The Indianapolis Colts got the biggest haul in free agency with the addition of defensive lineman DeForest Buckner and the signing of Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers. The Tennessee Titans came in second for basically doing nothing except re-signing quarterback Ryan Tannehill and using the franchise tag on running back Derrick Henry.
Houston comes in third, chiefly for their inability to get a better offer in their trade of DeAndre Hopkins.
Somehow the Texans, a team that won the division last year is third in the AFC South. No one knows what Bill O’Brien is doing with his star players. He somehow didn’t get a first-round pick for DeAndre Hopkins — or Jadeveon Clowney last year — and now there are some big question marks that the Texans need to address before the season starts.
The Texans’ big question marks could be solved in the NFL Draft. Other than that, there isn’t a cupboard of draft picks that O’Brien can use to trade for quality veterans.
The Jacksonville Jaguars pulled up the rear in the rankings and are projected to be in rebuilding mode for 2020. For the rest of the AFC South, that is good news as they know where to get a division win.
If the 2020 NFL season started within a week, it would be unfavorable starting position for the Texans. However, there is still the draft and offseason workouts to help determine the shape and direction of the team. But as thin as Houston’s front line talent is, they can’t afford any injuries.
The Houston Texans added former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys receiver Randall Cobb to their offense. How exactly does he fit in?
The Houston Texans filled their void at receiver due to the DeAndre Hopkins trade by signing Pro Bowler Randall Cobb. Even though the 29-year-old isn’t in the same elite tier as Hopkins, Cobb should provide some relief for two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson.
However, getting Cobb to fit into the Texans’ offense may prove a challenge. As Mark Schofield of the Touchdown Wire notes, Cobb can replace Hopkins in the slot, but he can’t replace the three-time All-Pro out wide.
The Houston Texans tried to address the wide receiver position in the wake of the move, acquiring Randall Cobb in free agency. Cobb is a nice piece, a slot receiver (he saw 90.4 percent of his snaps in the slot last season) who can complement a wide receiver group well. But he cannot be asked to replace Hopkins, who was used primarily on the outside a season ago.
The issue is one the Texans will have to address throughout the course of the offseason. When the Texans go to 12 personnel — one running back and two tight ends — Cobb may come out of the game.
Also, while the Houston Texans used 11 offensive personnel most of the time a year ago (60 percent of their snaps) 12 offensive personnel was their second-most utilized package. The Texans used that two-tight end package 34 percent of the time, behind just the Philadelphia Eagles, the Minnesota Vikings and the Tennessee Titans. How Cobb fits into that grouping will be interesting to watch, given his experience playing out of the slot.
The Texans still have the remainder of free agency along with the NFL Draft to find a replacement, at least in position, for Hopkins on the outside. Cobb more than likely won’t be that receiver, but his slot skills can still be a boon for Houston’s passing offense.
Dallas may be looking to fill the hole left by Randall Cobb’s departure with a Super Bowl champ who has local ties to the Metroplex.
The loss of Cole Beasley in 2018 stung… until the Cowboys brought in longtime Packers receiver Randall Cobb to take over the slot role. With Cobb leaving Dallas this week to take a job with the Texans, it felt like deja vu all over again. And just as the name-recognition of Beasley’s replacement eased the pain of losing a fan favorite, the first candidate mentioned to assume Cobb’s freshly-emptied locker would sure be a spoonful of sugar to help the news of his departure go down.
NFL Network’s Jane Slater is reporting that there is mutual interest between the Cowboys and two-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champ Emmanuel Sanders.
The #Cowboys have expressed an interest in 2x Pro Bowler and former SMU wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders per a source informed. Sanders, last with the 49ers, trains in Dallas in the offseason and is equally interested in the #Cowboys I’m told.
