Tag: 2020 NFL free agency

Redskins to wait until after NFL Draft to hire general manager

The Redskins are planning to carry out their pre-draft and pre-free agency strategies, and then make changes to the front office afterwards.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Washington Redskins are waiting to hire a new general manager until after the NFL Draft.

The reason for this is that the team is reportedly aiming to keep the front office intact for now in order to continue the predraft and pre-free agency process that has been taking place for the last several months within the organization. Many scouts and cap analysts have been working on a plan for the team, and it wouldn’t make sense for the team to start from square one so soon before both of those periods start.

However, once the draft and free agency is over, there will reportedly be more changes in the building.

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Here are the Jags’ 22 pending free agents for 2020

The Jacksonville Jaguars have over 20 players who will be free agents, but Yannick Ngakoue is obviously the top name.

With Tom Coughlin now gone and a new power structure in place, Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell and the organization’s front office will now only have to answer to Shad Khan, which is how they did things early in Caldwell’s tenure. While that may make things less complicated, Caldwell still has his work cut out for him with the upcoming free agency period for 2020 as the Jags are projected to be over the cap by $972,783. That’s a total that would put them at 30th in the league.

The Jags are scheduled to have 22 free agents hit the market this spring, but luckily, there is only one pending restricted free agent and starter who the Jags can’t lose — and that’s edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue. However, to do that, they will need to decide on some players with high cap figures like Calais Campbell, A.J. Bouye, Marcell Dareus, Marqise Lee, Jake Ryan, and Geoff Swaim just to name a few.

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There are also some reserves who will be pending free agents that the Jags may want to consider keeping, too. Tight ends Seth DeValve and Nick O’Leary could be solid backup tight ends. Keelan Cole, who will be a restricted free agent, should be likely to come back as the argument could be made that he played better than Dede Westbrook in 2019.

On defense, the Jags have a few depth pieces at linebacker who should be under consideration to return. Donald Payne (restricted), Najee Goode and Austin Calitro all received a lot of snaps with Myles Jack and Quincy Williams going on injured reserve, and their experience gained in 2019 could make them perfect for spot duties if the Jags need players who could temporarily start a game or two.

Here’s the list of all 22 of the Jags’ pending free agents with expiring contracts, per Over the Cap:

Note: Players are listed by snap count. Also, Alfred Blue was cut by the Jags earlier in October of 2019.

 

Nick Williams will ‘have fun in free agency,’ but wants to remain with Bears

Bears DT Nick Williams burst onto the NFL scene in 2019, which should bring suitors for him in free agency. But he’d prefer to stay put.

If you watched Bears defensive tackle Nick Williams this season, you wouldn’t have known he was a veteran that suddenly burst onto the NFL scene in his seventh season.

Williams had a career season with the Bears, where he stepped up when his team needed him as they dealt with injuries on the defensive line with Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols. And Williams didn’t just play good — he played great in all 16 games he appeared in, including five starts.

“The way it happened, nobody could’ve wrote a better story,” Williams said. “Being on the street in ’17 and the Bears giving me a shot in ’18, coming back here in ’19 and actually being able to contribute to the team and play the way that I did. I just wanted to gain the respect of my teammates and let the organization and the coaches know that they made a good decision in bringing me in.”

Williams finished the season with 42 total tackles, including five for loss, as well as six sacks. This season has certainly opened many eyes to Williams, which bodes well for him in free agency. But Williams would prefer to remain in Chicago.

“I think I’m gonna have fun in free agency this year,” said Williams. “We’ll see what happens in the future. Obviously, I want to be back here. I want to be a Bear. I love this organization. They’ve afforded me a lot of great opportunities. I like this locker room. I like my teammates. We’ll see what happens.”

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Is Ha Ha Clinton-Dix interested in re-signing with Bears?

Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix signed a one-year prove-it deal, and he believes he’s earned a long-term deal. But will it be with the Bears?

When safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix signed with the Chicago Bears last March, he was coming to a dominant defense with an opportunity to prove himself to the rest of the NFL in hopes of nabbing a long-term extension.

Clinton-Dix certainly believes he’s done enough to earn that. But will the Bears be able to afford him, if they want to re-sign him?

“That’s not my decision,” Clinton-Dix said after Sunday’s win over the Vikings. “I don’t know. Right now I just really want to enjoy this win. I’ll worry about the future later. My thing was to play a full 16 games and be committed to those 16 games and let everything else take care of itself. I think that happened.”

There’s one factor that would appeal to Clinton-Dix remaining in Chicago: Eddie Jackson, his former Alabama teammate and partner-in-crime this season.

“I would love to play with this guy for the rest of my career,” Clinton-Dix said. “If he’s not here, I’ll go wherever he goes. But this is a crazy business. You never know what’s gonna happen.”

Clinton-Dix finished the season with 78 tackles, two interceptions, five pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.

General manager Ryan Pace has a lot of important decisions to make this offseason, including in the secondary. Clinton-Dix has at least earned another one-year prove-it deal. That is, if that’s where Pace desires to go.

