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| LaDainian Tomlinson, rehabbing an injured knee, is progressing well in his return to full health, this according to the Chargers Official Site. LT has been playing a lot of golf and taking it easy with his workload. "It’s doing a lot better than I would have expected at this time. I’m working out full strength so by the season, I’ll be ready.” |
Our View: LT isn't at 100% yet, but the report is that his doctors feel he is right where he should be at this point and he should be available for mini-camp in May.
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| Jeremy Shockey's agent Drew Rosenhaus was on ESPN's NFL LIVE on Friday, and here is a quote from the agent on whether or not Shockey wants to remain in NY, this according to the New York Star Ledger. "...I prefer to do my business with a team off camera. I appreciate you guys inviting me on, but in terms of Jeremy's feelings as relating to the Giants, that's something that we've communicated to the Giants and the ball's going to be in their court." |
Our View: Though there is no clear cut answer to whether or not Shockey will remain with the Giants, Rosenhaus was clear with one thing, and that is that Shockey's ankle is 100% and that he has been cleared by doctors to return to full practice.
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| WR Rashied Davis signed a 1-year tender to remain with the Bears on Friday, this according to the Bears Official Site. “I’m excited to come back and be a part of a winning team,” Davis said. “We’re going to turn what happened last year around and win some more games and there’s also a greater possibility of more playing time for myself with the departure of Muhsin [Muhammad] and Bernard [Berrian].” |
Our View: Davis may be right that there are more passes likely to be thrown his way, but with Devin Hester looking like he will also see a greater percentage of passes thrown his way, Davis doesn't appear in line to really see a much greater role this season.
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| Talks between the Chiefs and Vikings regarding defensive end Jared Allen are progressing, and the two sides may be close to a trade agreement, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. |
Our View: The Vikings will need to (1) give Allen a monster contract and (2) agree to a trade with the Chiefs. A deal will likely involve a first-round pick and a second or third-round selection. We'll keep providing updates as more info becomes available.
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| Quinn Sypniewski suffered a knee injury during minicamp practice on Friday, the Baltimore Sun reports. He was carted off the field. Sypniewski started nine games in 2007. |
Our View: This young tight end is only notable because Todd Heap couldn't walk five feet without hurting himself last year. We'll update Sypniewski's status when more is known.
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| Defensive tackle Jamal Williams underwent left knee surgery on Thursday, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The big fella previously had his right knee scoped on April 1. |
Our View: It's no secret that the sometimes-dominant Williams has bad knees, and the Chargers would be wise to pick up a young tackle early in the upcoming draft. Jamal turns 32 later this month.
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| Leonard Weaver will sign his one-year, $1.417 million RFA tender on Friday, the Tacoma News Tribune reports. "This is the next step for Leonard to spend what he hopes is the rest of his career with the Seattle Seahawks," agent Harold C. Lewis reports. |
Our View: The Seahawks like Weaver so much that they added T.J. Duckett and Julius Jones to the running back mix this offseason.
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| Safety Hamza Abdullah signed his one-year, $927,000 RFA tender on Thursday, the Denver Post confirms. |
Our View: Abdullah started the final eight games for the Broncos in 2007, and he managed 47 tackles over the last nine contests. He'll be fighting for a starting job this summer, though.
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| Karlos Dansby signed his one-year, $8.065 million franchise tag tender on Friday, the Arizona Republic confirms. The two sides have until July 15 to reach an agreement on a long-term deal. "Hey, I'm feeling good about it, to be honest," Dansby says. "If it's not what I think I'm worth, then I'm not going to sign." |
Our View: Dansby's versatility makes him a valuable asset to the Cardinals and in fantasy leagues. At this point, he'll be playing for a huge contract during the 2008 season.
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| Brian Urlacher tells the Chicago Tribune that he never threatened to retire over money issues. "I never said that I was going to quit," Urlacher says. "That's just a gossip column. Reports like that is why I choose not to speak to the media." He adds that he is unsure if he will attend the mandatory minicamp on May 30-June 1 if he does not have a new contract. |
Our View: Now we're apparently all clear on where Urlacher stands regarding his contract. Sit out the rest of his life? No. Sit out offseason workouts? Yes.
