Extra Points: Battle, Browns, Gipson
The NFL released the full schedule of 2015’s training camp reporting dates for rookies and veterans for all 32 teams today, and we’re only about a couple weeks away from rookies starting to show up. Rookies for the Ravens, Browns, and Saints will report on July 22, while the earliest reporting date for veteran players is July 25, for the Vikings and Steelers. Veterans for all 32 teams will report to camp no later than August 2.
As we look forward to the return of real NFL football, let’s check in on some odds and ends from around the league today….
- Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle had 26 NFL teams in attendance for his Pro Day today, a school official tells Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Battle, who is eligible for Thursday’s supplemental draft, is considered the player most likely to be selected. If he does come off the board, Battle would become the first prospect selected in the supplemental draft since the Browns nabbed Josh Gordon in 2012.
- Browns safety Tashaun Gipson appears likely to play out the 2015 season on his one-year RFA tender before testing the free agent market in 2016, writes Pat McManamon of ESPN.com. It’ll be a crucial year on the field for Gipson, who wants to prove that he’s worth Devin McCourty money.
- Dana Hunsinger Benbow of the Indianapolis Star passes along the findings of an analysis conducted by NerdWallet.com, which determined that the Colts have been the second-most financially efficient NFL team over the last 15 years. The only team ahead of Indianapolis, unsurprisingly, is the Patriots.
- The Vikings ownership group will end up putting about $572MM into the team’s new stadium, writes Lee Schafer of the Star Tribune, noting that money from the NFL, along with seat licensing and naming rights, will make up a good chunk of the owners’ contributions.
Extra Points: Attaochu, Bowman, Bridgewater
Earlier today, Rory Parks gave us a roundup of some notes from some early Sunday NFL news, including an update on Chris Borland‘s post-NFL life, Marcus Mariota’s potential holdout, and a couple of notes on the Saints, Browns, and Broncos.
Now, for anyone who was too busy watching the USA defeat Japan 5-2 in the World Cup, here are a couple more pieces of NFL news that trickled across the landscape this evening:
- Second-year pass rusher Jeremiah Attaochu only had two sacks in limited snaps as a rookie, but is focused on improving that number in 2015, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. He writes that Attaochu trained in combine-related drills for much of last offseason, but is focused on football-specific drills and getting reps in practice to prepare him for an increased role with the Chargers this year.
- The Dolphins signed Zackary Bowman this offseason to compete for the starting cornerback job across from Brent Grimes, but right now the leader for that spot is Jamar Taylor, writes James Walker of ESPN. Bowman hasn’t stood out in minicamps, and Walker writes he has about a 50 percent chance of making the final roster, depending on how many cornerbacks the team keeps on the depth chart.
- The Vikings are excited about Teddy Bridgewater and how he got stronger as the season went on in 2014, especially offensive coordinator Norv Turner, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today in his offseason report. With Adrian Peterson, Kyle Rudolph, Matt Kalil, and Brandon Fusco all back healthy on available, and Mike Wallace added to the fold, Bridgewater is ready to break out as leader of the offense.
- Detroit Lions’ beat writer Dave Birkett addressed a number of issues on a Q&A with Ste Hoare of TheRouteTree.com. Birkett believes that Ameer Abdullah will begin the season as a complement to Joique Bell in the role Reggie Bush filled, but expects him to eventually emerge as the feature back. He also addresses the concern that first-round pick Laken Tomlinson’s interest in the medical field could leave him to an early retirement in the vain of Borland, but Birkett does not believe the team is worried and writes that the Lions encourage his interests off-the-field.
Josh Robinson Tears Pectoral Muscle
A year after pectoral injuries besieged the Vikings’ offensive line, Josh Robinson looks set to miss time due to a similar ailment, according to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.
The fourth-year corner, who has started 21 games, has a partially torn pectoral muscle, suffering the malady just before minicamp, per Goessling. Robinson served as the nickel corner behind Xavier Rhodes and Captain Munnerlyn in Minnesota last year.
