- Speaking with Vic Carucci & Dan Leberfeld on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Broncos tight end Joel Dreessen weighed in on the Jimmy Graham ruling, saying the decision struck a nerve and that he agreed with Tony Gonzalez’s take on the situation: “It’s kind of frustrating that guys who get asked to do probably the second most after the quarterback is kinda down there on the pay scale.”
- Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune listed 12 NFL training camp storylines to watch, including Jay Cutler‘s new deal. “The Bears signed quarterback Jay Cutler to a $126 million contract extension that is essentially a $54 million deal for the next three seasons before it goes year-to-year,” says Biggs. “It’s a huge payday that general manager Phil Emery based on future performance, as Cutler’s resume includes only one postseason victory.”
- Last year was an “uncharacteristically bad year” for Jets left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, says the New York Post’s Brian Costello, who believes 2013 will prove to be “an aberration and not a sign of decline.” However, Costello does caution: “Ferguson has the highest salary cap figure on the team at $11.7 million. After a few restructurings to help the team gain salary cap space in 2012 and ’13, the bill is now coming due for the Jets. Ferguson’s cap numbers are huge for the next four years. If Ferguson’s play slips, the Jets might have to consider releasing him before the 2016 season, when they could save $9 million in cap space by cutting him.”
- Branden Albert of the Dolphins and Jairus Byrd of the Saints topped ESPN’s list of free agents who will transform teams. The last three seasons, Albert has allowed just 4.6 pressures per 100 pass blocks, good enough for third in the league over that span. As for Byrd, he allowed a paltry 0.23 yards per coverage snap last season, third-best in the league.
- Answering questions about the Eagles’ projected roster, PhillyMag.com’s Tim McManus said he doesn’t expect many “curveballs,” i.e. surprises, when the team’s 53-man is finalized. McManus expects LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles and Chris Polk to serve as the running back trio, and he expects Brad Smith to stick as the fifth receiver. The one mild surprise could be Travis Long forcing veteran Brandon Graham out, though that would mean employing two backups at defensive end (Long and first-rounder Marcus Smith) with no NFL experience.
- Entering training camp, 49 Patriots players are “sure-fire locks” or “near locks,” in the estimation of ESPN New England’s Mike Reiss, who breaks down the projected roster.
- Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) hears that a multi-game suspension for Ravens running back Ray Rice is likely, and one source says that the punishment will be “extremely significant.”
- Broncos director of player personnel Matt Russell was sentenced to seven months in jail after pleading guilty to DUI, among other charges (Denver Post story here). Russell, who was arrested last July, served a suspension and returned to his job in September.
- Pro Football Focus tabbed defensive lineman Mike Daniels as the Packers’ “Secret Superstar.”
- In an “Offseason Notebook” piece, Adam Hoge of 670 AM/CBSChicago.com referenced an interview Bears GM Phil Emery did on the station in which he said former Canadian League star Chris Williams was the frontrunner for the team’s open kick returner job. Williams was signed late last season off the Saints practice squad, and Bears special teams coach Joe DeCamillis said he heard from members of the New Orleans staff who were disappointed to lose Williams, whom Emery believes has talent commensurate with mid-round draft picks.
- An anonymous executive envisions Browns rookie QB Johnny Manziel developing into a Jeff Garcia type whose mobility fits well in a West Coast, zone-blocking system, shares Dan Hanzus on NFL.com.
- Lions 2013 seventh-rounder Michael Williams is converting from tight end to offensive tackle, writes Dave Birkett in the Detroit Free Press. Williams (6-6, 270) was drafted as a blocking tight end and missed last season because of a broken hand.
- The agent for Dolphins fourth-round cornerback Walt Aikens, Daniel Frid, tweeted out a picture of the Liberty product signing his contract. Aikens had interest from a number of clubs prior to the draft. He met with the Colts, Packers, Bengals, Chiefs, and Buccaneers and worked out for Cowboys and Jaguars.
- The Dolphins brought in 36 tryout players for their rookie minicamp, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
While most of the Derek Carr chatter has centered around the Raiders’ rumored interest, ESPN’s Pat Yasinkas speculates the Buccaneers could also be eying Carr, whose older brother David was coached by Bucs offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford. Additionally, two tweets from NFL Network’s Albert Breer say Bucs second-year quarterback Mike Glennon could be a trade candidate “if things break a certain way”. It’s not that the team doesn’t like Glennon, tweets Breer. However, Carr’s mobility would make him a better system fit.
News and rumors and coming fast and furious as the draft approaches. Here’s some more NFC nuggets:
- Via Twitter, Josina Anderson relays a couple tidbits of information from Rams GM Les Snead, who says they’re still in the “flirting stage” with teams calling about the No. 2 pick. Snead also thinks Johnny Manziel might be the only quarterback teams are willing to trade up for: “That seems to be the way it’s going. So when you are in that position, you need to get to know that human being just like you are going to draft him. Like if you are going to trade your piece of real estate, it helps to know the commodity they are coming after.”
