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Offseason In Review: Minnesota Vikings

July 10th, 2017 at 6:12pm CST by Dallas Robinson

One year after taking the NFC North crown with an 11-5 record, the Vikings witnessed the loss of their starting quarterback, injuries all along their offensive line, and a season-ending health issue to franchise icon Adrian Peterson. Following an 8-8 campaign and a third place divisional finish, Minnesota had several key areas to address this offseason, mostly on the offensive side of the ball.

Notable signings:

The Vikings actually boasted enviable depth heading into the 2016 season, but injuries and other factors led the club’s front five to perform like a sieve by the end of the campaign. Phil Loadholt retired before the season got underway, John Sullivan was released, Mike Harris dealt with a mysterious illness that wiped out his entire year, and Matt Kalil and Andre Smith played only six combined games before going down with injury. The result was an over-matched offensive line that started the likes of T.J. Clemmings (among the worst offensive tackles in the NFL), ranked 30th in adjusted line yards, and 17th in adjusted sack rate.

Quarterback Sam Bradford was heavily affected by the lack of blocking up front, as he rarely had time to throw intermediate-to-deep passes and finished 33rd in average depth of target, as Matthew Coller of 1500 ESPN details. An offensive line that performed at just a mediocre level would have done wonders for the Vikings offense, so the club attacked the weakness by bringing in free agents Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers.Riley Reiff (vertical)

Both deals were overpays, to be sure, as Reiff and Remmers both graded in the middle of Pro Football Focus‘ offensive tackle rankings (Nos. 48 and 51, respectively, among 78 qualifiers). Reiff, specifically, is now the eighth-highest-paid left tackle in the NFL, and received the third-most guaranteed money. That’s an exorbitant sum for a middling lineman, especially one who didn’t even play on the blindside a year ago.

Remmers’ contract is a bit more manageable, but the fact remains that Minnesota spent large to ensure a baseline level of production — and that’s not a bad idea. With the emergence of quick passing games, it’s more important than ever to simply not be terrible up front. Not every team needs to employ a Tyron Smith or a Joe Thomas to enjoy success, as it’s weak links — instead of All Pro performances — that often differentiate between offensive lines. The Vikings are also paying for availability, as Reiff has only missed three games during his five-year career, while Remmers has played in 32 consecutive contests since becoming a full-time starter.

Running behind Reiff and Remmers will be Latavius Murray, who signed a three-year deal to leave the Raiders. Originally viewed as a replacement for Adrian Peterson, Murray’s role is now murky after the Vikings traded up in the second round to select running back Dalvin Cook. There are certainly still carries to go around, as Minnesota ran the ball 380 times a season ago, but Murray probably isn’t going to be the bell-cow back he thought he signed up to be. Mike Clay of ESPN.com (Twitter link) projects 169 carries for Cook, 111 for Murray, and 69 for Jerick McKinnon.

The Vikings’ final notable offensive addition was wide receiver Michael Floyd, who struggled to find a market after being charged with Extreme DUI last year. Floyd, whose contract with Minnesota doesn’t contain any guaranteed money, is certainly a bounce-back candidate, and could make for an excellent value signing. However, he’s likely to serve a minimum two-game suspension, so he won’t be on the field immediately. The NFL recently held a hearing on Floyd’s case.Terence Newman

On the defensive side of the ball, the Vikings didn’t add much to a unit that already ranked ninth in DVOA and is returning many of its players. One such returnee is cornerback Terence Newman, who miraculously graded as the league’s ninth-best corner in his age-38 season, per PFF. At some point, Newman is going to experience a decline, but until that time, he’ll continue to team with Xavier Rhodes in one of the NFL’s best secondaries. He’ll hold down the fort for 2015 first-round pick Trae Waynes, who has disappointed in two pro seasons.

Like Waynes, Datone Jones is a former first-round pick who hasn’t contributed much during his NFL career, but he could be in for a fresh start after coming over from the division-rival Packers. Yanked around from position to position in Green Bay, Jones was even playing outside linebacker with the Packers. In the the Vikings’ 4-3 front, Jones will move back to his more natural end position, and could even see time at three-technique defensive tackle.