The Vikings’ depth chart this season appears more equipped to handle an injury, with Terence Newman arriving as a free agent and Trae Waynes coming in as the No. 11 overall draft pick.
Robinson’s potential recovery time frame is unclear, especially with it being just a partial tear, but Darren Wolfson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press said the injury is likely not season-ending (Twitter link). Regardless, Waynes figures to receive a chance to contribute sooner than expected after working with the second team throughout minicamp.
A 2012 third-round pick slated to earn $1.52MM this season, Robinson received the second-highest grade among Vikings corners, behind Rhodes, from Pro Football Focus last season.
Minnesota placed right tackle Phil Loadholt and guard Brandon Fusco on injured reserve last season due to torn pectoral muscles.
NFC Notes: Ihenacho, Washington, Brinkley
Washington safety Duke Ihenacho has been watching NBA free agency going crazy, and took to Twitter to express his opinions about minimum contracts for NFL players. Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post captured his tweets, where Ihenacho writes that NFL players have the highest risk of injury and brain trauma, and that the NFL is the richest league, and therefore the minimum salary for players should be $1MM.
Here are some other notes from around the NFC:
- Washington D.C. wants their NFL franchise to return to the District, but they are unlikely to get support from the Obama administration as long as the team still bears a racial epitaph for their name and logo, writes Jonathan O’Connell of the Washington Post. The National Park Service owns the land beneath Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, and they are unlikely to accommodate the construction of a new stadium, according to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell.
- Former Vikings linebacker Jasper Brinkley decided to sign a two-year deal with the Cowboys this offseason, and the top reason for choosing Dallas is the opportunity to play for defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, writes Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “I played in Minnesota for five years and I remember when he was in Chicago, just thinking about those defenses and the guys with the takeaways, a lot of takeaways,” Brinkley said. “You think about Charles Tillman, you think about Brian Urlacher, you think about Lance Briggs, you think about Tim Jennings, all those guys.”
- Even though Deone Bucannon was a first round pick of the Cardinals in 2014, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) doesn’t see the Washington State product having a great career at safety. The draft expert feels that Bucannon should stay at linebacker, where he played the bulk of last season. In 16 games, the Washington State product racked up 86 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and three pass deflections.
- Former Buccaneers linebacker Brandon Magee has been swinging the bat for the Boston Red Sox Class A affiliate, but he told Pro Football Talk that if an NFL team called him, he would give up baseball to try out, reports Mike Florio. Magee was released from the Buccaneers in March, and had also spent time with the Browns.
- The Bears hired John Fox in the hope that he could quickly turn the organization around, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today. The turnaround starts with the attitude of every player on the roster, and the veterans are already buying in. “You go out and get John Fox and Vic Fangio and Adam Gase — you’re sending a message to every player in that locker room that we’re not messing around,” said Jared Allen. “We want to win. We want to win now. We certainly have the talent to win. So, get your heads right and let’s go play ball.”
Largest 2015 Cap Hits By Team: NFC North
Between now and the start of NFL training camps, we’ll be taking a closer look at the top 2015 cap hits for teams around the league. We began our series last week by focusing on the NFC East and AFC East divisions, and today we’ll head up to the NFC North.
Listed below are the top 10 cap hits for the coming season for each of the four NFC North franchises, accompanied by some observations on the spending habits of those clubs. Let’s dive in….
Chicago Bears:
- Jay Cutler, QB: $16,500,000
- Jared Allen, DE/OLB: $12,500,000
- Matt Forte, RB: $9,200,000
- Jermon Bushrod, LT: $8,050,000
- Lamarr Houston, DE/OLB: $6,990,000
- Pernell McPhee, OLB: $6,675,000
- Martellus Bennett, TE: $6,125,000
- Brandon Marshall, WR: $5,625,000 (dead money)
- Eddie Royal, WR: $5,500,000
- Tim Jennings, CB: $5,250,000
Total: $77,690,000
There are a couple missteps among the Bears’ top cap hits, but most of the players on this list are expected to be key contributors in the 2015 season, which is more than can be said for some teams. Still, it’s fair to wonder if the Bears would’ve made such big commitments to Allen and Houston if they knew they’d be bringing in a 3-4 defensive coordinator (Vic Fangio) this year — I’m guessing not.
