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2020 NFL Cap Room By Team

April 12th, 2020 at 6:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The biggest names in NFL free agency might be off the board, but there are still plenty of noteworthy players on the board and high-profile cuts on the way. And, while some teams did their spending early, others are still sitting on lots of cash.

The latest cap figures from OverTheCap show that several teams are poised to pounce in the latter waves of free agency, starting with the Browns. The numbers also show that teams like the Rams still have work to do in order to sign their upcoming draft class. Also, the Eagles’ 2020 figure doesn’t quite tell the whole story – thanks to high-priced multi-year deals including Darius Slay’s new contract, they’re already overcommitted on dollars for 2021.

Here’s the complete rundown for all 32 teams, in descending order of cap space:

Browns – $40.2MM
Lions – $29.5MM
Eagles – $27.1MM
Colts – $24MM
Dolphins – $23.9MM
Redskins – $23.8MM
Chargers – $22.3MM
Titans – $21.5MM
Bills – $20.9MM
Texans – $18.6MM
Broncos – $17.5MM
Giants – $17.1MM
Jets – $15.5MM
Jaguars – $14.6MM
Cowboys – $13.6MM
Buccaneers – $13.5MM
49ers – $13.4MM
Seahawks – $12.6MM
Vikings – $12.3MM
Ravens – $11.3MM
Packers – $11.08MM
Bears – $11.03MM
Panthers – $9.4MM
Raiders – $8.8MM
Bengals – $7.3MM
Steelers – $7.2MM
Cardinals – $7MM
Saints – $5.3MM
Chiefs – $2.9MM
Falcons – $2.4MM
Patriots – $1.2MM
Rams – (-$5.3MM)

Dolphins Favoring Herbert Over Tua?

April 11th, 2020 at 2:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Connected to the 2020 quarterback class for over a year, the Dolphins may have a major decision to make in Round 1. They may well have to choose between Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert at No. 5 or be prepared to trade up for one of them.

Less than two weeks away from the draft, Herbert may be pulling ahead. At this juncture, 90% of the pre-draft intel on the Dolphins’ QB hierarchy points to them going with Herbert over Tagovailoa, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report notes.

This is peak smokescreen time. But teams do not have the same tools to throw competition off the scent — pro day attendance, pre-draft visits, workouts — and one scout told Miller he believes the Dolphins are trying to execute such an operation to drive down the Tua market.

Miami holds the No. 5 overall pick. Tagovailoa was viewed as this draft’s No. 1 pick for much of 2019, but his hip injury and list of previous maladies have created the possibility he will be available at No. 5. Though, Herbert would seem to have a much better chance of dropping to 5. The Dolphins going in that direction would allow them to hold onto their bounty of draft picks rather than trading some to move up.

Tua proceeded through a voluntary medical recheck recently, but former NFL GM Michael Lombardi said a team failed the ex-Alabama standout on a physical. Multiple teams have, per Miller, who notes the concern around the league is the southpaw’s ability to have a long career. Tagovailoa suffered multiple high ankle sprains, a knee sprain and, per Lombardi and Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, a broken wrist during his college run. Tagovailoa’s agent, as could be expected, said medical concerns around his client are overblown (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Cameron Wolfe).

Still, Tagovailoa’s upside is seen as greater than Herbert’s. Miller slots Tua sixth on his big board and Herbert 27th. Scouts Inc. has the Alabama alum seventh and the four-year Oregon starter 26th. Jordan Love comes in ahead of Herbert, per Scouts Inc. The Dolphins have also been connected to the Utah State product as well. But reports of their Herbert interest began to emerge before the 6-foot-6 talent fared well at the Combine.

If the Dolphins do pass on Tua, Miller adds the “overwhelming expectation” would be for the Chargers to pounce.

Patriots, Saints, Packers, Others Doing Homework On Jordan Love

April 11th, 2020 at 2:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the rules leading up to the virtual draft make it more difficult to determine teams’ interest in prospects, franchises are doing their homework in different ways. And several teams are doing extensive research on Jordan Love.

The Utah State-developed quarterback prospect has drawn interest from teams with varying levels of quarterback needs. Among the teams doing homework on Love: the Saints, Patriots and Packers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. The Dolphins, Chargers and Redskins are also examining the intriguing passer.

With Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert expected to be the first three quarterbacks drafted, that places Love in an interesting spot. Following the Bengals, Dolphins and Bolts in the top six, there are not many teams with an immediate quarterback need. The Patriots, though, do qualify. Picking at No. 23, the Pats have not used a first-round pick on a quarterback since Drew Bledsoe 27 years ago and last picked one in Round 2 in 2014 (Jimmy Garoppolo). The Pats are believed to be prepared to give Jarrett Stidham a genuine shot to succeed Tom Brady, but it certainly would not surprise if they either drafted a quarterback early or signed one of the high-profile free agents.

Some scouts view Love as the draft’s best pure thrower, but Fowler adds others see him as a Day 2 pick. He finished last season with a 20-17 TD-INT ratio, well off the prolific pace he set as a sophomore (32-6) in 2018. Texas Tech coach Matt Wells — the former Utah State head coach — said seven NFL HCs have contacted him about Love in the past five days, per Fowler.

The Saints and Packers have been previously linked to the 6-foot-4 passer and have spoken with him leading up to the draft. New Orleans placed a first-round tender on Taysom Hill, but the former UDFA has 13 career pass attempts and will soon turn 30. The Packers have Aaron Rodgers under contract through 2023, and the 36-year-old star has indicated he wants to play into his 40s.

The Dolphins got in a meeting with Love before the NFL nixed the in-person components of the pre-draft process due to COVID-19. While Miami has been most closely connected to Tagovailoa, the organization has been mentioned as being interested in Love going back to February. In addition to their No. 5 overall pick, the Dolphins hold picks 18 and 26 in this draft.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/10/20

April 10th, 2020 at 7:05pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

A couple of minor moves to pass along as we head into the weekend:

Dallas Cowboys

Signed: CB Saivion Smith

Los Angeles Chargers

Signed: OT Storm Norton

Both players came from the XFL, which just announced earlier this morning that it was shutting down. Norton is getting a two-year deal from Los Angeles, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Smith left Alabama early last season, but went undrafted. He signed with Jacksonville as an UDFA, but was released at final cuts. He played for the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL. Norton is a 2017 UDFA from Toledo who has spent time on the practice squads of the Lions, Cardinals, and Vikings. He played with the Los Angeles Wildcats in the XFL.

Chargers CB Michael Davis Signs Tender

April 9th, 2020 at 4:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Chargers cornerback Michael Davis signed his second-round tender, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. With that, Davis will earn roughly $3.3MM in 2020 on a one-year deal.

Davis was set for restricted free agency and the Bolts tendered him at the second-round level to keep other teams at bay. Last year, Davis started in all 12 of his games as the Chargers worked around a rash of injuries in the secondary. Derwin James, Adrian Phillips, and second-round rookie Nasir Adderley all succumbed to different maladies, thrusting Davis into the spotlight.

Davis, meanwhile, missed a pair of games due to a substance-abuse policy violation. All together, the advanced metrics were not wild about Davis’ performance – he graded out as one of the NFL’s worst qualified corners, according to Pro Football Focus. Still, he managed 39 stops and the first two interceptions of his career. It was, at minimum, enough for the Chargers to hang on to him for another season.

This year, the Chargers’ secondary will be bolstered by the arrival of Chris Harris, who is expected to play in the slot. The longtime Broncos star gives the Chargers three first-team All-Pros in the unit – Harris, James, and Desmond King – plus second-team All-Pro Casey Hayward. King, who excelled in the slot last year, will likely shift to safety.

Rams-Chargers Stadium May Not Be Ready For Season

April 4th, 2020 at 4:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams and Chargers may need contingency plans soon. Expected to open in July, SoFi Stadium is less certain to be ready for Week 1. Rams CEO Kevin Demoff is no longer committing to the site being ready by that time.

“Our stadium, and I believe the Raiders’ stadium as well, will both be amazing when they are finished and when they will begin play, which will certainly happen in the near future, whether that’s in July, August, September, in 2021,” Demoff said, via Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. “I don’t think you can look at either of these stadiums as short-term projects to finish but rather long-term beacons for the franchises and for the NFL.”

One of the workers on the Inglewood, Calif., site tested positive for COVID-19. Another is presumed to have the coronavirus, Farmer adds. The $5 billion project has long been scheduled to be completed in time for the 2020 season, but COVID-19 — as it’s done to many aspects of American life — has made this timeline less certain.

