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Poll: Best AFC Free Agent Addition?

October 6th, 2017 at 5:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

A quarter of the NFL season is now in the books, which means we can accurately grade each and every free agent signing, right? Right?

Even if that’s not the case, it’s still possible to get a sense of how free agents are playing and whether they’re living up to their contacts through four games. With that in mind, we examined the best free agent signing on each AFC club before asking you to vote on the top overall AFC addition.

One note: we only looked at newcomers, so free agents that re-signed with their original clubs (Ravens defensive tackle Brandon Williams or Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, for example) aren’t included. On to the list!

Baltimore Ravens

Austin Howard, T: No NFL team has been hit harder by injuries in 2017 than the Ravens, and the club’s offensive line hasn’t been immune to health questions. Alex Lewis and Nico Siragusa — both counted on as starters at various points — are done for the season, while All World guard Marshal Yanda is also lost for the year after fracturing his leg in Week 2. Enter Howard, whom Baltimore signed after he was released by the Raiders. The 30-year-old has stepped in at right tackle, playing every offensive snap for the Ravens. While Baltimore’s offensive line still isn’t great (14th in adjusted sack rate, 19th in adjusted line yards), it’s not the disaster that it could have been, and that’s partially thanks to Howard.

Buffalo Bills

Jordan Poyer, S: Poyer had never been a full-time starter when the Bills inked him to a four-year, $13MM deal this offseason, but he’s been excellent through four games with Buffalo. Although he signed for roughly half of fellow free agent addition Micah Hyde‘s contract, Poyer actually tops Hyde in Pro Football Focus‘ safety rankings (No. 8 vs. No. 32). His performance is all the more impressive given that his 2016 campaign ended with a lacerated kidney. Poyer has racked up 15 tackles, two sacks, one interception, and five passes defensed in Sean McDermott‘s defense.

Cincinnati Bengals

Andre Smith, T: Cincinnati originally forged a reunion with Smith with the intent of shifting him to guard, but he’s instead rotated at both left and right tackle behind starters Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher. A collegiate blindside protector, Smith hadn’t played left tackle in the NFL until now, but he’s been surprisingly efficient. While he’s only played about half the snaps of Ogbuehi and Fisher, that could change if those former early-round draft picks don’t step up their game going forward.

Cleveland Browns

Jason McCourty, CB: Although the Browns dropped a combined $50MM guaranteed on Kevin Zeitler, Kenny Britt, and J.C. Tretter, it’s McCourty — whom Cleveland landed on two-year, $6MM deal — that’s performed the best through four contests. Though he had struggled in recent seasons, the now 30-year-old McCourty has returned to his 2010-13 level of play, as he’s graded as the No. 6 cornerback in the league, per PFF. There’s probably some regression coming, but McCourty has been worth every penny.

Denver Broncos

Ronald Leary, G: In sharp contrast to fellow free agent offensive line signing Menelik Watson (who allowed an astounding six sacks through the first two weeks of the season), Leary has stabilized the right guard position in Denver. The Broncos rank third in the league in rushing (both in yards and yards per carry) and eighth in rushing DVOA, and that’s due in no small part to Leary’s presence. Leary is all the more important given that Denver is currently splitting left guard snaps between Allen Barbre and Max Garcia.

Houston Texans

Marcus Gilchrist, S: The Texans didn’t bring in many free agents this offseason, and offensive tackle Breno Giacomini is the only other addition besides Gilchrist who’s seen significant playing time in 2017. Gilchrist, 28, has always been a solid defensive back, and he’s playing well in Houston’s secondary after a patellar tendon injury shortened his 2016 campaign. He’s only been on the field for 99 defensive snaps so far this season, but his playing time figures to increase as the year progresses.

Indianapolis Colts

Jabaal Sheard, DE: Do you think the Patriots, who have struggled to generate any sort of pass rush, would like to have Sheard back? Although he’s managed only one sack, Sheard has created a ton of pressure, and ranks as the No. 17 edge rusher in the NFL, per PFF. But he’s been even better against the run (No. 3, according to PFF), and he’s been one of the few bright spots on a poor Indianapolis defense. Signed through 2019 at $8.5MM annually, Sheard has been a bargain for the Colts.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Calais Campbell, DE: As they have in past offseasons, the Jaguars ponied up for marquee free agents earlier this year, signing defensive backs A.J. Bouye and Barry Church in addition to Campbell. Through a quarter of the season, Campbell has lived up to his four-year, $60MM contract, as he’s already put up 5.5 sacks and 11.5 pressures, and has played like one of the league’s best pass-rushers. Jacksonville leads the league in adjusted sack rate, and Campbell’s presence has surely assisted second-year pro Yannick Ngakoue‘s in his four-sack campaign.