The placement of two wideouts near the bottom of the Chicago top 10 is also worth noting. Marshall’s dead money charge couldn’t be avoided once the club decided to move on from him, but how effective will Royal be replacing Marshall’s production? His contract raised a few eyebrows around the league this offseason, as the Bears seem to be counting heavily on the veteran receiver recreating the rapport he had with Cutler back in Denver.
While offseason signees McPhee and Royal earn spots on this list, two players in the top 10 are seeking new contracts, as both Forte and Bennett skipped OTAs this spring. Bennett still has a couple years left on his deal, while Forte is entering a contract year.
Detroit Lions:
- Calvin Johnson, WR: $20,558,000
- Matthew Stafford, QB: $17,721,250
- Ndamukong Suh, DT: $9,737,500 (dead money)
- Haloti Ngata, DT: $8,500,000
- Stephen Tulloch, LB: $5,800,000
- Golden Tate, WR: $5,350,000
- Ezekiel Ansah, DE: $5,071,228
- DeAndre Levy, LB: $4,500,000
- Jason Jones, DE: $3,983,334
- Chris Houston, CB: $3,900,000 (dead money)
Total: $85,121,312
No team we’ve examined so far has a combined top-10 cap number higher than the Lions’ $85MM+ figure. That amount is heavily impacted by the team’s “big three” of Johnson, Stafford, and Suh. Considering Suh counts for nearly $10MM against Detroit’s cap even now that he’s not on the team, it’s scary to think what his cap hit might have looked like in 2015 and future years if he had been re-signed.
Despite Suh’s departure, the Lions are still investing a significant chunk of cap space into their defensive line, with Ngata, Ansah, and Jones also in the top 10. With the Pro Bowler gone, it remains to be seen how productive that line can be going forward.
Given the two dead-money charges in Detroit’s top 10, along with the presence of multiple players coming back from injury-plagued 2014 campaigns, you could make the case that the Lions’ top 10 cap numbers are the worst of any in the NFC North — we’ll see if that catches up to the club this year on the heels of a successful 2014 season.
Green Bay Packers:
- Aaron Rodgers, QB: $18,250,000
- Clay Matthews, OLB: $12,700,000
- Julius Peppers, DE/OLB: $12,000,000
- Sam Shields, CB: $9,062,500
- Josh Sitton, G: $7,000,000
- T.J. Lang, G: $5,800,000
- Randall Cobb, WR: $5,350,000
- Morgan Burnett, S: $5,131,250
- Jordy Nelson, WR: $4,600,000
- Mike Neal, DL: $4,250,000
Total: $84,143,750
The total cap cost of the Packers’ top 10 charges nearly equals that of the Lions, but Green Bay’s list is devoid of any dead money, and half of these players earned Pro Bowl spots last season. Two of those Pro Bowlers were Cobb and Nelson, whose cap hits will be on the rise after the 2015 season, with Cobb’s increasing to $12.75MM by 2017, while Nelson’s will be $11.55MM that same year.
Rodgers’ $18.25MM cap number represents the second-largest charge in the division for 2015, and bumps up Green Bay’s combined top-10 total, but the perennial MVP candidate is still a bargain at that price. There’s no doubt that any NFL team would rather carry Rodgers at $18.25MM than Stafford at $17.72MM or Cutler at $16.5MM.
