Tag: michael brockers

Michael Brockers explains why things fell apart with Ravens, says his ankle is good

After failing a physical over an ankle injury and getting his deal with the Ravens pulled, Michael Brockers detailed his experience

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Michael Brockers had been a Baltimore Raven, unofficially, for nearly two weeks. But Brockers’ foray into free agency was an odd one this offseason and he ended up back with the Los Angeles Rams thanks to some concerns over his ankle.

With the coronavirus pandemic making getting physicals tougher, teams and players have had to turn to independent physicians to get things done. According to Brockers, it was there that things began to fall apart with the Ravens.

“I did my physical here in Houston,” Brockers said on the Green Light podcast, according to Rams Wire’s Cameron Da Silva. “I go to the doctor, they take X-rays and I did an MRI. The doctor sent it to Baltimore and Baltimore’s doctor gets to look at it and he says, ‘You know, I’m not a specialist, but I’m going to send it to a guy that I truly trust and he’s a third-party doctor. He’ll just tell me what’s up.’ I guess that doctor told him I might need something like a surgery and they were like, ‘Oh.’

“They get my MRI, they get all this stuff. Then we don’t hear from them after that. And I guess that’s the process where they were sending MRIs to Anderson or whoever and getting his word for it.”

It was at this point the Ravens pulled their offer and tried to work on a new deal with those concerns in mind, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec. However, minutes after Baltimore announced the deal had fallen through, Brockers had agreed to terms with the Rams, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Brockers passed his physical with Los Angeles, making the deal official. According to Brockers, the injury came in the last game of the 2019 season but was never really a problem to begin with.

“I feel great. I’ve been working out the whole time,” Brockers continued.

This isn’t Baltimore’s first time having a deal fall through at the last minute thanks to injury concerns. The Ravens had agreed to terms with free-agent wide receiver Ryan Grant in 2018 before a failing a physical with an ankle injury. The Ravens pulled out of the deal and Grant ended up signing with the Indianapolis Colts but he ended up playing in just 14 games thanks to an ankle injury suffered in Week 6 against the New York Jets.

With Brockers out of the picture, Baltimore turned to Derek Wolfe on a one-year contract, getting their replacement defensive lineman. For Brockers, “it worked out the way it was supposed to.”

Michael Brockers passes physical, officially re-signs with Rams

Michael Brockers’ deal with the Rams won’t fall apart like it did with the Ravens.

Rams fans don’t have to worry about Michael Brockers’ deal with Los Angeles falling through the way it did with the Ravens. Brockers has passed his physical with the Rams and officially signed his three-year deal with the team.

The Rams announced the news on Friday, locking up the eight-year veteran through 2022.

Brockers suffered an ankle injury in the final game of the 2019 season, which popped up during his physical after agreeing to a three-year deal with the Ravens. He took an MRI and X-rays in Houston, and after the Ravens received the results, they backed out of the contract.

Because of the coronavirus, teams aren’t able to bring players in for physicals with their doctors, which has caused some previously agreed-to deals falling apart. In addition to Brockers, it also happened with Marqui Christian and Eli Apple.

Brockers doesn’t seem concerned about his ankle injury and says he’s been working out on it all offseason, so it’s a good sign that he was able to pass a physical with the Rams.

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Michael Brockers estimates his shoe collection is worth $50K

Michael Brockers has quite the shoe collection, primarily consisting of Jordans.

Michael Brockers has been in the NFL for eight years, so he’s made his fair share of money since being a first-round pick by the Rams in 2012. Excluding his new three-year deal with the Rams, Spotrac has his career earnings at more than $49 million.

While some athletes and celebrities like to collect cars and jewelry, shoes are Brockers’ thing. He’s worn Jordan 1 cleats during games, which shows his affinity for sneakers, and has a big collection of shoes – from Jordans to Yeezys to Louboutins. On Pat McAfee’s podcast, Brockers was asked to put an estimate on the value of his sneaker collection.

“In my shoe collection, with everything, how much money – uh, I don’t know, bro. I’m very proud of my collection. I want to say it’s close to probably like 50 – $50,000,” Brockers said.

Brockers pointed out that he’s seen basketball players with “100,000 collections,” which makes his collection look like nothing.

He picked up an interest in sneakers as a Houston native. He says everyone in Houston wears Jordans, so that’s where he got his appreciation for shoes from.

“Oh yes, big time. Big time. I love Jordans. I don’t know, you know how every city has their thing? I think me being from Houston, everybody wears J’s. Everybody wears the Jordans, so that’s something I kind of picked up and love about it,” he said.

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Michael Brockers tells story of Aaron Donald ripping teammate’s facemask off

Michael Brockers shared a story of the time Aaron Donald ripped a teammate’s facemask off in training camp.

Off the field, Aaron Donald is a calm and soft-spoken guy who is as humble as any player you could ever come across. Between the white lines of the field, though, he’s a different animal.

Donald plays with a mean streak and intensity that makes him arguably the best and most dominant player in the NFL. No offensive lineman can block him one-on-one, which is why he’s doubled more than half the time.

If he continues on his current pace, he’ll be a lock for the Hall of Fame in just a few more years, going down as a legendary defensive tackle. Michael Brockers has had a front-row seat for Donald’s rise to stardom, watching him from the time he stepped in as a rookie.

Consequently, Brockers has some great stories about Donald, one of which he told on Chris Long’s “Green Light” podcast this week.

“Were you there when he ripped the facemask off that dude?” Brockers asked Long, who wasn’t there but had heard about it.

“We’re in training camp, AD’s hot. I don’t know, he’s mad all the time – on the field. Just always mad. I mean, he’s cool, but he has a switch that gets flipped super easy,” Brockers said. “So I’m guessing the young guy grabbed him or was holding him or something – like pushed him in the back or something. AD reached and grabbed the dude’s facemask and when he pulled back, I was like, ‘Damn, he ripped the dude’s head off.’ And then I realized it’s his facemask. Then he was trying hit the dude with the facemask and the dude looked so stupid. The helmet was still strapped, bro. He looked so stupid.”

That’s some Hulk-type strength, and from that point forward, no one messed with Donald again.

“Everybody got a sample of how much of a beast AD was and nobody messes with him ever since,” Brockers said.

A few players on opposing teams didn’t get the memo, though. That wasn’t the first time Donald lost his temper on a football field. In 2018, he got into it with Seahawks center Justin Britt, who hit Donald late out of bounds after a fumble recovery. Donald chased down Britt on the field after the game ended, grabbed his facemask and it looked like he was on the verge of ripping it off Britt’s helmet.

Last season, Donald got into a scuffle with Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, who’s only 209 pounds. Donald lifted him off the ground after Freeman threw a punch, which was a bad idea to begin with.

There are a handful of players in the NFL you’d never want to get into a fight with, and Donald is probably at the top of that list. Freeman, Britt and Donald’s facemask-less teammate all learned that over the last few years.

Michael Brockers explains what happened with the Ravens in free agency

Michael Brockers says he had a lot of interest in free agency, but the Ravens initially looked like the best situation.

Michael Brockers’ first experience as an unrestricted free agent probably didn’t go as he planned. He landed a three-year deal worth up to $30 million from the Ravens, agreeing to terms on the first day of the legal tampering period.

His deal wasn’t signed and made official, though, as he was unable to go to Baltimore and take a physical for the team due to the coronavirus. Less than two weeks later, his contract with the Ravens fell through due to Baltimore’s concerns about his injured ankle.

Brockers quickly landed back with the Rams that same day, staying with the team that drafted him in the first round eight years ago. He got to stay in Los Angeles and the Rams kept their best run defender.

On Chris Long’s podcast, “Green Light,” Brockers spoke about his free agency experience for the first time and explained how it went.

“For me personally, I was just ready for whatever journey was coming my way,” he said. “I definitely wanted to be at home, but if I had the chance to make some more money and possibly get back to a Super Bowl, at the same time, I was going to run with that. At that time, Baltimore seemed to be the best option.

