King’s Latest: Locker, Chiefs, Cousins, Mallett
Having been involved in some of the best seasons of the careers of Ben Roethlisberger, Kurt Warner and Philip Rivers, new Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt will look to develop Jake Locker this season, as the Tennessee signal-caller enters a contract year. Asked by Peter King of TheMMQB.com if he believes Locker is the team’s quarterback of the future, Whisenhunt was cautiously optimistic.
“I hope so,” Whisenhunt said. “I feel good about what I see out here [in practice]. But you’re not getting hit out here either. The question is, can you do all the right things when you’re about to get hit?”
The Titans chose not to exercise their fifth-year option on Locker for 2015, so if he shows enough in 2014 to convince the team he’s the long-term answer, the two sides will have to negotiate a new agreement to keep him around.
Here’s more from King’s column:
- Before teams cut down their rosters for the regular season, look for Chiefs GM John Dorsey to shop one of his tight ends and one of his kickers in an effort to land a late draft pick for 2015, says King, who suggests the Giants as a potential suitor for a tight end.
- Evaluating a pair of backup quarterbacks who have been mentioned in trade rumors this year, King suggests that Kirk Cousins of the Redskins should be worth a second-round pick to a quarterback-needy team, but says Ryan Mallett may not net more than a seventh-round for the Patriots. In fact, King adds that he wouldn’t be shocked if the Pats could end up cutting Mallett.
- King passes along a Jaguars-related anecdote from last season to illustrate another reason why having an NFL franchise in London would be difficult: General manager David Caldwell wanted to claim linebacker Martez Wilson off waivers last season, but the Jags were in London, and Caldwell didn’t want to cut one of his own players and send him home from Europe before the London game. The GM also wasn’t sure what kind of game shape or mental shape Wilson would be in if he arrived in London on the Friday before Sunday’s game. The linebacker was ultimately claimed by the Raiders.
AFC East Notes: Patriots, Jets, Wilson
The Patriots should be happy with rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo‘s performance in his preseason debut against the Redskins, writes ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss. Reiss believes the Eastern Illinois product could have already surpassed Ryan Mallett to become Tom Brady‘s backup. Let’s look at some other news from around the AFC East:
- The Patriots remain uncertain regarding a return date for All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. Although his once-torn ACL was medically cleared for practice before the start of camp, the University of Arizona product has yet to participate in any full-contact work.
- Jets cornerback Dee Milliner has suffered a high ankle sprain, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. As we reported earlier, Milliner, who was the ninth overall pick in the 2013 draft, was one of two Jets corners to be cut down by injury today. Rookie corner Dexter McDougle left practice to discover that he had torn the ACL in his left knee.
- Elsewhere in the Jets‘ secondary , rookie safety Calvin Pryor is planning on making his NFL debut on Saturday against the Bengals, after being held out of the first preseason game due to a concussion.
- As our own Rory Parks surmised earlier today, Jimmy Wilson will likely be the Dolphins‘ starting safety heading into September following incumbent starter Reshad Jones‘ four-game suspension. An AP report stated that Wilson took most of the snaps with the first team during today’s practice.
Minor Moves: Sunday
We’ll round up Sunday’s minor transactions from around the NFL in this space, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Vikings have signed TE Kory Sperry, the team announced on Twitter. VikingUpdate.com (Twitter link) was the first to report that Sperry was on the Minnesota practice field. Sperry, entering his sixth season, has spent time with the Dolphins, Chargers, and, most recently, the Cardinals.
- The following players have been removed from their respective team’s injured reserve list with an injury settlement, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter): FS Dion Bailey (Seahawks), LB Jeremy Grable (Buccaneers), and WR David Gettis (Buccaneers).
Earlier Updates
- The Buccaneers have waived safety Mark Joyce, tweets Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com.
- The Seahawks have re-signed DB Trey Wolfe and have waived LB Mike Taylor (Twitter links).
- In addition to releasing Watson, the Patriots have also released tight end Justin Jones, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Volin adds that New England has signed TE Ben Hartsock. ESPN Insider Field Yates tweets that the team has also waived running back Stephen Houston and has signed tight ends Steve Maneri and Terrence Miller.
- Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets that the Bills have signed CB Sam Miller and have waived CB Michael Carter.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets that the Patriots have released tight end Asa Watson. In a separate tweet, Volin notes that the Pats are clearly unhappy with their tight end depth and it appears as though they will be bringing in some “new blood” behind Rob Gronkowski and Michael Hoomanawanui.