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Offseason In Review: Denver Broncos

July 9th, 2017 at 8:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Seeing another team book the AFC West’s mandated January home game last season, the Broncos geared this offseason around patching up holes to augment the nucleus still in place from Super Bowl 50. However, they figure to have stiff competition from arguably the league’s most competitive division.

For the second time in three years, the Broncos will have a new coach and new coordinators. While Denver’s defense posted one of the best pass-deterrence seasons in NFL history, with its DVOA in that department outdoing the Super Bowl defense’s work, its run defense slipped from third to 28th. But the primary obstacle in the way of a sixth Broncos playoff berth in seven years will be what happens at quarterback.

Whoever comes out of the Paxton Lynch/Trevor Siemian competition will need to deliver more if the Broncos are to avoid squandering another season of this defensive core’s apex. John Elway and Co., though, invested heavily in players who could help the franchise avoid back-to-back postseason absences.

Notable signings:

Gary Kubiak‘s two-year return to the Mile High City did not bring the kind of impact ground game many assumed his system’s installation would. These struggles largely stemmed from a lack of offensive line productivity. Save for some individual success — Evan Mathis in 2015, Matt Paradis last season — the Broncos’ front was often overmatched. And for a third straight year, major changes are coming to this unit.

After four new starters infiltrated the 2015 Broncos’ O-line, Paradis was the only starter back at his previous position from the Super Bowl unit a year later. This latest overhaul may bring three new starters. Only Paradis and Max Garcia are in line to reclaim their roles. But the team will pivot back to OC Mike McCoy‘s power-based scheme after two years in Kubiak’s zone system. Elway made two UFA signings expected to start in Leary and Watson.

Both bring questions, but after patching up their front with bargain free agent buys or later-round draft picks the past two years, the Broncos deviated and spent in their latest attempt to improve up front.

Leary thrived when on the field in Dallas, paving the way for monster seasons from DeMarco Murray in 2014 and Ezekiel Elliott last season. But Leary, who despite being a first-time UFA is 29, won’t have the luxury of lining up in between Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick this season. He’ll be asked to be a key component on Denver’s front as opposed to a supporting-caster, and the Broncos gave the ex-Cowboy the most money they’ve ever paid a guard. Leary graded well as a blocker in both 2014 and ’16, but La’el Collins usurped him for most of 2015.

The Raiders continually tried to install Watson as their right tackle, but rampant injury troubles intervened. An ex-second-rounder from Great Britain, Watson played in only 27 of a possible 64 regular-season games. There’s still potential attached to the 28-year-old blocker, but Watson will have to stay on the field to justify the somewhat surprising financial commitment. He’s the latest player the Broncos are trying at right tackle.

Since moving Orlando Franklin to left guard prior to the 2014 season, the Broncos have used seven starters on the right edge. Denver drafted Ty Sambrailo to play there in 2015 and signed Donald Stephenson to do the same last year. It’s been the most fluid position on an evolving O-line over the past few seasons.

Many of the Broncos’ defenders are already signed to high-value deals, so the team did not throw much money at help here. But in bringing in Peko and Kerr, the Broncos addressed a defensive line that no longer boasted much depth. That helped lead to the porous run defense which allowed opposing offenses to largely avoid challenging Denver’s elite cornerbacks in key games.

Beyond Derek Wolfe, none of Denver’s D-linemen were especially reliable last season. The Broncos will at least have more options in 2017 after adding Peko, a 10-year starter with the Bengals, and Kerr.

Despite being non-tendered as an RFA by the Saints, Edebali might be the team’s top off-the-bench pass rusher come Week 1. Shaquil Barrett‘s uncertain status after an offseason hip injury clouds the team’s once-formidable depth at outside linebacker.

