Tag: 2021 Free Agency

Sprinkle, Anger contract details revealed, Cowboys see minimal cap impact

The two recent free-agency adds will cost Dallas just under $1 million apiece against the salary cap, according to ESPN.

The Cowboys continue their tradition of being thrifty shoppers in free agency. Tuesday brought details of the contracts signed by the two newest members of the organization; both will provide camp competition and possibly regular-season depth in 2021.

As reported by Todd Archer of ESPN, tight end Jeremy Sprinkle and punter Bryan Anger both signed minimum salary benefit deals with the team. That means they’ll count for just under $1 million apiece against the salary cap. Both players received a signing bonus of $137,500. Of the two, Anger has the slightly larger base salary, $1.075 million to Sprinkle’s $990,000.

Anger’s base salary actually gives him a larger paycheck than current Cowboys starter Hunter Niswander, the who took over last season for the injured Chris Jones. The rookie did enough to keep the job, triggering Jones’s release by the club last month. The 32-year-old Anger is expected to provide competition for Niswander within John Fassel’s special teams unit.

Sprinkle’s base pay takes a big hit from the $2.133 million he last earned in Washington. Entering his fifth season, the 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end has been used primarily as a blocker. In Dallas, he’ll likely compete for a depth spot behind Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz.

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Washington signs international tight end Sammis Reyes

The Washington Football Team didn’t pursue a tight end in free agency despite just two on the 90-man roster. Logan Thomas, who signed last

The Washington Football Team didn’t pursue a tight end in free agency despite having just two on the 90-man roster. Logan Thomas, who signed last year, proved he is a quality starter.

But Washington needed more.

On Tuesday, WFT signed international free agent Sammis Reyes after his performance at the University of Florida pro day two weeks ago. Reyes, who was participating at Florida’s pro day, was one of 11 international players participating in the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program.

Reyes, who came to the United State at age 14 from Chile, was a high school basketball star in Florida. He would then move on to Tulane to play basketball.

Washington likes Reyes so much, it signed him before the program was even complete.

From his performance at Florida’s pro day, it’s easy to see why Washington liked him and wanted to sign him before other teams were involved.

Reyes measured in at over 6-foot-5, 260 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds. Reyes tested well in every category and looked smooth in some of the tight end drills.

Thomas, a former quarterback in college is the perfect mentor for Reyes. He didn’t switch to tight end until over two years into his NFL career. Washington also has a strong tight ends coach in Pete Hoener. Hoener was instrumental in identifying Thomas in free agency last year.

This is a good move for Washington. Reyes is a low-risk signing with a potentially big upside. For a team in need of tight end depth, that’s perfect.

Bleacher Report believes Bears should sign this free agent

Bleacher Report believes the Bears should sign free-agent CB Bashaud Breeland to add to their cornerbacks room.

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The Chicago Bears face the daunting task of replacing two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Kyle Fuller after the team released him this offseason to free up salary cap space.

Bleacher Report pinpointed one current free agent that would help each team in the NFL. And given Chicago’s need at the cornerback position, it’s not a surprise that cornerback Bashaud Breeland was selected for the Bears.

Breeland, 29, may not be considered an elite cornerback, but his stats have been rather impressive over the last three years. He conceded just a 50 percent completion rate and 72.3 percent passer rating when targeted in that span, numbers that would make him a real asset for the Bears.

Last offseason, Breeland signed a one-year extension with the Kansas City Chiefs worth $3 million. Even despite Chicago’s salary cap struggles, the Bears could try to sign Breeland to a more team-friendly deal. If that’s the route they choose to go.

But they already signed veteran Desmond Trufant in free agency, as well as re-signed Artie Burns to a one-year deal. There are certainly some veteran options already on the roster, but none that are close enough to replace someone like Fuller.

There’s also the assumption that Chicago will target a cornerback with either their first- or second-round pick in the NFL draft. That would be the second straight season that the Bears would draft a cornerback.

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Washington releases five players, including the son of Randy Moss

With the 2021 NFL draft just three weeks away, the Washington Football Team began clearing some room on their offseason by releasing five

With the 2021 NFL draft just three weeks away, the Washington Football Team began clearing some room on their offseason roster by releasing five players on Friday.

One of those released players is tight end Thaddeus Moss. An undrafted free agent out of LSU in 2020, Moss was diagnosed with a broken bone in his foot before the draft. He was released in training camp, but went unclaimed and reverted to Washington’s injured reserve list.

