Jaguars Release Jonathan Freeny
Marcell Dareus passed his Jaguars physical, making the Bills-Jags trade official, per Adam Schefter of ESPN (on Twitter). In sending only a draft pick Buffalo’s way, Jacksonville needed to clear a roster spot to make room for the defensive tackle.
The Jags did so by cutting Jonathan Freeny, per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (on Twitter). Freeny spent less than a week with the Jaguars, signing with the team earlier this week after playing three games with the Ravens this season.
The 28-year-old linebacker’s most known for being an 11-game starter with the Patriots from 2015-16, collecting a ring last season. The Ravens cut Freeny last week, and the sixth-year defender worked out for the Jags on Monday.
Freeny is not subject to waivers since he’s a vested veteran. Although, had the Jaguars made this move after the trade deadline in three days, Freeny would have been subject to waivers.
Jags executive VP Tom Coughlin described Dareus as an experienced player who’s been “productive throughout his career” and a talent who will help the Jags “immediately” (Twitter link).
Reactions To Marcell Dareus Trade
The Bills traded defensive tackle Marcell Dareus to the Jaguars yesterday for a 2018 sixth-round pick (which could ultimately turn into a fifth-rounder). The player’s contract was much too expensive for the Bills to tolerate, and most pundits were impressed with the team’s ability to shed the money. We’ve compiled the majority of those reactions below…
- Bills general manager Brandon Beane referred to Dareus as a question mark, citing the player’s high salary and previous suspensions.“He’s not a bad person at the end of the day,” Beane said (via ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak). “I wish him the best, and I know Sean [McDermott] does and the whole organization does… I give Marcell [Dareus] a lot of credit. I thought he made huge strides as of late. But we thought this was a good move for us going forward. But it is also a fresh start for him.”
- According to Joe Buscaglia of WKBW in Buffalo (via Twitter), Beane wasn’t actively shopping Dareus. Instead, the general manager claimed that the Jaguars had reached out to the Bills. Ultimately, Buffalo decided it was a good deal for the organization and pulled the trigger.
- More from Beane (via Buscaglia on Twitter): “Anytime you pay a guy double digit APY’s, you have to make sure they fit your team as a player and a person…He’s definitely a guy we would have talked about after the season, ‘How does he fit, moving forward.'”
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com refers to the trade as a “cap savings bonanza” for the Bills, noting that the organization has done an admirable job of fixing their “broken salary cap.” While the team will be stuck with $14.2MM in dead money next season, this scenario is more appealing than cutting him following the current campaign. Meanwhile, the Jaguars had more financial flexibility, allowing them to inherit most of the contract without compromising their future.
Jaguars To Acquire DT Marcell Dareus
The Jaguars have agreed to acquire defensive tackle Marcell Dareus from the Bills, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Buffalo will receive a 2018 sixth-round pick that change to a fifth-round pick based if Dareus sticks on Jacksonville’s roster for the rest of the season and the Jaguars make the playoffs, per Schefter and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links).
Dareus had long been thought to be available on the trade market, as the new Buffalo regime — including general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott — didn’t believe Dareus’ immense talent was worth his reported motivational lapses. Indeed, the Bills attempted to trade Dareus this offseason, but weren’t able to find a match.
The inability to Dareus until this point was likely due to his massive contract, a six-year, $95.1MM extension that he inked in 2015. It’s incredibly surprising the Bills were able to convince the Jaguars to take on the remaining portions of Dareus’ deal, which includes the rest of his guaranteed $9.75MM base salary this season and a $7.35MM guarantee in 2018. Dareus is also set to earn non-guaranteed base salaries of $8.335MM, $12.335MM, and $12.4MM from 2019-21, with $2MM available in roster bonuses during those three seasons.
Jacksonville can afford Dareus’ contract in 2017, as it still has more than $37MM in reserves, but his 2018 salary will eat into the club’s $13MM worth of cap space next season. Buffalo, meanwhile, is relieving itself of a hefty financial obligation, but will still be forced to eat part of Dareus’ deal. The rest of his prorated bonus money — $14.2MM in total — will accelerate onto the Bills’ salary cap in 2018.
