Tag: 2023 NFL free agency

Report: The Vikings have interest in re-signing Garrett Bradbury

The Vikings would be wise to seriously consider re-signing Bradbury

The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of decisions to make this offseason when it comes to free agency and the NFL draft. Before they can make those decisions, though, they need to decide what to do with their own impending free agents. One of those impending free agents is center Garrett Bradbury.

On Thursday’s episode of Mackey and Judd on Skor North, Phil Mackey and Judd Zulgad interviewed KSTP sports reporter Darren Wolfson in a segment they called “Scoops with Doogie.” In this segment, Darren Wolfson stated,

“There is interest in re-signing Garrett Bradbury”

Wolfson did go on to say that if the Vikings and Bradbury couldn’t come to an agreement, the Vikings could look to impending free agent center Connor McGovern of the New York Jets, stating “there’s some mutual interest.”

This logically makes a lot of sense for the Vikings to try and work a deal out with Bradbury, but to Wolfson’s point, there is no need to break the bank on him, especially with so many needs on the roster.

A lot of rumors will continue to swirl especially as the NFL Combine starts next Tuesday. Stay tuned to Vikings Wire as we will keep you up to date on everything that comes up.

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqGxQ2v1BLo]

What condition the position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need at TE ahead of free agency

Assessing Raiders level of need at tight end as free agency approaches

We take a look at the tight end position for the Raiders ahead of free agency to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.

Returning starter: Darren Waller

Depth: Jesper Horsted, Cole Fotheringham
Free agents: Foster Moreau

Waller is one of the best in the league. Just after signing a big extension, he had a down year. In part because of injuries. But he’d proven his abilities to earn that contract, so there’s no reason to doubt he can return to form.

Waller and Moreau have been a nice one-two punch at tight end for the past few years. The man jokingly referred to as ‘Baby Gronk’ had his chance to step up and play like it with Waller missing time. And while it led to career-high numbers for the former 4th round pick, his 33 catches for 420 yards didn’t give anyone visions of the next Gronk in Josh McDaniels’s offense.

Condition: Stable

Why: It would be smart to try and keep Moreau around, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he jumped at the chance to get a solid deal to be a potential starter elsewhere. And there are several second-tier tight ends headed for free agency who could probably replace him as the bookend to Waller.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby7y715wxzbczy player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

Emmanuel Forbes the latest corner mocked to Vikings by Bucs Wire

Forbes has been sneaking up draft boards as of late

The Minnesota Vikings head into the 2023 season with only three cornerbacks under contract, leaving them with a pressing need to address their cornerback depth. With free agency and the draft just around the corner, the Vikings’ front office must decide whether to prioritize cornerback in the draft, sign a free agent or pursue a trade.

On Tuesday, Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire helped the Vikings address that need in his latest mock draft by having them select Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes.

Forbes has slowly been sneaking up NFL draft boards over the past few months, and he has another opportunity to help his stock out when the NFL Combine kicks off on February 28th.

Forbes is a fluid athlete with good coverage abilities, but the big concern surrounding him is his frame. He’s got a smaller build than you would like at the cornerback position. That being said, he can still play really well and could be a value pick for teams if he starts to slip out of the first round.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=595424714]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV8DDHA–4k]

Evan Engram’s amusing tweet had fans convinced he was returning to the Jaguars

What does “the announcement” mean exactly???

After a career season in yards and receptions, it would make sense if the Jacksonville Jaguars wanted to sign Evan Engram to a franchise tag or long-term deal. The tight end was a huge factor in Jacksonville and Trevor Lawrence storming back to take the AFC South last season, notching two 100-plus-yard games down the stretch. He would later go on to lead the Jaguars in receiving during a historic Wild Card comeback win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

However, at this moment, Engram — a pending unrestricted free agent — remains without a tag or extension. But a recent tweet of his reacting to the Jaguars praising his production may have let the contract cat out of the bag.

It’s not 100 percent clear what Engram is referring to, but that seems to read like a player expecting his most recent team to reveal it’s bringing him back in some capacity.

Fans on Twitter thought much of the same of Engram’s apparent honesty.

Titans cut 4 starters for cap purposes, including LT Taylor Lewan and WR Robert Woods

The Titans had to make some deep cuts to get under the salary cap. Could the Lions have any interest in any of the new ex-Titans?

The Tennessee Titans broke the ice for NFL teams making veteran salary cap cuts on Wednesday. Tennessee cut four veteran players in order to trim obligations and get under the new salary cap figure of $224.8 million.

The four players include kicker Randy Bullock, who spent the 2021 offseason with the Lions before losing the kicking battle to Austin Seibert.

The other three are recognizable names for most fans:

Of note, both Lewan and Cunningham were released with “failed physical” designations after finishing the season on injured reserve. Lewan missed all but the first two weeks with a knee injury, and the 31-year-old has stated on his podcast that he’s considering retirement. Cunningham, 28, had two stints on IR in 2022.

Neither of those players figures to intrigue the Detroit Lions much, though Lewan would make for a very fun fit as the swing tackle in Detroit if he so chose. Woods, on the other hand, could be of real interest for Lions GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell.

