Signs point toward Kelvin Beachum starting at right tackle for Cardinals

“We’ve been really pleased with what Beachum has done,” said head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

Once veteran tackle Marcus Gilbert elected to opt out of the 2020 season because of the risk of the COVID-19 pandemic, the starting right tackle position became a position battle worth paying attention to for the Arizona Cardinals. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury is close to making a decision, although it sounds like he might already know who will be the starter.

“We’re getting close,” he told reporters on Wednesday after practice. “We want to wrap up this week. Once we get into mock game week, we should solidify where we’re at.”

This week is the last regular camp week. Next week, they will treat it like a game week without actually having a game.

It would appear that veteran Kelvin Beachum is the favorite to start.

“We’ve been really pleased with what Beachum has done,” Kingsbury said.

They selected Josh Jones in the third round of the draft, but even going back to the night he was drafted, it always sounded like the Cardinals planned on having him developing a year. That said, Kingsbury is happy with him.

“We obviously drafted Josh for a reason and he’s made some steps this camp,” he said.

As for Justin Murray, who started 12 games in 2019 after Gilbert was lost for the season with a torn ACL, Kingsbury speaks of him highly, although like a reserve.

“Justin is that guy who gives us a high comfort level that no matter what whether he’ playing inside or tackle he can play at a high level after watching what he did last year those starts that he was in there,” Kingsbury explained.

It sounds a lot like how he spoke of Mason Cole a year ago, who was a reserve, and how former head coach Bruce Arians would speak of Earl Watford, who was mostly a backup when he was in Arizona.

Beachum has been a starter almost his entire career, although almost exclusively at left tackle. However, he has played a lot of football and appears to be the man the Cardinals will rely on at right tackle, at least to start the season.

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OL Kelvin Beachum gets veteran minimum salary in 2020

He will make $1.05 million in 2020. There aren’t likely any guarantees and if there are, they will be minimal.

It took a while, but the contract for new Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum has been processed and is in the books. The nine-year veteran will make the league veteran minimum in 2020.

His 2020 salary will be $1.05 million, which is the new league minimum for players with at least seven years in the league.

Beachum will have the opportunity to compete for the starting right tackle position with Justin Murray and rookie Josh Jones. The presumed starter, Marcus Gilbert, announced he would opt out of the 2020 season because of his risks for COVID-19.

Considering Beachum was signed just last month, it is unlikely he received any signing bonus or any salary guarantees. If he did, it is not likely a lot.

Gilbert, who re-signed with the Cardinals earlier in the offseason, did not get a signing bonus but had $150,000 in guaranteed salary, which now is slated for 2021.

Beachum has been a starter his entire NFL career but has mostly played left tackle.

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Jets’ starting offensive line will have 100% turnover in 2020

With Brian Winters bound for Buffalo, the New York Jets starting offensive line will be completely turned over from the season before.

By releasing Brian Winters on Sunday, the Jets committed to their starting lineup having a 100 percent turnover in 2020.

In 2019, New York’s Week 1 starting offensive line consisted of Kelvin Beachum and Kelechi Osemele on the left side, Ryan Kalil in the middle, and Winters and Brandon Shell filling out the right side.

Behind an offensive line that had little chemistry, the Jets offense sputtered. In Adam Gase’s first season as head coach, New York’s offensive unit ranked 31st in points per game, 32nd in yards per game and 32nd in yards per play.

The Jets averaged just 0.7 rushing yards before contact per attempt, which was dead last in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Also, New York allowed pressure in 2.5 seconds or less on 27.5 percent of its dropbacks, which was the second-highest in the league.

This was a large part of why Sam Darnold had little to no time to make plays happen. Jets quarterbacks were sacked 52 times in 2019, which was the fourth-highest mark in the league.

Joe Douglas made it his pet project this offseason to rebuild the Jets offensive line. He spent all offseason plugging holes in the trenches to ensure that Darnold and the offense can experience heightened success in 2020 and beyond.

The Jets showed no interest in bringing back members of last year’s starting lineup. Beachum and Shell signed one-year pacts with the Cardinals and Seahawks, respectively. Osemele, who played just three games with Gang Green before he was released due to an injury dispute, signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs. Kalil is likely to choose retirement again after the Jets talked him out of it last year and got poor results.

Douglas’ first order of business was signing swing tackle George Fant to a three-year, $30 million contract. Right now, Fant is penciled in as the opening day starter at right tackle. Staying on the right side, Greg Van Roten signed a three-year, $10.5 million deal and will slide in at right guard in Winters’ absence.

Shaping things up in the middle, Douglas signed Connor McGovern to a three-year, $27 million deal. He will be New York’s starter at center. Alex Lewis, who did an admirable job filling in for Osemele, is now assured a starting spot at left guard with Winters gone. As for left tackle, it’s now stationed by Mekhi Becton, New York’s first-round pick out of Lousiville.