Kansas City Chiefs

Bennie Logan, DT: The only undefeated team in the NFL, the Chiefs are 4-0 without the help of many external additions. Logan inked a one-year, $8MM pact with Kansas City that was almost fully guaranteed after rejecting a “sizable” extension offer from the Eagles during the 2016 campaign. Logan, 27, has played 155 defensive through four games and served as a run-stuffer, but it’s too early to say whether he made a mistake in turning down a new deal from Philadelphia.

Los Angeles Chargers

Russell Okung, T: Okung’s four-year contract — which made him the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman — looked like an overpay from the minute it was signed, but there’s no arguing that Okung has played well since leaving the division rival Broncos for the Chargers. Los Angeles’ offensive line still isn’t good, but that’s not the fault of Okung. The Chargers average 6.03 yards when running around the left end (per Football Outsiders), a figure that ranks fifth in the league.

Miami Dolphins

N/A: Jay Cutler has been indifferent, timid, and inaccurate. Lawrence Timmons went AWOL and was suspended. Ted Larsen is sidelined through midseason at the earliest. Miami swung and missed in free agency.

New England Patriots

Mike Gillislee, RB: The Patriots surprisingly signed cornerback Stephon Gilmore to a five-year, $65MM deal this spring, but the former Bill has looked lost in coverage through four games in New England. Defensive lineman Lawrence Guy has been serviceable but not a difference-maker, leaving Gillislee as the Pats’ best free agent addition thus far. To be clear, Gillislee hasn’t been all that effective (especially after leading the league in yards per carry a season ago), but he’s managed to fall into the end zone four times. Not bad for a two-year, $6.4MM contract.

New York Jets

Morris Claiborne, CB: Similar to the Patriots and Jabaal Sheard, the Cowboys would probably like to have Claiborne back on their roster. While he’s not a shutdown cornerback, Claiborne offers competent play when healthy, and he’s played nearly every defensive snap for the Jets this year. Gang Green got Claiborne for only $5MM over one year, a discount largely due to Claiborne’s injury history. New York ranks 14th in passing defense DVOA.

Oakland Raiders

Jared Cook, TE: The Raiders needed to add another offensive weapon to supplement wideouts Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, and there are signs that Cook can be that third option. And in a season in which Crabtree has already dealt with injury, and Cooper has seemingly forgotten how to catch, Cook could be play an even larger role going forward. He could be especially critical as a safety blanket for EJ Manuel, who is now filling in at quarterback for the injury Derek Carr.

Pittsburgh Steelers

N/A: The only Steelers free agent addition that’s garnered any significant playing time is former Jaguars defensive tackle Tyson Alualu, and he’s been incredibly unproductive on 178 defensive snaps. Cornerback Coty Sensabaugh, who received $425K guaranteed on a two-year pact, has barely played.

Tennessee Titans

Eric Decker, WR: None of the Titans’ free agent signings have been great successes so far, and safety Jonathan Cyprien might have been choice here had he been able to stay healthy. Logan Ryan, too, has been acceptable, but he hasn’t been able to lift Tennessee’s passing defense out of the doldrums. Decker has only posted 12 receptions for 104 yards in 2017, but he’s been a great run-blocking wideout, which is critical in the Titans’ run-first offense. Sure, Tennessee isn’t paying Decker $4MM to block, but he’s at least contributing.

So, what do you think? Which of the free agents has been the best signing through a quarter of the 2017 season? Vote below, and leave your thoughts in the comments section:

Poll: Will The Patriots Trade CB Malcolm Butler?

September 30th, 2017 at 11:49am CST by Ben Levine

Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler had been the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason. With the trade deadline rapidly approaching , it begs the question: will New England look to trade their former Super Bowl hero?

Before we discuss the logic of such a move, let’s review why the Patriots and Butler find themselves in this situation in the first place. The former undrafted free agent has proven himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL over the past two years, earning a Pro Bowl spot in 2015 and a second-team All-Pro nod in 2016. Unsurprisingly, the underpaid cornerback requested a raise prior to last season, although the Patriots predictably made him play on his $600K salary. With the cornerback set to hit restricted free agency, the Patriots slapped a first-round tender on him early in the offseason.

Instead of signing Butler to a lucrative extension, the Patriots decided to ink free agent corner Stephon Gilmore to the most expensive contract for a defensive player in team history. Predictably, Butler was “extremely frustrated” by this move. Subsequent reports indicated that the team was shopping Butler to New Orleans, and the player’s agent was apparently asking front offices for a Gilmore-type contract (around $14MM annually). While there seemed to be some momentum towards a deal with the Saints, talks ultimately died, and Butler eventually signed his tender.

