With free agency just a few days away I thought it made sense to see just what teams need to replace and how far their cap space might get them this year. There are a number of teams with excessive amounts of cap room to spend while others may have a difficult time finding ways to keep their rosters together. So for each team we will look at how many snaps they currently need to replace based on free agent status, either unrestricted or street, and just how much space they have to make that happen. Continue reading The Most Snaps to Replace in Free Agency »
NFL Free Agency
Breaking Down the Contract Structure Tendencies and Styles of Each Team – NFC North
This new series will go through each division and look at how each NFL team tends to structure and negotiate their contracts. This is particularly relevant as we near free agency, and fans can begin to understand the general approach that their team will take to the marketplace come March. We start with the NFC North.
Chicago Bears
GM: Ryan Pace (early 2015)
Director of Football Administration: Joey Laine (mid 2015)
The Bears brought GM Ryan Pace and head cap exec Joey Laine into the building together in 2015. They are one of the youngest front office duos in the league, and this new leadership in Chicago makes it difficult to pinpoint their current cap strategy, but there are certainly some early tendencies.
2017 Free Agency: Terrance Williams
Terrance Williams is set to hit free agency once the 2017 league year begins. Will teams pay him as a #1 receiver or has he already defined himself as a secondary option?
The answer depends on what data set you choose to favor. Williams has played 10 games in his career without Dez Bryant in the lineup. In those 10 games, his statistics are noticeably better than the 54 games with Bryant:
Tough Free Agent Decisions in 2017
Today I wanted to look at the teams that face the most roster turnover in free agency. To do this I looked at potential snaps that can be lost in free agency by the entire roster and by the prime contributors. This quick study should give an idea of the way that certain teams may be forced to approach free agency this year and whether they are targeting their own talent or outside of the organization. Continue reading Tough Free Agent Decisions in 2017 »
Desmond Trufant’s Potential Contract Extension
The Atlanta Falcons have rebounded quite nicely from a disappointing 2015 season, with the Super Bowl within reach. While the offense has led the charge for the turnaround, the Falcons’ secondary has served as the backbone of the defensive effort. As to the leader of this unit, look no further than fourth year cornerback Desmond Trufant. While Trufant suffered a season ending torn pectoral muscle, the standout player from the University of Washington has been the Falcons’ best player in the secondary over the past four years. As such, the team needs to lock this core member up for the long haul, and will look to do so this offseason with a lucrative contract extension. Continue reading Desmond Trufant’s Potential Contract Extension »
2017 Free Agency Preview: Running Backs
This week I wanted to take a quick look at the free agent running backs and it is certainly slim pickings this year. Outside of a handful of players it is likely that most running backs land in the minimum or close to minimum category. There may be some talented players who are released during the offseason to spruce the list up a little, but this has to be one of the weakest free agent groups in recent memory.
1. Le’Veon Bell, Steelers
Running backs can be a very tricky group to figure out and Bell is no exception. Since coming into the league there has been no more dominant player at the position than Bell, but we have seen dominant players in the past erode pretty quickly. Bell has also had multiple injuries and a 4 game suspension so there are clearly questions as to how many games you can expect him to play. Continue reading 2017 Free Agency Preview: Running Backs »
2017 FA Preview – Strongest and Weakest Position Groups – Defense
This is the second of a two-part series in which I preview the Free Agency class for 2017 by looking at which positions are the strongest and which are the weakest. This takes into account not only the level of talent available, but also the likelihood that the player actually reaches the market.
Check out the Offense preview here.
Strongest Position Groups
Cornerbacks
The cornerback group is one of the stronger groups in this year’s Free Agency class. There’s a number of guys who are either Pro Bowlers or very close to that level, along with several reliable #2 options.
Continue reading 2017 FA Preview – Strongest and Weakest Position Groups – Defense »