The son of Randy Moss, Thaddeus Moss signed with Washington last offseason due to the team’s lack of depth at the tight end position.

Also released was defensive tackle Caleb Brantley. Brantley had been with Washington since Sept. 2018 but did not see a lot of action. He sat out the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brantley’s release likely has more to do with Washington’s outstanding depth at the position.

WFT also released running backs Javon Leake and Michael Warren, and wide receiver Emanuel Hall.

B/R suggests Jadeveon Clowney could still help Bills

Bleacher Report on the Buffalo Bills and DE Jadeveon Clowney.

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All attention has turned to the 2021 NFL Draft. Despite that, free agency isn’t over.

The first and second waves certainly are, but leading up to and even after the draft there’s plenty of veterans that are currently looking for teams that will be signed. With that in mind, Bleacher Report looked at that bunch and pegged a fit for every NFL team. For Buffalo, it’s a known name,

B/R thinks pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney would be good addition for the Bills. Here’s why:

The Bills lost a pair of defensive ends in Trent Murphy and Quinton Jefferson in free agency and desperately need to replace that production. Two of the more impactful pass-rushers on the roster right now are aging, with Jerry Hughes (32) and Mario Addison (33) both well past the wrong side of 30.

Jadeveon Clowney represents the best chance for this squad to add a younger, disruptive force on the defensive line for the 2021 season. The 28-year-old should still have plenty left in the tank despite amassing just three sacks over his last 21 games with the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks.

Clowney’s talent certainly would be welcomed in Buffalo. Despite his low sack numbers, he previously found ways to get the quarterback early in his career and Pro Football Focus is still high on him in recent years. In 2020, his overall grade on the edge was a solid 74.9 mark.

The hard thing to imagine with the Bills is how Clowney would fit, though. Addison restructured his contract to stay with the team next season, but Clowney could be a player that might start over him. As long as that rotation could be worked out, the 28-year-old to the Bills might be a player that provides a short and long term solution for the Bills. Considering his age, post Hughes and Addison in Buffalo, Clowney could still play meaningful snaps for years next to AJ Epenesa.

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Former Washington tight end Jeremy Sprinkle has a new home

The Washington Football Team needs help at tight end. Outside of starter Logan Thomas, Washington’s three backup tight ends combined for

The Washington Football Team needs help at tight end. Outside of starter Logan Thomas, Washington’s three backup tight ends combined for three receptions and 18 yards in 2020.

On Wednesday, Washington lost its backup tight end when Jeremy Sprinkle signed with the Dallas Cowboys.

Sprinkle was a fifth-round draft pick out of Arkansas in 2017 and finished his career in Washington with 34 receptions for 301 yards and three touchdowns. Sprinkle caught just one pass for six yards in 2020.

Fans won’t remember Sprinkle’s time in D.C. too fondly. The Football Team has battled age and injuries at the position in recent years until Thomas stabilized the position last season.

Before 2019, Sprinkle had several opportunities to seize playing time and generally ended up dropping wide-open passes or stumbling on a key block. After playing out the final year of his rookie contract in 2020, Washington was clearly planning to move on from Sprinkle.

Meanwhile, Washington will look to the 2021 NFL draft for help behind Thomas, where everyone outside of Florida star Kyle Pitts is a viable option.

Cowboys add to tight end room with Jeremy Sprinkle signing

Adding to the position group, Dallas finds a new blocking tight end to add to the 2021 mix.

The Dallas Cowboys have added a second free agent on the day, bringing in an offensive player in addition to punter Bryan Anger. The club lost blocking tight end Blake Bell during the offseason as he returned to the Kansas City Chiefs after a one-year hiatus. Although the top of the depth chart is relatively secured with Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz, the club certainly was in a position to add to the group.

With that opening, former Washington Football Team member Jeremy Sprinkle has now joined the stocked room on a one-year deal to fill the void. 

Sprinkle caught 26 passes in 2019, a number that plummeted to one catch during a 16-game 2020 season when the team brought in Logan Thomas to do the heavy lifting.

Sprinkle is more of a blocking tight end with career totals of 301 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He should be seen more as depth than as any statement on the club’s interest in drafting the position later this month in the amateur draft.

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Cowboys sign veteran punter Anger as competition for Niswander

After the release of Chris Jones, Niswander became the expected starter at punter. Now, Dallas adds in veteran Bryan Anger for competition.

