NFC Quotes: Payton, Thompson, Kelly, Jones
It’s been a busy past few days in NFL front offices, and some of the draft selections by the league’s front offices have left pundits befuddled. The league’s reporters made sure to follow through with those curious selections, and we have some of the more notable responses below…
Saints coach Sean Payton, who opined yesterday that La’el Collins would be drafted in the second or third round, on why his team passed on the embattled lineman (via ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett):
“I don’t know that we would consider that right now until we had more clarity. And it seems like there’s a rush for everyone. And one of the things I said this morning was, ‘Man, we’re right down the road. Are we able to get some information the other teams don’t have yet?’ And so I haven’t had that or gotten that information yet to answer that as a yes.”
Packers general manager Ted Thompson on his team not selecting an inside linebacker (via Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com):
“It’s a simple plan, but we wanted to make sure we got football players. And we think we got a couple more tonight…We’re going to address [inside linebacker] just like we address all other positions and try to make it as strong as we can.”
Eagles coach Chip Kelly on the team’s decision to select linebacker Jordan Hicks despite having greater needs (via Les Bowen of Philly.com):
“He was our highest-rated guy by far. We had him rated in the second round. We had great exposure to Jordan; he was the individual we saw the most this offseason.”
Kelly on how the Hicks selection could impact Mychal Kendricks‘ role on the Eagles (via Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com):
“We’re excited to get him back here. I know he spent the draft with his brother, which we understand. He said he should be back here next week, but I think you’re always gonna draft players, and when you bring ‘em in here, the one thing you want is you want competition at positions. We knew going in at the end of last year that with just Mychal and DeMeco that we really had to shore up the inside linebacker spot. “
Jerry Jones on the Cowboys selecting Randy Gregory with the No. 60 pick (via NFL.com’s Marc Sessler):
“I think it gives us enough confidence that we can work through some of the issues that have basically caused him to drop and maybe improve on that. That’s certainly the plan and have us a heck of a contribution to winning.”
Extra Points: Brees, Saints, Bucs, Collins
Saints GM Mickey Loomis says he may take a quarterback in this year’s draft, but he doesn’t see the end of the line for Drew Brees anytime soon either, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett writes. “That’s a good question,” Loomis said. “I think you’re always looking to get a young quarterback in the program. We’ve got one in Ryan Griffin that we like. And if an opportunity presents itself, hey, we may take another one here. But I don’t see the end for Drew Brees on the short-term horizon. At least I certainly hope not. But it does take time for these quarterbacks to develop. And we’re conscious of that. We evaluate the quarterbacks. And obviously if an opportunity presents itself to take one at the right time, we’re not afraid to do that.” More on that and other news from the NFL..
- If the Saints draft Bryce Petty, it’ll be a clear indication that Jeff Ireland is already calling the shots there, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets.
- Ed Werder of ESPN (via Rob Demovsky on Twitter) says the Buccaneers may be looking to move up into the bottom of the first round. The Bucs currently pick at No. 34 and Demovsky wonders if the Packers at No. 30 could be a match.
- Multiple teams have removed LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins from their draft boards, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
- Bills GM Doug Whaley called Kentucky defensive end Za’Darius Smith a “perfect fit” for the type of scheme they run, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets.
- Army running back Raymond Maples has been granted administrative leave to attend team activities if he’s drafted or signed, Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets.
- With so few quality safeties available, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that James Sample (Louisville) and Damarious Randall (ASU) will go higher than most people think.
NFC North Rumors: Packers, Peterson, Bennett
News from the NFC North..
- Veteran tight end Tom Crabtree took to Twitter to announce his retirement from football. “I’m officially retiring from football,” he wrote. “Thanks for all the support and criticism over the years. This means I can do dirty jokes on here now.” Crabtree spent parts of five seasons in the NFL, three of which were with the Packers. He took home a championship ring with Green Bay following the 2010 season.
- Former Vikings receiver and Hall of Famer Cris Carter, hinted today on Mike & Mike that he has been given inside information about an Adrian Peterson trade, as Michael David Smith of PFT writes. “I’m under gag order on the Adrian Peterson situation, but I believe something’s gonna happen,” Carter said. “But I can’t talk about it.”
- Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter), meanwhile, has heard nothing to suggest that anything has changed with Peterson and A source who spoke with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter) termed the speculation as “BS.”
- When asked if he expects tight end Martellus Bennett to still be on the roster after the draft, Bears head coach John Fox responded in the affirmative, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported on Wednesday that the tight end is on the trade block.
Minor Moves: Wednesday
Today’s minor moves..
- The Bengals cut linebacker L.J. Fort, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Cincy first signed Fort on a reserve deal in January. Fort is listed as a linebacker but last year the Seahawks were experimenting with him as a fullback in practice.
- Ravens running back Fitzgerald Toussaint signed his exclusive-rights tender, Wilson tweets. Toussaint was a training camp standout for Baltimore and many expected him to be the star of the Baltimore backfield following Ray Rice‘s suspension.
- The Giants placed Troy Kropog on reserve-physically unable to perform list, Wilson tweets. Kropog, 29 in July, signed a reserve/futures contract with the Giants in January.