Mallett, Cousins Trade Value
An old NFL cliche is that everyone always loves the backup quarterback, and Albert Breer of the NFL Network spoke to a few team executives to see how much they love a pair of the league’s most interesting potential starting passers, Ryan Mallett and Kirk Cousins.
Mallett was drafted in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Though purely on talent he was projected as a possible first-round pick, he fell in the draft due in part to character issues surrounding him leading up to the draft. In his three seasons with the Patriots, he has yet to see any significant game action.
One AFC general manager was quoted by Breer regarding Mallett’s trade value (via Twitter):
“New England has invested a lot of time in him. If they were really high on him, they would not have drafted one this year, pending UFA or not.”
An NFC executive also made a point about how Mallett is valued among Patriots’ coaches, noting that not only did the team draft Jimmy Garoppolo, but no former Patriots’ coach expressed interest on bringing in Mallett as they switched teams (via Twitter):
“The fact that nobody Pats-related ever went after him speaks volumes. Plus, he can’t help you this year, so why not just sign him as a FA?”
Redskins’ backup Cousins has considerably more value according to the sources Breer spoke to. Cousins was drafted in the 2012 NFL Draft, as a fourth-round pick. The team chose Robert Griffin III with the second-overall selection, which slid Cousins immediately into a long term backup role.
An AFC executive prefers Cousins to Mallett because Cousins has a body of work to show for, and has another year on his contract the team would control (via Twitter):
“In my mind better than Mallett – he has a body of evidence. I think he could be a low-end starter or at very least a ‘compete with starter’ piece.”
An NFC Pro Scouting Director is also ambivalent about his ability (via Twitter):
“You could probably get as high as a conditional 3rd for him. Depends on the desperation of the club. … A low end starter. Someone that you’ll end up looking to replace. Better than Cassel and look what was given up for him.”
One NFC general manager did say he might be able to fetch the Redskins a second-round pick, but more likely a third rounder would be a higher pick (via Twitter):
“If you look at trade history, high end would be a 2nd round pick. Or realistically a 3rd.”
Yes, Cousins could grab the Redskins an extra pick, but none of the sources Breer spoke to was particularly high on either quarterback. While there is a common thought that both Cousins and Mallett could become one of the top 32 quarterbacks in the league, but they would still be the bottom rung of starters.
It is unlikely that either player gets traded in the near future, as both passers are more valuable as backups with their current teams than they are as potential starters elsewhere in the league.
NFC East Notes: Thurmond, Eagles, Cowboys
When asked about the most impressive player he’s seen in Giants camp, ESPN’s Dan Graziano identified cornerback Walter Thurmond, saying the free-agent acquisition has been “making life miserable for slot receiver Victor Cruz in practice. Thurmond could be a difference-maker at that nickel corner position for the Giants this year.” Thurmond, 26, signed a one-year, $3MM deal in March, at which time ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former director of pro personnel for the Eagles, lauded the signing as a potential steal: “If he can stay healthy and out of trouble, it’s a tremendous value signing. . .He’s a dynamite press corner, who is as good with his technique as [Seattle’s] Byron Maxwell, as [Seattle’s] Richard Sherman. Walter is very good. He can play in the nickel because he’s big enough, because he can tackle, because he’s a good blitzer. And he can play on the outside. Not only can he press, he can play them all.”
The numbers back up Riddick’s assessment. Despite starting just three of 12 games played last season for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks, Thurmond tallied 24 tackles, six pass breakups, an interception (29-yard TD) and a forced fumble. Additionally, his 5.7 coverage rating was higher than teammate Brandon Browner, who signed for three years and $16.8MM in New England.
So why did the Giants land such a good player at such an affordable deal? He’s been plagued by injuries since entering the league, and was popped for a four-game suspension last season for violating the substance-abuse policy. Nevertheless, he brings supreme confidence to the Giants secondary. In April Thurmond proclaimed himself the best slot corner in the league. By July, he was drawing praise from teammates and coaches, including head man Tom Coughlin, who likes Thurmond’s attitude. Now, a week into August, he’s established himself as the ‘Quiet Assassin.”
Here’s a few more NFC East links:
- Eagles rookie receiver Jordan Matthews had a pair of drops in an “inconsistent” pro debut last night, according to PhillyMag.com’s Tim McManus.
- On the flip side, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly was impressed by a defensive rookie. “I thought Beau Allen was a disruptive force out there,” Kelly told PhillyMag.com’s Sheil Kapadia.
- With DeMarco Murray and Lance Dunbar sitting out, Joseph Randle was a bright spot for the Cowboys, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.
