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NFC South Notes: Saints, Falcons, Draft

April 14th, 2015 at 5:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints’ addition of veteran linebacker Anthony Spencer could prove to be a bargain, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. The 31-year-old Spencer, who qualified for a minimum salary benefit contract, will see time at outside linebacker in New Orleans’ 3-4 scheme, and could also play defensive end in four-man fronts. At the very least, Spencer should have a familiarity with defensive coordinator Rob Ryan (who was Spencer’s DC with the Cowboys) and assistant general manager Jeff Ireland (who was Dallas’ top scout when Spencer was drafted).

Here’s more from the NFC South:

  • Mississippi State linebacker Benardrick McKinney will visit the Saints this week, according to Sean Fazende of FOX 8 (Twitter link). McKinney, who is expected to be a second-round pick, would make sense for New Orleans, who are likely to draft a linebacker, adds Larry Holder of the the Times-Picayune (via Twitter).
  • The Saints will stay busy with predraft visits, as they’ll meet with Michigan defensive end Frank Clark this week, per Evan Woodberry of NOLA.com. The 6’3″, 270-pound Clark was kicked off the Wolverines last November following a domestic violence incident, but he recently accepted a plea agreement that dropped the charges.
  • Miami tight end Clive Walford met with the Falcons over the weekend, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. Walford finished last season with 43 receptions for 646 and seven touchdowns, and could be a second- or third-round pick.

Draft Notes: Winston, Gurley, Gordon

April 14th, 2015 at 3:53pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Jets, who hold the sixth overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft, are in need of a franchise quarterback and have already worked out Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, one of the top two signal callers available. They’d also like to visit with Florida State’s Jameis Winston, who joins Mariota as a likely top five pick, but that meeting may not happen. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Winston was unable to meet with the Jets when they wanted him to and the sides are now having difficulty finding a time.

Here’s the rest of the latest draft news:

  • The Browns, who are in search of a running back, have already visited with Georgia’s Todd Gurley, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan, and will next meet with Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon. ESPN’s Josina Anderson tweets that Gordon will be in Cleveland for a visit Thursday that could last through Friday. Both Gordon and Gurley are potential first-round picks. The Browns hold the 12th and 19th overall selections.
  • Having worked out Mariota, the Chargers will next head to Los Angeles to do the same with UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).
  • The receiver-needy Panthers will meet with Central Florida’s Breshad Perriman tonight and tomorrow, per Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). They’ll also work out USC’s Nelson Agholor, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
  • The Broncos will visit with Texas A&M offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi next Tuesday, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Klis believes Ogbuehi could be a second-round target for the Broncos.
  • Mississippi State running back Josh Robinson recently visited with the Colts, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
  • San Jose State’s Akeem King, a former wide receiver who converted to safety, is drawing interest as a cornerback, tweets Matt Barrow of the Sacramento Bee. The Raiders, Falcons, Saints and Seahawks are all eyeing King.
  • The Falcons worked out Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah, according to Ross Jones of FoxSports.com (Twitter link).
  • Cincinnati linebacker Jeff Luc will meet with both the Jets and Patriots prior to the draft, tweets Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller.

Greg Jennings Plans To Visit Saints

April 14th, 2015 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Greg Jennings appears to be in no rush to decide on a new team, as he continues to make free agent visits and weigh his options. After meeting with the Jaguars yesterday, the plan is for the veteran wideout to visit the Saints, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

So far this offseason, the Saints have parted ways with their top two pass catchers from the 2014 season, trading Jimmy Graham to the Seahawks and Kenny Stills to the Dolphins. Those two players, who combined for nearly 150 receptions last season, netted New Orleans first- and third-round picks for the coming draft, so the assumption has been that the Saints will move forward with Brandin Cooks and Marques Colston anchoring the receiving corps, adding at least one more wideout in the draft.

While that could still be the Saints’ plan, the fact that they’re planning to host Jennings suggests that they remain in the market for possible veteran help at the wide receiver position as well.

