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Training Camp Moves – Week 4
This post is a compilation of additions NFL teams made during the fourth full week of camps. The timetable for this post opens on August 15 and continues through August 21. You can read a summary of the first week of training camp moves here and the second week moves here and the third week moves here. Because moves will be coming fast and furious throughout training camp, we're going to use quick analysis of moves each week during this time instead of creating a massive Football Relativity comparison.
Vikings (add QB Brett Favre) – All the Favre thoughts and links that you could possibly want can be found from in this post.
Saints (add PK John Carney) – With Garrett Hartley getting suspended for four games to open the season, the Saints needed a fill-in. So they brought back Carney, a former Saint who was a fill-in for the injured Lawrence Tynes for the Giants last season and ended up having a stud season and making the Pro Bowl. Carney is in his mid-40s, but if he can deliver like he did last year, he'll be an upgrade for the Saints.
Raiders (add CB Ricky Manning, LB Morlon Greenwood and S Rashad Baker) – Manning is small but has been an effective nickelback in the past. His Chicago tenure wasn't good, but he's still worth a look in the slot to see if he has the skills to play. Greenwood is a veteran 'backer who has started through most of his eight-year career in Miami and Houston. He should upgrade the Raiders' depth and has a good shot to become a starter on the strong side. Baker played 10 games and had three picks for the Raiders last year, and then signed with the Eagles in the offseason. When Philly cut him in camp, the Raiders quickly brought Baker back.
49ers (add CB Eric Green) – Green, who was with the Cardinals in their Super Bowl season, signed a two-year, $6 million deal with Miami, but it became apparent in training camp that he wasn't going to play for the Dolphins. So he was cut, then quickly picked up by the Niners, who are still trying to fill the spot left by Walt Harris' season-ending injury in minicamp. Green has good size but not good speed or cover skills. Still, though, he's better than most of what's out on the market at this point, so he's worth a look for San Fran.
Broncos (add DE LeKevin Smith) – Smith had played 28 games over the past two years in New England, but he was a bottom-of-the-rotation guy whose roster spot became questionable when the Patriots added Derrick Burgess. So they dealt him to Denver, which now runs a similar defensive system and needs all the DL help and depth it can find. Smith will make the Broncos, which makes the draft pick worth it to Denver.
Chiefs (add WR Ashley Lelie) – Lelie, a former first-round pick, has the speed to get deep but has never been consistent in any of his four NFL stops. He's another vet receiver, like Bobby Engram and Amani Toomer, whom the Chiefs have brought in for depth. It's hard to imagine all of those vets making the team, so Lelie will probably have to better Toomer to earn a roster spot.
Bengals (add TE J.P. Foschi) – Foschi, a former Raider, is a veteran who could help to fill in for the injured Reggie Kelly as a block-first tight end.
Ravens (add QB Cleo Lemon) – Lemon was brought in as a camp arm to help the Ravens after third-string QB John Beck hurt his collarbone. Like Beck, Lemon played for offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, so he's a fill-in who could step in to the No. 3 role comfortably.
Subtractions
Saints (cut CB Jason David) – David got huge money in 2007 to move from Indianapolis to New Orleans, but he couldn't live up to the bill because he couldn't make the transition from Indy's cover-2 scheme and playing off the line to the more man-coverage-oriented scheme the Saints used. After watching him get burned time and time again, the Saints finally cut the cord. David could land somewhere that runs a 4-3 Tampa scheme, but in any other scheme he's probably not much more than an emergency reserve. This once promising player really faces an uphill climb to rebuild his reputation.
Raiders (cut FB Lorenzo Neal) – Neal has long been one of the elite run-blocking fullbacks in the league, but a hamstring injury limited his ability to continue his career in Oakland this season. He might be done, and if he is, his career (which features two Pro Bowl appearances and blocking for 1,000-yard rushers in nine straight seasons) is one to celebrate.
Cowboys (cut DT Tim Anderson) – Anderson was once a Bills starter, but he's played very little the last two seasons. It looks like his time as a contributor is now over based on this early training-camp release.
