The Dallas Cowboys will officially release RB Marion Barber and WR Roy Williams on Tuesday.
These were necessary moves by the Cowboys to save some of the money that these two players were hemorrhaging from the organization. With far better, younger options in RBs Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, and WR Dez Bryant, the Cowboys will be better off. Barber should draw significant offers from teams around the league looking for a big, bruising back.
The Baltimore Ravens on Monday confirmed the releases of RB Willis McGahee, DT Kelly Gregg, WR Derek Mason and TE Todd Heap.
These moves alone have freed up a reported $19 million in cap space which has led many to believe the Ravens are on the verge of making a big splash in free agency. Perhaps the Ravens will be in play for CB Nnamdi Asomugha who has said he would like to play for a true Super Bowl contender. The Ravens have often had one of the most feared defenses in the league, and have been missing a shutdown corner for several years. With Asomugha and rookie Jimmy Smith, their defensive secondary would make opposing QBs think twice.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ brass referred to QB Carson Palmer on Tuesday as if he was retired. Though there has been no official announcement from Palmer, Bengals owner Mike Brown concedes that Palmer will not be traded and is therefore, as per Palmer’s previous statements, going to retire.
This is the first time Brown has openly stated that Palmer may as well pack his bags and watch the next season from his couch. As expected, Brown has held firm in his decision not to trade Palmer and now it appears that he will truly play for the Bengals or else. Should Palmer choose to retire, rookie QB Andy Dalton is the likely starter.
The NFL players voted unanimously today to approve the new Collective Bargaining Agreement presented by team owners last week, thus ending the nearly four and a half month long NFL lockout.
Football is back! Free agency is said to begin Tuesday as well as signings of draft picks and undrafted players. The NFLPA is slated to re-certify as a union by Wednesday, and then training camps can begin anytime between tomorrow and Friday; however, NFL players will no longer be barred from team facilities starting immediately. Football fans will have to keep a close eye on things as free agency is expected to be swift and intense. It is an exciting time for football fans as the only casualty of the lockout will be the Hall of Fame game, which was cancelled last week.
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SI’s Peter King suggests that the most likely destination for free agent WR Chad Ochocinco is the New England Patriots.
Ochocinco is as good as gone in Cincinnati, and with first-round pick A.J. Green the Bengals appear ready to move on. Ocho’s antics may be unpopular with some teams looking for a WR and that would appear to be the only reason that coach Bill Bilichick might stay away from him. Based on talent alone, Ocho appears to be a good fit for New England who has sorely missed a deep threat wideout since releasing Randy Moss last season.
(Source: profootballtalk.nbcsports.com)
Bengals QB Carson Palmer has reportedly sold his home in Cincinnati for approximately $2.1 million perhaps in another attempt to show Bengals owner Mike Brown that he intends to retire if he is not traded.
This isn’t likely to sway Brown’s stance. Palmer has two options for next season if he does not intend to play QB for the Bengals: retire or hold a clipboard while watching Andy Dalton learn the ropes under center. It appears Palmer wants to play hardball, so it was smart of the Bengals to draft a QB they can use in their system just in case Palmer does decide to retire or they are able to find a trade offer they simply can’t refuse (which is unlikely). Without a new CBA, no deal can be reached. In the meantime, this situation continues to get worse and it’s an unfortunate situation for Palmer who has given Cincy eight solid years.
(Source: cincinnati.com)
ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday said that the most likely destinations for free agent WR Plaxico Burress appear to be the New York Jets or St. Louis Rams.
Soon to be released from prison, Burress may still have some gas in the tank. Even if he doesn’t have much to give, he should be an upgrade over any of the receivers in St. Louis and he would provide a deep threat target for Sam Bradford. The Jets might pursue Burress if they don’t end up re-signing Braylon Edwards, but for now we’ll put our money on St. Louis where he could reunite with former Giants Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. The Jets have also recently been linked with Randy Moss, and while it doesn’t make any more sense than Burress, it might be more likely. Rex Ryan’s aggressive coaching style may be just what Moss needs to get his head on straight.