Dareus, who now reunites with former Bills/current Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone, will join an already stacked defense that leads the league in DVOA. While the unit is excellent, it does rank dead last in run defense DVOA, an area Dareus should help improve. Jacksonville now fields a defensive line that includes Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, Malik Jackson, and Dante Fowler Jr.
Dareus, 27, clearly has immense talent, as evidenced both by his draft pedigree (No. 3 overall in 2011) and his prior NFL production, so if Marrone and the rest of Jacksonville’s staff can motivate him, Dareus could prove to be steal. He’s only played 138 defensive snaps on the season, but Dareus has graded as the NFL’s No. 37 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus. The Alabama product is three years removed from his best overall year, a 2014 campaign which saw him manage 10 sacks from the defensive tackle position.
Poll: Who Will Win AFC South?
The AFC’s top three seeds from the 2016 playoffs are each 5-2 and viewed as central threats to represent the conference in Super Bowl LII, but there are a few intriguing teams vying for the AFC’s fourth mandated home game.
With the Patriots, Steelers and Chiefs looking like solid favorites to repeat as division champions, the AFC South profiles as the conference’s most competitive race. And with two of the teams vying for the title on bye, this looks like a good time to assess midseason stock.
Three teams enter Week 8 with three losses, and one of those has yet to claim this division’s title since the NFL reorganized its divisions in 2002.
Often involved in free agent pursuits in recent years with little on-field results to show for the investments, the Jaguars are 4-3 and may have the best AFC South unit. A blend of highly paid UFAs and blossoming homegrown talents on defense have the Jags as a legitimate contender despite annual struggles piecing together a competent passing game. The Jags won the A.J. Bouye and Calais Campbell sweepstakes, and these acquisitions are paying off for the now-Tom Coughlin-run franchise.
Campbell’s midway through a career year, leading the NFL with a career-high 10 sacks in seven games, despite being 31 and joining a 4-3 scheme after years in a 3-4 look. Pro Football Focus ranks Bouye ninth among cornerbacks, with Jalen Ramsey sitting third in what’s been the best-graded tandem in football. These talents, along with No. 4 overall pick Leonard Fournette, are buoying a still-anemic passing attack.
Can the Jags’ defense and No. 1-ranked (by far) run game spearhead this surprise season if Blake Bortles continues to operate at this level? If so, it would be the franchise’s first division title since winning the AFC Central in 1999.
The two teams picked by most to vie for this division’s home playoff game, the Texans and Titans each have three losses near the midway point. Neither has the eye-popping numbers Jacksonville’s pass rush or ground game has generated, but both Deshaun Watson and Marcus Mariota have offered superior work to Bortles. And in a league where successful teams can be correlated with quarterback play, that obviously matters most.
Thus far, Watson is bailing out the Texans after their reckless Brock Osweiler contract and rewarding the franchise’s bold Round 1 trade. The Clemson-honed dynamo’s recent run has enhanced the two-time reigning AFC South champs’ offense, and the Texans largely stood pat otherwise this offseason after devoting plenty of resources to augmenting their offense in 2016. Houston, though, losing J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus — after Bouye departed — could pose a problem at some point. The Texans rank 11th in total defense after leading the league last season.
Houston also looks to have the toughest closing schedule with road dates against both fellow AFC South contenders, along with this weekend’s trip to Seattle and a Christmas Day game against the Steelers.
Tennessee’s been the least consistent of this contending trio, beating the Seahawks and routing the Jags before giving up 57 points in Houston and needing overtime to beat the Browns. The Titans’ loss to the Dolphins could be blamed on Mariota’s hamstring injury, but it doesn’t look like the trendy preseason pick will be able to stay on its current wayward pace and lock up a playoff berth.
