Rams Acquire No. 1 Pick From Titans
9:14am: After initially suggesting the Rams would likely grab Carson Wentz with the first overall pick (as noted below), Sam Farmer and Matt Miller have walked that back a little. Farmer tweets that he believes the Rams are leaning toward Wentz, but cautions that Jared Goff remains “heavily in the mix,” while Miller cites multiple sources who believe the Rams prefer Goff (video link).
Peter King tweets that the Rams “have not decided with certainty” which player they’ll take with that No. 1 overall selection, which seems somewhat hard to believe, given the haul the team gave up to land that pick. Presumably, the Rams at least have a pretty good idea which player they’ll be drafting.
8:04am: With two weeks to go until the 2016 draft gets underway, a new team will be on the clock to open day one. According to Peter King of TheMMQB.com (via Twitter), the Titans have traded the first overall pick in the draft to the Rams. Tennessee has confirmed the swap.
According to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com, the Rams will get a fourth-round pick (No. 113) and sixth-round pick (No. 177) from Tennessee, in addition to the No. 1 overall pick.
In exchange, the Titans will receive the 15th overall pick this year, two second-round picks (Nos. 43 and 45), and a third-round pick (No. 76). Tennessee will also get Los Angeles’ first-round pick and third-round pick in 2017.
Four years after the Rams landed a huge haul of draft picks when they sent the No. 2 overall pick – and the right to draft Robert Griffin – to Washington, Jeff Fisher‘s club is on the other side of a blockbuster deal that will likely allow the club to land a quarterback. Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter links) suggest North Dakota State signal-caller Carson Wentz is believed to be the top target for the Rams, though Cal’s Jared Goff also figures to be considered.
Fisher, GM Les Snead, and the Rams have insisted throughout the offseason that they’re comfortable with Case Keenum as their starting quarterback, and while Keenum may still get the opportunity to win that job, it seems the club has tacitly acknowledged that he’s probably not the long-term answer at the position. As for Nick Foles, he could end up falling to third on the Rams’ QB depth chart, or even fourth depending on how the team feels about Sean Mannion‘s development, which likely makes Foles a trade candidate.
The Titans, meanwhile, have indicated for weeks that they were open to moving down in the draft, with reports earlier this week suggesting they had one or two promising trade offers on the table. GM Jon Robinson also said earlier this month that he wouldn’t mind completing a deal sooner rather than later, to give his team plenty of time to map outs its new approach to the draft.
It’s hard to know which players will be available at No. 15, but the Titans have reportedly done plenty of homework on offensive tackles, and could be hoping to land someone like Ronnie Stanley or Jack Conklin. Still, with three second-round picks, Robinson and his team could go in a number of different directions.
While the deal will allow the Rams to make a huge splash as they make the move west to Los Angeles, it also shakes things up for other teams at the top of the draft. If the Browns want to take a quarterback, and the Rams prefer Wentz, Cleveland would presumably opt for Goff. And if the Rams and Browns do both go the QB route, that would allow top prospects at other positions, such as Laremy Tunsil, Jalen Ramsey, and Joey Bosa to all still be on the board beginning at No. 3.
Of course, if the Browns aren’t committed to taking a QB, and another club covets Goff, Cleveland could now receive increased trade interest in that No. 2 overall pick. Essentially, the blockbuster Rams/Titans swap blows up most mock drafts and creates a handful of new scenarios for day one of the draft.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
La Canfora’s Latest: Thomas, Foles, Broncos
Several sources have informed Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com that Joe Thomas would be open to a trade from the rebuilding Browns to a contender. Numerous executives in turn have pointed out that the Browns, who lost Mitchell Schwartz and Alex Mack on Day 1 of free agency, should consider moving him as they attempt what could be a lengthy reconstruction effort.
A six-time first-team All-Pro, Thomas has said repeatedly he won’t request a trade. He has $29.5MM remaining on his Browns contract, one that runs through the 2018 season.
La Canfora recalls being stunned the Browns balking at the Broncos’ offer of a first-round pick for Thomas at the last trade deadline, and Cleveland collecting a first-rounder for the 31-year-old left tackle is a move he’d implore the team to make considering the franchise’s current state. Some inside the Browns organization regarded a Thomas trade as a key component to the offseason, while Jimmy Haslam hasn’t expressed the same sentiment, La Canfora notes.
The Seahawks, however, could emerge as a candidate to surrender a first-round pick for Thomas, La Canfora writes. John Schneider hasn’t been bashful about dealing first-rounders, having used two in the past four years to acquire Percy Harvin and Jimmy Graham, respectively, and the Seahawks have a need for a blind-side blocker after Russell Okung defected to Denver.
