Sunday Roundup: Garoppolo, Steelers, Boyd
It’s been a fairly slow Sunday morning as beat writers continue to evaluate how new draftees are faring in rookie minicamps, but let’s take a look at some other noteworthy tidbits from around the league:
- Mike Jones of the Washington Post writes that, of all the undrafted rookies the Redskins signed, BYU WR Cody Hoffman might be the one to watch.
- Dave Spadaro of PhiladelphiaEagles.com looks at the Eagles‘ depth chart at wide receiver behind the top four of Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper, Jordan Matthews, and Josh Huff. Spadaro also notes that there is no news on potential roster additions at this time.
- John Glennon of The Tennessean looks at four undrafted wide receivers that could make an impact on the Titans this season.
- The Jaguars are the only team that has just one quarterback with regular season experience on its roster, but Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union expects the club to add a quarterback with some such experience before the end of offseason workouts.
- Although Mike Reiss of ESPN.com believes the Patriots drafted Jimmy Garoppolo as a possible successor to Tom Brady down the road, he believes “Garoppolo’s presence is closer to 80 percent about filling the No. 2 role set to be vacated by Ryan Mallett (likely in 2015) at more manageable rookie financial rates, with the other 20 percent or so tied to possible succession plans.“
- Ben Volin of The Boston Globe, meanwhile, thinks the Patriots definitely had Brady’s heir apparent in mind when they drafted Garoppolo, and Volin examines the similarities in the skillsets of the two quarterbacks.
- Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes that, although it wasn’t that along ago that even top draft picks were not expected to make an immediate impact on the Steelers‘ defense, new draftees Ryan Shazier and Stephon Tuitt might be expected to inject their blend of speed and athleticism on the team’s defensive unit right away.
- Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post writes that the Jets may use newly-drafted Tajh Boyd as a running back or in the Wildcat, a prospect that does not enthuse Boyd. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that rumors concerning Boyd’s move to another position is “premature.”
Volin On Roster Crunches: Roos, Hardy, Hali
The more successful franchises in the league always have an eye towards the so-called “second wave” of free agency when they construct their draft boards and begin drafting players. They can determine the potential cap casualties and the players who might be released from another squad simply because of a roster crunch, and they can identify which of those players might fill a need on their club that was not necessarily addressed via the draft. Ben Volin of The Boston Globe takes a look and those players whose security with their current club took a hit after last week’s draft. Some of the highlights:
- Michael Roos: Roos is perhaps the most obvious name of the group, given that the Titans signed Michael Oher in free agency and selected Taylor Lewan in the first round of the draft. That’s not to mention Roos’ $6.62MM salary cap number and the fact that Tennessee would not take on any dead money by releasing him.
- Matt Forte: Forte’s inclusion on this list is somewhat surprising, and although Volin notes he will almost certainly remain with the Bears this season, Volin goes on to say that the tread on Forte’s tires, along with his $8.8MM 2015 cap number and the team’s drafting of Ka’Deem Carey, could lead to Forte’s release after the season.
- Jeremy Maclin: “The writing is on the wall for Maclin,” as Volin points out that the Eagles gave Riley Cooper the long-term deal while handing out a one-year contract to Maclin, and then went on to draft Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff on the second day of the draft.
- Tamba Hali: Hali is another player who will remain with the only team he has ever known in 2014, but the Chiefs drafted Dee Ford in the first round of the draft and Hali has a $12MM cap number in 2015 (his contract expires at the end of 2015).
- Greg Hardy: obviously Hardy is safe for 2014, having signed the franchise tender worth over $13MM, but Volin writes the Panthers will have to reevaluate the future of their star defensive end considering his legal troubles this offseason and the selection of Kony Ealy in the second round of the draft.
South Notes: Texans, Saints, Titans, Panthers
The Texans have locked up a couple more draft picks, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, who tweets that third-round defensive tackle Louis Nix and sixth-round defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan have agreed to terms with the club.
Nix’s case is an example of how much it can cost a player early in his career financially if he slips in the draft — heading into the second day, there were rumblings that Houston might grab the Notre Dame product with the first pick in the second round. Instead, the Texans nabbed him midway through the third round. The difference? Nix gets a signing bonus of about $575K rather than $2.358MM, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap.
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two South divisions:
- The NFLPA has advised agents to keep their clients apprised about “potential consequences” of signing with the Saints, given the proposal currently making its way through Louisiana State Legislature, tweets Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports. The proposed legislation would reduce the compensation pay for Saints players injured during OTAs or workouts.
- According to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter links), a total of about 20 undrafted free agents and non-rookies have been invited to try out at the Titans‘ minicamp this week, including linebackers D’Aundre Reed and Greg Lloyd Jr., defensive tackle Lanier Coleman, and defensive end Cordian Hagans.
- The Panthers have formally released a list of 35 players who are participating in their minicamp on a tryout basis. Former Buccaneers safety Cody Grimm and ex-Bills punter Shawn Powell are among the invitees who have previous NFL experience.
- Former agent Joel Corry and former team executive Ari Nissim continue to conduct mock extension negotiations between the Texans and J.J. Watt in part four of their illuminating series for the National Football Post.
- West Texas A&M kicker Sergio Castillo is among the players in camp with the Saints on a tryout basis this week, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
QB Coach: Browns Owner Involved In Trade For Manziel
Although general manager Ray Farmer and the Browns have repeatedly denied that owner Jimmy Haslam exerted any influence in the team’s draft room last week, quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains suggests that’s not quite the case. Appearing on Sports Talk with Bo Mattingly on ESPN Radio in Arkansas, Loggains said that a text from Johnny Manziel inspired Haslam and the Browns to trade up for him.
“We’re sitting there and they keep showing Johnny on TV,” Loggains said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “And Johnny and I are texting and he shoots me a text and he says, ‘I wish you guys would come get me. Hurry up and draft me because I want to be there. I want to wreck this league together.’ When I got that text, I forwarded it to the owner and to the head coach (Mike Pettine). I’m like, ‘This guy wants to be here. He wants to be part of it.’ As soon as that happened, Mr. Haslam said, ‘Pull the trigger. We’re trading up to go get this guy.'”
Although the Browns eventually made a deal with the Eagles to move up to the No. 22 spot, the team also talked to the Titans (No. 11) and Cowboys (No. 16), Loggains confirmed. The quarterbacks coach also suggested that the Browns felt they had to get ahead of the Chiefs at No. 23: “We knew they would draft him.”
As for Haslam’s role in making the deal, it certainly sounds like he was very much involved in the decision, even if he didn’t necessarily have to overrule his staff to get it done. Previous reports have suggested that the Eagles had several offers for that 22nd overall pick, and that the Browns only landed the pick after sweetening their proposal to include a third-rounder. Based on Loggains’ comments, it sounds as if Philadelphia may have ended up trading with one of those other clubs had Haslam not provided the push to get something done.
Draft Signings: Titans, Jets, Cowboys
Teams continue to waste no time in signing their 2014 draft picks, with news of several more agreements trickling in this morning. Here are the latest draft pick signings from around the NFL:
- Defensive lineman Daquan Jones and cornerback Marqueston Huff, a pair of fourth-round picks, have agreed to terms with the Titans, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). The moves leave Tennessee with four more picks to sign.
- The Jets have reached an agreement with fifth-round pick Jeremiah George, who will be in line for a four-year, $2.411MM deal with a signing bonus worth approximately $192K, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The linebacker is the third of 12 draftees to agree to terms with the Jets.
- The Cowboys‘ draft was heavy on seventh-rounders, and the team has locked up one of the five players it selected in the seventh. According to Wilson (via Twitter), defensive end Ben Gardner has agreed to a contract with the Cowboys that includes a signing bonus of about $59K and has an overall four-year value of $2.279MM.
AFC South Rumors: Johnson, Titans, Texans
Andre Johnson is unhappy with the Texans, but he isn’t going anywhere, asserts John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Some have wondered if Johnson will get traded or might even retire, but McClain is confident that they’ll get things hammered out with the wide receiver like they always do. Johnson recently opened up to reporters about his frustrations and openly wondered about his future, but his sizable contract makes a trade rather difficult. Here’s more from the AFC South..
- Titans GM Ruston Webster said today (via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com on Twitter) that he expected to get more calls about trading his No. 11 pick. He also added that he didn’t get an offer from the trade-happy Browns for the selection.
- Texans head coach Bill O’Brien has already spoken to Johnson, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. O’Brien says that he thinks highly of Johnson and believes that he’s a great fit for the offense.
- Maggie Hendricks of USA Today doesn’t fault Johnson for being unhappy with the Texans. Johnson, she points out, has been the teams top receiver for the last eleven years, with the exception of his injury-shortened 2011. Despite his individual performance, Johnson has yet to get near a Super Bowl ring.
2014’s Most Balanced And Unbalanced Drafts
Teams entered last week’s NFL draft with many different positions and areas they planned to focus on, but depending on how the draft played out, many clubs didn’t end up addressing all their needs. For instance, few would have guessed heading into the draft that neither the Panthers nor the Ravens would come out of the weekend having added an offensive tackle.
Whether intentional or not, a handful of teams ended up specifically focusing on one area of the ball in the draft, selecting far more offensive players than defensive players, or vice versa. Listed below are the teams who had the most offensive-heavy drafts, teams who had defensive-heavy drafts, and the clubs who managed to perfectly balance their picks. Let’s check out the lists….
Most offensive-heavy drafts:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6 offense, 0 defense): After spending big to add defensive end Michael Johnson and cornerback Alterraun Verner in free agency, the Buccaneers were the only NFL team not to draft at least one defensive player. Instead, the club focused on adding weapons for new quarterback Josh McCown, including wide receiver Mike Evans and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.
- Jacksonville Jaguars (6 offense, 3 defense): It wasn’t until they drafted their fifth player, in the fourth round, that the Jaguars eventually selected a defensive player, having focused early on landing a quarterback (Blake Bortles) and pass-catchers (Marqise Lee, Allen Robinson).
- New England Patriots (6 offense, 3 defense): After nabbing defensive tackle Dominique Easley in round one, the Patriots turned to offensive players for their next five picks, including second-rounder Jimmy Garoppolo.
- Washington Redskins (5 offense, 2 defense): The Redskins picked a couple defenders in the first four rounds, grabbing linebacker Trent Murphy and cornerback Bashaud Breeland, but they tipped the scales by leaning heavily toward offensive players with their late-round picks.
Most balanced drafts:
- New York Jets (6 offense, 6 defense)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4 offense, 4 defense)
- Carolina Panthers (3 offense, 3 defense)
- Cleveland Browns (3 offense, 3 defense)
- Denver Broncos (3 offense, 3 defense)
- San Diego Chargers (3 offense, 3 defense)
- Tennessee Titans (3 offense, 3 defense)
Most defensive-heavy drafts:
- Atlanta Falcons (7 defense, 2 offense): Offensive and defensive lines were viewed as two of the top priorities for the Falcons, but after addressing those positions in the first two rounds, Atlanta went on a linebacker frenzy in the mid-to-late rounds, snatching up four of them.
- Dallas Cowboys (7 defense, 2 offense): The Cowboys reportedly had three defensive players on their wish list in the first round, but when Anthony Barr, Aaron Donald, and Ryan Shazier came off the board, the team picked offensive tackle Zack Martin instead. Dallas remedied that by making seven of its final eight picks defensive players.
- Minnesota Vikings (7 defense, 3 offense): The Vikings made defense their focus in the mid-to-late rounds — their last five picks were defenders, including three defensive backs. Minnesota also selected a defensive player with its first pick, drafting linebacker Anthony Barr ninth overall.
- Oakland Raiders (6 defense, 2 offense): The Raiders’ approach looked similar to the Vikings’, as Oakland grabbed a linebacker (Khalil Mack) with its top-10 pick, then used its last five picks on defenders, with a couple offensive players sandwiched in between.
- Philadelphia Eagles (5 defense, 2 offense): Losing DeSean Jackson made wide receiver a priority for the Eagles in the draft, so the team snatched up Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff in rounds two and three. Outside of those two picks though, it was an exclusively defensive draft for Philadelphia.
Pro Football Rumors’ list of draft results by team was used in the creation of this post.
Titans Announce 13 UDFA Signings
The Titans have officially announced their 13 rookie free agent signings, and Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com has the details. Here’s the complete list of undrafted players signing with Tennessee:
- Ri’Shard Anderson, CB, Syracuse ($3K bonus, per Kuharsky)
- Antonio Andrews, RB, Western Kentucky ($10K bonus)
- Travis Coons, K, Washington ($5K bonus)
- James Gayle, DE, Virginia Tech ($15K bonus)
- Gabe Ikard, C, Oklahoma ($10K bonus)
- Justin McCray, G, Central Florida ($2.5K bonus)
- Jamal Merrell, LB, Rutgers
- Jaz Reynolds, WR, Oklahoma
- Hakeem Smith, S, Louisville
- Josh Stewart, WR, Oklahoma State
- Derel Walker, WR, Texas A&M
- Eric Ward, WR, Texas Tech
- David Wright, TE, Westminster
La Canfora On Draft, Browns, Jags, Easley
Based on what Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com was hearing during and after the draft, he believes the Browns traded down from No. 4 to No. 9 in the first round in the hopes that Texas A&M receiver Mike Evans would still be on the board. When Evans was snapped up by the Buccaneers seventh overall, Cleveland went another direction and never did address the receiver position in the draft. Here’s more from La Canfora, with a focus on draft-related what-ifs:
- The Jaguars “resisted several opportunities” to move out of the No. 3 overall slot and trade down with teams who were hoping to land Khalil Mack or Sammy Watkins, says La Canfora. We heard this morning that Jacksonville also considered trading with the Falcons, who were targeting Jake Matthews.
- Before they traded up to No. 22, the Browns were close to making deals with the Titans at No. 11 and the Cowboys at No. 16.
- If the Patriots hadn’t selected Florida’s Dominique Easley with their first-round pick, the Seahawks likely would have kept their first-rounder and used it on Easley rather than moving down. Similarly, the Cardinals would have selected Ryan Shazier if he was there at No. 20, but began attempts to trade down once he came off the board, ultimately swinging a deal with the Saints.
- Offensive tackle Ju’Wuan James likely would’ve been selected by the Panthers at No. 28 if the Dolphins hadn’t drafted him 19th overall.
- La Canfora continues to hear from sources that at this point rumors of a Ryan Mallett trade between the Patriots and Texans are just that — rumors.
- Defensive tackle Ego Ferguson, who was selected by the Bears in the second round, has been frequently identified by evaluators as one of the draft’s biggest reaches, says La Canfora.
NFC Notes: Cowboys, Bradford, Bortles, Lions
The Cowboys didn’t come away from the 2014 draft having selected a new quarterback, which head coach Jason Garrett says is just fine. Garrett explained the thinking to Todd Archer of ESPN.com:
“The thing you’re concerned about is developing them for somebody else,” Garrett said. “You develop them for two, three, four years and he goes and plays for another football team. We don’t think that’s a worthwhile thing. There’s been a theory around the league, teams like Green Bay for years always took a guy late and if that player develops into something that was a good thing for their team or to trade to somebody else. … It’s a philosophy a lot of teams, they agree with that. But when you have other issues on your team I think it becomes a little bit of a luxury to do that.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- While there have been rumblings about possible Sam Bradford trade talks lately, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said on today’s Dan Patrick Show that the club has neither made or received any calls about Bradford’s availability (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
- If the Jaguars hadn’t selected Blake Bortles with the third overall pick, neither the Vikings or Titans would have drafted him, but the Cowboys would’ve considered it at No. 16 and the Cardinals would’ve pulled the trigger at No. 20, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
- The Lions strongly considered picking a quarterback on the third day of the draft, but the club’s targets came off the board before Detroit had a chance to select them, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com.
- If the conditional pick traded to the Eagles by the Bills in this weekend’s Bryce Brown trade doesn’t change hands next year, it can become a 2016 third-rounder if Brown rushes for 800+ yards in either of the next two seasons, according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
- Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News provides an interesting look at how safety Jimmie Ward became the 49ers’ man in the first round last Thursday.
- Longtime Vikings college scouting director Scott Studwell resigned from the position following this weekend’s draft, and will transition into a new role within the organization, writes Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune.