Tag: 2021 Free Agency

Here are details of OL Elijah Wilkinson’s contract with Bears

The Bears signed Elijah Wilkinson to add valuable depth to the offensive line. Here are details of Wilkinson’s contract.

The Chicago Bears added some valuable depth to the offensive line with the addition of former Denver Broncos offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson to a one-year contract.

Chicago has a vacant right tackle spot up for grabs following the release of Bobby Massie earlier this offseason. The Bears are bringing back Germain Ifedi, who took over for Massie at right tackle, but he’ll likely have some competition from Wilkinson at that vacant right tackle position.

Now, we have details of Wilkinson’s contract with the Bears.

Wilkinson singed a one-year deal worth $1.27 million, including $987,500 guaranteed and a $137,500 signing bonus. In 2021, Wilkinson will earn a base salary of $990,000 and a signing bonus of $137,500, while carrying a cap hit of $987,500.

By comparison, earlier this offseason, Chicago re-signed Ifedi to a one-year deal worth $4.25 million, including $2.25 million guaranteed and a $2.25 million sining bonus.  Ifedi’s cap his for the 2021 season is $4.25 million.

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Ravens players give Sammy Watkins a warm welcome on social media

Wide receiver Sammy Watkins was signed by the Baltimore Ravens on Friday. Ravens players took to social media not long after to welcome him.

The Baltimore Ravens signed wide receiver Sammy Watkins to a one-year deal on Friday. The move comes after the Ravens had tried and failed to land JuJu Smith-Schuster and T.Y. Hilton in free agency. Based on the warm welcome Watkins’ new teammates gave, it’s clear the team is ready for him to join the locker room.

After the announcement Baltimore and Watkins had agreed to terms, it didn’t take long for several Ravens players to show their excitement on Twitter. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley had one of the better responses. Stanley appears to be pumped up about who’s coming to town and the bump it could give to the offense.

https://twitter.com/Patrickqueen_/status/1375580937241690116

Watkins thanked the team and coaching staff on Twitter for giving him the opportunity and said it would be “one to remember.” At least one of Watkins’ new teammates likes to hear it.

Two of the guys who are likely most excited of all are wide receiver Marquise Brown and quarterback Lamar Jackson. Watkins’ addition to the roster should take a little pressure off Brown while giving Jackson a big-bodied weapon on the outside.

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Cowboys secondary loses former starter, Xavier Woods inked by Vikings

Ex-Cowboys safety, Xavier Woods, has signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

 

Another former member of the Dallas Cowboys’ secondary has found a new home. Earlier in the month, Chidobe Awuzie found a new home with the Cincinnati Bengals. On Saturday his 2017 draft classmate left the area as well as the Minnesota Vikings have agreed to terms with safety Xavier Woods.

A dwindling market based on reduced cap space seems to have claimed another victim in 2021 free agency. The Vikings agreement with Woods is for just one-year, and worth up to $2.25 million. This is an amount and length much less than most assumed Woods would be able to command prior to the reduction of cap space from 2020’s $198.2 million to 2021’s $182.5 million total.

Woods was a sixth-round pick by Dallas in 2017 out of Louisiana Tech. After a few spot starts as a rookie, Woods improved in his second and third years and became a solid player considering the draft capital the team spent on him.

Woods availability was a strong suit for him in Dallas. After taking over the starting role in the offseason before 2018 began, Woods started 44 of 48 games and was second on the team in snaps over that three-year span, behind only linebacker Jaylon Smith.

Many fans had high hopes that Woods would take another step forward in his contract year in 2020, but that wasn’t the case. Not only did the entire defensive unit take a huge step back, but Woods own play seemed to regress as well in the group’s first season under Mike Nolan.

Year Starts Interceptions Pass Breakups
2018 14 2 9
2019 15 2 5
2020 15 0 1

Nolan shifted Woods primary role from that of free safety to that of strong safety, and although the club played a two-high look often, Woods’ performance didn’t match the ascension he had shown previously.

While 2020 wasn’t his strongest showing, it was an unusual year for all involved, to say the least. At just 25-years old, Woods is a talented player who can easily find success and continue his improvement in a new environment in Minnesota.