With reports indicating that the cornerback was likely going to leave New England following the season, some assumed that the Patriots would ride out the season with a deadly duo of Butler and Gilmore. However, coach Bill Belichick has never really operated under that logic. Last year, we saw the team trade impending free agents Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins. Previously, the front office dealt Deion Branch and Richard Seymour, who were also set to hit free agency. In all these cases, the trades arguably hurt New England’s on-field product, which only emphasizes why Belichick isn’t afraid to trade a player before he’s set to walk. For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported back in April that a trade was still possible, although unlikely. Reports also indicated that the team has no interest in franchising the defensive back.

Through the first three games of the season, the cornerback hasn’t done much to boost his free agent stock. After playing nearly all of his team’s snaps in 2016, he found himself on the bench during the beginning of the Patriots’ Week 2 contest. He’s compiled nine tackles and one pass defended this year, and Pro Football Focus ranks him 37th among 109 qualified cornerbacks.

Even if he has taken a slight step back this season, the Patriots could still receive some type of draft-pick compensation for Butler. Sure, he is an impending free agent in pursuit of a huge payday, but any acquiring team would have the leverage of a franchise tag.

So that leads back to the original question: will the Patriots trade Malcolm Butler prior to the trade deadline? Vote below, and let us know what you think in the comment section.

Poll: Will The Giants Make The Playoffs?

September 27th, 2017 at 4:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants are off to an 0-3 start and the odds of a huge turnaround are not mathematically in their favor. As Tom Canavan of The Associated Press points out, only five teams that started the season 0-3 since 1980 have managed to reach the playoffs. It’s a feat that has not been pulled off since 1998 when the Bills went winless through the first three weeks of the regular season but managed to reach the postseason. There’s also this to consider: the Giants entered the year tied for the league’s eighth highest strength of schedule. It doesn’t necessarily get easier from here.

The Giants were not everyone’s pick to win the NFC East, but few expected them to be this putrid. Last year, their spending spree gave their defense a major boost and they finished out with the second best defensive DVOA in the league. And, on the other side of the ball, the G-Men went out and got Brandon Marshall to help keep defenders off of star Odell Beckham Jr. So far, that hasn’t gotten them in the win column.

“We need to keep fighting through,” said coach Ben McAdoo after Sunday’s loss to the Eagles. “I believe in this team. I believe in the potential of this team. It starts with me and we need to keep fighting to get better and we need to keep fighting to get the win. Got to get that first one.”

The Giants may also have to shake things up, though their out-of-house options are limited at this juncture. The offensive line continues to be an issue for them and that’s a situation that could be best remedied by moving Ereck Flowers out of the starting left tackle spot, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com writes. Instead, Justin Pugh or undrafted rookie Chad Wheeler could get an opportunity to serve as one of Eli Manning‘s top protectors while Flowers competes with Bobby Hart for the starting job on the right side instead. If that sounds like an uninspiring option, that’s because it is an uninspiring option. The reality is that the Giants blew their wad in the 2016 offseason, leaving little room for much-needed upgrades this year, such as improvements on the O-Line.

Now 0-3 and 0-2 within the division, do you see the Giants rallying to make the postseason? Cast your vote here:

Which 0-2 Team Is Likeliest To Rebound?

September 20th, 2017 at 8:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Nearly three-quarters of NFL teams are in the win column this year while nine teams still in search of their first W. However, starting out 0-2 is not a death sentence. In each of the last four seasons, at least one 0-2 team has made the playoffs. In 2015, two teams (the Texans and Seahawks) both made the postseason, despite an 0-2 start to the year.

In the spirit of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, we want to know which team you think will turn over a new leaf starting in Week 3. Here’s the rundown:

Chicago Bears

The Bears took the defending NFC champion Falcons to the brink in Week 1, and though Week 2’s contest against the Buccaneers wasn’t as close, Chicago has shown signs of life. Rookie running back Tarik Cohen has emerged as a threat in the passing game following injuries to wideouts Cameron Meredith and Kevin White, and he could potentially former a thunder-and-lightning combination with Jordan Howard. Signal-caller Mike Glennon is 18th in quarterback rating and 22nd in adjusted net yards per attempt, so the calls for No. 2 overall selection Mitch Trubisky could come quickly.

Cincinnati Bengals

Moreso than any other team on this list, the Bengals have acted quickly to rectify their early-season woes, firing offensive coordinator Ken Zampese after they failed to score a touchdown in either of their first two games. Things won’t get any easier when Cincinnati travels to Green Bay in Week 3, but perhaps new offensive play-caller Bill Lazor will further implement rookies John Ross and Joe Mixon into the club’s gameplan. Additionally, Lazor will reportedly seek to install a quicker offense that will alleviate the Bengals’ offensive line concerns.

