Tag: Sheldon Rankins

Saints projected to receive fifth round comp pick for Sheldon Rankins

The New Orleans Saints are projected to receive a compensatory draft pick in 2022 following Sheldon Rankins’ Jets free agent contract.

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If there’s a silver lining to the New Orleans Saints seeing a former first round draft pick walk away, it’s that they should expect to receive a future selection in return as compensation. The New York Jets reached an agreement with defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins on a contract paying out $8.5 million annually, which is good news for New Orleans down the line.

Right now, the analysts at Over The Cap project the Saints to recoup a fifth rounder in 2022 to offset losing Rankins; that’s in addition to a compensatory third round pick (following personnel executive Terry Fontenot being hired by the Atlanta Falcons) as well as a fourth round selection (for defensive end Trey Hendrickson’s deal with the Cincinnati Bengals). That’s good to see after the NFL deducted New Orleans’ 2022 sixth round pick for COVID-19 protocols violations during the 2020 season.

So remember, things can change if the Saints sign more unrestricted free agents. The addition of fullback Alex Armah wiped out a compensatory seventh rounder they would have received for the cornerback Justin Hardee’s Jets deal. If the Saints suddenly start throwing money around and bringing in new faces, these future draft picks would be in jeopardy. Conversely, more departures of their own free agents could bring in more compensatory picks — names to watch include linebackers Alex Anzalone and Craig Robertson, though their average annual salaries would have to be north of $3 million to qualify.

Additionally, more movement around the league could put higher-valued qualifiers ahead of New Orleans. Three other teams will receive third-round compensatory picks for general manager/head coach hires from the 2021 cycle, and more will follow next offseason. And the loss of wide receiver Kenny Golladay on an $18 million per-year deal qualified the Detroit Lions for a compensatory third rounder, too. That’s why Hendrickson is expected to return just a fourth rounder at $15 million in average annual salary.

But with that said, here’s the current tally of their upcoming selections in 2022 (click here for the Saints’ full 2021 draft order):

  • Round 1
  • Round 2
  • Round 3
  • Round 3 (compensatory, Fontenot)
  • Round 4 (compensatory, Hendrickson)
  • Round 5
  • Round 5 (compensatory, Rankins)
  • Round 7

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Saints to face many of their former players in 2021

Saints free agent Sheldon Rankins joined the Jets while Emmanuel Sanders signed with the Bills and Janoris Jenkins teamed up with the Titans

The New Orleans Saints are going to see plenty of familiar faces lining up against them in 2021. They’re scheduled to play against the AFC East and, if NFL owners approve the expected plans during league meetings at the end of March, the Tennessee Titans in the new seventeenth regular season matchup.

And former Saints players and free agents have found their way to several opposing squads on their upcoming schedule. Pieces are still moving as available players reach deals with new teams around the NFL, but here are the ex-Saints we know will be wearing different jerseys in 2021:

Report: Bengals made a run at free-agent DL Sheldon Rankins

The Cincinnati Bengals made a run at a key free agent.

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The Cincinnati Bengals weren’t done looking at upgrades in free agency — and just missed on their next target.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Bengals “made a hard run” at former New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins before he signed with the New York Jets.

Rankins, a top-12 pick in 2016, had a down season last year after working his way back from a season-ending injury the year prior.

Given his ability to disrupt the pocket and the idea he could only just be getting back into an upswing, Rankins made sense as an obvious Bengals target.

While missing on a guy hurts, it’s clear the Bengals are still very much active on the market, even at defensive tackle, where they had already signed Larry Ogunjobi. Based on this, they should still be going after linemen on both sides of the ball in the coming weeks and days.

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Jets to sign DT Sheldon Rankins to 2-year deal

The Jets have signed defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins to a two-year deal, according to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

The Jets have solidified their defensive front.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, New York and former Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins have agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $17 million. The Cincinnati Bengals also made a strong push for Rankins, according to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Rankins was picked 12th overall out of Louisville by the Saints in the 2016 NFL draft. He missed seven games his rookie year after he broke his fibula in training camp. Rankins then didn’t miss a game in 2017 and almost made it through all of the 2018 season healthy. He started every game that season on his way to a career year, but Rankins tore his Achilles in the divisional round of the playoffs and had to undergo season-ending surgery.

Rankins dealt with an injury to his other Achilles that limited him to just 10 games in 2019. He had to undergo surgery again to prevent further issues to that Achilles. Rankins returned from injury in 2020 and played in 12 games with one start.

