AFC North Notes: Manziel, Browns, J. Jones
Experts in the field say that a rehab program may not be effective, particularly for young people, if they’re not willing to go on their own, but that’s not the case for Johnny Manziel, who voluntarily entered treatment last Wednesday, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Based on Manziel’s willingness to seek help, friends and family of the Browns quarterback are confident that he’ll take it seriously and do the work needed to get well, according to Cabot.
While we wait for updates on Manziel and wish him the best, let’s check in on a few other items from out of the AFC North….
- Responding to tweets from his followers about the likelihood of the Browns retaining a pair of their notable free agents, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com put the odds of Brian Hoyer‘s return at 51%, but gave tight end Jordan Cameron just a 1% chance to re-sign (Twitter links).
- Although Ben Tate was a disappointment, rookies Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West had solid rookie seasons for the Browns in 2014. Still, Pat McManamon of ESPN.com thinks running back is a position the team ought to address in the offseason, perhaps by bringing in a veteran to complement the youngsters.
- Within his look at 10 of the most noteworthy NFL storylines to watch this offseason, ESPN.com’s Mike Sando (Insider link) suggests keeping an eye on the Ravens‘ offense and the Steelers‘ defense, after the two rivals lost coordinators Gary Kubiak and Dick LeBeau, respectively.
- Wide receiver Jacoby Jones may be a luxury rather than a necessity for the Ravens, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, who explains why the club may consider cutting one of the most productive kick returners in football this winter.
Lance Moore Seeks Release From Steelers
For the first time in his NFL career, Lance Moore played for a team besides the Saints in 2014, joining the Steelers as a free agent. After a single season in black and gold, however, Moore has asked the club to release him from his contract, according to Adam Schefter and Scott Brown of ESPN.com.
Moore, 31, caught just 14 balls for the Steelers this past season, matching his lowest total since his rookie season. While Moore was never the focal point of New Orleans’ pass game, he had three seasons of 65+ receptions with the Saints, but saw his usage decline significantly in Pittsburgh. With Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, and Markus Wheaton all ahead of him on the team’s depth chart, Moore played just 264 offensive snaps in 2014. As the ESPN.com report notes, the veteran wideout hinted at season’s end that he’d like to join a club that would give him more playing time.
“I just want to play … whether that’s here or somewhere else,” Moore said after Pittsburgh’s Wild Card loss. “I’d love to be here, I’d love to be a part of this offense, but I think those are decisions that have to be made down the line.”
If the Steelers were to release Moore, he would count for about $323K on their 2015 cap, with the club wiping his $1.5MM base salary off the books.
Sunday Roundup: Wilson, Manning, AFC North
Let’s take a look at some notes from around the league on this Super Bowl Sunday:
- According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, negotiations on a long-term extension for Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson will begin “as soon as the Super Bowl ends.” As we have been hearing, Wilson is expected to become the highest-paid player in NFL history, with Aaron Rodgers‘ $22MM average annual salary serving as the starting point for negotiations with Wilson. Rapoport adds that everything Seattle has done this year, including its dealings with Percy Harvin, Cliff Avril, and K.J. Wright, was done with a Wilson deal in mind (Twitter link to NFL Media PR).
- Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is expected to play in 2015, and ESPN’s Chris Mortensen writes that official confirmation could come from Manning this week.
- Falcons star receiver Julio Jones is under contract through 2015, but an extension for Jones will be put on hold until incoming head coach Dan Quinn has had time to fully assess the roster, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Those sentiments come from team owner Arthur Blank, which suggests that Quinn will have a great deal of input into roster decisions and creates more questions about the role of GM Thomas Dimitroff.
- Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette examines the state of the Steelers‘ secondary, which looks to be a major area of concern heading into the offseason.
- Ravens running back Justin Forsett spoke with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk about a number of topics, including his impending free agency. The tailback made it known once again that he’d like to stay in purple and black. “I would like to stay in Baltimore, but it is a business and I’m looking for a commitment. However that comes, I just want to be able to take care of my family,” the veteran said. Florio also asked Forsett about the possibility of following former Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak to Denver. Forsett was complimentary of Kubiak but downplayed the likelihood of a reunion, noting that the Broncos have multiple tailbacks under contract, including C.J. Anderson. However, as Florio rightly noted, none of the Denver backs amassed 1,266 yards on the ground in 2014 like Forsett did.
- There is a mechanism in the collective bargaining agreement by which the Browns could seek to recover a pro-rated portion of Gordon’s signing bonus because of games missed due to suspensions, as Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com writes. That pro-rated portion for 2015 is just over $564K, however, so it’s not clear if Cleveland will pursue that process.
Zach Links contributed to this post
Minor Moves: Friday
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with any additional moves added to the top of the list throughout the afternoon and evening:
- The Bears have locked up linebacker and special-teamer DeDe Lattimore to a two-year contract extension, the team announced today (Twitter link). An undrafted free agent in 2014, Lattimore would have been an exclusive rights free agent, so it’s a modest deal for him — Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets that he’ll earn the minimum salary for the next two seasons, with no guaranteed money.