Cleveland Browns

2017 had always been viewed as another rebuilding season for the Browns, but Cleveland has been relatively competitive through two games (especially in Week 1, when it lost to Pittsburgh by only a field goal). A supposedly revamped offensive line still ranks near the bottom of the league in both run blocking and pass protection, and the Browns will need continued improvement from quarterback DeShone Kizer if they hope to compete this year. A broken hand for Corey Coleman — and a disappointing start by veteran pass-catcher Kenny Britt — aren’t helping matters, but a return from No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett could spark Cleveland’s defense.

Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck won’t practice this week, and although the Colts had been eyeing an early October return for their star quarterback, it’s beginning to seem like it could be longer before we see Luck back on the field. If Indianapolis continues to struggle, will the Colts even bother with putting Luck back into the lineup? General manager Chris Ballard made a handful of low-cost defensive additions this offseason, and if No. 1 cornerback Vontae Davis gets healthy, the unit could mesh. But nothing will matter unless Luck can supplant Jacoby Brissett within the next few weeks.

Los Angles Chargers

The Chargers got smashed this week for being unable to fill a soccer stadium for their season opener. We’ll admit that it wasn’t a good look, but things will improve if they start winning and there is reason to believe that can happen soon. The Chargers are winless, but they lost to the Broncos and Dolphins by a combined total of five points. If rookie kicker Younghoe Koo had connected on one of his two missed attempts against Miami or if his 44-yard try against the Broncos was not blocked, the Chargers wouldn’t be on this list.

New Orleans Saints

A top-ten offense and a bottom-two defense by DVOA? We must be talking about the Saints. New Orleans hasn’t started out the season with the easiest schedule in facing the Vikings and Patriots, but improvement on the health front could help their offense in the coming weeks. Left tackle Terron Armstead is reportedly ahead of schedule, and his return could allow rookie Ryan Ramczyk to move to the right side to cover for the injured Zach Strief. Receiver Willie Snead, too, will come back in Week 4 following a suspension. Solutions on defense are less obvious, but development from young players such as corner Marshon Lattimore and linebacker Alex Anzalone is a start.

New York Giants

The Giants have limped out of the gate and head coach Ben McAdoo may be thinking about giving up play calling duties. That’s not the only change that could be coming on offense. Second-year pro Paul Perkins has been averaging just 1.9 yards per carry and the Giants could shake things up by handing things over to Orleans Darkwa, who has 5.2 yards per attempt in a smaller sample size. In theory, that could spark Eli Manning and the passing game, but the offensive line will have to do a better job of protecting its quarterback in order to move the chains.

New York Jets

Wait, wait – hear us out. Yes, the Jets are behind the 8-ball after losing wide receiver Quincy Enunwa for the season and cutting valuable vets like Eric Decker and David Harris. However, they kept the score close in their Week 1 game against the rival Bills and things didn’t get too out of hand against the Raiders until a muffed punt late in the first half. Next up, the Jets have a home date with the Lawrence Timmons-less Dolphins followed by a pair of (dare we say) winnable games against the Browns and Jaguars. We know you won’t pick the Jets, but we hope we at least gave you something to think about.

San Francisco 49ers

Brian Hoyer has been dreadful in his first two games under center for SF and the Niners are hoping that he’ll do better on Thursday night against the Rams. If San Francisco is lucky, defensive tackle Aaron Donald will still be shaking the rust off on national television. However, even if they are able to avoid an 0-3 start, the odds are probably still against this rebuilding club in 2017.

So what do you think? Which of these nine clubs has the best chance to rebound from its poor start in order to earn a postseason berth? Vote in the poll below!

Let’s Figure Out Who Offered A Second-Rounder For A.J. McCarron

August 11th, 2017 at 9:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

An unidentified team reportedly offered the Bengals a second-round pick for backup quarterback A.J. McCarron this offseason, as Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reported earlier this week. Cincinnati rejected the offer, as it apparently wants a first-rounder for McCarron, who will once again act as a reserve behind starter Andy Dalton in 2017.

McCarron, 26, doesn’t have much NFL experience, as he’s only made four total starts (all following a 2015 Dalton injury) during his three-year career. Although he posted a decent showing in those appearances, tossing seven touchdowns against two interceptions, the former fifth-round pick’s track record is admittedly limited. McCarron’s contract situation is also up in the air: while the Bengals reportedly believe he’ll be a restricted free agent in 2018 because he spent his rookie season on the non-football injury list, McCarron and his agent may have a different take. An arbitrator hearing and resolution likely won’t come until next season.

