PFR Originals News & Rumors

Key NFL Dates Remaining In Preseason

August 28th, 2015 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

As of last night, there are officially just two more weeks until the 2015 NFL regular season gets underway, with the Patriots set to host the Steelers at Foxboro on Thursday, September 10. We may not know yet who will be playing quarterback for New England in that game, but we do know that there are still a handful of key dates to keep an eye on as the preseason winds down. Here’s a round-up of those dates:

Tuesday, September 1
Teams must reduce their 90-man rosters to 75 players by 3:00pm central time.

The first set of roster cutdowns for teams around the NFL must be made by next Tuesday, following the third week of preseason games. In most cases, the players released by Tuesday will be back-of-the-roster contributors, UDFAs, and players who aren’t fully healthy.

Prior to this date, players with less than four years of NFL experience can’t be placed on injured reserve without passing through waivers first, which would allow other teams to have a shot at picking up those players. After this date though, teams can freely place anyone on IR.

Saturday, September 5
Teams must reduce their 75-man rosters to 53 players by 3:00pm central time.
Any players on the active/PUP or active/non-football injury or illness lists may be moved to the reserve versions of those lists.

If Tuesday’s cutdown deadline was the opening act, next Saturday’s deadline is the main event, with teams removing 22 players from their rosters in order to get their squads set for the regular season. Generally, players whom a team wants to keep on its practice squad will be cut on this day, and some bigger-name veterans may also be released.

As for players on the physically unable to perform or non-football injury/illness lists, if they hope to play during the first six weeks of the season, they’ll have to be placed on the active roster as of this day. If they move to the reserve/PUP and reserve/NFI lists, they won’t be eligible to play until at least Week 7 of the regular season. Dennis Pitta is one player who will start the year on the reserve/PUP list, but he won’t be the only one.

Sunday, September 6
Claiming period for players waived during final roster cuts ends at 11:00am central time. After that time, teams may establish a practice squad of 10 players.
After 3:00pm central time, teams are permitted to place one player on the injured reserve list with the designation to return.

A flurry of activity occurs on Sunday morning during the last Sunday of the year that doesn’t feature any NFL games, as teams around the league place waiver claims, establish practice squads, and make their final cuts and roster moves in preparation for Week 1. Of course, those rosters and practice squads will undergo plenty of changes in the subsequent weeks – and even subsequent days – but if a player is still on his team’s roster after this date, he’s well-positioned to begin the regular season with the club.

The IR-DTR slot, meanwhile, will be used by some – but not all – of the NFL’s teams on this date. A year ago, 27 of 32 franchises used the IR-DTR spot at some point, but only seven did so prior to Week 1.

Wednesday, September 9
After 3:00pm central time, all contracts for each team must fit under the salary cap (top-51 rule expires at 11:00pm central time).

A bookkeeping technicality more than anything, this deadline probably isn’t worth monitoring closely. But when it arrives, it will signal that we’re only about 24 hours away from the NFL regular season kicking off.

Offseason In Review: Kansas City Chiefs

August 27th, 2015 at 12:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Notable signings:

Justin Houston, LB: Six years, $101MM. $32.5MM guaranteed. Had been assigned franchise tag.
Jeremy Maclin, WR: Five years, $55MM. $22.5MM guaranteed.
Ron Parker, S: Five years, $25MM. $5.75MM guaranteed.
Paul Fanaika, G: Three years, $6.15MM. $1.75MM guaranteed.
Tyvon Branch, S: One year, $2.1MM. $1.07MM guaranteed.
Kelcie McCray, S: Two years, $1.435MM. $75K guaranteed.
Jason Avant, WR: One year, minimum salary benefit. $50K guaranteed.
Richard Gordon, TE: One year, minimum salary benefit.
Vaughn Martin, DL: One year, minimum salary benefit.

The Chiefs’ offseason further improved on July 15 when they became the first team to agree to a deal with one of the disgruntled franchise-tagged stars, keeping Justin Houston on what is now far and away the standard for outside linebacker contracts. The fifth-year pass-rusher’s deal eclipses Clay Matthews‘ previous positional standard by more than $3MM per year. This keeps Houston, a 26-year-old former third-round pick, in Kansas City through his prime and also offloads some of his salary onto future ledgers, reducing the lump sum franchise tender that would’ve clogged the 2015 cap.

Negotiations appeared to have gotten somewhat acrimonious over the spring and summer, with the two sides reported to be far apart in discussions. Houston came within one sack of breaking Michael Strahan‘s now-14-year-old single-season standard last season in a monster contract-year performance, and arguably the best pure pass-pursuer in the league will anchor this unit for the decade’s remainder.

Prior to this move, the Chiefs already notched a fairly strong offseason that plugged at least one gaping hole when Jeremy Maclin agreed to terms, despite the team having entered the new league year with less than $7MM worth of cap space. Maclin provides an immense upgrade on the underachieving Dwayne Bowe, who collected exorbitant paychecks over the past two years as a result of being paid like a high-level No. 1 receiver due simply to the fact the team had no other options at the time of signing him to a five-year deal in 2013. Andy Reid‘s former disciple’s bounce-back from a torn ACL in the form of a 1,300-yard+ slate in 2014 illustrates just what kind of weapon Alex Smith will now have in Maclin, who is in his prime.

Although he was the No. 2 wideout to DeSean Jackson when he played under Reid from 2009-12 and has just one 1,000-yard showing on his resume, Maclin flourished as a No. 1 option last year and will represent the team’s best option as a go-to target since Tony Gonzalez departed six years ago.

While Smith’s risk-averse tendencies are well-documented and are perhaps an incurable part of his game at this point, the 11th-year quarterback wasn’t exactly equipped with weapons that would’ve induced him to pull the trigger consistently last season. Travis Kelce led the team in receiving yards with 862, and after Bowe’s mediocre 754-yard showing, Kansas City didn’t have a receiver gain more than 300 yards. How much the addition of Maclin will aid Smith depends on his willingness to test defenses with mid-range and deep passes, but he’s certainly in a better position than he’s been since arriving in Kansas City.

Working on a tight budget, the Chiefs did well to keep Ron Parker in Missouri by offering him the second-largest safety contract of the offseason, with only Devin McCourty‘s re-up in New England topping it. Parker filled in admirably for the ailing Eric Berry last season on the NFL’s second-best pass defense. This was fueled largely by the play of the Chiefs’ edge-rushers and Sean Smith‘s career-best campaign, but there’s now no reason the team cannot improve on it, with Parker, Berry and now Marcus Peters in the fold.

Parker’s five-year deal probably illustrated where the franchise thought Berry’s recovery was, but at least for this year, the team has a safety surplus. Paying Parker this kind of money does come with a risk, as the fifth-year veteran has less than one year of safety seasoning. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) didn’t rave about his work there, giving him by far the worst grade of the Chiefs’ three starting safeties last year. But should Berry’s triumphant return translate into regaining his old strong safety job, Parker or the underrated Husain Abdullah would be an overqualified backup and give defensive coordinator Bob Sutton extensive options in sub-packages that weren’t previously available in his initial two seasons under Reid.

Tyvon Branch furthers the Chiefs’ back-line numbers and could help in a depth role, but the former Raiders standout – who was recently cut due to playing just five games in the past two seasons – no longer serves as a reliable option. As a fourth safety, however? That’s an interesting luxury. With Berry’s recovery likely to feature smaller workloads to start the season, Branch could be needed to stabilize the corps.

Notable losses:

Donnie Avery, WR: Released
Dwayne Bowe, WR: Released
Kurt Coleman, S
Anthony Fasano, TE: Released
Thomas Gafford, LS
Ryan Harris, T
Rodney Hudson, C
A.J. Jenkins, WR: Waived
Jeff Linkenbach, G
Joe Mays, LB: Released
Sean McGrath, TE: Waived
Mike McGlynn, OL
Joe McKnight, RB
Chris Owens, CB
Kevin Vickerson, DE
Vance Walker, DE: Released
Justin Cox, CB: Waived

The other domino as part of the Chiefs’ most significant wide receiver makeover in years resulted in Bowe’s release. The 30-year-old ex-first-rounder did not remotely deliver on his monstrous pact. Kansas City moving on from the mercurial target did prove costly as a result of this contract, however, with a monstrous $9MM dead-money charge on its 2015 payroll.

It’s possible Bowe’s descent had some to do with the Chiefs’ quarterback play, with Matt Cassel and Smith not proving proficient at finding wideouts, but the Browns’ two-year, $12.5MM accord probably reflects the ninth-year target’s abilities at this point — and that may even be generous. But Cleveland is one of the few teams more in need of pass-catching help than the Chiefs, having lost Josh Gordon again.

In jettisoning Donnie Avery, a two-year starter in Kansas City, and first-round bust A.J. Jenkins, the Chiefs reacted appropriately to their receivers’ ignominious display in 2014. They still don’t have much behind Maclin, but the outlook is decidedly better.

Rodney Hudson will prove to be a more notable defection. The former Florida State center enjoyed a quality contract year, and the Raiders rewarded him in a way the Chiefs couldn’t, with Houston’s deal anchoring their offseason plans. Far and away the Chiefs’ best lineman last season, Hudson leaves a mostly middling collection of homegrown draft choices behind.

Receiving near-equal marks for his run- and pass-blocking performance from PFF, which tabbed the fifth-year stalwart as its third-best snapper, Hudson gives way to either rookie Mitch Morse or untested Eric Kush. With players like Eric Fisher, Jeff Allen and Donald Stephenson failing to impress much their multi-year starting tenures, Hudson’s exit — which comes a year after Branden Albert‘s and Geoff Schwartz‘s — increases the burden on Jamaal Charles.

Arguably the NFL’s most talented open-field runner, the 28-year-old Charles is coming off his worst season in five years as a starter (discounting the 2011 slate ended by a torn ACL). In 15 games, Charles’ 1,033 yards were more than 250 worse than any of the seasons he’s been the team’s top back for a whole season. The Chiefs are counting on their maligned holdovers to improve, or another of their premier weapon’s prime years won’t be maximized. The starting quintet’s issues also at least partially contributed to Smith’s inability to connect with a wideout in or near the end zone, so a lot rides on certain players’ developing.