While the Jets offensive line will yet again need to work on its chemistry, a roster turnover was necessary considering how the offense plateaued behind such a lackluster unit in 2019.

OL Kelvin Beachum cites familiarity, proximity and pandemic in signing with Cardinals

He has an offseason home in Chandler and has former coaches and former teammates on the Cardinals’ roster.

The Arizona Cardinals made a late veteran free agent signing recently, adding offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum. Beachum enters his ninth season in the league and was the New York Jets’ starting left tackle for the last three seasons.

He agreed to a one-year deal with the Cardinals.

The 31-year-old didn’t expect to go unsigned that long but the coronavirus pandemic changed things, as players could not visit teams or work out. It has affected a number of quality players.

Beachum signed with the Cardinals in part because of the effects of the pandemic. In an interview on the Jim Rome Show, he noted proximity, fit and familiarity as the reasons for his signing.

“It was a situation and a circumstance where I knew a number of people in the organization,” he said.

Cardinals lineman Marcus Gilbert was Beachum’s teammate with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Arizona’s offensive line coach Sean Kugler was Beachum’s offensive line coach when he was drafted by the Steelers. Running backs coach James Saxon was on Pittsburgh’s staff Beachum’s final two seasons there.

Beachum actually lives in Arizona in the offseason. He and his family have a home in Chandler. “I usually train out here during the offseason and have been doing so the last seven offseasons,” he said. He trains at LeCharles Bentley O-Line Performance, where D.J. Humphries also has trained.

“It just seemed like the natural fit considering everything that’s going on with COVID, the uncertainty with the NFL season, exposure to my family and being around my family.”

A starter his whole career, Beachum will compete for the starting right tackle job, a position he has some experience with in the NFL. In the mix for the job is Beachum, Gilbert, Justin Murray and rookie Josh Jones.

He would also give the team veteran depth at left tackle behind Humphries, who has played 16 games in a season only once in his career.

The pandemic likely cost Beachum money but it gave the Cardinals a quality player. It will be interesting to see what role he ultimately plays and how much his contract is worth.

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8 AFC East stories from last week for Bills fans to know

AFC East stories from the past week for Buffalo Bills fans to know via the Patriots, Jets and Dolphins.

You’re probably all on top of the latest news surrounding the Buffalo Bills and we hope Bills Wire helped you get there. But let us keep you up to date with the Bills news, just outside the Bills’ realm.

The upcoming 2020 NFL season has many thinking the Bills are the favorite in the AFC East. But Buffalo isn’t just going to stroll into that title. The Dolphins, Jets, and of course the Patriots, will all have something to say about that.

So let’s stay on top of some of the latest headlines surrounding the Bills’ divisional foes now. Here are eight news stories from the other three AFC East teams from the last week right here:

Miami Dolphins

Buffalo Bills wide receiver John Brown. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

Social media campaign was suggested by Dolphins’ Byron Jones

Byron Jones is a name that Bills fans are going to want to get to know. The cornerback was a big time free agency signing by the Dolphins this offseason, so when you see Stefon Diggs against the Fins in 2020, Jones might not be far behind.

But reportedly Jones already had his affect on the Bills, and the NFL in-large. On Sunday, NFL stars took to social media via their Twitter accounts and flooded the website with the “We Want To Play” campaign. Micah Hyde and Diggs were involved in that.

In doing so, the league’s stars brought attention to some of the big issues on the table against owners. The NFL and NFLPA are running out of time to agree on safety protocols for the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that happened on Sunday, the league and players have started to come together on some issues, such as eliminating the preseason.

So with Jones in mind, maybe we have reason to thank him for playing a part in getting the 2020 NFL season underway because a report says that Jones is the one who came up with the idea.

Finally, something good from South Beach.

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Kelvin Beachum to Sam Darnold: ‘Remember the little people’ when you’re ‘King of New York’

Kelvin Beachum thinks Sam Darnold will be the King of New York.

After spending the last two years of his career protecting Sam Darnold’s blindside, Kelvin Beachum sees royalty in the quarterback’s future.

Beachum just signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals after three seasons in New York. Beachum and Darnold undoubtedly got to know each other well over the last two seasons, but the lineman is worried Darnold might forget him as his career progresses.

“I texted him yesterday and told him to remember the little people like me when he’s the King of New York,” Beachum joked during an interview with NFL Radio. “He’s the real deal.”

Darnold has shown flashes of greatness during his two NFL seasons, but he’s also made plenty of mistakes. Granted, his supporting cast has often lacked, but Darnold has had trouble with his decision-making, regularly trying to force throws and turning the ball over.

This upcoming season will be Darnold’s most important. He has yet to make that big jump from an average starting quarterback to a great one. The Jets revamped the offensive line and added a few new weapons for Darnold, so there will be less room for error in 2020.

Beachum, for one, believes that big things are awaiting the 23-year-old. He thinks Darnold has what it takes to be the Jets’ quarterback of the future. Whether or not Darnold will remember his old lineman once that happens remains to be seen, though.

