PFR Originals News & Rumors

NFL Teams With Open Roster Spots

June 24th, 2014 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

For many teams around the NFL, the 90 players on the roster when last week’s minicamps ended are the same 90 players the club hopes to carry into training camp next month. We should expect to see some minor roster shuffling over the next few weeks, but for the most part, teams have a pretty good idea of which players will be participating in camp and battling for spots on the regular-season roster a few weeks from now.

Still, not all 32 teams around the league have full 90-man rosters at this point. In a couple instances, recent unanticipated retirements have created roster openings, whereas other clubs may simply be keeping their options open and weighing multiple possibilities as training camp nears. In any case, by our count, there are seven NFL teams that currently have open slots on their 90-man rosters. Here’s the breakdown:

Atlanta Falcons (2): Since maxing out the 90-man roster with draft picks and rookie free agents, the Falcons have made three cuts and moved Sean Weatherspoon to injured reserve following his season-ending Achilles injury. During that same span, they’ve only signed two players, so there should be two open spots on the roster at the moment.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2): The Bucs signed a pair of tryout players to contracts last week, adding David Gettis and Ronald Talley, but also cut four players. Over the weekend, Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com explored how the team might fill the two openings on its roster.
Cincinnati Bengals (1): Running back Jeff Scott was waived by the Bengals last week, and the club has yet to sign a replacement.
Cleveland Browns (1): Like the Bengals, the Browns made a cut a week ago (Earl Bennett) and haven’t yet filled his spot on the roster.
Denver Broncos (1): Denver hasn’t made a roster addition since waiving Ramon Harewood last month, so the team should have one spot available.
Green Bay Packers (1): A neck injury forced Johnathan Franklin into early retirement and forced the Packers to waive him with an injured player designation, creating an empty spot on the 90-man roster.
San Francisco 49ers (1): Eric Wright‘s retirement announcement created an opening on the Niners’ roster last Tuesday.

The Dolphins’ Options At Center

June 23rd, 2014 at 8:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins’ offensive line has been the subject of scrutiny both on- and off-the-field over the past 12 months — the unit not only dealt with the Jonathan Martin/Richie Incognito bullying scandal that marred Miami’s entire 2013 season, but struggled both in run-blocking and protecting Ryan Tannehill, ranking 18th and 30th in those areas, respectively, according to Football Outsiders’ metrics. The team added reinforcements in Branden Albert, Shelley Smith, and Ju’Wuan James during the offseason, but was dealt another blow today, losing center Mike Pouncey for at least three months after he went underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip.

Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the tear was “significant,” and the postulated 90-day absence is the absolute minimum for Pouncey; on such a timetable, the 24-year-old would miss three or four games. However, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes, any unforeseen complications involving the injury and/or recovery could conceivably force Miami to place Pouncey on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, causing him to miss a minimum of six games.

Losing Pouncey for any amount of time would be significant for the Dolphins, as the 2013 Pro Bowler is one of the best centers in the NFL. After being drafted 15th overall in the 2011 draft, he has started 46 out of possible 48 games, and graded out as a top-13 center in both 2012 and 2013, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced ratings.

Miami has several replacement options on its roster if it chooses to look internally for help. 2013 undrafted free agent Sam Brenner would probably get the first crack at the job, writes James Walker of ESPN.com; in fact, Walker tweets a projected Pouncey-less offensive line consisting of Albert, Dallas Thomas, Brenner, Smith, and James from left-to-right. Brenner, though, struggled in his limited opportunities at guard last season. Nate Garner is also capable of playing center in a pinch, as he replaced Pouncey for two games last year.

Chris Perkins of the Sun-Sentinel posits that Smith could also be a candidate to play center, though that would force the Dolphins to find a new right guard. And though unsigned rookie Billy Turner could potentially fill that role, the right side of Miami’s line would then consist of two first-year players. Complicating matters is that Turner had primarily been practicing at left guard — putting Smith at center and Turner at right guard would mean the Dolphins’ front five would have two players lining up at new positions.