New Titans corners Logan Ryan and Adoree’ Jackson haven’t shown upper–echelon work just yet, and Corey Davis has seen action in just one game. The Titans look to redeploy their top draft choice in Week 9, and this should benefit a passing game that’s largely depended on holdover Rishard Matthews rather than the flashy new additions of Davis and Eric Decker. Tennessee still possesses a dangerous run game, and Derrick Henry‘s receiving more work, and probably has the best offensive line of the contending trio.
With Andrew Luck possibly set to redshirt this season after enduring a setback, the 2-5 Colts do not appear likely to factor into this race. They’ve lost four of its five games by at least two touchdowns, and it’s looking like the end of the line for Ryan Grigson hire Chuck Pagano.
So, who wins this division? Can Watson complete a push for offensive rookie of the year by leading the Texans to a third straight division title? Or is the Jaguars’ resurgence built to last? Can the Titans overcome their inconsistency and ride Mariota to their first playoff berth in nine years? Is there a Colts miracle in the works? Vote in PFR’s latest poll.
Who will win the AFC South?
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Jacksonville Jaguars 45% (451)
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Houston Texans 29% (290)
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Tennessee Titans 22% (216)
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Indianapolis Colts 4% (40)
Total votes: 997
NFL Workout Updates: 10/26/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Detroit Lions
- WR Cyril Grayson
Green Bay Packers
- S B.T. Sanders
- DE Francis Kallon (Twitter link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- WR Devin Lucien
- QB Marcus McDade
- WR Paul Turner
- WR DeAndrew White
New York Giants
- LB Trevor Bates
- P Matt Darr
- LS Anthony Kukwa
- DE Darnell Leslie
- P Austin Rehkow
- DE Devin Taylor
- P Matt Wile (link)
Washington Redskins
- CB Alex Carter
- CB Sheldon Price (link)
AFC South Notes: Jaguars, Smith, Colts, Good
The Jaguars are no joke, Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post writes. After shutting out the Colts on Sunday, the Jags are now 4-3 with a real chance to put themselves in the playoff mix.
Despite the many question marks they have on offense – including quarterback – the talent-rich defense has bolstered them through the first half of the season. Thanks to high draft picks and lots of free agent dollars, Jacksonville has Jalen Ramsey, Dante Fowler Jr., and Calais Campbell to help anchor the defense. There are also late-round gems like Yannick Ngakoue and Telvin Smith, who was just rewarded with a lucrative four-year extension.
Jacksonville is on its bye this week, but they’ll look to build on their winning record when they face Cincinnati on Nov. 5. Here’s more from the AFC South:
- We have some details on Smith’s extension with the Jaguars, courtesy of NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The four-year pact is worth $44MM in new money with $20.5MM in guarantees. The deal can max out at $50MM and includes a $7.5MM signing bonus.
- It sounds like the Colts will bring Denzelle Good back from injured reserve. The guard/tackle is eligible to return in two weeks, as Stephen Holder of the Indy Star (on Twitter) notes. Good played well in Indianapolis’ season opener before the team discovered a torn wrist ligament the following day.
- The Texans are bringing tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz back from injured reserve.
Jaguars Extend LB Telvin Smith
The Jaguars have signed linebacker Telvin Smith to a four-year extension through the 2021 season, the club announced. The deal is worth $44MM and has a maximum value of $50MM, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) and Adam Schefter of NFL.com (Twitter link).
“He has earned this second contract,” Jaguars executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin said of Smith in a statement. “We want to identify the players who will contribute to helping this team win going forward, and reward those who can do that. Telvin is certainly one of those players for us.”
Jacksonville found Smith in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, and he’s been a playmaker since day one. While he’s been a starter for much of his time with the Jaguars, the 26-year-old Smith entered the league’s elite linebacker class in 2016, and has continued his excellent production through seven weeks of the 2017 campaign.
An every-down linebacker, Smith has remained on the field for 99% of Jacksonville’s defensive snaps, helping the club to a No. 1 overall DVOA ranking and a 4-3 record. On an individual level, Smith grades as the No. 3 linebacker in the league, per Pro Football Focus. Fast enough to play in coverage, Smith is the prototypical 21st century ‘backer, but he’s also spectacular against the run (No. 2 behind Lavonte David, per PFF).