- The Buccaneers cut defensive back Jocquel Skinner, Wilson tweets. The safety signed a reserves deal with the Bucs in January. Skinner previously spent time with the Giants before being cut with an injury settlement last summer.
- The Packers cut Travis Dekker from the reserve-military list and cut Aleric Mullins from the reserve-did not report list, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
Draft Rumors: Collins, Bucs, Gurley, Titans
We heard yesterday that police are looking to question La’el Collins following the shooting death of a pregnant woman last week, though the LSU offensive lineman isn’t considered a suspect. Jim Boren, the attorney for Collins, tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that he has been in constant contact with the lead detective in the case, and spoke to the district attorney yesterday.
“We took the investigation seriously,” Boren said on Tuesday. “We’ve tried to rule him out as a suspect. We’re going to provide that information to the police, and ultimately [Collins] will sit down and talk to them. But the timing is poor.”
Indeed, even if Collins is officially ruled out as a suspect by police, which appears likely, it’s not clear if that will happen before the draft gets underway tomorrow night, and teams figure to approach the lineman with extra caution.
As we wait to see how the ongoing investigation affects Collins, let’s round up a few more Wednesday draft rumors from around the league….
- According to Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht, trade inquiries involving the No. 1 overall pick are on the rise this week, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. Still, I think Tampa Bay would have to be blown away to move out of that first overall spot.
- One team has Georgia running back Todd Gurley at No. 1 overall on its draft board, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, adding that it’s safe to say that’s not the consensus around the NFL. In fact, scouts who have spoken to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report don’t believe Gurley will be a top-10 pick, as has been rumored.
- Within Freeman’s piece, the BR scribe notes that the Jets are still very much in the hunt for Marcus Mariota, though he’s skeptical that New York will offer enough to move the Titans out of the No. 2 spot.
- Speaking of those Titans, Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network (Twitter links) hears that Tennessee isn’t just taking trade calls — the club is making them as well. So far, things haven’t gotten serious, but trade talks involving that second overall pick could heat up today and tomorrow, says Darlington.
- Amidst reports that Shane Ray could slide out of the first round, and perhaps much further than that, one NFL executive tells Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (Twitter link) that the Missouri pass rusher “isn’t going to fall very far” following his citation for marijuana possession.
- Northwestern quarterback Trevor Siemian appears to be a popular target, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who writes that Siemian has received calls from 11 teams in the past two days. Those teams are the Broncos, Jets, Jaguars, Raiders, Vikings, Packers, Browns, Bills, Seahawks, Rams, and Dolphins.
NFC Notes: Packers, Peterson, Ratliff, 49ers
With Tramon Williams (Browns) and Davon House (Jaguars) both departing in free agency, there’s a void at outside cornerback for the Packers. The odds-on replacement right now is Casey Hayward, but Green Bay will have options to choose from in the first and second round, Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes.
Here’s more from across the NFC:
- Vikings general manager Rick Spielman has made no secret of the fact that he’d like to get some deals done on draft day. As Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes, the GM has a history of doing that.
- Of course, Adrian Peterson is the Vikings‘ most notable potential trade chip, and according to Mike Leslie of WFAA (Twitter link), the running back said yesterday that “it would be nice” to play in Dallas. However, Peterson acknowledged that the decision is out of is hands, and neither the Vikings nor the Cowboys seem inclined to work out a deal that would send the former MVP to his home state.
- Bears defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff, who has a $50K workout bonus for 2015 in his contract, won’t be present at the team’s voluntary minicamp this week, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
- Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) hears that the 49ers don’t value inside linebackers in the first or second round, so someone like Denzel Perryman probably isn’t a fit for them.
- With this year’s draft just a day away, it’s important to remember that scouts don’t always get it right, and Darren Sproles is proof of that. The Eagles running back was overlooked by many teams in 2005, causing him to drop to No. 130 overall, as Vaughn Johnson of Philly.com writes.
- Tom Rock of Newsday looked at five safeties the Giants could target in the draft, including Landon Collins of Alabama and Arizona State’s Damarious Randall.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
NFC Notes: Bucs, Perry, Hardy, 49ers, Rams
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said last week that teams had contacted him to gauge the availability of the first overall pick, suggesting at the time that those calls would probably continue over the next few days. Speaking to Steve Wyche of NFL.com, Licht confirmed as much, indicating that more than one team called him on Sunday to inquire about the No. 1 pick.
According to Licht, the calls were more about “feeling out what it would take” to trade up to No. 1, so it doesn’t sound like any serious discussions took place. It would presumably take a significant offer for the Bucs to consider moving down, since the club has decided which player it will select with that pick. While Licht, of course, declined to name the player, he said that he and head coach Lovie Smith “are in complete alignment” on the choice. Jameis Winston is considered the strong favorite.
As we wait to see if the Bucs have any last-minute surprises up their sleeves, let’s check in on a few other items from across the NFC….
- The Packers are expected to decline their fifth-year option on linebacker Nick Perry, but nothing is official yet and the team has a few more days to make its decision, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. It would cost $7.751MM for the 2016 season to exercise the option on Perry, who has yet to make a real impact on Green Bay’s defense since being selected 28th overall in 2012.
