Will Montgomery

Bears Place Will Montgomery On IR

TUESDAY, 3:06pm: The Bears have officially placed Montgomery on injured reserve, ending his season, the team announced today (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 1:13pm: Multiple sources tell Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune that Montgomery will require surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2015 season. The veteran center is expected to be placed on injured reserve this week.

SUNDAY, 5:14pm: Bears center Will Montgomery broke his fibula in his team’s 22-20 win over the Raiders on Sunday, according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). The injury occurred on the Bears’ first drive of the game, and left guard Matt Slauson subsequently took over for Montgomery at center.

It’s currently unknown how much time Montgomery will miss, head coach John Fox said.

“As far as timeframes, I don’t know yet,” Fox stated, per Jahns.

Montgomery, 32, is in his first year with the Bears. He saw extensive action the last four seasons in Washington and Denver, respectively, making 40 starts. He started the first four games of 2015 for Chicago.

Contract Details: Sullivan, Morgan, Wilson

Here are the details on some recently-signed contracts, all courtesy of the Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson on Twitter:

  • John Sullivan, C (Vikings): Extended through 2017. $1MM guaranteed. Annual $100K workout bonus, plus $500K escalator for 2017 with 90% playing time in 2015 and 2016 (Twitter links).
  • Will Montgomery, C (Bears): One year, $950K base value. $120K guaranteed (link).
  • Joe Morgan, WR (Saints): One year, $600K base value. $15K signing bonus (link).
  • Josh Wilson, CB (Lions): One year, $950K base value. $200K guaranteed (link).
  • Nick Bellore, LB (49ers): Two years, $1.69MM base value. $30K signing bonus. $505K available through incentives (link).

Bears Cut Roberto Garza, Sign Will Montgomery

11:33am: The Bears have formally announced both moves, officially signing Montgomery to a one-year contract and releasing Garza (Twitter link).

10:21am: Montgomery is signing a one-year deal with the Bears, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

9:14am: The Bears have informed longtime offensive line stalwart Roberto Garza that he will be released, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Rich Campbell of the Tribune tweets that the team’s plan is to sign veteran center Will Montgomery as Garza’s replacement.

The move comes as something of a surprise, since the Bears signed Garza to a one-year contract extension back in December, locking him up for the 2015 season. However, the deal was consummated by the previous regime, led by general manager Phil Emery. Emery and head coach Marc Trestman were let go several days later, and new coach John Fox is more familiar with Montgomery, having coached him in Denver last season.

Garza, who turned 36 last month, had been with the Bears since the 2005 season, playing 154 regular season contests (145 starts) during that stretch, primarily at center and right guard. While he’s in his mid-30s, he was reasonably effective last season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). PFF’s metrics graded him as a below-average pass blocker, but a positive run-blocking grade increased his overall ranking to 21st among 41 qualified centers.

Montgomery, meanwhile, ranked 15th on that same PFF list of qualified centers, with a +4.9 pass-blocking grade buoying his overall mark. The 32-year-old spent five seasons in Washington before joining the Broncos a year ago.

Garza’s old one-year contract with the Bears reportedly included a $75K signing bonus, which would have been prorated across the 2014 and 2015 seasons. As such, Chicago should only be left with $37.5K in dead money on its books after cutting him.

Packers, Broncos Face Offseason Dilemmas

The Cowboys’ and Broncos‘ respective approaches with their All-Pro wide receivers following statement contract years will draw the most headlines this offseason, but not far off that radar will be the Packers‘ decision on slot target Randall Cobb.

Not possessing the traditional build of a No. 1 target Demaryius Thomas or Dez Bryant have, Cobb put together a consistent campaign — 106 catches, 1,465 yards, 13 touchdown receptions in 18 games — but the Packers have a history of allowing their receivers to walk and restocking the position with home-grown talent: see Greg Jennings in 2013 or James Jones last March. But Cobb’s case may be unique, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Packers hall of fame receiver James Lofton weighed in on this issue, via Dunne.