A scan of our list of remaining free agents shows that there are several unsigned centers who could, if not start, at least add depth in Miami. Fernando Velasco and Kyle Cook were the primary starters for the Steelers and Bengals, respectively, in 2013, but both were below-average according to PFF. Robert Turner, Ryan Cook, and Dan Koppen all played well in 2012, but none played significant snaps last season. David Baas was also above-average two seasons ago, but is battling injuries and his return to the NFL is questionable. However, none of these players has experience in the type of up-tempo offense that new Dolphins coordinator Bill Lazor is implementing — a scheme that will require a center to “be smart and in shape,” tweets Walker.

The Dolphins head into 2014 expected to compete to for a playoff spot, and head coach Joe Philbin and his staff could be ousted if the team falters. Miami won’t want to risk fielding an offensive line that lacks competence at center, so even if Brenner ends up as Pouncey’s replacement, I’d expect them to at least bring in a veteran as depth during training camp and the early part of the regular season.

Offset Language

June 23rd, 2014 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Since the NFL’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement has made rookie contracts fairly regimented, negotiations between teams and draft picks have become smoother than ever, with few – if any – players expected to be unsigned by the time training camp gets underway. At the moment, only six players have yet to ink their rookie deals, including three first-round picks: Justin Gilbert (Browns), Taylor Lewan (Titans), and Dominique Easley (Patriots).

Although we don’t know for sure what the holdup is with those three players, one factor that continues to play a role in contracts for first-round picks relates to offset language. Over the last several years, only a handful of players in each year have managed to avoid having offsets language written into their deals. In most cases, a lack of offsets for a player simply relies on which team drafted him — clubs like the Rams and Jaguars traditionally haven’t pushed to include offsets in contracts for their top picks, even in an era where most other teams around the league do.

Offset language relates to what happens to a player’s salary if he’s cut during the first four years of his career, while he’s still playing on his rookie contract. For the top 15 to 20 picks in the draft, those four-year salaries will be fully guaranteed, even if a player is waived at some point during those four seasons. For example, if a player has $4MM in guaranteed money remaining on his contract and is cut, he’ll still be owed that $4MM.

However, if a team has written offset language into the contract, that club can save some money if and when the player signs with a new team. For example, if that player who had $4MM in guaranteed money left on his contract signs with a new club on a $1MM deal, his old team would only be on the hook for $3MM, with the new team making up the difference. If there’s no offset language on that first deal, the old team would continue to be on the hook for the full $4MM, and the player would simply earn an additional $1MM from his new club.

Although the negotiation of offset language might potentially delay a rookie’s signing, the offsets rarely come into play, since few top picks flame out badly enough that they’re released during their first four seasons. And even in those rare instances, if a player has performed poorly enough to be cut in his first few years, he likely won’t sign a lucrative deal elsewhere, so offset language wouldn’t help his old club recover more than perhaps the league minimum.

As noted above, the Rams and Jaguars are among the teams who aren’t averse to forgoing offsets in their agreements with top picks, so Greg Robinson, Blake Bortles, and Aaron Donald don’t have offset language in their first NFL contracts.

Note: This is a PFR Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to free agency, trades, or other aspects of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Information from OverTheCap.com was used in the creation of this post.

PFR Originals: 6/15/14 – 6/22/14

June 22nd, 2014 at 2:21pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

We continued our Extension Candidate series, as I examined Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (link), Rory Parks looked at Steelers right tackle Marcus Gilbert (link), Luke Adams wrote about Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas (link), and Rob DiRe profiled Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant (link).
In a poll, Luke asked where you think free agent cornerback Brandon Flowers will sign; the Chargers, Patriots, and a “mystery team” were the most popular answers. Thanks for voting!
As always, you can follow PFR on a variety of social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and more.

Extension Candidate: Demaryius Thomas

June 20th, 2014 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this offseason, the Broncos watched as a receiver who averaged 86 receptions, 1,176 yards, and 12 touchdowns during his last two seasons in Denver departed in free agency, signing a five-year deal with the Jets. Although the Broncos reportedly had some interest in re-signing Eric Decker, the team didn’t appear to go to great lengths to retain him, in part because Denver still has another wideout, Demaryius Thomas, who is a year away from free agency himself and matched or exceeded Decker’s numbers in those two seasons.

After hauling in just 54 passes during his first two NFL seasons, Thomas broke out when Peyton Manning arrived in Denver, averaging 93 catches, 1,432 yards, and 12 TDs in 2012 and 2013. In addition to posting massive numbers in the traditional receiving categories, Thomas also performed extremely well according to advanced stats. Football Outsiders ranked him third in 2012 and first in 2013 in terms of DYAR, while Pro Football Focus’ grades had him as the league’s second-best wideout in 2012 and fifth-best in 2013 (subscription required).

When Decker hit free agency, his true value was subject to increased scrutiny. Many observers wondered how much of Decker’s production was tied to the fact that he was catching passes from Manning and benefiting from defenses focusing on Thomas, Wes Welker, and the Broncos’ other weapons. It’s fair to assume that Thomas will face the same questions, and it’s also reasonable to conclude that perhaps he wouldn’t be posting the same sort of numbers in an offense with a mediocre quarterback throwing him the ball, into more frequent double or triple coverage.

Still, Thomas’ combination of size, speed, and hands make him one of the league’s better wideouts no matter whose passes he’s catching and who’s covering him, and his relative youth (26) means he should have plenty more prime years on the way. So it makes sense that the Broncos have initiated extension talks with the former 22nd overall pick, perhaps even offering him a new five-year contract already, though there are conflicting reports on whether an official proposal is actually on the table.

A look at the list of top wide receiver contracts at OverTheCap.com shows that plenty of five-year deals have been signed in recent years — Greg Jennings ($45MM), Vincent Jackson ($55MM), Dwayne Bowe ($56MM), Mike Wallace ($60MM), and Percy Harvin ($64.25MM) are just a few of the players whose current contracts span five years and have base values that range from between $9-13MM annually. In his talks with the Broncos, it makes sense that Thomas and his reps would push to exceed the figures for players like Wallace and Harvin, whose resumés weren’t quite as impressive as the Denver receiver’s is.

Only two receivers have a larger per-year value on their current contracts than Harvin, with Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald in a stratosphere all on their own, averaging more than $16MM per season. Both players are also on seven-year deals, rather than five-year pacts. Johnson signed his latest contract after a season in which he grabbed 16 touchdowns and nearly racked up 1,700 receiving yards, while Fitzgerald’s extension came on the heels of four straight Pro Bowl seasons in which he never caught less than 90 balls, even when Derek Anderson and John Skelton were the ones throwing those balls.

Based on his accomplishments so far, Thomas doesn’t appear qualified to join Johnson and Fitzgerald in that $16MM+ range, but it seems clear he should surpass Harvin and potentially become the third-highest-paid receiver in the NFL, depending on what happens with Dez Bryant and 2015’s other free agents. I’d expect Denver to be exploring a deal in the range of $65MM for five new years, with $20MM+ in guaranteed money.

Whether that sort of commitment appeals to Thomas is the big question. Another huge year could move him a step closer to Megatron/Fitzgerald territory, perhaps warranting a deal in the neighborhood of $14-15MM annually. However, the former Georgia Tech standout might be wise not to overplay his hand. Not reaching an agreement with the Broncos this year means the team could use its franchise tag on him next year, postponing his free agency until 2016. By that point, there’s a decent chance Manning will no longer be quarterbacking in Denver, which may make the Broncos reluctant to spend huge money on a receiver if they’re not confident about a new signal-caller getting him the ball. Thomas would still be in line for a big multiyear deal on the open market, but the best way to maximize his payday could be to ink that next contract when his numbers are still getting that Manning bump — that means doing it sooner rather than later.

As such, I expect we’ll see Thomas and the Broncos reach a long-term agreement before or during training camp. If it’s a five-year deal, something in the range of $65-70MM seems about right to me. Whether the two sides agree with that assessment remains to be seen.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extension Candidate: Marcus Gilbert

June 16th, 2014 at 9:00pm CST by Rory Parks

We learned yesterday that Drew Rosenhaus, the agent for Steelers’ right tackle Marcus Gilbert, had approached the club about a possible long-term deal for Gilbert. Although those talks are in the preliminary stages at this point, it may behoove the Steelers, who have struggled to get consistent production from their offensive line in recent years, to act before Gilbert hits the open market at the end of this season.

To be certain, Gilbert is not an elite talent. Although we caution that Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics are not the be-all and end-all of player evaluation, those metrics combined with the “eye test” make for a fairly valuable analytical tool, and in this instance, the PFF grades (subscription required) accurately suggest that Gilbert is a solid pass blocker but struggles with run blocking. As compared to other offensive tackles, Gilbert is decidedly average, ranking 36th out of 76 qualified tackles in 2011, his rookie season, and 50th out of 76 in 2013 (he played only five games in 2012 after suffering an ankle injury in Week 6 of that season).

Nonetheless, even average lineman fared pretty well in free agency this year. As we noted yesterday, right tackles Austin Howard, Breno Giacomini, and Michael Oher all received four- or five-year deals worth between $4MM and $6MM per season. Only one of those players–Giacomini–performed better than Gilbert in 2013, according to PFF, and none of them were better in 2011. As such, Gilbert could reasonably demand at least as much, and will certainly get it should he hit free agency.

Gilbert, taken in the second round of the 2011 draft, is part of Pittsburgh’s recent movement to provide better protection to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and to revive their once-dominant running game. He is one of four offensive linemen taken in the first or second round in the past five years, along with tackle Mike Adams, guard David DeCastro, and recently-extended center Maurkice Pouncey. Although DeCastro and Pouncey have played well, Adams has struggled in his two seasons in the league, and the Steelers would like to be confident in at least one of their bookends in the long term.

Although he has stated that he loves playing in Pittsburgh and would not want to go elsewhere, the contracts that his peers received this offseason–along with the fact that he is represented by Rosenhaus–suggest that Gilbert will not be taking a hometown discount. However, solid tackles are hard to find, and the Steelers have gone through enough turmoil on their line in recent seasons to let a chance at real stability walk away (indeed, the chance to a keep core group of players in a given unit intact is an oft-overlooked but critical component of these discussions). It may be difficult to keep Gilbert on board, given that Roethlisberger, Jason Worilds, and Cortez Allen are also extension candidates, but Pittsburgh may have no other choice.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Extension Candidate: Kyle Rudolph

June 15th, 2014 at 5:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

New Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner is known as something of a “tight end whisperer” — his ability to induce production out of the position, with players like Antonio Gates and Jordan Cameron, is virtually unparallelled in the NFL. His newest protégé is Kyle Rudolph, who is entering not only his fourth season in the league but the final year of his rookie contract, which is set to pay him a base salary of nearly $1MM. The Vikings, then, in something of a buy-low opportunity, may look to extend the 24-year-old before 2014, when his talents, combined with Turner’s instruction, could lead to a monster season, allowing Rudolph to price himself out of Minnesota’s range.

Rudolph, a 2011 second-round pick, has accrued decidedly mediocre statistics over the course of his career — he averaged 39 receptions for 371 yards and six to NFL: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions uchdowns over his first two seasons; he nearly matched those numbers in 2013, however, despite starting only eight games due to a fractured foot. Advanced metrics paint a more favorable picture of Rudolph, as he graded as a top-15 tight end in both 2011 and 2012, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). DYAR, a Football Outsiders statistic that measures only receiving ability (omitting blocking) wasn’t quite as impressed — over the past three seasons, Rudolph ranked 43rd, 28th, and 27th. Of course, the Vikings haven’t had the most capable quarterbacks delivering the ball over that span, as Rudolph caught passes from the likes of Christian Ponder, Matt Cassel, and a near-retirement Donovan McNabb.

For his part, Rudolph has expressed his desire to remain with the Vikings. “…[M]y financial situation is completely in their hands right now,” Rudolph told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “I’ve got one year left on my deal here and I’m extremely excited for the changes that have been made around here (under first-year coach Mike Zimmer)…All I can worry about is going out and being successful. The contract will take care of itself. … I’d be more than happy to stay here for a long time.” However, as of mid-April, the Vikings had not approached him about an extension, according to Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Tight end contracts can be more difficult to evaluate than other positions because of the vast differences between players’ usage and roles. Having said that, it’s probably safe to disregard any potential deal regarding Jimmy Graham, as well as the 2012 extension signed by Rob Gronkowski, as the two are considered to be in completely different stratosphere. Also complicating matters is Rudolph’s youth — at 24, he is far younger than were most tight ends who received extensions.