Here’s more from La Canfora.
- Regarding the Colin Kaepernick trade pursuit, La Canfora sees the Broncos as the most interested suitor who may be willing to execute a trade, whereas other teams may be willing to call the 49ers‘ bluff and wait for the sixth-year quarterback’s potential release. The CBS reporter doesn’t see the Browns as being enamored with the signal-caller to the point they’d cough up much in a trade despite recent reports. Numerous executives have informed La Canfora John Elway isn’t panicking about Denver’s suddenly barren quarterback situation in private, and La Canfora wouldn’t expect the Broncos’ sixth-year GM overbidding for Kaepernick or spending much on Robert Griffin III.
- Nick Foles has not generated much of any interest from quarterback-needy teams, La Canfora reports. Due $24MM over the next two years despite having lost his Rams job to Case Keenum, Foles’ trade buzz resides well behind the rumblings generated by Mike Glennon and Brian Hoyer, La Canfora notes.
Rams Extend First-Round Tender To Case Keenum
The Rams have offered a first-round tender to restricted free agent Case Keenum, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Keenum would earn $3.635MM in 2016 under the one-year deal.
If another club expressed interest in poaching Keenum, they would not only have to sign him to an offer sheet, but they would need to sacrifice a first-round pick if Los Angeles declined to match the offer. That scenario seems wholly unlikely, so Keenum will likely return to the Rams, who have already said Keenum will enter the offseason as their starter.
Keenum, 28, took over as the Rams’ starter last season after Nick Foles was benched — he went on to start five games, completing about 61% of his passes for 828 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Head coach Jeff Fisher has said Keenum will start, but it’s always possible that the club brings in competition, either via the draft or through free agency.
Foles, meanwhile, can reportedly be had via trade, and a number of clubs could make sense as suitors.
Rams Rumors: Keenum, Foles, Ogletree
Here’s a look at the Los Angeles Rams:
- Jeff Fisher reiterated that Case Keenum is going into the 2016 season as the starter, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Still, he says that veteran Nick Foles has a chance to compete for the job. The Eagles were rumored to have trade interest in Foles earlier this month, but even if they did like Foles, his cap number and dead money charge mean that a trade is unlikely.
- Still, Fisher says there’s a “good chance there will be one, maybe two new quarterbacks on roster” by training camp, as Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets.
- The Rams have a meeting scheduled with Alec Ogletree‘s agent this week at the Combine, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter) and he says an extension is looming. Ogletree, 25, suffered a right ankle injury in the fall and underwent surgery to repair the damage. He was placed on IR-DTR but he did not return later in the year. The Rams will have to decide on Ogletree’s fifth-year option for 2017 this year.
Rams GM Talks L.A., Coliseum, Keenum, Foles
Rams general manager Les Snead is in attendance at this week’s Senior Bowl to complete some prep work for the 2016 draft, but Snead has more on his plate than most GMs around the league this year, as his team prepares to pack up and make the move from St. Louis to Los Angeles. Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times spoke to Snead about the relocation to L.A. and a number of other Rams-related topics, so let’s dive in and check out a few of the GM’s more noteworthy comments.
On playing in the Coliseum while waiting for the Inglewood stadium to open:
“The Coliseum is such an historic place; that will be neat for our players. I think our players will really enjoy being outdoors. And judging from the initial ticket [deposits] and having a relatively full Coliseum, any pitfall there is, all those things will outweigh it by a long shot.”
On any concerns about how moving to a large market like L.A. will affect players:
“I’ve definitely thought about it because it’s a larger market with more distractions…. I do know that some of the teams have been very, very successful in L.A., on the field, on the court and in the rink. So it’s proven that you can be a professional athlete and be young and still thrive…. I definitely think it would be prudent to go out and visit some of those teams and see how they handle it and go from there.”
On the possibility of re-signing quarterback Case Keenum, who is a restricted free agent:
“That is a goal. We’re not going to let him go somewhere else.”
On keeping Nick Foles as a backup “at something like $12-13MM”:
“His contract is not exactly that. I don’t want to get into the exact numbers, but it’s about half of that [Ed. note: Foles is owed a $6MM roster bonus and $1.75MM base salary in 2016]. There’s a lot of things that get written about contracts. The answer from a salary standpoint is, yes, he’s easily keepable.”