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| Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick signed his one-year, $927,000 RFA tender on Thursday, the Dayton Daily News confirms. |
Our View: He is currently No. 2 on the depth chart, but the Bengals have zero intention of giving snaps to anyone outside of Carson Palmer.
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| Robbie Gould is putting his foot down. The kicker is entering the final year of his contract, and he is showing his displeasure by not showing up to the current set of voluntary offseason workouts, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. |
Our View: Go get 'em, Robbie. Kickers never have much leverage, as they are often seen as one of the most replaceable positions in the NFL. Gould will surely kick for the Bears this year and missing this time shouldn't hurt him.
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| Brian Urlacher isn't the only Bears linebacker skipping workouts. Lance Briggs has not been at any of the voluntary sessions that began on April 6, and he has cost himself $250,000, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. |
Our View: Briggs also hasn't shown up for a large chunk of these workouts for the past two years. This shouldn't affect his IDP value.
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| It turns out that safety Jimmy Williams has been away from minicamp practices due to personal reasons, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. "I talked to the coach and he understood my situation," Williams says. "My priority was making sure that they understood and he understood. That's the only person I have to focus on." Williams has been working as the No. 3 safety this spring. He can also play cornerback. |
Our View: Williams has started seven games over the past two years and should have a decent role in the Falcons secondary, even if he is away right now. It doesn't sound like there's a rift between Williams and the new coaching staff.
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| Count the Redskins in as one of the many teams interested in Branden Albert, the Washington Post notes. The paper admits that it would be a long shot for the offensive tackle/guard to fall down to the No. 21 spot. |
Our View: It's been a quiet offseason for Daniel Snyder and the Skins, so we're not counting out a major move come draft day, such as trading up for Albert.
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| Steve McNair wasn't prepared to deal with new head coach Jim Harbaugh's rigorous offseason plans, the Baltimore Sun says. Harbaugh expects players to attend the many minicamps throughout the summer and show up to weight-lifting programs, and he wanted McNair to shed some of his 250 pounds. The paper suggests McNair's body wouldn't have held up under Harbaugh's workout plan, which is why he opted to retire. |
Our View: We understand that McNair has a long history of injury and should be handled lightly, but we imagine Harbaugh and he could have come to a compromise if Steve really wanted to play.
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| According to the New York Daily News, Jeremy Shockey has told friends he'd be fine with a trade to the Saints. Sources say at least two teams have contacted the Giants about the tight end. |
Our View: We hear Drew Brees has worked with a pretty good pass-catching tight end in his past (Antonio Gates), and Sean Payton was a member of the Giants staff when Shockey was a rookie. We imagine Shockey would fit in immediately with the Saints.
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| The Vikings and Buccaneers are talking with the Chiefs about the availability of defensive end Jared Allen, the Kansas City Star reports. Allen will be in Minnesota on Friday to meet with the Vikings and could visit Tampa soon. He led the NFL in sacks in 2007 but is currently working under the franchise tag. Allen has said he won't sign a long-term deal with the Chiefs if they can't work out something by July. If he signs with another team, the Chiefs would receive two first-round picks in return. |
Our View: Two first-round picks is a lot to pay for any player, even if he is one of the best defensive ends in the NFL. However, the Chiefs and one of these two teams could work out a trade, which is the much more likely path.
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| Brian Urlacher's agents have asked Chicago if they could explore a trade, and Urlacher is threatening to retire because of neck and back problems, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Urlacher feels he has outplayed his contract and is demanding more money. He's boycotting the team's voluntary offseason workout program and threatening to hold out of mini-camp, organized team activities and even training camp if he doesn't get a new deal. |
Our View: It's tricky business for a number of reasons. Urlacher probably has outplayed the deal. He signed it with two years left on his rookie contract, becoming the first defensive player to renegotiate a deal with two years left. At the time, the salary cap was $75 million, and it has grown by more than $40 million since.
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| The Dallas Morning News reported that the Cowboys signed restricted free agent C/G Joe Berger to a one-year, $927,000 tender on Thursday.
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Our View: That leaves Marion Barber and Chris Canty as the team's remaining restricted free agents.
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