Dallas released starting punter Chris Jones back in March, completing the overhaul of the special teams unit starting the year prior. Hunter Niswander became the starter over Jones after an injury and lackluster production led to the change. After special team coordinator John Fassel’s overhaul during the season, Niswander finished the season with an average of 47.2 yards over 26 punts during the 2020 season, much better than Jones’s 42.6 average.

On Wednesday, the Cowboys added more competition in the special teams room by adding nine-year veteran Bryan Anger. This is the ninth free agent signing by Dallas, the most in franchise history.

Anger led the NFL in punting yards in 2013 with 4338 and has been a steady starter for three teams during his career. After being a member of the Jaguars,  Buccaneers, and Texans, he enters the fray in competition with Niswander for the starting spot in Dallas.

Niswander’s average in 2020 was 0.8 yards higher than Anger and training camp will likely decide who overtakes the starting role. After a promising end to the season for the Northwestern product, he will have to prove that he can outperform a veteran in Anger.

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Jags still leading NFL in cap space 3 weeks after start of free agency

Right now the Jags have a estimated amount of $40.5 million in available cap spacer Overt the Cap, which still is the most in the NFL.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had the most salary cap in the NFL when Urban Meyer joined them, and while they weren’t able to address a pressing need at tight end, the good news is they still lead the NFL in cap space three weeks past the start of free agency. According to Over the Cap, the team has approximately $40.5 million available in cap space at the moment, well ahead of any other team in the NFL.

Aside from the signing of cornerback Shaq Griffin and maybe Rayshawn Jenkins, the Jaguars didn’t really sign many players to huge deals. They also avoided a lot of big Year 1 cap hits when looking at their new additions. However, they did make a significant amount of value signings to help bolster the defensive line and added some veteran skill players on the offensive side.

Also according to Over the Cap, the Jags accumulated a spending amount of over $81 million in free agency this offseason. That total is good for third, with the New England Patriots coming in at first and spending over $112.4 million and the New York Giants coming in at second with a spending figure of just over $82.9 million. In other words, that means the Jags weren’t shy about handing out smaller contracts despite not addressing arguably their second most pressing need.

Of course, when looking at their abundance of cap space, it’s worth noting that the rookie pool has to be accounted for. According to Over the Cap, the Jags are looking at a total figure of roughly $16.8 million if they use all 10 of their selections. Even with that figure leading the NFL, the Jags will be in good cap shape after the draft and could proceed to extend someone like DJ Chark Jr. if they wanted.

Curtis Samuel named Washington’s worst free-agent signing

The Washington Football Team had a desperate need for a wide receiver opposite Terry McLaurin entering the 2021 offseason. 

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The Washington Football Team had a desperate need for a wide receiver opposite Terry McLaurin entering the 2021 offseason.

One player who seemed like a natural fit for Washington was Carolina Panthers wide receiver, Curtis Samuel.

After all, the general manager and head coach who picked Samuel with the Panthers are now in Washington.

While the market for wide receivers was slow to develop early, it didn’t take long for Samuel and Washington to strike a deal. The Football Team signed the former Ohio State star to a three-year contract worth up to $34.5 million.

The deal was universally praised as Washington signed a young player who is just 24, fast, versatile and coming off his best season as a pro. Also, he comes to a team where the coaching staff knows him better than anyone.

What’s not to like?

Well, not everyone likes the deal for Washington.

Bleacher Report recently named the worst signing for every NFL team in the 2021 offseason. Samuel was the choice for Washington.

According to Bleacher Report, Samuel’s talent isn’t the issue. In his three previous seasons under former Carolina coach — and current Washington coach — Ron Rivera, Samuel wasn’t used properly.

His previous career-high was 54 receptions in 2019, Rivera’s final season in Carolina. He also had a career-high 19 rushing attempts that season.

In 2020, under new offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Samuel recorded 77 receptions for 851 yards and three touchdowns. He also carried the ball 41 times for  200 yards and two more scores.

It’s possible that Washington offensive coordinator Scott Turner has plans to employ Samuel similarly to his final season in Carolina.

It is worth noting that Samuel has improved in every statistical category in each of his four NFL seasons, meaning perhaps Rivera and his Carolina coaching staff recognized Samuel was on the verge of a breakout season before he was fired late in the 2019 season.

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