AFC Links: McCourty, Chargers, Titans
Ravens wideout Steve Smith will be facing off against the Patriots this weekend, and the veteran acknowledged that he was pursued by New England during the offseason.
“Yeah, I talked to [Bill Belichick] and it was a great opportunity as well,” Smith told Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. “Anytime you have an opportunity to go to some teams, it’s always good. When your phone stops ringing, you need to start thinking about if I’m in the right profession.”
Let’s see what else is going on around the AFC…
- Following news that Patrick Chung signed an extension with the Patriots, Albert Breer of the NFL Network says (via Twitter) there’s been no movement on fellow safety Devin McCourty. The writer suggests that the All-Pro defensive back could be “destined” for the franchise tag.
- ESPN.com’s Eric D. Williams writes that the Chargers should bring back veteran Jarret Johnson if it makes sense financially. The linebacker is set to make $5MM next season, but Williams points out that the 33-year-old has already shown that he’s willing to take a pay cut.
- John Glennon of The Tennessean examines the Titans‘ most expensive players in 2015, and the writer suggests that guard Andy Levitre, tackle Michael Oher, tight end Craig Stevens, running back Shonn Greene and safety Bernard Pollard could all be cap casualties.
AFC South Links: Jaguars, Wayne, Titans
Jaguars rookie Storm Johnson is finally going to get an opportunity to be the team’s featured running back. The seventh-rounder has been inactive for the past six weeks, but an injury to Denard Robinson has forced the 22-year-old into the lineup. Even without the injuries, the coaching staff was trying to find a way to promote their talented young player. Via Hays Carlyon of The Florida Times-Union:
“We were trying to find a way, regardless of the injury to D-Rob, to get Storm up,” said coach Gus Bradley. “I think it’s been based on the last couple weeks of practice. That’s what I’ve been talking to him about. It wasn’t because of injury that you’re getting this opportunity. We were talking to him about it anyway. He’s earned it.”
Johnson, who has compiled 64 rushing yards and two touchdowns this season, appreciated the recognition:
“It meant a lot that my hard work has been noticed. People have been watching me. It makes me want to work harder and do what I’ve been doing.”
Let’s see what else is happening in the AFC South…
- ESPN.com’s Mike Wells can’t envision the Colts letting go of Reggie Wayne at the conclusion of the season. Instead, he suggests the team should let the veteran make his own decision, since he’ll likely retire when his tenure with the Colts is finished. “This is what I am. This is what I believe in,” Wayne told Wells. “I’ve been here this long, I just don’t see myself anywhere else. This is where I want to finish. At the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, whenever that day is, I just want to be wearing blue and white. That’s just what I want to do.”
- Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com previews the Titans‘ tops needs in free agency, focusing on a pass-rushing linebacker and help on the offensive line. The writer adds that the team will not be afraid to spend.
- John Glennon of The Tennessean collects the opinions of various NFL pundits regarding the future of Zach Mettenberger. All of the analysts believe the rookie will certainly be in the running to be the Titans quarterback of the future. However, none would be surprised if the team pursued a veteran in free agency or another young player in the draft.
- Following news that offensive lineman Michael Oher was placed on the injured reserve, Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean tweets his belief that the tackle’s tenure with the Titans is over.
Titans Place Michael Oher On IR
Michael Oher‘s first season with the Titans is over, as ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky tweets that the team has placed the offensive tackle on the injured reserve. To take his space on the roster, the team has promoted defensive back Khalid Wooten (via Kuharsky).
The Titans haven’t received the type of production they were likely hoping for when the inked Oher to a four-year deal worth $20MM in March. The former first-rounder had previously started every game of his career since entering with the Ravens in 2009. He was on track to continue that this season until a toe injury prevented him from playing the last two weeks.
Despite playing the third-most snaps for the Titans this season, Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) rank Oher as the team’s worst offensive player. The same metrics also rank the former first-rounder as the fifth-worst qualifying tackle in the league. The last time those statistics rated Oher above league-average was his rookie season in 2009.
Wooten, a cornerback out of Nevada, was the Titans’ sixth-round pick in 2013. He has spent the last season-plus on Tennessee’s practice squad.
AFC Notes: Hoyer, Oher, Broncos
Much has been made of Brian Hoyer‘s future as the impending free agent continues to inch the Browns closer to an improbable playoff berth, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter writes that, if Hoyer does leave Cleveland after 2014–which would “shock” at least one prominent talking head–the Texans would be a likely destination. As Schefter writes, “Hoyer trusts [Texans head coach Bill] O’Brien as much as any coach in the league from their time together in New England, per sources, and would welcome a reunion.” Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Cardinals‘ head coach during Hoyer’s one season in Arizona, would also have interest in bringing Hoyer to Tennessee. Schefter writes that a long-term deal between Hoyer and Cleveland will “get done only as soon as the Browns truly are ready to make Hoyer, not Johnny Manziel, their long-term quarterback.”