Filed under Football Relativity, NFL Free Agency
Tagged as ashley lelie, baltimore ravens, brett favre, cincinnati bengals, cleo lemon, dallas cowboys, daniel bullocks, denver broncos, detroit lions, eric green, Football Relativity, j.p. foschi, jason david, john carney, kansas city chiefs, lekevin smith, lorenzo neal, miami dolphins, minnesota vikings, morlon greenwood, new orleans saints, NFL Free Agency, oakland raiders, philadelphia eagles, rashad baker, ricky manning, San Francisco 49ers, tim anderson
FR: Most impactful cutbacks
This is part 3 of our free agency preview. We've already done a more than full workup on the 14 franchise players, and we've been updating our post on key re-signings clubs made so far. (That post was updated through the opening of free agency.) Now, we're going to break down the most impactful cutbacks teams have made. We're comparing them on the football relativity scale, with 10 being the teams that lost the most, and 1 being teams that didn't lose much. We've listed only teams that have made salary-cap-related cutbacks, so all 32 are not listed. And this post will also be updated up through the beginning of the new league year tomorrow.
10 – Buccaneers (key cuts: LBs Derrick Brooks and Cato June, RB Warrick Dunn, WRs Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard) – This cut list reads like a Tampa Bay's all-pro ballot from just a few years ago. Brooks is arguably the greatest Buccaneer of all time (only Lee Roy Selmon really has an argument), and he has remained productive even as he has aged. Galloway went into last year as Tampa's No. 1 wide receiver, and Hilliard and Dunn played bit roles but key roles last year. With the change of head coaches, Tampa Bay is obviously trying to turn a page, but they're losing a lot of quality players and leadership in the process. These cuts hurt a lot.
9 – Colts (key cut: WR Marvin Harrison) – Indy's list of cuts isn't as long as Tampa's, but the name on the list is as big as Brooks. Harrison's huge salary-cap number (more than $13 million) meant a cut was necessary, but he's a loss. Harrison had been passed by Reggie Wayne as the Colts' No. 1 receiver, but he still was a key part of Indy's frequently used three-wideout set. The onus is on Anthony Gonzalez to step up for the Colts, and they'll have to find a third receiver to keep the offense moving. This is another loss (head coach Tony Dungy, defensive coordinator Ron Meeks) that makes me think the arrow is pointed down on the Colts going forward.
8 – Jaguars (key cuts: RB Fred Taylor, WR Jerry Porter, CB Drayton Florence, DE Paul Spicer) – The Jaguars, like Tampa Bay and Indy, had to cut a franchise icon. Taylor has been a productive running back for 11 years in Jacksonville, and although he was clearly No. 2 to Maurice Jones-Drew last season, he was still productive. Spicer spent nine years with the Jags, but he was being slowed by injuries, and Jacksonville had to give '08 draft picks Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves a chance to sail or sink. The other two cuts, Porter and Florence, were 2 of Jacksonville's big free agent signings last year. Both were huge, huge busts. After changing general managers, Jacksonville decided to cut their losses on both big deals.
7 – Saints (key cut: RB Deuce McAlister) – We continue the team icon hit list in New Orleans, where McAlister got the axe after eight productive years. This cut is lower on the relativity scale because injuries have left McAlister with less ability to contribute than either Taylor or Harrison have. McAlister doesn't look to be more than a bit player anywhere else, but the emotional loss that Saints fans will have in not seeing their native son out there is still significant.
7 (con't) – Broncos (key cuts: CB Dre Bly, DT Dewayne Robertson, DE John Engelberger, TE Nate Jackson, LB Niko Koutovides, S Marquand Manuel, LB Jamie Winborn) – This list is significant because of its length and because of Bly and Robertson. Robertson was a top-5 draft pick with the Jets who got a second chance in Denver and didn't capitalize. Bly was a borderline Pro Bowl player in Detroit and St. Louis, but his time in Denver across from Champ Bailey showed that Bly was no longer an elite corner. This is another organization turning the page, and you can tell from the cut list that the new management feels like ex-grand poobah Mike Shanahan left a lot of pages on the roster that needed to be turned.
7 (con't) – Ravens (key cuts: CB Chris McAlister, DE Marques Douglas) – This McAlister isn't quite a franchise icon, but he was a key part of the Ravens' dominating defenses this decade. The question is what McAlister has left. He' s no longer a true shutdown corner, but can he still be an effective starter? My guess is some team will be willing to invest to see if that's the case. Douglas was a rotation defensive end but not a huge loss.
6 – Raiders (key cuts: WR Ronald Curry, S Gibril Wilson, FB Justin Griffith, OT Kwame Harris, DE Kalimba Edwards) – The Raiders, like the Jaguars, cut the cord on many of their top free agent signings of last offseason. DeAngelo Hall got the axe during the season, and Wilson and Harris are now gone as well. (Many in the league had chuckled at the Wilson contract and laughed out loud at the Harris contract.) The Raiders are still talent thin, so cutting guys who can play, even if their contracts are way out of whack, still hurts.