On the possibility of drafting a quarterback early this spring:
“You definitely have to prepare that you might do it.… Sometimes with QBs we’ve seen some very successful ones go in the second round, and the third round seems to be hot of late. I’m thinking of Russell Wilson. I’m thinking of Kirk Cousins [fourth round]. So the thing about the draft is, because it’s become a nice entertainment segment … there’s so much attention on the first round, especially at the QB position, that sometimes the third-round QB, it’s ‘Oh, he’s a third-round QB.’ But the long story short on all of that is we’ll definitely scout QBs, and we’ll definitely look at the trade market and free-agent market.”
On whether the Rams’ offensive line is mostly set:
“The answer is yes…. Last year we went into [the draft] needing [offensive linemen]. Four of our five starters from the 2014 team, when we went to draft, still weren’t on our roster for various reasons. We needed to draft, develop some guys and let them grow together … we think we’re on our way to see it come to fruition.”
NFC West Notes: Rams, Boldin, Cardinals
Before he threw a single regular-season pass for the Rams, Nick Foles signed a two-year extension that ensured he wouldn’t be eligible for free agency this winter. Although Foles is sticking around, he won’t be handed the starting quarterback job in 2016, according to Rams general manager Les Snead.
Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio from the Senior Bowl, Snead told Mark Dominik and Alex Marvez that he expects Foles, Case Keenum, Sean Mannion, and any other offseason QB additions to battle for the No. 1 job this summer (link via Marvez at FOX Sports). “If I learned one thing last year, we should have let the quarterbacks have a competition from the start and the best man win instead of just passing the torch to Nick,” Snead said.
The Rams are paying Foles like the starter, as the former Eagles will count for $8.75MM against the cap in ’16. By comparison, Mannion will have a cap hit under $1MM, while Keenum – a restricted free agent – likely won’t make more than $2-3MM. Still, it sounds like Foles’ higher price tag won’t guarantee him anything.
Let’s round up a few more items from around the NFC West…
- 49ers wideout Anquan Boldin, who is eligible for free agency this winter, spoke briefly to Chip Kelly after the new head coach joined the team, but said today that he has yet to engage in negotiations with anyone from the Niners’ front office about a new contract. Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle has the details, along with Boldin’s quotes.
- Former Missouri edge defender Michael Sam plans to take “one more shot” at making an NFL roster this year, he tweeted on Tuesday. Sam became the first openly gay player to be drafted when he was selected by the Rams in 2014.
- After bringing him in for a workout last month, the Cardinals have tried out defensive back Joel Wilkinson again, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- Earlier today, veteran Cardinals long snapper Mike Leach announced his retirement. Our full story can be found right here.
NFC West Notes: 49ers, Mangini, Rams
The 49ers have not interviewed any candidates yet nor scheduled any, GM Trent Baalke told reporters, including Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group (on Twitter). He added that there are no in-house candidates at this time which is interesting given the presence of defensive coordinator Eric Mangini. Geep Chryst, the team’s offensive coordinator, has had head coaching buzz in the past, but his stock isn’t terribly high after a dismal 2015 season in San Francisco.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- While keeping option open at the position, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said that quarterback Case Keenum will enter the 2016 season as the starter at quarterback, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets.
- Fisher also said that team intends to bring in competition for kicker Greg Zuerlein, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com tweets. Zuerlein is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
- Fisher liked the job Rob Boras did as offensive coordinator, but has not made a decision yet on whether Boras will keep the job, Thomas tweets. Fisher indicated that there could be coaching staff changes made this offseason.
- In addition to offensive coordinator Frank Reich, the Chargers announced that offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris, wide receiver coach Fred Graves, defensive line coach Don Johnson, and tight end coach Pete Metzelaars have been let go.
NFC Notes: Caldwell, 49ers, Eagles
Lions coach Jim Caldwell refuses to defend himself to anybody, including owner Martha Ford. Despite professing his love for the organization, the 60-year-old will not fight to keep his job. The coach explained his logic to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press.
“I don’t believe in it,” Caldwell said. “It’s not a matter of fighting for my job. When you take a look at it, the record speaks for itself. I’m not going to go into any long sort of explanation or those kinds of things. I never have, never will.”
As we wait to see whether that approach helps Caldwell retain his job, let’s take a look at some more notes from the NFC…
- Following reports that 49ers linebackers coach Clancy Pendergast is expected to leave for a gig at USC, coach Jim Tomsula wasn’t particularly eager to discuss any potential moves. “We’re fully on board with the St. Louis Rams, and we’ll take care of that stuff next week,” Tomsula said (via Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee).
- Besides his Philadelphia roots and experience with the Eagles organization, Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott‘s ability to develop an elite defense makes him a perfect fit for Philly’s head coaching gig, writes Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com.