Jennings, 31, caught just 59 balls for 742 yards during the 2014 season, prompting the Vikings to cut him just two years into a massive five-year contract. The two-time Pro Bowler never seemed like an ideal fit in Minnesota, so a fresh start could benefit him. However, he’s unlikely to return to the highs of his earlier years in Green Bay. From 2008 to 2010, Jennings averaged about 75 receptions, 1,220 yards, and eight touchdowns per year with the Packers.

In addition to visiting the Jaguars, Jennings also paid a visit to Miami to meet with the Dolphins, and has been linked to the Panthers.

Contract Details: Johnson, Spencer, Lattimore

April 14th, 2015 at 11:29am CST by Luke Adams

We learned yesterday that the Lions have disputed the Buccaneers‘ offer sheet to George Johnson, extending the process beyond yesterday’s initial decision deadline. However, it wasn’t immediately clear what Detroit’s issue with the offer sheet was.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk sheds a little light on the subject today, reporting that the Lions want to know whether they have to match all the specifics of a Bucs’ offer that includes de-escalators in the second and third years of the deal. Per Florio, the three-year, $9MM proposal could shrink to $7MM over three years if the de-escalators are applied, so depending on how an arbitrator rules, Detroit may only have to match that lower $7MM figure.

As we wait for resolution on Johnson, which should come by the end of next week, let’s break down a few more new contracts from around the NFL…

  • Anthony Spencer inked a minimum salary benefit contract with the Saints, allowing the team to carry a cap hit of just $665K, tweets Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Spencer’s one-year deal includes an $80K signing bonus to go along with a base salary of $870K.
  • Jamari Lattimore also signed a minimum salary deal with the Jets, though since he has less NFL experience than Spencer, his base salary is just $745K, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The linebacker’s one-year contract includes a $60K signing bonus and a $20K roster bonus.
  • Wilson passes along the details on one more minimum salary benefit contract, tweeting that Will Allen‘s deal with the Steelers is worth $1.05MM, including a $970K base salary and an $80K signing bonus. Like Spencer and Lattimore, Allen will count for only $665K against his team’s cap.

NFC Links: Gregory, Peterson, Forte

April 13th, 2015 at 11:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Randy Gregory will get his fill of airports and meeting rooms leading up until the draft. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter, the pass-rushing prospect will hit a new city every day for visitation purposes with eager teams.

The Nebraska product paid a visit to the Cardinals on Sunday, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter, while the Saints will host him later this week (Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo on Twitter).

The Saints may have a shot at landing Gregory at No. 13 overall, but the Cardinals at No. 24 would have to bank on serious character-related doubts stemming from positive marijuana test in February to have a shot at Gregory.

Here are some other visits and newsworthy items as Monday winds down …

  • New Hampshire receiver R.J. Harris, who totaled more than 4,000 receiving yards at the Division I-FCS program, paid a visit to the Packers‘ headquarters on Monday, notes the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Weston Hodkiewicz. Already employing wideout Jeff Janis from Division II Saginaw Valley State, the Packers are continuing to pay attention to small-school prospects. Receiver Ricky Collins (Texas A&M Commerce), defensive end Rodney Gunter (Delaware State) and Texas Southern cornerback Tray Walker join a host of larger-school standouts that have visited the Packers thus far.
  • Coming off a season-ending injury, quarterback Connor Halliday will visit Washington, reports the Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson on Twitter. The Washington State quarterback suffered a broken ankle to end his senior campaign last season.
  • San Jose State receiver Akeem King, who ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the Spartans’ pro day, will visit the Seahawks and Falcons this week, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).
  • While recent reports have viewed the best window at prying Adrian Peterson from the Vikings will open during the draft, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio explains how that might not be the case, considering how the running back’s potential new contract would have to be negotiated in a rapid sequence.
  • Matt Forte did not show up when the Bears opened their offseason training program today, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The longtime Bears starter is entering the last year of his second contract that pays $8.2MM this year, and $100K of that is tied to a workout bonus. Biggs points out that of the four running backs slated to make more than the 29-year-old Forte this year — Peterson, LeSean McCoy, Marshawn Lynch and DeMarco Murray — three of those four received new contracts. Forte, who is training in Florida, attempted to quell concerns on his personal Twitter account about the nature of these early voluntary strength workouts.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Draft, Dolphins, Bills