While the specifics of Smith’s new deal aren’t in just yet, his $11MM annual average value would place him behind only the the Browns’ Jamie Collins and the Panthers’ Luke Kuechly as the highest-paid off-ball linebackers in the NFL. Contract structure and guarantees will impact analysis of the pact, but at first glance, Smith has met market expectations.
The Jaguars have not been shy about extending players whom they feel have a long-term impact with the club, and the 2014 class is no exception. Along with Smith, Jacksonville has also locked up center Brandon Linder and wide receiver Allen Hurns (who was signed as a undrafted free agent) to multi-year deals.
AFC Notes: Steelers, Bryant, Patriots, Belichick, Jaguars, Albert
Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant says that he wants to be traded if he doesn’t get targeted more. It sounds like quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has gotten the message.
“Hopefully, it’s lots of touchdown passes,” Roethlisberger said (according to Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). “We need to get the ball to him, to everybody, we all need to score points. There are opportunities there. That’s why I told him to come talk to me. We’ve had opportunities with deep balls that were just missed whether it was me overthrowing him or it’s the Chicago game where he slows down a little bit or this last game where he doesn’t see the ball coming out of my hand. There are plays to be had. We just have to make them.”
However, Roethlisberger will have to wait a while before lobbing passes in Bryant’s direction. On Wednesday, the Steelers informed the wide receiver that he will not be active for Sunday’s game against Detroit. After that, the Steelers have their bye week, so Bryant’s next opportunity to play will not come until Sunday Nov. 12 against Indianapolis.
- The trade deadline is right around the corner and Patriots coach Bill Belichick says he’s not afraid to deal. “The thing about us, other teams in the league know that we’re open for business,” Belichick told WEEI. “We’re not afraid to make a trade. If they are interested in trading somebody, we are usually a team that gets called because people think and know we’re open on those discussions. If we’re not interested we will tell them we’re not interested. Again, there’s no book on that. Every situation is different. Every trade is different. Every exchange is different, so you just have to take them as they come and if the two sides can agree, great. Sometimes one side wants something and the other side is just not ready to get to the same point.” Teams have until Oct. 31 to make trades.
- Before he was released by the Jaguars, Branden Albert was asked to play guard since he was not going to win the left tackle job, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM tweets. When he declined, Albert was shown the door. Presumably, his contract demands and flip-flopping on retirement did not help his case.
- On Wednesday, the Chargers shipped wide receiver Dontrelle Inman to the Bears.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/24/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: T Givens Price
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DL Taniela Tupou
- Released: DL Jonathan Woodard
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Kenny Bell
- Released: TE Gabe Holmes
Denver Broncos
- Signed: DL Kyle Peko, LB Kevin Snyder
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Max McCaffrey
Houston Texans
- Signed: DT Jarrod Clements
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR K.J. Brent, S Ronald Martin
- Released: RB Marcus Murphy
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OL Brandon Thomas
- Released: OL Norman Price
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: T Nick Becton
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Jeremy Cash, RB Akeem Judd
- Released: S Harold Jones-Quartey
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: CB Tevin Mitchel
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: DE Alex McCalister
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: S Tyvis Powell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: DE Larry Webster
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Julius Warmsley
- Released: QB Tyler Ferguson
Jaguars Sign LB Jonathan Freeny
The Jaguars have signed linebacker Jonathan Freeny, according to a team announcement. To make room, the team released defensive back Lafayette Pitts.
Freeny started five games for the Patriots over the last two seasons and signed a two-year extension with the team prior to the start of the 2016 season. Despite that, he was cut during final cutdowns this September. He hooked on with the Ravens soon after, but was released in October. In three games with Baltimore, he did not record an official statistic.
Freeny, a five-year NFL veteran, started his career as a special teams player in Miami. With the Pats, he made himself more of a known quantity with 18 appearances and eleven starts.
The Jaguars are on their bye this week. They’ll look to improve on their 4-3 record when they face the Bengals on Nov. 5.