Before the injuries, Rankins was developing into a solid player. He recorded career-highs in sacks (8) and tackles (40) in 2018. Rankins has 116 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, 44 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, three pass defenses and one interception in his career.

Rankins will join a defensive front four of Quinnen Williams, Carl Lawson, and Folorunso Fatukasi in Robert Saleh’s defense.

Sheldon Rankins agrees to free agent contract with the Jets

New Orleans Saints free agent defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins agreed to a $17 million, two-year contract with the New York Jets.

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NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Sunday that New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is leaving for a $17 million, two-year deal with the New York Jets. Rankins had a busy free agency; Garafolo’s NFL Network colleague Tom Pelissero added that the Jets outbid an offer from the Cincinnati Bengals (who recently signed Rankins’ teammates Trey Hendrickson and Vonn Bell), while The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell added that the San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders were each suitors.

It’s easy to see why he received so much interest. Rankins will turn 27 in a few weeks and has been very productive when healthy, though injuries have caused him to fall short of expectations as 2015’s twelfth overall draft pick. He’ll be in a good position to shake (or shimmy) back next to imposing lineman Quinnen Williams in first-year head coach Robert Saleh’s defense.

Rankins will also join former Saints special teams standout Justin Hardee (who inked a three-year contract with New York) when the Jets host New Orleans during the 2021 regular season. Here’s hoping he takes it easy on his old teammates after racking up 17.5 sacks and 44 quarterback hits in 63 games with them (plus five playoff appearances).

We won’t know for sure until the NFL announces 2022 compensatory draft picks next offseason, but if things stay the same the Saints would project to recoup a fifth round pick for Rankins’ departure. That’s along with the third or fourth rounder they expect to receive after Trey Hendrickson signed with Cincinnati, though the addition of fullback Alex Armah wiped out a seventh rounder for Hardee. There’s a lot of factors in play including more roster moves for the Saints, but they could use the additional picks after the league office forfeited their 2022 sixth rounder for COVID-19 protocols violations.

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Report: Sheldon Rankins drawing interest from ‘roughly a dozen teams’

New Orleans Saints DT Sheldon Rankins received interest from many teams upon reaching unrestricted free agency, though he remains unsigned.

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Which domino will be the next to tip over on the New Orleans Saints offseason? It could be the departure of Sheldon Rankins, the team’s first round draft pick back in 2016. SI.com’s Conor Orr reported that Rankins received interest “from roughly a dozen teams,” before the new league year began on March 17, but it’s been a quiet market for defensive tackles. Especially defensive tackles with a history of leg injuries and quiet streaks in their stats sheet.

But Rankins expressed confidence that those worries were behind him. In a film study session with Orr, he reflected on his recovery from multiple Achilles tendon surgeries: “The healthier I got the better I felt and the more I was able to play like me. There’s no limitations. I’m ready to get back to doing the things I’m accustomed to doing.”

Rankins also pointed to a five-game series that began in December and ended in January’s playoffs as proof of his recovery, and as a better description of the player teams would get by signing him. He bagged several pressures and tackles for loss in that month of action, and feels like that’s how he should be perceived around the league.

We’ll just have to wait and see where he goes next. Injuries dampened expectations for him coming out of Louisville back to his rookie training camp, and he’s had tough luck with his health ever since. Here’s hoping he enjoys better health in the years ahead and can get back to playing at a high level — possibly with the Saints, if his market remains cool and they can meet at an agreeable price point.

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Free agent defensive linemen for the Browns to consider in 2021

Free agent defensive linemen for the Browns to consider in 2021

Defensive line is a tricky position to project with the Cleveland Browns. The team has a big question with pending free agent Larry Ogunjobi, a solid starter for the last three seasons. Top starter Sheldon Richardson will be back, but he’s 30 and entering the final year of his contract with the team.

The depth is in question, too. Andrew Billings returns after opting out for 2020, but we don’t yet know how he’ll fit in Cleveland. Jordan Elliott didn’t do much as a third-round rookie last season in limited reps. He was outshined by Vincent Taylor, who is also a pending free agent.

In short, Cleveland at least needs to bolster the depth chart on the defensive interior. They could well stand to do much more than that, too. And that’s where free agency comes in…

It’s an interesting crop of free agent DTs in 2021. Here are a few who could help the Browns in the coming season, and perhaps beyond too.