Sanders’s local connection to the Dallas area has caused rumors before. Two years ago, while in Denver, Sanders caused a bit of a stir when he let it be known that, should he and the Broncos part ways, he would love to suit up for the Cowboys. He even liked a tweet at the time suggesting that Dallas would be an ideal landing spot for him.
The Broncos-Sanders divorce didn’t happen until midway through the 2019 season, when the former third-round draft pick was sent to San Francisco in a trade. If there had been questions about Sanders and the torn Achilles he had suffered in Denver in 2018, the then-32-year-old answered them quickly. In just his second game as a 49er, Sanders caught seven balls on nine targets for 112 yards and a touchdown. A few weeks later, he went seven-of-nine again for 157 and a score.
Sanders turned 33 on Saint Patrick’s Day. He’s still known as a precise route-runner who can turn on the jets when needed. He’s versatile enough to line up in the slot or as a true wide receiver. And he has excellent hands.
Per @SlaterNFL the Cowboys are interested in signing WR Emmanuel Sanders
It is not out of the question that San Francisco could convince Sanders to stay with the 49ers. Other teams like the Saints and Redskins have reportedly engaged in conversation with him as well. On paper, he would seem to be a tantalizing option for Dak Prescott’s air attack.
And, of course, a Sanders signing doesn’t necessarily preclude either the drafting of a collegiate speedster… or the welcoming back to the Cowboys fold of a certain No. 88.
A receiving corps that includes Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Emmanuel Sanders, and Dez Bryant is admittedly a lot of fun to think about. Except maybe for opposing defensive coordinators.
After one season with the Cowboys, WR Randall Cobb has moved on. To replace him, Dallas should look at Devin Duvernay in this year’s draft.
After one season with the Dallas Cowboys, wide receiver Randall Cobb has moved on. Signing a three-year deal with the Houston Texans worth $27 million, Cobb is on to his third career team after also spending eight seasons in Green Bay with the Packers.
For Dallas, Cobb was the replacement for Cole Beasley. Both receivers were smaller, more agile players who would line up in the slot and be reliable targets. Since Dak Prescott took over as the starting quarterback in 2016, Beasley and Cobb caught nearly 70% of all passes thrown towards them.
Now, new head coach Mike McCarthy will be looking for a replacement to Cobb and give Prescott another slot receiver to rely on. With former Texas wide receiver Devin Duvernay more than likely available in the later rounds of this year’s NFL Draft, he would make perfect sense in the Cowboys’ offense.
Firstly, from a size comparison, the two are eerily similar. Cobb comes in at 5 feet 10 inches and 192 pounds, while Duvernay is 5 feet 11 inches and 210 pounds. The former Longhorn is slightly bigger, but still fits the role of a typical slot wide receiver in the NFL.
Looking at their combine numbers, Duvernay has better numbers across the board than Cobb. Speed is an important factor, with Duvernay running a 4.39 40-yard dash, while Cobb ran a 4.46 out of college. The Longhorn also has bigger hands, a higher vertical jump, a faster 20-yard shuffle, and a longer broad jump.
What Duvernay does well on the field is catch passes and make people miss. In 2019, Duvernay had 106 receptions, most in the Big 12 and third-most in the entire country. In his junior season in 2018, Duvernay had 41 catches, including no drops.
Having at least six catches in all but one game last season (Alamo Bowl against Utah), Duvernay caught 10 or more passes against LSU, Oklahoma State, and Baylor. Anything quarterback Sam Ehlinger threw at him, Duvernay caught.
According to PFF College, nobody had more broken tackles when thrown a screen pass than Duvernay. His quickness and his shiftiness are what make him such an exciting prospect to many NFL teams.
Wide receiver is a glaring hole for the Cowboys and filling it through the Draft would be the smart route. Needing to spend early-round picks on other positions of need, Duvernay will be sitting there for Jerry Jones to take in the later rounds.
If he does end up in Dallas, he would be linking up with Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Blake Jarwin, and Ezekiel Elliot as targets for Prescott. For a Cowboys offense that was ranked No. 1 last season, Duvernay could come in and make them even more prolific.
The Houston Texans have signed former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys receiver Randall Cobb to a three-year contract.
The Houston Texans are fixing their receiving corps after trading away three-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins.
On Monday evening, the Texans agreed to terms with free agent receiver Randall Cobb, giving the former Green Bay Packer and Dallas Cowboy a three-year contract worth $27 million with $18.75 million guaranteed.
For the Texans, it gives them another veteran receiver to add to their collection of No. 2s and 3s now that Hopkins will be playing for the Arizona Cardinals in 2020. Cobb is a seasoned wideout who caught 55 passes for 828 yards and three touchdowns for the Cowboys in 2019. The former 2011 second-round pick from Kentucky was a stable part of the Packers’ receiving corps from 2011-18 when he caught 470 passes for 5,524 yards and 41 touchdowns in his 105 games, starting in 73 of them. Cobb added his only Pro Bowl selection in 2014.
Cobb will team up with receivers Will Fuller, Keke Coutee, Kenny Stills, DeAndre Carter, and Steven Mitchell to provide reliable targets for two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson, who enters his fourth season in Houston.
NFL free agency will drastically help reshape the fantasy football landscape as the new league year begins.
(Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports)
Now that NFL free agency is upon us, here is where we’ll run through the fantasy football outlooks for trades, re-signings, midrange players and tag recipients.
This analysis will be updated as players sign/re-sign in free agency, so be sure to check back regularly.
QB Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans: A four-year, $118 million extension was signed on the eve of the tampering window, securing Tannehill’s role as the starting quarterback for the near future. He developed a rapport with 2019 rookie wideout A.J. Brown and has one of the best running games to keep defenses honest, provided Derrick Henry indeed signs his franchise tender and doesn’t pull a Le’Veon Bell. Tannehill is among the more intriguing back fantasy picks and will be chosen as a rotational starter by gamers willing to wait on the position.
QB Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings: There’s not a lot to say here since he wasn’t facing free agency, and Cousins’ 2020 situation doesn’t change by getting this extension (two years, $66 million). Keep tabs on Stefon Diggs possibly getting dealt, though. Cousins, for now, remains a top-tier backup with matchup utility, especially when it appears the Vikes may struggle to run the ball.
Franchise/TRANSITION tagged
QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: Prescott will not be able to negotiate with any team but the Cowboys, and the goal is to work out a long-term deal. The offensive system will remain the same as in 2019 with Kellen Moore coming back as the playcaller under new head coach Mike McCarthy. Dak is a top-five fantasy quarterback if Amari Cooper returns.
RB Derrick Henry: Tennessee Titans: Unless Henry refuses to sign his tender and holds out most or all of the year, he will be the bell cow once again in Tennessee. There remains a chance he signs a long-term contract before things could get ugly. All things equal, short of losing his right tackle, life appears to be business as usual. RB1 all day long.
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WR A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals: A rookie quarterback as Cincy’s 2020 starter is all but etched into stone, which is a likely detriment for Green. However, he remains the most gifted wideout in an offense that won’t be scared to throw it when needed, so he has that working for him. Expect WR2 stats as a ceiling, and the combo of age and injuries are conspiring against Green.
TE Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers: This one isn’t as cut and dried as some of the above inclusions, because we don’t know LA’s quarterback for Week 1 yet. Some signs say Tom Brady, others suggest a rookie or even Tyrod Taylor as a stopgap. On talent alone, Henry is a midrange No. 1 in fantasy, but other factors, like an undeniable injury risk and this being the first full year of playcalling responsibility for Shane Steichen, should give owners pause.
