Tag: Leonard Williams

Giants must clear more space if they want to tag Leonard Williams

If the New York Giants want to franchise Leonard Williams (or Dalvin Tomlinson), they have two days to clear substantially more cap space.

The NFL franchise tag deadline is quickly approaching (Tuesday, March 9 at 4:00 p.m. EST) and the New York Giants still have a bit of housekeeping to do if they planning to use the tag on either of their impending free agent defensive linemen, Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson.

Per Spotrac, the Giants are just $1.385 million under the salary cap with a “top 51” number of $9.665 million, well short of what they will need to tag Williams, which is estimated to be $19.1 million. Tomlinson’s tag would be significantly less, estimated to be near $13 million for one year.

Over the Cap shows the Giants $6.064 million under the cap which is also their top 51 number. The top 51 number represents the top 51 rostered players currently under contract.

The Giants have some difficult decisions to make in the next nine days with only a few places to turn to open up cap space. One obvious move would be to release or restructure veteran offensive tackle Nate Solder. Releasing him could clear up around $10 million in cap space. Other moves could be to trade, extend or release right guard Kevin Zeitler, safety Jabril Peppers and/or tight end Evan Engram.

The remainder of their top 10 contracts are basically untouchable. The ink is still wet on the contracts of James Bradberry, Logan Ryan and Blake Martinez, who all signed deals last year. The other top contracts are their three latest top draft picks — Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones and Andrew Thomas and are fully guaranteed. Most of that money is already in their pockets.

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Podcast: Previewing 6 players Jags could sign in free agency

Jags Wire’s James Johnson and Phil Smith discuss how some of the top free agents on the market would help the Jags.

In this week’s episode of “Bleav in the Jaguars,” Jags Wire contributor Phil Smith and myself got involved in the free agency frenzy that has been the talk of the NFL community.

With the new league year set to begin in two weeks, we previewed six players who could help the Jags tremendously if they hit the open market. Those six players were divided into groups of three for each side of the ball.

One player we purposely left off was former Jags receiver Allen Robinson due to there being no shortage of coverage on his potential return. Instead, we discussed the pros and cons of his acquisition as he seems open to returning to Jacksonville.

The full episode can be heard below in the media player, while our archived episodes can be revisited here.

Feel free to subscribe to “Bleav in the Jags” via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify.

The most dangerous “buyer beware” defensive free agents in 2021

With NFL free agency just around the corner, here are 11 upcoming free agents who have the “buyer beware” tag.

Throughout the history of NFL free agency, the best possible acquisitions have come when team, scheme, and player find a perfect marriage. Last year, the Panthers signed former Jets receiver Robby Anderson to a two-year, $20 million contract, expanded his route palette, and enjoyed Anderson’s status as far more than just a speed guy.

Also last season, the Dolphins signed former Browns defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah to a two-year, $15 million contract, unleashed him from every gap in their hyper-aggressive, Cover-0-heavy defense, and had a very good time indeed as Ogbah set career highs in sacks (9.0) and total pressures (66).

And when Bruce Arians and Tom Brady finally figured out the ideal balance between Arians’ “grip-it-and-rip-it” passing game, and Brady’s more measured approach, buttressed at it is by play-action and pre-snap motion… that worked out pretty well in the end.

Leonard Floyd with the Rams, Nelson Agholor with the Raiders… the list goes on and on regarding players who landed in the right spot. So, when coaches and talent evaluators take a close look at the 2021 free-agent class (which they’re already doing in earnest, as the new league year starts on March 17), there’s a lot of wisdom in looking at the players who best fit what you want to do on the field, as opposed to players who are scheme-nebulous and have athletic potential you think you can unlock out of nowhere.

Sometimes you can. More often, you can’t, and you wind up wasting contract dollars and cap space on players who don’t fit your team at all.

Here are 11 prominent upcoming free agents who deserve particular scrutiny as players who will not fit with every team in every scheme, have dings to be worked out, and could fall off the map in the wrong environment.

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12 pass-rushing options for Bills after J.J. Watt signs with Cardinals

Who could the Buffalo Bills target for a pass rusher following JJ Watt signing with the Arizona Cardinals?

The Buffalo Bills will not have three-time Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt in the fold in 2021. On Monday amid some speculation once again connecting the Bills to Watt, the 31-year-old decided to announce his new team.

The Arizona Cardinals.

While Watt is gone, the Bills’ needs remain. What direction could the team and general manager Brandon Beane go in now in terms of improving the team’s pass rush now?

Here is a quick rundown of options remaining for the Bills, post-Watt:

Potential free agent target for Cardinals: DL Leonard Williams

Could Arizona try to make a splash by signing the former top 10 pick to add to their defense?

In a continued look at some free agents the Aruzona Cardinals could pursue, today we look at Leonard Williams, who has been rumored to be linked to the Cardinals in a couple of spots.

Williams had a breakout season this past season with the New York Giants (11.5 sacks) after being a top 10 pick for the other New York team. However, last year was easily his best season.

Williams would offer run support as well as pass rushing chops that the Cards could use on the defensive line, especially if they move on from Corey Peters.

The question could be the cost. Arizona could clear a little cap space to make room for Williams, but Spotrac projects his contract to be slightly above $11M per year.

He would theoretically fit easily into Arizona’s 3-4 defense, having played in a similar system in New York. However, one would have to wonder whether signing Jordan Phillips last season might make Arizona gun shy, as they spent a lot of money ($12M cap hit in 2021) after his breakout season in Buffalo (however, he was injured much of the season).

Williams could theoretically have a higher upside than Phillips, and could add star power to the Cardinals defensive line.

What do you think Cardinals fans? Is Williams worth the risk?

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2021 NFL Free Agency: Estimating the price of signing Leonard Williams

The Giants defensive lineman is coming off a career year in 2020, but bringing him to town wouldn’t be cheap for the Jags.

The Jacksonville Jaguars lead the NFL in total cap space with over $78.7 million available to be spent this offseason. Given defensive struggles during the 2020 season, especially against the run, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team allocate at least some of that capital toward free-agent upgrades along the defensive line.

Jacksonville hopes it has its long-term answers on the outside with Josh Allen and K’Lavon Chaisson, first-round picks in 2019 and 2020, respectively. But at the tackle spots, there are a lot more question marks. Defensive tackle Abry Jones’ contract expires, and coming off a season in which the 30-year-old only appeared in five games due to injury, the Jags will likely choose to move on.

Further, 2018 first-round pick Taven Bryan has had a disappointing career to this point. Despite not missing a game through three years, he’s coming off a season with just 20 tackles, and he has only 3.5 career sacks. If the Jaguars choose to decline his fifth-year option (which seems probable at this point), he will be a free agent after the 2021 season.

If Jacksonville wants to bring an immediate upgrade to its interior defensive line while also securing an answer for the long term, now is the time to do it. And if that’s the route it wants to go down, there’s one clear-cut option: Giants defensive end Leonard Williams. According to Spotrac, Williams’ market value is a five-year, $56.3 million contract. However, in their predictions post, they have Williams down for a four-year $80 million deal  similar to that of Chris Jones, who has an average salary of $20 million.

Should the Jaguars pursue Williams?

It seems that Williams is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, though the franchise tag could be a last resort. As of Thursday, he and the New York Giants “aren’t even close” to reaching an agreement on a contract extension.

If a projection of $20 million is what Williams is looking at, pursuing his services could be on the table for the Jags. He would be a great fit to add along the interior of the defensive line with promising rookie DaVon Hamilton. At 27, there are no other players available in the free-agent class that fit the Jags’ needs and could provide a long-term solution.

Other top free-agent defensive tackles like Ndamukong Suh and Jurell Casey may still produce at a relatively high level, but they’re all well over the age of 30.

Williams is coming off the best season of his career, notching 11.5 sacks in 2020. He was a bit slow to come on after being drafted sixth overall by the New York Jets in 2015, notching seven sacks his second year before that number dropped to two in his third. He reached five sacks in 2018, but in October of 2019 he was traded to the Giants for a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick.

Should Williams be looking for another change of scenery, bringing 2020’s No. 7-ranked player in sacks to town would be a splashy move for Jacksonville. Sure, it may require making him the highest-paid player on the team (he would surpass Andrew Norwell), but that’s only because the Jags have limited big-time deals on their current roster.

Report: Giants, Leonard Williams ‘aren’t close’ on new deal

The New York Giants and Leonard Williams “aren’t close” on a new contract and it doesn’t sound like a hometown discount will be offered.

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The New York Giants obviously want defensive lineman Leonard Williams back in 2021 after investing so much into him in recent years, but the two sides have failed to come to a long-term agreement despite continuous talks.

With less than a month remaining until the official start to free agency, general manager Dave Gettleman is up against it to get a deal done. If Williams is able to hit the open market, substantial contract offers are likely to be made potentially thrusting the Giants into a bidding war — something they can not afford with little available cap space.

Although the Giants currently have the upper hand with exclusive negotiating rights, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports that the two sides aren’t even close on a new contract.

The Giants will use the next two weeks to try to sign Williams to a long-term contract. A source said that the sides aren’t close to an agreement. But it’s still early, and things can move fast in negotiations.

Duggan adds that despite earlier speculation, Williams will not offer the Giants a hometown discount and would instead prefer to be paid in the range of $20 million to $21 million per season — on par with the likes of DeForest Buckner and Chris Jones.

Yes, Williams has enjoyed his time with the Giants. But don’t expect any hometown discounts. If he signs with the Giants before free agency begins on March 15, they will need to give him an offer in the same range as Buckner and Jones.

Ideally, the Giants wouldn’t use the franchise tag on Williams for the second consecutive season, but if they’re unable to get him to sign on the dotted line, that may ultimately turn out to be their only choice.

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Leonard Williams or Dalvin Tomlinson: Should Giants use franchise tag on either?

Should the New York Giants avoid using the franchise tag on Leonard Williams or Dalvin Tomlinson?

The New York Giants’ offseason, like most NFL teams this year, is going to be one filled with difficult decisions. The NFL salary cap, which had been increasing by an average of $10 million or so each year over the past decade, is going through a contraction as a result of the effect the COVID-19 restrictions have had on revenues.

With revenues markedly down, the league is likely going to set the 2021 salary cap at $180 million per team. That is down from $198 million in 2020. Teams have been basing their long-term contracts on a cap that, had all things been even, should have been in the $210-$215 million range this year.

That means teams will be operating with $30-35 million less than expected. It’s a bad time to be a free agent and even worse if you’re a general manager trying to maintain and keep a core group of players.

For the Giants and general manager Dave Gettleman, there are two key pending free agents, both defensive linemen: Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson.

Williams, who played under the one-year, $16.1 million franchise tag tender last season, is poised for a big payday after logging a career year. Tomlinson, the Giants’ second-round pick in 2017, will see his rookie contract expire next month, sending him into free agency and is expected to draw considerable interest in the market.

The Giants can use the franchise tag on one of them to keep them in the fold, but that is unlikely, per NJ Advance Media’s Zack Rosenblatt.

So if the Giants were to tag Williams again, it would carry a $19.3 million price tag. Williams would have to actually sign the tag to get that money, but as long as he is tagged, the Giants would have to carry that $19.3 million number on their cap sheet for 2021.

The Giants aren’t exactly flush with cap space and they’ve been open about their intention to at least add weapons on offense to help quarterback Daniel Jones. Right now, Over the Cap has the Giants projected for less than $1 million in cap space at an estimated $180.5 million salary cap. The cap could rise, but most expect it only to top out at a few million more.

Bad news for the Giants, who are cap-strapped at the moment. They can free up some cap space by cutting some overpaid veterans but even doing that, says Rosenblatt, they won’t have enough to bring both players back and will be spectators come free agency.

The contracts of left tackle Nate Solder and wide receiver Golden Tate need to be abated or terminated and that exercise will be costly. Tight end Evan Engram is also a candidate, but for a trade. The prospect of letting right guard Kevin Zeitler — the only steady player on the offensive line — go is a bit unnerving. Those moves might just be enough to get Williams back in the fold.