A $12MM cap hit for a defensive player entering his age-35 season typically isn’t a great use of space, but Peppers was impressive in his first year in Green Bay, forcing six fumbles and returning two interceptions for touchdowns, in addition to recording seven sacks — he ranked as Pro Football Focus’ seventh-best 3-4 outside linebacker in 2014 (subscription required), so that cap number is manageable.
Minnesota Vikings:
- Adrian Peterson, RB: $15,400,000
- Mike Wallace, WR: $9,900,000
- Everson Griffen, DE: $8,200,000
- John Sullivan, C: $7,333,333
- Phil Loadholt, RT: $6,750,000
- Kyle Rudolph, TE: $6,440,625
- Matt Kalil, LT: $6,290,644
- Greg Jennings, WR: $6,000,000 (dead money)
- Brian Robison, DE: $5,650,000
- Chad Greenway, LB: $5,575,000
Total: $77,539,602
The fact that Teddy Bridgewater is so inexpensive for the Vikings means they can allocate their cap room to other positions, and the team’s top-10 list is heavy on offensive skill players and offensive and defensive linemen. The list also features a mix of good and bad investments.
Among those bad investments: Jennings, who will count for $6MM in dead money against the club’s cap after being released earlier in the offseason. He and Wallace will combine for a cap number of nearly $16MM, which is way too much to pay for two veteran receivers whose best years may be behind them, particularly when one’s not even on the roster anymore. The Vikes will hope a change of scenery rejuvenates Wallace, but the former Steeler didn’t put up No. 1 receiver numbers in Miami.
Peterson is the most interesting case, sitting atop the Vikings’ top-10 list by a comfortable margin. The former MVP was still one of the league’s best running backs, if not the best, the last time we saw him on the field. But $15.4MM is a huge cap hit for any running back, and Peterson is 30 years old and coming off a lost season. It’s no wonder he wants to get a portion of his 2016 salary guaranteed — a down year could spell the end of Peterson’s time in Minnesota, given his pricey cap charge.
Information from Over the Cap was used in the creation of this post.
NFC North Notes: Levy, Lions, Waynes, Vikings
Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy is set to become a free agent at season’s end, leading Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press to wonder what an extension between Detroit and the 2014 second-team All Pro might look like. As of April, the two parties hadn’t even begun a conversation about a long-term deal, and Birkett thinks the club might be waiting for fellow OLB Lavonte David to work out an extension with the Buccaneers, and therefore set some sort of baseline for talks.
K.J. Wright is currently the highest earner among 4-3 outside linebackers, as he’ll make $6.75MM under the terms of his December extension. I think David should be able to top that figure, so Detroit (and Levy’s representatives) would need to decide if David’s potential AAV is a ceiling or a floor for Levy. The 28-year-old Levy graded as the third-best 4-3 OLB in the league last season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but technically was the best off-the-ball linebacker, as the two players ranked ahead of him — Khalil Mack and Von Miller — aren’t typical 4-3 outside ‘backers.
Let’s look at some more notes from the NFC North, including more from Birkett on the Lions:
- If the Lions can’t work out an agreement with Levy, the franchise tag would not be an option, per Birkett (via Twitter). It makes sense, as the linebacker franchise figure — inflated by edge-rushing LBs — is more than $13MM for this season. Levy isn’t worth that amount, so knocking out an extension is probably the only way for Detroit to retain him.
- After making a series of transactions last week, the Lions‘ roster count now sits at 89, so they have one spot to add a player. Responding to a Twitter question, Birkett guesses that Detroit will use the vacancy to add either an offensive or defensive lineman.
- Vikings first-round cornerback Trae Waynes is finding that the adjustment from college to the NFL isn’t so easy, as Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News writes. “It’s steep,” Waynes said of the learning curve. “It’s like a mountain, but luckily we have guys on the team and the coaching staff that are willing to help you out through that process.” Waynes also divulged that he’s been handling slot duties, as Xavier Rhodes and Terence Newman have been playing on the outside during practice sessions.