Trades:

Acquired G Ben Grubbs from the Saints in exchange for a 2015 fifth-round pick.
Acquired a 2015 third-round pick (No. 76; WR Chris Conley) from the Vikings in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick (No. 80) and a 2015 sixth-round pick (No. 193; DL B.J. Dubose).

The Chiefs essentially swapped Hudson for Ben Grubbs as their interior line’s anchor, and the latter is now the only Chiefs starting lineman with a positive Pro Football Focus seasonal grade to his credit.

Slightly scrutinized last year after a Pro Bowl 2013 campaign, Grubbs is an upgrade in Kansas City. He’s incredibly durable, having missed just four games in eight seasons, and at 31 still has some productive years left. Grubbs represents an enormous upgrade from Mike McGlynn, who managed to be PFF’s worst guard for the second time in his career. Shortly after acquiring Grubbs, the Chiefs extended his contract by two years in exchange for reducing his 2015 cap number, again, to help negotiate the cap amid Houston’s new deal.

This exchange probably proved worthwhile, with Grubbs putting together borderline-dominant seasons for two different franchises from 2009-13. With the finances the Chiefs were working with, using second- and fifth-round picks on linemen that will likely start for multiple seasons together is about as good as could be expected.

John Dorsey‘s semi-overhaul here, however, remains contingent on his first pick as GM (Fisher) and at least one from Scott Pioli‘s last draft (Allen and Stephenson were 2012 second- and third-rounders, respectively) developing into competent performers. Using a cluster of high picks on linemen in such a short time frame doesn’t leave many outs if all of them struggle, as replacements would drain funds that need to be used for the roster’s other needs.

Extensions and restructures:

Tamba Hali, LB: Accepted pay cut, creating $7MM in cap space by reducing 2015 base salary from $9MM to $6MM and adding four voidable years to the end of the contract to spread out $5MM signing bonus. Deal will now void after 2016 Super Bowl. Hali can earn $3MM back via sack-related incentives.
Mike DeVito, DE: Accepted pay cut, creating $2.5MM in cap space by reducing 2015 base salary from $3.75MM to $870K (fully guaranteed) and his $250K workout bonus to $30K. Can earn $300K in per-game roster bonuses and up to $1.2MM in playing time- and team performance-based incentives.

Tamba Hali‘s Chiefs tenure continues for at least one more season thanks to this restructuring, so he’ll have a fifth year to team up with Houston to form a top-tier pass-rushing duo. Houston’s right-edge counterpart will be 32 in less than three months, but the 10th-year performer remains one of the more underrated quarterback-disrupting forces in the game. Hali’s played and started at least 15 games in every season of his career and turned in multiple monster campaigns, with his 2010 14.5-sack showing rating as one of PFF’s highest-rated outings by a 3-4 outside backer at +53.5, which tops even this last season from Houston.

The only Herm Edwards-era first-rounder left on the team after Bowe’s release, Hali registered just six sacks last season, and with the aforementioned $9MM base wage due this year, some thought he’d have to look for work elsewhere. But this renegotiation leaves Hali with just a $4.9MM cap number in 2015 and a mere $1MM hit next season. This leaves Dee Ford in an interesting spot, with the 2014 first-rounder not playing much as a rookie (122 snaps) and set to spend each of his first two years marginalized behind the longtime tandem.

It’s a good problem to have for the Chiefs, but they eschewed vital receiving help in a receiver-flooded draft to place a pass-rusher on the bench. Without a second-round pick for two years due to the Alex Smith trade, the Chiefs have not received much from the two first-rounders in those drafts.

Along with the return of Derrick Johnson, Mike DeVito agreeing to a reduced salary could help a run defense than ranked 28th last season immensely. With Vance Walker now in Denver, DeVito regaining most of the pre-Achilles’ tendon tear form is fairly critical. Kansas City does not have much depth at this position behind starters DeVito and Allen Bailey.

Draft picks:

1-18: Marcus Peters, CB (Washington): Signed
2-49: Mitch Morse, OL (Missouri): Signed
3-76: Chris Conley, WR (Georgia): Signed
3-98: Steven Nelson, CB (Oregon State): Signed
4-118: Ramik Wilson, OLB (Georgia): Signed
5-172: D.J. Alexander, OLB (Oregon State): Signed
5-173: James O’Shaughnessy, TE (Illinois State): Signed
6-217: Rakeem Nunez-Roches, DT (Southern Miss): Signed
7-233: Da’Ron Brown, WR (Northern Illinois): Signed

Finally equipped with their full allotment of selections, the Chiefs filled needs early. Although cornerback wasn’t the Chiefs’ biggest need, Peters could be an impact player across from Sean Smith when the veteran returns from a three-game ban. Kansas City’s already-loaded pass defense has upgraded almost across the board.

A rather notable character risk in having been booted from Washington last season, Peters picked off 11 career passes in three years. The ex-Husky looks to start across from 2014 third-rounder Phillip Gaines in Weeks 1-3 and play extensively still after the team’s No. 1 corner returns. The 6-foot Peters’ ball-hawking ability becomes vital to a Chiefs squad that, while still dominant vs. air strikes, snagged only six interceptions last season. ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher is already adamant the rookie should be an instant starter over Gaines.

Mitch Morse is among the latest college tackles immediately thrust into interior-line duty, following in the footsteps of T.J. Lang and Kelechi Osemele. A center, right tackle and left tackle for Mizzou in successive seasons, Morse, who performed the second-most bench press reps among offensive fronters at the NFL Combine with 36, probably receives the nod over Kush at center. This means four homegrown players who are all 26 or younger will take the field together in Week 1.

Each of the Chiefs’ AFC West rivals is planning to start two of their own draft choices up front (technically, Denver drafted Harris, but he played for two teams in between stints), which makes Kansas City’s investment interesting. Stephenson’s suspension and Allen’s season-ending injury halted this plan last season, so the team will once and for all see what it has in these high picks.

Chris Conley and Steven Nelson are currently deep backups that profile as projects. Conley finished just 13th in SEC receiving yards last season, albeit with an 18.3 yards-per-catch figure. He fits in with some of the unproven commodities vying for time alongside Maclin, a list also including Albert Wilson and De’Anthony Thomas.

Other:

Exercised 2015 fifth-year option for DT Dontari Poe ($6.146MM).
Signed 14 players to reserve/futures contracts.
Signed 11 undrafted rookie free agents following the draft.
Sean Smith suspended three games for a violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy

Smith’s suspension will test Gaines and Peters and force veteran Jamell Fleming into a key role. Sutton could get creative and play Parker in the slot on downs where Berry lines up at safety (if the team deems him ready for action this early), however. Up for a third contract before age 29, Smith will receive plenty of interest despite this incident. But further trouble could bring his price and/or contract length down.

Although currently uncertain for Week 1 with a herniated disc that shelved him for all of training camp, Poe may be the Chiefs’ second-most vital defender behind Houston. Kansas City locking him up at this price for next year was an easy decision. The odds of Poe leaving Kansas City are slim, probably slimmer than Smith at this point.

Even with Smith and Berry’s contracts coming off the books, the two-time Pro Bowl nose tackle probably occupies the largest font on the various offseason-based emails the front office exchanges.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

Alex Smith, QB: $15,600,000
Dwayne Bowe, WR: $8,894,118 (dead money)
Eric Berry, S: $8,357,700
Jamaal Charles, RB: $7,970,835
Sean Smith, CB: $7,750,000
Eric Fisher, LT: $6,051,954
Derrick Johnson, LB: $5,250,000
Justin Houston, OLB: $5,100,000
Tamba Hali, OLB: $4,964,706
Chase Daniel, QB: $4,800,000

The Chiefs almost certainly improved this offseason, and if their offensive line can take a step forward, this is a contender for a home playoff game. Defensively, the Chiefs have enough to throw wrenches into the Broncos’ and Chargers’ aerial plans.

Whether or not their offense can do the same will determine the team’s trajectory.

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

PFR Originals: 8/16/15 – 8/23/15

August 23rd, 2015 at 2:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

We continued our Offseason in Review series, looking back at each club’s additions, losses, trades, draft picks, coaching moves, and more. Connor Byrne examined the 49ers, Zach Links went over the Raiders, and Sam Robinson covered the Broncos.
In our Community Tailgate series, we post topics for discussion, encouraging readers to post their thoughts in the comments section. The issues covered by Luke Adams and Zach:
- What should the Seahawks do about Kam Chancellor‘s contract? (link)
- What will Eli Manning‘s contract look like? (link)
- Who will win Offensive Rookie of the Year? (link)
- Who will win Defensive Rookie of the Year? (link)

Offseason In Review: Denver Broncos

August 20th, 2015 at 10:30am CST by Sam Robinson

Notable signings:

Demaryius Thomas, WR: Five years, $70MM. $35MM guaranteed. Had been assigned franchise tag.
Owen Daniels, TE: Three years, $12.25MM. $3MM guaranteed.
Virgil Green, TE: Three years, $8.4MM. $2.5MM guaranteed.
Darian Stewart, S: Two years, $4.25MM. $2.25MM guaranteed.
Vance Walker, DE: Two years, $4MM. $1.5MM guaranteed.
Shelley Smith, G: Two years, $4.25MM. $1MM guaranteed.
Aaron Brewer, LS: Four years, $4.05MM. $740K guaranteed.
Antonio Smith, DE: One year, $2MM. $500K guaranteed.
Steven Johnson, LB: One year, $785K. $100K guaranteed.
Ryan Harris, T: One year, $920K. $50K guaranteed. $500K available via incentives.
Reggie Walker, LB: One year, $795K. $50K guaranteed.
Tony Carter, CB: One year, $1.542MM. Signed original-round RFA tender.
James Casey, TE: One year, $1.25MM.