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the owners on Monday, changing the status of their temporary stay to a permanent one. The owners are expected to propose a new CBA sometime Monday night.
And the lockout continues. This is the first major win for the owners who got a permanent stay to Judge Nelson’s ruling last month which temporarily lifted the lockout. The owners may make a new proposal soon, but that’s not likely to change anything. Those in the know expect the lockout to continue until at least July while more and more are beginning to fear no deal will be reached until November. Nobody really knows at this point. The media’s job is to speculate these kinds of things, but fans should not misinterpret these opinions as facts.
(Source: ESPN)
After working out in Texas with Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson during the lockout, QB Vince Young is rumored to be headed to Minnesota as their starting QB next season. NFL Network’s Steve Wyche, however, says this is not even a possibility the Vikings have discussed.
These seems like a long shot idea. After drafting Christian Ponder in the first round, Minnesota is going to want a seasoned veteran like the oft-linked-to Donovan McNabb to start the season at QB. With Young’s alleged character issues and lack of leadership, the Vikings can’t afford to have him groom Ponder to be the future starter for the team. It still appears Young’s best chance to start remains with the Washington Redskins.
(Source: rotoworld.com)
Houston Texans offensive coordinator Rick Dennison says that the Texans are not considering a two-man rotation at running back.
Those who were concerned that a healthy Ben Tate would come in to his second season in the NFL and steal carries from Arian Foster should be able to relax now. Tate will not be a major threat to Foster’s fantasy value. Sure to be a top-3 pick in redraft leagues, Foster’s value in redrafts and dynasty leagues could not be any higher.
(Source: rotoworld.com)
The Washington Redskins and free agent DT Cullen Jenkins are said to have a mutual interest in joining forces this season.
Jenkins could certainly help the ‘Skins continue their transition to a 3-4 defense, and with Washington expected to be big spenders in free agency, once it opens up, this deal could very well happen. The Redskins might finally look to sever ties with DT Albert Haynesworth (if they’re smart) and move forward with Jenkins as the new lead on the defensive line. The bigger concern for them at this point should be focusing on their offense which was, for the most part, abysmal last season.
(Source: profootballtalk.nbcsports.com)
Reports by SI’s Peter King and ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggest that the most likely destination for CB Nnamdi Asomugha will be an NFC East team. The Redskins, Cowboys and Eagles have all been connected with Asomugha. King also mentions the Lions, Jets and Texans as other possibilities.
All three of the NFC East teams mentioned are in desperate need of help at CB; the NY Giants filled that hole drafting Prince Amukamara in the first round. The ‘Skins, Eagles and Cowboys should all have money to burn in an effort to acquire Asomugha, but at the end of the day he is going to decide which team he will play for in 2011 and our bet is on whichever team he thinks is most likely to lead him to a championship. The Lions and Texans seem like a long shot at this point.
The San Deigo Union-Tribune reports that the San Diego Chargers are “monitoring” the situation with Carolina Panthers WR Steve Smith, possibly looking to make a trade for him when trades become available.
Phillip Rivers could have a field day with Smith and Vincent Jackson against any defense. After the crop of average receivers the Chargers handed to Rivers last season, going out and getting Smith would be the least they can do. Likely to available for a mid-round pick in a trade, Smith will be coveted by many teams around the league. A trade that gets Smith out of the rebuilding Carolina seems imminent at this point.
(Source: rotoworld.com)
Second-round pick QB Colin Kaepernick says he will study the 49ers offense by working out with Stanford QB Andrew Luck during the lockout. Luck played QB last season at Stanford under new 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Whether or not he decided to do this on his own or if Harbaugh urged him to is unknown, but it’s smart thinking on Kaepernick’s part if it was his decision. It shows that he is humble enough to learn an offense by a quarterback who is still in the college ranks and it also shows a level of maturity and determination. It has became apparent that Alex Smith will start the season under center for the Niners once again this year after he was given a playbook last week. Harbaugh may want an experienced QB to start off the season, while hoping that Kaepernick can pick up the offense quick enough to be the starter by mid-season.
(Source: rotoworld.com)
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