More of a reason why the Giants can’t be passive in the upcoming NFL draft. They have to get aggressive and acquire more picks in the top 150 in order to replace the players they are going to have to cut. But, with Gettleman in the big chair, that is not only a long shot, it’s probably the opposite of what will happen. He is more likely to stand pat and let the draft come to him — again — and then take a player that won’t move the needle.

Because of all of the reasons we’ve outlined, it seems highly unlikely that the Giants will or should place the franchise tag on Williams or Tomlinson. If they do, it will serve as little more than a placeholder on the way to a long-term contract.

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PFF: Giants’ Dexter Lawrence the third-highest graded second-year defender

New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence was Pro Football Focus’ third-highest graded second-year defender in 2020.

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While the jury is still out on the New York Giants’ first pick of the 2019 NFL draft in quarterback Daniel Jones, their second selection of that draft class, Dexter Lawrence, showed vast improvement in a strong sophomore campaign last season.

Lawrence, who endured a solid rookie season (38 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, nine quarterback hits and three tackles for a loss), was even better in Year 2 posting 53 tackles, four sacks, 10 quarterback hits and six tackles for a loss in 16 games, which earned him Pro Football Focus’ 3rd highest grade (79.7) among second year defenders.

The Clemson Tigers product tied with Washington Football Team’s impressive edge rusher Montez Sweat, who the Giants essentially passed over at No. 17 overall in favor of Lawrence in the 2019 NFL draft. And while the Giants could certainly use a productive edge rusher like Sweat (nine sacks, 20 quarterback hits), Lawrence has given them no reason to complain after showing continued improvement from year-to-year.

Coming out of college, scouts pinned Lawrence strictly as a nose tackle, but he has shown versatility by being able to line up in multiple techniques including defensive end. He also proved to be capable of getting after the quarterback with 6.5 sacks and 19 quarterback hits in 32 games despite spending the majority of his snaps as an interior lineman.

Although the Giants endured another losing season in 2020 and missed out on the playoffs for the fourth straight year, they did take a step in the right direction under head coach Joe Judge and his staff.

One of the team’s strong suits was their dominant defensive line that consisted of Lawrence, Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson, and the team is hoping to keep this group together with the ladder two pending free agency.

However, if the Giants lose Williams and/or Tomlinson, this unit will still have a young impact player in Lawrence, who is headed into his third season.

When looking at some of the promising talent on this roster, Lawrence is at the forefront and if his production on the field keeps trending upwards, the Giants may have found a franchise cornerstone on their defensive line for many years to come.

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2 Giants among Touchdown Wire’s top 101 free agents

Two New York Giants are among Touchdown Wire’s top 101 pending free agents, and neither are a surprise.

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USA TODAY’s Touchdown Wire listed their top 101 players who will be eligible for free agency this March, providing none of them reach an agreement with their current teams.

Among that group are two New York Giants: defensive linemen Leonard Williams (No. 27) and Dalvin Tomlinson (No. 77). Both players are staples for the Giants along the defensive line and the club would love nothing more than to bring both of these players back.

Williams, after coming to the Giants in a controversial trade in October of 2019, has become the team’s defensive leader and logged one of best statistical seasons in his six-year NFL career.

Big Cat, as he is known, had career-highs in sacks (11.5) and QB hits (30) in 2020. Playing on the franchise tag ($16.1 million) because he and the Giants could not agree on a long-term deal, Williams displayed that he is worth the investment of a long-term contract. He is only 26 and has appears to have a lot of football left in him.

Tomlinson’s rookie deal will expire next month. As a second-round pick back in 2017, the former Alabama standout was not eligible for a fifth-year option, so he’s queued up for free agency and the Giants have little time to act here.

Tomlinson has played — and started — all 64 games since joining Big Blue and has been a steady force both on and off the field. Tomlinson has recorded 49 total tackles and 3.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons and has 15 tackles for a loss and 18 QB hits over that period. He could be a candidate for the franchise tag this year.

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