Trading OLB Matthew Judon might be in Ravens’ best interest

The Baltimore Ravens have a tough decision to make with Matthew Judon that could involve trading him instead of re-signing him

Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Matthew Judon offers an interesting dilemma this offseason. He seems destined to hit the free-agent market where Baltimore simply won’t be able to keep up with other franchises that have a wealth of cap space to burn. If the Ravens don’t feel they’ll be able to lock up Judon to a long-term deal, trading him might be their best scenario here.

Judon is going to be one of the top options in free agency and will likely command serious money if allowed to hit the open market. Of course, the Ravens have the franchise tag available to keep Judon in town if they absolutely want, but it also has some serious ramifications on Baltimore’s salary cap while only locking him up for the 2020 season. It also leaves the option open for Judon to not sign his tender and hold out, or worse; sign the deal and still walk next offseason.

Though Baltimore has more cap space expected than in previous years, they still rank the bottom third of the league, according to Over The Cap. As of right now, 15 teams are expected to have more than $50 million available to spend this offseason, with two teams having more than $90 million in cap space. With just shy of $29 million expected to be available, according to OTC, the Ravens cannot keep up with the checkbooks of other teams if Judon gets serious interest in free agency.

Baltimore is staring down a potential repeat of last season where they lost key starters C.J. Mosley, Za’Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs for only compensatory picks in return. If the Ravens are planning on being buyers at all in free agency, they could just as easily wipe out the compensatory pick they’d acquire for Judon’s departure, which would be adding insult to injury here.

General manager Eric DeCosta might have learned from last offseason and could decide to go on the offensive here instead. As a top pending free-agent pass rusher, Judon is sure to draw interest from plenty of teams. But not every team will be interested in getting into a bidding war for his services or taking the chance they might not get him. Those teams might be far more eager to guarantee they can land Judon by trading with Baltimore and signing him to a long-term deal themselves.

From just last offseason until now, the NFL has had a bevy of trades to prove that star players can carry a lot of trade value.

The New York Jets traded defensive end Leonard Williams for a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft and a fifth/fourth-round pick in 2021. The Jacksonville Jaguars sent cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams in return for two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder. The Kansas City Chiefs paid a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft for San Francisco 49ers defensive end Dee Ford. The Chiefs also sent defensive end Frank Clark and a third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for first-, second- and third-round picks.

By that history, it seems pretty likely Baltimore would net more than a third-round pick in exchange for Judon. If the Ravens can get a few teams interested, a first-round pick or more doesn’t seem to be out of the realm of possibility.

To play their options out and incentivize other teams to make a move, Baltimore could apply the franchise tag to Judon now. If Judon wants to have more control over where he goes, he could decide to not sign the tag unless he likes the destination. But that would also mean the Ravens could rescind the tag at any time before the deadline in May and still let Judon hit free agency like normal. It’s a win-win for Baltimore here given that re-signing Judon seems pretty unlikely at this point.

The Ravens still need help at pass rusher and one guy isn’t going to fix the problem, including just re-signing Judon. Baltimore would be better off picking up multiple second-tier players while using the draft to hopefully acquire an immediate game-changing talent. Trading Judon would mean the Ravens could spend their cap space on those types of free agents while giving them an extra early-round pick to either move up for a star prospect or take multiple shots at the position.

Of course, all this is dependent on other teams being interested in trading for Judon. But on the flip side, if Judon doesn’t draw much interest on the trade market, it might indicate his value as a free agent isn’t nearly as high as expected either and might push him to sign a long-term deal with Baltimore for cheaper.

There seems to be no downside to dangling Judon out as a trade option and a lot of serious upsides to trading him away.

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2 Giants listed among PFF’s top 100 free agents

Only two New York Giants made Pro Football Focus’ list of the top 100 available free agents in 2020.

The New York Giants will be going into free agency with some money to spend this offseason, which is good news considering they’ve had a lack of talent on their roster over the last few years and it has shown in their record during that time.

On Monday, Pro Football Focus released their top 100 available free agents of 2020 and, to little surprise, there were just two Giants who made the list. What may surprise you however, is which two made the cut.

