AFC Notes: Blount, Browns, Titans, Thomas
LeGarrette Blount, the newest member of the Patriots, took to Twitter earlier this evening to thank the Steelers. “I would like to thank the Pittsburgh Steelers organization, Mr Rooney, Kevin Colbert, Coach Tomlin and Coach Sax for the opportunity and experience they provided me. I would also like to apologize to them and my teammates and fans for how things ended. I made a poor decision that I will definitely grow from. I wish the Steelers, my former teammates and Steeler Nation nothing but the best,” Blount wrote.
- Adam Schefter of ESPN.com revisited the draft day blockbuster between the Browns and Falcons that sent the No. 6 pick (Julio Jones) to Atlanta. The Browns have many regrets for their part in the trade. The Browns turned that selection into defensive tackle Phil Taylor, wide receiver Greg Little, fullback Owen Marecic, and quarterback Brandon Weeden. The deal also gave them an extra fourth-round pick which they used to deal for Trent Richardson. Needless to say, Cleveland would probably like a re-do.
- Titans linebacker Avery Williamson, taken in the fifth round of this year’s draft, is looking like an absolute steal, writes The Associated Press. Williamson has seen a ton of playing time for Tennessee this year and earlier this week he sacked Ben Roethlisberger twice.
- Adam Schefter of ESPN.com believes that the Broncos won’t let Demaryius Thomas get away in free agency. Tight end Julius Thomas is also a priority, but perhaps not as high up on the list.
Poll: Will Blount Be With Pats In 2015?
While running back Ben Tate had little trouble finding a home, no team in the NFL was willing to add LeGarrette Blount to their roster at his sticker price when he was let go by the Steelers. The talented but troubled tailback signed a two-year, $3.85MM deal with the Steelers in March but his time as Le’Veon Bell‘s understudy came to an end after he left the field before the end of Sunday’s game against the Titans. There were several teams with a need for an RB like Blount but it’s safe to say that teams were scared off by his troubled history.
A quick refresher of Blount’s resume, for those that don’t remember. While at Oregon in 2009, Blount punched a Boise State player in a face following a 19-8 loss, putting him on the national map for all the wrong reasons. In 2010, he signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent, but found himself in a training camp skirmish with a teammate. In August of this year, Blount and Bell were arrested for marijuana possession while in a car together. The early walk-off was apparently the final straw for the Steelers, but the timing of the move leads one to believe that they have been fed up with Blount for some time. Of course, somewhere in the middle of all of that, Blount looked the part of a superstar in Tampa Bay for some time and proved to be a very effective power back for the Patriots during his first New England stint in 2013.
Now, Blount has circled back to the Pats and even though his two-year deal probably doesn’t carry much in the way of guaranteed dollars for 2015, the Pats are probably looking at him as more than a patch-in addition. Blount joins a crowded backfield that features Brandon Bolden, James White, new breakout Jonas Gray, and Shane Vereen with Stevan Ridley on injured reserve. However, with Ridley, Vereen, and Bolden are all set to hit the open market this offseason, there could certainly be room for Blount in New England’s future plans.
The Patriots are obviously familiar with Blount’s problems but the fact that they have a history with him and were willing to sign him anyway says a lot about their experience with him. Do you expect the former Oregon star to remain with the Patriots next season?
Will Blount Be On The Pats' Roster To Start The 2015 Season?
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Yes 55% (171)
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No 45% (140)
Total votes: 311
Patriots Sign LeGarrette Blount
10:35am: The Pats have officially confirmed the signing of Blount.
9:19am: Blount’s new deal can be worth up to $2.35MM, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, who tweets that the running back can earn up to $1.6MM with incentives in 2015.
8:04am: The Pats will waive defensive lineman Casey Walker to accommodate the signing of Blount, tweets Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.
