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PFR Originals: 11/1/15 – 11/8/15

November 8th, 2015 at 2:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

  • Now that Week 9 is upon us, players who were placed on the injured reserve list with a designation to return are now eligible to be activated for the remainder of the season. Luke Adams provides a rundown of said players, a list that includes Dee Milliner, Bryan Stork, and David Cobb.
  • The 2015 trade deadline came and went last Tuesday, leading Luke to break down the entire slate of 2015 trades (all 68 of them!).
  • This year’s trade deadline was relatively uneventful, and some have argued that activity would increase were the deadline to be moved back a few weeks. Luke tackled that topic during last week’s Community Tailgate, a forum for readers to add their thoughts on a selected issue.
  • Luke also went over the cap outlook for the 2016 Patriots, noting that New England has a large group of players — Chandler Jones, Dont’a Hightower, and Brandon LaFell among them — who could be candidates for an extension.
  • Zach Links rounded up the best of the football blogs in the latest edition of Pigskin Links.

2016 Cap Outlook: New England Patriots

November 6th, 2015 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Through the 2015 NFL season, Pro Football Rumors will be looking ahead to the 2016 offseason, gauging the salary cap situation for each of the league’s 32 teams. The cap for 2016 hasn’t been set yet, but we can still assess the salary commitments made by a club and determine whether or not that club will be in good financial shape going forward.

In addition to evaluating each team’s overall cap situation, we’ll focus in on a few key players who may be candidates to be extended, restructured, or released by their current teams. These lists aren’t comprehensive, and depending on a player’s 2015 performance and health, he could drop off one of these lists – or be added to one – as the season goes on. For now though, these are some players to watch.

Using data from Over The Cap, we’re making our way through the 32 NFL teams in order of total salary commitments for 2016. Today’s team is the Patriots, who currently have the third-most money on their ’16 cap.

Let’s dive in….

Top 10 cap hits for 2016:

  1. Tom Brady, QB: $15,000,000
  2. Jerod Mayo, LB: $11,400,000
  3. Nate Solder, LT: $10,697,666
  4. Devin McCourty, S: $8,000,000
  5. Chandler Jones, DE: $7,799,000
  6. Dont’a Hightower, LB: $7,751,000
  7. Jabaal Sheard, DE/OLB: $7,000,000
  8. Danny Amendola, WR: $6,866,666
  9. Rob Gronkowski, TE: $6,650,000
  10. Sebastian Vollmer, RT: $6,270,834
    Current 2016 cap number for top 51 players: $145,244,259

Much has been made of Brady’s team-friendly contract structure, and the fact that he has a 2016 cap hit of $15MM rather than $25MM certainly allows the team the flexibility to spend a little more elsewhere. Despite Brady’s relatively modest cap number, New England still has the fourth-highest total of cap commitments for 2016, since the club has plenty of moderately priced players on its books. In total, the Pats are carrying 10 cap charges of $6MM+, and 14 of $4MM+.

Candidates for extension:

This list of Patriots extension candidates is far from complete, but even so, it’s still a lengthy one, with plenty of players set to have their contracts expire after the 2016 season.

The club may ultimately have to decide between Cannon and Vollmer, rather than extending both. After Nate Solder went down with a season-ending biceps injury in October though, both tackles have stepped up and performed well, proving their worth. Vollmer has the larger 2016 cap charge, at $6.27MM, so if New England wants to extend one of the two, it could be easier to do a deal with him to reduce that number.

On the other side of the ball, Hightower and Jones both had their fifth-year options for 2016 picked up earlier this year, and have played very well since then, making them logical extension candidates. Jones, in particular, is someone New England will look to lock up long-term, given his contributions to the club’s pass rush — he’s tied for the NFL lead with 8.5 sacks so far this season. On the other side of the defensive line, Ninkovich isn’t quite the force that Jones is, but he recorded eight sacks in each of his last three seasons, so if the price is right, the Pats would presumably like to have him back.

LaFell and Sheard, meanwhile, are hardly slam-dunk extension candidates — depending on how the rest of this season plays out, it’s possible that both players are released in the offseason, since doing so would create a total of $7.8MM in cap savings.

