NFC East Notes: Riley, Cowboys, Eagles
It’s already been a busy day for NFC East updates, as the Cowboys opened the morning by winning a coin flip for the 16th overall pick in the 2014 draft, while the Redskins followed up by finalizing their new contract agreement with cornerback DeAngelo Hall. We also heard that Washington will be seeking at least a second-round pick if the team decides to make Kirk Cousins available via trade. Now we’ve got a few more NFC East notes to pass along, so let’s dive in….
- The Redskins and free agent linebacker Perry Riley haven’t made much progress so far in contract negotiations, sources tell Mark Maske of the Washington Post. The two sides continue to talk, and the Redskins still want to retain the free-agent-to-be, but no deal is close at this point, says Maske, adding that one source suggests Riley appears increasingly likely to test the open market in March.
- Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com explores the long-term implications of Hall’s new deal with the Redskins, in a post at RealRedskins.com.
- The Cowboys are still “getting the lay of the land” when it comes to making roster decisions on players like DeMarcus Ware and Miles Austin, executive vice president Stephen Jones tells Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News.
- There’s a very real chance that the Eagles draft a quarterback this May, as Reuben Frank details at CSNPhilly.com.
- According to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal, Eagles defensive end Cedric Thornton has moved from CAA Sports to Joby Branion of Athletes First (Twitter link). Mullen adds that Branion, Carmen Wallace, and Athletes First will also represent Cowboys linebacker Bruce Carter, who has left former agent Carl Carey (Twitter links). Carter still has one year remaining on his contract, while Thornton is an exclusive rights free agent this offseason.
Cowboys Win Coin Flip For No. 16 Pick
The NFL flipped a coin today to determine whether the Cowboys or Ravens would pick 16th overall in the 2014 draft, and Dallas won the flip, according to director of NFC communications Randall Liu (via Twitter). As Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun notes (via Twitter), the coin flip had been necessary because both teams finished the season with the same record (8-8) and opponents’ winning percentage (.484).
With the Cowboys locked in at No. 16 and the Ravens at No. 17, the first round order has now been set. Here’s the complete list:
- Houston Texans
- St. Louis Rams (from Washington)
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Cleveland Browns
- Oakland Raiders
- Atlanta Falcons
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Minnesota Vikings
- Buffalo Bills
- Detroit Lions
- Tennessee Titans
- New York Giants
- St. Louis Rams
- Chicago Bears
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Baltimore Ravens
- New York Jets
- Miami Dolphins
- Arizona Cardinals
- Green Bay Packers
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Cincinnati Bengals
- San Diego Chargers
- Cleveland Browns (from Indianapolis)
- New Orleans Saints
- Carolina Panthers
- New England Patriots
- San Francisco 49ers
- Denver Broncos
- Seattle Seahawks
Panthers Tops In “Dead Money”
Thanks in large part to last season’s trade of Jon Beason, the Panthers have $17.8MM in “dead money,” more than any team in the league, according to ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert (full chart here). “Dead money” is defined as cap space consumed by players no longer on the roster, whether they retired, were released or traded. The numbers will fluctuate as rosters continue to evolve, but listed below are the five teams with at least $10MM worth of “dead money” at present time, including the players accounting for most of the sunk costs:
- Panthers ($17.8MM): Beason ($8MM), Jordan Gross ($5.6MM), James Anderson ($2.8MM)
- Bills ($12.1MM): Ryan Fitzpatrick ($8MM), Mark Anderson ($3MM), Rian Lindell ($1.38MM)
- Cowboys ($11.8MM): Jay Ratliff ($6.9MM), Nate Livings ($2.1MM), Marcus Spears ($1.4mM), Sean Lissemore ($1.2MM)
- Saints ($10.5MM): Roman Harper ($3.7MM), Jabari Greer ($2.7MM), Will Smith ($2.4MM), Garrett Hartley ($1MM)
- Cardinals ($10.1MM): Levi Brown ($6.5MM), Adam Snyder ($3MM)
At the other end of the spectrum, six teams have less than $1MM in “dead money”: Jets, Rams, Buccaneers, Colts, Seahawks and Bengals.