- Set to become a free agent after this season, Rams quarterback Case Keenum has one final opportunity this weekend to make an impression on any potential suitors. “Any time the lights come on or we step on the field and the film’s on, that film goes around to everybody,” Keenum told Michael Wagaman of the Associated Press. “They see everything from a lot of different views. In the NFL, that’s what your resume is, what you put on tape. I want to put everything on tape that is the best I can.”
NFC West Notes: Dawson, Niners, Rams
49ers kicker Phil Dawson will turn 41 next month, which would make him one of the NFL’s oldest players, but the 17-year veteran wants to sign a new contract and continue his career next season, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Dawson also believes he can still handle kickoff duties, a role the Niners handed over to rookie punter Bradley Pinion this season.
“I miss [kicking off],” Dawson said. “I’ve always enjoyed that aspect of the game, and I still feel like I can do it. But Bradley has done a tremendous job, and he’s helped the team. So (there’s) no problem here on that front.”
For now, Dawson hasn’t spoken to the 49ers about signing an extension with the club, but he hopes to discuss the topic sometime after the regular season finale, and it sounds like he intends to convey an interest in remaining in San Francisco.
“When the proper time and place comes, I’ll definitely communicate how I feel about this place and how grateful I am to have been here for three seasons,” Dawson said. “But the time is not now for those conversations.”
Here’s more from around the NFC West:
- The two running backs signed by the 49ers last week received multiyear deals, according to Maiocco, who tweets that DuJuan Harris was signed through 2016 and Jarryd Hayne was locked up through 2017.
- The fact that the Rams get all stadium revenue for football, including naming rights, is a key aspect of St. Louis’ stadium proposal, says Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange (Twitter links). The plan also includes a rebate on amusement tax, and revenue from the lease if an MLS team moves in, which should make it more appealing to the Rams and to the NFL.
- With his contract set to expire at season’s end, Rams quarterback Case Keenum will be looking for a more permanent NFL home this winter, and he’s increasing his free agent value with a nice run to end the year. If he can lead the Rams to victory in San Francisco this weekend, Keenum will finish the season with four straight wins. Michael Wagaman of The Associated Press examines the QB’s situation.
- Cardinals defensive back Tyrann Mathieu will go under the knife next Tuesday, undergoing a procedure to repair his torn right ACL, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com.
Sunday Roundup: Marrone, Martin, Keenum
As the afternoon games get underway, let’s take a look at some news and notes from around the league:
- We heard earlier today that Jaguars OL coach Doug Marrone will be viewed as a top head coaching candidate this offseason, and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com explains why. As Florio writes, Marrone, who became available after opting to terminate his relationship with Buffalo last year, came on the market “a little too unexpectedly” for teams to scrap their existing plans at the time. Now, however, with a high number of potential head coaching vacancies and a relatively small number of truly qualified candidates, Marrone will be an attractive option, especially given that the Bills are doing less (record-wise) with more talent under Rex Ryan than they did under Marrone.
- Former NFL agent Joel Corry tweets that there is no need to speculate as to whether the Buccaneers will put the franchise tag on Doug Martin, as the nearly $12MM cap number for a franchised running back is too steep in today’s NFL. The last time the tag was used on an RB was in 2012, when the Ravens tagged Ray Rice and the Bears tagged Matt Forte. The cap number for a franchised RB at the time was $7.7MM.
- ESPN’s Chris Mortensen tweets that, even though the NFL has apparently closed the book on whether the Rams should be penalized for last week’s concussion controversy surrounding Case Keenum, the NFL Players Association is continuing its own investigation.
- In his latest mailbag, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com looks at what the Browns might expect to receive if they were to trade Johnny Manziel at this point, and he notes that the best the Browns could hope for is a future pick conditioned on Manziel’s active status and number of starts.
- After the Lions promoted Isa Abdul-Quddus to a starting role and moved James Ihedigbo to the bench, they began to see a noticeable improvement from the back end of their defense, as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com observes. Abdul-Quddus is not as physical as Ihedigbo, but he covers much more ground and has established himself as a quality option in the team’s secondary, particularly in light of the recent injury to Glover Quin. Adbul-Quddus, who signed a one-year deal with Detroit last year, may be putting himself in line for a multi-year pact this offseason.
- David Moore of The Dallas Morning News examines the futures for Cowboys defensive backs Byron Jones and Morris Claiborne, predicting that Dallas plans to move Jones to safety moving forward, thereby increasing the likelihood that the team retains Claiborne.
- In a series of three articles, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com reexamines the Eagles‘ offseason decisions, offers his thoughts on the Jets‘ rebuilding process, and previews the 2016 class of free agent tight ends.