Still, both players have produced when they’ve been healthy, with Sheard racking up four sacks in five games this season, while LaFell totaled 953 receiving yards and seven TDs a year ago. Sheard has been sidelined by an ankle injury in recent weeks, and LaFell has struggled with drops since coming off the PUP list, so we’ll probably have to wait and see how they finish the season to get an idea of whether the Pats will be more inclined to extend or release them this winter. The team may also simply let them play out the final year of their respective contracts in 2016.

Candidates for restructure:

  • Nate Solder, LT

Prior to suffering his season-ending biceps injury, Solder signed a modest two-year extension that will keep him under contract through the 2017 campaign. That new deal ensures that there would be plenty of dead money on the Patriots’ cap if they were to cut him in 2016 and rely on Vollmer and Cannon, so Solder figures to return to his starting role on the offensive line if and when he makes a full recovery.

Having said that, his $10.7MM cap hit for 2016 is the third-highest on the roster, so restructuring his deal to lower that number is a possibility if the Pats need some wiggle room next season. If that flexibility isn’t required, the club will probably keep Solder’s contract as is, to avoid pushing more potential dead money to the 2017 season.

Candidates for pay cut or release:

Amendola has been effective for the Patriots, but with several other receivers, tight ends, and running backs vying for targets, the veteran wideout isn’t always a consistent part of the passing game — although he has been targeted at least nine times in two games this season, he has just 14 total targets in his other five games. He’ll have two years left on his contract after this season, but with a base salary of $5MM owed to him in 2016, the Pats could create more than $4MM in cap savings by cutting him.

Chandler, like Amendola, is something of a luxury in the passing game for the Patriots. He only plays about a third of the team’s offensive snaps, and has been targeted 15 times through seven games. He’s a useful piece, but New England may be inclined to free up $2MM+ in cap room by releasing him and identifying a younger, cheaper alternative.

As for Mayo, he currently projects to have the Patriots’ second-highest cap number in 2016 behind Brady. He won’t be back at that price. The final two seasons of Mayo’s contract are option years, and the Pats figure to turn down their option this winter, allowing the linebacker to hit free agency unless he’s able to work out a significantly-reduced salary to remain in New England.

Contract information from Over The Cap was used in the creation of this post.

Community Tailgate: NFL Trade Deadline

November 5th, 2015 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

As the NFL season reaches its halfway point, there are plenty of topics and storylines to discuss, and PFR’s Community Tailgate is designed to address those stories. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. We’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

The NFL’s trade deadline came and went this week without much fanfare, unless you happen to be a fan of the Broncos. General manager John Elway pulled off a trade for 49ers tight end Vernon Davis on Monday, and nearly landed Browns left tackle Joe Thomas in a last-minute deal on Tuesday. Otherwise though, things were mostly quiet around the league, with a handful of rumors and whispers not amounting to much.

That inactivity is nothing new in the NFL, where teams are typically hesitant to try to incorporate an incoming player into a new system or scheme halfway through the season, without that player having the benefit of a full training camp to get up to speed.

Still, occasionally teams are willing to roll the dice, as the Broncos did with Davis. The veteran tight end may not have the same rapport he’d have with Peyton Manning if the two players had been working together all year, but Denver is betting that the longtime Niner will still be able to make an impact down the stretch.

So what might make more teams willing to take a chance like that? Moving the trade deadline back a little is one option. The NFL moved the deadline from Week 6 to Week 8 a few years back, but many teams that might be sellers are still reluctant to write off their seasons in late October. Moving the deadline back several more weeks to late November might be one way to encourage activity.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk took the idea a step further this week, arguing that there’s no reason to limit trades at all before Week 17. As long as a team is still playing games, it should still be able to make trades, in Florio’s view. That means a playoff team couldn’t make a trade with a club whose season has ended, but up until the end of the regular season, deals should be permitted, Florio argues.

Such a format would allow teams who have been eliminated from the playoffs to move players for future assets. Meanwhile, a team that has clinched a playoff berth, or perhaps a club that is vying for a Wild Card spot, might be more likely to bring in a potential missing piece, with the finish line in sight.