Charles became the Chiefs’ all-time leading rusher despite being a full-time starter in just four of his nine seasons. Knee injuries derailed the 30-year-old All-Pro’s final two Kansas City slates, and having undergone three surgeries since October 2015, Charles is not a lock to be part of the Broncos this season. But he remains on schedule to return to the field come camp. As one of the best backs of his era, Charles would be overqualified for the Broncos’ complementary ball-carrying role if he’s healthy. But Denver having this kind of talent to pair with C.J. Anderson and Devontae Booker would add much-needed elusiveness to an offense that’s lacked it in recent years.

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PFR Originals: 7/2/17 – 7/9/17

July 9th, 2017 at 2:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

Make-Or-Break Year: Ryan Tannehill

July 9th, 2017 at 11:03am CST by Rory Parks

Ryan Tannehill may be working with the most talented offensive weapons he’s ever had at his disposal in 2017, and if he wants to remain under center for the Dolphins for the long haul, he will have to make the most of those weapons. Yesterday, we looked at a discussion among ESPN’s AFC East contingent as to whether Miami should stick with Tannehill or start looking for his replacement, and while the consensus is that Tannehill is a solid quarterback whose contract looks more and more like a bargain with each passing year, the ESPN scribes do not appear to have much faith that Tannehill can bring a title to South Beach. Indeed, ESPN’s Bills reporter, Mike Rodak, believes the Dolphins need to begin preparing for their next quarterback now.

Ryan Tannehill (vertical)

And it’s hard to blame him. It took Tannehill five seasons to post a winning record, and his skill-set and statistical output to this point in his career reasonably invoke the old adage that is trotted out for quarterbacks like Jay Cutler and Alex Smith: just good enough to lose.

Of course, Tannehill is not solely responsible for the Dolphins’ mediocre record during his tenure. After all, it’s not as though the team has been stocked with talent that was held back by substandard quarterback play. Rather, the roster has been average at best and Tannehill, whose performance has been average to a little above-average, has not been able to enhance it. But as the talent surrounding him slowly improves, it is fair to question whether Tannehill has enough ability to turn his team into a true championship contender.

What makes a conversation about Tannehill’s long-term future with Miami particularly interesting now is the way his contract is structured. After 2017, the only guaranteed money on Tannehill’s deal is $5.525MM of his 2018 salary that is currently guaranteed for injury and becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2018 league year. That means that, if they really want to, the Dolphins could part ways with Tannehill after this season and the dead cap hit would be fairly minimal while the savings would be significant.

The problem is that Miami does not have a young quarterback on the roster that is pushing for playing time, and free agency is almost never an answer when it comes to quarterbacks. The 2018 rookie class may boast a fair amount of quarterback talent, so if Tannehill struggles in 2017, it would behoove the team to draft a signal-caller in the early rounds of next year’s draft and groom him behind Tannehill for a year or so (Tannehill is under club control through 2020).

So while it would be a surprise to see Tannehill somewhere other than Miami in 2018, the 2017 season will go a long way towards determining his future prospects with the Dolphins.

Offseason In Review: Cincinnati Bengals

July 8th, 2017 at 6:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

In 2016, the Bengals missed the postseason for the first time in the Andy Dalton/A.J. Green era, posting a 6-9-1 record after earning playoff berths each season from 2011-15. Now, Cincinnati could be gunning for one more trip to the postseason under Marvin Lewis, who is entering the 2017 campaign as a lame duck head coach. Armed with a top-10 draft pick for the first time since 2011, the Bengals had offseason work to do on both sides of the ball.

Notable signings:

Although the Bengals have drafted two more first-round cornerbacks since selecting Dre Kirkpatrick with the 17th overall pick in 2012, their lack of options in the secondary meant Cincinnati still needed to open up their checkbook to retain the Alabama product. Darqueze Dennard has barely played since entering the league in 2014, while William Jackson III missed his entire rookie campaign after tearing a pectoral. With a legal issue hanging over veteran Adam Jones, the Bengals couldn’t afford to let Kirkpatrick — the team’s most reliable option at corner — leave via free agency.Dre Kirkpatrick (Vertical)

It’s easy to call the Kirkpatrick contract an overpay, as he’s never resembled a true No. 1 corner during his five-year NFL tenure. In 2016, Pro Football Focus graded Kirkpatrick as just the 52nd-best corner among 111 qualifiers, while he’s provided the 20th-most approximate value (Pro Football Reference’s catch-all metric) among cornerbacks since becoming a full-time starter in 2015. Despite that spotty record, Kirkpatrick’s new $10.5MM annual average ranks 11th among corners.