Quarterback Eli Manning came in at 51 overall, but recent reports are that Manning may elect to retire.

The other Giant who made the list is defensive lineman Leonard Williams (No. 26), who the team traded for mid-season and have already said they fully intend on signing him long-team.

26. DI LEONARD WILLIAMS

Some of the gloss on Leonard Williams’ career has faded, as he never became the dominant force along the defensive line that he was once pegged as. In his second year, he notched 55 total pressures and earned an overall PFF grade of 81.4, but that grade has slipped to barely above 70.0 this past season. The draw of Williams is that he has shown high-level play in the past, and will enter the 2020 season just 26 years old, but he needs to prove he can be a significant factor rushing the passer again or his value has a very defined cap to it.

A number of fans have been up in arms over the mid-season trade given that Williams is a pending free agent. And although he excelled, many don’t want the Giants to invest in him long-term because he doesn’t bring a high volume of sacks.

Coincidentally, Markus Golden, who was the team’s sack leader and the first Giants linebacker to have double-digit sacks since Lawrence Taylor, did not make PFF’s list. Golden was on a one-year prove it deal with Big Blue and will surely command top dollar on the open market this offseason.

Former Giants cornerback Eli Apple made the list at No. 63. The former first-round pick was traded to the New Orleans Saints last season.

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Bill Barnwell rips Giants for Odell Beckham, Leonard Williams trades

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently ripped the New York Giants and GM Dave Gettleman for the Odell Beckham Jr. and Leonard Williams trades.

The New York Giants’ decision to trade a third- and a possible fourth-round pick to the New York Jets last October in exchange for defensive lineman Leonard Williams was met with mixed reactions from both camps.

Jet fans reacted with glee as they not only rid themselves of an underachieving player but got some much-needed draft capital in return.

Giant fans were puzzled why general manager Dave Gettleman would make such a trade for Williams, an impending free agent who they could simply wait until after the season to sign and in the process keep their picks.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently ranked the 30 most impactful trades of the 2019 season. The Williams trade made the cut at No. 29. By contrast, the most impactful deal of the season was the Tennessee Titans acquisition of quarterback Ryan Tannehill from the Miami Dolphins for a sixth round pick and cash.

From Barnwell:

Giants trade: 2020 third-round pick, 2021 conditional pick
Jets trade: DE Leonard Williams

I wrote about how this trade didn’t make sense at the time, with the 2-6 Giants dealing a third-round pick and a conditional fourth- or fifth-round pick for the privilege of paying Williams $4 million before free agency. Williams, who has perennially posted plenty of knockdowns without ever converting those figures to sacks, posted 11 knockdowns and just a half-sack in his time with the Giants.

What mattered here was the revelation of just how far the Giants are from understanding what is broken with their franchise. Making this trade was foolish. General manager Dave Gettleman justifying the trade was downright depressing. Just weeks before his infamous “computer guys” speech, Gettleman argued that the Giants would get a third-round compensatory pick if they moved on from Williams after the season, which would require Williams to get a contract north of $15 million per season (he won’t) and the Giants to sit out free agency (they won’t). Williams is a fine defensive lineman, but the Giants continue to have a warped view of reality and their current status within the NFL.

Impact grade: D

The trade is a D in terms of impact because it was made between two teams that have a long way to go to get back into contention. It is a D for the Giants simply because it was imprudent from a economical and asset allocation sense. The Jets made out like bandits because they got definitive capital for Williams up front. They would likely have gotten a compensatory pick in return for losing Williams in free agency. Now they know that third-round pick is No. 68 overall and when that pick is on the board Giant fans will have no choice but to look away and cringe.

Additionally, Barnwell also ripped the Giants for trading Beckham.