Now for some more links from the AFC (an NFC Notes post from this busy Sunday can be found here):
- The Titans are going to have to admit they made a mistake in handing a lucrative free agent deal to Michael Oher and find a new right tackle, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Kuharsky adds that Tennessee can get out of the Oher deal “clean” after one year and $6MM, but Michael Roos will not be Oher’s replacement and the team is not going to move Taylor Lewan from left tackle.
- Mike Klis of the Denver Post describes the issues the Broncos are having with locking up their top impending free agents with in-season extensions.
- Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post makes the case for the Broncos to sign free agent guard Richie Incognito.
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports explains why Broncos star wideout Demaryius Thomas is likely to get the franchise tag.
- In the first news to come out of this saga since July, two trucking companies have formally accused Browns owner Jimmy Haslam of directing a fuel rebate conspiracy, writes Tom Feran of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets that, if Reggie Wayne wants to continue playing after 2014, he will only play for the Colts. We learned earlier today that the Colts are preparing for life without their longtime stalwart.
- Leo Roth of the Democrat & Chronicle writes that the Bills should return to E.J. Manuel as their starting quarterback.
AFC Links: Colts, Titans, Raiders
Colts general manager Ryan Grigson spoke to the media on Thursday and addressed a number of subjects, including the return of owner Jim Irsay, who had been suspended six games for an OWI conviction. Via ESPN.com’s Mike Wells…
“With Jim gone, things are pretty well structured. Jim is always there for input, but he never forces anything down our throats. Just his presence, it’s great to see. Got alumni back. Taking a team picture, and everyone’s walking over, everyone’s walking over to talk to him. that’s something you can’t fake. These guys are beaming at seeing him, and hugging him, and he was the same way. Great for our players to see. That relationship goes back years and years, because that’s real. If you play for the horseshoe, you’re family.”
Let’s see what else is happening around the AFC…
- Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean examines the Titans recent drafts, and attributes the team’s lack of success to their inability to pick good players. Wyatt notes that only two of the team’s 20 draft picks from the 2009-2010 draft are still with the team.
- Meanwhile, Josh Glennon of The Tennessean opines that the Titans have not been getting their money’s worth from their free agent signings. The writer is particularly displeased with the performance of Dexter McCluster, Michael Oher and Shaun Phillips.
- Kenbrell Thompkins is making the most of his opportunity with the Raiders after he was waived by the Patriots. ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson attributes the wideout’s determination to being released, and the 26-year-old is making sure that never happens again. “I wasn’t expecting it,” Thompkins said. “But it happened and I have to learn from it. Hard working and becoming a big part of this team is what I’m focused on.”
AFC South Links: Ronnie Brown, Colts, Oher
Let’s check in on the latest items from around the AFC South….
- Although Ronnie Brown will turn 33 later this year, making him one of the league’s oldest running backs, he only has 131 more career carries than Arian Foster, the man he’s now backing up in Houston, writes Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle. Having signed this week with the Texans, Brown still feels as if he has “a lot” left in the tank, as he tells Robertson.
- In his latest mailbag at Colts.com, Kevin Bowen fields a handful of questions about the Colts‘ offensive line, addressing whether he thinks the club would have interest in signing Richie Incognito or trading for Alex Boone.
- With Michael Roos still the Titans‘ starter at left tackle, there may not be room for both free agent signee Michael Oher and first-round pick Taylor Lewan on the team’s offensive line, but Oher isn’t pleased with any speculation that he’ll start the year on the bench, as he tells John Glennon of the Tennessean. “I’m kind of tired of getting disrespected by a lot of people who don’t know anything about the work I put in and how hard I work, and the love and passion I have for this game,” Oher said.
- Considering Lewan has played predominantly on the Titans‘ second team at left tackle, and no one seems to be calling for him to start over Oher lately, Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com thinks maybe the former Raven “needs to chill a little with the disrespect deal.”
AFC Notes: Titans, Ravens, Browns, Revis
Let’s take a Memorial Day look around the AFC:
- There a number of Titans who may see their starting jobs, and even roster spots in general, in jeopardy come training camp, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Shonn Greene, Michael Oher, and Jake Locker are among the notable names who may not see as much action as expected for the Titans in 2014.
- The Ravens selected quarterback Keith Wenning in this month’s draft to compete with Tyrod Taylor to be the backup to Joe Flacco, writes Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore,com. However, Brown writes that he is unsure if the Ravens will devote three roster spots to the position, meaning the two might not only be battling for a backup job, but a spot on the roster.