“This is not the time you want to be finishing a stadium, in this environment as you prepare,” Demoff said. “Because it’s when you need to be all hands on deck, walking through the building every day, meeting with your staff, working out the kinks and planning for it. So when you’ve been building something for a few years, you would love an optimal environment to finish it.”

While the Rams playing at the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Chargers at Dignity Health Park would seemingly be the L.A. teams’ contingency plans, bigger issues loom. Earlier Saturday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he does not envision a scenario in which California stadiums and arenas will be able to host fans. The NFL’s current stance is for fans to be allowed in stadiums and the season to start on schedule, though the league’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, walked that back a bit.

Interestingly, Jeff Pash, general counsel to the NFL, said that not only do the Chargers and Rams have contingency plans in the event their stadium is not ready but that the Raiders do as well. The Raiders recently declined an option to play the 2020 season in Oakland and years ago UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium was deemed a non-starter. It is not clear what the Raiders’ alternate-site option is at this point.

Pres. Trump: NFL Should Start Season On Time

April 4th, 2020 at 2:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

In a conference call with 12 sports commissioners Saturday, President Donald Trump said the NFL should start its season on time, Adam Schefter and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com report. The president added that he hopes to have fans back in stadiums by August or September.

This would obviously be a major win for the NFL, which as of now plans to start its season on time and with fans in stadiums. However, considering the uncertainty COVID-19 has caused, it is difficult to determine how realistic a scenario of starting the season on time will be.

Trump said later Saturday afternoon he expects fans in stadiums and arenas “sooner than later” but added that he is not committing to the August-September range (Twitter links via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo).

An NFL return by Week 1 would hinge on widespread coronavirus testing being available, according to NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills. The league proceeding with large groups of fans cannot be a known reality until a vaccine is available, Sills added (via Judy Battista of NFL.com). The vaccine timetable, as of this week, is approximately 18 months. Sills said the NFL will follow recommendations from public health officials.

“I would say that’s everyone’s hope, that we are in a position to do that,” Sills said earlier this week regarding starting the season on time. “But the reality is none of us know those facts for certain right now. We hope and pray for the best and prepare for the worst, realizing that is one potential outcome that we will be back fully in business playing games as normal in front of fans on schedule. But it’s certainly not the only outcome.”

Asked Saturday about California teams having fans in stadiums by September, governor Gavin Newsom said he is not optimistic about such a scenario (Twitter link via CNN’s Ronald Brownstein). That would certainly create issues for the 49ers, Chargers and Rams.

The NFL’s offseason programs are on hold, but teams are not giving up hope on some type of ramping-up period before training camp. The league has closed all 32 teams’ facilities, and no more than 10 people can be in draft war rooms later this month. When exactly the league will return to on-field action is not known, but the NFL’s goal (and the president’s) is for the league to start its 101st season on time.

Latest On Chargers’ Mike Pouncey, QB Situation

April 2nd, 2020 at 9:50am CST by Rory Parks

Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn spoke at length with reporters yesterday, and two of the most significant topics he covered were the team’s quarterback situation and center Mike Pouncey‘s status.

Pouncey, who spent the first seven years of his career with the Dolphins, was released by Miami in March 2018 and quickly caught on with the Chargers. The pickup proved to be a savvy one for the Bolts, as Pouncey rewarded the team with a Pro Bowl performance and agreed to a one-year extension prior to the 2019 campaign that kept him under club control through 2020.

Unfortunately, the 2019 season did not go as planned for Pouncey or the Chargers. Pouncey landed on IR with a neck injury that required surgery, and as Lynn observed, the 30-year-old pivot has not yet been cleared for football activities (Twitter link via Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times). However, Lynn does expect Pouncey to be cleared by the time players reconvene — whenever that is — and he suggested that he is comfortable with the club’s other options in the event Pouncey is not ready to go. Dan Feeney, currently penciled in at left guard, and 2018 fifth-rounder Scott Quessenberry combined to fill the void left by Pouncey, but neither player performed particularly well in that role.