With those caveats in mind, let’s look at the possible candidates for who offered a second-round pick for McCarron:

Arizona Cardinals

Let’s start off this exercise with the one true wild card on this list, as the Cardinals already have their starting quarterback in another former Bengal, 37-year-old Carson Palmer. Given that Palmer hinted at retirement all offseason, it’s entirely feasible 2017 will be his final NFL season, and Arizona hasn’t established a plan for the future. Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert aren’t realistic options to take over under center if Palmer does hang up his cleats after the upcoming campaign, so it’s possible the Cardinals would have floated a Day 2 selection in order to land a long-term successor like McCarron. General manager Steve Keim hasn’t been afraid to trade draft picks in the past, although his other significant deal — sending a second-rounder to the Patriots for edge rusher Chandler Jones — was a win-now move. McCarron’s 2014 NFL.com draft profile noted his lack of a “big-time, vertical arm,” which would theoretically present a problem in a Bruce Arians offense.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills hemmed and hawed on whether to retain incumbent signal-caller Tyrod Taylor, and though it appeared as though he’d hit free agency, Taylor ultimately agreed to a short-term pact that will keep him Buffalo through the 2018 season. While McCarron would seemingly fit in new play-caller Rick Dennison‘s offense, the timeline of the Bills’ front office turnover makes it unlikely they were involved in McCarron trade discussions. Buffalo reached a new deal with Taylor just prior to the start of the 2017 league year in early March, and former general manager Doug Whaley was fired two months later. Targeting another quarterback just after working out a fresh pact with Taylor seems improbable, and Buffalo’s ownership wouldn’t have let a lame duck like Whaley make such a franchise-altering decision.

Chicago Bears

While the Bears were never linked to McCarron, they were interested in trading for another high-profile backup quarterback — the Patriots’ Jimmy Garoppolo. Rival clubs didn’t believe Chicago would be forced to part with its No. 3 overall pick in order to land Garoppolo, as a package of multiple second-round selections was thought to be enough to get a deal done. Clearly, that view was misguided in regards to Garoppolo’s availability, but the Bears were obviously willing to ship away draft choices in order to bring in a passer. Ultimately, Chicago not only signed free agent Mike Glennon, but sent a bevy of picks to the 49ers in order to move up one spot in the first round for UNC’s Mitch Trubisky. Sending a second-rounder to Cincinnati for McCarron, then, wouldn’t have been out of the question.

Cleveland Browns

The one club known to have held McCarron trade talks with the Bengals is the Browns, who were reportedly discussing McCarron as late as the first day of the draft in April. However, negotiations between Cincinnati and Cleveland apparently didn’t get very far, as the Bengals were had assigned a high price tag to its backup quarterback. Based on familiarity alone, the Browns were an excellent fit for McCarron, as Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson was the Bengals’ offensive coordinator when McCarron entered the league in 2014. The Bengals didn’t seem to have any qualms about dealing McCarron to a division rival, and Cleveland seems like an obvious contender for the mystery team that offered Cincinnati a second-round pick, especially given that it owned two of them heading into the draft.

Denver Broncos

An armchair psychologist might say general manager John Elway‘s insistence that the Broncos are not currently trying to trade for McCarron (“150% false) is a bit on the defensive side, but even if Denver isn’t looking into McCarron at the moment, that doesn’t mean the club wasn’t interested in him earlier this year. Yes, the Broncos used a first-round pick on Paxton Lynch just a year ago, but reports on him and fellow quarterback Trevor Siemian haven’t been positive. Plus, Denver was linked to at least one signal-caller upgrade — veteran Tony Romo — this offseason, meaning the Broncos were willing to put Lynch and Siemian on the bench if a better option was discovered.

Houston Texans

One of the three clubs on this list that ultimately traded up to select a quarterback in the first round of the draft, the Texans are now set for the future with Clemson’s Deshaun Watson under center. But would they have been willing to ship a relatively early pick to the Bengals for McCarron before acquiring Watson? Possibly, although the fact that McCarron would likely need to be extended relatively quickly may have presented a problem. The Texans are staring at long-term deals for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, so cap space could quickly get tight. And after general manager Rick Smith whiffed on Brock Osweiler in 2016, Texans ownership may not have given approval for the front office to spend both draft pick capital and more cash on another unproven quarterback.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs actually selected another quarterback — Georgia’s Aaron Murray — one pick before McCarron came off the board to Cincinnati in the fifth round of the 2014 draft. But McCarron doesn’t look like a perfect fit for Kansas City, and like Houston, cap space problems would have likely come into play. The Chiefs are currently projected to be nearly $5MM over the cap in 2018, so extending or franchising McCarron would have possibly been untenable. As such, Kansas City needed the benefits of a rookie quarterback contract, and instead opted to trade up to acquire Patrick Mahomes out of Texas Tech.