- Ravens defensive lineman Brandon Williams is determined to come back in 2014 with more success after a toe injury kept him out of nine games as a rookie, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Williams, a third-round pick in 2013, has dedicated himself to being in better shape this season. “I’ve had a good offseason, I’ve been working out doing cardio and a bunch of other stuff,” Williams said. “I’m lighter and leaner. I’ve gotten a little stronger.”
- Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer speculates that neither Brian Hoyer nor Johnny Manziel will win the Browns‘ quarterback job until later this summer. Reed thinks that while Hoyer is perhaps the favorite to start to open the 2014 season, if Manziel performs like he did at Texas A&M during the preseason, it will put significant pressure on the Browns’ organization to start the former Heisman Trophy winner.
- Darrelle Revis will have a positive impact on the Patriots‘ offense this upcoming season, writes Brent Sobleski of USA Today. Tom Brady told Peter King of The Monday Morning Quarterback that he’s already tired of throwing against Revis in practice everyday. The former first-round pick out of Pittsburgh has been described by former teammate Jim Leonard as “the best practice player” he’s ever seen. Sobleski thinks that having such a worthy practice adversary will only serve to improve Brady’s game.
David Kipke contributed to this post.
Contract Details: DRC, Hauschka, Edelman
We’ve got plenty more contract details to round up, so let’s dive right in….
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and Albert Breer of the NFL Network pass along several key details on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie‘s contract with the Giants, which seems to include $12MM in fully guaranteed money, and a little more in salary guaranteed for injury only. Here are the relevant Twitter links to read up on all the specifics.
- Wilson also shares the specifics on Steven Hauschka‘s three-year contract with the Seahawks (Twitter link), Walter Thurmond‘s one-year deal with the Giants (Twitter link), and Dane Fletcher‘s one-year deal with the Bucs (Twitter link).
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has been doing a great job all week getting finalized contract details up in his database, and he passed along several new entries today. Among them: The Raiders‘ two-year deals for LaMarr Woodley and Justin Tuck, the Eagles‘ extension for Darren Sproles, and the Saints‘ five-year pact with Zach Strief.
- Julian Edelman received a $5MM signing bonus from the Patriots on his new contract, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
- John Keim of ESPN.com has the details on Santana Moss‘ minimum salary benefit contract and Clifton Geathers‘ two-year deal with the Redskins.
- Although Michael Oher‘s four-year deal with the Titans was initially reported as including $9.5MM in guaranteed money, it’s actually a little less than that, and only $6MM is fully guaranteed, with another $3.35MM guaranteed for injury only. Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com has the details.
- Emmanuel Sanders‘ three-year, $15MM contract with the Broncos features $6MM in guaranteed money and cap hits of $6MM (2014), $4MM (2015), and $5MM (2016), tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
- Updating his earlier report on Charles Tillman‘s contract with the Bears, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets that the deal includes $150K in performance incentives (based on total interceptions), so it could max out at $3.4MM instead of $3.25MM.
- Frank Zombo‘s two-year deal with the Chiefs is worth $1.6MM and includes a $100K signing bonus, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. A minimum-salary deal for Zombo with a $100K bonus would work out to $1.575MM, so either that $1.6MM figure is rounded up, or the linebacker received slightly more than the minimum.
Free Agency Notes: Visits, Jaguars, Patriots
A couple of notes from around the NFL to distract on this Selection Sunday…
- Defensive end Alex Carrington will be visiting the Raiders and the Rams, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- The Steelers will host receiver Lance Moore on Tuesday, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Moore was released by the Saints more than a week ago.
- The Jaguars still need to add an offensive lineman and are looking for depth at receiver, writes Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com.
- Having lost both Dane Fletcher and Brandon Spikes, the Patriots depth at linebacker is getting thin, opines Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com. Jerod Mayo, Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower were the only linebackers on the current roster to have played more than a single defensive snap last season and because of that, Yates thinks the team should consider bringing in more depth either through the draft or free agency.
- Michael Oher‘s new contract with the Titans is “scary,” says Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Oher signed a four-year, $20MM deal earlier this weekend.
- The Colts may need to cut a receiver after adding Hakeem Nicks, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com. Wells believes the competition for the fifth receiver will be between Griff Whalen and LaVon Brazill.
Titans To Sign Michael Oher
Michael Oher and the Titans have agreed to a contract that will bring the offensive tackle to Tennessee, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN. The four-year deal is worth $20MM, with $9.5MM in guaranteed money.
The former Raven was expendable after Eugene Monroe signed an extension with the team. Oher has had ups and downs in Baltimore, but has shown the ability to play both right and left tackle.