NFC East Links: Jackson, McClain, Polk, Giants
Redskins safety Tanard Jackson, who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2011 due to multiple suspensions, is fighting for a roster spot in Washington, but he’s just happy for the opportunity to compete again, writes Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune. “You can imagine somebody getting taken away from something that they love to do and having to humble themselves after doing something wrong,” said Jackson. “That was me. I had to take responsibility for it and face the consequences.’’ The Redskins have several options at safety, including the free agent signee Ryan Clark, so Jackson isn’t guaranteed a spot on the 53-man roster, but it sounds as though the 28-year-old has undergone an attitude adjustment. “Going from playing football to working in a warehouse at a nine-to-five job is a humbling experience,’’ he said. “It’s taught me to never take anything in this business for granted.’’
More from the NFC East:
- Tarik El-Bashir and Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com debate whether Pierre Garcon or DeSean Jackson will have more receiving yards for the Redskins next year; Garcon has a rapport with Robert Griffin III, but Jackson has the greater career yards per catch.
- The Cowboys acquired Rolando McClain to help fill the void left by Sean Lee‘s injury, but Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News (video link) cautions not to expect the oft-troubled linebacker to be as productive as he was with the Raiders.
- Following the Eagles’ trade of Bryce Brown, Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com believes that Chris Polk will see expanded usage at the running back position. Though Philadelphia added Darren Sproles, there could be more opportunities for inexperienced players like Polk as head coach Chip Kelly aims to reduce the carries of LeSean McCoy.
- The Giants’ offensive line is a unit in flux, writes Dan Graziano of ESPN.com, who adds that center is a position up for grabs — veteran J.D. Walton and second-round rookie Weston Richburg are the primary options.
NFC East Links: Melton, Eagles, Skins, Giants
If new Cowboy Henry Melton can match his career high of seven sacks in 2014, the team will more than likely pick up the final three years of his contract, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com in his mailbag. Picking up the rest of the deal will guarantee Melton $9MM in 2015.
Archer also discusses whether the Cowboys keep three of four tight ends on their active roster, and picks James Hanna as the odd man out if they only keep three. Hanna is the weakest blocker of the group, and the team has not been able to take advantage of his standout athleticism in his two years in Dallas.
He also highlights Bruce Carter, Justin Durant, and Kyle Wilber as the three players most likely to start at linebacker for the Cowboys’ defense in 2014.
Here are some more links from around the NFC East:
- The Cowboys‘ have lost their players to the third most games due to injury over the last two seasons, totaling 133 games missed over that time period, writes Brandon George.of DallasNews.com. The team has employed more protective equipment during practices, and the use of two ProFlex stretching machines, two other stretching machines designed for the core and lower body, one World Cup skier’s plyometric apparatus, one Dynamic Edge skier’s machine, and a vibration machine in attempt to increase their players’ resistance to injuries.
- The Eagles are better and deeper than they have been in years past, writes Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. The addition of Malcolm Jenkins should provide consistency, and Nate Allen improved again last year after regression in years prior. Backup Earl Wolff has been working with Jenkins, and will find his way onto the field in certain packages and situations, or to spell the two starters.
- Mosher also examined why the Eagles decided they didn’t need to get bigger on the defensive line this offseason, despite allowing success on the ground in their playoff loss to the Saints. Despite criticism of being too small, he notes that the unit was tenth in the league in rushing yards allowed, and were even better on a per carry basis, where they ranked fourth.
- Chris Chester struggled in 2013 as the Redskins‘ right guard, but he is still the frontrunner to start in 2014, writes Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. However, third-round pick Spencer Long will challenge for the starting spot, and backup Josh LeRibeus could be in the mix as well.
- The Redskins have many issues they need to improve on special teams, but maybe none more than their touchback percentage, writes Chris Russell of ESPN980.com (via Twitter). According to Russell, Kai Forbath produced a touchback on only 24.6% of his kickoffs in 2013. The league average number was 48.8%.
- There is disagreement over who will return punts for the Giants in 2014, but fortunately they have a number of promising options according to the writers at Giants.com. Michael Eisen sees the job as Rueben Randle‘s to lose, as he performed well in that role in 2013, although he is not a home run threat. John Schmeelk envisions Odell Beckham Jr. taking over as a rookie, as he displayed explosive ability to do so at LSU. Finally, Dan Salmone chose the 5’5″ Trindon Holliday to be the big play threat the Giants have been missing in their special teams.