- As expected, the NFLPA has officially appealed Greg Hardy‘s 10-game suspension on behalf of the Cowboys defensive end. According to Pro Football Talk (Twitter link), the union filed the appeal on Friday night.
- As Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com writes, 49ers GM Trent Baalke won’t be pressured into drafting a receiver early this week, but the team is certainly considering wideouts. Georgia Tech’s Darren Waller said today on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) that he had a pre-draft visit with the Niners, who spoke to him exclusively about playing wide receiver — Waller is considered a potential tight end in the NFL by some other teams, including the Cardinals (Twitter link via Alex Marvez of Fox Sports).
- Given the advancing ages and rising cap numbers for James Laurinaitis and Chris Long, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com thinks it’s possible that the Rams will eye potential replacements for their veteran defensive leaders in this year’s draft. In Wagoner’s view, a defensive end is more likely than a linebacker, given the strengths and weaknesses of 2015’s class, but ideally both players would have nice 2015 seasons and adjust their contracts to stick around St. Louis even longer.
NFC Mailbags: Collins, Bears, Vikings, Saints
It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s writers are going through their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Here are some notes from the NFC:
- The Packers are in a great position going into the draft, without any glaring needs on the roster. One spot the team could target in the first round is cornerback, and Rob Demovsky believes that team could target the 6’1″ Jalen Collins if he is on the board at No. 30.
- The Bears could go a number of ways at No. 7, but the best options that are likely to be there are the leftover between Amari Cooper and Kevin White, writes Jeff Dickerson. One of them is likely to be off the board before the Bears come to the podium, but present good options at that spot. Dickerson also picks out Dante Fowler Jr., Leonard Williams, and Shane Ray as options.
- Ben Goessling receives a great idea from an evil mastermind, saying the Vikings should take a running back with the 11th pick and create an even bigger market for Adrian Peterson. Unfortunately, Goessling rightly believes that would be a dangerous way to use the No. 11 pick in the draft.
- The Saints are in an interesting position picking at No. 13, and Mike Triplett addressed the chances of the Saints of moving up or down from that spot. With nine picks in the draft, he could see them trading up if they have an elite grade on a player, but he could also see them moving down a few spots if they get the right offer. It seems more likely they stay put and wait for their guy at No. 13.
Extra Points: Daniels, Allen, Bucs, Eagles
Packers defensive end Mike Daniels is entering a contract year but he’s not thinking too hard about his financial future, as Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel writes.
“All of that is just a distraction,” Daniels said. “That’s just a distraction. I’m here to play football. I’m here to get better. I’m here to watch film, relearn the defense, get bigger, faster, stronger. All that stuff, that’s nothing but a huge distraction. The instant people start putting a focus on something like that, that’s when their play starts to suffer. And I don’t have time for my play to suffer.”
Daniels played in 63.8% of the defensive snaps last season and has 76 tackles and 14 sacks across three seasons. Here’s more from around the NFL..
- After checking in for the Colts‘ first day of offseason conditions, tight end Dwayne Allen is heading back to Arizona to work out on his own there, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Rapoport notes that Allen, who is entering a contract year, doesn’t expect to discuss a new deal with the club until after the season.
- Buccaneers GM Lovie Smith says that he and GM Jason Licht are in “total agreement” as to who the team should draft, Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets.
- Linebacker Mychal Kendricks and running back Chris Polk were not present for the start of the Eagles‘ spring workouts, sources tell Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). Polk has yet to sign his low-level restricted free agent tender offer and therefore cannot partake in activities yet. Kendricks, meanwhile, is entering the final year of his rookie deal.
- Dion Jordan was not present for the Dolphins‘ voluntary workouts today and it’s not immediately clear why, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets. The defensive end is under contract through 2016 with cap numbers of $5.6MM and $6.5MM in each of the next two seasons.
- The Dolphins discussed trading for Matt Barkley before ultimately signing Josh Freeman, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 (on Twitter). That deliberation is what kept the Eagles from signing Tim Tebow even sooner.
- Paul Posluszny‘s 2015 cap number with the Jaguars should go from $9.5M to $6.8MM with his renegotiated three-year deal, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
- Toledo safety Jordan Haden, the younger brother of Pro Bowler Joe Haden, has decided not to pursue an NFL career, his father tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The younger Haden drew interest from nine NFL teams, but has elected to work for the family business after sustaining a number of injuries during his college career.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Friday
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL. As always, any additional moves will be added to the top:
- The Seahawks waived free agent long snapper Luke Ingram, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).
- Safety Chris Banjo signed his exclusive-rights tender with the Packers, tweets Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The two-year veteran has appeared in 19 games, though only one last season.
- The Steelers claimed long snapper Brandon Hartson off waivers, the team tweeted. Pittsburgh will be the third organization for Hartson since he entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He has never appeared in a game.
- Ravens tight end Phillip Supernaw signed his exclusive-rights tender with the team, according to the Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson. Supernaw appeared in six games last season and caught two passes.