However, as with most Bengals contracts, the deal is more team-friendly than it initially appears. Kirkpatrick received only $12MM in full guarantees, which ranks 25th among cornerbacks, while his guarantee per year ($2.4MM) is only 24th among non-rookie corner accords. Conceivably, Cincinnati could remove itself from Kirkpatrick’s contract as soon as next spring — before he’s due a $3.25MM roster bonus — if he tanks during the 2017 campaign, and the dead money that would accelerate onto the Bengals’ cap following a release in either 2018 or 2019 isn’t ominous. Those scenarios are unlikely, of course, as most Cincinnati extendees play out their pacts.

While Kirkpatrick represented the majority of the Bengals’ free agent outlay, the club also made a value signing on defense with the addition of former Cardinals linebacker Kevin Minter. Only 26 years old, Minter played on at least 85% of Arizona’s defensive snaps in each of the past two seasons, and figures to slot in next to Vontaze Burfict in Cincinnati’s starting lineup. The Bengals made a smart contractual decision with Minter, using a $1.1MM workout bonus — which doesn’t count against the compensatory average per year formula — in order to lower his overall contract value. As Nick Korte of Over the Cap explained earlier this year (Twitter links), that strategy could end up bumping the Bengals’ projected seventh-round compensatory selection to a sixth-rounder, a marginal (but important) win.Andre Smith

On the other side of the ball, Andre Smith is back in a Bengals uniform after a brief one-season layover in Minnesota. Smith, whom Cincinnati originally drafted sixth overall in 2009, won’t be lining up at his usual right tackle position, however, as the Bengals signed him to play guard. We’ll discuss Cincinnati’s offensive line issues a bit later, but the decision to bring in Smith is a risky one on two fronts. First, he’s never played guard in his NFL career, and second, he only managed to appear in four games in 2016 before going down with injury. The Bengals don’t have much high-quality interior depth, so relying on Smith as a starter at an all-new position seems perilous.

Elsewhere on offense, Cincinnati continued to opt for familiarity, re-signing wide receiver Brandon LaFell, running back Cedric Peerman, and offensive tackle Eric Winston to play reserve roles. LaFell, notably, led Bengals pass-catchers in snaps a season ago, but despite the fact that he’ll earn $5MM in 2017, his playtime percentage will almost certainly decrease. First-round rookie John Ross figures to start opposite A.J. Green with Tyler Boyd in the slot, meaning LaFell will be a well-paid fourth receiver at best.

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Make-Or-Break Year: Blake Bortles

July 7th, 2017 at 9:02pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Quarterback Blake Bortles is under Jaguars control for the next two years, but it’s reasonable to suggest he’s entering the quintessential make-or-break season. The Jaguars decided in May to pick up Bortles’ fifth-year option for 2018, which will cost them upward of $19MM if he plays the season under it, though that’s guaranteed for injury only. That means they’ll be able to end the Bortles experiment next offseason if he struggles through 2017 but emerges with his health intact.

Blake Bortles

Staying on the field hasn’t been an issue to this point for Bortles, who has appeared in no fewer than 14 games in any of his three seasons and played full slates in each of the previous two years. While Bortles has shown durability, his run-of-the-mill output leaves questions as to whether he’ll end up as Jacksonville’s long-term solution under center. Bortles starred at Central Florida from 2012-13, leading the quarterback-starved Jaguars to use the third overall pick on him in 2014, but he hasn’t lived up to his draft slot in the pros.

At his best, Bortles showed real promise in 2015, his second season, when he fired the NFL’s second-most touchdowns (35, one behind Tom Brady) and amassed the league’s seventh-most passing yards (4,428, on 7.3 yards per attempt). He also averaged an outstanding 6.0 yards per carry and added two more scores on 52 rushes. Bortles’ performance that year came with negatives, namely the league’s fifth-worst completion rate (58.6 percent) and highest interception total (18), but it still looked as if the Jaguars had a legitimate building block on their hands.