“Which free-agent wide receiver has left a team and gone on to become a Pro Bowler on a new team?” Lofton said.Vincent Jackson did in his first year at Tampa. … Emmanuel Sanders was (an alternate), when he went to Denver, but that’s an extenuating circumstance when you have Peyton Manning throwing the ball. So where can these guys find a home that was better than where they were? We saw Greg Jennings leave Green Bay — who was a good player — and now he’s an average player at best.”

Jennings exceeded 1,100 yards for three straight seasons in Green Bay — 2008-10 — but hasn’t topped 805 in two years with the Vikings. Jones scored 14 touchdowns in Green Bay in 2012 and set a career high in receptions with 73 in Oakland last year, but the 30-year-old averaged just 9.1 yards per catch as primarily a wide receiver. Almost exclusively a slot man when not stationed in the backfield, Cobb, only 24, averaged 14.1 per grab last season in a position not known for over-the-top proficiency, a statistic which increases his case to be paid like a top wide receiver. The franchise tag for wideouts is expected to be around $12.7MM, and the Packers have just more than $23MM in cap space, according to OverTheCap.com.

Meanwhile, the Broncos made a rather controversial shift from their three-wide receiver, no-huddle-based attack to a power-running approach midway through last season, and while free agents-to-be Orlando Franklin and Will Montgomery posted top-15 finishes at guard and center, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), new coach Gary Kubiak is likely to reshape the front based on his zone-blocking past, writes ESPN’s Jeff Legwold.

The Broncos entered the season with two first-team All-Pros on their front in left tackle Ryan Clady and right guard Louis Vasquez, but both regressed — Clady graded negatively on Pro Football Focus’ overall rating for the second time in four years after returning from the foot injury that ended his 2013 campaign after two games; Vasquez was marginalized when moved to right tackle to compensate for others’ struggles at that spot — and weakened the line. While Clady, the only lineman who played for the Broncos when they deployed Mike Shanahan‘s zone-blocking scheme, and Vasquez are expected back, Franklin and Montgomery are free agents, Manuel Ramirez slipped after a solid 2013, and the team is still without a viable right tackle option.

“Yes, that’s absolutely, 100 percent correct, three new starters minimum,” said ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth, a former Broncos zone-blocking bastion, via Legwold. “… Athletically speaking, they’re not good enough at left guard, center, and they need to find a right tackle.”

Solutions for both Cobb and Denver‘s offensive line don’t have to come from free agency, however, and may not require a No. 1 draft choice. From 2012-14, 37% of the Pro Bowlers came into the league in the third round or later, including 21 undrafted talents, ClevelandBrowns.com’s Kevin Jones measured. Cornerbacks from Denver (Chris Harris Jr.) and Green Bay (Sam Shields) contributed to that total as 2014 Pro Bowlers.

AFC Rumors: Broncos, Holmes, Angerer

The contract details on Will Montgomery‘s deal indicate that he won’t necessarily be the starter, but he will have a chance to compete with Manuel Ramirez to be the Broncos‘ primary center, writes Mike Klis of The Denver Post. Klis looks at Denver’s new offensive line options and the different combinations that they might use. Here’s tonight’s look around the NFL..

  • Receiver Santonio Holmes likely will wait until after the draft to pick his next team, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Holmes spent the last four years with the Jets before being released earlier this offseason.
  • Free agent running back Chris Johnson is in New York tonight but he’s not visiting the Jets on this trip, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
  • The Patriots are still the frontrunners to sign defensive end Will Smith, who was released by the Saints earlier this offseason, writes Florio. Smith, who is seven months removed from a torn ACL, had 13 sacks in 2009 but hasn’t had more than 6.5 in any given year since then.
  • Colts free agent linebacker Pat Angerer said he had interest from several teams earlier this offseason but wants to be 100% healthy before taking free agent workouts, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports 1.
  • Browns tight end Jordan Cameron says he’s excited about playing in new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan‘s offense since, traditionally, he prominently features tight ends, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.
  • Browns left tackle Joe Thomas said he’s confident center Alex Mack will return to Cleveland next season despite his recent visit with Jaguars, Ulrich tweets. Meanwhile, owner Jimmy Haslem told reporters, including Ulrich (on Twitter), that he’s optimistic that the team will retain the restricted free agent.