- Cowboys.com analyst Bryan Broaddus broke down the tape from the first preseason game and posted his observations. Among them, he praised the offensive line, as well as second-year receiver Terrance Williams, who is rapidly becoming a complete receiver.
- With DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon sitting out, Aldrick Robinson took advantage of an opportunity in the Redskins’ first preseason game. “Aldrick Robinson, he just continues to make play after play after play,” head coach Jay Gruden told CSN Washington’s JP Finlay after the game. Robinson could be a breakout candidate in his third season, but he’ll have to earn targets since the team added Jackson and Andre Roberts in the offseason to go along with Garcon and veteran Santana Moss. Additionally, rookie Ryan Grant has been impressive early in camp.
Rookie Quarterback Roundup: Bortles, Bridgewater, Carr, Manziel
Jaguars No. 3 overall choice Blake Bortles had an encouraging pro debut against Tampa Bay last night, completing 7-of-11 pass attempts for 117 yards, “which included three drops and just one questionable decision, a check-down effort on 3rd-and-19 that was tipped and nearly picked off,” according to the Orlando Sentinel’s Paul Tenorio. Head coach Gus Bradley was quoted after the game, saying, “I thought [Bortles] did a nice job, showed some good poise. We felt like we could protect him. Just the poise factor, we wanted to see that in him, and he did a nice job.”
How did the other rookie QBs fare?
- Vikings first-rounder Teddy Bridgewater’s first play was encouraging, as he bootlegged right and threw a 21-yard strike on the move. The gain was negated by penalty, but Bridgewater performed well enough against Oakland to generate excitement despite an uneven stat line (6-of-13, 49 yards, two sacks, fumble). Overall, Bridgewater generated excitement, but clearly has aspects of his game to work on before he challenges for the starting job. “He looked unsteady at times when challenged by unfamiliar defensive alignments,” according to Brian Murray of TwinCities.com.
- Meanwhile, Derek Carr, chosen by the Raiders four picks after Bridgewater, went 10-of-16 for 76 yards an interception (which should have been caught by the intended receiver). Carr was victimized by a few drops and bailed out on a few throws behind his receiver, but overall received passing grades in his debut. In terms of improvement areas, ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez notes the rookie needs to work on his touch.
- As Dallas Robinson mentioned last night, Patriots second-rounder Jimmy Garoppolo looked better in his first NFL game action than he had looked in practice, outshining veteran backup Ryan Mallett. The rookie from Eastern Illinois went 9-of-13 for 157 yards and a touchdown. Garoppolo “showed a poise and pocket presence that was impressive,” according to the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian. “The players in the huddle responded to him. And, unlike Mallett, who struggled at times dealing with a shaky offensive line, Garoppolo made plays when the going got tough during Thursday night’s 23-6 loss to the Redskins in the preseason opener.”
- As for Browns 22nd overall pick Johnny Manziel, his debut in Detroit tonight ranks as one of the most anticipated preseason games in recent memory. “The Johnny Football Circus comes to Detroit” as Free Press columnist Drew Sharp puts it. The game is sold out and the Lions issued credentials for all 200 seats of the press box, reports Sharp’s colleague Dave Birkett.
AFC East Links: Smith, Decker, Garoppolo
Let’s round up the latest batch of notes from the AFC East, specifically New York and New England:
- The Jets’ quarterback situation hasn’t become a controversy as of yet, but as Dennis Waszak Jr. of the Associated Press writes, head coach Rex Ryan is certainly still coy about the competition between projected starter Geno Smith and veteran Michael Vick. “We’ll just let this thing play out,” said Ryan. “It’s our first preseason game. Obviously, we know we have two excellent quarterbacks.”
- Eric Decker and Chris Johnson made their respective debuts with the Jets last night, and both were pleased with their performances, per Kimberely A. Martin of Newsday. “It was good,” Decker said of working with Smith. “It didn’t feel any different than practices. It’s just fun to go against a different opponent and work on the timing aspect, just getting into a rhythm.”
- New Jets corner Dimitri Patterson‘s rough debut should give the team some pause, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes.
- Perhaps in order to showcase him for a trade, the Patriots started Ryan Mallett in yesterday’s preseason game, but it was second-round rookie Jimmy Garoppolo who shined, according to CSNNE.com. Garoppolo played college ball at Eastern Illinois, so it was encouraging to see him succeed against NFL-caliber players (even if they were second- and third-stringers).
- The Patriots used tablets to go over plays on the sidelines for the first time last night, and head coach Bill Belichick was mostly pleased with the results. “The tablets, you have the ability to hold all the [schematic] pictures in the one tablet so you can kind of scroll through them,” he told Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. “Certainly much more concise and I’d say the quality of the tablets is good, the clarity of the pictures is good.” Belichick did note that he worries about connectivity issues, saying that a backup plan would need to be in place.
