Tag: Bobby McCain

Giants signing DB Bobby McCain

The New York Giants have agreed to terms with former Washington Commanders defensive back Bobby McCain.

General manager Joe Schoen remains hard at work in free agency as he attempts to build the New York Giants into a Super Bowl contender.

On Tuesday, not long after losing safety Julian Love, the Giants agreed to terms with his potential replacement: former Washington Commanders defensive back Bobby McCain.

The 29-year-old McCain was originally a fifth-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in the 2015 NFL draft. He joined the Commanders as a free agent in 2021 and spent each of the past two seasons in the NFC East.

In 121 career games (87 starts), the 5-foot-11, 196-pound McCain has recorded 393 tackles (301 solo, 12 for a loss), two forced fumbles, 12 QB hits, 4.0 sacks, 44 passes defensed, 11 interceptions, and one defensive touchdown.

Two of McCain’s interceptions and his only career touchdown have come against the Giants.

In addition to both free and strong safety, McCain can also play cornerback. Some would even argue that’s his stronger position.

In 2022, McCain earned a 61.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, as well as a 69.5 coverage grade. His best analytical season came in 2017 when he earned a grade of 76.4.

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Former Commanders DB Bobby McCain lands with a division rival

McCain is headed to New York.

It was a mild surprise when the Washington Commanders released Bobby McCain ahead of free agency last month. It’s not that McCain was irreplaceable, but he didn’t cost a lot; he started and played well last season.

But with the emergence of young safeties Darrick Forrest and Percy Butler, along with Kamren Curl and Jeremy Reaves, the Commanders chose to save some money and go with younger players next season. Washington also intends to add a cornerback early in next month’s NFL draft.

So the versatile and dependable McCain was on the free-agent market after two seasons in Washington.

On Tuesday, McCain found a new home and doesn’t have to go far. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, McCain signs a one-year deal with the New York Giants.

The Giants had a need in the secondary after starting safety Julian Love signed with the Seattle Seahawks.

McCain played in all 34 games for Washington the last two seasons after signing with them in May 2021. The Miami Dolphins released McCain after the 2021 NFL draft. He played free safety and slot cornerback for the Commanders.

1 pending free agent the Vikings could target from each NFL team

With free agency finally here, here is one player the Vikings should target from each team

The Minnesota Vikings are likely to be active in free agency this year due to their activity in releasing multiple veterans.

With the legal tampering period starting at 11am central time on Monday, March 13th, there will be numerous free agent contracts agreed upon on that day. The Vikings could very well agree to a couple of deals then and in the days prior.

Who could the Vikings pursue in free agency? We identified one player per team that the Vikings could end up targeting.

7 cornerbacks the Vikings can sign after waiving Cameron Dantzler

With the Vikings waiving Cameron Dantzler Sr., there are just two corners on the roster. @TheKevinFielder highlights 7 CBs to keep an eye on

Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has made a statement.

For the first time in his tenure, this feels like it will be his roster. Whether it was the decision to release long-serving players like Erik Kendricks or Adam Thielen or the comments regarding Kirk Cousin’s future, Adofo-Mensah has taken the roster by his hands.

On Saturday, the Vikings announced that they waived cornerback Cameron Dantzler, Sr.

The move saves the Vikings about $2.7 million towards the cap. Although the Vikings remain over the ceiling, that number is down to $7 million, meaning the Vikings will have to make more moves.

Releasing Dantzler leaves the Vikings thin at cornerback. While they could re-sign someone like Duke Shelley, who performed well at the end of the season, it looks like they’ll be players in the free-agent market.

If that’s the case, there are seven free-agent cornerbacks to watch for the Vikings.

5 under the radar defensive free agents for the Vikings to target

The Vikings will likely have to go bargain shopping during free agency. @TheKevinFielder identifies five defensive players they could target

Do you remember the Macklemore song called Thrift Shop?

Like Macklemore, the Minnesota Vikings will do a little thrift shopping this off-season. While the Vikings will have more than $20 to spend, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mesah will still have to get creative.

The Vikings are currently $24 million over the cap, according to OverTheCap. Such a figure ranks 30th in the NFL, above the Arizona Cardinals ($56 million) and the New Orleans Saints ($30 million).

While the Vikings can make a handful of moves to get under the cap, they’ll still have to find some bargain-bin free agents to fill out their roster or get low-end starters.

For the sake of this experiment, we’ll look at five defensive free agents the Vikings can target. Determining an “under-the-radar” signing can be challenging, but we’re sticking to unrestricted free agents that won’t dominate the headlines.

What does the Commanders’ salary cap situation look like after Monday’s moves?

Monday’s moves created some much-needed room ahead of NFL free agency.

The Washington Commanders finally released quarterback Carson Wentz Monday, creating over $26 million in salary cap space for 2023.