Martellus Bennett of the Bears and Dennis Pitta of the Ravens offer the two best options when looking for comparable players and a potential contract. Bennett, who was 25 when he signed as a free agent with Chicago, had put up analogous numbers to Rudolph, but was a free agent — he received $20.4MM over five years, with $5.215MM in guarantees. Pitta has better statistics to Rudolph, but, like the Viking, was coming off an injury. He re-signed with Baltimore in late February, so while the deal was nominally an extension, he was effectively a free agent, as free agency began less than two weeks later. Pitta’s contract, signed when he was four years older than Rudolph, was worth $32MM over five years, $16MM of which was guaranteed.

I would set Bennett’s contract as the floor, and Pitta’s deal the ceiling, when discussing a Rudolph extension. A deal worth four to five years, with an AAV of $5.5MM, and guarantees in the $10-12MM range wouldn’t be out of the question. However, the Vikings need to factor in the risk of a huge 2014 season by Rudolph into their valuation; if he succeeds on the level of other Turner-coached tight ends, Rudolph could angle for an even larger contract. So perhaps the team, in the interest of getting a deal done now, offers a tad more in either AAV or guarantees in order to stave off a potential free agent negotiation.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

PFR Originals: 6/8/14 – 6/15/14

June 15th, 2014 at 2:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

David Kipke examined the wisdom of the NFL adding a developmental league.
Luke Adams delved into contract incentives, explaining the differences between “likely to be earned” and “not likely to be earned” incentives, and the resulting cap charges.
Luke asked whether the Bengals and Chiefs should offer extensions to Andy Dalton and Alex Smith, respectively, with a slight plurality believing that neither franchise should sign their signal-callers.
Zach Links rounded up the best of the football blogs in the latest installment of Pigskin Links
Luke looked at the Falcons’ options at linebacker in the wake of Sean Weatherspoon‘s season-ending injury.
In our latest Extension Candidate post, Luke wrote up Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith, and argued that Smith approaching the contract of Joe Thomas wouldn’t be out of the question.
A summary of all the features found here at PFR.

Extension Candidate: Tyron Smith

June 11th, 2014 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant is entering the final year of his rookie deal and should be in line for a big-money, long-term extension in the coming months. However, while Bryant may be the shorter-term priority for Dallas due to his expiring contract, offensive tackle Tyron Smith may ultimately be the more crucial piece for the Cowboys to lock up.

Because Smith was a first-round pick in 2011, the Cowboys were able to exercise their fifth-year team option to keep him under contract through 2015, but the clock is still ticking for the club to work out an agreement that will keep the Pro Bowler in Dallas for several years beyond that. Although we’ll have to wait and see whether the Cowboys choose to address the situation this year, it’s worth examining what kind of deal it would take to keep Smith in the fold.

Smith, 2011’s ninth overall pick, had his work on the outside of the Cowboys’ line recognized with a Pro Bowl nod last season for the first time, and his Pro Football Focus grades suggest he was worthy of that spot, with his performance placing him among the top five tackles in the NFL (subscription required).

It was the second time in three NFL seasons that PFF graded Smith as a top-five player at the position, though in his rookie season that ranking came at right tackle, rather than left. During his first year on the left side in 2012, Smith’s grades slipped a little, particularly as a pass-blocker, but his play in 2013, combined with his age (23) suggest we should expect to see the USC product continue to develop into one of the league’s elite offensive linemen.

If we’re assuming Smith should perform like one of the NFL’s best tackles, it stands to reason that he should be paid like one as well. So it makes sense to compare his potential contract to the ones signed by players like Joe Thomas, Ryan Clady, Branden Albert, and Trent Williams. As Over the Cap’s data shows, the average annual salaries for those tackles range from $9.4MM to $11.5MM, with their overall guarantees coming in between $15MM and $28.5MM.