What do you think? Is the NFL’s trade deadline fine as is? Should the league consider moving it back a few more weeks, or abolishing it altogether? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

Breaking Down 2015’s NFL Trades

November 4th, 2015 at 10:44am CST by Luke Adams

The NFL’s trade deadline for 2015 came and went yesterday, and while the Broncos and 49ers completed a deal on Monday, no moves were finalized on Tuesday. It’s no secret that the NFL’s trade deadline isn’t as exciting as deadline day for the NBA or MLB, with most teams reluctant to try to get players acclimated to a new system or scheme halfway through the season.

Still, while no trades happened on Tuesday, teams around the league made plenty of deals over the course of the last eight months. Since the 2015 league year began back in March, NFL teams have completed a total of 69 trades, by our count (if we missed any, please let us know).

Here are a few observations on those 69 deals:

Of the NFL’s 32 teams, 31 made at least one trade, and 30 made at least two.

The Bengals, who typically don’t splash around much in free agency, also didn’t dive into the trade market in 2015, becoming the only team in the NFL not to complete at least one deal. The Packers, another team that generally stands pat in free agency, made just one trade. The NFL’s other 30 teams all made multiple deals.

Here’s a breakdown of the number of trades completed by team:

  1. New England Patriots: 9
  2. Detroit Lions: 8
  3. San Francisco 49ers: 8
  4. Houston Texans: 7
  5. Minnesota Vikings: 7
  6. New Orleans Saints: 6
  7. Philadelphia Eagles: 6
  8. Seattle Seahawks: 6
  9. Baltimore Ravens: 5
  10. Chicago Bears: 5
  11. Cleveland Browns: 5
  12. New York Jets: 5
  13. St. Louis Rams: 5
  14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5
  15. Carolina Panthers: 4
  16. Dallas Cowboys: 4
  17. Denver Broncos: 4
  18. Indianapolis Colts: 4
  19. Miami Dolphins: 4
  20. Oakland Raiders: 4
  21. Washington: 4
  22. Arizona Cardinals: 3
  23. Buffalo Bills: 3
  24. Kansas City Chiefs: 3
  25. Pittsburgh Steelers: 3
  26. Atlanta Falcons: 2
  27. Jacksonville Jaguars: 2
  28. New York Giants: 2
  29. San Diego Chargers: 2
  30. Tennessee Titans: 2
  31. Green Bay Packers: 1
  32. Cincinnati Bengals: 0

Of the 69 trades completed this year, 64 included at least one draft pick.

Draft pick compensation is crucial for getting deals done, with all but five of this year’s trades featuring at least one pick, whether it was for the 2015, 2016, 2017, or even the 2018 draft. Of those five deals that were purely player-for-player swaps, the Patriots were involved in three of them, but they didn’t play a part in the most notable one — the Eagles sending LeSean McCoy to the Bills for Kiko Alonso back in March.

Of course, many of those draft-pick trades occurred during the draft itself. By our count, 24 deals were completed during this year’s draft, with a few picks changing hands more than once over the course of the three-day event.

In total, 143 draft picks were included in this year’s 69 trades.

As noted above, a few picks have been dealt multiple times over the course of the year, and some of those picks are conditional, so they won’t all change hands. But overall, an incredible 143 draft picks were included in this year’s trades. Here’s the breakdown by draft year:

  • 2015: 96
  • 2016: 36
  • 2017: 8
  • 2018: 2
  • Unspecified year: 1

And here’s the breakdown by round:

  • 1st: 5
  • 2nd: 12
  • 3rd: 13
  • 4th: 20
  • 5th: 29
  • 6th: 24
  • 7th: 24
  • Conditional: 16

Eleven trades were completed after the regular season got underway.

As I noted in the intro, in-season deals aren’t too common in the NFL, with most teams not wanting to upset chemistry, or teach a player a new system on the fly. But since the Patriots and Steelers kicked off on September 10, teams have completed 11 trades. Most notably, the Cowboys acquired Matt Cassel, the Panthers landed Jared Allen, and the Broncos traded for Vernon Davis.

Update On IR-DTR Players

November 2nd, 2015 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

We’re now through eight weeks of the NFL season, which means we’re approaching the year’s halfway point. It also means that players who were placed on the injured reserve list with the designation to return prior to the regular season are eligible to be activated and play in their respective teams’ next games.

Players placed on IR with the designation to return are eligible to begin practicing after six weeks, and can return to game action after eight weeks, so there are some IR-DTR players who have begun practicing already, and some of them could be activated for Week 9. Not every player will be healthy enough to return immediately now that they’ve become eligible to do so, but we should see at least a handful of the 10 players who have been on IR-DTR all year be activated to 53-man rosters in the coming days.

Here’s a breakdown of the 10 IR-DTR players eligible to be activated for Week 9:

  • Jay Ajayi, RB (Dolphins): Ajayi recently said that he’s back to full health, though the Dolphins may have a decision to make in their backfield if they decide to activate the rookie runner.
  • Alex Carter, CB (Lions): Carter is on track to begin practicing after the Lions’ Week 9 bye, and likely won’t be activated right away.
  • David Cobb, RB (Titans): Cobb is expected to be activated this week, and at least one Titans beat reporter believes the rookie is capable of earning a high percentage of the team’s carries.
  • Demar Dotson, T (Buccaneers): When he began practicing, Dotson admitted his injured knee wasn’t where he wanted it to be, but it sounds like he’s made enough progress to be activated this week.
  • Charles Gaines, CB (Browns): Gaines returned to practice when he was eligible to do so, and sounds like he’s eager to get back on Cleveland’s roster. If the Browns want him active for Week 9, they’ll have to make a move soon, since the team plays on Thursday this week.
  • Dee Milliner, CB (Jets): Head coach Todd Bowles said last week that he believes Milliner will be ready to play as soon as he becomes eligible, though he cautioned that the team will need to find room on the active roster.
  • Maurkice Pouncey, C (Steelers): There has been some speculation that Pouncey could be sidelined for the entire season, but head coach Mike Tomlin still expects his veteran center back this year. That likely won’t happen for a few more weeks though, since the initial diagnosis put Pouncey on track to be out until at least Week 12.
  • Bryan Stork, C (Patriots): The Patriots’ offensive line has been hit hard by injuries this season, so having to decide between Stork and David Andrews at center will be a welcome problem for the team. Stork appears on track to return in Week 9.
  • John Sullivan, C (Vikings): After suffering a setback and undergoing another surgical procedure, Sullivan won’t be back anytime soon, and may not play at all this season.
  • Brent Urban, DE (Ravens): Asked two weeks ago about Urban, head coach John Harbaugh said that the defensive end wasn’t practicing, adding that his recovery would probably take “a few more weeks.”

While these 10 players are the only ones on IR-DTR eligible to return in Week 9, there are 12 more who will gain eligibility in the coming weeks. The full list can be found right here.

Among those 12 other IR-DTR players, the most notable name is Tony Romo, who can’t play until Week 11. The Cowboys quarterback is eligible to begin practicing this week, but Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link) hears that won’t happen quite yet. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Romo is still on track to return to the field when he’s eligible for game action, but it makes sense to keep getting Matt Cassel first-team practice reps in the meantime.

2016 Cap Outlook: Miami Dolphins

October 23rd, 2015 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Through the 2015 NFL season, Pro Football Rumors will be looking ahead to the 2016 offseason, gauging the salary cap situation for each of the league’s 32 teams. The cap for 2016 hasn’t been set yet, but we can still assess the salary commitments made by a club and determine whether or not that club will be in good financial shape going forward.

In addition to evaluating each team’s overall cap situation, we’ll focus in on a few key players who may be candidates to be extended, restructured, or released by their current teams. These lists aren’t comprehensive, and depending on a player’s 2015 performance and health, he could drop off one of these lists – or be added to one – as the season goes on. For now though, these are some players to watch.

Using data from Over The Cap, we’re making our way through the 32 NFL teams in order of total salary commitments for 2016. Today’s team is the Dolphins, who currently have the third-most money on their ’16 cap.

Let’s dive in….

Top 10 cap hits for 2016:

  1. Ndamukong Suh, DT: $28,600,000
  2. Ryan Tannehill, QB: $11,640,000
  3. Branden Albert, LT: $10,150,000
  4. Mike Pouncey, C: $10,025,000
  5. Cameron Wake, DE: $9,800,000
  6. Jordan Cameron, TE: $9,500,000
  7. Brent Grimes, CB: $9,500,000
  8. Reshad Jones, S: $8,202,942
  9. Dion Jordan, DE: $6,202,377
  10. Greg Jennings, WR: $5,500,000
    Current 2016 cap number for top 51 players: $146,763,779

Nestled between Joe Flacco‘s $28.55MM cap charge and Drew Brees‘ staggering $30MM cap hit, Suh’s number for 2016 is one of the largest in the league, and contributes significantly to the Dolphins’ overall total for next year. Suh currently represents nearly 20% of Miami’s cap number for 2016, which is a huge percentage for any player, and particularly for a non-quarterback.

The rest of the Dolphins’ top 10 is populated by a combination of core contributors and players who may not be back on the roster next season, with Tannehill at the top of the list of players not named Suh. Miami isn’t necessarily locked into Tannehill as its long-term quarterback, but the team is unlikely to make a change before the end of the 2016 season — the 27-year-old’s salary for next year is fully guaranteed, and his cap charge doesn’t increase significantly until 2017, when it jumps over $20MM.

Candidates for extension:

  • Brent Grimes, CB
  • Cameron Wake, DE

Grimes and Wake are arguably the Dolphins’ two best defensive players besides Suh, and they’ll see their current contracts expire after the 2017 and 2016 seasons, respectively, which should make them extension candidates. However, it’s not clear how much longer Miami may want to keep the duo around. Grimes is 32 years old and Wake will turn 34 in January, so it’s not as if the team will be eager to tack on another three or four years to either player’s contract.

Still, both players are still very productive, and there’s some room to maneuver if the Dolphins want to lock either of them up to new deals. It probably makes sense to wait on Grimes, who remains under contract for two full years after 2015, but extending Wake’s pact by a year or two would allow Miami to reduce his $9.8MM cap charge for 2016 — the club would just have to avoid taking on a ton of dead money for any new years, since there’s certainly no guarantee Wake continues to rack up Pro Bowl appearances as he enters his mid-thirties.

Candidates for restructure:

  • Ndamukong Suh, DT
  • Mike Pouncey, C

As noted above, Suh’s $28.6MM cap number for 2016 is begging for a restructure, especially since his charge for 2017 is just $15.1MM — a pittance, by comparison. Despite the fact that Suh has yet to make the impact in South Beach that his new team expected, he’s not going anywhere anytime soon with so much guaranteed money left on his deal, so a restructure looks like the only logical move if the Dolphins need to reduce his cap hit.

As for Pouncey, he’s another player who signed a new contract this past spring that looks like a strong candidate for a restructuring. Like Suh’s deal, Pouncey’s pact features its largest cap number in year two, giving Miami the flexibility to rework it and spread some of that money out from 2017 to 2020, if necessary.

Candidates for pay cut or release:

  • Branden Albert, T
  • Jordan Cameron, TE
  • Dion Jordan, DE
  • Greg Jennings, WR
  • Brice McCain, CB

Of the players listed here, Albert is probably the least likely to be released by the Dolphins within the next few months. After all, it was only about a year and a half ago that he landed one of the top free agent contracts of 2014, signing a five-year, $47MM deal with Miami.

Still, the former Chiefs tackle has had problems staying healthy. After missing four games in his last year in Kansas City, Albert missed another seven in his first season with the Dolphins, and has been sidelined for two more this season. Assuming he finishes the 2015 campaign strong and heads into the offseason with a clean bill of health, Albert should be back in Miami in 2016, but if he continues to be plagued by injuries, that’s not quite a certainty. The 30-year-old has cap numbers exceeding $10MM in each season from 2016 to 2018, with no guaranteed salary left on his contract in those years.

