2017 NFL Draft Order Through Week 16
This weekend, the Browns got the best of both worlds when they won their first game of the 2016 season while the 49ers also found their way to victory. Now, the 1-14 Browns remain in the top spot as we head into the final week of the NFL season.
Here’s where we stand through Week 16. (Note: Ties are broken by strength of schedule):
- Browns 1-14
- 49ers 2-13
- Bears 3-12
- Jaguars 3-12
- Rams (pick belongs to Titans) 4-11
- Jets 4-11
- Chargers 5-10
- Bengals 5-9-1
- Panthers 6-9
- Eagles (pick belongs to Browns) 6-9
- Cardinals 6-8-1
- Bills 7-8
- Colts 7-8
- Vikings (pick belongs to Eagles) 7-8
- Saints 7-8
- Titans 8-7
- Ravens 8-7
- Buccaneers 8-7
- Broncos 8-7
- Redskins 8-6-1
Marcus Mariota Fractures Fibula
The Titans could not inch closer to a playoff spot after a Week 16 blowout loss in Jacksonville, and the team received rough news postgame. Marcus Mariota fractured his right fibula, said Mike Mularkey before adding, “Obviously, he is out.”
Mariota will miss the rest of the season, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This will make Matt Cassel the Titans’ starter in what could be a Week 17 game for a playoff spot. Cassel came in for Mariota after the seminal second-half sequence that featured the second-year starter carted off the field.
Tennessee rode into playoff contention down the stretch behind a strong running game, an improved defense and a developing Mariota, who won five more games as a starter than he did as a rookie. The 2014 Heisman Trophy recipient finishes his season with 26 touchdown passes compared to just nine interceptions. Mariota also rushed for a career-high 346 yards and scored two touchdowns.
A Sheldon Day sack resulted in the cart-off sequence, and it will signal an offseason for the Titans’ cornerstone player geared around rehab. Mariota finished last season on IR, missing Tennessee’s final three games. However, those contests came for a team that ultimately went 3-13 and secured the No. 1 pick.
Tennessee’s Week 17 game against Houston could be for the division title, but after this loss, that will only come if the Texans lose to the Bengals tonight. The Colts finishing in a three-way tie would also doom the Titans, who are 1-4 in AFC South play.
Cassel looks set to make a start for a fifth NFL team in the past four years and sixth overall. He went 1-6 as a Cowboys starter last season. The 34-year-old passer signed a one-year deal in March to back up Mariota.
Titans Promote D'Joun Smith To Active Roster
- The Titans promoted cornerback D’Joun Smith to their active roster Tuesday. Smith played in four games as a rookie last year for the Colts, who chose him in the third round (65th overall) of the draft.
Notable 2017 Pro Bowl Incentives/Escalators
The NFL announced the 2017 Pro Bowl rosters earlier tonight, and aside from determining which players will spend a week in Orlando early next year, the rosters also dictate several important bonuses and/or contract escalators for individual players. Former NFL agent and current CBSSports.com contributor Joel Corry has rounded up the notable incentives earned tonight, and we’ll pass those along below. As Corry notes (Twitter links), only first ballot Pro Bowlers who actually participate in the game (unless injured or playing in the Super Bowl) can earn bonuses, which are typically paid out by the end of March.
Here are the notable Pro Bowl bonuses and escalators that were preliminarily netted this evening (all links to Corry’s Twitter):
Incentives
- Raiders G Kelechi Osemele, $300K (link): Under general manager Reggie McKenzie, the Raiders have employed what is often referred to as an “all cash” salary cap management system, wherein prorated signing bonuses are rarely used while base salary guarantees, roster bonuses, and — as evidenced by the number of Oakland players on this list — incentive clauses are heavily employed. Osemele, the league’s highest-paid interior offensive lineman, is signed through 2020 with cap charges north of $10MM in each season.
- Colts P Pat McAfee, $250K (link): McAfee, who signed a five-year extension with the Colts in 2014, ranks third in the NFL in net punting average at 42.8 yards. The Indy special teams unit ranks fourth in the league in DVOA, while McAfee himself has been worth four points of field position on punts, third-best in the AFC.
- Raiders S Reggie Nelson, $250K (link): Nelson sat on the free agent market until April, but has rewarded the Raiders for signing him by earning his second consecutive Pro Bowl season. The 33-year-old Nelson, who’s posted four interceptions after leading the NFL with eight picks in 2015, is in the middle of a two-year, $8.5MM deal.
- Raiders T Donald Penn, $200K (link): Penn is the definition of stability, as the veteran left tackle hasn’t missed a game since becoming a starter during his rookie season in 2007. Penn signed a two-year, $11.9MM contract with the Raiders this spring, and is set to count $6.1MM against Oakland’s cap in 2017.
- Raiders C Rodney Hudson, $100K (link): The third member of the Raiders’ offensive line to earn a Pro Bowl bonus, Hudson is the fourth-highest paid center in the league, earning $8.9MM annually. The No. 4 center in the NFL this year according to Pro Football Focus, Hudson is signed through the 2019 campaign.
- Titans RB DeMarco Murray, $100K (link): After a putrid season in Philadelphia during which he barely topped 700 yards rushing, Murray has rebounded since being traded to the Titans, and is currently second in the league with 1.224 yards on the ground. He’s scored nine rushing touchdowns, and has added three more scores thorugh the air.
Escalators
- Browns T Joe Thomas, $1.5MM 2017 roster bonus escalator (link): Thomas is due a roster bonus on the fifth day of the league year, and that bonus’ value has now increased from $1MM to $2.5MM. That bonus could factor in (in a minimal way) to any trade talks the Browns might have with other clubs, but Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson has been adamant that the Browns won’t deal Thomas.
- Titans LB Brian Orakpo, $200K 2017 base salary escalator (link): Orakpo’s 2017 base salary will increase to $5.95MM after he was selected to the Pro Bowl and played in more than 65% of the Titans’ defensive snaps. Orakpo, who has posted 11 sacks during his second season with Tennessee, is signed through 2018.
- Titans DT Jurrell Casey, $100K 2017 base salary escalator (link): Casey, 27, is arguably one of the more underpaid defenders in the league, as he’s due only $36MM from 2014-2018. His 2017 base salary will now increase to $5.9MM in 2017, and he’s also due a $200K roster bonus next spring.
Titans Audition Shelby Harris
- The Titans worked out former Oakland/New York defensive end Shelby Harris today, tweets Caplan. Harris, 25, played in eight games over the past two seasons with the Raiders.
2017 NFL Draft Order Through Week 15
With just two weeks to go, the NFL playoff picture is starting to get clearer. The Cowboys, Seahawks, Patriots, and Raiders have already punched their playoff tickets while the Chiefs, Steelers, Falcons, and Giants are considered near locks by the forecasts at Five Thirty Eight.
Here’s a look at where the draft order stands for the teams not currently slated to make the cut (Note: Ties are broken by strength of schedule):
1. Browns 0-14
2. 49ers 1-13
3. Jaguars 2-12
4. Bears 3-11
5. Jets 4-10
6. Rams (pick belongs to Titans) 4-10
7. Eagles (pick belongs to Browns) 5-9
8. Chargers 5-9
9. Cardinals 5-8-1
10. Bengals 5-8-1
11. Panthers 6-8
12. Saints 6-8
13. Bills 7-7
14. Colts 7-7
15. Vikings (pick belongs to Eagles) 7-7
16. Redskins 7-6-1
17. Titans 8-6
17. Ravens 8-6 (Note: The Titans and Ravens are currently knotted up in terms of both record and strength of schedule. In all statistical likelihood, the SOS logjam will be broken by the end of the season.)
19. Texans 8-6
20. Buccaneers 8-6
Titans To Place DT Karl Klug On IR
The Titans will place defensive tackle Karl Klug on season-ending injured reserve following a torn Achilles, head coach Mike Mularkey told reporters today.
[RELATED: Tennessee Titans Roster Resource]
Klug, 28, was in the midst of an extremely successful campaign in his sixth season with the Titans, as he’d racked up 1.5 sacks and a pass defensed while grading as the league’s No. 22 interior defender, according to Pro Football Focus. Klug has never been a full-time starter with Tennessee, but he’s acted as a valuable depth option behind Jurrell Casey and DaQuan Jones. In 2016, he’d played on roughly 44% of the club’s defensive snaps. Klug is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
With Klug sidelined, the Titans will look farther down their depth chart for help, and defensive tackles Angelo Blackson and Austin Johnson could be in line for larger roles, as Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com writes. Additionally, defensive lineman Antwaun Woods, currently on Tennessee’s practice squad, could be a candidate for promotion.
Seifert: Titans Set Up Well For Draft
The Browns and Titans have done an admirable job of setting themselves up well for the upcoming draft, writes ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert. Cleveland acquired three extra draft picks this season, and they’re guaranteed to have at least two picks in each of the first four rounds. Despite the fact that the 2017 draft is expected to feature weak quarterback offerings, Seifert believes the Browns could still select a signal-caller with one of their many picks.
Meanwhile, the Titans have the Rams’ first-round and third-round picks in this year’s draft, and the presence of Marcus Mariota means they won’t have to reach for a quarterback. In total, the team will have eight picks, including five in the first three rounds.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/13/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Reshard Cliett
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: OL Blaine Clausell
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Mario Alford
Indianpolis Colts
- Signed: T Pierce Burton
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Kyle Carter, T Marquis Lucas
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Justin Zimmer
New York Giants
- Signed: OL Adam Gettis
- Cut: OL Laurence Gibson, RB George Winn
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Anthony Denham
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Shaquille Riddick
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OT Mitchell Van Dyk
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: RB David Fluellen
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DL A.J. Francis, DB Shakiel Randolph
- Cut: DL Trevon Coley, DB Lee Hightower
Titans Promote Defensive Lineman
- The Titans have promoted defensive lineman Mehdi Abdesmad to the 53-man roster and waived running back David Fluellen, Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com reports. Abdesmad caught on with Tennessee in May as a UDFA.