6 free agents the Colts should avoid

Which free agents should the Colts avoid?

With just over a week until the legal tampering period opens, the Indianapolis Colts are putting the final touches on their big board ahead of free agency.

Entering this part of the offseason with an estimated $86.2 million in salary-cap space, the Colts could be major players if they want. Though we know that’s unlikely, they are still being linked to several free agents set to hit the market.

While there are a number of free agents the Colts should have interest in, here are six players they should steer clear of in the open market:

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Derrick Henry | RB | Age: 25

This isn’t to say that Henry isn’t talented or that he doesn’t deserve an increase in pay. But there are several reasons why the Colts shouldn’t even consider Henry on the market. Running backs in general have a short shelf life. It’s the nature of the position, and it leads to a large crop of them failing to live up to second contracts.

The Colts also already have a promising back in Marlon Mack, with whom they likely want to get an extension done. Henry would be a bruiser behind the Colts offensive line, and he certainly would have success. But that contract would not be worth it three years down the line when Henry’s body begins betraying him.

Henry is talented and is going to get paid. But the Colts should allow the Titans or another team to make that mistake.

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Jets interested in cornerbacks Chris Harris Jr. and Byron Jones

The Jets are showing interest in both Chris Harris Jr. and Byron Jones.

With the Jets in desperate need of cornerbacks, they’re looking at the cream of the crop of the free agent market.

According to Denver 7’s Troy Renck, the Jets are showing interest in Broncos free agent Chris Harris Jr. However, they do have company with the Cowboys, Raiders, Lions and Texans expressing interest in the former All-Pro.

Additionally, according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano the Jets are interested in Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones. Jones is seeking at least $15 million per year, but the Jets are not expected to land him. The Eagles are seen as the favorite to sign Jones.

Harris is on the back end of his career at age 30, going on 31. He didn’t have one of his better seasons in 2019 with 44 total tackles, six pass breakups and one interception. However, Harris is still one of the most established corners in the league. He would come a little cheaper than Jones, as he made $12 million from Denver last season.

As for Jones, he’s three years younger than Harris at age 27. In 2019, Jones had 37 total tackles, six pass breakups and one forced fumble.

At this point in their careers, Jones would be the better option than Harris, but he also comes at a steeper price. The Jets haven’t fared well in recent years handing out hefty contracts to free agent cornerbacks. They gave Trumaine Johnson a five-year, $72.5 million deal in 2018. He’s expected to be cut this offseason. In 2015, the Jets signed Darrelle Revis to a five-year, $70 million deal. Revis lasted two seasons.

The Jets are going to have the cap space to sign a premier free agent cornerback, but they might be reluctant to pay a lot of money for one given their other needs. New York would like to come away with at least one offensive lineman in free agency as well as a receiver and possibly an edge rusher.

7 pending free agents with connections to Browns DC Joe Woods

7 pending free agents with connections to new Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods

With a few days to go before the start of free agency, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry are preparing to make their first additions to the roster of their tenure. One of the main focuses will be regarding the defense.

With help needed on all three levels of the defense, new defensive coordinator Joe Woods will definitely have input on who the team adds starting March 18th.

In his 16 seasons coaching in the NFL, Woods has made a few stops along the way. He started as a defensive quality control coach in Tampa Bay for the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Following his start, he went onto the Minnesota Vikings where he was the defensive backs coach from 2006 until 2013. This is also the same time that he and Stefanski started with the Vikings.

Woods went on to be the defensive backs coach in Oakland for the 2014 season before leaving for the same position in Denver in 2015. He was promoted to the role of defensive coordinator in 2017 and was not retained by Broncos head coach Vic Fangio following the 2018 season.

He landed with the San Francisco 49ers in 2019, returning to his role of defensive backs coach while also being named the passing game coordinator.

With all that being said, here are seven free agents with ties to Woods the Browns could target…

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6 cornerbacks the Jets should target in free agency

Jets Wire takes a look at six cornerbacks Joe Douglas and company should target in free agency.

The Jets struggled at multiple positions in 2019, but no unit was worse than New York’s cornerbacks.