NFC Notes: Delmas, Falcons, Panthers
The Eagles will be targeting safeties this offseason in an effort to upgrade their secondary, but veteran free agent Louis Delmas doesn’t appear to be on their wish list, according to Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. A source tells Frank that the Eagles have “little interest” in the former Lion, who was released by Detroit last week, and that disinterest is likely related to Delmas’ health. While the 26-year-old free safety started all 16 games in 2013, he has had surgeries on both knees in recent years, and missed 13 of 32 regular season contests in 2011 and 2012.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- In a Tuesday news release, CBS Sports confirmed that Tony Gonzalez will be joining the network’s pregame studio show, replacing the departing Dan Marino and Shannon Sharpe. The new job for Gonzalez essentially rules out a return to the field in 2014, meaning the Falcons will get $7MM in cap savings, as ESPN’s Adam Caplan outlines (via Twitter).
- Noting that the Panthers haven’t really begun negotiating with any of their prospective free agents yet, ESPN.com’s David Newton says there’s no reason to get worked up about Cam Newton‘s contract situation, since he’ll get paid eventually, whether it happens this offseason or down the line.
- The Cowboys will have to lock up wide receiver Dez Bryant and left tackle Tyron Smith at some point, and Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com believes a new deal for Smith should take precedence.
- Following up on the latest Sam Bradford rumors, Andrew Cohen of OverTheCap.com breaks down the four scenarios for the Rams: Releasing Bradford, extending him with a pay cut, extending him without a pay cut, and standing pat.
NFC East Notes: Hall, Orakpo, Eagles
DeAngelo Hall and the Redskins are working on an extension, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. While Hall is often maligned for the flaws in his all around game, he still has supporters in Washington. “After an inconsistent 2012, Hall took a massive pay cut and became the Redskins’ best defensive back in 2013, recording four interceptions, scoring three defensive touchdowns and covering the opposing team’s best receiver,” Tarik El Bashir of CSNWashington.com writes. “He also took fewer penalties and seemed to embrace a leadership role in the locker room.” Here are some other notes from around the NFC East:
- While the team negotiates with Hall, the Redskins have a decision looming regarding what to do with the franchise tag. Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com believes the team will apply the non-exclusive tag on Brian Orakpo. The tag comes with a projected salary of $10.9MM, but will allow other teams to negotiate with Orakpo. The Redskins would still have the opportunity to match.
- The Eagles may not be going after big names in free agency, but Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com has found three potential bargains the team could pursue. Marcus Benard, Graham Gano, and Ted Ginn Jr. could be options for the Eagles in 2014.
- DallasNews.com put together a photo gallery highlighting ten offensive linemen the Cowboys could target in this year’s draft.
Draft Notes: Farmer, Cowboys, Packers
As we continue to approach the 2014 NFL Draft, various teams have begun to discuss information regarding their draft preferences. According to FanNation, new Browns GM Ray Farmer has stated that he knows which quarterback he wants to draft in May — but he’s not willing to share. Farmer has final say over the 53-man roster, and it remains to be seen whether or not he would be open to changing his mind should coach Mike Pettine or offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan prefer a different quarterback.
Here are a few more tidbits surrounding teams and their draft preferences…
- Assistant director of player personnel for the Cowboys, Will McClay, spoke with KRLD-FM 105.3 sports radio and disclosed his thoughts that having “good football character” is an important quality in a draft prospect.
- The Dallas Morning News’ SportsDayDFW took a look at players that the team might be interested in drafting in the first round. The outlet also covers what 10 offensive lineman, wide receivers, quarterbacks, and linebackers that it thinks that the Cowboys will be most interested in drafting this May.