- The Bears have just nine players who they drafted before 2013, details the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, who says the team has been “marginally competitive” thanks primarily to trades and free agency. General manager Phil Emery has to turn around the team’s poor draft record in order to achieve long-term stability, however.
- Three compensatory picks in the seventh round will enable the Cowboys to target priority free agents, says ESPNDallas.com’s Todd Archer, who quotes executive VP Stephen Jones: “The seventh-round picks historically are throw-ins [in trades]. I don’t know if the league has caught up to what value a seventh-round pick is, in terms of the quote-unquote ‘charts’ that are out there. If you look at what a seventh-round pick can bring you…I see it as a great opportunity for us to take six players that can help our football team.”
- The Giants would “seriously consider” drafting Johnny Manziel at No. 12, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
- Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix wants to be an Eagle, and he’s made that clear to Eagles director of player personnel Ed Marynowitz, a former Alabama recruiter, says Jeff Mosher at CSNPhilly.com.
It seems likely that the Bears will bring in a quarterback for some camp competition, and that player could come from the draft, writes ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright. The writer thinks the team would only select a quarterback in the first two rounds, and he bases that off of quotes from team GM Phil Emery.
Emery has studied “developmental quarterbacks” since the 2006 Draft (Jay Cutler‘s year) and discovered that “developmental theory doesn’t hold a whole lot of water.” The research showed that since that draft, there hasn’t been a long-term starting quarterback selected later than the third-round (the 2012 draft is considered a “blip on the radar”).
Emery elaborated on his findings:
“So, to get a high-quality quarterback, you’ve got to draft them high. Most of the starters in this league come from the first and second round. So that’s where you need to take a quarterback. So when you talk about quarterback every year, they have to be somebody you truly believe will beat out the second and third quarterback that you perceive on your roster. And if not, history shows that you shouldn’t make that pick.”
Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFC North…
- The previous Bears regime did not value safeties, but that could change under Emery, Wright mentions in the same article. Considering the increasing importance of the position and the relative lack of depth on the squad, it wouldn’t shock Wright if the team selected a safety in the first round.
- It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, but the Vikings have declined the fifth-year option on quarterback Christian Ponder, confirms FoxSports’s Alex Marvez (via Twitter).
- The fifth-year option is a “key benefit” in selecting a player in the first round, and that is why the Vikings may be inclined to select a quarterback earlier than later, writes ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling.
- It would be tough for the Packers to pass up Calvin Pryor if he’s sitting there at the 21st pick, writes ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. Of course, as the writer points out, it’s unlikely the safety would fall that far.
- In the same article, Demovsky expresses his belief that the Packers will select a tight end early in this year’s draft. Wide receiver could also be an option in the later rounds. The team lost receiver James Jones this offseason and likely won’t bring back tight end Jermichael Finley.
During the press conference introducing new Bears defenders Lamarr Houston and Ryan Mundy, general manager Phil Emery addressed a number of topics pertaining to his team’s offseason plans (many of which were tweeted out by the Chicago Tribune’s Rich Campbell). Emery talked about the defensive end position, saying the team was “going to be patient and see how it all works out.” The general manager also touched on the team’s former defensive end, Julius Peppers, who was cut by the Bears yesterday. Emery said that Peppers was not designated as a post-June 1st cut, which means he’ll count for $8.4MM in dead money this season but would be off the books the following year.
More from Campbell, Brad Briggs of the Chicago Tribune and Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times…
- Emery said there’s a good chance that tight end Dante Rosario would return, stating “We like Dante.” Rosario was released by the team earlier this week.
- For their number-two running back, Emery seeks a player who can specifically pass protect.
- In regards to cornerback, the general manager makes it sound like the team will address the position through the draft. “The draft has a lot more depth than what’s available in the free agent class,” Emery said.
- The team will also look towards the draft for a quarterback, but Campbell adds that they may also sign someone for the position. Former Bears’ quarterback Josh McCown signed with the Buccaneers earlier today.
- Talking about free agent cornerback Charles Tillman, Emery said “it’s an ongoing conversation.”
- The Bears brought safety Cody Grimm in for a workout, tweets Biggs.
- The Bears never presented McCown with an offer, and Biggs (via Twitter) says the team never would have matched the Buccaneers’ offer.
- According to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter), Mundy had a two-year offer from the Giants to stay put but chose to go to the Bears instead.
Over the past two days, we’ve seen some Bears updates and a handful of Packers rumors. We have a couple more tidbits to add to the list, though…
- Bears general manager Phil Emery may be willing to deal his first-round pick, writes ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright. While Wright acknowledges the difficulty to evaluate Emery based on the GM’s dry sense of humor, he got the impression that Emery would field calls for the 14th pick.
- The Bears will meet with Jay Ratliff‘s camp in Indianapolis, tweets Wright. In the same tweet, Wright also mentions the team’s interest in bringing back cornerback Kelvin Hayden
- The Packers may be looking to beef up their quarterback depth via the draft, writes Weston Hodkiewicz of Packersnews.com.