By the time he negotiates an extension, Smith could be in position to argue he deserves to be paid more than any other left tackle in the NFL. After all, the salary cap is on the rise — by the time Smith’s new deal starts in 2016, teams will have significantly more cap space to work with than they did when many of those previous pacts were signed. Additionally, Smith will be in his prime years during his next deal. When the 2016 season gets underway, he’ll still be just 25 years old, so even if the Cowboys lock him up for several years past that, the club shouldn’t have to anticipate a drop in production over the course of the contract.

So what sort of figures would be fair for Smith? A per-year salary of $12MM+ seems within reach, and a full guarantee that significantly exceeds $20MM also makes sense. The length of the deal figures to depend on whether Smith wants another chance to hit free agency by age 30, or if he wants to commit to the Cowboys for most of his playing career. If it’s the latter, Thomas’ $80.5MM contract with the Browns might provide a reasonable point of comparison. Thomas established new high water marks for tackles with an $11.5MM annual salary and $28.5MM in guaranteed money on his seven-year deal. Assuming Smith continues to cement his place as one of the NFL’s most effective linemen in 2014, it wouldn’t be a shock if he surpasses Thomas and establishes new baselines for tackles with his next contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

The Falcons’ Options At Linebacker

June 11th, 2014 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

The Falcons will aim to bounce back from a disappointing 2013 season this year, and while there are several reasons for optimism, the team’s 2014 chances sustained a significant blow yesterday, when word broke that linebacker Sean Weatherspoon ruptured his Achilles tendon and will be out for the season.

Already a key contributor on defense for Atlanta, Weatherspoon may have assumed even greater importance this year, as the Falcons transition from a 4-3 base defense into a hybrid system that will incorporate more 3-4 looks. With Weatherspoon out of the picture, the pressure is on the remaining linebackers to fill his role, and it’s not an overwhelmingly deep group. The club is currently carrying 11 linebackers on the roster, but seven of those are rookies — either mid-to-late round draft picks or undrafted free agents.

As D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes, the Falcons spent most of last season with Joplo Bartu, Paul Worrilow, and Akeem Dent playing the majority of the snaps at the starting linebacker spots. Those players didn’t perform too badly — Worrilow led the team in tackles, and Bartu graded as about a league-average outside linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required).

If more linebacker snaps are necessary in the Falcons’ new defensive system though, Atlanta will need to rely on more than those three players to get by. Kroy Biermann is the other returning player on the unit, but he’s coming off a serious Achilles injury of his own, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be fully returned to form. In some looks, the Falcons may line up 4-3 defensive ends such as Osi Umenyiora as 3-4 outside linebackers — still, the team will likely rotate players in and out of those spots depending on the situation.

Of the first-year players, Notre Dame’s Prince Shembo was the highest pick, selected in the fourth round at No. 139 overall. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be the player to make the most impact right away, but besides Shembo and fifth-rounder Marquis Spruill, all of the Falcons’ rookie LBs were seventh-round picks or undrafted free agents — that suggests most teams, including Atlanta, probably didn’t view those players as ready to step in as immediate contributors. Nonetheless, perhaps one or two players of a group that also includes Yawin Smallwood, Tyler Starr, Brenden Daley, Walker May, and Jacques Smith will provide unexpected production right away.

If the Falcons aren’t comfortable with their internal options, exploring free agency is an alternative. Although most impact players were snatched up months ago, linebacker is one spot where there are still a few notable names on the board. Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution suggests James Harrison is one player for the club to consider, while ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure wonders if Dan Connor, who worked out for Atlanta earlier in the offseason, is worth a longer look.

A glance at our list of remaining free agents reveals a few other possibilities. Pat Angerer and Jonathan Vilma are among the veterans who could have some value, and there are a pair of former Falcons still on the market as well, in Omar Gaither and Stephen Nicholas. Considering the team is implementing a new defensive system, the fact that Gaither and Nicholas played in Atlanta last year wouldn’t necessarily be a huge plus, though at least the Falcons have first-hand familiarity with those players’ strengths and weaknesses.

Ultimately, the Falcons may be content to see how their rookies and returning linebackers fare in Weatherspoon’s absence. However, considering how Atlanta’s defense performed in 2013, entering the 2014 campaign with a similar group of players at the LB position has to give the team pause. I’d expect the Falcons to peruse the free agent market with a little more urgency before training camp in search of a potential upgrade.

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