Woods tweeted out his happiness that he’s “free” from Tennessee. He spent four seasons in Los Angeles with the Rams while Holmes and assistant GM Ray Agnew were with the team, and Woods played well in those years. He turns 31 in April and is coming off two subpar seasons, but the Titans offense didn’t exactly play to his strengths. He could be a nice fit in Detroit, reuniting with QB Jared Goff and possibly taking over the role of DJ Chark, a pending free agent, in coordinator Ben Johnson’s offense.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx8sj47vkwrznr player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

What condition the position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need at WR ahead of free agency

Assessing Raiders level of need at WR as free agency approaches

We take a look at the wide receiver position for the Raiders ahead of free agency to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.

Returning starters: Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow

Depth: DJ Turner, Chris Lacy, Tyler Johnson, Isaiah Zuber
Free agents: Mack Hollins, Keelan Cole

Davante Adams had an elite first season with his childhood team. He was everything the Raiders wanted him to be and more, setting a new franchise record for receiving yards in a season.

Renfrow was injured much of last season, but is just the type of slot target Josh McDaniels had great success with in New England over many years there.

Hollins had a breakout season as a receiver and embraces the dirty work. Every team needs that,

Condition: Stable

Why: They are in good hands with Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow. They should look to re-sign Hollins and if not, they should work on finding a replacement for his snaps. The one aspect that they could use is some deep speed.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby7y715wxzbczy player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

3 reasons the Vikings should sign Robert Woods

Would the Vikings want to bring in Robert Woods, whom Kevin O’Connell worked with in Los Angeles? @MattAnderson_8 makes the case to sign him

The Tennessee Titans were busy on Wednesday afternoon in making roster cuts. They cut three players with wide receiver Robers Woods being one of them.

Despite the Minnesota Vikings already having a stacked wide receiver room featuring Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn and Justin Jefferson, the idea of bringing Robert Woods onto the team should be one that fans at least consider.

While Woods turns 31 in April, he has an impressive track record of making big plays and being a great player on an NFL team, so there’s no denying that Woods would be a valuable addition to the Vikings’ roster. Let’s take a look at some reasons why the Vikings should sign Robert Woods.

2023 NFL Free Agency: 7 Eagles that will flourish on other teams

With NFL Free Agency fast approaching, Andre Dillard is among seven Philadelphia Eagles that will flourish on other teams with increased roles

The March 15 new league year is fast approaching and Philadelphia’s first order of business will be securing a massive contract extension for All-Pro quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Team brass will have an urgent focus on the NFL draft with the Eagles holding two first-round picks, and likely looking to add more assets.

With 18 pending free agents, Howie Roseman has some difficult choices to make, and he could see several key contributors land with other teams around the league.

We’re looking at seven Philadelphia contributors that could flourish with another organization going forward.

Houston Texans’ dearth of dead money key to 2023 salary cap space

The Houston Texans have a little over $900,000 in dead money against the salary cap, and the lack thereof is key to their 2023 cap space.

One of the more optimistic aspects of the Houston Texans’ 2023 offseason is their abundance of salary cap space.

The Texans have the fourth-most salary cap space in the league with over $37.1 million. Along with the Texans’ two first-round picks and six selections in the top-103 of the draft, Houston should be able to sign effective veterans in free agency to accelerate the turnaround.

What has been instrumental to the Texans being to have such cap space is their lack of dead money. Consider throughout the 2022 season the Texans lost $52.7 million to 16 players. Houston was constrained in their ability to add talent and had to ride out 2022 for better or worse.

As the Texans are set to enter free agency in March, the Texans owe just $901,995 in dead money, incidentally the fourth-least in the league. Most of the money goes to defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, who was traded to the Minnesota Vikings at the end of preseason.

Having the salary cap space and the draft capital is what will help general manager Nick Caserio and rookie coach DeMeco Ryans form a more competitive roster in 2023.

“We kind of know what good football looks like,” Caserio said. “We’ve got to make it Houston Texans football. What does good football look like for the Houston Texans? I think we philosophically believe in a lot of the same things, so we have to put our imprint on it as we go. And I think that’s what excites us the most.”

The Kansas City Chiefs have the lowest dead money in the league at $98,428. The Philadelphia Eagles have the most with over $46.5 million.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=601916344]

Eagles have 7 players make an ESPN ranking of the top 50 free agents with best team fits

The Philadelphia Eagles have 18 pending free agents and seven of those players made an ESPN list of the top 50 free agents with their best team fits

The NFL offseason is off and running, with the March 15 new league year fast approaching.

Philadelphia’s first order of business will be securing a massive contract extension for All-Pro quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Team brass will have an urgent focus on the NFL scouting combined with the Eagles holding two first-round picks, and likely looking to add more draft capital.

With 18 pending free agents, Howie Roseman has some difficult choices to make, and he could see several key contributors land with other teams around the league.

ESPN recently looked at the best team fits for the top 50 free agents, and the Birds had seven players make the list.