The Jags went just 5-11 in 2015, but thanks to Bortles’ progress and an action-packed offseason, the club went into last year as a somewhat popular pick to push for a playoff spot. Instead, both the team and Bortles flopped en route to a 3-13 mark, and the QB was among the main reasons for its awful season. Even though Bortles took a career-low 34 sacks – down from 55 as a rookie and 51 in 2015 – and was once again a threat on the ground (6.2 YPC, three TDs on 58 carries), there was a notable decline in his production as a passer. The 6-foot-5, 232-pounder threw for 23 scores, 12 fewer than he tossed as a sophomore, against 16 INTs, saw his YPA drop over a yard (6.2), and completed under 59 percent of attempts for the third straight year.

Toward the end of their nightmarish 2016, the Jaguars fired head coach Gus Bradley. At the time, general manager Dave Caldwell suggested that Bradley’s successor could pick a different quarterback. But the Jags then tabbed ex-Bradley assistant Doug Marrone as his replacement, and both Marrone and Caldwell’s new superior, executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin, quickly showed confidence in Bortles.

The Coughlin-led Jaguars went to work in the offseason to ensure Bortles would have more at his disposal in his age-25 year than he did in any of his first three campaigns. Jacksonville used its first-round pick (No. 4 overall) on former LSU running back Leonard Fournette, who should add another dimension to an offense that finished a below-average 17th in yards per carry and a far worse 29th in rushing DVOA last season. The Jaguars also reinforced their offensive line, adding veteran bookend Branden Albert and second-round tackle Cam Robinson to a group that already had capable starters in center Brandon Linder, guards Patrick Omameh and A.J. Cann, and right tackle Jermey Parnell.

With Fournette, improved personnel along the line and the established wide receiver trio of Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns returning, it should be harder than ever for Bortles to fail. If he does, the Jaguars would be within reason to cut the cord and go back to the drawing board at the game’s foremost position next offseason. At that point, Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo, Tyrod Taylor and Alex Smith could be among the league’s free agents and the likes of USC’s Sam Darnold, Wyoming’s Josh Allen and Louisville’s Lamar Jackson may offer enticing options in the draft.

Offseason In Review: Tennessee Titans

July 7th, 2017 at 5:21pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Even though the Titans extended their playoff drought to eight years in 2016, the team made noticeable progress for the first time in a while. The Titans matched the Texans at 9-7, only finishing behind the AFC South champions because of a tiebreaker, and ranked a division-best 13th in the NFL in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric. After his club nearly broke through last year, Titans general manager Jon Robinson spent the offseason making meaningful upgrades on both sides of the ball.

Notable signings:

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Robinson’s most recent splash came last month with the signing of wide receiver Eric Decker, who unexpectedly fell into the Titans’ laps after the rebuilding Jets released him. A shoulder injury limited Decker to three games last season and kept him out of the Jets’ lineup for the final three months of the campaign, but there’s no indication that it’ll hamper him going forward. That means a Tennessee offense which finished 2016 atop the league in red zone touchdown percentage should continue to be a force inside the opposition’s 20-yard line.

The 6-foot-3, 206-pound Decker has been a major threat near the goal line throughout his career, and he’s second only to ex-Jets teammate Brandon Marshall in red zone TD receptions since 2012 (33). The 30-year-old figures to mesh beautifully with Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, who dominated in the red zone with 18 TD passes and no interceptions during his initial two years in the league.

When he signed with the Titans, Decker became the fourth potentially significant passing game weapon Robinson picked up for Mariota this offseason. The executive struck three times in the draft, using high selections on two wideouts – first-rounder Corey Davis and third-rounder Taywan Taylor – and another on tight end Jonnu Smith (Round 3). Of course, the headliner is Davis, who went fifth overall after surpassing 1,400 yards and 12 touchdowns in each of the past three seasons at Western Michigan. Interestingly, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com likens Davis to Decker, calling the 6-2, 205-pound rookie a “touchdown juggernaut.”