The Giants lost a star in OBJ, and while you could make the argument that adding a handful of would-be starters for their franchise wide receiver would make some sense, general manager Dave Gettleman continued to disappoint. He signed Golden Tate, a bizarre move for a rebuilding team that already had a slot receiver in Sterling Shepard and a “move” tight end in Evan Engram. Peppers became the box safety the Giants lost when they let Landon Collins leave in free agency. No. 17 pick Dexter Lawrence looked to be a promising big body and run-thumper, but he is serving as the replacement for Damon Harrison, who also was jettisoned by Gettleman.

It’s important to note that Harrison is mulling retirement due to his body breaking down. We must also assume this was written before OBJ’s shenanigans at the National Championship Game between LSU and Clemson.

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For the analytics lovers: Giants’ Leonard Williams a pass rushing gem

For all the lovers of analytics who have hated on New York Giants DL Leonard Williams, you now face an internal dilemma.

When New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman traded for New York Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams — an impending free agent — last October, the move was highly criticized.

This was not a trade a last place team makes. It’s the type of trade a contender makes to help put them over the top.

Yet, Gettleman had no qualms in forking over a third-, and what likely will be a fourth-round pick for the former No. 6 overall pick out of USC.

Now the Giants are pretty much tethered to the idea of retaining Williams or run the risk of having wasted valuable draft capital on player who walked away in free agency.

The Giants are expected to re-sign Williams this March and given the fact this sack numbers aren’t stellar (0.5 sacks in 15 games last season), the 25-year-old did make a significant difference in the Giants’ defensive front.

From Pro Football Focus:

No player had a bigger deference between his pressure rate rank and sack rate rank than Williams, who split the year between the Giants and the New York Jets prior to his trade. Among 87 interior defenders with 200 or more pass-rushing snaps, Williams ranked 13th in pressure rate at 11.3% but his one sack in 424 pass-rushing snaps put him near the bottom of the list in sack rate. On the other hand, Williams led the position with 19 quarterback hits. A few fractions of a second faster on several of those plays and that sack total looks a whole lot more respectable.

Considering the draft capital that the Giants gave up acquiring Williams, it seems likely that they’ll retain him moving forward. He’s always been a better run defender than a pass-rusher, but he’s certainly better in the passing game than the one sack he was able to produce in 2019. Now the Giants just need to figure out how to balance all the young talent they have at interior defensive line if they re-sign Williams.

It doesn’t matter the cost. It’s already been too high. The Giants might have to overpay a bit to keep Williams in the fold, but then again, there may not be too many teams champing at the bit to pay him his asking price. The Giants could actually end up getting Big Cat at a bargain rate.

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Eagles LT Jason Peters listed among the 50 best available 2020 NFL free agents

Jason Peters is the No. 41 best available free agent according to Pro Football Focus

Jason Peters wants to continue his NFL career and if you evaluate him based on analytics and a proper grading system, he’ll likely have a list of suitors when free agency begins.

Pro Football Focus recently put out their initial list of the top-50 NFL free agents for the 2020 offseason, and the Eagles left tackle landed on the list at No. 41.

41. LT JASON PETERS
Somehow Jason Peters is still plying his trade at an extremely high level despite approaching 38 years of age. That age obviously makes Peters a short-term option for prospective teams, and Peters also comes with a significant injury history and the prospect that he might not last 16 games in any given season. But he is still an impressive figure when he is on the field, and he ended the 2019 season with an overall PFF grade of 82.8 after allowing 25 total pressures on the season. Peters won’t be receiving many multi-year offers, but he could provide a very useful short-term fix for a team struggling to find answers on the offensive line.

Peter is still talented enough to play in the NFL on a year to year basis, but it’ll be interesting to see if the Eagles allow the future Hall of Famer to walk in free agency.

Howie Roseman made it clear during his end of the season press conference, that the Eagles were interested in getting younger. With 2019 first-round pick Andre Dillard waiting in the wings, the Eagles will have to decide on bring Peters back for another year, moving Peters to a different position or allowing him to play for another franchise.

Why the Leonard Williams trade was Joe Douglas’ best move

Joe Douglas made a necessary move to help the future of the Jets in his first season as general manager.

Joe Douglas didn’t make too many franchise-altering moves during his first regular season as the Jets general manager. That would have been a hard feat to accomplish given he joined the team after Mike Maccagnan ran the draft and signed expensive free agents. But the one move he did make that could have the biggest effect on the long-term future of the team was trading former 2016 first-round pick Leonard Williams to the Giants.

That trade netted the Jets a 2020 third-round pick and a 2021 fifth-round pick that could become a fourth if the Giants re-sign Williams to a deal, something the Giants reportedly began discussing soon after trading for the defensive end. It was a pivotal move for Douglas for two reasons: 1) Douglas acquired a top-70 pick, which could become an important piece for his first-ever draft class as GM and 2) shedding Williams gave the team opportunities to look at other young talents on the defensive line.

The Jets now have the 11th, 48th, 68th and 79th selection in the first three rounds of the 2020 draft. Considering all the holes on the roster, that 68th pick could end up being a starter for the Jets as early as next season. The addition of an extra third-round pick gives Douglas even more flexibility in the first two days of the draft if he wants to move up and grab the guy he wants. Either way, if Douglas drafts correctly that selection could play a major role for the Jets in 2020. Even better, they could get another top-120 selection in 2021 if Williams re-signs with the Giants.

Jettisoning Williams gave Douglas, Adam Gase and Gregg Williams the added bonus of checking out the rest of their defensive line depth. The Jets actually had a pretty deep line behind Williams, and his lack of production meant he wasn’t any more valuable than the cheaper players behind him. Guys like Folorunso Fatukasi, Kyle Phillips and Jordan Willis all earned a bigger role on the team with Williams’ departure, and then all even played better than Williams. Each had more sacks than Williams and combined for 11 quarterback hits.

The Williams trade didn’t really affect the Jets’ 2019 season, which is fine considering the team was 1-7 at the trade deadline. If anything, Douglas probably needed to make more moves to shore up his draft capital during a crucial offseason.

The Williams trade was the only one he made, and the only move that will help the Jets next season. The rest of his moves – save for signing tight end Ryan Griffin and trading for back-up offensive lineman Alex Lewis – didn’t pan out. Center Ryan Kalil played poorly and missed nine games after Douglas coaxed him out of retirement, and Douglas failed to find a long-term kicker solution between Kaare Vedvik and Sam Ficken.

It’s hard to completely evaluate Douglas’ first season as GM since he worked with a roster he didn’t build, but it’s encouraging to see how he saw the value in trading away a young, underperforming player for draft capital. The Williams trade will be huge in how the Johnson’s evaluate Douglas’ ability to run the team, and another early pick gives Douglas the ability to finally shape the roster the way he wanted to when he took the job.

Giants’ Dave Gettleman explains thinking behind Leonard Williams trade

A defiant Dave Gettleman explains why he brought Leonard Williams to the New York Giants via trade.

When New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman took center stage for his end-of-season press conference on Tuesday, two of the main topics discussed were the team’s use of analytics and the thinking that went into acquiring Leonard Williams from the New York Jets.

Gettleman has received seemingly endless criticism for his decision to send two picks to the Jets — a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick that could become a fourth if Williams is signed this offseason — but maintains it was the right move.

“The thought process was, I really believe that as much as the style of play evolves, there are basic truths — you have to run the ball, you have to stop the run, you have to rush the passer,” Gettleman said. “If you are seriously deficient in any one of those three areas, it makes it tough. It’s going to be tough sledding. By bringing in Leonard, we looked at it, we obviously evaluated the film, by bringing him in, we felt he could be a disruptive force inside. And, he has been. He has been.”

But has Williams really been a disruptive force? A quick glance at his statistics show just a half a sack this season, which is where much of the criticism stems.

However, there’s much more that goes on beyond the box score that’s worthy of examining.

Entering Week 17, the Giants had trimmed .3 yards per carry off their opponents, and while that doesn’t seem like much, it also led to teams passing more. Opposing carries were down by nearly three per game, while the yardage average per game dipped from 122.4 to 104.1.

In terms of rushing the passer, Williams may not have recorded many sacks, but he was among the team leaders in QB pressure and QB hits since his arrival.

“We felt we needed him. Again, we felt good about it and we feel, and he’s proven, he’s disruptive in there. He improved our rushing defense with him in there, he buzzes around the quarterback, we’ve just got to get him to finish now. But, the bottom line is we felt it was worth the deal. The juice was worth the squeeze,” Gettleman added.

The juice is only worth the squeeze if the Giants are able to re-sign Leonard, which Gettleman feels confident they will be able to do.

“He was in my office yesterday and he told me he wants to be here,” Gettleman said.

The other side of the argument against the Williams trade is value vs. time. Why not just wait until Williams became a free agent and then sign him?

It seems like a fair question, but there appears to be a method behind that madness as well.

“Because now we know what we have, and we were willing to do that,” Gettleman said when asked why he didn’t just wait to free agency.

Had Gettleman signed Williams to a significant long-term contract this offseason and he didn’t fit in with the Giants’ personnel, it very well could have been a move that cost Gettleman his job. Instead, he risked a little draft capital on a potentially elite player to see if he was a sure fit.

He was in the eyes of this writer.

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Could Giants use franchise tag on Leonard Williams?

Could the New York Giants use the franchise tag on DL Leonard Williams to avoid him signing elsewhere?

The New York Giants are in a pickle with impending free agent defensive lineman Leonard Williams, the player that general manager traded third- and fifth-round draft picks for back in October.

Williams will demand big bucks on the open market and the Giants now have to put in a serious bid for him or run the risk of the trade becoming another folly by this front office.

Nothing they do here with Williams will be pretty. The trade is already a folly. The impact is irreversible. The New York Jets were shocked the Giants were offering what they did. They were looking to dump Williams and likely would have taken the fifth rounder by itself.

But Dave Gettleman, being as out of touch as a 21st century GM can possibly be, traded two picks for a player he could have signed in free agency just months later. Now, to save face the Giants will overpay for another average player.

Other than signing Williams and letting him walk, the Giants’ other option is to apply the franchise or transition tag on him, but that will be costly.

From Rotoworld:

The Giants have been in talks with Williams but haven’t made much progress. Despite his limited success, Williams wants to be one of the higher paid 3-4 ends in the league. Franchising him may be the best option for the Giants if a long-term deal isn’t reached, through Williams could also be a candidate for the transition tag, which would pay him roughly $13 million in 2020.

Even though the Giants will have a boatload of money to spend in free agency come March, this is not how many envisioned them spending it. They have been drafting defensive linemen over the past several seasons and that should not be the position they plunk down a wad of cash on to secure.

And if they are to do that, it should be on a more productive player than Williams. In 14 games this season between the Jets and the Giants, Williams has no sacks and just two tackles for a loss.

In any event, this is just another example of the Giants not being the smart team in the room anymore. They always used to be the team that sat by and watched other teams make these mistakes. Those days are sadly gone.

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Giants, Eli Manning snap historic losing streak, defeat Dolphins, 36-20

The New York Giants snapped their franchise-worst losing streak, getting Eli Manning a victory in what may be his final ever game.

The New York Giants and Miami Dolphins were hardly billed as must-watch football leading up to their Week 15 battle at MetLife Stadium, and they fully lived up down to those expectations on Sunday.

The first quarter was relatively tame, uneventful and, admittedly, downright boring at times. Neither offense could really get anything going, while sloppy play dominated throughout.

The Dolphins did have an opportunity to go up early, but kicker Jason Sanders was unable to connect on a 49-yard field goal in windy conditions.

Things picked up a bit in the second quarter as each team got their offense moving and the defenses began to get more physical. Still, the play was hardly anything to write home about.

Miami got on the board first, recovering from a failed fourth-down conversion on their previous series to drive the ball an impressive 89 yards on nine plays, capping things off with a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to wide receiver DeVante Parker.

The Giants immediately answered back in a big way, driving the ball 75 yards on just three plays, concluding with a 51-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Eli Manning to wide receiver Golden Tate, who did an excellent job fighting through a pass interference and staying with a ball that was bobbled.

After forcing the Dolphins to a quick punt, the Giants had an opportunity to execute a two-minute drive, but Manning inexplicably threw an interception into the waiting arms of linebacker Vince Biegel.

The Dolphins wouldn’t let that opportunity go to waste, connecting on a 24-yard field goal with just :44 remaining in the first half.

New York did little with what time remained, gaining short yardage on consecutive plays before Manning tossed a long pass incomplete along the sideline and then tossed another pick out of desperation, leaving the Giants with a 10-7 halftime deficit.

Opening the second half, the Giants came out on fire, taking the opening kickoff and driving the ball 70 yards and six incredibly effective plays, including a five-yard touchdown pass from Manning to rookie wide receiver Darius Slayton to give Big Blue a 14-10 lead.

On the ensuing series, linebacker Alec Ogletree and defensive lineman Leonard Williams went head-to-head with Fitzpatrick, who was attempting a third-down scramble for a first down, but the ball was punched loose and recovered by the Giants.

Not to be outdone, Manning promptly tossed his third interception of the day, immediately giving Miami the ball back and taking near-guaranteed points off the board.

Unlike the Giants, the Dolphins were able to capitalize on the turnover, connecting on a 47-yard Sanders field goal after 22 yards on five plays.

The Giants offense would again sputter after getting the ball back, but their special teams and defense apparently came to play. And following a beautiful booming punt by Riley Dixon and a series of penalties that downed the ball inside the one-yard-line, cornerback Sam Beal came up with a huge play, bringing running back Patrick Laird down in the endzone for a safety.

With yet another opportunity and solid field position following the post-safety drop-kick, the Giants offense would not be denied again. It took just three plays to drive 40 yards, highlighted by a 24-yard pass and catch from Manning to wide receiver Sterling Shepard, before running back Saquon Barkley plunged in for a touchdown from one-yard out, giving Big Blue a 23-13 lead.

After forcing Miami to a quick three-and-out, the Giants had the ball back and were in a position to put the game away — a precarious position for the team at other times in recent season. This time, however? The pedal went to the metal.

Turning the offense up to 100, Manning & Co. drove 66 yards on eight plays and made it look remarkably easier — easier than it’s been all season. That was additionally evident as Barkley casually walked in from 10 yards out to put the Giants up 30-13 in the fourth quarter.

After exchanging a series of punts and having the Dolphins turn the ball over on downs, the Giants put the icing on the cake with a five-play, 55-yard drive that culminated with a one-yard touchdown run courtesy of Buck Allen. However, kicker Aldrick Rosas missed the PAT, leaving the score at 36-13.

With under 2:00 remaining, Miami got back on the board with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Fitzpatrick to Parker, but by that time, it was too late to rally.

The game essentially came to a close with Eli Manning being removed from the field to a rousing standing ovation and chants of, “Eli Manning! Eli Manning!”

With the win, the Giants improve to 3-11 on the season. They will travel to D.C. to take on the Washington Redskins in Week 16.

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5 reasons Giants could defeat Dolphins in Week 15

The New York Giants and Miami Dolphins square off in Week 15, and here are five reasons Big Blue could come away with the win.

The New York Giants have the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in a matchup between two of the NFL’s “have-nots.”

The Giants are favored by 3.5 points in this game and we think they are in a great spot to win this week. Here are five reasons why…

The Giants don’t have much luck these days

Which means they won’t get the No. 1 overall pick. It’s just the way things have been falling for them the past few years.This game, should they win, basically takes them out of the running for the top pick because a) they’ll be two games up on Cincinnati (who is 1-12 and plays New England this week) and b) by beating the 3-10 Dolphins, they’ll be tied with them and will lose the tiebreaker.

For the record, the Giants have only drafted first twice. In 1951, they selected SMU end Kyle Rote and in 1965 they took Tucker Frederickson, a running back from Auburn. They have selected No. 2 three times (Skippy Minisi, 1948; Lawrence Taylor, 1981 and Saquon Barkley, 2018). They have selected third only twice: John Hicks in 1974 and Carl Banks in 1984.

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