After years of uneventful offseasons in the 2000s, the 2010s Broncos again lived up to their penchant of making the spring and summer interesting. But while they scored a key win in signing Demaryius Thomas to a long-term deal, not much else went as smoothly. The offseason set Denver up for its most uncertainty since Peyton Manning‘s first months with the team.

The Broncos’ reaching a deadline-induced pact with Thomas kept this offseason from being easily the worst in John Elway‘s five-year GM/de facto GM tenure. It not only made good use of the money freed up from the numerous talents allowed to leave in the past two offseasons, but it ensured the most statistically proficient wideout in franchise history would play in Denver for the bulk of his prime. Thomas does not have a slew of high-point grabs on 50/50 balls like Dez Bryant or Calvin Johnson, but that could be largely because Manning doesn’t throw a lot of those. Instead, the Broncos kept a big wideout with speed that surpasses the former placeholder of “most talented wideout in team history” in Brandon Marshall and consistency that rivals Rod Smith‘s.

With Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders locked up for at least two years, the odds of Manning playing out his contract with the Broncos increased.

But the Thomas accord was critical on two other fronts. The first proving that Elway will pay his own players top dollar when they deserve it. It was becoming a pattern in recent years to see the Hall of Fame quarterback dole out the take-notice contracts to other organizations’ talents while permitting Denver homegrown cogs’ exits. That may be a short-term business model when Manning is present, but it’s not one that should be deployed over a lengthy stretch.

The second ancillary consequence of Thomas’ new pact comes in the form of a now-vacant franchise tag spot in 2016, one which is almost certainly destined for Von Miller. With this Thomas pact, the Broncos now have a future with their best offensive and defensive playmakers, one that seemed hazy after Miller’s legal transgressions and ACL tear, and after Thomas’ somewhat contentious negotiations that transpired the past two summers.

Although there’s a blueprint for Miller with comparable, albeit slightly less well-rounded, pass-rushing monster Justin Houston signing his six-year, $101MM deal, don’t expect expediency on the Miller front. This could well be Elway’s fourth franchise tag deadline scenario, with his previous final-day deals coming in re-ups for Matt Prater and Ryan Clady in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

That said, Denver allowed a lot of key talent to exit again, with this offseason dwarfing 2014’s in terms of impact players departing. Mostly supplemental players replaced these talents, with the Julius Thomas-for-Owen Daniels swap headlining these exchanges. Daniels is not close to the difference-maker Thomas is, with the Jaguars’ new tight end catching more touchdown passes (24) the past two years than the 32-year-old Daniels has in his past six.

But the Broncos, who also figure to use Virgil Green more as they usher in a system featuring plenty of two-tight end looks, will gain in dependability and potentially consistency. Thomas was often absent for Manning outside of the red zone, while Daniels’ nine years in Kubiak’s system will help compensate for his athletic deficiencies.

Green’s enjoyed scant opportunities in the passing game, hauling in a career-high nine receptions in 2013 while lining up in the backfield or at traditional tight end. The former Nevada seventh-round pick has shown his ability as a blocker, however, grading higher than Thomas last season on Pro Football Focus (subscription required) due to his 4.4 run-blocking figure that ranked fourth in the NFL.

Of course, PFF’s tight end grades don’t necessarily mirror what generates dollar value from the position, considering Thomas’ megadeal in Jacksonville dwarfing Green’s re-up figure. Regardless, Green will be a critical cog in Gary Kubiak‘s run-based attack, considering the level of inexperience the Broncos’ offensive line could possess.

Daniels will likely start, as will Darian Stewart and, for at least four games during Derek Wolfe‘s performance-enhancing drug suspension, Vance Walker. However, after three splashy offseasons, the Broncos did not bring in the same kind of talent this year, as deals for Thomas and Miller loomed.

Stewart has a clear path to the starting free safety position, with the Broncos not having much of an alternative present. David Bruton‘s entering his seventh year and is possibly the team’s best special-teamer, but he’s rarely played on defense and when he has it’s been as a strong safety. Since a rough introduction to a starting role in 2011 with the Rams, Stewart’s improved into a solid back-line stopper, and he’ll have more chances to make plays behind a Broncos defense built for muzzling the pass on its edges.

Walker’s signing now looms fairly large, with the potential legal troubles of Antonio Smith and the forthcoming absence of Wolfe. For the Chiefs in 2014, Walker graded out as the team’s best defensive lineman last season by a substantial margin, per PFF. But the 28-year-old played just 238 snaps, a figure he’ll almost certainly surpass this year for a suddenly thin Broncos front.

A former Texans backup and starter for the Rams and Dolphins, Shelley Smith is currently behind both Max Garcia and Ben Garland at left guard. His reunion with Kubiak after a sluggish year in Miami last season is not off to a promising start.

Notable losses:

Quinton Carter, S
Paul Cornick, T: Waived
Orlando Franklin, G
Nate Irving, LB
Terrance Knighton, DT
John Moffitt, G: Waived (after he came out of retirement)
Will Montgomery, C
Rahim Moore, S
Quanterus Smith, DE: Waived
Jacob Tamme, TE
Julius Thomas, TE
Mitch Unrein, DT
Wes Welker, WR

Until Demaryius Thomas’ extension beat the July 15 deadline, this offseason was almost certainly about what the Broncos lost and how they were going to continue their reign atop the division amid large-scale changes. The strong 2011 draft class lost Orlando Franklin and Julius Thomas to big deals — and Moore to a modest one — and the Broncos replaced them with cheaper, inferior parts.

Counting Terrance Knighton, who could be the most significant of these defections considering what he meant to the Broncos’ run defense, Denver lost seven starters.

Both Thomas and Franklin priced themselves out of Elway’s plans, with Franklin’s departure leaving the team scrambling up front. The versatile lineman appears to be sticking at guard after finishing strong at his new position in 2014, and the former right tackle’s void is noticeable. Garcia, a 2015 fourth-rounder, and Garland, a military veteran who’s been a backup since joining the team, are interesting potential solutions — sandwiched by first-time performers in Ty Sambrailo and Matt Paradis, for the time being — for a team with such a narrow Super Bowl window.

Montgomery’s absence now leaves the center position in the hands of either Paradis, a practice-squadder last season, or Gino Gradkowski, who garnered PFF’s worst center grade in 2013 before being benched for Jeremy Zuttah last season in Baltimore. Montgomery drew a league-average assessment from PFF, but helped the Broncos finish as the league’s 12th-best unit in Football Outsiders’ adjusted line yards metric.

As a result, the Broncos could deploy their worst offensive front in years as a result of the upheaval and the time it takes to gel in a zone-blocking system.

It’s fair to wonder how much of Julius Thomas’ success was Manning-buoyed and whether he’ll be able to come close to achieving those benchmarks with the Jags. Letting the tight end go probably proved to be the right decision, considering the fifth-year standout’s availability issues and his poor fit for a run-based offense featuring a lot of in-line tight end work. But Manning also might have lost the best playmaking tight end he’s had, with Dallas Clark never putting together a two-year stretch where he caught more than 17 touchdown passes, let alone 24.

While it can be viewed as impressive that those 24 scores came in just 24 starts, Thomas missed 28 games in four Broncos slates due to nagging ankle trouble. Although the Broncos did reportedly get to $8MM per year in extension talks last summer, that was with the previous coaching regime. Doling out a $9MM-per-year accord is about paying for what’s ahead, and Thomas’ outlook probably didn’t justify the price in this new era.

Although Brodrick Bunkley enjoyed a solid season in 2011 that earned him a lofty deal the Saints soon regretted, the Broncos have searched for defensive tackle stability since Trevor Pryce‘s mid-2000s exit. They found it in Knighton, a buy-low gem in 2013. The massive-but-deceptively agile run-stuffer did not draw a serious effort at a second Broncos contract, signing with Washington for just one year and $4MM as a result of weight concerns. Despite Knighton’s market cratering, the Broncos are with Sylvester Williams as the heir apparent in a 3-4 defense that places a greater premium on defensive tackle talent.

Already almost 27 despite set for just his third season, Williams hasn’t justified his first-round selection yet, regressing to the 66th-best defensive tackle grade (PFF) due to porous work against the run. In 279 snaps to Williams’ 435, Marvin Austin received a positive grade and provides good depth here. But this is probably an otherwise-stout Broncos defense’s biggest question mark entering the season.

Rahim Moore‘s market also cooled a bit, with the safety signing for just three years and $12MM after at one point being considered the second-best safety on the market after Devin McCourty. A safety of less than one season and one who graded worse than Moore in that season, Ron Parker signed for five years and $30MM. An above-average coverage player with substandard tackling ability – which is not exactly a big liability in a free safety – Moore should be easier to replace than his 2011 draft compatriots.

But this exodus of talent represents the most significant replacement test in Elway’s five seasons running things in Denver.

Trades:

Acquired C Gino Gradkowski and a 2016 fifth-round pick from the Ravens in exchange for a 2016 fourth-round pick.
Acquired a 2015 first-round pick (No. 23; DE/OLB Shane Ray) from the Lions in exchange for a 2015 first-round pick (No. 28; G Laken Tomlinson), a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 143), a 2016 fifth-round pick, and OL Manny Ramirez.

Gradkowski doesn’t look promising in Denver after sputtering in Baltimore. Like Shelley Smith, Gradkowski’s place on the roster is not a given. At the time of the deal, the Broncos swapping a fourth-rounder for a 2016 fifth-round slot didn’t look too good, based on the player involved — it certainly doesn’t look smart now. If it comes down to keeping one of these interior-line veterans to back up the rookies, Smith carries a $1MM dead-money tag, with Gradkowski costing Denver no money if they cut bait early.

Manny Ramirez enjoyed a strong season in 2013, rating as PFF’s fifth-best snapper while playing next to star guard Louis Vasquez. That gave him the center job to start last season, but when the Broncos’ line wasn’t performing up to expectations, Ramirez moved back to the right guard position at which he began his Broncos tenure. The former Texas Tech cog’s season didn’t unfold as well, and Kubiak’s zone scheme doesn’t fit the slower, powerful veteran.

