AFC Notes: Louis, Dareus, Thomas, Taylor
With Donald Thomas injured, Lance Louis, who hasn’t played since November 2012 because of a torn ACL injury, is working as the Colts’ first-team left guard, shares ESPN’s Mike Wells. Louis appeared to be an emerging talent in 2012 when he started the first 11 games for the Bears, and Colts GM Ryan Grigson took notice: “I was sitting watching the Bears (on tape) with Tom Telesco when we were preparing for them. I look at the tape and I said, ‘Who’s No. 60?’ I look him up in the system and the guy ran a 4.72 (40-yard dash) at 309 (pounds) coming out of San Diego State. He was faster than some of the receivers who are going to go in the second round this year. So, we’re watching that and we’re thinking, in free agency, this guy is going to break the bank because he’s the best player on their line. He gets his knee blown out and things change. We stayed on him all (last) year and the knee’s fine now and we have him here for two years. Hopefully he gets back to that level of play where he’s a good starter. He’s a guy who is completely off the radar who we’re optimistic about.”
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- A pair of off-season arrests for Bills defensive lineman Marcell Dareus has thrown his long-term stability into question, prompting Adam Schein of SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio (highlighted on the web by Pro Football Talk) to ask head coach Doug Marrone if Dareus “gets it.” The coach’s response? “That’s a good question.”
- Steelers 6-4, 330-pound defensive lineman Cam Thomas, who signed a two-year, $4MM deal in March, is working at nose tackle and five-technique, writes Mark Kaboly of Triblive.com.
- Dolphins cornerback Jamar Taylor, a 2013 second-rounder, played just 40 snaps as a rookie after a pre-draft kidney ailment and subsequent sports hernia affected him. He’s healthy now and competing with Cortland Finnegan and Will Davis for available playing time between the No. 2 corner and nickel back jobs, writes ESPN’s James Walker, who also notes the Dolphins got just 1,126 snaps by their rookies last year, third-fewest in the league.
- It was a tale of two seasons for Chiefs cornerback Marcus Cooper in 2013, writes ESPN’s Adam Teicher, who identifies Cooper as a young player who must improve. A seventh-rounder claimed on waivers, Cooper immediately “looked like he belonged,” earned the third cornerback job and “played better than either of the two starters for the first half of the season,” according to Teicher. However, Cooper’s play deteriorated during the second half of the season and he was demoted. At 6-2, 192 pounds, Cooper has the dimensions and physical tools the Chiefs desire, but the team needs more consistency out of him.
- Because of free-agent departures, there’s competition for jobs up and down the Chiefs roster, details AP writer Dave Skretta.
- MarQueis Gray, an undrafted college quarterback out of Minnesota, converted to tight end and stuck with the Browns last season, appearing in 12 games (two starts). The team is again tapping into his versatility, this time trying him at fullback, according to George M. Thomas in the Beacon Journal.
Steelers Sign Ryan Shazier
The Steelers have signed first-round pick Ryan Shazier, the team announced (via Twitter). The former Ohio State linebacker was taken with the 15th overall selection.
The 6’1″, 237-pounder played three seasons with the Buckeyes, compiling 306 tackles, 14 sacks and nine forced fumbles. As a senior, Shazier was named as an Associated Press first-team All-American. While it may have been in the team’s best interest to add a cornerback to their aging defensive back core, the Steelers couldn’t pass up the talent of the 21-year-old.
“You have to put the blinders on to the ‘need’ word,” said general manager Kevin Colbert (via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . “We’re well aware of who we have on our team, but when we can add a player of quality it will over-ride a need any time.”
Shazier is likely to compete with last year’s starter, Vince Williams, for first-team reps.
Extra Points: Blount, Allen, Anderson, Titans
Interviews with a cross section of executives, analysts, and observers suggest the landscape is ripe for an NFL-sanctioned developmental league to replace NFL Europe, writes Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. There is some concern that it will be a money pit as NFL Europe lost $30MM for the league, but a competitive TV deal would assuage those concerns. More from around the league..
- Steelers running back LeGarrette Blount told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) that he was surprised that there wasn’t more money spent on the free agent running back market this offseason. He went on to say that Toby Gerhart, who landed with the Jaguars, shouldn’t have been the highest paid RB of the bunch. Blount himself got a two-year, $3.85MM deal from Pittsburgh.
- Raiders coach Dennis Allen is happy with his club’s offseason haul, but the third-year coach didn’t get the veteran tight end he wanted, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Oakland has been connected to free agent tight end Jermichael Finley, but as it stands, the team will have to find its man from among a group that includes David Ausberry, Mychal Rivera, and Nick Kasa.
- Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com looks at the Patriots‘ linebacker corps after the signing of veteran James Anderson. Anderson has worn down in the second half of recent seasons, but New England is probably planning on giving him a more limited workload compared to what he’s used to.
- The Titans have agreed to terms with cornerback Marc Anthony, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tenneseean (on Twitter). Wide receiver Josh Stewart was waived in order to make room.
Steelers, Raiders Show Interest In Finley
Earlier today, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report reported that “a good half-dozen teams” are quietly pursuing Jermichael Finley, and now Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds two clubs to the list of potential suitors for the free agent tight end. According to Rapoport, the Steelers and Raiders have also shown some interest in Finley.
The link to the Steelers makes sense, since it was Pittsburgh’s team doctor, Dr. Joseph Maroon, who performed Finley’s surgery and gave him full medical clearance last week. While Rapoport suggests Finley has visited the Steelers, it was actually just Dr. Maroon that he visited, as the NFL.com scribe clarifies in a tweet. The Patriots also hosted Finley last Friday in order to evaluate his health.
Besides the Patriots, Steelers, and Raiders, Green Bay has also exhibited some interest in bringing back their former tight end, though the Packers’ standards for medical clearance are believed to be stricter than those of many other teams. The Seahawks also hosted Finley for a visit earlier in free agency, but they’re reportedly out of the running for the tight end at this point.
AFC Notes: Colts, Steelers, Broncos, Williams
Let’s check in on a few of the latest notes from around the AFC, including a pair of teams making minor transactions….
- After waiving a pair of players yesterday, the Colts have filled those roster spots by signing two players today. Cornerback Johnny Adams and center FN Lutz have signed with the team, according to Craig Kelley of Colts.com (via Twitter). Adams spent some time with the Bills and Raiders in 2013, while Lutz went undrafted this year out of Indiana State.
- The Steelers swapped one wide receiver for another, according to PR man Burt Lauten, who tweets that the club has signed California alum C.J. Goodwin and cut Jasper Collins.
- Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wonders if the Steelers might look to bring back veteran Brett Keisel. Pittsburgh is quite thin at defensive end and the longtime Steeler could return as a backup and mentor to second-round draft pick Stephon Tuitt. Still, we heard yesterday from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Keisel isn’t currently willing to play for the veteran’s minimum.
- In his latest mailbag for the Denver Post, Mike Klis fields several Broncos-related questions from readers, discussing John Elway‘s ability to recruit free agents, the club’s 2014 draft class, and Andre Caldwell‘s role for 2014.
- When Tom Pelissero of USA Today suggested to free agent defensive tackle Kevin Williams that he views the Patriots as a potential fit for the veteran DT, Williams chuckled. “Well, give them a call,” he said. “Tell them to look me up.” Based on Williams’ comment, it sounds like New England hasn’t been in touch, but he confirmed that at least a couple teams have called and that he continues to weigh his options.
Extension Candidate: Maurkice Pouncey
Few injuries during the 2013 season were more devastating to a team than Maurkice Pouncey‘s torn ACL and MCL. The anchor in the middle of the Steelers’ offensive line went down with the knee injury in the first week of the regular season, leaving a huge hole to fill at center and depriving him of an opportunity to open his NFL career with four straight Pro Bowl seasons.
However, Pouncey appears healthy and ready to go for the 2014 season, the last year of his rookie contract. A pair of Steelers beat writers – Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette and Alan Robinson of the Tribune-Review – wrote this week that the team figures to make every effort to lock its center up to a new deal before the season gets underway, and that Pouncey represents the Steeler most likely to sign an extension this summer. So it’s worth examining exactly what sort of contract the two sides may negotiate.
Prior to that 2013 season lost to injury, Pouncey had been the Steelers’ starter in the middle of the line since entering the league as the 18th overall pick in 2010. While his three Pro Bowl berths – and a 2011 All-Pro nod – would suggest that he became one of the NFL’s elite centers immediately upon entering the league, Pouncey’s Pro Football Focus grades (subscription required) tell a different story. According to PFF, the Florida product was the 21st-best player at his position in 2010, 19th in 2011, and 12th in 2012.
Pro Football Focus’ grades are hardly the be-all, end-all of player evaluation, particularly at a position where there are so few traditional statistics to evaluate a player’s production. Even so, PFF’s numbers exhibit that at least one metric considers Pouncey to be a player steadily improving toward the ranks of the elite, but one who may not quite be there yet. By comparison, Alex Mack of the Browns, who entered the league one year before Pouncey, has never ranked outside PFF’s top 10 centers, and maxed out at fourth overall in 2013.