As for the team’s QB situation, Lynn confirmed that Tyrod Taylor is the team’s starter for now, as Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com writes. That is not at all surprising given that the only other signal-caller currently on the roster is 2019 fifth-rounder Easton Stick, but Lynn did create a little intrigue. Per Thiry, Lynn was asked specifically about the Chargers’ interest in Cam Newton, and after initially avoiding a similar question, Lynn said, “[w]e’re looking at everybody. I want to turn over every single rock, so yeah, we’re looking at everybody.”

More likely than not, that statement is basic coach-speak. After all, we heard just a couple of weeks ago that the Chargers have no intention of acquiring another veteran QB to compete with Taylor, and it seems more plausible that the club will select a QB with the No. 6 overall pick and roll into the 2020 season with Taylor and the rookie passer at the top of the depth chart. On the other hand, Los Angeles is built to win now, and its offseason moves were clearly made with an eye towards competing in 2020. If healthy, Newton is a dramatic upgrade over Taylor — whose release would free up $5MM of cap space — so it stands to reason that Lynn would at least consider that option.

Latest On QB Jordan Love

April 1st, 2020 at 12:23pm CST by Rory Parks

It is difficult to pinpoint exactly where Utah State QB Jordan Love will land in this month’s draft, and as such, he is generating interest from plenty of teams. Kevin Patra of NFL.com says that the Saints, Packers, Chargers, Raiders, Dolphins, and Colts have all been in contact with Love via FaceTime and other virtual means.

Despite an uneven 2019 season, Love possesses all the physical tools that a team could want in a signal-caller and showed enough of his ability at the scouting combine to create some buzz. So while teams like the Chargers and Dolphins have more immediate needs at quarterback, it’s not surprising that clubs like the Colts and the Packers would be taking a look as well, as they could have Love learn from their current starters while he continues to refine his game. Indeed, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Green Bay had planned to host Love and most of this year’s top QB prospects at its facility before pre-draft visits were cancelled (Twitter link). Of course, the Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers when Brett Favre was still playing at a high level, so if Love falls to them, perhaps they could make a similar move.

The Saints’ involvement is somewhat surprising since we heard last month that New Orleans was not interested in Love. But while the team holds Taysom Hill in high regard and views him as the heir to Drew Brees, the fact remains that Hill will be 30 in August and has thrown 13 passes in his professional career, so a little due diligence couldn’t hurt.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, are reportedly very high on Love. While Miami’s dream scenario remains one in which it acquires the No. 1 overall pick from Cincinnati to select Joe Burrow, the ‘Fins will definitely walk away from the draft with a high-end signal-caller in tow.

Love looked like such a player in 2018 by throwing 32 touchdowns against six interceptions. Unfortunately, his arm strength and stature didn’t yield the same results last year, as he had 20 TDs against 17 INTs while playing with a lesser supporting cast. But plenty of QBs have had disappointing final seasons in college and have gone on to do big things in the pros, and apparently a number of teams believe Love can do just that.

Chargers To Use Chris Harris In Slot

March 31st, 2020 at 8:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Harris’ Los Angeles arrival puts King in an interesting position. King has become a high-end slot player for the Bolts, earning All-Pro recognition for the role in 2018. Harris said (video link via Pro Football Focus; h/t Chargers Legion) earlier this offseason the Chargers planned to move King to safety, where he played at Iowa. The contract-year defender being a full-time safety would allow the Bolts to start their four All-Pro defensive backs, but Anthony Lynn has yet to indicate how the team’s new secondary will look.

In signing Chris Harris, the Chargers now employ three first-team All-Pros (Harris, Derwin James, Desmond King) and a second-team All-Pro (Casey Hayward) in their secondary. Harris resided as the NFL’s slot kingpin for many years, but the injury-depleted Broncos used him almost exclusively on the outside last season. The four-time Pro Bowler confirmed Tuesday the Chargers informed him he will be their primary slot defender, per Daniel Popper of The Athletic (on Twitter). For most of his Broncos career, Harris played outside in base sets and inside in sub-packages.

Harris’ Los Angeles arrival puts King in an interesting position. King has become a high-end slot player for the Bolts, earning All-Pro recognition for the role in 2018. Harris said (video link via Pro Football Focus; h/t Chargers Legion) earlier this offseason the Chargers planned to move King to safety, where he played at Iowa. The contract-year defender being a full-time safety would allow the Bolts to start their four All-Pro defensive backs, but Anthony Lynn has yet to indicate how the team’s new secondary will look.

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