Donovan Wilson made the most of his ten starts at safety in 2020 for Dallas, and he looks to be a  potential building block at the position. The club signed former Falcons safety Damontae Kazee earlier in the week, which along with the Jayron Kearse signing and hybrid defender Keanu Neal showed the writing on the wall as far as Woods return to Dallas was concerned.

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Buffalo Bills earn free agency grade of B-plus

Buffalo Bills free agency grade via Bleacher Report is a B-plus.

The Buffalo Bills got high marks recently from Bleacher Report for their work done in free agency. B/R recognized that the Bills’ goal was to mostly keep their own players, but the new faces added were praised just as much.

All things considered, B/R said the Bills earned a B-plus grade in free agency. Here’s the full breakdown:

Notable Additions: WR Emmanuel Sanders, QB Mitchell Trubisky, TE Jacob Hollister, P Matt Haack, DE Efe Obada

Grade: B+

The Buffalo Bills kept together a core that just put together the franchise’s best season in nearly three decades. They re-signed Jon Feliciano, Matt Milano, Daryl Williams and several other key free agents to reasonable deals.

Buffalo also improved the roster with a handful of notable free-agent signings. Veteran wideout Emmanuel Sanders figures to replace John Brown, and Jacob Hollister is a proven tight end. The Bills also came to terms with Mitchell Trubisky, who will be one of the better backup options in the league.

The Bills aren’t done yet, but they earned a strong grade and are well positioned to build on their run to the AFC Championship Game.

Sanders was the clear-cut top addition made by the Bills this offseason, but if a player like Hollister or Obada pans out? Buffalo could’ve put their roster over the top for a run at the Super Bowl in 2021.

While the Bills did receive a pretty strong mark from B/R for their work… the huge dollars spent by the Jets and Patriots were graded even better. Those two divisional foes landed with A-minus grades, however, the Dolphins were only a B-minus team.

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Bears 2021 roster: Evaluating each position after the first wave of free agency

We’re taking a look at each position on the Bears’ roster and evaluating whether they’ve gotten better or worse in free agency.

The Chicago Bears didn’t exactly make a big splash during the first wave of free agency, but they did make some moves to fill some important holes on the roster. Although not every move was met by fan approval.

Chicago addressed their quarterback woes by signing veteran Andy Dalton to a one-year deal worth $10 million, which didn’t sit well with fans after the Bears attempted to trade for Russell Wilson. The same could be said with Chicago’s decision to release two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Kyle Fuller and replace him with Desmond Trufant.

But the Bears did make some good moves this offseason, including bringing back the likes of defensive lineman Mario Edwards and kicker Cairo Santos, as well as the additions of defensive lineman Angelo Blackson and outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu.

Let’s take a look at each position on the roster and evaluate whether they’ve gotten better or worse after this first wave of free agency.

How PFF compares Daryl Williams to Lane Johnson, Jack Conklin, Ryan Ramczyk

Buffalo Bills OT Daryl Williams breakdown via Pro Football Focus.

Pro Football Focus is a fan of the Buffalo Bills’ free agency decision to re-sign offensive tackle Daryl Williams.

The football analytics outlet recently called it a “very good” signing by the Bills. But in explaining why, PFF put Williams in some pretty solid company.

Per PFF, over the past two seasons, only three pretty highly-rated tackles have played as well as Williams: the Eagles’ Lane Johnson, the Browns’ Jack Conklin and the Saints’ Ryan Ramczyk:

The seventh-year tackle has played up and down the offensive line since being drafted by the Panthers in 2015, playing 187 snaps at left tackle, 409 snaps at left guard, 226 snaps at right guard and 2,851 snaps at right tackle.

Williams has graded above 78.0 as both a pass-blocker and run-blocker at right tackle over the last two seasons — Lane Johnson, Jack Conklin and Ryan Ramczyk are the only other right tackles who have graded as high in both facets of the game.

In re-signing Williams, the Bills pulled off a move many thought wasn’t possible. After making room to sign linebacker Matt Milano to an extension, doing so with Williams seemed unlikely. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane managed to get both back, though. Perhaps PFF’s comparisons like this played a part as to why Beane thought getting Williams back was so important.

The Bills inked Williams to a three-year extension. The 28-year-old helped keep Bills quarterback Josh Allen very clean during his 2020 breakout season.

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Cowboys best backup QB solution may reside in Prescott’s inspiration

With Andy Dalton leaving Dallas for Chicago, who should backup Dak Prescott in 2021?

As NFL free agency madness rolls on, the Dallas Cowboys have made a series of moves to fill roster spots. Added were a potential impact player in the safety/linebacker hybrid Keanu Neal, a proven run-stuffer in defensive lineman Brent Urban and more, but one massive question mark still remains on the other side of the football. Who will play backup to quarterback Dak Prescott in 2021?

The question was presented to head coach Mike McCarthy at his first offseason press conference.

With Andy Dalton leaving Dallas in favor of a starting job with the Chicago Bears to the tune of a $10 million salary on his one-year deal, the Cowboys lack the veteran presence in the QB room to sit behind Prescott that proved to be pivotal in 2020 following Prescott’s catastrophic ankle injury.

The names who remain in the QB room from last season are Garrett Gilbert, Ben DiNucci and practice squad retread Cooper Rush. Gilbert had an impressive performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers that saw him throw for 243 yards and a touchdown, but only after DiNucci was thrown to the wolves in Philidelphia the previous week. One good game from Gilbert will not be enough of an insurance policy for the Cowboys going forward.

With just five years of NFL experience between the two combined, there remains a massive void in the quarterback room. The answer to this mystery may be a man very familiar to the Cowboys after his team won the NFC East in 2020: Alex Smith.

This move makes way too much sense from an experience standpoint as the 36-year-old enters free agency for the first time in his career. The three-time Pro Bowler Smith offers up 167 starts across 14 years of league experience with five playoff appearances. Smith is the perfect veteran who understands the game in ways Gilbert nor DiNucci could represent.

Another reason this could be the perfect pairing is the similarities and connection between Smith and Prescott after both men had season-ending ankle injuries. Smith was knocked out of the 2018 season and as infections ravaged his leg post-surgery, missed the entire 2019 campaign. He returned to play eight games in 2020, with the Washington Football Team going 5-1 with him as starter.

Prescott even credited Smith’s recovery through a more severe injury for giving him the motivation to work back from his own after signing his new contract with the Cowboys.

Smith’s performance wasn’t earth shattering, as he threw just six touchdowns against eight interceptions last season. Washington was devoid of much weaponry, but it was clear Smith was not able to perform as he did prior to the injury. Whether or not a full offseason of work and being yet another year removed from the injury correct that is a question the front office will need to consider, but that question is posed against the backdrop of having Gilbert in their back pocket for another season.

There are plenty of options in the free-agent market who could give the Cowboys a veteran presence at QB, such as Chase Daniel or Geno Smith, but the story behind Smith may add up way too well. Bringing in Smith after his departure from division rival Washington  would provide an immediate upgrade to the QB2 spot and give Prescott a great mentor to learn from as he makes his campaign for Comeback Player of the Year in 2021.

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Breaking: Damontae Kazee latest free-agent addition to Cowboys secondary

Dallas has reunited the Falcons safety pairing of Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee and thrown in some Jayron Kearse as they remake the defense.

The Dallas Cowboys have added yet another piece to their secondary restoration project in 2021 free agency. Whether or not Keanu Neal continues to garner snaps at the safety position remains to be seen, but after a three-person tryout on Wednesday afternoon, one player most certainly will.

The Cowboys and former Atlanta Falcons starter Damontae Kazee have agreed to terms.

Kazee, 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, is a former fifth-round draft pick of Dan Quinn, the Cowboys new defensive coordinator. He’s capable of playing all over the defensive secondary, lining up as single-high, box safety and slot corner. In 2018 he notched seven interceptions, a forced fumble and had 10 pass defenses in his best season as a pro.

For his career he has 10 interceptions and five forced fumbles.

Quinn and secondary coach Joe Whitt, Jr. are expected to return Dallas to a Cover 3 defense that utilizes a single-high coverage the majority of time. Their familiarity with Kazee is rewarded with a reuniting in Dallas.