East Notes: Hanie, Cowboys, Eagles, Pace
As Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes, Brandon Weeden may have been the biggest beneficiary of Kyle Orton‘s absence from the Cowboys’ spring workouts, but it’s worked out for Caleb Hanie as well. The quarterback, who drew interest from Dallas in 2008 before he signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent, is competing for a roster spot and isn’t going to let Orton’s presence – or lack thereof – at training camp affect his approach.
“If he’s here, I’ll notice,” Hanie said. “If he’s not, I don’t worry about that. I just worry about what I can do and control and see how it goes from here.”
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:
- In a separate piece for ESPN.com, Archer fields readers’ questions from Twitter, providing his take on the Cowboys‘ acquisition of Rolando McClain, whether or not the team is in rebuild mode, and the long-term prospects of Zack Martin vs. Travis Frederick.
- Archer also contributes to ESPN.com’s look at burning questions for NFC East teams, exploring whether the Cowboys‘ defense can be passable following the departures of Jason Hatcher and DeMarcus Ware, as well as Sean Lee‘s season-ending injury. Within the same piece, Phil Sheridan discusses the impact free agent signee Malcolm Jenkins will have on the Eagles‘ secondary.
- While Calvin Pace is set to turn 34 this fall, the Jets were willing to re-sign him to a two-year contract in March, and we shouldn’t assume he’ll ease into a reduced role, says Brian Costello of the New York Post.
Cowboys Acquire Rolando McClain, Place Sean Lee On IR
THURSDAY, 11:04am: The Cowboys’ official site has provided clarity on the draft picks potentially changing hands in this deal. Here are the details:
- If McClain plays 50% or more of the Cowboys’ defensive snaps in 2014, the Ravens receive a 2015 sixth-round pick and the Cowboys receive a 2015 seventh-round pick.
- If McClain doesn’t play 50% of the defensive snaps but is on the 53-man roster for five games or the 46-man roster for three games, the Cowboys will swap 2016 seventh-round picks with Baltimore, assuming Dallas’ pick is higher.
- Otherwise, no picks will change hands.
WEDNESDAY, 4:59pm: According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the Cowboys now say they sent a seventh-round pick to Baltimore in the McClain deal, and that the seventh-rounders going both ways are for 2016, rather than 2015.
9:35am: The sixth-round pick the Cowboys are including in the deal is conditional based on McClain’s playing time, says Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). It’s not clear what picks, if any, would change hands if McClain doesn’t play, but presumably the Ravens’ seventh-rounder wouldn’t go anywhere in that case either.
TUESDAY, 5:00pm: The Cowboys have acquired linebacker Rolando McClain and a 2015 seventh-round pick from the Ravens in exchange for a 2015 sixth-rounder, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter). In a corresponding roster move, Dallas has placed linebacker Sean Lee, who tore his ACL last month, on injured reserve, tweets ESPN.com’s Field Yates.
McClain, 24, was selected by the Raiders at pick No. 8 in the 2010 draft. After being released in April 2013, he signed with Baltimore, but retired a month later. In March of this year, he announced his intentions to return to the NFL, but retired a second time in April. He was once again reinstated from the reserve/retired list today. Over the course of three seasons, McClain has amassed 175 tackles and 6.5 sacks, while grading out positively each year per Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required).
Dallas will assume the contract McClain signed with Baltimore, which pays him $700K in non-guaranteed base salary, and contains another $400K in incentives based on playing time, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). Provided he commits to playing out the season, McClain could be a worthwhile addition for the Cowboys, especially given the low cost to acquire him.
McClain will presumably compete with Justin Durant and fourth-round pick Anthony Hitchens to replace Lee at middle linebacker. Lee, who signed a six-year extension worth $42.6MM last August, has now suffered three ACL injuries (two on his left leg) in a six-year span.
East Notes: Pats, Cowboys, Bills, Giants
The hearing for Jimmy Graham‘s franchise tag positional designation took place in June and a decision is expected from arbitrator Stephen Burbank this week, but another key arbitration hearing – for Aaron Hernandez and the Patriots – has no set date yet, according to Albert Breer of NFL Network (Twitter link).