Broncos won’t be signing OL Kelvin Beachum

Kelvin Beachum has agreed to terms with the Cardinals.

The Arizona Cardinals have agreed to terms with veteran left tackle Kelvin Beachum on a year-year deal, according to Jess Root of Cards Wire.

Beachum (6-3, 308 pounds) is a 30-year-old offensive tackle who entered the league as a seventh-round pick out of Southern Methodist in 2012. He spent the first four years of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing under Denver Broncos offensive line coach Mike Munchak from 2014-2015.

Beachum started 22 games for the Steelers under Munchak and allowed 12 sacks and was penalized 11 times, according to STATS LLC. In his career, Beachum has dressed for 104 games, earning 99 starts.

Beachum has averaged 0.423 penalties per game and has allowed an average of 0.382 sacks per contest in his career.

After leaving Pittsburgh, Beachum spent one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2016) and three seasons with the New York Jets (2017-2019).

In 13 games with the Jets last year, Beachum was penalized seven times and allowed four sacks. Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles was penalized 10 times and allowed four sacks in 16 games last season.

Some fans in Denver were hoping that the Broncos would sign a veteran like Beachum to compete with Bolles this year. Instead, Bolles will compete with Elijah Wilkinson for the starting left tackle job this summer.

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Former Jets OL Kelvin Beachum signs one-year pact with Cardinals

After three seasons in New York, former Jets offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum agreed to a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals.

A reunion with the Jets won’t be in the cards for Kelvin Beachum, who agreed to a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals on Friday afternoon.

The 31-year-old veteran tackle was a fixture on New York’s offensive line for the past three seasons, starting 45 of 48 games while serving as a captain. He leaves for the West Coast after Gang Green drafted Mekhi Becton in the first round of April’s draft and signed swing tackle George Fant.

In Beachum, the Cardinals get a hard-nosed player who modeled consistency during his three-year stint in New York. Beachum missed three games during the 2019 season due to a sprained ankle and was plagued by lower-leg injuries. Not missing a beat in pass protection, Beachum finished third among tackles in pass-block win rate (94.2 percent), according to ESPN Stats & Information, all while playing hurt.

In Beachum’s absence in 2019, New York went 0-3 and allowed 12 sacks. Filling in for Beachum, Chuma Edoga and Brandon Shell struggled mightily, as neither are left tackles by trade.

Beachum is the fourth former Jets offensive lineman to depart this offseason. He joins Shell (Seattle Seahawks) and Tom Compton (San Francisco 49ers) as Jets’ offensive line castaways who have landed in the NFC South. With the Jets set to face the NFC South this season, Beachum will make his return to New York for the first time in Week 5.

Remaining July free agents left for Bills to consider

Are there any free agents out there in July for the Buffalo Bills to sign?

Welcome to July, can’t you just taste the football right around the corner?

Of course, that means little right now. There’s a plan in place to start training camp, as scheduled, at the end of the month… but who really knows what will happen? Assuming that goes according to plan, NFL rosters are still pretty set in stone now.

But let’s have some fun. If Bills general manager Brandon Beane were to be in the market to add another free agent or two before training camp comes around, could there be some options out there?

Here are 15 free agent options for the Bills to consider in July:

Falcons running back Devonta Freeman. Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

RB Devonta Freeman

Age: 28

Freeman could be another solid complement to their complement. Devin Singletary is the No. 1, shifty runner for the Bills. Zack Moss gets the heavy lifting done at times, while Freeman is a solid third-down option as a proven pass catcher. However, bad news could be the asking price. We’re not sure exactly what it would be, but of said in June, Bucs coach Bruce Arians said it’s too high.

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7 moves the Jets can still make before training camp

Jets Wire takes a look at seven moves the Jets can still make before training camp begins in late July.

There is still plenty of time for Jets general manager Joe Douglas to improve New York’s roster before the beginning of training camp in late July.

Douglas has spent all offseason positioning the Jets to look more like a contender than a team still rebuilding in 2020. He put together a draft class that was met with almost universally positive reviews and did well to add some new talent at relatively cheap rates in free agency. There is still more work that can be done, though.

Armed with $14.2 million in salary cap space with another $11 million in cap relief coming on Monday thanks to the release of Trumaine Johnson, Douglas has enough ammunition to get New York’s roster exactly where he wants it to be before the offseason ends.

With that being said, here are seven moves that Douglas can make to not only bring more talent to One Jets Drive, but also to free up the money necessary to add such talent.

Sign Larry Warford

It’s hard to believe that Larry Warford is still a free agent.

Warford, who turns 29 in mid-June, is coming off three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances and is arguably at the top of his game right now. He has plenty of good football left ahead of him and his arrival in New York would give the Jets an elite run blocker.

Considering the emphasis Joe Douglas has placed on upgrading in the trenches throughout the offseason, there is no reason to pass up on a player of Warford’s caliber as long as he is not asking for an exorbitant amount of money.

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