Category: Latest News

Biggest takeaways from Titans GM Jon Robinson’s Wednesday conference call

Which topics did Jon Robinson discuss on Wednesday?

Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson held a conference call on Wednesday and touched on a number of topics.

Here are the biggest takeaways.

Adjusting to “an unconventional offseason”

Robinson started off the conference call by thanking those on the front lines that are helping in the battle against the coronavirus outbreak.

He also explained how the team is adjusting to the restrictions in place in order to continue working through free agency and preparing for the 2020 NFL Draft.

Robinson also noted that the league is still working through how exactly the draft will be run.

As far as Robinson knows, nobody within the Titans organization has been infected with the coronavirus.

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Report: Jadeveon Clowney lowers asking price, Titans still ‘interested’

The Titans are reportedly still interested in Jadeveon Clowney.

The Tennessee Titans are reportedly still interested in pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who has apparently lowered his asking price off the $20-plus million he was originally seeking.

The news comes from ESPN’s Dianna Russini.

During a conference call on Wednesday, Titans general manager Jon Robinson admitted the team had been in contact with Clowney.

He was also paraphrased as saying the team is “working through some things” regarding him, although we can’t exactly be sure what that means.

It’s possible that things are taking so long with Clowney partly because it’s hard to get physicals done at this time because of the coronavirus outbreak. More likely than not, though, teams simply aren’t willing to meet his asking price.

Clowney suffered a core (sports hernia) injury last season that he was forced to play through and then have surgery on during the offseason.

Clearly any team that wants to sign him will be looking to make sure he’s healthy before investing so much money.

Just when we thought the Titans were possibly out of this situation, they pull us back in.

Titans GM Jon Robinson says team has contacted Jadeveon Clowney’s reps

Jon Robinson admitted the team has talked to Jadeveon Clowney’s reps.

Until now, we’ve only had rumors to go by that the Tennessee Titans have shown interest in Jadeveon Clowney, but general manager Jon Robinson confirmed as much on Wednesday.

During a conference call with the media, Robinson said the team has been in contact with Clowney’s reps.

Robinson was also paraphrased as saying the Titans are “working through some things” with Clowney.

Robinson also noted how important physicals are and that the health of a player is paramount in making a decision.

Does this mean that the Titans will sign Clowney? There’s no telling if that’s the case, but Robinson’s willingness to talk about it is very interesting to say the least.

It’s possible that the “working through some things” line has to do with the team waiting for a physical for Clowney, who underwent core surgery during the offseason after playing through the injury in 2019.

Of course, physicals have been hard to come by because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Tennessee re-signed Kamalei Correa on Wednesday, which led a lot of us to believe the Clowney chase was over, but maybe we shouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet.

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Tennessee Titans re-sign OLB Kamalei Correa

Kamalei Correa is coming back to Nashville.

The Tennessee Titans are bringing back outside linebacker, Kamalei Correa.

The news comes from David Canter of DEC management, the agency that represents him. Canter also broke the news of Jack Crawford signing with the Titans on Tuesday night.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Correa’s deal is for one year and will pay him up to $3.5 million. Correa made $1.2 million in 2019.

Correa played in 16 games (five starts) for the Titans last season, totaling five sacks and 37 combined tackles. He was pushed into a more prominent role after Cameron Wake was placed on Injured Reserve.

During the postseason, Correa stepped up even more with two sacks and 13 combined tackles.

The 25-year-old, who was originally drafted in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, has served as a valuable depth piece for the Titans since joining the team in 2018.

He will once again take on that role in 2020, as he serves as a backup to Vic Beasley and Harold Landry off the edge.

Tennessee now has six outside linebackers under contract for next season, including Correa, Beasley, Landry, 2019 fifth-round pick D’Andre Walker, undrafted free agent Derick Roberson, and Reggie Gilbert.

After necessary Dre Kirkpatrick cut, when do Bengals move Andy Dalton?

When do the Bengals move Andy Dalton?

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The Cincinnati Bengals seem to be working down a consensus list when it comes to roster departures, most recently showing Dre Kirkpatrick the door.

And Andy Dalton is the next name on the list.