Cameron and Jennings each signed two-year deals with the Dolphins that included large cap hits in year two, reducing the chances of them playing more than one year each in Miami. So far, they haven’t been a huge part of the Dolphins’ offense, combining for just 23 receptions in five games, and they’ll take up a total of $14MM on the 2016 cap if they stick around.

McCain, meanwhile, has a reasonable $3.5MM cap number for next year, but he hasn’t exactly impressed during the first few weeks of the 2015 season, and the Dolphins could create $2.5MM in cap savings by cutting ties with him in the offseason. As for Jordan, a draft bust selected by former GM Jeff Ireland, the club currently isn’t paying his full salary while he remains stashed on the reserve/suspended list — otherwise, it’s unlikely he’d still be a Dolphin. Jordan’s off-field issues and on-field ineffectiveness have all but guaranteed he’s not a part of Miami’s future.

Contract information from Over The Cap was used in the creation of this post.

PUP, NFI Players Soon Eligible To Practice

October 19th, 2015 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

Week 6 of the NFL season will come to an end after Monday night’s game between the Giants and Eagles, and when teams begin preparing for Week 7, many clubs could be welcoming injured players back to practice. Six weeks into the NFL season, players who were placed on the physically unable to perform list or the non-football injury list prior to Week 1’s games will be eligible to return to the practice field.

Of course, just because those players are able to return to practice doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be healthy enough to do so. Players on the PUP list have a five-week window to begin practicing. Once they return to practice, they have three weeks to be added to their respective teams’ active rosters. In other words, a player currently on the PUP list could return to the field for his team’s Week 7 game, or could return as late as for his team’s Week 15 contest.

The rules for NFI players are similar to those for PUP players. If a player on either reserve list doesn’t return to practice or game action in time, his 2015 season will officially be over.

Here are the players currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list who can begin practicing as soon as this Tuesday:

And here are the players currently on their teams’ non-football injury or illness lists, who are also eligible to begin practicing this Tuesday:

  • Arizona Cardinals: WR Damond Powell
  • Buffalo Bills: CB Leodis McKelvin
  • Cincinnati Bengals: T Cedric Ogbuehi
  • Cleveland Browns: DB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, TE Randall Telfer, RB Glenn Winston
  • Dallas Cowboys: LB Mark Nzeocha
  • Houston Texans: T David Quessenberry
  • Kansas City Chiefs: QB Tyler Bray
  • San Francisco 49ers: WR DeAndre Smelter
  • Seattle Seahawks: DT Jesse Williams

In addition to monitoring players on the PUP and NFI lists, it’s worth keeping an eye on players who have been placed on the injured reserve list with the designation to return. Teams can use this IR-DTR spot on one player per season, placing him on the injured reserve list without necessarily ruling him out for the season. As we explained in an earlier post, players given this designation can begin practicing after six weeks and can return after eight weeks.

That means that a player who was placed on IR-DTR prior to Week 1 can begin practicing on Tuesday, though he won’t be eligible to return to game action until Week 9. A player who was placed on IR-DTR after Week 1 will have to wait until next Tuesday – October 27 – to return to practice, while other IR-DTR players will have to wait until November to practice.

Here’s the list of players currently on IR-DTR who can begin practicing as soon as Tuesday:

PFR Originals: 10/11/15 – 10/18/15

October 18th, 2015 at 2:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

2015 Trade Deadline Candidates: AFC

October 17th, 2015 at 8:09pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The NFL’s November 3 trade deadline is the next major event on the league’s calendar, and with a bit over two weeks left for clubs to make deals, it makes sense to scour each team’s roster and identify which players might be on the block. The NFL certainly doesn’t see the amount of trade activity that does MLB or the NBA, but there have already been a fair number of deals worked this calendar year. Additionally, in 2014, there were four trades in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline — two of those four players were in the final year of their contracts, so for this exercise, we’ll mostly focus on players who are on expiring deals.

We’ll start off by taking a look at the AFC clubs, with an obvious focus on teams who aren’t currently, or don’t figure to remain, contenders…

Baltimore Ravens

  • Courtney Upshaw, LB: Upshaw is playing a larger role than the Ravens originally intended, as he’s been forced to step in as a starter due to Terrell Suggs‘ season-ending injury. However, Upshaw, strikes me as the type of player that Baltimore usually lets leave via free agency (see: Paul Kruger, Dannell Ellerbe, Pernell McPhee). If the 1-4 Ravens continue to fall further out of contention, it could make sense for them to trade Upshaw to a club looking for pass-rush help, and give that playing time to rookie Za’Darius Smith.