“Early on, it was definitely a bidding war. I had a lot of teams just because I can do a lot of things. But early on, it was definitely Baltimore, the Rams – because I wanted to play that 5, 4i, 5(-technique) defensive end position. Knowing Baltimore from last year and just seeing everything they had and then they added Calais Campbell and I was like, ‘Oh my god, there’s no way. This is going to be crazy.’ At that point, it was a done deal. But going through physicals, you know how that works. Being a little bit older in the league, they see a couple things.”

Brockers has a home in Houston, which is where he took a physical for the Ravens after agreeing to a deal. The results were then sent over to Baltimore’s team doctor, who forwarded his MRI and X-rays to an ankle specialist for a further look.

It was at that point that the Ravens decided to back out, fearing that Brockers would need surgery on the ankle he injured in Week 17.

“I did my physical here in Houston. I go to the doctor, they take X-rays and I did an MRI,” he said. “The doctor sent it to Baltimore and Baltimore’s doctor gets to look at it and he says, ‘You know, I’m not a specialist, but I’m going to send it to a guy that I truly trust and he’s a third-party doctor. He’ll just tell me what’s up.’ I guess that doctor told him I might need something like a surgery and they were like, ‘Oh.’

“They get my MRI, they get all this stuff. Then we don’t hear from them after that. And I guess that’s the process where they were sending MRIs to Anderson or whoever and getting his word for it.”

Brockers told Long that he doesn’t feel any ill-effects from the ankle injury, despite being frustrated about the timing of when he got hurt. He says he feels fine and has been working out this offseason.

“I feel great. I’ve been working out the whole time,” Brockers said, adding that “it worked out the way it was supposed to.”

It’s possible the Ravens used Brockers’ ankle injury as an excuse to back out of the deal, especially considering how quickly the Rams were willing to re-sign him. Brockers doesn’t seem to think it’s a concern, either, which is telling.

But regardless of how disappointing and difficult this free agency experience was, he’s happy to be back in Los Angeles.

Ravens salary cap implications of signing Derek Wolfe

The Baltimore Ravens might actually get a better value from Derek Wolfe than if they signed Michael Brockers, saving salary cap space.

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The Baltimore Ravens quickly worked to fix the hole in the center of their defensive line after a failed deal with Michael Brockers. The Ravens are set to sign former Denver Broncos defensive lineman Derek Wolfe to a one-year deal. According to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the deal is for a guaranteed $3 million with the other $3 million set up as incentives.

At its core, the deal could be a far better bargain for Baltimore than the one they had agreed to with Brockers. Though the Ravens had agreed to a three-year deal with Brockers, they were on the hook for $5 million in 2020. Depending on what incentives Baltimore has in Wolfe’s deal, they could actually end up saving money there.

The positive with such a good deal is that it leaves the Ravens with a decent chunk of cap space remaining. According to Over the Cap, Baltimore had $14.379 million in available salary-cap space before their deal with Wolfe. If the deal only counts as $3 million, they’ll have $11.989 million remaining.

Though that doesn’t seem like a lot considering 14 teams have more than $20 million in salary-cap space, it’s enough to lure top free agents that become available following the 2020 NFL Draft. It also gives the Ravens quite a bit of flexibility to continue addressing their major needs and fill up their roster depth before the draft if they want.

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Instant analysis of Derek Wolfe signing with Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are set to sign defensive lineman Derek Wolfe. But what does he bring to the team that should get people excited?

A day after a failed deal between the Baltimore Ravens and defensive tackle Michael Brockers, the Ravens found their replacement. Baltimore is set to sign defensive lineman Derek Wolfe to a one-year deal worth up to $6 million. What had been panic from quite a lot of Ravens fans turned into Baltimore being calm, cool and collected to find a player that might actually be a better bargain when everything is said and done.

The Ravens’ deal with Wolfe should be viewed as a “prove-it” contract. At 30 years old, a one-year deal allows Wolfe to prove his worth this season and perhaps earn another Super Bowl ring before getting back on the free-agent market. If Wolfe plays well in Baltimore and stays healthy, he has a shot to earn one last large contract next offseason. And with top defensive lineman earning contracts paying above $10 million per year this offseason, that’s a bet Wolfe and the Ravens are eager to make.

