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Andy Dalton

AFC North Notes: Blount, Harrison, Extensions

March 23rd, 2014 at 11:21am CST by Rory Parks

The Ravens have interest in free agent RB LeGarrette Blount, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Wilson writes that the Ravens do not have a visit scheduled for Blount at this time, but they will continue to monitor his market. Baltimore struggled mightily in most aspects of its offense last season, and short-yardage situations were particularly troublesome. Blount would be a boon in that regard, and he would also provide necessary depth given Ray Rice‘s struggles last season–and his legal troubles this offseason–and Bernard Pierce‘s injury concerns. As our Peter Sowards reported yesterday, Blount is scheduled to meet with the division rival Steelers later this week.

More notes from the AFC North:

  • Speaking of the Steelers, Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes that a reunion with James Harrison makes a great deal of sense for a team with little defensive depth and limited salary cap space. Starkey could envision a limited role for Harrison as a situational pass-rusher and short-yardage defender. As our Luke Adams noted several days ago, there is mutual interest in Harrison’s potential return to Pittsburgh.
  • Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com and Pat McManamon of ESPN.com offer some opinions on Browns QB Brian Hoyer and WR Greg Little. Grossi believes that Hoyer has demonstrated enough to go into the season as the starting QB, and McManamon believes the Browns may feel the same way. As for Little, despite the frustration of Browns’ fans, Grossi notes that Little’s reasonable contract, his size, and his durability are all reasons why the Browns will probably hang onto him for another season. McManamon makes a similar point, though he does point out that if the Browns were to draft someone like Clemson WR Sammy Watkins, Little could be on his way out.
  • Coley Harvey of ESPN.com writes that there is nothing on the horizon yet regarding contract extensions for Bengals standouts A.J. Green, Andy Dalton, and Vontaze Burfict, but that negotiations could become more serious once the current phase of free agency concludes.
  • Despite the signing of Marshall Newhouse, Harvey believes the Bengals would “absolutely” consider an offensive tackle in the early rounds of the draft.

AFC North Links: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers

March 3rd, 2014 at 6:42pm CST by Ben Levine

Andy Dalton is entering the final year of his contract and Coley Harvey of ESPN.com discusses whether the Bengals should re-sign their quarterback prior to him reaching free agency. At this moment, Harvey thinks the team should pay its third-year player this offseason. It would certainly be a gamble by the Bengals either way, as an unsigned Dalton could lead his team deep in the playoffs and demand a huge payday next offseason. Reversely, Dalton could sign and continue to fail in leading the club through the postseason.

Other rumblings from the AFC North…

  • The Ravens have not started contract talks with Michael Oher and are not expected to, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Wilson says the team is instead focusing on re-signing Eugene Monroe.
  • The Ravens made the right choice in not using the franchise tag on Monroe, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com writes. While the team needs a left tackle (and while Monroe certainly played well in that role last season), Hensley believes that it wouldn’t have been worth it for the team to dedicate such a large portion of their cap to the position. The writer says it makes more sense to sign Monroe to a long-term deal.
  • The Steelers used their transition tag on Jason Worilds earlier today, but there’s no guarantee that he returns, Scott Brown of ESPN.com says. All it would take for Worilds to leave is one team slightly overpaying, and Brown doesn’t sound too optimistic that the Steelers would match a huge offer.

AFC North Notes: Smith, Haden, Dalton

March 2nd, 2014 at 12:51pm CST by Rory Parks

Now that the Ravens have signed Dennis Pitta to a long-term deal, Baltimore’s next biggest priorities are left tackle Eugene Monroe and middle linebacker Daryl Smith. Monroe could still receive the franchise tag before tomorrow’s 4 p.m. deadline, but even if the Ravens do not tag him, they are expected to continue to work towards a multiyear contract extension with him. Meanwhile, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com is “quietly confident” that the team will re-sign Smith, especially since they just released Jameel McClain.

Hensley adds that the bump in the 2014 salary cap makes it a little more likely that the Ravens can re-sign Jacoby Jones, but they will still not want to pay him more than $1-2MM. The team sees Jones as a returner, but if other teams see him as both a returner and receiver, those teams could offer him something closer to the $4MM he made last season. For a team that has a number of holes to fill–and Hensley added that GM Ozzie Newsome would not be afraid to sign some unrestricted free agents this season–Jones might be too much of a luxury item.