This made Ramirez’s departure understandable, but the Broncos certainly aren’t in as good shape at center as they were when Ramirez resided there.

With both of Denver’s trades involving centers, it’s interesting the Broncos didn’t bring in Chris Myers, who has nearly a decade of seasoning in Kubiak’s system, for a visit. Of course, the former Mike Shanahan draft pick will be 34 next month, and Kubiak probably knows what the recently released center has left more than just about anyone.

Draft picks:

1-23: Shane Ray, DE/OLB (Missouri): Signed
2-59: Ty Sambrailo, T (Colorado State): Signed
3-92: Jeff Heuerman, TE (Ohio State): Signed
4-133: Max Garcia, C (Florida): Signed
5-164: Lorenzo Doss, CB (Tulane): Signed
6-203: Darius Kilgo, DT (Maryland): Signed
7-250: Trevor Siemian, QB (Northwestern): Signed
7-251: Taurean Nixon, CB (Tulane): Signed
7-252: Josh Furman, S (Oklahoma State): Signed

With right tackle topping the Broncos’ needs hierarchy entering the draft, Elway again opted for the best-defensive-player-available strategy he’s used to make the Broncos’ first selection in each of his five drafts (Von Miller, Wolfe, Williams, Bradley Roby and now Shane Ray). Of course, this represented the first time he traded up to select one of these talents, and doing so for a player who may not start until 2017 is interesting.

Following the trail blazed by Aldon Smith, Sheldon Richardson and Kony Ealy, Ray is the latest Missouri pass-rushing success story. parlaying a monster junior slate into a high NFL draft slot. Having the chance to play behind Miller and DeMarcus Ware should keep the QB-pursuer fresh and his block-shedding repertoire relatively hard to prepare for.

After opting to take Montee Ball over Eddie Lacy in the second round of the 2013 draft due to concerns about Lacy’s injured toe, Elway may have learned from experience that a toe malady isn’t something that should prevent pursuing a prospect. Ray plummeted into realistic Broncos trading range because of a nagging toe ailment. Of course, Ray was also available at No. 23 due to a marijuana arrest this offseason, so the former Tigers star’s trajectory’s endured some blips and isn’t a lock to stabilize.

But Ray fits well in a 3-4 and should help the Broncos’ pass rush stay productive after it faded last season, ideally serving as an off-the-bench energy to spell the 33-year-old Ware. He’s already showing the first-step explosion that harassed SEC tackles.

Jeff Heuerman‘s torn ACL will keep Daniels and Green in their roles until at least 2016.

A power-based player who played guard, tackle and center in his time at Maryland and Florida, Garcia having shown enough to start over Smith and Garland in the Broncos’ first preseason tilt is encouraging for a team that looked thin up front after free agency. Sambrailo’s development becomes paramount after Clady’s second season-ending injury in three seasons forced the finesse Colorado State product to the left side.

While Sambrailo seems a good bet to start in Week 1, having three first-time NFLers blocking for Manning is not just something new to the 39-year-old — Manning’s never played behind more than one rookie starting lineman — it’s extremely rare for a team with Super Bowl hopes. The Broncos last deployed two rookie linemen in 2010, when Zane Beadles and J.D. Walton started for a 4-12 team that ultimately saw its coaching staff gutted. To put three first-timers out there this in such a high-stakes spot serves as an incredibly bold strategy for the Broncos.

Although not progressing to a key depth chart perch like his aforementioned cohorts, Lorenzo Doss possesses big-play ability in holding Tulane’s career interception-return yardage record. He should battle the overpaid Tony Carter, still on the roster at $1.5MM despite not rising higher than the Broncos’ No. 5 corner the past two years, for the gig behind the team’s top four corners (Chris Harris, Aqib Talib, Roby and Kayvon Webster).

Darius Kilgo has already risen to the No. 2 nose tackle spot, with previous occupant Austin still sidelined due to injury. Although Williams has drawn praise for his offseason development, this job is not exactly secured like most of the spots on the veteran defense are.

Other:

Hired Gary Kubiak as head coach to replace John Fox.
Hired Rick Dennison as offensive coordinator to replace Adam Gase.
Hired Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator to replace Jack Del Rio.
Placed T Ryan Clady on injured reserve after he tore his ACL.
Claimed WR/KR Solomon Patton off waivers from the Buccaneers.
Claimed P Spencer Lanning off waivers from the Buccaneers
Signed nine undrafted rookie free agents following the draft.
Reduced Britton Colquitt‘s cap number by $1.4MM

Britton Colquitt no longer will make the ninth-most money on the Broncos this year but after the team waived Karl Schmitz, the longtime punter looks to keep his job. Although Spencer Lanning arrived this week, the former Browns punter’s place may be pushing for kickoff duty in case Connor Barth beats out the stronger-legged Brandon McManus for the kicker job.

While Clady didn’t play up to his potential last season and he already may be on the decline due to myriad injuries, his latest setback proved costly. His ACL tear, which marks his second knee tear of the decade after he tore his MCL in 2010, leaves the Broncos’ blind-side duties to Sambrailo and forces either Harris or Chris Clark to step in on the right edge. A zone-blocking veteran and former Broncos second-round pick under Shanahan, Harris had a respectable season for the Chiefs last year, and the Broncos made a solid move in re-signing him in this emergency circumstance. Clark had his moments at left tackle but sputtered on the right side last year.

A left tackle with no snaps paired with a journeyman right-sider, however, signals a potentially steep downgrade.

Clady’s injury also could derail his future with the franchise. The longest-tenured Bronco is the third-highest paid player on the team and the third-highest-paid tackle in the game. But with just $1.8MM in dead money on the 2016 and 2017 sectors of his deal, Clady could reasonably be cut if the front office views him as unable to return to an appropriate semblance of his former Pro Bowl version.

I detailed in PFR’s Offseason Outlook series how the Kubiak-Manning marriage could be a sketchy one, with the two offensive philosophies on opposing ends of the spectrum on about all fronts. Kubiak, to his credit, has noted he will incorporate some no-huddle and pistol elements into an attack that’s been a huddle- and under-center-based operation since he first became an offensive coordinator in 1995. The thought of this version of Manning having to adjust his game behind an incredibly unseasoned offensive front to one that takes away some of his biggest strengths should concern Broncos fans, however.

Conversely, Manning having a proven offensive coach managing his workload, something that’s already taken effect, with the signal-caller forced to skip practices and preseason Week 1 for rest purposes, could be a boon for his stability this season. Manning wore down considerably last year. Whether that was due exclusively to his quadriceps injuries or related to his age remains up for debate. But after serving under defensive-centric bosses in Jim Mora, Tony Dungy and John Fox, Manning hasn’t had this kind of an offensive mind calling the shots in his career. That will help balance out some of the potential creative differences that could arise this season.

It won’t receive the publicity of Deflategate, but the Manning-Kubiak partnership may be the most interesting storyline an AFC contender encounters this season. The Broncos’ AFC title-pursuing brethren mostly stood pat, at least systematically. What Elway did to shake up this operation may not be the best thing for the team in the short-term.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

Peyton Manning, QB: $17,500,000
Demaryius Thomas, WR: $13,200,000
Ryan Clady, T: $10,600,000
Von Miller, OLB: $9,754,000
DeMarcus Ware, OLB: $8,666,666
T.J. Ward, S: $7,750,000
Aqib Talib, CB: $6,968,750
Louis Vasquez, G: $6,250,000
Emmanuel Sanders, WR: $5,850,000
Chris Harris, CB: $3,000,000

The Broncos still have the inside track on winning the AFC West, with top talent at enough spots to withstand what should be a persistent push from the Chargers and, if more things go well for them, the Chiefs. That gap that’s been rather substantial since Manning arrived, however, appears to have narrowed.

In what could be Manning’s last year, observing how this team coalesces and if it can do so in time to provide a serious threat to what looks like a fairly even AFC will be one of the season’s most intriguing subplots. Because if this doesn’t go well, the rebuilding job post-Manning will also prove interesting, only for the wrong reasons.

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

Offseason In Review: Oakland Raiders

August 19th, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Last offseason, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie put his team under major reconstruction to try and turn the tide. Things didn’t exactly work out as planned. The Raiders got off to an 0-4 start that had players speaking out off the record and some, like veteran Charles Woodson, speaking out on the record. After the Raiders endured a grueling flight across the pond only to get blown out by the Dolphins, head coach Dennis Allen was shown the door. Eventually, Allen’s gig was handed over to his former second in command, Tony Sparano. Sparano got more out of his players, but only got 3 wins out of his 9 at the helm, leading the team to turn things over to Jack Del Rio after the season.

Things seemed bleak for the Raiders last year, but the club installed a new regime and entered the offseason with enough financial flexibility to make notable changes.

Notable signings:

Dan Williams, DT: Four years, $25MM. $15.2MM guaranteed.
Rodney Hudson, C: Five years, $44.5MM. $12.6MM guaranteed.
Nate Allen, S: Four year, $23MM. $6.9MM guaranteed.
Curtis Lofton, LB: Three years, $18MM. $6.5MM guaranteed.
Malcolm Smith, LB: Two years, $7MM. $3.75MM guaranteed.
Lee Smith, TE: Three years, $9.1MM. $3.1MM guaranteed.
C.J. Wilson, DE: Two years, $4.6MM. $2.05MM guaranteed.
Christian Ponder, QB: One year, $2.25MM. $1.5MM guaranteed.
Charles Woodson, S: One year, $3.2MM. $1.4MM guaranteed.
Michael Crabtree, WR: One year, $3.2MM. $1.3MM guaranteed.
Roy Helu, RB: Two years, $4.1MM. $1MM guaranteed.
Trent Richardson, RB: Two years, $3.85MM. $600K guaranteed.
Larry Asante, S: One year, $1.542MM. Signed original-round RFA tender.
Andre Holmes, WR: One year, $1.542MM. Signed original-round RFA tender.
Marquette King, P: One year, $1.542MM. Signed original-round RFA tender.
Brandian Ross, S: One year, $1.542MM. Signed original-round RFA tender.
Rod Streater, WR: One year, $1.542MM. Signed original-round RFA tender.
Chimdi Chekwa, CB: One year, minimum salary benefit.
James Dockery, CB: One year, minimum salary benefit.
Kris Durham, WR: One year, minimum salary benefit.
J’Marcus Webb, T: One year, minimum salary benefit.
Trindon Holliday, WR: One year, minimum salary.