- Weston Hodkiewicz of Press-Gazette Media writes that after a series of whiffs by the front office on high draft picks in recent years, the Packers‘ 2014 first round pick will be the team’s most important draft pick in recent history. Hodkiewicz highlighted Alabama junior safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama linebacker C. J. Mosley, and North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron as potential Packer first-round targets.
WR Notes: Holmes, Burleson, Broncos
Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes that that Jets will cut Santonio Holmes. Holmes has been a disappointment both on and off the field since coming to New York from Pittsburgh, and he would cost the Jets $10.75MM against the cap this year if he were to be retained. However, the Jets will save $8.25MM by cutting Holmes, and Cimini believes the team will use at least a significant portion of that money to bring in a new wideout. As our own Luke Adams wrote last week, the Jets “covet” the Steelers’ Emmanuel Sanders and the Eagles’ Jeremy Maclin, both of whom are eligible for unrestricted free agency.
It is a buyer’s market for receivers this year, with over 50 wideouts set to hit the open market. Some more notes on the wide receiver carousel:
- Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com writes that Nate Burleson would make sense for the Cowboys, given the imminent release of Miles Austin and the limitations of players like Dwayne Harris and Cole Beasley. Archer believes Burleson’s skill-set, veteran leadership, and connection with new Cowboys’ play-caller Scott Linehan could add up to a nice complement to top receivers Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams.
- Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com believes the Broncos will have to grab at least one receiver in the draft. Eric Decker and Andre Caldwell are both unrestricted free agents, but the Broncos will want to make sure they have enough money to pay Demaryius Thomas when he hits free agency after the 2014 season, and that will limit what they could give to Decker, Caldwell, or any other free agent receiver this season. As such, Denver will be left with only two receivers on the roster who have started an NFL game: Thomas and Wes Welker. For a team that uses a three-wide set about 70% of the time, that is simply not enough depth.
- Joe Kaiser of ESPN.com examines the chatter surrounding Anquan Boldin‘s return to the 49ers, all of which indicates Boldin will be back in the Bay Area next year.
- In a recent interview with Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, NFL Films’ Greg Cosell confirms the general consensus that Clemson’s Sammy Watkins is the best receiver in this year’s draft, but Cosell doesn’t stop there. He believes that Watkins is the best receiver available since the 2010 draft, when Julio Jones and A.J. Green were taken in the first round.
NFC East Notes: Joseph, Austin, Maclin
Giants’ defensive tackle Linval Joseph took to Twitter on Friday to express his feelings on his impending free agency, writes Dan Benton of SportsMedia101.com. “I want to be back with the Giants next year,” said Joseph. “This where it all started; just want to take care of my family and put on that blue every Sunday.” This announcement was in response to the Redskins saying they would pursue him one free agency begins on March 11. While he is looking to command a very large contract, he would like to get that deal agreed upon with the Giants before he hits free agency. Here are some other rumors from across the NFC East:
- The Giants‘ biggest need in free agency needs to be the offensive line, writes Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. The team is likely to cut Chris Snee and David Bass, and could let Kevin Boothe walk in free agency. They will also need to replace David Diehl, who retired this offseason, and despite not being the stalwart left tackle he once was, still provided value in his versatility. Graziano believes with all of these changes, the team will not be able to wait until the draft to retool, and therefore must be active in free agency to replace these players.
- Miles Austin and Kyle Orton are likely cap casualties for the Cowboys, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com. While the team may be able to restructure Orton’s deal if he still wants to remain with the team, Archer believes the writing has been on the wall for a while regarding Austin’s departure.
- While earlier today our own Matt Feminis wrote about Jeremy Maclin‘s intentions to return to the Eagles in 2014, Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com was less than convinced. He writes that Riley Cooper is much more likely to return to the team as a cheaper option, and that the team will look to draft a receiver as well. Sheridan sees Maclin securing a long-term deal elsewhere, possibly with Chiefs or Jets, where he has more familiarity with the coaching staff.