The Kirkpatrick move freed up roughly $8 million in cap but it’s small stuff compared to a Dalton transaction, as moving the most recent franchise quarterback would free up north of $17 million.

But the question is simple: When?

Kirkpatrick’s release came at a seemingly random time. The team had added Vonn Bell’s contract to the secondary and likely didn’t get anything notable in the way of trade offers.

But the Dalton situation is more unclear. The current cap space outlook doesn’t look great and not all of the big free-agency signings have gone official. One would think the Bengals need to get Dalton’s contract off the books sooner, not later.

But later could provide more in the way of future assets. Right now teams aren’t biting on a Dalton trade because they know the Bengals front office will just end up cutting him. But if they put out word enough that they’re comfortable with Dalton’s pricepoint mentoring Joe Burrow next year, maybe they encourage a trade.

Maybe this means the Bengals end up eating the cap hit until another team gets desperate. That could mean a team missing out on drafting a quarterback it wants or a team suffering an unfortunate injury setback close to when the season starts.

Either way, the idea the Bengals wanted to do right by Dalton needed to marry with proper compensation. A loaded quarterback market didn’t help things.

When the seemingly inevitable move happens is hard to pin down — but Dalton is the next big and perhaps final departure of a now-bygone Bengals era.

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Todd McShay changes it up for Ravens in 2-round mock draft

Draft analyst Todd McShay gives the Baltimore Ravens an interesting pick in the first round to shake things up in the 2020 NFL Draft.

As we get nearer to the 2020 NFL Draft, mock drafts are becoming a bit predictable for the Baltimore Ravens. With the Ravens having done nothing to address inside linebacker this offseason and few good options remaining, most mock drafts have sent Patrick Queen or Kenneth Murray Baltimore’s way in the first round.

ESPN’s Todd McShay noted that in his two-round mock draft, giving the Ravens TCU defensive tackle Ross Blacklock at No. 28 instead.

We’ve all been handing either Queen or Murray to Baltimore in this spot, and if either were available, one would still be the pick. But with no inside linebackers on the board within range, I’m instead turning my attention to the defensive front. Trading for Calais Campbell and bringing Matthew Judon back on the franchise tag do wonders for the edge rush, and new signee Derek Wolfe helps the interior a bit, but Blacklock’s quick hands and burst fit what the Ravens want up the middle.

It’s an interesting decision to have Baltimore draft a defensive lineman after they brought in Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe while re-signing Jihad Ward and Justin Ellis this offseason too. Right now, the Ravens’ defensive line might be one of their deepest position groups.

There’s a case to be made for Baltimore still drafting defensive linemen this year since half of their depth chart is only under contract for the 2020 season and the rest are only signed through 2021. But it’s hard to see them doing it in the first round with so many more pressing needs remaining. While the Ravens have certainly stuck to the BPA model, Blacklock seems like a stretch at the end of the first round anyway considering Luke Easterling of Draft Wire ranks him the 11th best interior defensive lineman in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, wide receiver Tee Higgins, cornerback A.J. Terrell, center Cesar Ruiz, and running back D’Andre Swift were all still on the board when the Ravens picked and all look to be better options for Baltimore given their most pressing needs. But the Ravens have proven before they’ll take the player they love if he’s the highest rated on their board.

Click on the next page to see who McShay gave the Ravens with their two second-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.

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Bengals 7-round mock draft: What would a trade down look like?

Here’s what trading out of No. 1 would look like for the Bengals.

Just about every mock draft sees the Cincinnati Bengals selecting LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the first pick and for good reason.

But what if we experiment with the possibility of the Bengals trading down with the Miami Dolphins, who have three picks in the first round and who Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald thinks could pull the trigger and move up to No. 1?

That’s what this mock draft will look at. This is a seven-round mock for the Bengals in which they acquire all three picks (Nos. 3, 18 and 26) from the Dolphins, who had to move up from five, plus future assets beyond this draft. Let’s see what plays out.

To start, this is using The Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine. And yes, the draft did work out where the Dolphins select Joe Burrow at No. 1. With that, let’s get into it.

 

No. 3: Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon

Jan 25, 2020; Mobile, AL, USA; South quarterback Justin Herbert of Oregon (10) talks with players after the 2020 Senior Bowl college football game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

If the Bengals do happen to trade down to No. 5 with the Dolphins, there’s still a good chance Herbert will be on the board and, if you remember back in January, Zac Taylor and the Bengals’ coaching staff got the opportunity to work closely with Herbert for a week at the Senior Bowl. Taylor raved about the work of Herbert throughout the week, so they’d be more than comfortable taking Herbert and landing some extra picks in the process.

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Ravens extend final season ticket renewal payment

The Baltimore Ravens are giving fans an extra month to make their final payment for season tickets due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Baltimore Ravens fans will now have an additional month to make their final payment for season tickets, according to the team. Due to the financial uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, the Ravens are extending the final season ticket renewal payment from May 15 to June 15.

“There’s a lot of people who are being incredibly affected by this crisis and may not have the funds available to complete the purchase of their season tickets,” Ravens president Dick Cass said, according to the Associated Press. “We’re dealing with a lot of season ticket holders who have been with us for 20 years and we don’t want to lose them. So we’re going to work with them, and hopefully we can find a solution that works for everybody.”

Of the 32 NFL teams, 28 have offered extensions in the next deadline for payments, according to the Associated Press. Only the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals are continuing with their established payment plans at this time.

“We’re constantly monitoring the serious impact this public health crisis is having on our fans and community,” Ravens senior vice president of ticket sales and operations Baker Koppelman stated in a press release. “Priorities have shifted for many people, and rightfully so. We hope this adjustment offers some relief at a time when families and businesses are forced to deal with more pressing needs.”

Calais Campbell: Ravens are ‘a great opportunity’ and gave me a ‘chance to win’

Though he said he could have earned more money elsewhere, Calais Campbell said it was the Baltimore Ravens’ potential that got him to sign

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The Baltimore Ravens’ prized acquisition this offseason came via a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Defensive end Calais Campbell was the first part of the Ravens’ eventual plan to solidify their defensive line while bringing pass-rushing acumen to help outside linebacker Matthew Judon get to the quarterback.

Much like fellow offseason addition, Derek Wolfe, Baltimore contending for a Super Bowl has Campbell excited.

“Baltimore is a great opportunity for me,” Campbell said on the Rapsheet and Friends podcast. “On the football field, it’s very obvious. The team is 14-2, young and talented, full of potential. I know I bring some good things in that can add some value and hopefully get over the hump and go out there and hoist the Lombardi Trophy a year from now.”

Campbell said the trade was contingent on getting a contract extension done and it had to be done pretty quickly. While Campbell said his agent believed he could get more money elsewhere, it was winning that was his ultimate goal.

“I told him [Campbell’s agent] that ‘my main goal was to have a chance to win'”

Campbell hasn’t been on many winning teams in his 12 years in the NFL. He spent three years with the Jaguars with only one winning season that ended at the conference championship. Campbell’s nine years with the Arizona Cardinals had more opportunities but he still wasn’t able to get over the hump, losing Super bowl XLIII to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In Baltimore, Campbell will be joining a team that was 14-2 last season and is one of the favorites to win Super Bowl LV. As he noted, hopefully the revamping of the defensive line with Campbell at the head of it will be enough to push the Ravens the rest of the way.

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Zac Taylor issues statement on Dre Kirkpatrick release

Here’s what the Bengals had to say about the move.

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The Cincinnati Bengals cut cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick on Tuesday in an effort to clear cap space.

While obvious news given the actions of the front office this offseason, the timing of the move was more unexpected.

Head coach Zac Taylor released a statement following the move, per the team’s official website:

“Dre was a part of the Bengals’ organization for many years, and displayed passion, energy and competitiveness both on and off the field,” said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. “We appreciate his many contributions to our team and community over the years, and wish him the best moving forward.”

Kirkpatrick is the latest move in Taylor fully remaking the Bengals roster. The front office has brought on potentially four new defensive starters and will feature new names on the offense side of the ball too, including Jonah Williams and potentially Joe Burrow.

A first-round pick by the Bengals in 2012, Kirkpatrick earned himself a massive extension but ultimately fell victim here to a regime change and the need for money in other spots during a rebuild.

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