Kazee was one of three safeties who came to the Cowboys’ facilities on Wednesday, along with former first-round pick Malik Hooker and Jaryon Kearse, who spent 2020 with the Detroit Lions after four years with Minnesota.

Both Hooker and Kazee spent last year on the IR with torn achilles. The team signed Kearse later on Wednesday.

Kazee will be 28 by season kickoff, almost a full three years older than Hooker, and played in just four games in 2020. Prior to the injury he had been an ironman, playing all 16 games in his first three seasons.

In 2018, Pro Football Focus gave him a coverage grade of 82.7 out of 100, ranking as one of the better coverage safeties in the league, though his other performances haven’t come close to matching that.

With the Cowboys, he isn’t guaranteed to start, but he certainly raises the pedigree and the floor of the position. Donovan Wilson spent a lot of time in the second half of 2020 as a starter at free safety, but most observers feel his skillset is better suited as a strong safety with coverage abilities rather than as a single high. With Neal on board, it appears that the club has some level of possible rotation that should be NFL caliber at the position the franchise has long ignored.

The team can still improve on that in the coming draft.

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Ravens free-agent WR Willie Snead visiting with the Raiders

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Willie Snead is making his first visit with a team since the start of free agency.

The Baltimore Ravens have been interested in adding a wide receiver this offseason. Despite the team’s pursuit of wide receivers, they may be losing one of their own top options from last year. Willie Snead is visiting with the Las Vegas Raiders according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Ravens initially acquired Snead, signing him off the New Orleans Saints’ roster as a restricted free agent. During his three years in Baltimore, Snead played in 45 regular-season games, notching 126 passes for 1,422 yards and nine touchdowns.

Snead visiting with the Raiders is not surprising after he expressed growing unhappiness in the Ravens’ offense this offseason. Snead appeared to be commenting on the number of targets he received in Baltimore, which had gone from 62 in 2018 to just 31 and 33 over the last two seasons. That topic has been a familiar theme for fellow free-agent wide receiver Dez Bryant and even starter Marquise Brown.

With the likelihood of Snead leaving this offseason, the Ravens have been looking for a better fit as well. Baltimore has pursued wide receivers like T.Y. Hilton, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Sammy Watkins, and Kenny Golladay; failing to land any of them. That has drawn the ire of fans, who have been perhaps more frenzied for a top wide receiver than ever before.

However, that also brings hope the Ravens will focus on the position early in the 2021 NFL draft. Baltimore could also look to fill the need via trade as well, something the more aggressive general manager Eric DeCosta hasn’t been afraid to do the last two seasons; snagging players like Marcus Peters, Calais Campbell, and Yannick Ngakoue.

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Cowboys betting big on Quinn, hoping they aren’t chasing ghosts

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has his work cut out for him in 2021.

The Dallas Cowboys are bargain shoppers once again in free agency. It’s the only time of year owner Jerry Jones becomes gun shy, seemingly incapable of pulling his wallet from its safe space to infuse his team with talent. So if the Cowboys defense is going to be competitive in the 2021 season, the major changes are coming from the draft and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

In fact, to date, ESPN’s Todd Archer is calling Quinn the “biggest defensive pickup so far.” From the piece: “The Cowboys do not believe their defensive talent is as bad as what it appeared to be in 2020, even though as a unit, the defense allowed a franchise-record 473 points last season.”

That would suggest that the problem is bigger than any one man. In fact, 2020 had fans wishing for a time machine to take them back to the golden days of Rod Marinelli that was often disappointing, nearly always boring, but far less porous than the unit put forth last year.

That’s a terrifying plummet.

Quinn is certainly capable, but the last time he had a top-flight defense was with the Seattle Seahawks and a roster built around multiple Hall-of-Fame-caliber players.

He won’t have that in Dallas.

He didn’t have it with the Falcons either, resulting in a 45-42 record during his 5-plus seasons there and a defense that never ranked in the top half of the league by DVOA (a Football Outsiders metric that measures performance based on opponent strength and game situation).

The Jones family is banking on someone who hasn’t delivered the results they’re looking for in years, although he was in a head coach capacity rather than directly coordinating a defense, thinking a return to a scheme the defense is more familiar with can bring happier days. Unless they get an infusion of talent, they likely can expect more of the same.