Extra Points: Mack, Jags, Ravens, Yanda, Carr
It’s not out of the question that Browns center Alex Mack could end up with the Jaguars in 2016, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Mack can opt out of his contract, the terms of which were outlined in Jacksonville’s 2014 offer sheet to Mack when he was designated as Cleveland’s transition player, after the upcoming season. The Jags will probably have interest in trying to sign Mack once again, but for now, free agent signee Stefen Wisniewski will compete with incumbent Luke Bowanko for the center job.
Here’s more from around the league…
- We heard last week that the Ravens probably can’t retain both Marshal Yanda and Kelechi Osemele, and Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com writes today that the club will target Yanda over Osemele. Both guards are entering their contract years, and Hensley adds that if Baltimore can’t work out a deal with Yanda, Osemele would presumably be next line for a long-term agreement.
- Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr holds leverage at the moment, and should be able to balk if the club asks him to take a pay cut, argues David Moore of Dallas Morning News. Releasing Carr, who has indicated that he’s not amenable to a salary reduction, would force Dallas to rely on either rookie Byron Jones or the underwhelming Morris Claiborne to start opposite Orlando Scandrick.
- Veteran guard Willie Colon has no intention of retiring, but he could be fighting to keep his roster spot with the Jets, according to Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. The 32-year-old Colon re-signed with New York in March, inking a one-year pact.
AFC Notes: Broncos, Idzik, Jags, S. Smith
In a Wednesday mailbag, a reader asked Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post why the Broncos didn’t make more of a push to sign La’el Collins. According to Renck, the lack of a resolution for Collins’ potential criminal case gave Denver pause during the draft — the team shied away from him in the seventh round more because of that uncertainty, not because of the lineman’s vow that he wouldn’t report if he was drafted on Day 3.
Once Collins became a free agent, he narrowed his choices rather quickly to teams with proven quarterbacks, coaches and line coaches. Denver offered all of those things, but Collins didn’t want to play in cold weather and wanted a team close to home, leading him to the Cowboys.
Of course, given today’s news on Ryan Clady‘s torn ACL, the Broncos may be regretting not rolling the dice on Collins with one of their seventh-round picks.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- Former Jets general manager John Idzik, hired back in February as a consultant by the Jaguars, has been named to a full-time position of special assistant to the general manager, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. “He’ll do a little bit of everything,” GM Dave Caldwell said of Idzik. “He’s a great cultural fit for us. He has a great understanding of the salary cap and the different ways to do a contract.” As O’Halloran writes, the Jags also promoted Chris Polian to director of player personnel and Chris Driggers to director of pro personnel.
- Ravens wideout Steve Smith said he didn’t really contemplate retiring after last season, but he knows he won’t play forever, or even until he’s 40, like Jerry Rice (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun). Smith turned 36 earlier this month.
- Browns third-round running back Duke Johnson wasn’t in attendance when the team’s OTAs got underway this week. However, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, it’s because of a personal matter rather than anything contract-related. Johnson is the only one of Cleveland’s 12 draftees who remains unsigned.
- Titans running back Bishop Sankey was a bit of a disappointment in his rookie season, but the Titans are betting he’ll be better following some offseason strength training, Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean writes.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Jaguars Sign T.J. Yeldon
The Jaguars have moved a step closer to locking up their entire 2015 draft class, agreeing to terms with running back T.J. Yeldon on his rookie contract. The team tweeted out a photo of Yeldon signing his deal today, following this morning’s practice session.
The 36th overall pick in this year’s draft, Yeldon was the third running back to come off the board, behind first-rounders Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon. In Jacksonville, the Alabama product will join a young Jags offense that features 2014 draftees Blake Bortles, Marqise Lee, and Allen Robinson, along with free agent addition Julius Thomas.
Per Over The Cap, Yeldon will be in line for a four-year contract worth about $5.914MM. Because he fell just outside the first round, Yeldon won’t have a fifth-year option on his contract, but he’ll get a signing bonus worth approximately $2.561MM.