Mack makes for a good point of comparison, since he hit free agency this offseason and became the NFL’s highest-paid center by annual average value. The five-year, $42MM offer sheet Mack signed with the Jaguars – which was subsequently matched by Cleveland – works out to $8.4MM per year, slightly edging the annual salaries of other elite centers like Carolina’s Ryan Kalil and Nick Mangold of the Jets. At the time of Mack’s signing, Bouchette suggested that Pouncey could make a case that he should land a deal even larger than that, making him the new highest-paid center in the league.
Still, I’d be a little surprised if Pouncey ultimately inked an extension that exceeded Mack’s $8.4MM per year, Kalil’s $19MM in guaranteed money, or Mangold’s $54.075MM total value. There’s certainly no question that Pouncey deserves to be in the conversation with those players, given all that he’s accomplished early in his career, plus the fact that he’s only entering his age-25 season. But he’s coming off a serious injury, and even before that injury, the data suggested he wasn’t quite playing at the elite level of some of his fellow centers, in spite of the Pro Bowl nods.
While Pouncey should be in line for a very nice payday, I expect him and the Steelers to agree to a price just below where Mack landed. Something in the neighborhood of five years and $40MM, with $15MM+ in guaranteed money, seems fair to me. We’ll have to see if Pouncey and the Steelers agree — if they don’t, and Pittsburgh remains motivated to get a deal done, that price could creep a little higher.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
North Notes: Reed, Steelers, Nelson, Fairley
Longtime Steelers kicker Jeff Reed hasn’t played in a regular-season NFL game since the 2010 season, but the 35-year-old has “every intention” of making a comeback, as he tells R.J. Schaffer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“I looked into the CFL and the Arena League,” Reed said. “It’s just a lot of work for little pay, and it sounds kind of shallow, but when you’ve played for the most elite level of football and you think you can still do it, why wouldn’t you?”
According to Reed, he was contacted by Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt about possibly coming in for a workout, though Tennessee would prefer to find a younger option. Pittsburgh kicker Shaun Suisham had his best all-around season in 2013, so a reunion for Reed and the Steelers appears unlikely, but the free agent kicker hopes he’ll be one of the first options teams turn to if a replacement is needed for health or performance reasons.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two North divisions:
- According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers have some interest in bringing back Brett Keisel, but the veteran defensive lineman seems unwilling to accept a minimum salary contract at this point. Bouchette adds that he believes Pittsburgh will try to extend Maurkice Pouncey before the regular season gets underway.
- Although talks haven’t progressed to the point where a new agreement is imminent, Packers wideout Jordy Nelson believes there’s a reasonable chance he’ll sign a contract extension in time for the regular season, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “Everyone knows deals get done closer to training camp,” Nelson said. Our Peter Sowards examined the standout receiver as an extension candidate last month.
- The Lions‘ decision not to exercise their fifth-year option on Nick Fairley was one of the more of the more surprising outcomes this offseason for 2011’s first-round picks, and the defensive tackle himself was a little caught off guard, suggesting that he thought he played well enough to earn that fifth year (link via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press). “My first year wasn’t too good, but my next two came on,” Fairley said. “But like I said, they didn’t pick it up, so we’ve just got to move on and get ready for this year, and things are going to be good.” For now, Fairley is taking a wait-and-see approach to his potential 2015 free agency.
- Bo Smolka of CSNBaltimore.com identifies four Ravens veterans whose roster spots may be in jeopardy as the 2014 regular season nears, including quarterback Tyrod Taylor and defensive lineman Terrence Cody.
- The Ravens have removed linebacker Ryan Jones from their IR with an injury settlement, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Jones had received a modest $1K signing bonus when he joined Baltimore last month as an undrafted free agent.
AFC Mailbags: Bengals, Steelers, Colts, Jags
ESPN’s NFL writers answered questions from their readers this weekend. Let’s take a look at some interesting notes from the AFC…
- Jay Cutler‘s deal with the Bears and Alex Smith‘s likely extension with the Chiefs will have an impact on the Bengals negotiations with Andy Dalton, writes Coley Harvey.
- Even though the team selected Jeremy Hill in the second round this year (and Giovani Bernard in the second round last season), Harvey would be surprised if the Bengals let go of veteran running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
- In spite of the above opinion, Harvey says the team will likely part ways with one of Green-Ellis, Cedric Peerman or Rex Burkhead. The writer believes that Burkhead is at the most risk of being cut.