April 13th, 2015 at 3:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets might be ready to move on from Geno Smith, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who says the New York is taking a look at all the quarterback options available in the draft. The Jets like Florida State’s Jameis Winston, but the Buccaneers are expected to either select Winston, or ask for a “king’s ransom” to trade down, per Cole. As such, Gang Green is also interested in Marcus Mariota, Bryce Petty, and Garrett Grayson, among others, so it sounds like Smith might not be in the club’s 2015 plans.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

  • In addition to quarterbacks, the Jets are taking a look at receivers, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) reports that the club will have a predraft meeting with Arizona pass-catcher Austin Hill today.
  • Oregon tackle Jake Fisher is a candidate to be selected near the end of the first round, and he’ll meet with several teams in need of offensive line help, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. Fisher has visits lined up with the Dolphins, Bengals, Saints, and Colts, per Garafolo.
  • With Marcell Dareus heading for free agency after the upcoming season, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com examines whether the Bills could expend an early pick on a defensive tackle.

NFC Notes: Edwards, Wilson, Saints, Vikes

April 13th, 2015 at 12:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cowboys and Bears are among the teams to host Florida State defensive lineman Mario Edwards for a visit, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The timeline on Edwards’ visit to Dallas isn’t clear, but his trip to Chicago happened last week, tweets Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.

As Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com details in a column today, Edwards is a prospect worth keeping an eye on — while most mock drafts don’t include him in the first round, he’s generating plenty of buzz among talent evaluators around the NFL. One tells La Canfora that “in this [not overly talented] draft, he’s definitely a first-rounder for me.”

Here are a few more items from around the NFC:

  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk takes a closer look at Russell Wilson‘s contract situation, forecasting how things might play out if Wilson and the Seahawks don’t reach a long-term contract agreement this year. As Florio outlines, the Seattle signal-caller could still do very well for himself if the team were to use the franchise tag multiple times to keep him under contract.
  • Washington cornerback Marcus Peters, UCLA linebacker Eric Kendricks, and Washington State defensive tackle Xavier Cooper are all visiting New Orleans today, as the Saints consider defensive options, a source tells Nick Underhill of The Advocate (Twitter link).
  • The Vikings have “clear interest” in North Dakota edge defender Kyle Emanuel, having observed him at his Pro Day and then later working him out privately, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
  • The Lions are hosting a Division II prospect, Western Oregon wide receiver Tyrell Williams, on a pre-draft visit today, writes Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
  • Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday will pay a visit to Washington this week to meet with GM Scot McCloughan and head coach Jay Gruden, a source confirms to Mike Jones of the Washington Post.

NFC Mailbags: Hawthorne, Collins, Bridgewater

April 12th, 2015 at 8:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are some notes from some of the most recent NFC mailbags coming out of New Orleans and Minneapolis.