RB Kenyan Drake, Arizona Cardinals: No more David Johnson, or his punitive salary, could lead to this transition tag be little more than formality before a long-term deal is reached. Drake exploded in this system late last year, and now the addition of WR DeAndre Hopkins has to get the juices flowing. Drake is risky, and now the Air Raid system may be fully deployed, which could force the former Miami Dolphin to be overly reliant on efficiency. Those concerns aside, don’t go overboard on draft day for a player whose career has largely been a disappointment, even if not entirely his fault. Give him the old RB2 treatment in all single-year formats.
The Coronavirus has effected major collegiate and professional sports. The NFL trying to stay the course. New league year to start on time
The news had a different feel to it today. Today is being considered the day that sports, both collegiate and professional, came to a complete stop.
COVID-19, otherwise being billed as the coronavirus, has the majority of the sports world at a stand still but the NFL is doing their very best to keep all of the league’s key off-season dates unfazed. There will be plenty of alterations to all of the teams travel situations but for the most part, the NFL is planning to begin their new league year right on time.
The NFL and it’s 32 teams will know of the results of the new CBA vote come Sunday morning. The legal tampering period for NFL free agency is still set to begin Monday. Wednesday the work becomes official with the start of the new league year and they are off to the races. It’s sometimes hard to think about sports and throwing around millions of dollars at high profile free agents in a time like this, but sometimes, sports can be a major outlet to distract fans from the craziness that today’s world is facing. Here are today’s news links.
There are currently no plans for the NFL to shift the NFL new league year start time despite the Coronavirus. Take a look at what the NFL plans to do to handle this historic situation.
The legal tampering period of NFL free agency begins this Monday. With the Cowboys having just under $77 million in cap space, there’s plenty of money to spend. But, on who?
Free agent cornerback Byron Jones is about the shatter the market with his new contract. Unfortunately it may not be with the Cowboys. Here are some moves the Cowboys can make to ease the pain.
Cowboys were one of 27 teams who attended Gary Zauner's free agent combine this week for NFL specialist hopefuls. Pro scouting coordinator Henry Sroka represented the organization in Gilbert, Arizona. Team is closely monitoring the talent pool at kicker, punter and long snapper.
Performance bonuses are something every player strides to hit as they end every season. Xavier Woods stepped his game up in 2019 and was near the top of this lucrative list.
17.DALLAS COWBOYS — S ANTOINE WINFIELD JR., MINNESOTA
EE: The Cowboys get a good one here in the son of former Vikings and Bills do-everything cornerback and nickel defender. Winfield had a great Combine and has one of the highest projected playmaker rates (pass breakups plus interceptions) among safeties in this class.
Mike McCarthy spoke to reporters at te NFL Combine.
Mike McCarthy had his second press conference as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys at the NFL Combine. With an important week ahead of him in Indianapolis, McCarthy took time to answers all kinds of questions about his new team.
Here’s his thoughts on some important questions for the Cowboys.
McCarthy on Dak Prescott
The hot topic, of course, was quarterback Dak Prescott. When asked, “Is Dak Prescott your franchise quarterback?” McCarthy had no hesitation in his answer.
“What he’s done to this point speaks for itself. Dak is in a business situation right now… it’s time to be patient and let the business people work out the business matter.”
McCarthy’s unwavering confidence in a QB he is yet to coach says volumes about he, and the rest of his staff’s opinion on Prescott.
When pressed about why he thinks Prescott is a championship caliber QB, McCarthy notes the live impression Prescott made on him when the Cowboys beat McCarthy in Green Bay during Prescott’s rookie campaign, as well as the “tremendous” leader he has quickly became in Dallas.
Mike McCarthy on why Dak Prescott can win a Super Bowl.
Prescott isn’t the only notable offensive free agent who McCarthy spoke about. He touched base on both Amari Cooper and Randall Cobb. After such a productive year through the air, it’s no surprise the new Cowboys coach wants to keep the core of the passing game together.
McCarthy and Cobb have an extensive history, including a Super Bowl from their time in Green Bay, and McCarthy noted the excellent rhythm he noticed between Prescott and WR Amari Cooper.