- Scott Brown says “it would make all the sense in the world” for the Steelers to bring back Brett Keisel. In an another article, Brown writes that Heath Miller‘s recent quote (the tight end stated that the linebacker was not with the team “right now”) is an indication that the veteran will return.
- LaVon Brazill, Da’Rick Rogers and Griff Whalen will likely be competing for the Colts‘ final wideout spot, writes Mike Wells. The writer believes that Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton, Hakeem Nicks and Donte Moncrief are locks to make the roster.
- If the Jaguars weren’t in such good shape cap-wise, Michael DiRocco thinks the team would have cut or tried to restructure the contract of tight end Marcedes Lewis.
Sunday Roundup: AFC North, Broncos, Lions
Let’s have a look at some notes from around the league as we head into the afternoon of this ever-important June 1:
- Greg Gabriel of the National Football Post identifies a few second-year players in the AFC North that might break out in 2014.
- Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times identifies a few free agents the Ravens could target to address their biggest needs, right tackle and cornerback.
- Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes that the Steelers are working hard to reestablish their identity has a running team, and Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette similarly notes that LeGarrette Blount hopes to provide a strong complement to Le’Veon Bell.
- In his weekly mailbag, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com notes that although Browns coaches are excited about the potential of the team’s offensive line, they are reserving judgment until they see how the unit adapts to offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan‘s zone-blocking scheme.
- Mike Klis of the Denver Post notes that the Broncos are currently carrying seven running backs on their roster, none of whom have a regular season start. Klis believes the team should not go after one of the remaining veteran free agents–Felix Jones, Michael Bush, and Ronnie Brown, for instance–to take reps away from Denver’s stable of young-but-intriguing RBs, but he concedes that it will be a tough call.
- In a separate piece, Klis writes that Broncos‘ QB Peyton Manning intends to play out his contract with Denver, which runs through 2016 (Manning will turn 40 in March of that year).
- In two separate pieces, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union discusses how a healthy Roy Miller will impact the Jaguars‘ defense and Gus Bradley’s creation of the “Otto” linebacker, who will replace the traditional “Sam” linebacker and serve as a “physical/athletic/versatile player who will be positioned along the line of scrimmage.” Dekoda Watson will enter the season as the team’s “Otto.”
- Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle writes that second-year wideout DeAndre Hopkins surprisingly became one of the few holdovers from the Texans‘ tumultuous 2013 season, and he is essentially a rookie again in 2014. Smith notes, however, that Hopkins has prepared himself well for the challenge.
- Kevin Meinke of MLive.com writes that Lions‘ defensive end Devin Taylor is an integral component of new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin‘s desire to bring pressure from all three levels of the defense, and, in a similar vein, Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News writes that players believe aggressiveness will be a hallmark of the Lions’ defense in 2014.
AFC North Notes: Steelers, Miller, Hoyer
The Steelers are returning all of their offensive lineman, including Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey who was lost last season to a torn ACL. No one is more excited than Ben Roethlisberger, who believes that continuity on the offensive line could be the key to success, particularly in the no huddle offense, writes Kim Myers of NicePickCowher.com. “That’s a big part of being able to run the no-huddle because those guys are up there and they’re comfortable, they’re familiar. They’ve got another offseason in training of continuity and learning from each other,” said Roethlisberger. “I tell them before each game that they are what is going to drive this team and this offense. As long as they stay healthy and can play every game we’ll be good.” Here are some other notes from around the AFC North:
- Steelers‘ tight end Heath Miller bounced back well from a torn ACL in 2013, catching 58 passes for 593 yards and a touchdown, writes Matt Shetler of CityOfChampionsSports.com. However, he had posted career highs in yards and touchdowns the previous season, and is looking to re-establish himself as one of the league’s top tight ends. “Last year was about trying to find a new normal for myself and I’m a creature of habit, so that wasn’t easy for me,” said Miller. “I’m fully confident by the time the season rolls around I’m going to be feeling much better than the start of last year just from a confidence perspective.”
- The Bengals have a deep bench at the running back position, and it is unclear how many the team will keep on the 53-man roster, writes Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. Harvey says that both BenJarvus Green-Ellis and undrafted free agent Jeff Scott are on the bubble, with Giovani Bernard and second-round pick Jeremy Hill looking to take a bulk of the carries. However, Green-Ellis’ veteran presence and Scott’s versatility could keep them on the roster this season.
- The Browns still plan to let first-round pick Johnny Manziel start as a backup, and if veteran Brian Hoyer plays well the team could extend him, writes Pat McManamon of ESPN.com. With Manziel on his rookie contract for four years (with a fifth-year option), the team could afford to keep both players.