Aside from Brian Poole, who is set to hit free agency, the Jets got little to no production out of their corners throughout the season. Trumaine Johnson and Darryl Roberts were downright awful. Bless Austin showed some flashes of potential in his rookie year, but found himself benched by season’s end. Arthur Maulet and Maurice Canady had their moments, but are not exactly proven starters that New York can rely on entering 2020.

Fortunately for Joe Douglas and the Jets, there are plenty of solid free agent cornerbacks available this offseason. Which ones should New York target? Let’s take a look.

Chris Harris

Although he is getting up there in age, Harris remains one of football’s upper echelon cornerbacks. Opposing quarterbacks seldom threw at the 31-year-old in 2019 as Harris anchored a Broncos secondary that ranked just outside the top 20 in passing yards allowed per game.

Harris is by far the best cornerback on this year’s free agent market. However, he is on the wrong side of 30 and will be worth around $11 million per year, according to Spotrac. The Jets have been burned handing out large contracts to aging corners in recent years, which could give the front office pause on pursuing the four-time Pro Bowler.

Will Douglas and company go all-in and take a shot at bringing Harris to the Big Apple? If New York deems the veteran worth his price tag, it will be firmly in the race for his services.

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4 positions Broncos must improve this offseason

The Denver Broncos need to look for upgrades at these four positional groups during the NFL offseason.

The Denver Broncos are a team with many holes on the roster following a 7-9 season. Those holes could grow bigger should certain players leave as free agents.

The team will need to make upgrades at several spots whether that be through free agency or the draft. How the team goes about making those changes remains to be seen, but here, you will be able to read more about the four most important positions of need for the team.

1. Wide receiver

Without any doubt, the Broncos need to look for a player who can provide more productivity at the wide receiver spot.

Courtland Sutton is a terrific No. 1 target, but Tim Patrick won’t cut it as a No. 2, nor will DaeSean Hamilton, though the latter offers some promise.

Sutton caught 72 passes in 2019 and all other wide receivers on the team combined caught 82. That includes 30 for Emmanuel Sanders, who the Broncos traded to the San Francisco 49ers in October.

Sanders finished with the second-most receptions on the team by a wide receiver, which isn’t a great sign.

Guys like Patrick and Hamilton can be nice role players and added depth, but the Broncos need to find a guy who can fill the role once occupied by Sanders.

Peyton Manning had a ton of success with the combination of Sanders and Demaryius Thomas. This is not to say that Drew Lock is Manning, but if the team gave him another serious threat on the outside to go with Sutton and Noah Fant, it would be supplying the young quarterback with enough tools for ultimate success.

2. Interior offensive line

The Broncos should move on from Ronald Leary this offseason. They can do that by declining his club option. In addition, starting center Connor McGovern is set to become an unrestricted free agent.

At least one of those players won’t be with the team next season and the Broncos need to look for replacements.

Dalton Risner had a terrific rookie season, but the Broncos don’t have much depth in the way of an interior lineman that can play guard or center. Ideally, the team should re-sign McGovern and look to free agency or the draft for a replacement for Leary.

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4 matchups to watch in Chargers vs. Broncos

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lists the four matchups to watch when the Chargers take on the Broncos in Week 13.

The Los Angeles Chargers (4-7) take on the Denver Broncos (3-8) in Week 13 of the 2019 regular season.

Here are four matchups to keep an eye on that could ultimately determine the outcome of the game.

Chargers QB Philip Rivers vs. Broncos secondary

In the first meeting of the season, Rivers’ performance wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows as he was held to 211 passing yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Since then, has accumulated 14 interceptions on the season and is looking to get back on track, but it won’t be easy facing a stout Broncos secondary.

Led by cornerback Chris Harris Jr. and safety Justin Simmons, Denver hasn’t made life easy on opposing quarterbacks, allowing only 207.5 passing yards per game, which ranks fifth in the NFL. Although they’re strong in this area, they haven’t been able to take the ball away, totaling only 10 takeaways this season.

Rivers, who’s been susceptible to making poor decisions and throwing the ball to whoever in hopes of them coming down with the catch, can’t do that on Sunday or else they will make him pay. Rivers has thrown six interceptions the past three games that the two teams have played against each other.

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Bills vs. Broncos: 5 matchups to watch

The Buffalo Bills face the struggling Denver Broncos at New Era Field on Sunday, here are the matchups to watch

The rivalry between the Bills and the Broncos goes back to the AFL and the two have shared memorable moments throughout the years. Their last matchup was in Week 3 of the 2017 season, which resulted in a 26-16 victory for Buffalo.