New York Jets

Writing in early March, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com suggested the Jets may have looked into a possible Sheldon Richardson-for-McCarron trade, noting his belief that Cincinnati would have had to insert a draft pick to get a deal done. I completely disagree on that last point, as a quarterback — even a reserve — has more value than a unproductive edge rusher/defensive tackle (plus, Richardson is scheduled to earn nearly $8MM more than McCarron in 2017), the idea of Gang Green trading for McCarron wasn’t completely out of the question. New York isn’t trying to win during the upcoming season, however, and will limp through the campaign with Josh McCown, Bryce Petty, and Christian Hackenberg before presumably finding a quarterback in next year’s draft.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers are one of the more interesting clubs on this list, as new head coach Kyle Shanahan should be allowed to essentially handpick his quarterback of the future at this point. San Francisco signed free agents Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley, and drafted Iowa’s C.J. Beathard in the third round, but any talks regarding McCarron likely would have occurred before the 49ers made those moves. Still, the idea that San Francisco would have offered a second-round pick for McCarron seems unlikely for a few reasons. First, the Niners’ second-rounder was No. 34 overall, an extremely valuable draft choice, and second, San Francisco is probably holding off on adding a long-term quarterback until the 2018 free agent status of Kirk Cousins — Shanahan’s former pupil — is resolved.

What do you think? Did one of these clubs offer a second-round pick for McCarron? Or was it another unidentified team? Weigh in here:

Poll: Which Free Agent QB Will Sign First?

July 30th, 2017 at 8:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Last week, a veteran quarterback came off the board, but it wasn’t one of the names that the football world has really been waiting on. Dan Orlovsky will now look to make the Rams’ final cut while more notable players continue to look for work.

Things continue to be eerily quiet for Colin Kaepernick, despite the fact that he is widely regarded as the best backup quarterback option available. The Ravens say that they have some degree of interest, but they’re also concerned about how adding him to the roster would be publicly perceived. A late May workout with the Seahawks did not result in a deal and, depending on who you ask, Seattle may have passed because of Kaepernick’s salary expectations. The Cowboys also found themselves in the market for a quarterback when Zac Dysert went down with injury, but they scooped up Luke McCown without calling Kaepernick. For what it’s worth, Chip Kelly says that Kaepernick’s political activism was not a distraction while they were together in San Francisco.

There was hope for Robert Griffin III to find a home after he had a successful audition with the Chargers earlier this month. Unfortunately for the former Redskins star, it seems that the Bolts used his quality tryout to leverage the Bills into a more favorable trade for Cardale Jones. The Bolts workout was Griffin’s first of the offseason and although the Ravens are thinking about bringing him in for a workout, it’s not clear if they’ll follow through. Griffin is eager to show teams that he can recapture some of the magic from his rookie season in 2012. But, after Griffin missed the bulk of 2016 with a shoulder injury and fell flat in his five starts, teams are not all that interested in seeing what he can do.

Kaepernick and Griffin are the most well-known QBs left on the market, but other notable names left include 37-year-old Shaun Hill, former first round pick Christian Ponder, and ex-Titans signal caller Zach Mettenberger. Of those five players – who do you think will be the next to sign? Click below to cast your vote and back up your choice in the comments.

Poll: Kirk Cousins’ Future

July 20th, 2017 at 7:29pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins won’t be eligible to sign a multiyear contract until 2018, meaning his future will continue to be among the NFL’s most popular topics leading up to free agency next March. There are multiple ways in which the Redskins could prevent Cousins from reaching the open market, but as those who have paid any attention to his situation know, it’s going to be exceedingly difficult.

Washington retained Cousins this offseason via the franchise tag for the second straight year, and it saw the price rise from $19.95MM to $23.94MM in the process. Both are palatable costs for Cousins, regardless of whether you believe he’s an elite-level signal-caller or merely a good one. On the other hand, the bill in 2018 for a third consecutive franchise tag – over $34MM – won’t be so appetizing.

While the Redskins could hit Cousins with the $28MM transition tag as a less expensive alternative, that wouldn’t prevent other teams from attempting to pry him away. Any club would have to pay an exorbitant amount to steal Cousins, but a bid that the Redskins don’t match wouldn’t entitle them to any compensation for his departure. The other option for the Redskins is to sign Cousins long term, which they’ve tried to do, but it wouldn’t make much sense for the player to deprive himself of a chance to visit the open market and entertain pitches from around the league if he turns in another terrific season in 2017.