With Decker, Davis, Rishard Matthews and Taylor serving as the top four in their receiving corps and Smith joining the prolific Delanie Walker at tight end, Mariota has an enviable supply of aerial options on hand. Plus, the dual-threat signal-caller should again be a key contributor to a top-tier rushing attack. DeMarco Murray, Derrick Henry and Mariota ran behind arguably the NFL’s best offensive line and led a ground game that finished third in the league in rushing and fourth in yards per carry in 2016. Murray and Henry remain in the fold, as does the Titans’ starting O-line from last year, which is an unfortunate reality for opposing defenses.

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Offseason In Review: Arizona Cardinals

July 7th, 2017 at 2:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Last year, things didn’t exactly go according to plan for the Cardinals as they finished out 7-8-1, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013. With little salary cap room to work with, it’s not exactly clear if the Cardinals have put themselves in position for a big turnaround.

Notable signings:

The Cardinals knew they’d have to pony up a massive deal when they acquired Chandler Jones via trade from the Patriots. This year, they applied the franchise tag to Jones but the two sides shook hands on a massive extension just days later. Jones’ new deal makes him the third-highest paid 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL, trailing only Von Miller and Justin Houston in terms of yearly average. When it comes to average guarantees per year, he’s in second place with $6.2MM, ahead of Houston. It wasn’t cheap to lock up Jones, but he is one of the league’s very best edge defenders and the market is only growing for those players. If Jones continues on this trajectory, it will all be worth it for Arizona. Chandler Jones

Considering the Cardinals’ cap situation, their four-year, $28MM deal for tight end Jermaine Gresham was a bit perplexing. Before the free agent market officially opened, I had Gresham ranked as the ninth-best option available. The 28-year-old (29 in June) had 37 catches for 391 yards last year, but he doesn’t offer much in the way of blocking. The good news is that the 29-year-old will only carry a $3.75MM cap number in 2017, but his contract doesn’t look so great after that. In 2018, the Cardinals are saddled with a $7.25MM cap number and releasing him ($9.25MM) isn’t really a viable option. In 2019, they’ll be stuck with $3.5MM if they release Gresham.

Free agent addition Antoine Bethea projects as the Cardinals’ starting strong safety, but he may have to duke it out with the team’s second round pick (more on him later). The soon-to-be 33-year-old did well for himself on this deal and the Cardinals are hoping that he will continue to be an above-average playmaker in the secondary. Bethea has started all 162 games he’s played since entering the league and he has 19 career interceptions to his name.

Karlos DansbyThe Cardinals added two notable free agents to the linebacking group in Karlos Dansby and Jarvis Jones. Dansby returns to the Cardinals after spending the first six years of his career with them, plus the 2013 season. Dansby night not be a top 15 type like he was in 2013 and 2014, but he’s still quite productive even at his advanced age. The linebacker, 36 in November, had upwards of 100 tackles last year and finished out as Pro Football Focus’ 46th best linebacker out of 87 qualified players.

Jones, a former first round pick, has only posted six sacks in four NFL seasons. He recorded a career-high 43 tackles in 2016, however, and started nine games for the Steelers. He has not lived up to his draft status, but he is still a solid run defender and he could still have some untapped potential. With talented veterans in front of him, the Cardinals will only be using Jones on a limited basis, a role that might suit him well.

Not long ago, Andre Ellington was the main rusher in Arizona. Now, the emergence of David Johnson has pushed him down the pecking order. The Cardinals were exploring the idea of moving Ellington to wide receiver this year, but they abandoned that midway through the offseason. It’s still a good bet that Ellington will make the 53-man cut as a reserve behind Johnson.

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Poll: Will Darrelle Revis Play In 2017?