  • The Raiders pried Curtis Lofton, the Saints‘ best second-level player in recent seasons, away from New Orleans. As a result, the Saints are planning to use veteran David Hawthorne in his place in the middle and as the defensive signal-caller, ESPN’s Mike Triplett said in the second part of his Saints mailbag. Entering his age-30 season, Hawthorne started weakside backer in the Saints’ 4-3 last year and while he’s a mid-tier performer at best at this point in his career, Hawthorne is incredibly versatile. He’s played four different positions the past four seasons, lining up as the Seahawks’ starting middle linebacker in 2011, before backing up on the strong side in New Orleans in ’12, then moving to an inside spot in a 3-4 look a year later before moving back outside last season.
  • While expecting Hawthorne to start regardless of who the Saints draft, Triplett notes the team hasn’t used a first- or second-round pick on a linebacker since Sean Payton arrived in 2006. While they’ve acquired Jonathan Vilma, Lofton and most recently Dannell Ellerbe and Anthony Spencer through trades or free agency, Triplett lists inside backer as possibly the Saints’ No. 1 need. He doesn’t expect the Saints to use their No. 13 pick on such a player but sees that as a key option at Nos. 31 or 44, possibly both, with Shaq Thompson (Washington), Eric Kendricks (UCLA) and Stephone Anthony (Clemson) among the options in that case.
  • Landon Collins may be too much of a run-stopping safety to mesh well in the Vikings‘ defense, writes ESPN’s Ben Goessling in his mailbag. Since upper-echelon safety Harrison Smith ventures around the formation with blitzing tendencies, Goessling notes the Vikings probably need a player who can cover ground deep.
  • Vikings quarterbacks coach Scott Turner recently traveled to Montana to observe ways to incorporate more quick passes into the Vikings’ offense. A Division II coach for many years, Bob Stitt‘s now at Montana, and Turner was intrigued by the way his offenses can find myriad methods of putting the ball in receivers’ hands via screen passes. With Teddy Bridgewater already having success in the screen game with Jarius Wright and, at times Cordarrelle Patterson, he now has speedster Mike Wallace, which would make acquiring additional intel in this area relevant, Goessling said.

NFC South Notes: Falcons, Winston, Parker, Tillman

April 11th, 2015 at 4:53pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Falcons have visited the University of Miami to get a closer look at some of the draft’s most intriguing prospects. The team will workout Phillip Dorsett, Duke Johnson, Clive Walford, Ladarius Gunter, and Ereck Flowers, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). He also writes the team will meet with Denzel Perryman, who will not be working out for the team.

The team also worked out defensive lineman Anthony Chickillo while in Coral Gables, according to Ledbetter (via Twitter).

Here are a few more notes from around the NFC South:

  • The Buccaneers are expected to take Jameis Winston with the first-overall pick, and if there were any doubts about how the fans would react, those were put to rest Thursday. Winston’s appearance on a video board during the team’s Q&A session in front of fans drew a roar of applause, the loudest of the night according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.
  • The Saints will host Louisville receiver DeVante Parker for a pre-draft visit, according to Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com. Terrell outlines some of Parker’s strengths and weaknesses, noting that Parker will likely be drafted in the early-to-mid first round. The Saints select 13th overall, but after drafting Brandin Cooks last year, might look elsewhere early in the draft.
  • The Panthers attempted to bolster their secondary by signing cornerback Charles Tillman. Tillman’s one-year contract is worth $1.75MM, which includes a $350,000 signing bonus, $150,000 roster bonus, and $15,625 in per gamer roster bonuses, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Wilson adds that the Tillman deal is expected to include incentives to increase the total value (via Twitter).

NFC Mailbags: Rams, Saints, Packers, Bucs

April 11th, 2015 at 11:28am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening the mailbags to answer questions from readers. Let’s take a look at some notes out of the NFC…

  • If the Rams were to select a quarterback in the upcoming draft, Nick Wagoner would expect either Austin Davis or Case Keenum to not make the roster.
  • When focusing on Washington‘s positions of need in the draft, John Keim points to an edge rusher, defensive lineman, receiver or quarterback. Meanwhile, he eliminates a running back, tight end and inside linebacker from consideration for the team’s first-round pick.
  • Despite the Saints signing veterans Brandon Browner and Kyle Wilson, Mike Triplett says the team shouldn’t hesitate to select top cornerback prospect Trae Waynes if the Michigan State product is available.
  • Rob Demovsky believes it’s a 50-50 chance the Packers will match the Raiders‘ offer sheet to safety Sean Richardson. The $2.55MM could ultimately prove to be too pricey to retain the backup safety.
  • The Panthers should begin exploring an extension for cornerback Josh Norman, according to David Newton. “Big corners with that type of ability — and attitude — are rare and don’t come cheaply,” the writer explained.
  • Pat Yasinskas writes that the best value the Buccaneers could get for quarterback Mike Glennon is a third-round pick, but he clarifies that a fourth or fifth-rounder is much more realistic.
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