- With the likely retirement of London Fletcher and Perry Riley‘s free agency, the Redskins need to look outside the organization to replace their inside linebackers, writes Tarik El Bashir of CSNWashington.com. Bashir lists Karlos Dansby as the best available at the position, but believes the younger Donald Butler would be the best fit. Other notable options could be Brandon Spikes and Jon Beason, among others.
Corry On Pay Cut Candidates
In our previous post, we highlighted young stars entering their prime years and poised to land lucrative second contracts. At the other end of the spectrum, Joel Corry of National Football Post spotlighted five veterans who could be asked to take a pay cut:
- Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey – Will be 36 next season after playing just five regular season contests in 2013 (foot injury). Simply put, Bailey’s cost to the team is not commensurate with his diminished skills, as he’s scheduled to count $10.5MM against the cap next year.
- Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware – Dallas’ cap woes were detailed last week. At the top of the “To Do” list is Ware, who carries a $16MM cap number as a result of three restructurings. Bothered by an elbow injury which necessitated off-season surgery, Ware managed just six sacks in 2013. Corry says Ware has indicated he’s willing to go down that road again, “but a pay cut is a different story.” If the Cowboys release Ware, the team stands to gain approximately $7.4MM of cap room.
- 49ers running back Frank Gore – Not unlike catchers in baseball, running backs trend downward beyond age 30. Gore will be 31 in 2014 when he’s scheduled to count $6.45MM against the cap, though he’s considered an “old” 31 given his career workload and injury history. With a strong offensive line and dual-threat quarterback Colin Kaepernick entering his prime, it’s reasonable to think Gore’s production could be had for cheaper, be it in the form of Gore himself at a reduced rate or perhaps 2013 “redshirt” Marcus Lattimore, who is waiting in the wings.
- Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu – The soon-to-be 33-year-old has the NFL’s highest 2014 cap number among safeties (approximately $10.9MM), but Polamalu’s play has fallen off to the point where his reputation exceeds his performance. According to Corry, “A pay cut could be folded into an extension that lowers Polamalu’s cap number and ensures that he never plays with another NFL team.”
- Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork – Corry describes the veteran Wilfork’s situation as “precarious” because the final year of his five-year deal weighs $11.6MM against the cap. That number ranks second-highest on the roster behind Tom Brady, and the team has just under $3.9MM of cap room at present time. Wilfork has been a rock, but the Pats cannot afford to devote nine percent of the cap to a 32-year-old run stuffer coming off a torn Achilles tendon injury, especially with the team attempting to re-sign Aqib Talib.
Young Stars In Line For Payday
The NFL published its “All-Under-25” team, highlighting the league’s best players under the age of 25. From a contractual standpoint, five stand out as free agents to be at the conclusion of the 2014 season:
- Rams defensive end Robert Quinn – Everyone knew Quinn was dripping with upside when the Rams picked him the first round of the 2011 draft, and the pass rusher extraordinaire’s third season was something to behold. Quinn was an unblockable one-man wrecking crew, garnering NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors and putting himself in position to break the bank on his second deal.
- Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith – Knocking on the door of elite status at a critical position, Smith is expected to get a mega contract extension to ensure the safety of Tony Romo‘s blind side.
- Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson – Did not have as many impact plays in 2013, but is a three-time Pro Bowler and legitimate No. 1 coverman at a time when big cornerbacks are in high demand.
- Bengals middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict – Pre-draft character concerns which knocked him off draft boards and seem like a distant memory now. Burfict played at an elite level, leading the league with 171 tackles. If he behaves himself for another year, he’ll receive an exponential bump from his six-figure 2014 salary.
- Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey – A stout run defender, Casey’s sack production jumped from 5.5 2011-2012 to 10.5 in 2013 when he was one of the most balanced interior defenders in the league.