Sunday Roundup: Chargers, Kalil, Pryor
As the stadium saga in Los Angeles continues to unfold, more and more speculative pieces are written in an effort to uncover the intentions of the primary players in the drama and to predict how the league’s landscape will be altered within the next couple of years. Matt Calkins of The San Diego Union-Tribune, for instance, writes that Chargers counsel Michael Fabiani, whose negotiating tactics have made him widely-loathed by Chargers fans and San Diego officials, has a method to his madness.
As Calkins writes, the NFL does not really care which team or teams end up in Los Angeles, as long as it is satisfied that whatever arrangement ultimately unfolds maximizes the league’s profits. So if Rams owner Stan Kroenke ends up moving his team to LA, and stadium negotiations are going well in San Diego but poorly in Oakland, the league may decide that the Raiders should join the Rams in LA, leaving the Chargers with no leverage in its talks with San Diego.
Therefore, it is important for Fabiani that discussions with the city not go too well at the moment, even if it makes him appear arrogant and diabolical. And if the team ends up staying in San Diego, it is likely that most Chargers fans would be willing to forgive and forget.
Now let’s have a look at some links from around the league:
- Speaking of the Los Angeles dilemma, David Garrick of The San Diego Union-Tribune writes that the Chargers, who have made nine unsuccessful relocation proposals across San Diego County since 2003, have ostensibly met the league’s relocation criteria of exhausting all local options, which gives the team a strong argument in support of its potential move to LA. However, that argument may not have as much weight as the Chargers hope, as critics of the move say that “many of the stadium proposals were flimsy, the time period included the worst recession in 70 years and public support for a stadium had been poisoned by the infamous Chargers ‘ticket guarantee’ at Qualcomm stadium.”
- Matt Kalil will get every chance to keep his starting left tackle job in 2015, but as Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes, if Kalil is fully healthy this year yet continues to struggle, the Vikings will have a hard time bringing him back at his $11.1MM option figure.
- Even though Terrelle Pryor has stated his intention to move from quarterback to wide receiver, and even though the Browns explicitly stated that Pryor would try out for the team as a wide receiver, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com believes that we will see Pryor under center at some point in training camp. Grossi notes, however, that he is only expressing an opinion and has not heard anything to that effect from the organization.
- John Keim of ESPN.com believes that Logan Paulsen will likely make Washington‘s final roster, as he is the best blocking tight end on the team and therefore serves as a nice complement to Niles Paul. However, Keim writes that Washington remains interested in adding to its tight end corps.
- Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union projects playing time for each of the Jaguars newcomers on defense and wonders if time has already run out on receiver Bryan Walters. Walters was signed as a free agent in March, but missed most of the team’s OTAs due to a hamstring injury. His best chance to make the team is by winning the punt return job over Ace Sanders and Tandon Doss, but without a long resume to lean on, he needs to be on the field.
NFC Mailbags: Cardinals, Bucs, Vikings, Saints
We checked out ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now shift focus to the NFC…
- Josh Weinfuss believes Cardinals offensive lineman Ted Larsen, Earl Watford, Bradley Sowell and Bobby Massie could be moved because of the depth at their positions.
- The Buccaneers have been active in their spot atop the waiver wire, claiming Tim Wright and D.J. Swearinger. Pat Yasinskas says the team could make five or six more claims before the start of the season.
- If running back Doug Martin has a big season, Yasinskas thinks there’s a good chance he’d re-sign with the Buccaneers.
- 2018 is the earliest the Vikings would have to invest a longterm contract into a quarterback, writes Ben Goessling. That means that team shouldn’t have an issue signing their younger core players, including Harrison Smith, Matt Kalil and Xavier Rhodes. The one player that the writer could see the organization move on from is wideout Cordarrelle Patterson.
- Mike Triplett says it’s “safe to assume” that Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan can’t survive another bad season. If the defense continues to struggle, defensive assistant Dennis Allen could also receive part of the blame.
NFL Quotes: Raiders, Pryor, Vikings, Packers
With OTAs finished, it’s been relatively slow in the NFL world (luckily we have the Tom Brady saga to distract us temporarily). Even with a lack of news, various beat reporters have still been able to come away with some excellent sound clips, and we’ve compiled those for you below…
Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave on team’s offense (via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com):
“We made some strides, but we have a long way to go. That’s probably the understatement of the year. … We have our moments, but we have to be much more consistent. I think we all recognize and acknowledge that. That will be our goal, of course, going up there to training camp so we can get good in a hurry.”
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel on Terrelle Pryor‘s quest to become a wideout (via WHBC in Canton, Ohio; quote via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com):
“If anyone can, he can. He certainly has tremendous athletic ability and a passion to help wherever he can be helpful. So if anyone can do it, he can. And, he could be the bonus of, he can be the team’s third quarterback, and that way they only have to carry two, which gives you a chance to have one more good player on special teams or whatever else. So I think he could be a bonus.”
Vikings wideout Charles Johnson on his job security (via Master Tesfatsion of the Minneapolis Star Tribune):
“In this business, you’re never secure. You never want to lie down and say, ‘Hey, I made it.’ I’m always working, and we’re always working together. Nobody here has been handed anything, and we’re just ready to come out here and work and become the best players we can be.”
Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari on his interactions with Aaron Rodgers (via Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin):
“I didn’t really talk to Aaron. I was like, ‘If he speaks to me, I’ll speak to him.’ If he didn’t speak to me, I didn’t want to go up to him unless he wanted to engage in a conversation.”
NFC Rumors: Brees, Rams, Moeaki, Locke
The city of St. Louis and the development commission tasked with extracting funds to finance a new Rams stadium along the Mississippi River front continued their arguments in court Thursday.
At the crux of this is a St. Louis city ordinance that requires a public vote for city funds to be used to finance a stadium, and the Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority (curiously referred to as the RSA) insists that ordinance is restricting its ability to keep the Rams in St. Louis, according to John Henry of KSDK, a local TV station.
What the RSA refers to as “broad” language in the 2002 city ordinance prompted the commission to sue the city in order to ask a judge if the law is constitutional, and St. Louis mayor Francis Slay said the city would defend the ordinance “vigorously.”
This is just one of the many disconnects between cities and their football futures occurring right now as the Los Angeles market appears set to re-open.
Here are some other notes from the NFC this afternoon.
- In speaking with ESPN.com’s Ed Werder, Drew Brees is “very convinced” the Saints will win another Super Bowl before he retires (Twitter link). The presumptive Hall of Famer also iterated he was “heartbroken” after the team shipped Jimmy Graham to Seattle on Day 1 of free agency, noting that there were “big plans” for Graham in the ensuing years of the star tight end’s contract. Stripped of key weaponry and coming off a disappointing 7-9 season, the Saints are not an attractive pick to challenge for an NFC title this season. But the 36-year-old quarterback hasn’t missed the playoffs in back-to-back campaigns since the 2007-08 bracket absences, and it’s not like the NFC South is teeming with juggernauts.
- Housing one of the league’s worst tight end stables, the Falcons are the latest team to give the injury-riddled Tony Moeaki a chance. Despite making just $744K this season, Moeaki will compete with Jacob Tamme — the Broncos’ third-string tight end last season who signed a two-year, $4MM contract in March — to be the Falcons’ top pass-catching tight end, writes D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Incumbent Levine Toilolo received the worst pass-receiving grade from Pro Football Focus among 67 qualified tight ends last season, opening the door for an odd Tamme-Moeaki battle.
- At special teams coach Mike Priefer‘s request, the Vikings declined to bring in competition for Jeff Locke at punter, writes Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. A fifth-round pick in 2013, Locke ranked 25th in yards per punt (39.2) last season and dropped just 8% of his boots inside the 10-yard line, which was 30th.