7:52am: Former Steelers running back LeGarrette Blount wasn’t claimed off waivers yesterday like Ben Tate, but it didn’t take Blount long to find a new home. Josina Anderson of ESPN.com first reported this morning (via Twitter) that Blount was visiting the Patriots’ facility and was expected to sign with the team, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) has since confirmed that the back is signing a two-year deal with New England.
Per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links), Blount’s new two-year contract with the Patriots will be a minimum-salary pact, but one laden with incentives. The 27-year-old, who rumbled for 166 yards and four touchdowns in a playoff game against the Colts last year for the Pats, will officially sign his deal this morning, a source tells Wilson.
Blount signed with the Steelers in March and entered the 2014 season expecting to share the workload in Pittsburgh with Le’Veon Bell. However, Bell has emerged as one of the top backs in the NFL this year and relegated Blount to backup duty — the former Buccaneer and Patriot carried the ball just 65 times for 266 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and on Monday night left the field early during Pittsburgh’s game against the Titans, leading to his release.
The timing of the signing is interesting for the Patriots, who saw unheralded running back Jonas Gray run for more than 200 yards on Sunday night against Indianapolis. The move isn’t necessarily an indictment of Gray, who should still see plenty of action this season — rather, it reflects, the Patriots’ desire for flexibility, considering the team’s offensive game plan changes significantly from game to game. In Gray, Blount, and Shane Vereen, among others, the Pats now have several backs with different running styles.
It’s not clear yet if any of the Pats’ current running backs will be cut in the corresponding move when Blount’s signing becomes official, but if the club keeps all its backs on the roster, it will have Brandon Bolden and James White to go along with Gray, Blount, and Vereen, with Stevan Ridley on injured reserve. As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe points out (via Twitter), Ridley, Vereen, and Bolden are all eligible for free agency at season’s end, and with Blount signing a multiyear deal, none of those potential free agents is guaranteed to still be a Pat next season.
East Notes: Cowboys, Pats, Eagles, Bills
The Cowboys need to draft a promising young arm and develop him rather than just rely on retreads to back up Tony Romo, opines Rich Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News. The Cowboys aren’t looking to replace Tony Romo today, but Gosselin would like to see them do something similar to the Packers, who drafted Aaron Rodgers and let him sit for three years before turning him loose. More out of the AFC and NFC East..
- The Patriots became the latest team to give former Packers offensive tackle Derek Sherrod an audition, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- Safety Earl Wolff, who was placed on injured reserve by the Eagles today, confirmed that an MRI showed a lesion on his knee which needs time to heal. It was Wolff’s decision to go on IR, tweets Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com.
- Although the Bills are certainly happy with Sammy Watkins, who has helped the team win multiple games this season, it’s fair to wonder if Buffalo’s draft-day trade for Watkins was worth it, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Considering how many rookie wideouts are having big years, the Bills may have been better off keeping their 2015 first-round pick and perhaps even trading down from No. 9 in 2014 to take a player like Odell Beckham or Kelvin Benjamin.
- Even though Rex Ryan appears likely to be replaced at season’s end, he may end up saving the job of GM John Idzik if he’s able to steer the Jets to a strong finish, says Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
Kraft: Pats Want To Lock Up Revis Long-Term
Asked earlier this week if he plans to remain with the Patriots beyond this season, when he figures to hit free agency, cornerback Darrelle Revis smiled and replied, “Ask Bill [Belichick].” It doesn’t seem as if the Pats head coach has weighed in on the subject since then – and if he did he likely wouldn’t say much – but owner Robert Kraft tells Jim Corbett of USA Today that he wants to see the standout cornerback stay in New England beyond 2014.
“He likes what he sees here. And I know we like having him here,” Kraft said. “We’ll just have to see if we can do some long-term business. That’s what we really want to do. Let’s get through the season and see what happens.”
Revis, who leads Patriots cornerbacks with a +6.6 grade this season, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required), has signed lucrative contracts in each of the last two seasons, though neither was necessarily designed to be a long-term pact. The cornerback’s deal with Tampa Bay was a year-to-year agreement with no prorated bonus money, allowing the team to cut him after just one season, while his current deal with the Pats will likely result in him hitting the open market again this winter. Having played for the Jets, Bucs, and Patriots since 2012, Revis could land on his fourth team in four years in 2015, though I expect he’ll strongly consider any offer the Pats make.
Revis technically remains under contract with New England through the 2015 season, but his deal includes a $12MM roster bonus for ’15, plus a $7.5MM base salary, with a total cap hit of $25MM. So even if the Pats manage to work out a new agreement with the 29-year-old, it would likely involve scrapping the second and final year of his current pact.
Audition Notes: Thursday
The latest workouts from around the National Football League..
- The Buccaneers worked out a trio of punters (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter): Chase Tenpenny, Jacob Schum and Tom Hornsey.
Earlier updates:
- The Patriots auditioned running back Dion Lewis, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Lewis worked out for the Giants late last month during their bye week.
- Before signing D.J. Smith to the taxi squad, the Browns also worked out linebacker Dan Fox, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
Pats Restructure Sebastian Vollmer’s Contract
The Patriots have made a slight change to offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer‘s contract, a league source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com. Previously, Vollmer’s deal called for him to earn a $1MM bonus if he played on 80% of New England’s offensive snaps, and $2MM if he played on 90%. The club has tweaked the contract to make the incentives a bit easier to attain — Vollmer will now earn the $1MM bonus if he plays on 70% of the the Pats’ offensive plays, and $2MM if he plays on 80%.
Vollmer, 30, has played on 91.2% of New England’s offensive snaps thus far, so, barring injury, he should easily break the 80% barrier and unlock the bonus money. The 2009 second-round pick mans right tackle for the Patriots, and as Yates notes, his only competition at the position is reserve Marcus Cannon, who occasionally sees time at both tackle spots. Vollmer is earning a $2MM base salary in the second season of a four-year, $27MM pact he signed in March 2013. Per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, Vollmer’s cap charge will rise by roughly $333K per season from ’14-’16, as the incentives are under the “other elements treated as a signing bonus” umbrella.
As Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap told me via email, this is a common technique employed by the Patriots. It’s something of a reward for a player who’s not only been with the club for some time, but is performing well. Clearly, the move doesn’t help New England’s salary cap, but it’s a nice gesture that costs them next to nothing.
AFC East Notes: Revis, Vick, Bills, Jarrett
In advance of this Thursday’s showdown between the 5-4 Bills and 5-4 Dolphins, let’s round up a few Monday items from around the AFC East….
- Asked if he plans on being a member of the Patriots beyond this season, cornerback Darrelle Revis smiled and replied, “Ask Bill [Belichick],” according to Tom Curran of CSNNE.com. The Patriots technically have a second-year option on Revis for 2015, but the structure of his deal makes it extremely likely that New England will cut him, allowing the Pro Bowler to hit the open market and seek out the highest bid once again. It’s not clear yet whether the Pats will be involved in that bidding, says Curran.
- Sunday’s performance against the Steelers showed that Michael Vick still has plenty left in the tank, as Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report writes. The Jets signal-caller is on a one-year deal, so a strong second half could earn him another shot at a starting role via free agency this winter.
- The Bills‘ defensive line was excellent once again on Sunday against the Chiefs, but as the offseason approaches, it’s not clear whether the team will be able to keep the entire group together. As Mike Rodak of ESPN.com notes, Jerry Hughes is eligible for free agency in 2015, and Marcell Dareus will have just one year left on his deal.
- Hughes was one of two AFC East players singled out by Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap this week as having boosted his stock as he nears free agency. The other? Jaiquawn Jarrett of the Jets, who is eligible for restricted free agency, and likely earned himself a tender offer entirely based on his performance against the Steelers.