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Marcedes Lewis, TE: Though the Jaguars do try to run a good amount of two tight end sets, Lewis’ role will steadily decrease now that Julius Thomas has returned from injury. Given that Lewis, 31, is earning $2MM in base salary, and doesn’t figure to be re-signed, he could be an option to get traded in the coming weeks. He probably wouldn’t bring back much, but perhaps a team like the Saints could opt to bring in reinforcements at tight end as they try to claw back in the NFC South race. Elsewhere, the Jets, Cardinals, and Washington could all use some depth at tight end.

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Marcus Cooper, CB: As noted by Mike Reiss of ESPN.com earlier today, the 25-year-old Cooper could make sense as a trade target, specifically for a cornerback-depleted team like the Patriots. Cooper has only managed 77 defensive snaps on the season, and hasn’t played a single defensive snap in the two weeks since Sean Smith returned from suspension. The Chiefs have been utilizing a three-safety look in recent weeks, lessening the need for Cooper of fellow depth corner Jamell Fleming, so perhaps Cooper (and his minimum salary deal, which runs through 2016) could be on the move.
  • Mike DeVito, DL: A rotational 3-4 defensive end, DeVito probably wouldn’t bring back much in a trade, but he is cheap, as he’d be owed just the remainder of his $870K base salary. The Chiefs would probably be wise to deal the 31-year-old now, clearing out playing time for youngsters Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Nicholas Williams. Clubs such as the Patriots, Packers, Eagles, Cardinals, and Colts — all of whom employ a 3-4 look — could be interested.
  • Sean Smith, CB: Kansas City sits at 1-4 and just lost its best offensive player in Jamaal Charles to a season-ending injury, so if the club wants to “blow things up,” trading Smith becomes a consideration. Smith, 28, isn’t cheap, as an acquiring club would owe the rest of his $4.25MM base salary, but he’s an underrated player, and if the Chiefs have no intention of re-signing him, dealing him now could be the smart move. I’d guess only one of Smith or Cooper gets moved (if either does).

Miami Dolphins

  • Rishard Matthews, WR: If the Dolphins subscribe to the basic economic theory of “buy low, sell high,” there might never be a better time to trade Matthews, who is in the midst of his best season at age 26. There are a myriad of reasons to deal Matthews, but chief among them is probably that his current production is likely unsustainable. Additionally, he’s in the final season of his rookie contract, and with Miami already committed to Jarvis Landry and DeVante Parker, there might not be room on the roster, or more specifically, in the salary cap, for Matthews.
  • Derrick Shelby, DE: Miami already has a large chunk of assets devoted to its defensive line, so Shelby, who is earning $2.56MM as a restricted free agent, could be on the trade block. He’s actually played in more than 50% of the club’s defensive snaps so far this season, but with Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake already earning sizeable money, and Olivier Vernon likely to follow, Shelby probably won’t be a priority in free agency.

New England Patriots

  • Aaron Dobson, WR: Dobson seems to be a complete afterthought in the Patriots’ offense, as he was a healthy scratch last week against the Cowboys, playing behind even special teamer Matthew Slater. Dobson’s removal from the offense only figures to accelerate once Brandon LaFell, New England’s No. 2 receiver a year ago, returns from the PUP list. A team with a need at receiver, such as the Browns or Panthers, could take a look at Dobson, who is signed through 2016 at cheap rates.

PFR Originals: 10/4/15 – 10/11/15

October 11th, 2015 at 2:38pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

  • Buffalo has quite a bit of money committed to the defensive side of the ball going forward, Luke Adams points out in his 2016 Bills Cap Outlook. Nevertheless, Luke identifies two more defenders — corners Stephon Gilmore and Leodis McKelvin — as candidates for extensions.
  • Zach Links rounded up the best of the football blogs in the latest edition of Pigskin Links.
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