All players listed will be unrestricted free agents as of March 17th

Stay or go? Predicting the future for top Saints free agents

New Orleans Saints free agents like Marcus Williams, Trey Hendrickson, and Jameis Winston are set to test the market. Will they stay or go?

Big changes are ahead of the New Orleans Saints, which feels like an understatement when you consider everything piled up in front of them this offseason. Between Drew Brees’ likely retirement, a dearth of draft picks, and a plummeting salary cap, it might be tough for the Saints to remain competitive in pursuit of another NFC South title.

But they’ve hurdled challenges before. And it’s a safe bet that they’ll find ways to maneuver the cap and target key rookies while keeping their core intact. That begins with re-signing free agents, which is easier said than done. Let’s take a quick look at the biggest names on their list and predict who stays and who leaves for greener pastures.

Where do Saints players rank on top 2021 free agents lists?

New Orleans Saints free agents like Trey Hendrickson, Marcus Williams, and Jameis Winston were ranked wildly different among their peers.

Which of their own free agents should the New Orleans Saints prioritize in signing? Is it longtime starting free safety Marcus Williams, surprising sack leader Trey Hendrickson, or Jameis Winston, who plays the most important position of them all? It’s unclear how teams around the NFL have evaluated those players, much less for the Saints themselves.

There’s some value in looking to media rankings of all available players. There isn’t a ton of value, sure, given how wildly each outlet approaches the task; some analysts are better informed than others, positions are valued differently, and they don’t even all rank the same number of players (50-strong lists were most common, while the team at Pro Football Focus went all the way up to 200).

Still, let’s take a look at how the Saints free agents have been ranked, ordered from highest average placement to lowest:

Sheldon Rankins proud of Saints accomplishments, excited for free agency

Saints DT Sheldon Rankins expressed pride in his defense’s accomplishments, but he is excited to audition for other teams in free agency.

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Sheldon Rankins is excited for the future. The New Orleans Saints defensive tackle has seen the full spectrum of highs and lows in black and gold: dominant playoff wins and crushing losses, great personal success in the trenches and painful, season-ending injuries. With free agency on the horizon, he took a moment to look back on how he got here during an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio.

“When I first got there, to be completely honest, we were a laughing stock,” Rankins reflected. “People said, ‘Well, Drew (Brees is) going to have to outscore everybody.’ That’s pretty much how everybody looked at us.”

And the turnaround started with Rankins and his teammates winning their battles up front. In his 2016 rookie season, the team’s run defense allowed 110.7 rushing yards per game until he returned from a training camp injury; after that, the Saints yielded just 94.5 rushing yards per game. The next year, they started a streak of games played without allowing a 100-yard rusher that lasted 55 contests.

The Saints defense outplayed its vaunted offense in their last five postseason matchups, averaging 21 points per game while Brees’ offense managed just 20.8 points of their own in each meeting. Every touchdown the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored against them in a 30-20 loss was set up by a Saints turnover.

But injuries continued to slow Rankins down throughout his first five years in New Orleans. He bagged 8 of his 17.5 career sacks in 2018, until a postseason Achilles tear sidelined him. He later learned that he was more prone to ankle issues due to a medical condition and underwent a precautionary procedure to, hopefully, nip it in the bud. The knee injury that interrupted his 2020 season was unrelated.

Now he’s set to test the open market with an enigmatic road ahead of him. Rankins is keeping his expectations tempered, for now, but he admitted it’s easy to get excited about a potential life change. A clean bill of health just adds fuel to his fire.

Rankins continued: “I have that bounce in my step that I know I used to have. Going into free agency that’s why it’s exciting for me. No matter where I end up, you can cut that 2018 tape on and see that’s the guy they are getting.”

The Saints have options if he does leave for a new team this offseason. They signed co-starter David Onyemata to a contract extension last summer, and he rewarded New Orleans with a career-best 6.5 sacks and 49 quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus. Backups like Shy Tuttle and Malcolm Roach also flashed at times.

But losing Rankins to another team and releasing nose tackle Malcom Brown as a potential salary cap casualty would be two big hits to the defensive line, to say nothing of possibly parting with defensive end Tray Hendrickson, the Saints sacks leader (13.5). It feels certain that the front four will take a step back in 2021, one way or another, making a breakout season for Marcus Davenport more timely than ever.

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