More notes from the AFC North:

  • Several weeks ago, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that, despite the posturing of GM Kevin Colbert, the Steelers would not be able to bring back both LaMarr Woodley and Jason Worilds and that Woodley would be released. Although he does not deviate from that stance in his latest piece, he does add an interesting twist. He notes that, according to Pro Football Focus, Woodley graded out as a slightly better player overall in 2013 (when he played, of course) and as a significantly better pass rusher. Although Woodley’s significant cap hit and recent injury history probably means he is still the odd-man out in Pittsburgh, the PFF grades and the increased salary cap at least give reason for pause.
  • Some of the Browns‘ top performers are eligible for free agency in 2015, and Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com believes that several of them will receive new contracts this season. He also hears that the team and Joe Haden are close to a new deal.
  • Paul Dehner of Cincinnati.com looks at the Bengals‘ quarterback outlook for 2014. Although Andy Dalton is of course the unquestioned starter and the team is not likely to peruse the free agent market for QBs, Dalton’s rocky postseason performances and his entering the final year of his rookie contract make this a pivotal year for him and for his club. Dehner believes mid- to late-round QB prospects like Aaron Murray or Zach Mettenberger would be logical selections for the Bengals.

AFC North Notes: Browns, Bengals, Ravens

February 21st, 2014 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

After checking in on the AFC West, let’s head North and round up the latest on the Browns, Bengals, and Ravens….

  • The possibility of a reunion between Browns head coach Mike Pettine and safety Jairus Byrd is real, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. However, the Bills could complicate things by hitting Byrd with the franchise tag.
  • Bengals coach Marvin Lewis says he’s hoping to get a deal done with free agent defensive end Michael Johnson, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com (Twitter links). In reference to quarterback Andy Dalton, Lewis said, “I’m sure we’ll sit down about contract at some point.”
  • The Giants worked out an extension with coach Tom Coughlin to avoid lame duck status in 2014, but the Bengals have yet to take that measure with Marvin Lewis. The coach says he has no problem with that, Hobson writes.
  • With Ray Rice facing charges and a potential suspension following his arrest in a domestic incident, Ravens coach John Harbaugh was asked if there were scenarios in which the running back wouldn’t return to the team next season. “Not that I’m aware of,” Harbaugh replied, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. “I haven’t seen anything that would remotely make me think that.”
  • Running back prospect Terrence West told reporters that he has about eight meetings scheduled with teams tonight. The Ravens are one of those clubs, tweets Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC Notes: Kraft, Talib, Wilson, Blackmon

January 31st, 2014 at 11:06pm CST by Matt Feminis

Patriots owner Robert Kraft sat down with Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti on Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub (full interview here), addressing the team’s window to contend for a championship in relation to 36-year-old quarterback Tom Brady‘s twilight years. When asked if the closing window inspires the organization to be more aggressive in surrounding Brady with win-now players, Kraft brushed off the philosophy: “We have to try to sustain success by managing as wisely as we can. It’s not dependent on any one player. . .I think a better strategy is to try to be solid and be able to compete year in and year out.”

  • When asked about free agent-to-be Aqib Talib, Kraft laid the groundwork for the team’s typical hardball approach, saying, “He wasn’t on the field a lot of the time since he’s been with us.” However, in the next breath, Kraft expressed his belief that both parties would be interested in extending the relationship: “I think he’s happy here and would like to be here, and we’re happy with him and we’d like to have him here. Now it’s just about doing business.”
  • Patriots veteran safety Adrian Wilson, who spent the year on IR, spoke with “The Drive” with Jody, MJ and Bauer on Fox Sports 910 AM Phoenix, saying he doesn’t know if he’ll be back in New England despite signing a three-year deal in 2013.
  • Jaguars owner Shad Khan “absolutely” wants suspended receiver Justin Blackmon back on the team when he is reinstated, according to Florida Times-Union beat writer Ryan O’Halloran (via Twitter).
  • In theory, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton should be entering his prime, but it’s not unreasonable to draft another quarterback, according to ESPN’s Cole Harvey.