5 – Jets (key cuts: WR Laveranues Coles, OG Brandon Moore, CB David Barrett, LBs David Bowens and Brad Kassell, TE Chris Baker) – The Jets had a bounce-back year last season, so it's a bit surprising to see them cutting contributors like Moore, Baker, and Barrett. But while there's some volume of cuts here, there's not a devastating impact – if the Jets can get some young players through the draft to replace the depth. Coles was cut later in what was termed as the Jets "letting him be a free agent." Don't be fooled – that's nothing but a requested release. Coles is decent but not worth the money he thinks he is. The Jets are probably better off just moving on.
4 -Texans (key cuts: RB Ahman Green, LB Morlon Greenwood, DE Anthony Weaver, S Will Demps, OT Ephriam Salaam) – This list is long enough that it's worth putting on this level. While Green used to be good, injuries have robbed him of effectiveness. No big losses here, but this is another team that must be strategic in replacing depth.
4 (con't) – Lions (key cuts: CB Leigh Bodden, TE Dan Campbell, WR Mike Furrey, S Dwight Smith) – Another team changing regimes that cut some guys who have been productive. Bodden is notable because he was a key part of the Shaun Rogers trade last offseason. But given the Lions' utter failure last year, these guys were probably all in roles (and at salaries) that are above their current water level.
4 (con't) – Bills (key cuts: OG Derrick Dockery, TE Robert Royal) – Dockery was a big-ticket free-agent signing two years ago, getting Steve Hutchinson money (7 years, $49M) even though he wasn't a Pro Bowl-caliber player. Dockery has started 93 straight games, and so he should hook on elsewhere, but it should happen at a much lower pay rate.
3 – Panthers (key cuts: WR D.J. Hackett, RB Nick Goings, OT Jeremy Bridges) – Hackett was a key signing in Carolina last offseason, but he made little impact and got passed on the depth chart by Dwayne Jarrett. Bridges has played well over the last couple of years but his multiple off-field problems made him dispensible. Goings is a key special-teams guy, but his moment as an NFL-quality running back is gone.
3 (con't) – Chiefs (key cuts: CB Patrick Surtain, LB Donnie Edwards, QB Damon Huard) – Surtain and Edwards were once stars, but they've lost effectiveness, and so in a regime change their cuts are expected. Damon Huard played OK as a starter 2 years ago, but he's really just a backup, and Tyler Thigpen showed last year that he's good enough to at least be a No. 2 quarterback.
3 (con't) – Rams (key cuts QB Trent Green, WR Drew Bennett) – Bennett's another free-agent bust on this list. He never was able to become Torry Holt's sidekick for the Rams. Green has been a good player, but his time in the NFL is over. He should go to the broadcast booth next season, because he'll be good at that, and he's not a good quarterback anymore.
3 (con't) Redskins (key cuts: CB Shawn Springs, LB Marcus Washington) – It's a theme of this list – another free agent bust. Washington left the Colts as a big signing with the Redskins, but he didn't deliver equal to his contract value. When Springs was cut, he moved the Redskins up a level in this comparison, but not more. Springs was once an elite quarterback, but injuries hampered him severely last season, and had he stayed he probably would have had to move to safety. The emergence of DeAngelo Hall in Washington made Springs expendable, especially at his $8 million price tag.
2 – Giants (key cuts: RB Reuben Droughns, CB Sam Madison, S Sammy Knight) – Droughns was only the fifth-best back on the Giants' roster, so he's expendable. Madison and Knight once were good players, but age has taken its toll. They have to hope to catch on for the minimum elsewhere if they want to keep playing.
2 (con't) Steelers (key cut: OG Kendall Simmons) – The most amazing thing about the Steelers' Super Bowl run was how ineffective their offensive line was most of the year. An overhaul is due, and Simmons, a former first-round pick, is being jettisoned as part of it.
1 – Bears (key cuts: WR Marty Booker, LB Gilbert Gardner) – Booker was brought into Chicago last year to contribute as a wideout, but he's no longer effective. Gardner is merely a backup.
1 (con't) – Cardinals (key cut: LS Nathan Hodel) – This is only notable because Hodel was a college teammate of PK Neil Rackers, and the Cardinals had promoted the fact that Hodel's snaps helped Rackers succeed.
1 (con't) – Cowboys (key cuts CB Adam "Pacman" Jones, QB Brad Johnson) – Dallas signed Johnson to be a safe, reliable backup, but when Tony Romo got hurt Johnson showed he just didn't have it anymore. As for Jones, he got more attention than anyone else on this list last year, but he didn't play very well at all. This move proves that the Pacman-in-Dallas experiment was sound and fury signifying nothing.
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