The Raiders missed out on a few of their top targets in the early wave of free agency, but the team did add two solid defenders to its roster on March 11th with the additions of defensive tackle Dan Williams and linebacker Curtis Lofton. The 27-year-old Williams, who ranked as the No. 33 free agent on PFR’s Top 50 list, has started 40 games in his five-year career, all with the Cardinals, who selected him in the first round of the 2010 draft. Williams was also linked to the Lions, Giants, and Washington at different points before hooking on with Oakland.

Lofton, 28, was one of the most dependable and durable pieces on the Saints’ defense in recent years, starting all 48 regular season contests for the team since arriving in New Orleans in 2012. In 2014, he racked up 145 tackles to go along with a forced fumble. However, while his stats looked solid on the surface, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him as a bottom-five inside linebacker, out of 60 qualified players. Money was tight for New Orleans and Lofton no longer looked like he was worth his salary, so the Saints cut him loose in March, setting him up for his new deal with Oakland.

The Raiders already had a solid center in Stefen Wisniewski, but team brass decided to let him go elsewhere and get what they perceived to be an upgrade at the position. Before the official start of free agency, the Raiders and Hudson shook hands on a five-year, $44.5MM contract, making him the highest paid center in the league. Hudson, a former second-round pick, was the Chiefs’ full-time starter at center for the last two seasons. In 2014, Hudson ranked as the third-best center in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), grading as an above-average run blocker and pass blocker — he even led all centers in PFF’s screen-blocking grade.

The Raiders cut Tyvon Branch loose over the winter and they were in need of a replacement in March. To fill Branch’s shoes, Oakland signed former Eagles safety Nate Allen. Allen, 27, started 15 games for the Eagles last season at safety, racking up 62 tackles, four interceptions, three fumble recoveries, five pass deflections, and a sack. Allen had a pretty solid year in 2014, finishing out with a 3.9 overall grade according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), good for 28th out of 87 qualified safeties.

Former Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith is also in Oakland to join Khalil Mack and Sio Moore on the Raiders’ second level. Most known for his game-breaking interception of Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLVIII last February, Smith was not a regular starter with the Seahawks. A 2011 seventh-round pick, Smith started five games last year and played just 286 snaps, receiving a poor assessment from Pro Football Focus in the process (subscription required). Smith did grade far better in 2013, however, in more than 600 snaps.

Coming into free agency, the Raiders were widely expected to sign tight end Jermaine Gresham. Instead, they inked a TE who is known more for his blocking prowess than his hands in Lee Smith. Smith, 27, spent his previous four years in Buffalo.

Defensive lineman C.J. Wilson, 28, accrued 23 tackles and two sacks in 16 games (seven starts) with the Raiders last season and Oakland brought him back on a deal that should keep him there through the 2016 season. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Wilson 27th out of 57 qualifying 4-3 defensive ends for his work, and he recently drew interest from the Seahawks.

Christian Ponder has never lived up to the hype that was around him as a former No. 12 overall pick and, in all likelihood, he probably never will. Still, the Raiders have reason to believe that he can serve as a capable backup to young star Derek Carr. Ponder, 27, started 36 games during his four years with the Vikings, though he was essentially the team’s No. 3 signal-caller in 2014, behind Teddy Bridgewater and Matt Cassel on the depth chart.

Charles Woodson, 38, was pretty unhappy in Oakland last year and he made it known to anyone who would listen. Still, he must be pretty optimistic about what the future holds after signing a new deal in late January. Woodson signed a one-year, $3.5MM contract with the Raiders last March and started all 16 games for the club, grabbing four interceptions to go along with a career-high 111 tackles. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) didn’t love his performance, ranking him 68th out of 87 qualified safeties, due in part to the 355 yards after catch he allowed, a figure that was highest among safeties.

The wide receiver market for Michael Crabtree wasn’t quite as robust as he had imagined it would be. After demanding $9MM per season, Crabtree’s price tag came way down until he signed a one-year deal worth $3MM with another $2MM possible through incentives. The early buzz on Crabtree in camp is strong and Oakland execs can already envision the ex-49ers notable cashing in next spring. Crabtree caught 68 passes for 698 yards last season as he drifted down Colin Kaepernick‘s receiving hierarchy. But he’s shown the capability of being a go-to receiver as recently as 2012, when he piled up 1,105 receiving yards and scored a career-high nine touchdowns. The 6-foot-2 former top-10 pick in 2009 tore his Achilles the following spring, limiting him to five regular-season games in 2013.

Roy Helu, 26, rushed for only 216 yards in Washington last year, but was a focal point of the club’s passing attack, catching 42 balls for nearly 500 yards. He drew interest from several teams around the league, many of whom presumably wanted him to a fill their third-down back role. The Patriots and Jets both pursued Helu, as did the Giants before signing Shane Vereen.

The Raiders added another noteworthy name at running back when they inked the much-maligned Trent Richardson. T-Rich, who wowed evaluators years ago with his power and Herculean bench press, has yet to do much of anything at the NFL level. The halfback was selected third overall in the 2012 draft by the Browns, but lasted just over a year in Cleveland, having been dealt to the Colts for a first-round pick early in the 2013 campaign. Richardson was underwhelming, to say the least, during his time in Indianapolis, recording 977 yards and six touchdowns on 316 rushing attempts across two seasons, while adding 55 receptions for 494 yards and a TD in 29 games (20 starts). During his time wearing blue and white, the Alabama product averaged just 3.1 yards per carry.

Notable losses:

Darren McFadden began the year as the No. 2 back behind Maurice Jones-Drew, starting 12 games and gaining 534 yards on 155 carries. However, they eventually gave the bulk of the work to Latavius Murray and he will be the focal point of their running game going forward. McFadden, 27, was selected fourth overall by the Raiders back in 2008 and although his career has been underwhelming to date, he’ll look to turn things around now in Dallas. Outside of a 2010 campaign in which he posted 1,157 rushing yards and added another 507 yards through the air, McFadden has never been able to stay healthy and put it all together for a full season. 2014 was the first year in which he played all 16 games for Oakland, but he was underwhelming, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry, his third straight season with a mark of 3.4 or lower.

Speaking of MJD, many expected that he would be back in Oakland following the hire of Del Rio, but that was not the case. Days before the start of free agency, the diminutive tailback announced his retirement from the NFL. Although he played his final year in Oakland, most of Jones-Drew’s nine-year career was spent in Jacksonville with the Jaguars, and he left the game as the franchise’s second-leading rusher, behind Fred Taylor.

Tyvon Branch was with the Raiders for seven seasons, although the strong safety missed all but five games in the past two years with injuries after starting all 62 of a possible 64 games in the previous four years. He carried by far the highest cap number on the Raiders’ roster at $9.7MM this season, likely leading to his venture onto the free agent market.

After using their top draft choice on a wide receiver, the Raiders showed veteran James Jones the door in early May. Jones, 31, signed a three-year contract with the Raiders last winter, but that $10MM deal didn’t include any guaranteed money beyond the 2014 season, so the club can get out of it without taking on any dead money. Jones had been set to earn a $2.95MM base salary in 2015, with various other cap charges taking his total hit up to $3.433MM.

The Raiders were long expected to part ways with quarterback Matt Schaub, so his mid-March release didn’t come as a tremendous surprise. Schaub, 33, was acquired by the Raiders in a trade with the Texans last offseason, but lost out on the starting quarterback job to Carr, and served as the No. 2 option in Oakland. The addition of Ponder earlier in the month meant that the writing was on the wall for the ex-Texans QB.

Antonio Smith, 33, spent five years with the Cardinals and then five years with the Texans before signing a two-year pact with the Raiders last March. In March of 2015, Oakland opted to release him. That deal was worth $9MM, but didn’t include a signing bonus, so the Raiders cleared his entire $4MM cap hit from their books by cutting him. Smith is now with the Broncos and his situation has been clouded by off-the-field trouble.

2014 was something of a lost season for LaMarr Woodley, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Steelers. After playing strictly as an outside linebacker in Pittsburgh’s 3-4 scheme, Woodley moved to defensive end in Oakland’s 4-3 look, and didn’t adjust particularly well, ranking 44th out of 59 qualified 4-3 DEs per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Michigan alum played in just six games before tearing his biceps and missing the remainder of the season. He was released on March 5th.

The Raiders allowed Tarell Brown to him the open market and didn’t make much of an effort to re-sign him. Eventually, Brown found a home with the Patriots in late July when he inked a modest one-year, $1.5MM deal. Having started 14 games for the Raiders in 2014, Brown logged exactly 1,000 snaps for the team before he was shut down with a foot injury. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Brown’s -4.6 grade placed him 75th out of 108 qualified cornerbacks, though he only allowed one passing touchdown on 67 passes thrown into his coverage.

Denarius Moore, 26, showed some promise during his first three seasons with the Raiders, averaging about 43 receptions, 685 yards, and six touchdowns per season in spite of inconsistent quarterback play. However, he had a poor 2014 campaign, as Andre Holmes took on a bigger role in Oakland’s offense and James Jones entered the mix. Moore caught just 12 balls for 115 yards and no TDs, and missed the final few weeks of the season with knee and ankle issues.

After spending two seasons with the Raiders, veteran defensive tackle Pat Sims returned to the Bengals, the team with which he spent the first five years of his NFL career. The big defensive lineman left for Oakland after the 2012 season, and spent the last two seasons with the Raiders, starting 18 of the 32 games he played for the club. With seven career sacks, Sims doesn’t get to the quarterback too often, but he’s very solid against the run.

Stefen Wisniewski spent his entire four-year career with the Raiders before signing with the Jaguars this offseason. The Penn State product missed only three games in those four seasons, and he managed to play 16 games in 2014 in spite of a torn labrum. The injury resulted in Wisniewski undergoing surgery this offseason, and it also provided a possible explanation for the player remaining unsigned for so long.

Trades:

Acquired a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 124), a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 161; OLBNeiron Ball), and a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 242; CB Dexter McDonald) from the Panthers in exchange for a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 102; T Daryl Williams).
Acquired a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 128; G Jon Feliciano) and a seventh-round pick (No. 218; T Anthony Morris) from the Buccaneers in exchange for a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 124; LB Kwon Alexander).

Draft picks:

1-4: Amari Cooper, WR (Alabama): Signed
2-35: Mario Edwards, DL (Florida State): Signed
3-68: Clive Walford, TE (Miami): Signed
4-128: Jon Feliciano, G (Miami): Signed
5-140: Ben Heeney, ILB (Kansas): Signed
5-161: Neiron Ball, OLB (Florida): Signed
6-179: Max Valles, DE/LB (Virginia): Signed
7-218: Anthony Morris, T (Tennessee State): Signed
7-221: Andre Debose, WR/KR (Florida): Signed
7-242: Dexter McDonald, CB (Kansas): Signed

Both GM Reggie McKenzie and coach Jack Del Rio described Amari Cooper as “polished” numerous times on draft day. Cooper doesn’t just come with high upside, he comes with the ability to make a major impact right out of the gate in Oakland. His skills have impressed the best of the best, including Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff.

“If you know nothing about football, you might not see that he’s mature beyond his years,” Biletnikoff, 72, told Daniel Brown of the Mercury News. “But he’s a step ahead when it comes to the things required to be a receiver. The way he runs his routes, catches balls, gets open. He can do it against man-to-man coverage or press or zone. This guy is not one-dimensional. “He can line up inside, outside, right or left and do a good job wherever he is. Jack and Reggie and the staff were dead on when they talked about him.”

In 2014, Cooper hauled in 124 catches for 1,727 yards and 16 TDs across 14 games.

Other:

Text on coaching changes, etc.

Hired Jack Del Rio as head coach to replace Tony Sparano.
Hired Bill Musgrave as offensive coordinator to replace Greg Olson.
Hired Ken Norton Jr. as defensive coordinator to replace Jason Tarver.
Signed RFA S Sean Richardson to an offer sheet, but the Packers matched.
Signed nine players to reserve/futures contracts.
Signed 14 undrafted rookie free agents following the draft.

The Raiders were eyeing Jack Del Rio early on in their offseason search and he ultimately won out over the incumbent Tony Sparano. Of course, the Broncos’ defense never got the same kind of love as the team’s offense, but the Denver defense finished fourth in DVOA in 2014 after placing in the middle of the pack in 2013 under Del Rio’s guidance. Other teams with coaching vacancies seemed to flock to the sexiest names of the bunch like flies to a bug zapper. Every other team clamored to interview guys like Dan Quinn and Rex Ryan, but the Raiders more or less went by the beat of their own drum, save for their overtures towards new Jets coach Todd Bowles.

With Del Rio comes two new coordinators in Bill Musgrave (replacing Greg Olson) and Ken Norton Jr. (taking over for Jason Tarver). Some expected that McKenzie wouldn’t return, but his job was spared in the team’s shakeup. One has to imagine that he won’t have a very long leash, however, if the Raiders falter in 2015.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

Rodney Hudson, C: $13,000,000
Dan Williams, DT: $8,000,000
Nate Allen, S: $7,000,000
Tyvon Branch, S: $6,671,000 (dead money)
Curtis Lofton, LB: $6,500,000
Austin Howard, RT: $6,400,000
Donald Penn, LT: $5,400,000
Justin Tuck, DE: $4,968,750
Khalil Mack, OLB: $4,244,773
Charles Woodson, S: $4,200,000

With a young star quarterback under center and major changes on the sidelines and in the locker room, these are not your same old Raiders. Meanwhile, after losing a handful of key players, the Broncos aren’t quite the same as they were either. If everything goes right, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Raiders make a play for the AFC West crown.

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

Offseason In Review: San Francisco 49ers

August 16th, 2015 at 7:58pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The 49ers entered the 2014 season fresh off third straight trip to the NFC championship game and were expected to once again contend for conference supremacy and a Super Bowl. They stumbled to a disappointing 8-8 record, however, thus ending their three-year reign as an NFL superpower. What ensued was a bizarre offseason headlined by a diaspora of several figures who were integral to the 49ers’ recent success and could’ve been part of the solution going forward.

Notable losses:

Unexpected retirements contributed to the shredding of San Francisco’s roster during the offseason. Four of the team’s standouts – linebackers Patrick Willis and Chris Borland, defensive lineman Justin Smith and offensive tackle Anthony Davis – elected to step away from the sport.

Willis was a defensive captain for the Niners and perennially among the premier players in the league throughout his eight-year career, during which he totaled 100-plus tackles six times and made seven Pro Bowls. The normally durable Willis missed 10 games last year (he hadn’t missed more than three in any previous campaign) because of a toe injury, but he finished every season from 2007-13 anywhere from first to fourth among inside linebackers in Pro Football Focus’ grading system. Willis was a Hall of Fame-caliber defender who, at age 30, still had plenty to offer, and his void will be immensely difficult for the 49ers to fill.

Borland’s retirement came as an even bigger shock than Willis’, given that Borland only played one season in the league. The 49ers drafted the former Wisconsin Badger in the third round last year and he proceeded to pile up 107 tackles and a pair of interceptions in his rookie season. Borland’s play earned him a fourth-place ranking among 37 ILBs who played at least 50 percent of snaps in 2014, per PFF (subscription required). His presence would’ve helped make up for a lack of Willis, as it did last season when Willis was injured, but the 24-year-old decided to leave the game out of self-preservation.

“I just honestly want to do what’s best for my health,” Borland said. “From what I’ve researched and what I’ve experienced, I don’t think it’s worth the risk.

Like Borland, Davis – who appeared in and started 71 games for the 49ers between 2010-14 – also chose to retire because of health concerns.

“This will be a time for me to allow my brain and body a chance to heal. I know many won’t understand my decision, that’s OK,” the 25-year-old said in a statement.

Unlike Borland, though, Davis’ flight from football looks as if it’ll be more a hiatus than a real retirement. The 25-year-old tweeted in June that he’d “be back in a year or two,” and iterated that sentiment to NJ Advance Media earlier this week.

While it appears Davis will be back in the league at some point, the same can’t be said for the 35-year-old Smith. The longtime defensive line stalwart elected to step away after 14 productive seasons, the last seven of which were spent in San Francisco. He amassed 87 sacks during his career and was consistently one of the best D-linemen in the league with the 49ers, with whom he made five Pro Bowls and was named PFF’s top 3-4 defensive end three straight times (2009-11).

Prior to the above slew of retirements, some noteworthy contributors left the 49ers via free agency.

If Willis was the heart and soul of the 49ers’ defense, running back Frank Gore – who signed with the Colts – held the same distinction for their offense. Gore spent the first decade of his career with the 49ers and rushed for 1,000-plus yards eight times, including 1,106 last season, and finished with 250-plus carries in each of the last four years.

One of the offensive linemen who helped clear paths for Gore was guard Mike Iupati, who signed with NFC West rival Arizona. Iupati, 28, was a 49er for five seasons and made three consecutive Pro Bowls to close his career in the Bay. He earned a reputation as a dominant run blocker, ranking among PFF’s top five guards in that category two of the last three years.

The 49ers also said goodbye to a couple of well-known receivers, Michael Crabtree and Stevie Johnson. Crabtree, who signed with the Raiders in April, seldom lived up to pre-draft hype with the 49ers after going 10th overall in 2009. He was especially disappointing last season, when he found the end zone only four times and averaged a paltry 10.4 yards per catch on 68 grabs. Johnson was also a letdown with the 49ers, who acquired him from Buffalo last year. The Niners released Johnson after a 35-catch, three-touchdown 2014, and he subsequently signed with San Diego.

Defensively, the 49ers lost their two starting corners from last year and a quality role-playing linebacker in free agency. Corners Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox joined Washington and Tennessee, respectively, after combining for nine interceptions in 2014. PFF (subscription required) ranked Culliver 13th out of 74 corners who played at least 50 percent of snaps last year, while Cox ended up 24th. Linebacker Dan Skuta also left for bigger money elsewhere, signing for $20.5MM with the Jaguars. The six-year veteran was a 49er from 2013-14 and wasn’t exactly a household name with them, but he managed to draw positive grades from PFF both seasons. He also contributed career bests in sacks (five) and forced fumbles (three) last year.

As if the 49ers didn’t take enough of a beating during the winter and spring, the coup de grace may have come earlier this month. After yet another run-in with the law – this time an arrest on hit-and-run, DUI, and vandalism charges – the 49ers parted ways with star linebacker Aldon Smith. The 49ers drafted Smith seventh overall in 2011 and he emerged as a pass-rushing demigod, accumulating a whopping 44 sacks in 50 games. However, his on-field prowess was blighted by off-field problems. The 25-year-old was arrested three different times on suspicion of drunken driving while with the 49ers and garnered a nine-game suspension last season for an April 2014 incident with a TSA agent at Los Angeles International Airport.

Notable signings:

Torrey Smith, WR: Five years, $40MM. $8.75MM guaranteed.
Darnell Dockett, DL: Two years, $7.5MM. $2MM guaranteed.
Shareece Wright, CB: One year, $3MM. $1.5MM guaranteed.
Erik Pears, T: Two years, $4.7MM. $1MM guaranteed.
Reggie Bush, RB: One year, $2.5MM. $1MM guaranteed.
Chris Cook, CB: One year, $1.3MM. $800K guaranteed.
Blaine Gabbert, QB: Two years, $4MM. $500K guaranteed.
Jarryd Hayne, RB: Three years, $1.583MM. $108K guaranteed.
Nick Bellore, LB: Two years, $1.69MM. $30K guaranteed.
Garrett Celek, TE: One year, $735K. $25K guaranteed.
Philip Wheeler, LB: One year, $1MM.
Jerome Simpson, WR: Two years, minimum salary.
Desmond Bishop, LB: One year, minimum salary benefit.

The biggest splash the 49ers made in free agency was the signing of wideout Torrey Smith. The 26-year-old mixed big-play ability with durability in Baltimore from 2011-14 and parlayed that combo into a $40MM contract. Smith has never caught more than 65 passes in a season, but he averaged 15.7 to 17.4 yards per catch each individual season with the Ravens and is coming off an 11-touchdown showing – his best so far. Just as impressive, perhaps, is the fact that Smith hasn’t yet missed a game in his career.

Accompanying Smith as a newly added skill player is running back Reggie Bush, who joins second-year man Carlos Hyde in the backfield as the 49ers try to replace Gore. Bush, a 10-year veteran, signed with the 49ers after a pedestrian 2014 with the Lions (550 total yards and two TDs on 116 touches). To Bush’s credit, he was an adept No. 1 back from 2011-13 with the Dolphins and Lions, respectively, as he exceeded the 215-carry mark three years in a row and the 1,000-yard plateau twice, and his averages ranged from 4.3 to 5.0 yards per attempt. Further, the 30-year-old has long been a threat in the passing game (466 career receptions), and should give quarterback Colin Kaepernick a capable target out of the backfield.

Defensively, the 49ers’ only noteworthy pickup in free agency was lineman Darnell Dockett, who was with Arizona from 2004-14. Dockett missed all of last season with a torn ACL and, at 34, his best days are likely behind him. Nevertheless, the three-time Pro Bowler has 40.5 career sacks and should aid the 49ers’ pass rush. Just don’t expect him to contribute against the run.

Trades:

Acquired a 2015 first-round pick (No. 17; DL Arik Armstead), a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 117; TE Blake Bell), and a 2016 fifth-round pick from the Chargers in exchange for a 2015 first-round pick (No. 15; RB Melvin Gordon).
Acquired a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 165; P Bradley Pinion) and a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 244; OL Trenton Brown) from the Colts in exchange for a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 151; DT David Parry).
Acquired a 2016 sixth-round pick from the Cowboys in exchange for a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 246; TE Geoff Swaim).
Acquired a 2017 seventh-round pick from the Browns for P Andy Lee.

Extensions and restructures:

Kyle Nelson, LS: Extended through 2018. Four years, $3.48MM. $600K guaranteed.
Derek Carrier, TE: Extended through 2017. Two years, $2.4MM. $400K guaranteed. Max value of $3.3MM.

Draft picks:

1-17: Arik Armstead, DL (Oregon): Signed
2-46: Jaquiski Tartt, S (Samford): Signed
3-79: Eli Harold, OLB (Virginia): Signed
4-117: Blake Bell, TE (Oklahoma): Signed
4-126: Mike Davis, RB (South Carolina): Signed
4-132: DeAndre Smelter, WR (Georgia Tech): Signed
5-165: Bradley Pinion, P (Clemson): Signed
6-190: Ian Silberman, G (Boston College): Signed
7-244: Trenton Brown, OL (Florida): Signed
7-254: Rory Anderson, TE (South Carolina): Signed

Considering how their offseason went, it would obviously help the 49ers’ cause if at least a couple of their rookies stepped in and acquitted themselves well immediately. That includes ex-Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead, whom the team took in the first round. But the 6-foot-7, 292-pounder was viewed as a raw (albeit highly talented) prospect pre-draft and has work to do to climb up the 49ers’ depth chart, as the Sacramento Bee’s Matt Barrows wrote Friday.

Thanks to all the offseason departures San Francisco endured at linebacker, third-rounder Eli Harold will have an opportunity to make his presence felt quickly and replace Aldon Smith on the right side. Harold, who has shared reps with third-year man Corey Lemonier this summer, combined for 15.5 sacks during his final two season at Virginia and has impressed his new head coach so far.

“Eli Harold, he came in beeping (like on radar),” Jim Tomsula said last week, according to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. “Again, rookie going through it, we’ve all seen it, the ups and downs. He hasn’t had the downs, but we are still early on in this thing. But Eli is doing a really good job. He’s an energetic guy. I think everybody sees what we saw in him and why we drafted him.”

Other:

Promoted Jim Tomsula to head coach to replace Jim Harbaugh.
Promoted Geep Chryst to offensive coordinator to replace Greg Roman.
Promoted Eric Mangini to defensive coordinator to replace Vic Fangio.
Hired former Raiders interim HC Tony Sparano as tight ends coach.
Hired former Raiders DC Jason Tarver as senior defensive assistant and outside linebackers coach.
Signed nine undrafted rookie free agents following the draft.

In 2011, the 49ers hired Jim Harbaugh as their head coach after seven strong years in the college ranks. The Niners were in the midst of an eight-year playoff drought when Harbaugh took the job, but his arrival brought dramatic improvement in the form of a superb 44-19-1 regular-season mark and three playoff berths. However, his relationship with CEO Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke deteriorated and became particularly discordant in 2014. That led to a divorce between the sides in December, and Harbaugh went back to college to coach Michigan.

To take over for Harbaugh, the 49ers hired from within and chose Tomsula. The 47-year-old had run the 49ers’ defensive line since 2007 and was their interim head coach for one game back in 2010 (a 38-7 win over the Cardinals).

Tomsula continued the in-house theme with his coordinator hires, promoting Eric Mangini (defense) and Geep Chryst (offense). While Mangini was an offensive consultant with the 49ers in 2013 and their tight ends coach last season, the majority of his coaching career has been spent on defensive staffs. He took Vic Fangio‘s old job, while Chryst grabbed the reins from Greg Roman. Chryst, who was last an O-coordinator with the Chargers in 1999-2000, was previously San Francisco’s quarterbacks coach.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

Colin Kaepernick, QB: $15,265,753
NaVorro Bowman, LB: $7,654,000
Joe Staley, LT: $7,600,000
Ahmad Brooks, OLB: $7,055,000
Vernon Davis, TE: $6,967,920
Anquan Boldin, WR: $6,909,000
Aldon Smith, OLB: $4,854,875
Antoine Bethea, S: $4,750,000
Ray McDonald, DT: $4,609,971 (dead money)
Phil Dawson, K: $4,134,000

While it’s unwise to write teams off prior to the season in the parity-driven NFL, it’s hard to imagine the 49ers improving on their .500 record from last year after their calamitous offseason. They’re likely to have a difficult time staying afloat as part of a division that houses a Super Bowl favorite (Seattle) and a pair of potential playoff contenders (Arizona and St. Louis).

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

PFR Originals: 8/9/15 – 8/16/15

August 16th, 2015 at 4:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

Zach Links looked back at the Chargers‘ offseason, which included the re-signing of King Dunlap and Brandon Flowers, as well as the additions of free agents such as Orlando Franklin, Stevie Johnson, and Joe Barksdale.
Washington lost two tight ends to season-ending injuries last week, as both Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen will miss the 2015 season. Luke Adams looked at some options — both via free agency and trade — as the club seeks to replace some production at tight end.
The Seahawks have been active in extending key players this summer, and I eamined whether left tackle Russell Okung might be next in line for a long-term deal.
In our Community Tailgate series, we post topics for discussion, encouraging readers to post their thoughts in the comments section. The issues touched on by Zach and Luke last week:
- Will Steve Smith make the Hall of Fame? (link)
- Will Geno Smith regain his job as the Jets‘ starting QB when he returns from injury? (link)
- Who will be the 2015 MVP? (link)

Week In Review: 8/9/15 – 8/16/15

August 16th, 2015 at 2:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

Key News:

The Chargers signed quarterback Philip Rivers to a four-year, $84MM extension that will keep him in San Diego through 2019.
Receiver T.Y. Hilton agreed to a five-year, $65MM extension with the Colts.
The Buccaneers and linebacker Lavonte David reached agreement on a five-year extension worth $50.25MM.
Jets quarterback Geno Smith is out eight-to-ten weeks after linebacker IK Enemkpali broke his jaw during an altercation. Enemkpali was immediately waived, and subsequently claimed by the Bills.
Ravens receiver Steve Smith announced that he will retire following the 2015 season.

Injuries:

Bears – Kevin White, WR (link)
Bills – Jarius Wynn, DE (link)
Eagles – JaCorey Shepherd, CB (link)
Rams – E.J. Gaines, CB (link)
Steelers – Shaun Suisham, K (link)
Vikings – Phil Loadholt, T (link)
Washington – Niles Paul, TE (link) and Logan Paulsen, TE (link)

Signed:

Buccaneers – Tony McDaniel, DE (link)
Eagles – Deontae Skinner, LB (link)
Patriots – Ryan Lindley, QB (link)
Steelers – Garrett Hartley, K (link) and David Nelson, WR (link)

Released:

Patriots – Matt Flynn, QB (link)

Trade:

Patriots – acquired G Ryan Groy from the Bears in exchange for LB Matthew Wells (link)

Suspended:

Cardinals – Bobby Massie, T: thee games (substance abuse)

Extension Candidate: Russell Okung

August 15th, 2015 at 6:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Seahawks haven’t been shy about locking up their own players to long-term extensions — Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner each agreed to deals within the past month, but they’re just the most recent Seattle players whom the club has committed to. Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Marshawn Lynch, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, K.J. Wright, and Doug Baldwin all reached extensions with the Seahawks (or in the case of Bennett, re-signed just days into free agency) within the past 18 months. But there’s still one key Hawk who is heading for free agency and hasn’t yet worked out a new contract — left tackle Russell Okung.

Okung, the first draft pick of the Pete Carroll/John Schneider regime, hasn’t exactly been the picture of health since entering the league out of Oklahoma State in 2010. The 27-year-old has only played in about 73% of Seattle’s games during the past five years, missing 21 out of a possible 80 contests. Just last season, Okung missed only two games, but he was plagued with injuries throughout the year, dealing with calf and chest ailments while also playing through a torn labrum.

Not only has Okung suffered through injuries, but when he has been able to take the field, his production hasn’t been great. Outside of the 2012 season, when he graded as the league’s eighth-best tackle and was named to the Pro Bowl, Okung has never even placed among the top 30 tackles in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, including last season, when he ranked just 36th (subscription required). Last year, specifically, most of Okung’s negative grade was attributed to his subpar run blocking, as he actually graded out pretty well in terms of pass-blocking.

Indeed, if there is one thing that Okung does not do, it’s give up sacks. In three years with Wilson as the club’s starting quarterback, Okung has been responsible for just four sacks. And that’s not simply a function of Wilson’s ability to move in the pocket, as Wilson has been sacked the second-most times among all QBs since entering the league. It’s Okung’s linemates who are giving up most of Wilson’s sacks, as Okung gave up just 22 total pressures in 2014, ranking 13th in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric.

So now that we’ve covered what type of player Okung is, let’s tackle another question: Can Seattle afford him? The Seahawks have done a marvelous job of keeping their Super Bowl corps together, whether by extending a player like Kam Chancellor at a below-market rate, keeping Bennett for less than he’s worth, or finding a viable starting QB in Wilson in the third round. But at a certain point, it becomes impossible to keep everyone, as evidenced by the fact that linebacker Bruce Irvin — like Okung, a former first-rounder — is widely expected to depart via free agency after the season.

As it stands now, Over the Cap projects the Seahawks to have about $14.4MM in cap space heading into the 2016 offseason (for context, that ranks as the 10th-least amount of room in the league). That number doesn’t figure to increase by that much, as there aren’t any obvious candidates for release on Seattle’s 2016 roster. One tactic could be to restructure the contracts of either Sherman or Thomas, converting some portion of their base salaries into signing bonuses and therefore creating more immediate cap relief. But, for the most part, the Seahawks will have to work with what they have.

Still, $14.4MM isn’t nothing — even after accounting for draft pick signings, it’d be enough to re-sign Okung. However, retaining Okung would likely mean saying goodbye to Irvin (as expected), Brandon Mebane, Ahyta Rubin, and possibly Jermaine Kearse. Additionally, it would leave little money left over for a free agent addition at, say, receiver, or along the interior offensive line. In other words, 2016 becomes the year where Seattle will have to start choosing precisely who it wants to keep around — they won’t be able to extend every contributor.

If Okung does hit free agency, he’ll be doing so along with an impressive crop of fellow left tackles. Barring any extensions between now and next March, the FA left tackle class will include Trent Williams, Anthony Castonzo, Andrew Whitworth, Nate Solder, Cordy Glenn, and Donald Penn. Williams is perhaps the most interesting comparable, as both he and Okung were selected in the top 10 of the 2010 draft, and both dealt with injuries last season (Williams missed just one game but was hampered knee, ankle, and shoulder problems throughout the 2014 campaign). Indeed, based on Pro Football Reference‘s metrics, they match up rather well:

NumYrs	Players whose career was of similar quality and shape
3	Trent Williams, Marvin Powell, Blake Brockermeyer, Joe Bostic, Mike Kenn, Mick Tingelhoff*, Kent Hill, Homer Elias, Kent Hull, Alex Barron
4	Alex Barron, Joe Bostic, Todd Steussie, Blake Brockermeyer, Trent Williams, Dan Dierdorf*, Sean Farrell, Kenyatta Walker, Frank Garcia, Donald Penn
5	Alex Barron, Tra Thomas, Bryant McKinnie, Trent Williams, Joe Bostic, Frank Garcia, Homer Elias, Dan Dierdorf*, Todd Steussie, Blake Brockermeyer
Career	George Foster, Orlando Franklin, Brad Badger, Bryan Bulaga, Zach Strief, Mike Pouncey, Will Beatty, Dave Taylor, Kyle Cook, Alex Barron

Two other players on that list, Bryan Bulaga and Will Beatty (both of whom appear under the Career section) are interesting for the purposes of this discussion, as they’ve both earned new contracts in the relatively recent past. Bulaga, a right tackle, signed a five-year, $33.75MM deal with the Packers in March that contained $8MM in guarantees. Beatty, a left tackle, signed in 2013, so his contract is a little outdated, but for reference, the Giants handed him $37.5MM over five years ($18.35MM guaranteed).

Okung was part of the last draft class that signed under the old CBA, so his current contract is artificially inflated. He’s earning about $8.08MM per season, so Beatty’s annual salary would actually represent a downgrade. That presents something of a problem: I don’t think Okung is good enough to jump into Brandon Albert/Duane Brown territory (~$9MM per year), but I also don’t believe that he’s interested in taking a pay cut. If we bump Okung’s AAV up to $8.25MM and stretch it over five years, that gives us a total of $42.25MM.

I’d guess Okung would think long and hard about accepting that offer, especially if the guarantees were in the neighborhood of $13-15MM. But would Seattle want to pay that much? They’d be giving Okung more than Joe Staley, Jared Veldheer, Eugene Monroe, and Jermon Bushrod on an annual basis, and I’m not sure Okung is better than any of them. Maybe the Seahawks would balk at such a price, hoping they can land of the top collegiate tackle prospects, or perhaps they could throw a short-term deal at someone like Whitworth.

It sounds like the Colts could be nearing a deal with Castonzo, and maybe if Washington wants to buy low on Williams with him coming off a down season, they could reach an agreement quickly, as well. Any extensions signed by those two would go a long way towards providing a baseline for the Seahawks and Okung to work from. One added wrinkle to the talks will be that Okung plans on negotiating his own deal without the help of an agent. How exactly that will affect discussions is unclear, but is it possible that Okung overvalues himself without an agent’s counsel?

Ultimately, I think it makes sense for the Seahawks to try and work something out with Okung. The Super Bowl corps can only be retained for so long, so if there’s any chance at extending their current championship window, Seattle should take it. But there’s no doubt that the club will have to start carefully picking and choosing who it wants to re-sign beginning in 2016. As Wagner tweeted before he was ultimately extended: “Can’t keep everyone.”

Possible Tight End Options For Washington

August 14th, 2015 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NFL’s preseason schedule getting underway this week, it’s the first real chance for fans to get a glimpse at how their favorite teams look this season. For many teams though, it also marks the start of a war of attrition — in the early days of training camp and the preseason, there are several clubs around the league that have already sustained multiple injuries at a specific position.

One of those teams is Washington. Scot McCloughan, Jay Gruden, and company have watched in recent days as the club’s tight ends have fallen one by one. Jordan Reed is battling a hamstring issue, but he’s in better shape than Niles Paul, who will miss the year after fracturing and dislocating his ankle last night. Logan Paulsen‘s season is also in jeopardy, as he may require toe surgery that could sideline him for most or all of the year.

The injuries leave Washington shorthanded at the tight end spot. Reed, who has caught 95 balls in his first two seasons, can probably handle the starting job if he’s healthy, but Paul and Paulsen were viewed as nice complements who were likely to make the roster, with the former contributing his pass-catching abilities while the latter served as more of a blocker. None of the other three tight ends on Washington’s roster – Chase Dixon, Je’Ron Hamm, and Devin Mahina – have appeared in a regular season NFL game, so a veteran addition may be needed.

Of course, the free agent market for tight ends isn’t exactly overflowing with talent at the moment. Former Bengals tight end Alex Smith, who played under Gruden in Cincinnati, would have made some sense, but he signed with the Saints last week. Earlier today, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweeted out a list of possible targets for Washington, including Zach Miller, Fred Davis, Tom Crabtree, Mike McNeill, Michael Palmer, and Kory Sperry.

Since then, ESPN.com’s John Keim has reported (via Twitter) that Miller isn’t an option, Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN has reported (via Twitter) that Washington isn’t interested in Davis, and Crabtree himself has removed his own name from the list. McNeill, Palmer, and Sperry could be possibilities for Washington, but they certainly aren’t inspiring alternatives; none of those three players has recorded more than a single reception in a season since 2012.

There are a couple other intriguing veterans on the tight end market, but neither currently appears to be a viable option for Washington. Former Packer Jermichael Finley, who suffered a significant neck injury during his last game with Green Bay in 2013, seems unlikely to continue his NFL career, despite initially saying he wanted to return to the field. One semi-retired veteran who would like to play for Washington is Chris Cooley, who said this week that it would “literally be the greatest thing in the world” to join his old team. However, so far at least, it doesn’t appear that interest is mutual.

Even if Washington doesn’t like any of the options currently on the free agent market, there should be many more choices in early September, when teams start making cuts to pare their rosters down from 90 players to 53. But McCloughan may not want to wait that long to add someone, since that wouldn’t leave much time for a new player to get acclimated to Washington’s offense.

The trade market is another avenue the team figures to explore, and one logical trade target would be Vernon Davis, who was drafted by McCloughan in 2006 and could benefit from a change of scenery after struggling mightily last season in San Francisco. According to Keim (Twitter link), however, Davis is “not a realistic option” for Washington, which makes sense. Even if the Niners were willing to move him, the veteran tight end earns a base salary of $4.35MM this year, the final season of his contract, and Washington will likely be seeking a cheaper stopgap option.

Still, there are plenty of potential trade partners around the league, such as – for instance – the Titans. With Delanie Walker, Anthony Fasano, and Craig Stevens almost certainly assured of roster spots, Tennessee also has tight ends Phillip Supernaw, Chase Coffman, and Tevin Westbrook in camp, and fourth-round fullback Jalston Fowler will likely see some time at the position as well. A team like the Titans has the depth to accommodate a deal with Washington, if they so choose.

Ultimately, while a trade might make the most sense for Washington, a big-name acquisition like Davis is unlikely. I expect the front office to keep a close eye on depth charts around the league, targeting young players with promise and/or potential release candidates, perhaps offering up a late-round or conditional draft pick for someone they like. If the trade route isn’t fruitful, signing a veteran free agent for depth purposes may be Washington’s only real play, whether it happens now or in a few weeks. Otherwise, the team may find itself leaning heavily on multiple unproven young players at a key offensive position.

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