Bears defensive tackle Henry Melton‘s contract year did not go as planned. He suffered a season-ending torn left ACL injury in Week Three, then was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and public intoxication after a bar fight in December. However, while Melton might not be in line for the mega deal many anticipated prior to the season, he remains an athletic, disruptive, pass-rushing three-technique in his age-27 season, making him a coveted asset. Melton talked about his uncertain future with the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs.
The Bears will not franchise Melton and have yet to make a contract offer, but the injured tackle continues his rehab at the Bears facility, remains in contact with the coaching staff and says he’s “all for” staying in Chicago. It sounds as though GM Phil Emery would like to make that happen, but he was not shy about sending a public message to Melton last month:
“He has to fully dedicate his mind and his focus to football, which is extremely important,” Emery said. “And as I have sat down and talked to him, there was a reason we franchise-tagged him [for 2013]. There was a reason for that [$8.45 million] investment. The under-tackle position in the scheme that we’re in is the engine that drives the defense. And when he was in the game, even though from a statistical standpoint he wasn’t off to a fast start, it was very evident on tape that he was a very important part of the defense.”
Melton says he’s “80 to 90” percent and believes he’s on track to participate in OTAs in late May, or be ready to go for training camp at the latest. Whether he’s in training camp with the Bears or another team remains to be seen. While it was the previous regime which drafted Melton, a college running back-turned-defensive lineman, Emery has been exposed to Melton for two years and knows better than anyone the risk and reward involved with an extension. He must weigh Melton’s injury risk, on-field inconsistency and overall accountability against his upside, market value and sheer importance to the Bears defense.
Accordingly, Emery faces a difficult decision, especially in the aftermath of most of the team’s off-season salary cap space being allotted to quarterback Jay Cutler. The team’s pressing needs, however, are on the defense, which bottomed out last season and is devoid of established building blocks with the exception of 30-year-old cornerback Tim Jennings and aging linebacker Lance Briggs. Retaining Melton would perhaps allow the Bears to focus on an edge rusher or secondary defender early in the draft.
As the world reacted to the news that the NFL might soon see its first openly gay current player last night, so did anonymous NFL club officials. The feedback from decision makers around the league was not nearly as positive as the general public’s.
Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans polled eight NFL executives and coaches, and the overwhelming consensus was that the announcement would hurt Michael Sam‘s draft stock. The redshirt senior from the University of Missouri is predicted as a mid- to late-round draft pick, but one NFL player personnel assistant told SI he doesn’t feel football is ready for an openly gay player.
“In the coming decade or two, it’s going to be acceptable, but at this point in time it’s still a man’s-man game,” the assistant said. “To call somebody a [gay slur] is still so commonplace. It’d chemically imbalance an NFL locker room and meeting room.”
Three general managers and one scout spoke on the condition of anonymity to The MMQB’s Peter King, with one GM saying his team had discussed the issue at draft meetings in recent days.
“First of all, we don’t think he’s a very good player,” the GM told King. “The reality is he’s an overrated football player in our estimation. Second: He’s going to have expectations about where he should be drafted, and I think he’ll be disappointed. He’s not going to get drafted where he thinks he should. The question you will ask yourself, knowing your team, is, ‘How will drafting him affect your locker room?’ And I am sorry to say where we are at this point in time, I think it’s going to affect most locker rooms. A lot of guys will be uncomfortable. Ten years from now, fine. But today, I think being openly gay is a factor in the locker room.”
The results were more positive today, as a legion of owners and coaches – each of whom were willing to put their names with their words – voiced their support for a potential gay player as a member of their team. Giants co-owners Steve Tisch and John Mara backed Sam loudly, in statements to TMZ and Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger respectively. Meanwhile, one team personnel executive told NFL.com columnist Judy Battista that he could see owners pushing their coaches and personnel staff “it’s OK” to draft Sam.
Other notable league personnel to come out in support of Sam include Bears GM Phil Emery, Packers coach Mike McCarthy and Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Kraft’s coach, Bill Belichick, released a statement via the team’s website, expressing that he and the Pats pursue players “who can best contribute to our team and organization, regardless of the matters being discussed today.” The league also released its own statement in support of Sam and his efforts.
Stepping away from the issue of Sam’s personal life, NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said he has a “pretty good feel” for the undersized Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year, projecting him as a third- to fifth-round pick.
“He’s an explosive kid who’s much better going forward than he is going backward,” Mayock told Philly.com’s Paul Domowitch. “His size would dictate he’s got to be a linebacker, but I don’t think his physical skill-set dictates that, and therein lies the rub.”
With the NFL scouting combine less than two weeks away, each team will have its opportunity to interview Sam with this historic news out in the public. Sam’s performance at the combine could go a long way in defining his draft value, which was murky even before his announcement — given his size and speed, there are questions about whether he’ll have a true NFL position. A strong showing at the combine, along with impressive interviews with NFL teams, should solidify his place as a mid-round pick, particularly given the outcry of public support from various owners and executives today.
We’ll have to wait until May to know definitively what sort of effect Sunday’s announcement will have on Sam’s draft stock. But if the Missouri alum has shown anything to us this far, it’s that he’s mature beyond his 24 years and ready for whatever life has to throw at him next.