On the heels of his first two years as a starter, a period in which Cousins tossed 54 touchdowns against 23 interceptions, threw for 9,000-plus yards and completed over 68 percent of passes, the Redskins attempted to secure him on a five-year, $110MM extension proposal. Thanks in part to the $43MM-plus in guaranteed money he’ll make from 2016-17, though, Cousins was able to turn down long-term comfort now in hopes of landing an even richer deal in 2018.

While the soon-to-be 29-year-old Cousins is willing to stay in Washington for the foreseeable future (and the team will have plenty of cap space as it negotiates with him next winter), there’s a good chance spurning its offer will go down as a wise decision. With yet another productive season, Cousins would become the rare in-his-prime, franchise-caliber QB to reach free agency, following in the footsteps of Drew Brees in 2006, and many clubs would be in pursuit. Both the 49ers, with a Cousins fan in head coach Kyle Shanahan, and Browns have unsettled situations under center, significant spending room, and have been linked to Cousins this offseason. So, it’s easy to imagine them chasing him in 2018. They won’t be alone, though, with the Jaguars, Jets, Vikings, Cardinals, Rams, Broncos and Bills also standing out as teams that could plausibly participate in a Cousins sweepstakes.

How Cousins performs this season will be a fascinating precursor to what figures to be a riveting offseason for him and Washington. In Cousins, the Redskins found a gem in the fourth round of the 2012 draft, the same year they selected the once-dazzling but now-ruined Robert Griffin III at No. 2 overall. The Redskins believed at the time that RG3 would be the face of their franchise, but five years later, that distinction belongs to Cousins. Roughly eight months from now, though, the Redskins will once again be devoid at the game’s most important position if the very real possibility of Cousins going elsewhere comes to fruition.

Poll: Which Players Will Sign By Deadline?

July 13th, 2017 at 1:22pm CST by Zachary Links

With five days to go until the deadline for teams to sign franchise tagged players to extensions, there apparently hasn’t been a ton of progress for any of the three players in question. Still, we’ve had some mid-July surprises in the past, like last year’s last minute extension for Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson. Here’s a quick refresher on where things stand for Kirk Cousins, Le’Veon Bell, and Trumaine Johnson:

Kirk Cousins

There has been no movement towards a deal for the Redskins and Cousins, and both sides are apparently alright with that. You know the deal by now: Cousins is looking at a $24MM salary in 2017 and the Redskins will have to give him a tender worth at least $28MM to keep him away from unrestricted free agency next season. Cousins is confident in his abilities and eager to push the market for quarterbacks, so he is not all that inclined to sign a multi-year deal.

Cousins’ agent probably won’t consider any offer with less than $52MM guaranteed. If his camp really wants to drive a hard bargain, it will insist on a minimum $58MM in the bag since that factors in the value a third franchise tag in 2018 ($34MM) rather than the $28MM transition tag, which would only give Washington the first right of refusal.

Cousins, like any player in extension talks, must weigh the benefit of cost certainty versus the upside of the open market. But, with the way quarterbacks get paid in the NFL, he is looking at a high floor. Cousins is not considered to be a top five QB, but if he were to put pen to paper today, he would be the highest-paid player in the NFL – at least for a couple of weeks. Even if Cousins has a mild regression in 2017, he’ll still be looking at either a one-year, ~$30MM deal in Washington or a $100MM+ deal in free agency. In order for the soon-to-be 29-year-old to sign, he’ll either have to be wowed by an offer or he’ll have to catch a case of cold feet in the coming days.

Le’Veon Bell

Bell, by any measure, is one of the very best running backs in the NFL. In a suspension-shortened 2016 season, Bell earned his second career trip to the Pro Bowl as he ran for 1,268 yrds off of 261 carries, mirroring a career-high of 4.9 yards per attempt. He also added 75 receptions for 616 yards. When averaged out on a per-game basis, his 2016 numbers actually bested his 2014 campaign, a season in which he was a First-Team All-Pro selection. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus had Bell ranked as the third best RB in the league last season, behind only Ezekiel Elliott and David Johnson.

While there has been talk about Cousins being less-than-thrilled with Redskins management, Bell has been open about wanting to stay in Pittsburgh. The feeling is mutual as the Steelers want to keep in him in the fold for the long term. So, what’s the holdup?

Bell is probably seeking to overtake Bills star LeSean McCoy as the highest-paid running back in the NFL. The Steelers are probably willing to oblige, but, as we all know, there’s a difference between becoming the market-setter in terms of years/dollars and the true value of a deal. If Bell wants to sign a five-year deal worth more than $40MM, odds are that he could do that right now. What he’s really after, however, are substantial guarantees with significant cash flow in the first two years of the deal.