This week the two teams are facing off with two contrasting seasons. The Bills are sitting at 7-3 and on the verge of a playoff birth. The Broncos though are at a disappointing 3-7.

Records aside, it will be the games within that games that will help us find the winner.

With that, here are five key matchups to watch in Sunday’s Bills-Broncos meeting:

Buffalo Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Spots

Phillip Lindsay vs. Tremaine Edmunds

Second-year running back Phillip Lindsay has made a splash since his arrival in the NFL, amassing 1,688 yards, 5.2 yards per carry and 14 touchdowns a a rookie. Now, Lindsay is the focal point of the struggling Denver offense.

This season Lindsay is averaging an impressive 4.9 yards per carry, which should unnerve Buffalo’s shaky run defense. The Bills’ rush defense has allowed 106.3 yards per game, which is 18th in the NFL. The Bills should be prepared for heavy doses of Lindsay, due to how poor the Broncos passing offense has been this season sitting at 25th in the league with just 206.6 yards per game.

While the Bills rush defense has had poor form recently, they bounced back against Miami, holding the Dolphins rushing attack to just 23 yards. The Bills were led by linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who had 12 tackles against Miami.

Edmunds was sent on more blitzes versus Miami than the rest of the season. These blitzes let him use his natural athletic talent to reach the running back in the backfield, or at the line of scrimmage. He blew up runs on a consistent basis which turned Miami into a one dimensional offense.

If Edmunds can have a similar performance on Sunday, he can force quarterback Brandon Allen to try to beat the Bills secondary.

Big fan of the #Broncos shotgun toss for Phillip Lindsay, makes you pay for overplaying the gun runs. pic.twitter.com/AnDwcokbbp

— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) November 17, 2019

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Backhanded compliment from Broncos’ Chris Harris Jr? CB talks ‘positive’ on Josh Allen

Denver Broncos CB Chris Harris said he’s going to ‘keep it positive’ on Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen.

When the Bills host the Denver Broncos on Sunday in Week 12, will it be another week of proving doubters wrong for Buffalo’s second-year quarterback in Josh Allen?

If there’s one player on the Broncos that doesn’t sound sold on Allen, it’s cornerback Chris Harris Jr.

On Monday, Harris chatted with local reporters. He previewed his meeting against Allen and the Bills. He started his comments in a status quo style. They ended with smirks.

“I think he’s solid,” Harris said. “He’s a really good quarterback. He uses his legs, he’s playing smart, they’re doing a lot of no-huddle with him, he’s moving around in the pocket and he can make all the deep throws.”

Yawn.

Here’s where it gets interesting.

“If I can give him a little… I don’t want to actually,” Harris curiously said with a grin and chuckle. “I’m going to say all positive about him today.”

An oft-made comparison with Allen is the one made to quarterback Cam Newton. The Panthers quarterback is out this year, but the Broncos beat Newton in the Super Bowl during his MVP season. Harris was part of that team.

But that comparison is rubbish, says Harris. The defensive back admitted he thought Newton was “real” while Allen is not.

“No [he’s not similar to Newton]. (Allen) can run, though,” said Harris. “Other than that, he’s not really like Cam. They might do a quarterback draw-designed run, but Cam was for real.

“(The Panthers) had designed runs like Lamar Jackson for him because he was so elusive with the real run plays that they had for him,” Harris added.

From there, Harris concluded his press conference with one more “I’m going to keep it positive on Josh Allen.”

While Harris had some questionable comments, safety Justin Simmons was more complimentary of Allen and the Bills, by comparison.

“Josh Allen is a really talented quarterback,” Simmons said. “He can make all the throws, he has a strong arm, a really good build. He runs hard and fast.

“They’ve got a good team, they’re 7-3 for a reason,” he added.

While Allen could be motivated by some remarks such as these, it’s not going to be easy to impress this Broncos secondary. Overall, the Broncos sit as the fourth-best defense in the NFL. Buffalo’s defense is third.

Also by comparison, Harris had a much quicker interview, lasting about three minutes on Monday. Those interested in hearing his remarks can do so below. His comments on Allen and the Bills begin at the 2:00 mark:

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