- In a separate piece, Perry passes along some interesting comments from Belichick as he argues that the preseason is the time to work on deciding when to challenge disputed plays.
East Notes: Mallett, Pouncey, Jets, Cowboys
After Ryan Mallett’s preseason debut for the Patriots, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe thinks it’s time to stop pretending that any of the league’s 31 other teams will give up anything of value for New England’s backup signal-caller. As I wrote yesterday, the Pats seem to be showcasing Mallett this summer in the hopes of finding a trade partner, but Volin believes the 26-year-old is too much of an enigma to even warrant a fourth- or fifth-round pick in a deal.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:
- It hasn’t been a great year for Mike Pouncey, who is expected to miss several weeks of the regular season with a hip injury and also was involved in the Dolphins‘ bullying scandal, but he may have finally caught a break — according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins center isn’t expected to face charges for an incident at his South Beach birthday party last month. However, his brother, Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey, is likely to be charged with misdemeanor battery, says Beasley.
- There were no “competition-tilting developments” for Geno Smith or Michael Vick in the Jets’ first preseason game, but the fact that Vick led the team to its only touchdown drive indicates the free agent signee is continuing to push the incumbent QB, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Team executives around the NFL are upset after a TMZ video showed head of officiating Dean Blandino out for a night of partying with Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. La Canfora quotes several execs voicing concerns about possible preferential treatment, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that no formal complaints have been lodged with the league office about Blandino’s and Jones’ night out.
East Notes: Eagles, Revis, Idonije, McCoy
While most teams around the NFL are shuffling players in and out at the back of their rosters, the Eagles have stood pat all summer, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer points out. According to Berman, Philadelphia’s last roster move came on May 19, which is the longest any NFL club has gone without signing or cut this year. Besides being relatively healthy in camp so far, the Eagles also like the 90 players currently on their roster, according to GM Howie Roseman.
“We’re trying to upgrade, we’re trying to get better at every spot,” Roseman said. “We’re trying to have the best possible 90-man, the best possible 61, the best possible 53 when there’s opportunities to do it. But at the same time, to change for change’s sake doesn’t make a lot of sense, either. It’s not the right message.”
Let’s check in on a few other notes from out of the NFC East and AFC East….
- While there may be mutual interest between Darrelle Revis and the Patriots in a contract extension, no actual negotiations have occurred yet, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Nonetheless, Howe takes a closer look at what a longer-term agreement with the cornerback might look like, if the Pats try to lock him up.
- Israel Idonije‘s new one-year deal with the Giants is a minimum salary benefit contract, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan, who adds (via Twitter) that the veteran defensive end can earn a $25K bonus if he makes the 53-man roster to start the season.
- Eagles running back LeSean McCoy ranks as one of the league’s most indispensable non-quarterbacks, accroding to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Insider link).
- Ryan Tannehill‘s play has been up and down so far in training camp, but in his latest look at the Dolphins, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald points to a couple positive signs from the quarterback.
Pats Showcasing Ryan Mallett For Trade?
Multiple pundits, including NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, have praised Ryan Mallett‘s play in training camp within the last week or two, prompting others to wonder if the Patriots are trying to pump up the quarterback’s trade value as he enters a contract year. That campaign appears set to continue tonight, as Mallett will start the team’s first preseason game in place of Tom Brady, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
Mallett, who has been Brady’s backup in New England for multiple seasons, has drawn trade interest during the past couple years, and became more expendable after the club drafted Jimmy Garoppolo this past May. The Pats won’t just give him away, of course, but Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that Mallett “might as well be wearing a For Sale sign around his neck” this summer.
One AFC executive who spoke to Breer wasn’t overly bullish on the signal-caller’s value, suggesting that it wouldn’t be ideal to trade for a quarterback entering the final year of his contract unless an injury made it necessary (Twitter link). In the exec’s view, a fourth- or fifth-round draft pick seems about right for Mallett. For his part, the Pats backup has said he feels as if he’s a starting-caliber NFL quarterback, but he isn’t unhappy with his situation in New England, as Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe details.
Mallett, 26, has only thrown four passes in NFL regular season games, during a brief stint in relief of Brady in 2012. As such, any teams with interest in him will likely be keeping a close eye on his performance tonight and in the rest of the preseason. I wouldn’t expect the Pats to move him quite yet, but Mallett’s situation will be worth watching over the next few weeks, and even all the way to the trade deadline.