Running backs are always at a high risk of injury and teams are typically adversed to paying out real dollars for them on multi-year deals, even if the cases of exceptional players like Bell. The Steelers are hoping to find a happy medium with Bell in the coming days since his $12MM price tag for this year is high and a potential $14MM tag for 2018 is spit take worthy.

Trumaine Johnson

Like Cousins, this is the second year in a row that Johnson has been hit with the franchise tag. Where the situations differ is that there is zero chance the Rams will apply the tag to Johnson for a third year in a row. If Johnson plays out the year on his one-year, $17MM tender, he’ll hit unrestricted free agency at the age of 28 because there’s virtually no chance that the Rams would tag him at upwards of $24MM in 2018.

Johnson has yet to establish himself as an elite cornerback, but this would be the time to do it as he enters a contract year. The Rams’ strong front seven should keep opposing quarterbacks under duress, allowing Johnson to swarm receivers on immature routes. It appears that Johnson has little incentive to sign a long-term deal here, unless the Rams are willing to make a cap-crippling commitment.

On Tuesday, it was reported that nothing is currently in the works for Johnson and the Rams. Things will have to change dramatically in order for Johnson to be committed to L.A. beyond 2017.

Take your pick

Which of these three players, if any, will sign extensions before the deadline on Monday? Cast your vote below and back up your choice in the comment section.

Poll: Will Darrelle Revis Play In 2017?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Poll: Which 2016 Division Winners Will Miss Playoffs?

July 4th, 2017 at 5:19pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A year ago at this time, the Broncos, Panthers and Cardinals were popular picks to rank among the NFL’s elite teams in 2016. Denver was the reigning Super Bowl champion, after all, while Carolina was coming off a 15-1, conference-winning campaign and Arizona was second to the Panthers in the NFC. Each of those teams won their divisions two years ago, and not only were they unable to repeat that feat in 2016, but all three watched the playoffs from home last winter. They were among a whopping six division-winning clubs from 2015 that failed to qualify for the playoffs last season, joining the Bengals, Redskins and Vikings.

If the volatility from 2015 to ’16 is any indication, some of the league’s eight division champions from last year are in trouble as the upcoming season approaches. Once again, both Super Bowl representatives won their divisions in 2016, with the Patriots coasting in the AFC East and the Falcons knocking the Panthers from the NFC South throne. Like the Pats and the Falcons, the Chiefs, Steelers, Texans, Cowboys, Seahawks and Packers are aiming to repeat atop their divisions this season.

Of those teams, the Patriots look as though they’re in the best position to secure their division again. The Bill Belichick– and Tom Brady-led outfit has ruled the AFC East eight consecutive times, and during New England’s latest Lombardi Trophy-winning season, the club was a 14-2 juggernaut that easily led the league in point differential. While Brady’s a year older, set to enter his age-40 season, he hasn’t shown any signs of mortality, and even if he suffers an injury or falls off dramatically in 2017, the Patriots may have a starting-caliber quarterback behind him in Jimmy Garoppolo. Of course, there’s also plenty of talent on hand elsewhere on the Pats’ roster, including new additions in wide receiver Brandin Cooks, cornerback Stephon Gilmore, defensive lineman Kony Ealy, linebacker David Harris, tight end Dwayne Allen and running back Mike Gillislee.

There might not be any shoo-ins to repeat among the league’s seven other returning division winners, but it’s hard to bet against clubs with franchise quarterbacks. In the cases of the Falcons (Matt Ryan), Packers (Aaron Rodgers), Seahawks (Russell Wilson) and Steelers (Ben Roethlisberger), there’s little reason to expect anything other than excellence from under center, which makes potential playoff berths more realistic for each. The Cowboys also seem to have an outstanding signal-caller in sophomore Dak Prescott, who was so stunningly great as a fourth-round rookie that he took Tony Romo‘s job and essentially forced the four-time Pro Bowler into retirement.

Kansas City (Alex Smith) and Houston (Tom Savage) aren’t as well off under center, though the Chiefs have done plenty of winning in the regular season since turning to Smith in 2013. But if he and the untested Savage disappoint this year, they have first-rounders behind them in Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, respectively. Poor performances or injuries could force either Mahomes or Watson into action, perhaps paving the way for the emergence of a Prescott-like rookie this year in KC or Houston and making another postseason appearance more likely.

While some of these teams look to be in enviable shape at QB, the game’s most important position, things could still go awry. The Panthers had the reigning MVP 12 months ago in Cam Newton, but his play took massive steps backward, as did the team’s, en route to a 6-10 season and a last-place NFC South finish. The likelihood is that some of last year’s division winners will end up in similar situations in 2017, going from playoff teams to bitter disappointments overnight.

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