July 7th, 2017 at 10:19am CST by Zachary Links

Darrelle Revis is currently working out in south Florida with an eye on playing this season. Trouble is, the $6MM owed to him by the Jets comes with offset language, meaning that he’ll effectively be playing for free if he signs for a penny less than $6MM. Darrelle Revis (vertical)

At one point in time, Revis was one of the league’s very best cornerbacks. Unfortunately, that changed during his second stint with the Jets in 2015. In ’15, Revis was solid but unspectacular. The version of Revis that we saw in 2016 could not be counted upon as a regular starter. Throughout the season, there were rumblings that Revis was dogging it and the film seemed to back it up. There were a number of plays where Revis wasn’t going all out to make the tackle and he was routinely getting torched on routes that he should have been able to keep pace with.

Needless to say, no one wants to pay Revis more than $6MM for the 2017 season. Even if a contending team were to lose a starting corner to injury in training camp, it would be hard to see anyone offering more than a few million for the veteran’s services. So, what now? It’s possible that Revis, who has already made a boatload of money in the NFL, will cave and agree to play for free.

Alternatively, he could use a creative workaround to get on the field while still cashing his Jets check. As suggested yesterday by Mike Florio of PFT, Revis could sit out the 2017 regular season and sign with an NFL club just before the start of the playoffs. This way, Revis can earn his $6MM, have a chance at capturing another Super Bowl championship, and audition for his next contract. Revis would also have the added benefit of taking the field in January with fresh legs.

One way or another, do you see Darrelle Revis playing in the NFL in the 2017 season? Click below to cast your vote and back up your position in the comment section.

Will Darrelle Revis Play in 2017?
Yes 53.31% (515 votes)
No 46.69% (451 votes)
Total Votes: 966

Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Rams

July 6th, 2017 at 2:40pm CST by Zachary Links

You only get to make one first impression and the Rams’ Los Angeles debut was less than impressive. The Rams got uneven performances out of rookie quarterback Jared Goff (to put it mildly), finished 4-12, and wound up sacking coach Jeff Fisher before the season was through. Now, the Rams are sharing the L.A. market with another team and they hope to set themselves apart with a better showing in 2017.

Notable signings:

Last year, the Rams had two standout cornerbacks set to hit the open market and only one franchise tag to use. They opted to retain Trumaine Johnson while allowing Janoris Jenkins to test free agency. The Rams were apparently close to keeping Jenkins, but he ultimately left to sign a big money deal with the Giants. After watching the 2016 season play out, the decision to roll with Johnson over Jenkins doesn’t look so great. Determined to not lose a star cornerback two years in a row, the Rams used the tag on Johnson for the second year in a row, resulting in a hefty one-year, $16.742MM tender. Trumaine Johnson (vertical)

Now, the two sides have until July 17th (not July 15th) to hammer out an extension. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like we will see a new deal struck in the coming days. Unless things change, Johnson will play out the year with the highest yearly salary of any cornerback in the NFL. Johnson graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 26th-best cornerback last season, indicating that he is starting caliber, but far from elite. Los Angeles would like to tamp down that bloated cap number and lock Johnson up through his prime years, but he seems willing to bet on himself.

The Rams landed this year’s most talented free agent tackle when they signed veteran Andrew Whitworth. A three-year deal with strong cash flow in the first two years may not seem ideal for a 35-year-old, but that’s the cost of doing business when trying to add top offensive tackles. In 2016, PFF rated him as the second-best tackle in the entire NFL and he’s been a Top 5/Top 10 guy for the last five years in a row. The Rams are hoping that the addition of Whitworth will help to give Goff extra time in the pocket, allowing him to make better throws when he’s not under duress. Last year, the Rams finished out with the sixth-worst offensive line in the NFL, according to PFF’s metrics.

Goff will have some new mouths to feed this year, including free agent Robert Woods. Woods made a name for himself in Buffalo as a solid stand-in for Sammy Watkins when he dealt with injury. Now, he’s being counted upon as the WR1 in Los Angeles. Even though he signed a five-year deal, it should be noted that he won’t be long for Los Angeles if he can’t handle his new responsibilities. Woods is due $5MM on the third day of the 2018 league year and nothing is guaranteed for the former Bills complementary target past Year 2.

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