As Breer details in a pair of tweets, the two sides are at odds over the tight end’s $12.5MM signing bonus. The Pats have already made $9.25MM in bonus payments, but didn’t pay the remaining $3.25MM this March. Hernandez’s camp figures to try to recover that last $3.25MM, which could end up going to the victims’ families, while the Pats may look to recoup a portion of the bonus that they already paid.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:
- After signing free agent guard Uche Nwaneri and acquiring linebacker Rolando McClain, the Cowboys may also look to add a veteran at tight end, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, who suggests the team could use a blocker behind Jason Witten.
- Since Kiko Alonso‘s ACL injury will technically be considered a non-football injury, the Bills could elect not to pay him for the 2014 season. However, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, because Alonso’s injury was sustained while he was working out, not paying him his ’14 salary could send a bad message, suggesting players are better off not working out when camp isn’t in session. As ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak notes (via Twitter), Alonso wouldn’t earn an accrued season if the Bills placed him on the non-football-injury list, meaning he’d become a restricted free agent after 2016 rather than an unrestricted free agent.
- After signing John Jerry as a free agent this offseason, the Giants would look to see the veteran guard make a run at a starting spot, writes Conor Orr of the Star-Ledger.
- Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com takes a look at the Eagles‘ depth chart on the defensive side of the ball.
Cowboys Notes: Orton, Romo, Jones
The Kyle Orton–Cowboys standoff continues, but Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News says that there’s nothing for fans to worry about. After all, if Tony Romo gets hurt for a significant amount of time, the team “is doomed” either way. That may sound relatively pessimistic, but the writer seems to be on to something.
Gosselin looked at the success of backup quarterbacks from around the league. In 2013, starters won about 54 percent of the time while the backups only won 35 percent of their starts. Since 2000, backups have won 41 percent of their games, but that number is a bit misleading because of two outliers (Tom Brady‘s 11-3 record in 2001 and Ben Roethlisberger‘s 13-0 record in 2004).
The Cowboys could hold on to the dependable Orton, but history doesn’t suggest success if he’s thrust into a starting role. Instead, the team will hope he retires. As Gosselin notes, Orton would have to repay the Cowboys $3MM of his $5MM signing bonus if he decides to hang up the cleats. If he is cut, the Cowboys are responsible for the entire bonus.
Let’s see what else is happening in the Cowboys organization…
- In a likely effort to avoid a third back surgery, Tony Romo told David Moore of The Dallas Morning News that he has given up golf. Golf is more than a hobby to Romo – the quarterback has won a number of amateur tournaments and nearly qualified for the U.S. Open. However, Romo understands what he needs to do to stay healthy. “It’s not just golf. It’s a way you live life,” he said. “I don’t think about it as [giving up] golf. It’s just life. You want to give yourself the best chance to succeed on the football field.”
- Former Cowboys running back Felix Jones is still confident he’ll be in the NFL next season. The 27-year-old appeared in 16 games for the Steelers last season but only ran for 184 yards in a backup role. “I know something is going to happen, I have a gut feeling,” Jones said, via Kieran Steckley of TulsaWorld.com. “I just have to stay prepared for it…I played the game for a few years. I kinda got the hang for what’s going on in the NFL at my position. I know I can teach younger guys. Obviously I still got some gas in my motor.”
NFC Notes: Falcons, Orakpo, Bears, Panthers
We’re still waiting for resolution on one of the biggest NFC stories this month, with a decision from arbitrator Stephen Burbank on Jimmy Graham‘s franchise position designation expected this week. While we await Burbank’s call on whether the Saints star is a tight end or wide receiver, let’s check out a few more items from around the conference….
- Wide receiver Roddy White appears poised to play out his entire current contract with the Falcons, a rarity in an era where players are often cut or forced to renegotiate with time still remaining on their deals. As Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap observes, that makes White’s contract one of the best on Atlanta’s books. Sam Baker‘s is the worst contract currently being carried by the club, in Fitzgerald’s view.
- Playing on a one-year franchise tag, linebacker Brian Orakpo has a big year ahead of him, says ESPN.com’s John Keim. While the Redskins selected Trent Murphy with their first pick in last month’s draft, neither the team nor Orakpo himself views Murphy as Orakpo’s future replacement, meaning a productive season from the veteran linebacker could result in a longer-term deal with Washington.
- It’s not clear how many tight ends the Bears will keep on their regular season roster, but Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com thinks Martellus Bennett, Matthew Mulligan, and Dante Rosario will make the cut.