Mccarthy had developed a stigma from his time in Green Bay. The stigma, right or wrong, was that he too often ignored running backs in his offenses. However, since joining Dallas, McCarthy has made it clear that he has never had a weapon like Ezekiel Elliott at the position, and that Elliott will continue to be a “primary focus” of the Dallas Cowboys.
Mike McCarthy on maximizing Dak Prescott and the role Ezekiel Elliott will have for the Cowboys offense pic.twitter.com/iLnRd6yv6d
“Making the quarterback successful is common sense… I’ll always believe in because he touches the ball every play… as far as your playmakers, you got five premiere positions, obviously running back is one of them. You get the ball to your playmakers, so Zeke will touch the football plenty in our offense.”
McCarthy was also asked about the use of the read option and stated he liked the experience Elliott and Prescott have with that style of play.
A solid running attack is a huge part of McCarthy’s theory of creating a successful environment for his quarterbacks, a notion that McCarthy has spoke openly about for years.
Other Notable Press Conference Information
McCarthy spoke again about how a year away from football was great for himself, as well as his family. The coach truly seems happy and reinvigorated to be around the game of football again.
When asked about the notion of giving up the play-calling responsibilities in Green Bay McCarthy once said that would never happen. After only a few weeks in Dallas he has relinquished that role and is letting Kellen Moore try to build off the success he had as a first year offensive coordinator last season.
The question of biggest need going into the draft was thrown out, and McCarthy didn’t give any indication of the way the team was leaning. He understand the needs of a team change week-to-week and depth at every position is valuable.
McCarthy reinforced the newfound enthusiasm for special teams in Dallas. McCarthy says he is excited to work with John Fassel and the commitment to special teams will show in the roster construction.
Mike McCarthy on the importance of special teams & how they'll address it this offseason.
The Jets need players who fit in Adam Gase’s offensive scheme and these five free agents fit the bill.
To say Adam Gase’s offense didn’t perform well in 2019 would be an insult to mediocrity.
The Jets didn’t just underperform this past season, they outright stunk. New York finished 31st in points and 32nd in yards, and the only reason they won seven games was thanks to Gregg Williams’ defense. Now, some of these failures can be attributed to Sam Darnold’s three-game absence and Mike Maccagnan’s decision to neglect the offensive line and overspend in free agency, but Gase still couldn’t put together a good offense and the Jets suffered mightily because of it.
Now that Maccagnan is gone, Darnold literally can’t get mono again and the Jets should have close to $80 million to play with his offseason, Gase and GM Joe Douglas could add some great players to the offense that fit in Gase’s scheme and give Darnold more weapons to work with for the 2020 season. The Jets leaned heavily on short passes in 2019 and will likely do so again with Jamison Crowder and Le’Veon Bell (for now) still on the team. Those two accounted for 200 of the 521 passing attempts in 2019 and should be in line for even more work if Darnold stays healthy.
There are some solid possible players in free agency for Gase and Douglas to target that fit that offense, though. Here are five of the top options for the Jets and Gase’s scheme.
(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
WR Emmanuel Sanders
Sanders will be 33 in March but would still thrive in Gase’s offense. He’s one of the best tacticians anywhere he lines up on the field and rarely drops passes. When Gase coached Sanders on the Broncos in 2014, Sanders finished the season with 101 receptions on 141 targets for 1,404 yards and nine touchdowns, all career-highs.
Those days are long gone for Sanders, but he still proved to be one of the 25 most valuable wide receivers in 2019. He caught 66 balls for 869 yards and five touchdowns for two teams in and only dropped one pass. The Jets had the seventh-highest drop rate in the NFL and could use a player with hands like Sanders.
Despite his age, Sanders fits the bill as the quintessential Gase player because he thrives out wide and in the slot. He’d be a great veteran leader for the Jets offense and would likely come cheaper than a lot of the other riskier wide receivers on the market.
