Tag: Nick Easton

Some potential free agents the Vikings could still sign in 2021

The Minnesota Vikings still have some holes to fill. Do you think the team does that in 2021 free agency?

The Vikings still have some holes on both sides of the ball that could be filled through free agency.

Minnesota has an open starting spot at left guard if Dakota Dozier does not return. The team also has openings at safety and left tackle. Of course, players currently on the roster, such as Ezra Cleveland when it comes to left tackle, could fill those voids in the 2021 NFL season.

There are also some positions that the Vikings may want to upgrade, like defensive end and wide receiver three.

So here is a list of remaining free agents that Minnesota could target this offseason:

Report: Bengals pursuing free-agent OL Nick Easton

The Cincinnati Bengals are looking to make another move in free agency.

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The Cincinnati Bengals have sights on another offensive lineman in free agency.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bengals have a potential visit set up with former New Orleans Saints interior lineman Nick Easton.

That said, the report notes the Saints would like to get him back and the Houston Texans are also in on him.

Easton is more of a backup-type player. The former Harvard prospect is now 28 years old and after some appearances in New Orleans, suffered multiple concussions last season and was a cap casualty. Easton has never graded at a 60.0 at PFF.

Still, Easton would represent something of a depth upgrade for a team that looks like it could lose Quinton Spain on the open market and might want to upgrade on names like Mike Jordan. He has experience at center too, which could be insurance in case Trey Hopkins can’t make it back for the start of the season.

At this stage of free agency, this is the type of signing the Bengals might have to settle for as the market looks picked dry heading into Week 2.

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Report: Bengals, Texans pursuing former Saints OL Nick Easton

The New Orleans Saints released veteran guard/center Nick Easton as a salary cap casualty, so the Bengals and Texans are hoping to sign him.

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The New Orleans Saints hope to reunite with offensive lineman Nick Easton, but they might be hard-pressed to bring him back. Easton was one of their first salary cap casualties earlier this offseason, with the accounting figured tied to him too steep for New Orleans to stomach. Ideally, he would return at a more affordable price point.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals are angling to bring Easton in for facilities visits soon, which was confirmed by the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, who added that other teams are also in pursuit of the 45-game NFL veteran.

Easton started nine games for the Saints in 2020, refusing to cede the right guard spot to rookie draft pick Cesar Ruiz; however, a series of concussions forced him out of the lineup and ultimately ended his season on injured reserve. But it appears Easton is interested in continuing to play, and he has quite a market to consider. He’s started at both guard and center in the past, so teams value his combination of skills set and experience.

We’ll see if the Saints can ultimately bring him back. Because Easton’s contract was terminated, he would not qualify for a 2022 compensatory draft pick should he sign with a new team.

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Report: Saints interested in re-signing Nick Easton, but they aren’t his only option

NFL insider Josina Anderson reports the New Orleans Saints are among teams interested in free agent G/C Nick Easton, who they recently cut.

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The New Orleans Saints completed an expected roster move earlier in February by releasing veteran guard Nick Easton, a decision that was chalked up to salary cap accounting (saving almost $6 million) as well as his injury history — Easton suffered three concussions during the 2020 season, with the last brain injury ending his year on injured reserve.

However, it’s possible he returns to New Orleans. NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that four teams have contacted Easton to gauge his interest, including the Saints, who would like to keep him in town at a lower price point (and after they’ve reached cap compliance). The other three teams’ identities are unclear, but Anderson added that Easton “is not in a huge hurry to sign” with anyone just yet.

It makes sense. He’ll likely take some time to fully evaluate his health and decide whether continuing to play is worth the damage to his body. Great players like Luke Kuechly have walked away from the game in recent years after sustaining too many concussions.

In the meantime: the Saints have a puzzle to put together along their interior offensive line. The left guard spot is settled, for now, with Andrus Peat but his own injury history is worth considering. Center Erik McCoy might be shifted over to put second-year pro Cesar Ruiz (last year’s right guard) into his natural position. Having a versatile backup like Easton, who has started games at all three positions, is valuable. If the Saints can’t bring him back, maybe they target a draft prospect like Quinn Meinerz to round out the group.

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How Chargers can fix offensive line this offseason

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez rebuilds Los Angeles’ offensive line.

I feel like a broken record saying this, but the time is now for the Chargers to revamp the offensive line in the offseason.

After putting it off year after year, general manager Tom Telesco is finally realizing that the line is a glaring issue that needs to be resolved.

“There’s a lot of improvement that needs to be made in that area,” Telesco said about the team’s offensive line at his end-of-season press conference.

Numbers don’t lie. Quarterback Justin Herbert was pressured on 27.6% of his attempts in 2020, the seventh-highest rate among QBs with at least 200 attempts, according to SportRadar.

Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus had the unit ranked the worst in the NFL.

Injuries hindered tackle Bryan Bulaga and guard Trai Turner. Meanwhile, there was inconsistent play from center Dan Feeney, guard Forrest Lamp and tackle Sam Tevi.

At the moment, Feeney, Lamp and Tevi are slated to be free agents. Turner is a potential cut candidate to free up some cap space after his disappointing season. Bulaga is likely safe, but there are some serious durability concerns.

The bottom line is that if Los Angeles wants to have a high octane offense moving forward with Herbert at the helm, they need to get better in the trenches.

Starting with the in-house options, I believe the team loves Feeney, Lamp and Tevi. I don’t feel comfortable with anyone of them in a starting role moving forward, but I believe for the sake of continuity, they’re good enough to be brought back as depth pieces.

As for Turner, I elect to move on from him to clear up $11.5 million in cap space.

Looking ahead to free agency, I am going all in for the best interior free agent offensive linemen available. All eyes are on Brandon Scherff, Joe Thuney, Corey Linsley.

In this scenario, I’m able to sign Linsley to fill the center spot.

Looking to the second tier of free agents, my attention is shifted to Nick Easton, Larry Warford, Jon Feliciano and Denzelle Good.

I sign to Warford to serve as the starting right guard.

Moving on to the NFL draft, my focus is landing a plug-and-play tackle and guard in the first two rounds.

On the clock at pick No. 13, the Chargers land USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker. Vera-Tucker projects best as a guard at the next level, but his tape from 2020 tells me that he can thrive on the outside.

Fast forward to pick No. 45, Los Angeles takes Notre Dame’s Aaron Banks. A proven guard, Banks’ pass protection will help secure the inside of a line early on and he will add value as a run blocker with his power.

The work doesn’t stop there. After addressing the cornerback and edge defender position with the team’s two third-round picks, I add a high upside player in Clemson’s Jackson Carman to kick off Day 3.

The 6-foot-5 and 335 pounder has the athleticism, strong hands, leverage in pass protection and mauling mentality in the running game. Carman can play tackle at the next level, but he has the skill set to play guard, as well. That versatility is a plus for L.A.

My new line, from left to right, would look something like: Vera-Tucker, Banks, Linsley, Warford, Bulaga. Depth includes Feeney, Lamp, Tevi, Carman, Storm Norton, Trey Pipkins and Scott Quessenberry.

If the Chargers want to get the most out of Herbert for many years, they must keep him as clean as possible and a line like this can go a long way.

With former Vikings G Nick Easton getting released, what is his value in free agency?

What is the value of free agent guard Nick Easton? He’s a former Minnesota Vikings player who was released by the New Orleans Saints.

Due to the way the 2021 salary cap could be structured, it seems like an awful lot of NFL teams will have to cut back on pricy contracts.

The Saints are one of the latest teams to do just that. New Orleans released Nick Easton on Friday. Easton is a former Vikings player and a guard, a position of need for Minnesota. So the Vikings making a move for Easton makes sense on paper.

New Orleans cutting Easton saves the team over $5.8 million in cap space, per NFL.com’s Nick Shook. In a cash-strapped year for many NFL teams, it seems like Easton could be going for less than that in the free agency market.

Pro Football Focus has Easton’s current production value at a little over $4.3 million. Granted, PFF says that its production number does not factor in age, health and other things outside of Easton’s on-field performance.

Though Easton is 28 years old, the guard has had plenty of problems with injuries. He has played in less than 13 regular season games in both of his seasons with the Saints. His value might be lower than $4.3 million, given his health.

Minnesota seems to be in a tough situation with the salary cap at the moment. That said, even cutting or restructuring with the likes of Kyle Rudolph, Anthony Barr, Harrison Smith and/or Riley Reiff, would put the Vikings well in range to land Easton.

Free agent guards like Brandon Scherff and Joe Thuney should command a higher value than Easton in the open market. That could help the Vikings if they want to end up signing their former guard.

If I had to guess, Easton’s next contract would probably land somewhere between $4 million and $5.5 million. Of course, there are a lot of factors at play, but if Minnesota wants to cut back on contracts this offseason, it could probably go out and get Easton if it really wanted to do so.

Saints salary cap space update after Nick Easton release, Drew Brees pay cut

The New Orleans Saints created almost $30 million in 2021 salary cap space through Nick Easton’s release and Drew Brees’ big pay cut.

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A couple of expected roster moves have helped the New Orleans Saints in their efforts to get beneath the 2021 salary cap. Between a pay cut for franchise quarterback Drew Brees (likely preluding his retirement) that freed up $23.925 million and the release of guard Nick Easton, which saved $5.875 million. Those maneuvers combined to take $29.8 million off the books.