Broncos, Will Montgomery Agree To Deal

THURSDAY, 1:31pm: Although Montgomery’s deal is worth $1.325MM in base salary and per-game roster bonus money, there’s also another $600K available in incentives, says Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com.

TUESDAY, 8:56pm: It’s a one-year, $1.3MM deal, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post.

8:34pm: The Broncos and former Redskins center Will Montgomery have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Montgomery, who graded out as the 14th-best center in the league according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics, was released by the Redskins on March 14. As our Dallas Robinson wrote when it was first reported that Montgomery was visiting with Denver several weeks ago, Montgomery will take over at center for the Broncos and Manny Ramirez will shift from center to left guard, replacing the departed Zane Beadles.

Montgomery, selected by the Panthers in the seventh round of the 2006 draft, is at his best when part of a zone-blocking scheme, so he should continue to perform well in Denver. Ramirez should also see an uptick in his performance by virtue of moving to guard, his natural position, so the Broncos have in essence killed two birds with stone with this solid acquisition.

It is worth noting that Montgomery is capable of playing guard as well, so head coach John Fox has some flexibility if one of Ramirez or Montgomery should struggle or get hurt.

FA Rumors: Montgomery, Cotchery, Jones

A few free agent notes from around the league:

Redskins Release Will Montgomery

4:07pm: The Redskins have officially released Montgomery, the team announced today (via Twitter).

8:26am: The Redskins have informed center Will Montgomery he’ll be released, according to Sky Kerstein of 106.7 The Fan (via Twitter). Montgomery had been on the books for a cap hit of $3.425MM, which includes $1.5MM in dead money, so the team will create nearly $2MM in cap savings with the move.

Montgomery’s release comes as a mild surprise. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), only four plays saw more snaps at center than Montgomery, who recorded a +4.8 grade, good for a ranking of 15th out of 35 qualified players. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent.

As for the Redskins, Kory Lichtensteiger appears to be next in line to take over at center, while the $1.9MM+ in cap savings could be put toward another move.

NFL Notes: Saints, Redskins, Vikings

Despite cutting ties with a handful of veterans earlier this offseason, the Saints hover just $3MM under the salary cap with free agent tight end Jimmy Graham‘s future still uncertain. Accordingly, Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune lists a handful of veterans who could be released in order to create more room (cap figure in parentheses): Brodrick Bunkley ($6.1MM), Lance Moore ($5.1MM), Pierre Thomas ($2.9MM), Darren Sproles ($4.25MM) and Patrick Robinson ($2.8MM).

In other NFC notes:

    • The Redskins “must devote a significant of attention and efforts to improving the offensive line,” says Mike Jones of the Washington Post. The coach and scheme will not change, and eight of the team’s top nine linemen are under contract, but personnel upgrades are needed. Aside from stalwart left tackle Trent Williams, left guard Kory Lichtensteiger (who could be tried at center) seems like the only 2013 starter whose job is safe. Whether or not the team intends to release center Will Montgomery, right guard Chris Chester and/or right tackle Tyler Polumbus is uncertain, but any of the three could be replaced via free agency or draft.
    • Vikings new head coach Mike Zimmer plans to implement a more aggressive defensive scheme, meaning the team’s scouting staff will take a longer look at prospects whose skill sets might not have fit with Leslie Frazier’s more conservative cover-2 system, writes ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling.
    • Panthers free agent Captain Munnerlyn says his agent will meet with team officials at the Combine next week, according to Charlotte Observer beat reporter Joe Person (via Twitter).