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Redskins can double their cap-space and attract coaches with a few simple moves

There’s a way that the Redskins can become a contender in the NFC East as soon as 2020, and all it takes is ridding the roster of some aging and expensive talent.

After it was announced this month that the NFL’s 2020 Salary Cap was likely to increase to somewhere between $196 and $201 million next season, it probably caused many fans of the Washington Redskins to do some research and find that the team will have approximately $48 million of cap space this coming offseason.

However, there are several moves that could make that number grow even higher for the Redskins, and that increased flexibility might behoove them in other areas this offseason, as they look to find an elite coaching candidate to fill their vacancy at the top stop.

According to NBC Sports JP Finlay, if Washington were to make these five roster moves this offseason, it could potentially clear up $50 million in extra cap-space, giving the Redskins more than $90 million to work with. As it stands now, that would be the third-most in the NFL. Here’s what Washington would need to do:

  • Cut CB Josh Norman | Saves $12.5 million in 2020
  • Cut WR Paul Richardson | Saves $6.5 million in 2020
  • Cut or reach an injury settlement with TE Jordan Reed | Saves $8.5 million in 2020
  • Trade LB Ryan Kerrigan | Saves $11.7 million in 2020
  • Trade LT Trent Williams | Saves $12.75 million in 2020

All of those roster decisions seem highly possible, and any logical franchise would likely pull the trigger instantly. However….well, I don’t need to say it.

Not only would this freed-up cap-space allow the Redskins to be highly active in free agency, but the added flexibility could be a huge selling point for any coaching candidate who may be wary of stepping into a difficult position in Washington. As it stands now, the Redskins have a stubborn owner, an incompetent general manager, and a whole host of players who are either injured or refusing to play taking up more than half of their cap space. You’d have to be a fool to willingly take on that job.

However, with a few of the moves we mentioned earlier, the Redskins could rid their roster of aging and expensive talent, spend on committed players who are in their prime and surround their talented young core with playmakers who are coming into their own. You pair that with the right coach, and suddenly you have a contender in the NFC East on your hands.

All of this can be done with a few roster decisions and a commitment to the future. Any logical franchise would do it…

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Brandon Scherff’s time as a member of the Redskins may be over

Scherff was placed on the IR on Tuesday, and with his impending free agency coming up, the Redskins may opt for a cheaper option at guard.

The Washington Redskins’ talented right guard, Brandon Scherff, was benched this last week due to an injury, and he was subsequently sent to the injured reserve on Tuesday, making it so that his outing in Week 14 against the Green Bay Packers was the last time we’d see him this season.

Now the question must be raised; will it be the last time we see Scherff in a Washington Redskins uniform?

The fifth-year lineman — who was one of four Redskins to be named to the Pro Bowl this season — is set to hit free agency this offseason as his rookie deal is on its last legs. He has expressed interest in being a Redskin for life, but the team knows that will come at a steep price, seeing as his level of play has consistently improved year-over-year since Washington drafted him in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Though Scherff has quietly risen to become one of the best guards in the NFL, a high-end price tag might deter the Redskins from keeping him on the roster, especially if they have a younger and cheaper option that they can go to. That might be exactly what they found this season with rookie guard Wes Martin.

Martin started for the injured Scherff this past week against the Philadelphia Eagles, and he performed extremely well in relief. He was part of an offensive front that didn’t allow a sack for just the second time this season, and he showed an ability to get upfield and block in space.

While Scherff is an extremely talented lineman who acts as one of the few first-round draft picks that have actually lived up to the billing in Washington, an expected contract signing north of $15 million per season can seem a bit daunting, especially when there could be a highly-serviceable No. 2 option at that spot.

Over the next two weeks, with Scherff on the IR, Martin will be placed under the spotlight as the Redskins look to make a decision that could largely affect their salary cap and on-field production for years to come. If the rookie continues to get the job done, we may have seen the last of Brandon Scherff in the Burgundy and Gold.

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Joe Schobert playing like he deserves a big new contract

Joe Schobert is the Browns most valuable pending free agent and GM John Dorsey is only seeing the price tag rise with Schobert’s great play

Joe Schobert is the Browns’ most prominent pending free agent. Based on how he’s played the last two weeks, the price tag is only rising for Cleveland’s top linebacker.

Schobert picked off two passes against the Miami Dolphins in the Browns’ 41-24 romp. It was the second game in a row where No. 53 secured two INTs, both convincing victories.

Schobert was the best player on the field against Pittsburgh in Week 11. Not only that, he was the best defensive player on any field in the NFL that week, according to Pro Football Focus grading. He followed that up with another impressive outing against the Dolphins, with five tackles and the two INTs among his four total passes defended.

His impact in the passing game from the linebacker position is exceedingly rare. How rare, you ask?

 

He did it against Miami with the line in front of him decimated, missing three starters due to a combination of injury and suspension. For most of the Dolphins game, he played with multiple rookies around him.

The Browns recently paid center JC Tretter with a nice contract extension. Tretter was deserving and happy to remain in Cleveland. Now it’s time for GM John Dorsey to do the same with Schobert while the price tag is still affordable. If he keeps playing the way he has the past few weeks, other teams will be chomping at the bit to give Schobert whatever he wants.