With Yeldon locked up, the Jaguars have signed seven of their eight draftees. Only third-round offensive lineman A.J. Cann remains unsigned.
Sunday Roundup: Garoppolo, Tebow, G. Smith
Let’s have a look at some links from around the league on this Sunday afternoon:
- One of the silver linings of Tom Brady‘s suspension, according to Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald, is that the Patriots will get the chance to see if second-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is truly Brady’s heir apparent.
- Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer believes that not only will Tim Tebow make the Eagles‘ 53-man roster, he will suit up and he will play.
- Only Cincinnati has drafted more wide receivers than the Packers since 2005, which marked Ted Thompson‘s first year as Green Bay’s GM. Thompson has selected 16 wideouts during that time.
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com says Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey did not undermine head coach Todd Bowles by proclaiming that Geno Smith would be the team’s starting quarterback, as Gailey was just reiterating what Bowles had said (in a less definitive manner) on prior occasions.
- Cimini does note that the Jets are bucking a historic trend by having Smith open the season as their starting signal-caller. Football Outsiders complied a list of 10 quarterbacks over the past 25 years who performed as poorly as Smith has in their first two seasons, and although most of them were named the starter going into their third year in the league, most were also first-round draft choices. Smith, of course, was a second-rounder. Out of the 10 players that Football Outsiders listed, only two, Jake Plummer and Trent Dilfer, experienced any sort of success in the league.
- Connor Hamlett, a tight end whom the Jaguars signed as an undrafted free agent earlier this month, indicated back in January that he was not going to pursue a professional football career. But Hamlett, per Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union, says, “I just took some time off because I was banged up. I love the game of football, and I wanted to play. The whole [story] kind of got blown out of proportion.” Jacksonville had a “draft-worthy” grade on Hamlett, who has a good chance to make the club. O’Halloran says the Jags could keep as many as five tight ends on the roster.
- Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com says the Jaguars could release Toby Gerhart, but the ESPN scribe goes on to explain why he believes Gerhart will ultimately stay on the roster.
- Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune says the Buccaneers, who traded a fifth-round pick to Detroit last month in exchange for George Johnson–after signing Johnson to a three-year, $9MM offer sheet–fell in love with the defensive end while watching film of Lions games in preparation for last year’s matchup with Detroit. Had the Bucs not played the Lions in 2014, Johnson might not have found himself in Tampa Bay in 2015.
Extra Points: Texans, Jaguars, Bucs, Kraft
Let’s run down some bits and pieces from the league from Saturday.
- The Lions acquired Haloti Ngata via trade to plug one of their defensive tackle holes vacated by the departures of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, and CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora notes (on Twitter) Detroit could make a similar play to find more help on its defensive interior. Detroit picked Gabe Wright in Round 4 and signed Tyrunn Walker, he of one career start, from the Saints, so a need obviously remains.
- Blake Bortles‘ offseason development choice was working with the same motion analysis specialists Tom Brady has in the past, Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union writes. The columnist reports Bortles, who rushed for 345 yards as a rookie with the Jaguars, dropped from 250 pounds to 238.
- Jags remaining unsigned draft choices T.J. Yeldon and A.J. Cann should agree to terms this week during OTAs, Ryan O’Halloran of the Times-Union notes.
- The Texans are the favorites to be this year’s featured team on HBO’s Hard Knocks, reports ESPN.com’s Tania Ganguli (on Twitter).
- Johnthan Banks figures to present a tough challenge for veteran Mike Jenkins to reclaim his starting cornerback job alongside Alterraun Verner with the Buccaneers, writes ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinkas. Although Pro Football Focus doesn’t rate Banks, a starter for most of his two NFL slates, as a particularly good cover man (93rd among corners last year; subscription required), the third-year player did intercept four passes and deflect 10. A Pro Bowler with the Cowboys in 2009, Jenkins is entering his age-30 season. Although only on a one-year contract after not being tendered as a restricted free agent by Dallas, Sterling Moore should be in this conversation as well after his breakout 2014.