Before Wentz’s unsurprising release, Washington released veteran defensive back Bobby McCain. McCain played in every game for the Commanders over the last two seasons, making 32 starts. The move created $2.2 million in cap space, but if processed as a post-June 1 cut, that savings could rise to $4.4 million.

With free agency around two weeks away, how does Washington’s salary cap situation look?

After Monday’s savings, the Commanders have $35.3 million in salary cap space for 2023, per Over the Cap. Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen now carries the highest cap number next season at $21.4 million.

Monday’s moves give Washington room to apply the franchise tag to defensive tackle Daron Payne, which will be over $18 million.

Don’t be surprised if there aren’t more cuts and restructures over the next two weeks. Tight end Logan Thomas, cornerback Kendall Fuller and center Chase Roullier are all possibilities for either an extension, outright release, or a revised contract with a lower number.

In addition to Payne’s contract, don’t be surprised if the Commanders don’t try and work out an extension with safety Kamren Curl.

Washington will carry around $17 million in dead cap hits in 2023 due to the terminated contracts of William Jackson III, Landon Collins and McCain.

Commanders release defensive back Bobby McCain

McCain played in all 34 games for Washington the last two seasons.

The Washington Commanders released slot cornerback/safety Bobby McCain Monday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Per Schefter, the move will save Washington $4.42 million against the 2023 salary cap. McCain is the first major move ahead of free agency as the Commanders look to create more cap space. Releasing quarterback Carson Wentz, which is expected at any time, will save Washington over $26 million against the salary cap.

McCain signed with the Commanders in May 2021 after he was released by the Miami Dolphins. He played in all 32 games over the last two seasons for Washington, making 32 starts. McCain played free safety in 2021 and signed a two-year extension in the offseason. While he began the season at free safety in 2022, the emergence of second-year safety Darrick Forrest allowed McCain to play slot cornerback.

In two seasons with the Commanders, McCain recorded 139 tackles and four interceptions.

McCain played well for Washington, but the Commanders have several young players in the secondary they like, such as Kamren Curl, Forrest, Percy Butler and Jeremy Reaves.

Counting down the Commanders’ 20 biggest cap hits in 2023: Beginning with No. 15

Here are the next five Commanders’ biggest cap hits for 2022 (No. 11-15).

Which Washington Commanders players will count the largest cap hit for the 2023 NFL season?

This week, Commanders Wire is counting down the top 20 Washington Commanders with the largest cap hit for 2023.

Thus far, we have learned those Commanders who will be the largest cap hits from No. 20 to No. 16.

Now, we look at Washington’s next five biggest cap hits for 2023, beginning at No. 15.

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All salary cap numbers are courtesy of Spotrac.

Which Commanders defenders might not return for 2023?

Daron Payne is at the top of the list. Will Payne be back in 2023?

On Tuesday, Commanders Wire provided some names from the Commanders offense that we may not be see in the Burgundy and Gold in 2023. Today, we consider the defensive side of the ball and those players who may not return next season.

DEFENSE

Certainly, Daron Payne is at the top of the list. We simply don’t know what the Commanders and Payne will do in negotiations. Will he be signed long-term? Will they apply the franchise tag and see what they can get in a trade? Or might Payne depart for free agency? Efe Obada also becomes a free agent.

Linebackers Cole Holcomb, Jon Bostic and David Mayo are each free agents. Khaleke Hudson, who, against the Cowboys, clearly enjoyed his best game in the NFL, becomes a restricted free agent, while Milo Eifler becomes an exclusive rights free agent.

In the secondary, corner Kendall Fuller is scheduled to make $11.625M next season, and safety Jeremy Reaves becomes an unrestricted free agent. Also, Bobby McCain is scheduled to make $5.125 million in 2023.

If Spotrac is correct, William Jackson III and that horribly over-priced contract is still on the backs of the Commanders, counting $9 million against the cap in 2023. That could mean someone else’s salary will become a liability, resulting in their release.

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Commanders’ top defensive player grades for Week 15, per PFF

Which Washington defensive players stood out in Week 15?

Looking at the final stats for Washington’s 20-12 loss to the New York Giants Sunday, you’d say the Commanders defense had an excellent day. Washington held the Giants to just 288 total yards, despite New York winning the time of possession battle.

New York converted on just two of 10 third-down conversions, and if you take out one drive, the Giants had under 200 yards of offense.

However, in watching the game, you’d know it wasn’t Washington’s best defensive performance. The 97-yard drive in the second quarter was embarrassing, specifically, after the Giants went for it on fourth-and-9 — and converted.

There was also that drive after Heinicke’s second turnover, where Saquon Barkley carried the ball three consecutive times for 41 yards. The Giants ended up kicking the field goal, which was critical to the outcome of the game.

How did Pro Football Focus view Washington’s defense? It certainly wasn’t Daron Payne or Jonathan Allen’s best day.

Here are PFF’s top-10 graded defensive players for the Commanders from Week 15.