- Earlier today, we learned that the Dolphins will be promoting running back LaMichael James to their active roster, as left tackle Branden Albert heads to injured reserve with a torn ACL and MCL.
Extension Candidate: Devin McCourty
Despite a reputation for mastering the draft process, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s record of procuring and developing defensive back talent isn’t very impressive. Over the past decade, Belichick has regrettably used first- and second-round picks on players such such as Terrence Wheatley (2008), Darius Butler (2009), and Ras-I Dowling (2
011), each of whom failed to live up to expectations. Not every attempt to add pieces to the New England secondary has been a disaster, as Brandon Meriweather (2007) and Patrick Chung (2009) proved somewhat useful during their tenure with the Pats. However, no Patriots defensive back draft selection of the past ten years has matched the production of 2010 first-rounder Devin McCourty, whose rookie contract expires after this season.
Since joining the Patriots four years ago, the 27-year-old McCourty has displayed impressive versatility in addition to excellent play. During his first two seasons in the league, he played strictly cornerback, and was employed primarily on the left side of the defense. The Rutgers product regressed from his rookie season to his sophomore campaign — though he graded as the league’s seventh-best CB in 2010, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he fell to 57th in 2011. McCourty was still effective against the run in ’11, but his coverage grade lagged, which might have factored into New England’s decision to convert him to safety.
The positional transformation began in 2012, as McCourty began splitting his snaps between corner and safety. He spent more time at S (about 57% of his snaps), and PFF rated him as above-average at both positions. McCourty’s best season to-date came last year, when he finished with 58 tackles and one interception in 15 games, and ended up as the No. 1 safety in the league per PFF’s metrics. He’s started every game this season, and been a factor in both pass and run coverage, accruing 20 tackles and one pick.
Given that the Patriots added Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner via free agency during the offseason, it’s a little surprising that their pass defense isn’t among the NFL’s elite. New England ranks 19th in passing yards allowed, 11th in yards per attempt allowed, and 16th in pass defense DVOA. However, Browner didn’t play until Week 6 following a suspension, so the unit has had much time to mesh. Additionally, the Patriots pass-rush isn’t special, meaning opposing quarterbacks have a lot of time to attack New England’s secondary. Though they rank 13th in sacks, the Pats are 28th in adjusted sack rate, a figure that doesn’t figure to improve as long as Chandler Jones is sidelined with an injury.
Nevertheless, it seems to be a given that the Patriots would want to retain McCourty, who was named an All-Pro in both 2010 and 2013. Given that Revis won’t return to New England unless he negotiates a new deal (he’s signed for 2015, but with a $25MM cap charge, he’ll be cut), the Patriots probably want to keep their leader in the secondary around. News surrounding McCourty extension talks has been slim, but Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported in early August that two sides had exchanged initial proposals, but weren’t overly close to an agreement. At the time, La Canfora noted that talks could heat up before the season; while that obviously didn’t happen, it wouldn’t be shock to see a deal struck in-season.
McCourty is earning $3.92MM in base salary this season. Add in his prorated roster bonus, and a $50K workout bonus, and he counts $5.115MM against the cap. When discussing an extension, he and his representatives would surely look to either match or exceed the deals signed by Earl Thomas and Jairus Byrd earlier this year. Both are rangy free safeties like McCourty, as opposed to in-the-box strong safeties like Dashon Goldson, so their contracts work well as comparables. Thomas’ deal was an extension, however, while Byrd joined the Saints via free agency, so his contract might present the better option for locating a benchmark.
Thomas, who is two years younger than McCourty, received $40MM over four years, with nearly half ($19.725MM) guaranteed. McCourty has been the better player since he made the switch to full-time safety per PFF, but the advanced metrics aren’t the be-all, end-all of player evaluation. Soft factors are important, as well — McCourty doesn’t have the reputation that Thomas, regarded as the league’s best safety, does. Additionally, Thomas was coming off a season as a key component of one of the best pass defenses in NFL history as he discussed an extension with Seattle; McCourty, as noted, plays on a below-average unit.
I don’t think McCourty will be able to match Thomas’ contract; at $10MM per season, Thomas redefined the market for safeties in a way that I don’t believe McCourty can. But $9MM a per year, the same amount Byrd received, should be in reach for McCourty. And while Byrd only got 33.9% of his total deal guaranteed, McCourty would likely see more than that — I’d peg it closer to Thomas’ 49.3%, so perhaps around $17MM over a four-year contract. In total, a four-year extension worth roughly $37MM, with $17-18MM guaranteed, would make sense for both sides. The Patriots like to use in-game roster bonuses in their deals, but given that McCourty doesn’t have an injury history or character concerns, I wouldn’t expect them to be too large.
New England’s fiscal situation shouldn’t present a barrier to negotiations. The Patriots currently have $4.281MM in 2015 cap space available, but they can save about $3.3MM by releasing Danny Amendola and Michael Hoomanawanui. The club can clear an additional ~$7.567MM by parting ways with veteran defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, a move that seems likely given his lack of production this season.
If a deal can’t be worked out, the club has the option to place the franchise tag on McCourty. Safety had the third-cheapest tag figure in 2014, exceeding only tight end and kicker/punter, and that probably won’t change next season. The number itself will rise from $8.433MM, but so will the league-wide salary cap, so the figure shouldn’t present a problem. Securing a player with McCourty’s talent on a one-year deal for around $9MM would be a steal, but both the team and the player would surely like to work out a contract that enables McCourty to remain in New England for the forseeable future.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
East Notes: Cowboys, Jets, McAdoo
Less than two weeks ago, the Cowboys were 6-1 and sitting pretty atop the NFC East. Then, late in a Week 8 loss to the Redskins, Tony Romo went down with a back injury that will hinder him for the rest of the season, and Dallas went on to drop last week’s contest to the Cardinals to fall to second place in the division. Although the Cowboys have a good chance to right the ship today against the 1-8 Jaguars, all is apparently not well in Big D.
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that 20 Cowboys players missed curfew on Friday night, and that the club’s coaches and veteran players are “frustrated.” Furthermore, Rapoport notes in a series of tweets that Dallas harbors off-the-field concerns with star receiver Dez Bryant, who is due for a massive contract extension. Rapoport notes that DeSoto City Police have been called to Bryant’s home six times in four years, for a variety of reasons, and that explains why the Cowboys were only willing to guarantee $20MM of the 10-year, $114MM extension they offered to Bryant. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe believes, justifiably, that this “news” regarding the frequent police activity at Bryant’s house is simply an attempt for the Cowboys to gain leverage in negotiations with Bryant. As Volin tweets, “the annual ‘smear Dez Bryant’s reputation’ campaign is here.”
In any event, the Cowboys must find some way to quickly subdue their bubbling inner turmoil lest a once-promising season gives way to another winter nightmare.
Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:
- The Jets, who also find themselves in disarray, recently employed what Rapoport (via Twitter) termed an “egregious example of heavy-handed coaching.” According to Rapoport, before Geno Smith threw one of three interceptions in the team’s Week 8 loss to Buffalo, the Jets coaching staff told Smith to throw the ball to Percy Harvin. Apparently, this was not a way to get the team’s new wideout more involved in the game, it was a way to try and simplify the game for Smith by dictating his reads. Looking for some way to improve Smith’s performance, an increasingly desperate coaching staff tried to play the game for him, and it predictably backfired.
- Nonetheless, Manish Metha of the New York Daily News believes a bye week coaching change would make very little sense for the Jets and that Rex Ryan has earned the right to fight with his team to the end of the season.
- There are rumors that this could be Tom Coughlin‘s last year with the Giants, and Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News writes that New York sees a future head coach in current offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.
- Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com describes how the Patriots caught a break with Akeem Ayers and Ryan Wendell this season.