manziel was a Giant. “I think if you sort of look at the culture and the history of the Giants, he really doesn’t fit the profile of, historically, New York Giants football players,” Tisch said.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap continued his series on the best and worst contracts for each team today with a look at the Giants. In Fitzgerald’s opinion, New York’s offseason signing of cornerback Walter Thurmond gave the club its best contract, while offensive tackle William Beatty has the roster’s least team-friendly deal. Fitzgerald adds that another offseason signee, cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, was a close “runner-up” for the Giants’ worst contract.
- The Cowboys invested a top-10 draft pick in Morris Claiborne and $50MM in Brandon Carr, and will need both cornerbacks to be better than they were last year if they hope to contend in 2014, writes Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. According to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required), Carr ranked 58th and Claiborne placed 88th among 110 qualified corners in 2013.
- As wide receiver Leonard Hankerson continues to recover from an ACL injury, Mike Jones of the Washington Post wonders if there will be a role on the Redskins‘ offense for him when he gets healthy.
Latest On NFL Supplemental Draft
A pair of prospects eligible for this month’s NFL supplemental draft recently held Pro Days, which were attended by a handful of teams, according to various reports. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears from agent Louis Bing that the Cowboys, Texans, Packers, Colts, Lions, Giants, Seahawks, Dolphins, and Bears were in attendance to watch SMU running back Traylon Shead work out. Meanwhile, according to NFLDraftDiamonds.com (via PFT), the Bears, Cardinals, Chiefs, Colts, Eagles, Falcons, 49ers, Patriots, Raiders, Rams, and Texans attended the workout for former Virginia-Lynchburg defensive lineman LaKendrick Ross.
As Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report wrote last month when he previewed 2014’s supplemental draft, it doesn’t project to be too exciting an affair, with Shead, Ross, and New Mexico wideout Chase Clayton among the players eligible. A year ago, none of the six players eligible for the 2013 supplemental draft were selected, and it looks like this year’s crop of players won’t warrant more than late-round picks, if they’re taken at all.
The supplemental draft is intended to accommodate players who missed the deadline for May’s NFL draft or were declared ineligible for another reason. In some cases, players eligible for the supplemental draft land there as a result of being declared academically ineligible in the NCAA, or being kicked off of a team — this helps to explain why some of the more notable players selected in recent supplemental drafts – such as Josh Brent and Josh Gordon – have had off-field concerns.
If a team wants to select a player in the supplemental draft, it must let the league know the round in which it’s willing to select that player. The club which submits the highest round will receive the player and forfeit a 2015 draft pick in that same round. For instance, when the Browns used a second-round supplemental choice on Gordon in 2012, it meant that the team lost its second-round pick for the 2013 draft.
NFC Links: Greenway, Graham, Riddick
Vikings veteran linebacker Chad Greenway, coming off a disappointing 2013 season in which a wrist injury affected his play, is a player with “something to prove,” according to ESPN’s Ben Goessling: “Greenway took a paycut after a disappointing 2013 season with the Vikings, and he has just one year left on his contract after this season. The Vikings would have to count only a $1.7 million bonus proration against their 2015 cap if they cut Greenway after this season, and they’d save $7.1 million, meaning Greenway could be looking at another contract restructure or a release if he doesn’t pick things up at age 31 this season.”
Here’s some more NFC-related reading:
- ESPN’s Mike Triplett did his best to clarify an arbitrator’s ruling that — for the purpose of the Saints’ franchise tag designation — Jimmy Graham was a tight end, in part, because of the so-called “4-yard benchmark.”
- Late last month, Tim Twentyman wrote about Lions running back Theo Riddick turning heads with an impressive spring which caught the eye of head coach Jim Caldwell in particular. Now backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky is adding to the hype. Talking on Ross Tucker’s podcast, Orlovsky said, “I’m telling you, if [Riddick] doesn’t 50 catches this year, I’ll be surprised because he’s going to have opportunities and he’s very talented at it. I think he’s going to play that Sproles role, for sure.”
- Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is rehabbing from back surgery for the second consecutive offseason, writes David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, but Romo says his conditioning is “miles ahead of last year.”
- Barry Church will hold down one safety spot for the Cowboys, but his running mate is to be determined. Bryan Broaddus of DallasCowboys.com thinks it will come down to J.J. Wilcox or Jakar Hamilton. “Wilcox has lost weight and is playing with better movement along with a better understanding of what his responsibilities are,” says Broaddus. Matt Johnson, a 2012 fourth-rounder out of Eastern Washington, is the most talented of the bunch, according to Broaddus, but Johnson hasn’t been able to stay healthy.
- The Redskins drafted Josh LeRibeus in the third round in 2012 anticipating he would develop into a starter. Two years later, he must prove himself a capable backup just to stick on the roster, writes Mike Jones in the Washington Post.
- In a rundown of NFC South depth chart notes, Pro Football Focus’ Gordon McGuinness recognized the encouraging play of a pair of 2013 rookies: Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead and Buccaneers running back Mike James, both of whom made the most of limited opportunity.
Extra Points: Bills, Cowboys, Minor League
Here are a handful of extra notes to end your weekend…
- Bills punter Jake Dombrowski will give veteran Brian Moorman some serious competition, writes ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak. The decision will likely come down to whether the team prefers “fresh blood” or the reliable (but inconsistent) Moorman.
- The Cowboys hiring of passing coordinator Scott Linehan still puzzles the Dallas Morning News’ Gerry Fraley, the writer said on Fox Sports Southwest’s SportsDay OnAir (via DallasNews.com). Fraley questions why the team would want to throw more when they have three first-rounders on the offensive line to protect DeMarco Murray.
- The NFL is working on a minor league and the owners are aware that investors are “willing to put together developmental leagues for them,” writes ESPN.com’s John Clayton. The writer adds that the league will eventually develop something, but he isn’t sure when.
NFC Notes: 49ers, Seahawks, Cowboys
Even though the San Francisco 49ers are one of the two best teams in the NFL, and even though they’ll be better this year than last, the problem is that the No. 1 team is in their division, and they’re improved, too.
National Football Post’s Greg Gabriel previews the 2014 49ers and says that the team’s top priority is, obviously, getting past the Seahawks, who are riding high after a 43-8 throttling of the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. At quarterback, San Francisco is set with Colin Kaepernick, but Gabriel notes that there isn’t much behind him in the way of depth, even with the team’s recent acquisition of Blaine Gabbert.
Overall, Gabriel loves the talent on each side of the ball as well as head coach Jim Harbaugh, though the statuses of Aldon Smith and NaVorro Bowman will be key.
More links from the NFC below:
- At first glance, the running game of last year’s Seahawks appears quite formidable, as the team ranked fourth in total yards gained on the ground with 2,188. But, as The Seattle Times Bob Condotta notes, FootballPerspective.com ranked the Seahawks No. 13 in adjusted yards per carry, a statistic that takes into account rushing touchdowns and rushing first downs as well as bulk yardage.
- The Cowboys bounced back from a franchise low in rushing yardage in 2012 — 1,265 yards — to a respectable 1,504 yards in 2013 on 4.5 yards per carry, and lead back DeMarco Murray will be leaned on more than ever in 2014, writes Rainer Sabin of The Dallas Morning News. Despite play-caller Scott Linehan notoriously leaning on the arm of his quarterback more often than not, he’s promised to run with Murray, as the Cowboys are 11-0 when the former Sooner gets 20 or more carries.
- The Saints need to pay up on a long-term deal for Jimmy Graham, USA TODAY’s Lorenzo Reyes argues. Reyes thinks talks between Graham and the team will intensify as the July 15 deadline to sign a multi-year deal approaches.
- The opinion by arbitrator Stephen Burbank that a tight end is defined by whether he lines up within four yards of an offensive tackle is not sitting well with the Saints, a source tells Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Per Florio, the team contends that a tight end is a tight end based on the player’s size, his position group and how team’s defend him, and that his relationship to the offensive tackle has no bearing.