- Safety Ian Wild, who worked out for the Steelers several weeks ago, has signed a reserve/futures contract with the team, according to PR man Burt Lauten (Twitter link).
North Notes: Briggs, Bears, Taylor
Veteran linebacker Lance Briggs wants to continue playing for the Bears, but he’s not 100% sure that he’ll continue playing football. “It’d be nice,” Briggs said, according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. “But as much as I don’t know, I’m excited no matter avenue that I go. If I get to play football, it’s going to be great. That’s priority No. 1. But if I don’t, there’s plenty of avenues for me afterwards. There’s plenty of things that I want to do.” Briggs also said that he’s happy about the arrival of new head coach John Fox while being very careful not to bash former coach Marc Trestman. More from the North divisions..
- Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor was toying with retirement, but he tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that he’s training as if he’ll be playing in 2015 and he’d like to go another two or three more years. He’d have interest in following former Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to a new team and he’d also be open to playing safety, if it means continuing his playing career.
- Opinions are split on whether the Lions should give Ndamukong Suh a whopping payday, whether on a record-smashing long-term deal or via the super expensive franchise tag, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. “The talent speaks for itself,” O’Hara said. “I think he’s a phenomenal defensive lineman, very strong, very active. I think the big question, if I’m looking at it big picturewise and I’m running a team, (is) the amount of money that he’s going to command, can I afford it?“
- Browns cornerback Joe Haden wants people to stop slamming Josh Gordon and he hopes that the wide receiver remains with the team, as Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer writes. “JG is a good kid,” Haden, said. “It’s time for people to stop bashing Josh Gordon. Before they start talking about him, they’ve got to figure out what’s really going on.”
- The Browns chatted with Kevin O’Connell today about their quarterbacks coach vacancy and they scheduled an interview with ex-Florida offensive coordinator Kurt Roper for tomorrow, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). O’Connell worked with Johnny Manziel before he was drafted last year.
- It sounds like changes could be on the way when it comes to the Packers‘ special teams coaching unit. “It’s important to evaluate,” said head coach Mike McCarthy, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “I obviously haven’t had that opportunity. So we’ll look at everything. We’ll look at every job description, every job responsibility, performance – mine included – and we’ll look to make changes.” All the assistant coaches, including embattled special-teams coordinator Shawn Slocum, were given this week off.
Max Starks Announces Retirement
Longtime Steelers tackle Max Starks says he’s staying retired from the NFL, according to Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio (on Twitter).
The 6’8″, 345 lineman spent time with the Rams and Chargers in 2013 after playing for Pittsburgh from 2004-2012. However, his stint in Arizona didn’t last all that long. Before the deadline for the 75-man cutdown, the Cardinals released Starks along with eleven other players. At the time, Starks was excited about his reunion with coach Bruce Arians.
“All the terminology seems to be the old terminology, so it’s starting to click again,” said Starks, who played under Arians’ coordination with the Steelers. “Obviously it’s been two years since I was with [Arians] so just getting used to that lingo and getting that going.”
Starks made 125 starts across the course of his ten year NFL career, seeing time at both right tackle and left tackle. In 2012, his last full NFL season, Starks graded out as the 72nd best tackle out of 80 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required and recommended). Starks, 34 in March, received negative grades for his run blocking and even worse grades for his pass blocking. In years past, however, Starks graded out as an above average offensive tackle.
2015 Franchise Tag Candidates: AFC North
The deadline for assigning a franchise or transition tag on a 2015 free-agent-to-be is less than five weeks away, and we’re in the process of taking a look at players who are candidates to be tagged this year. On Tuesday, we examined the AFC East, identifying the Patriots, with safety Devin McCourty and kicker Stephen Gostkowski eligible for free agency, as the most likely team to make use a tag. Today, we’ll shift our focus north, breaking down the franchise and transition tag candidates for the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, and Steelers….
Baltimore Ravens:
- Candidates: Pernell McPhee, Torrey Smith
- Odds of being used: Possible
- McPhee and Smith are both solid contributors, with McPhee in particular providing plenty of value to the Ravens in 2014 — Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him as the league’s second-best 3-4 outside linebacker, behind sack leader Justin Houston. Still, McPhee was only a part-time player, appearing in just 540 defensive snaps, barely over half of what Houston played. For that reason, he may not be the most viable candidate for a tag, but he shouldn’t be ruled out. Smith, on the other hand, can probably be dismissed as an option — his production took a step backward in 2014 after the arrival of Steve Smith, and his 49 receptions and 767 yards were career lows. Kicker Justin Tucker would be a strong candidate if he were eligible for unrestricted free agency rather than restricted.
Cincinnati Bengals:
- Candidates: None
- Odds of being used: Zero
- A few recognizable names, such as Jermaine Gresham and Mike Nugent, are scheduled to hit the open market for the Bengals, but none of the club’s prospective free agents are core players that absolutely must be retained.
Cleveland Browns:
- Candidates: Brian Hoyer, Jordan Cameron
- Odds of being used: Unlikely
- At different points in 2014, the idea of using a tag on Hoyer or Cameron looked entirely reasonable, but both players’ stocks dropped toward the end of the season. If Hoyer is brought back, it would likely be to compete for a starting job, which isn’t worth a franchise salary that could exceed $18MM. The tight end tag will be worth less than half that, but after an injury-plagued and ineffective 2014 campaign, Cameron will almost certainly have to settle for a more modest deal.
Pittsburgh Steelers:
- Candidates: Jason Worilds
- Odds of being used: Possible
- The Steelers used the transition tag on Worilds a year ago, and in his first season as a full-time starter in 2014, he was arguably just as good or better, so it’s absolutely within the realm of reason that the team would do it again. Still, tagging a player for a second time means that his salary will increase by at least 20% (in Worilds’ case, that means a raise to at least $11.705MM), and the Steelers have a handful of other contracts to address this offseason, including a potential extension for Ben Roethlisberger. I do expect Pittsburgh to make every effort to retain Worilds, but the club may push a little harder for a long-term deal this time around, which would increase cap flexibility and the ability to spend elsewhere this winter.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Tonight’s minor moves..
- The Bears signed wide receiver John Chiles to a reserve-future deal, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Chiles previously played for the Saints, Rams, and the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts. Chiles auditioned for the Chiefs, Chargers, and Colts this offseason.
- The Steelers signed former Ravens punter Richie Leone to reserve-future deal, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Leone auditioned for Pittsburgh earlier this month alongside fellow punter Tom Hornsey.
- The Jaguars signed punter Kasey Redfern to a reserve-future deal, Wilson tweets. Redfern worked out for the Steelers, Jets, Texans, and Giants over the last couple of months before landing in Jacksonville.
Steelers Re-Sign Brad Wing
The Steelers have locked up punter Brad Wing for another season, signing him to a one-year contract extension, the team announced today in a press release. After spending his first full NFL season in Pittsburgh in 2014, Wing had been eligible for exclusive rights free agency, meaning he could only sign with the Steelers, unless the team let him go.
Wing, who turns 24 next week, punted 61 times, recording 43.7 yards per punt and a net average of 38.6 yards. Pro Football Focus wasn’t overly high on the LSU’s performance, ranking him 28th out of the league’s 32 regular punters, with a -7.6 grade (subscription required).
Because he was only an exclusive rights free agent, Wing is unlikely to receive more than the minimum salary, which will be $510K for a player with his experience. There may also be a signing bonus in the deal, but it would be very modest.
Here are Friday’s other minor moves from around the NFL, with any additional minor transactions added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Cowboys have signed defensive end Lavar Edwards and safety Keelan Johnson to reserve/futures contracts, as Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News writes. Edwards spent time on the Cowboys’ active roster and practice squad this season, while Johnson, who is scheduled to be sentenced next month for an aggravated assault charge, last played for the Eagles in 2013.
- Defensive end Sam Montgomery has signed a new deal with the Bengals, according to the NFL’s transaction wire. Montgomery spent the entire 2014 season on Cincinnati’s practice squad after being waived by the team at the end of the preseason.
Earlier updates:
- The Jets‘ first free agent signing under new GM Mike Maccagnan is offensive tackle Sean Hooey, who inked a reserve/futures deal, according to the team (Twitter link). Hooey was cut by the Rams at the end of the 2014 preseason, and briefly landed on the team’s practice squad before being released from that unit as well.
Steelers Notes: Roethlisberger, Defense, FAs
Steelers co-owner and president Art Rooney II met with several Pittsburgh reporters today, addressing a number of topics of interest for the team as the 2015 league year approaches. Via the Twitter accounts of Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, here are a few of the highlights from Rooney’s session:
- Getting a contract extension done with Ben Roethlisberger as soon as possible would be ideal, but it doesn’t have to be done ASAP, says Rooney, adding that it “takes two to tango,” though he’s not expecting any major problems in negotiations. Roethlisberger had an excellent 2014 campaign, which may increase his price this offseason, but Rooney says he’ll “take that problem.”
- The Steelers will stick to the 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Keith Butler, who previously worked on Dick LeBeau‘s staff.
- The club hasn’t made personnel decisions yet, but intends to talk to James Harrison, Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor, and Brett Keisel about their futures during the next few weeks. Pittsburgh would also like to keep Jason Worilds, but isn’t sure whether using the transition tag again is the right move.
- While Rooney praised William Gay‘s 2014 performance, he admitted that the team needs to add some players in the secondary for the 2015 season.
- The Steelers intend to take their usual process to free agency, and if the opportunity arises to sign a starter, the team will take it.
- Asked about the release of LeGarrette Blount, he played a starring role in the Patriots’ championship game win, Rooney said he was disappointed with how it turned out, but called it “the right decision” for the Steelers.