However, that excitement comes with a caveat and is likely the reason Wolfe remained unsigned thus far. Wolfe has struggled to stay healthy, missing 15 games over the last five seasons alone. Over his eight-year career, Wolfe has managed to play a full 16-game season just three times. But when on the field, Wolfe is a stout run defender that offers upside as a pass rusher.

Just last season, in 12 games before going on injured reserve, Wolfe accounted for seven sacks, 12 quarterback hits and 18 pressures. According to Pro Football Focus, he ranked 25th in pass-rush grade in 2019 with a 68.5 overall grade.

Wolfe also brings flexibility to the Ravens’ defense. He’s capable of playing at defensive end or bouncing inside as a defensive tackle. Being able to line up all over the defensive line, when combined with the productivity and flexibility of Brandon Williams and Calais Campbell, should give defensive coordinator Don Martindale plenty of different looks he can give opposing quarterbacks. Considering Martindale blitzed the most of any team in the NFL by a wide margin last season, that added flexibility often means havoc for opponents and ultimately more pressure and sacks.

However, what the Ravens are going to ask Wolfe to do primarily is stop the run. That just so happens to be what Wolfe does best from the inside. According to Pro Football Focus, Wolfe’s lowest grade as an interior defensive lineman was 82.9 (19th at the position) in 2016 while his highest was 87.7 (sixth at the position) in 2015.

While there should be no doubt Wolfe isn’t Baltimore’s first option considering they had agreed to terms with Brockers and showed interest in Ndamukong Suh, he’s a great option that still makes the Ravens’ defense better. But everything seems to be riding on how healthy Wolfe can stay this season and if he can live up to last year’s production as a pass rusher. If so, Wolfe might end up being a better bargain than Brockers.

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Brockers isn’t first free agent to return to Rams after agreeing to another deal

Rodger Saffold also returned to the Rams in 2014 after agreeing to a deal with the Raiders.

Michael Brockers was one of the first departures reported for the Rams this offseason after he agreed to a three-year deal with the Ravens. It was a tough pill for fans to swallow, considering he’s one of the longest-tenured players on the roster.

Those in L.A. woke up to some good news on Friday, though, as Brockers’ deal with the Ravens fell through, opening the door for a return to the Rams. And that’s exactly where Brockers is headed. He’s re-signing with the Rams, landing a three-year deal worth a maximum value of $31.5 million.

If this situation feels familiar, it should. Six years ago, the Rams were on the verge of losing Rodger Saffold, who agreed to a deal with the Raiders during 2014 free agency. A failed physical caused the Raiders to pull out from the agreement, allowing Saffold to go back to the Rams.

He spent the next five years with the Rams and became one of the best guards in football over that span. Last offseason, he left to join the Titans, but the Rams have to hope this scenario with Brockers works out as well as it did when Saffold returned in 2014.

Of course, the biggest difference is the timing and size of the contract. Saffold was 25 at the time and the Rams gave him a five-year deal worth $42.5 million. Brockers is 29 and his deal is only for three years, though the structure of it will make it even shorter than that.

But, this is still a win for the Rams. They get to retain a leader in the locker room, a stout run defender up front and bolster their defensive line with yet another big body.

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Silver linings to the Ravens not signing Michael Brockers

Though not signing Michael Brockers leaves a huge hole for the Baltimore Ravens to fill, there are some positives to be had still.

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Though the Baltimore Ravens had agreed to terms with defensive tackle Michael Brockers, they did not end up signing him. After a physical from an independent doctor raised concerns over Brockers’ ankle, Baltimore pulled their offer, letting Brockers re-sign with the Los Angeles Rams.

While Ravens fans are rightfully left scratching their head and are frustrated over this, there are some positives to be had.

For one, Baltimore keeps the $5 million on their salary cap that they would have spent on Brockers. Though $5 million doesn’t seem like a lot considering the height of player contracts, that can be a ton of space depending on how deals are structured. As we saw with Brockers’ original deal, that was enough to lure a high-profile free agent to town. It could be enough to sign a few free agents of lesser status in the coming months.

The other side of not signing Brockers is that it allows the Ravens to keep one of their compensatory picks for the time being. While Baltimore could certainly still sign someone that will impact the formula, Over The Cap has them now earning a fifth-round pick due to the loss of Michael Pierce this offseason. That goes along with an expected sixth-round pick earned from wide receiver Seth Roberts signing with the Carolina Panthers.

By doing their due diligence, Baltimore might have saved themselves a headache down the road. It’s impossible to tell right now how Brockers’ season will go but a medical red flag concerning is something the Ravens clearly don’t take lightly. The only other time Baltimore has had something similar happen, it worked out in their favor.

In 2018, the Ravens had agreed to terms with wide receiver Ryan Grant before his physical showed a medical concern and the Ravens pulled their offer. Grant ended up signing elsewhere but has still yet to replicate his 2017 production. In two seasons — with the Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders — Grant has played in just 16 games, catching 39 passes for 348 yards and one touchdown. That’s a far cry from the 45 receptions for 573 yards and four touchdowns he had with the Washington Redskins in 2017.

While the Ravens now have a massive hole in the middle of their defensive line, not all is lost there. There are still a handful of players available in free agency right now to help fill the void. Of course, there’s the 2020 NFL Draft and the second wave of free agency following that could net Baltimore an even better player at a better price.

Granted, nothing in the NFL is guaranteed and not keeping their deal with Brockers could bite the Ravens in the long run. But it’s not as doom and gloom as many fans might feel right now.

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What Brockers’ return means for A’Shawn Robinson and Rams D-line

With Michael Brockers returning, the Rams’ defensive line is suddenly crowded.

The Los Angeles Rams appeared to find their replacement for Michael Brockers after the veteran agreed to terms with the Ravens, landing former Lions defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson. He agreed to a two-year, $17 million deal with the Rams, joining a defensive line that featured Aaron Donald and a pair of young nose tackles, Greg Gaines and Sebastian Joseph-Day.

Fast-forward a week and it turns out the Rams don’t actually need to replace Brockers. He’s returning to Los Angeles on a three-year contract worth up to $31.5 million after his deal with the Ravens fell through. Brockers’ physical with an independent doctor raised concerns about his ankle for Baltimore, which then pulled its offer.

So what does this all mean for Brockers, Robinson and the rest of the Rams’ defensive linemen? Brockers’ return certainly gives Los Angeles a crowded defensive line, but also one that features a lot of versatile players.

Aaron Donald will remain at 3-technique, most often rushing the passer from his traditional defensive tackle position. At nose tackle, it’s likely that Robinson will replace Joseph-Day and Gaines, who were the primary contributors inside last season.

There’s no doubt Robinson has the size to play nose tackle in the Rams’ scheme – he’s 6-foot-4, 320 pounds – but his length looked like an asset at defensive end with Brockers gone. Robinson is a space-eater and a great run defender, though, which will help the Rams plug up the A-gaps.

At defensive end, Brockers will reclaim his starting spot. The Rams aren’t paying him more than $10 million a year to be a backup, nor did they give Robinson $9.5 million guaranteed to ride the bench and play behind Joseph-Day.

There are only so many snaps to go around on the defensive line, and the Rams are deep across the front with players who deserve to get on the field, but that’s not a bad thing. Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley now has countless options along the defensive line.

The Rams could use a defensive line with Donald at 5-technique, Robinson at nose tackle and Brockers at 3-technique. They could also kick Joseph-Day outside to defensive end with Brockers at nose tackle and Donald at defensive tackle.

Their rotation will be deep, allowing them to keep players fresh over the duration of a game. That’s important and helps in the fourth quarter, especially when the Rams are trailing and teams are running the ball to kill the clock.

Brockers’ return will hurt the development of Joseph-Day and Gaines, since they won’t be getting nearly as much playing time as expected, but the Rams’ run defense has been upgraded with Brockers coming back – as has their depth.

After being hired, Staley emphasized the importance of versatility on the defensive front and in the secondary. He’s getting his wish with the Rams’ current group of linemen, almost all of which can play any position up front. All that’s left is to see how Staley utilizes all this talent.