That puts the Saints at more than $252.3 million in cap commitments for 2021, which runs against the latest report of a $180 million salary cap. It could be higher than that, and New Orleans submitted $4.1 million in unspent cap space rollover to help close the gap, but we’ll play it conservative and use the low end of salary cap estimates. Like every other team, the Saints won’t get that additional rollover cap space until it’s gone through NFL auditing.

So, for now, the Saints are roughly $72.3 million in the red. They have a lot of work to do still with some levers being easier to pull (releasing tight end Jared Cook, avoiding an $8.04 million roster bonus due on March 19) than others (hammering out long-term extensions with cornerback Marshon Lattimore and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, who account for a combined $21.3 million on their fifth-year options). There are also a number of restructures they can negotiate with cornerstone players to quickly reach cap compliance.

It’s going to be an exciting offseason in New Orleans, or at least a complicated one. Be sure to check this space often for updates on the latest news.

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Saints release guard Nick Easton, saving almost $6 million in cap space

The New Orleans Saints released G Nick Easton as a salary cap casualty, in addition to COVID-19 opt-outs Cole Wick and Jason Vander Laan.

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The next domino has fallen on the New Orleans Saints offseason. The team reported the release of veteran guard Nick Easton on Friday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire, a move that creates $5.875 million in 2021 salary cap space.

However, this wasn’t purely a panic-driven move in New Orleans’ dive to get beneath the salary cap. Easton’s level of play — and injury history — didn’t line up with the $6.875 million he was due to account for in 2021. With just $1 million guaranteed to Easton and good options along the interior line, it makes sense for the Saints to go this route.

Additionally, Easton was sidelined three times by concussions in 2020, ultimately missing seven weeks over the course of the season (including the playoffs) while dealing with symptoms. Retirement should be a serious consideration for him this offseason after suffering so many brain injuries in such short a span.

Still, he was a good player for the Saints. Easton started 15 of the 22 games he appeared in over the last two years and played so well that rookie first-round draft pick Cesar Ruiz couldn’t displace him at right guard. He was an important stabilizing presence in the wake of Max Unger’s 2019 retirement and Larry Warford’s 2020 release.

Additionally, the Saints reported the release of two backup tight ends on Friday: Cole Wick and Jason Vander Laan, both of whom opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They now have 56 players under contract against the 90-man offseason roster limit.

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5 potentially painful 2021 Saints salary cap casualties

The New Orleans Saints might have to say goodbye to productive, expensive players as salary cap casualties in the 2021 offseason.

So, how will the New Orleans Saints remain competitive in 2021? Their issues aren’t just limited to complying with the salary cap — once they’re back beneath it, they have to focus on creating more resources to reload their roster after losing some of the 21 free agents crowding around the exits. Saints salary cap guru Khai Hartley (official title: vice president of football administration) will have to put together his magnum opus in navigating it all this year.

It doesn’t help that the list of possible cap casualties isn’t as obvious as you’d think. Linebacker Kwon Alexander ($13.4 million if released) and cornerback Janoris Jenkins ($7 million in possible savings) are both candidates to be let go, but Alexander’s injury clouds things, and both of them played well enough for the Saints to try and retain them through pay cuts or restructured contracts. 

There are other options if the Saints get really desperate (like tight end Josh Hill, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, and quarterback Taysom Hill, each of whom can between $2.6 million and $5 million if cut), but that’s only in a worst-case scenario where every other possible maneuver new Orleans tries isn’t enough. The other players on this list should be easier decisions to make. Still, we’re headed for lean times in New Orleans as the team transitions from one era to another, and some good players are going to end up on the outside looking in because of it.

Saints vs. Bears: WR Allen Robinson (hamstring) DNP on updated injury report

The Bears downgraded WR Allen Robinson (hamstring) and the Saints upgraded QB Taysom Hill (concussion) on the Wild-Card Round injury report.

The march towards the Wild-Card Round has continued, with the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears updating the injury report following Thursday’s practice session. This is big news for Chicago considering they only held a half-speed walkthrough on Wednesday, meaning their previous participation statuses were estimates from the training staff. Now we have a better idea of everyone’s condition ahead of Sunday’s kickoff.

Meanwhile, the Saints shared their own update, though it didn’t have as many changes. It’s important to remember that while they have each been designated to return from injured reserve and are practicing with the team, none of these players are listed on the report because they have not been formally activated yet: wide receivers Michael Thomas and Deonte Harris, and cornerback Patrick Robinson.

Here’s what we learned on Thursday: