North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz and California QB Jared Goff are the likely targets for the Cleveland Browns with the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Monthly Archives: February 2016
Falcons | Atlanta 32nd in defensive spending
The Atlanta Falcons have $27.364 million invested in defensive players as free agency approaches. The Falcons are projected to be $29.35 million under the cap. DE Tyson Jackson is the most expensive defender with a cap hit of $6.35 million in 2016.
Footballguys View: They need some help on both sides of the ball, so while they might want to spend all their cap room on defense, they might need to spread it around more and include the offense. That said, you get what you pay for and Atlanta paid very little to end up as the No. 26 defense per Football Outsiders DVOA metric.
Seahawks | Paul Richardson healthy
Seattle Seahawks WR Paul Richardson (hamstring) is already healthy and ready to play, according to head coach Pete Carroll. Carroll said Richardson’s return is a big deal to the Seahawks.
Footballguys View: He should be a deep threat, but we haven’t seen enough of him to know if that will pan out. We do know he caught a 40 yard bomb on his one catch last season, but that isn’t quite enough to prove we should be excited. Call us cautiously enthusiastic.
Raiders | Less work for Latavius Murray?
Oakland Raiders RB Latavius Murray could be more efficient in 2016 with a lighter workload. Head coach Jack Del Rio said Murray is still growing as a player and he can still work on some things that will make him even better next season.
Footballguys View: The Raiders want to balance the offense a bit, and as Amari Cooper and Derek Carr continue to improve, the passing offense can take more of the load. That caps Murray’s fantasy upside, but may make him more effective and less prone to burnout.
Giants | Andrew Williams could be released
New York Giants RB Andre Williams isn’t versatile enough in today’s NFL and could be released this offseason. Former head coach Tom Coughlin had a soft spot for Williams.
Footballguys View: Williams has been unimpressive in his first two years with the Giants, and being a one-dimensional back who is lackluster in that one dimension is a good way to end up unemployed. We won’t be shocked when this happens.
Bills | Buffalo leads NFL in defensive spending
The Buffalo Bills have $91.74 million invested in defensive players as free agency approaches. The Bills are projected to be $7.97 million over the cap. DE Mario Williams and DT Marcell Dareus make up 21.6% of the allocated money.
Footballguys View: Not much bang for your buck, and even worse from the standpoint that defense is Rex Ryan’s specialty. Now we have Rob Ryan in the house, after a few seasons running awful performing defenses. We’re not sure this will get better at this rate despite a lot of talent.
Bears | Chicago last in NFL in offensive spending
The Chicago Bears have $48.11 million invested in offensive players as free agency approaches. The Bears are projected to be $58.3 million under the cap. QB Jay Cutler’s cap hit makes up a team-high 10.9% of the allocated money for 2016.
Footballguys View: With youngsters like Jeremy Langford and Kevin White taking over, the low payroll makes sense. Of course, it makes you think that getting a long term deal for Alshon Jeffery is also reasonable to expect. This could be a solid offense this year, especially if Jeffery remains either with an extension or a franchise tag.
Lions | Brandon Pettigrew could be cut
Detroit Lions TE Brandon Pettigrew is a candidate to be released with a new regime in town in Detroit.
Footballguys View: Eric Ebron is the guy here and was even before the changes. Often hurt and always underwhelming, Pettigrew could benefit from a fresh start elsewhere.
Lions | Detroit tops NFL in offensive spending
The Detroit Lions have $83.29 million invested in offensive players as free agency approaches. The Lions are projected to be $32.73 million under the cap. QB Matthew Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson combine to make up 29.8% of the allocated money.
Saints | Drew Brees deal could be easy
A deal for New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees is expected to get done very easily, according to head coach Sean Payton. Payton said general manager Mickey Loomis and Brees’ agent, Tom Condon, have already spoken about a new deal. Brees would currently count $30 million against the salary cap, but an extension beyond 2016 could lower that number.
Footballguys View: Brees isn’t dumb-he wants a shot at another championship and to do that he needs a better team. So less money for him now might mean more to spread around later, improving New Orleans’ chances at another title. While he had some rough patches last season, he should bounce back this year, especially if the weapons around him repeat their production from the second half of last season.