- Yasinkas also expects Charles Sims to give the suddenly mediocre Doug Martin a stiff challenge for the Bucs’ top ball-carrying job. Sims averaged just 2.8 yards per tote as a rookie in limited duty, while Martin averaged 3.7 per carry on 134 carries.
- Justin Smith‘s retirement didn’t exactly catch the 49ers in an experience sinkhole like Suh and Fairley’s did for the Lions, with Darnell Dockett and Glenn Dorsey (234 starts between them) fronting the competition. But other candidates loom in what could be more of a committee-type arrangement, writes the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch. First-round pick Arik Armstead and Tank Carradine are among those potentially able to supply depth after the loss of the unit’s leader. Dorsey rated ahead of the departed Ray McDonald — via PFF during his last healthy season in 2013, but both McDonald and Smith boasted top-flight marks last season.
- The Boston Globe’s Christopher L. Gasper argued Patriots owner Robert Kraft put his own legacy ahead of his team’s immediate future in withdrawing from a potential battle with commissioner Roger Goodell over the team’s Deflategate penalties. The Pats boss backed Goodell on the Saints’ Bountygate punishment and his initial ruling in the Ray Rice domestic-abuse incident before objecting to sanctions against his own team.
AFC Mailbags: Dolphins, Ravens, Jags, Colts
It’s Saturday, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s start off with notes from the AFC…
- James Walker believes Dolphins coach Joe Philbin‘s job could be in jeopardy if his team doesn’t succeed this season. The team spent money to improve their roster during the offseason, and the writer believes owner Stephen Ross won’t have much patience for another subpar season.
- The Ravens certainly have the money to add another veteran to their squad, and Jamison Hensley thinks that’s a realistic possibility. The team will likely depend on their young players to compete for jobs, but the team could pursue an established player if any of those young players struggle. The writer points to wideout James Jones, running back Pierre Thomas, tight end Jermaine Gresham, defensive lineman Osi Umenyiora and defensive tackle Kevin Williams as the top available free agents.
- When asked which undrafted rookies could make the Jaguars 53-man roster, Michael DiRocco focuses on the team’s group of young linebackers (Thurston Armbrister, Matt Robinson and Todd Thomas). The writer cites the lack of depth at that position, nothing that one of the rookies could contribute as a backup linebacker/special teamer.
- If the Colts decide to keep four running backs, Mike Wells says the final spot will likely be between Vick Ballard and Zurlon Tipton. Frank Gore and Boom Herron have their spots locked down, and Wells believes sixth-round pick Josh Robinson has a good chance of sticking.
- When it comes to the Colts‘ wideouts, Wells says Griff Whalen is likely the odd man out. The team seemingly has six receivers ahead of Whalen on the depth chart, so Wells believes it’s a “long shot” for the former undrafted free agent to make the roster.
Draft Signings: Steelers, Cardinals, Bills
The latest draft signings from rounds 3-7..
- The Steelers announced (on Twitter) that they have signed their third-round draft pick, wide receiver Sammie Coates. With the Auburn product in the fold, Pittsburgh has now signed seven of eight draft picks.
- The Cardinals signed third-round running back David Johnson and seventh-round tight end Gerald Christian, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com tweets. Only first-round tackle D.J. Humphries remains unsigned.
- The Bills signed sixth-round linebacker Tony Steward, Wilson tweets. Now, top pick Ronald Darby stands as the last one unsigned.
- The Browns announced that they have signed fourth-round wide receiver Vince Mayle and seventh-round linebacker Hayes Pullard, as Jeff Schudel of The News-Herald writes. Running back Duke Johnson, picked in the third round, and safety Ibraheim Campbell, taken in the fourth round, are the only Browns picks unsigned.
- The Jaguars announced that they have signed fifth-round pick Rashad Greene. The FSU product was widely projected as a second-to-third round pick and the Jags are hoping that they got themselves a steal.
Latest Mailbags: Panthers, Jaguars
Here are some additional mailbag stances as the weekend closes.
- Fifth-round pick Cameron Artis-Payne will be the Panthers‘ No. 2 running back behind injury-prone Jonathan Stewart, notes ESPN.com’s David Newton. The ESPN scribe expects the Auburn runner to leapfrog veteran backup Fozzy Whittaker on the depth chart. Newton expects undrafted free agent Brandon Wegher, an NAIA product and former Iowa transfer, to outwork Whitaker for the No. 3 job.
- Newton anticipates Devin Funchess to slot in as the No. 2 wideout alongside Kelvin Benjamin at some point this season, which would give the Panthers one of the largest starting tandems in the game. Also viewed as a potential tight end, Funchess’ potential to play inside and outside gives him an edge on Philly Brown, Ted Ginn and Jerricho Cotchery, according to Newton.
- Cornerback Nick Marshall will have the best chance of the Jaguars‘ undrafted free agents at making the roster, writes ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Marshall will be making the rare transition from quarterback to cornerback, doing so after two years of leading the Auburn attack. DiRocco expects one of the UDFA linebackers to stick, along with possibly running back Corey Grant, he of a 4.27-second 40-yard dash clocking.
- In a battle of undrafted signal-callers, DiRocco expects Stephen Morris to edge out Jake Waters for the Jags’ No. 3 quarterback job behind Blake Bortles and Chad Henne. A former Miami quarterback who signed with the Jags in 2014, Morris suited up for six games last season. Waters started for two seasons at Kansas State before coming to Jacksonville this month.
Draft Signings: Raiders, Jaguars, Cowboys
Here are a few of the latest draft pick signings from around the NFL, as teams continue to work toward getting all their rookies under contract:
- The Raiders have signed fourth-round offensive lineman Jon Feliciano and sixth-round defensive end Max Valles, according to a pair of press releases from the team. Oakland has now locked up half of its 10-player draft class, including fourth overall pick Amari Cooper.
- The Michael Bennett who plays for the Seahawks and is currently playing out a $28MM contract has been a subject of a few rumors lately, but it’s another Michael Bennett, the defensive tackle out of Ohio State, that signed his rookie deal with the Jaguars today, as John Oehser of Jaguars.com reports (Twitter link).
- The Cowboys have inked seventh-round offensive tackle Laurence Gibson to his four-year rookie contract, tweets Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Gibson will get a signing bonus of about $56K on a deal that’s worth $2.336MM in total, according to Over The Cap.
Draft Signings: Eagles, Steelers, Bengals, Jags
Coming into today, fewer than 90 players selected in the 2015 NFL draft remained unsigned, with well over half of this year’s 256 draftees having reached agreements with their respective teams. A few more rookie have struck deals with their clubs today, so let’s round up the latest news, with all contract info coming from Over the Cap:
- The Eagles have finished deals with all six of their draftees, agreeing to terms today with third-round linebacker Jordan Hicks, according to the team (Twitter link). Hicks’ four-year deal will be worth a little under $3MM, including a signing bonus of about $653K.
- The Steelers have signed fifth-round tight end Jesse James to his rookie contract, leaving the team with three unsigned picks, including first-rounder Bud Dupree (Twitter link via the club’s official account).
- The Bengals have signed tight end C.J. Uzomah, their fifth-round pick out of Auburn, the team announced today (via Twitter). The second tight end selected by Cincinnati in the draft, Uzomah will count against the Bengals’ cap for just over $488K in 2015, assuming he makes the regular season roster.
- The Jaguars have now locked up half their draft picks, signing seventh-round tight end Ben Koyack to his contract today, per John Oehser of Jaguars.com (Twitter link). Koyack will receive a signing bonus worth approximately $69K on his first NFL deal.