- In a mailbag at ESPN.com, David Newton fields questions on Greg Hardy, Edmund Kugbila, and other Panthers-related topics.
- Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News previews the Cowboys‘ special teams unit for the 2014 season.
Friday Roundup: Bears, Raiders, Dolphins
To put it mildly, the Bears’ defense struggled last season — they allowed the second-most points and the third-most total yardage in the NFL on the way to finishing 25th in defensive DVOA. But rather than choosing between rebuilding or entering “win-now” mode, Chicago has melded the two approaches as it seeks to revamp its defensive unit, according to John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. During general manager Phil Emery’s tenure, the Bears have focused on defense during the first four rounds of the draft, selecting three linebackers, two defensive tackles, a cornerback, and two safeties in the three-year span. But the team also made several additions this offseason, including Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston, and the recently-signed Adrian Wilson. Emery’s fusing of two divergent strategies may ensure that the Bears will remain competitive while they continue to stockpile young talent that can contribute in the future.
More assorted notes from around the league:
- The vote regarding the 10-year lease deal between MLB’s Athletics and Coliseum Joint Powers Authority (which operates O.co Coliseum) was cancelled today after four members of the Authority boycotted the meeting, reports Carolyn Jones of the San Francisco Chronicle. As we noted yesterday, any complication of the deal is good news for the Raiders, who want to build a new stadium where the current Coliseum is located.
- Some Dolphins’ decision-makers would like to make Marcus Thigpen expendable by having rookie Jarvis Landry take over punt-return duties, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. But offensive coordinator Bill Lazor likes Thigpen, so he’s likely to stick on the 53-man roster.
- Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com takes an early guess as to the Cardinals’ starting offense, and there are several positions up for grabs, including tight end, right guard, and right tackle.
- If Josh Gordon‘s suspension stands, the Browns will have to rely even more on Jordan Cameron and the rest of their tight end group; with that in mind, ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon takes a overview of the unit.
- The Cowboys’ offensive line is shaping up to be one of the better front fives in the league, and David Moore of the Dallas Morning News zeroes in on the right guard position. First-rounder Zack Martin will start, and Dallas enjoys enviable depth with veteran Mackenzy Bernadeau backing up the rookie.
Free Agent Notes: Roby, Nwaneri, Colledge
Here are a handful of free agent notes from around the NFL. We’ll continue to update this post throughout the night as more news rolls in…
- The Falcons have signed veteran wide receiver Courtney Roby, reports Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). The 31-year-old’s best season came as a rookie in 2005, when he caught 21 passes for 289 yards with the Titans. Roby appeared in 57 games with Saints from 2009-2012, where he returned 75 kicks for 1,939 yards and served as the team’s special team’s captain.
- The Cowboys have officially announced the signing of veteran guard Uche Nwaneri, who was reported to be heading to Dallas earlier this week. To make room on the roster, the team placed guard Tyronne Green on the reserved/injured list.
- Offensive lineman Daryn Colledge is planning on visiting the Dolphins, reports Jason Cole of the National Football Post (via Twitter). The team is seeking a center after losing starter Mike Pouncey, who underwent hip surgery earlier this week. Colledge, a former second-round pick, spent five years with the Packers prior to joining the Cardinals.
Ronald Leary Won’t Be Suspended
Cowboys guard Ronald Leary will not be suspended for his 2012 DWI arrest, reports ESPN’s Calvin Watkins.
According to court documents, Leary was arrested days after the team’s 2012 season opener at the New York Giants, but it’s taken nearly two years for him to face trial (scheduled for July 14, per the Dallas Morning News). In terms of discipline from the NFL, Watkins explains, “When an NFL player is charged with a DWI offense, he’s placed into the league’s substance abuse program. Once that player completes the program, the league considers the legal matter over based on the facts of any particular case.”
Leary, 25, went undrafted out of Memphis in 2012, in part because of a knee issue that scared teams off. However, he was considered a mid-round prospect with eventual starter potential, and the Cowboys secured his services with an enticing offer. After spending 2012 on the practice squad, Leary started all 16 games at left guard last season. He struggled, though, failing to establish himself as a long-term answer, and with rookie first-rounder Zack Martin expected to take over right guard, Leary will compete with Mackenzy Bernadeau for the left guard spot.