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Look for the Packers to free up enough cap room to sign a wide receiver this offseason. Of the group of unrestricted free-agent wide receivers, Detroit's Germane Crowell, New Orleans' Willie Jackson and Carolina's Donald Hayes, who played for the University of Wisconsin, probably fit the Packers' system best.
The Lions' decision not to protect running back James Stewart for the expansion draft boiled down to two things: The Lions don't feel he is a perfect fit for the West Coast offense, and team president Matt Millen wants to improve team speed. Should Stewart and his $5.3 million salary cap number be selected by the Texans, Detroit would replace him through free agency or via the draft rather than turning to in-house options Sedrick Irvin, Lamont Warren or Reuben Droughns.
While Lions president Matt Millen insists he is interested in a quarterback like Fresno State's David Carr or Oregon's Joey Harrington, don't be surprised if Detroit spends its first-round pick on a defensive playmaker, likely after the Lions trade down with a team hungry for help at defensive tackle or quarterback.
Lions fans shouldn't get overly excited about the team's success in the 2001 draft. It was the first draft for coach Marty Mornhinweg and president Matt Millen, and the tandem struck gold with offensive tackle Jeff Backus and defensive tackle Shaun Rogers. When Millen was asked last week at the Senior Bowl if we should expect more of the same, he told PFW that last year's draft was "beginner's luck."
Defensive end Marcus Jones, who had three sacks this season after picking up 13 in 2000, is as good as gone from Tampa Bay. That's because the Bucs expect he'll get gobbled up by the Houston Texans in the expansion draft. Jones, 28, is a 6-foot-6, 278-pounder with great strength and pass-rushing ability from the right defensive end spot. However, his production decreased this season when he was moved to the left side to accommodate free-agent acquisition Simeon Rice.
The Bears lost interest in signing former Stanford star quarterback Chad Hutchinson once they made the decision to bring back quarterback Jim Miller out of fear they would take a step back next season if Miller left via free agency. General
manager Jerry Angelo can't comment on whether he is interested in Drew Bledsoe because Bledsoe is under contract with New England, which has advanced to the Super Bowl. The Bears are not considered to be a front-runner for Bledsoe's services because it's unlikely they'd be willing to give up the combination of draft picks needed to get a deal done.
The Colts' secondary may be the first area to be put under the microscope by new head coach Tony Dungy. Dungy's system calls for physical play from the cornerbacks, and right now the Colts' corners aren't known for that. In an ironic twist, safety Chad Cota would seem to fit in a role similar to that of the Buccaneers' John Lynch, but Cota's high cap number has landed him on the expansion list.
A Ricky Williams-to-Miami trade remains a possibility, but it's a slim possibility because of the complexity such a deal would entail. Also, we hear Jaguars running back Fred Taylor could be on the block, and the Dolphins certainly would be interested in acquiring him for the right price.
Don't be surprised if the Ravens have a new special-teams coach by the time you read this. We hear Gary Zauner, who has a long history with head coach Brian Billick, is likely to replace Russ Purnell, who was looking into serious feelers from a few other teams at presstime.
While he definitely had his moments this season, don't be shocked if Ravens running back Jason Brookins isn't back with the team next year. We hear the Ravens believe Brookins still needs to do a much better job of finishing his runs. In addition, they think he's way too full of himself.
It's not looking good for Falcons defensive coordinator Don Blackmon, who could be given his walking papers shortly after new Falcons owner Arthur Blank officially takes control late this week. Our sources tell us that former Bills head coach Wade Phillips is a hot candidate to replace Blackmon.
We hear it's very unlikely three of the players the 49ers left unprotected to the expansion draft -- tight end Greg Clark, defensive tackle Reggie McGrew and cornerback Anthony Parker -- will be back with the team next season under any circumstances.
The Dolphins like the potential of three of their young offensive linemen: Anthony Cesario, Andy Vincent and Troy Andrew. Miami is hoping that these three compete for starting jobs next season.
Patriots tight end Jermaine Wiggins was the team's secret weapon on offense vs. the Raiders -- partially by design, partially by necessity. After catching just 14 passes all season, Wiggins hauled in 10 in the divisional playoff in a driving snowstorm. With the snow piling up (3-5 inches) and Oakland's secondary blanketing No. 1 wide receiver Troy Brown, the Patriots were forced to rely more on Wiggins and No. 2 wide receiver David Patten, who both came through big time. Look for Wiggins to remain involved; he had two catches in the AFC title game upset of Pittsburgh.
Tennessee doled out more than $30 million in signing bonuses alone last offseason, but it will set its sights much lower in 2002. After being burned by Yancey Thigpen, Carl Pickens and, to an extent, Fred Miller and Kevin Carter, the Titans won't be major players in the open market.
Running back Skip Hicks wants to be a member of the Titans next season, and the Titans want him back, but he may become a casualty with the team needing to shed about $15 million to get under the salary cap. "This is a great place to play; I'll listen to what they have to say," Hicks told PFW. Hicks proved his worth as an insurance policy for running back Eddie George, who was oft-injured in 2001 and failed to gain 1,000 yards for the first time in five seasons.
The internal debate in Tennessee is whether to bring in a full-time fullback to block for Eddie George. George seemed to miss having Lorenzo Neal as a lead blocker this past season, though he had success before Neal arrived. Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger has a two-back background, but the team is trying to decide if it can accomplish the same results with healthy tight ends, a luxury it didn't have in 2001.
If defensive end Michael Sinclair is not picked up by the Texans, as expected, the Seahawks are likely to release him because he is due a $1 million roster bonus in March. Sinclair, who admitted to being on the downside of his career, also has the second-highest base salary on the team. Re-signing him for less money is a possible option, especially if the Seahawks don't upgrade the defensive end position in the offseason.
The Broncos' decision to leave veteran outside linebacker Bill Romanowski unprotected in
the expansion draft came as no surprise to those close to the team. The 35-year-old Romanowski was still effective in the Broncos' scheme this season, but they are chomping at the bit to get the playmaking Ian Gold on the field more, and Romanowski's base salary for 2002 rests at $2.2 million.
The Bengals' Corey Dillon will be undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in February, but it's going to be done as a preventative measure to attend to the sliding kneecap he has suffered from since his rookie year. The need for the procedure doesn't worry team officials.
While there is no doubt the Chiefs need help at wide receiver and cornerback, look for them to take a defensive lineman with a run-stopping résumé with their first-round pick.
Raiders offensive guard Mo Collins is hoping to avoid offseason surgery on the fractured right leg that caused him to miss much of the season. Teammate Lincoln Kennedy, a Pro Bowl right tackle this season, will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his ailing shoulder soon, to see if more work will be needed.
There was some talk that the Redskins might be interested in signing quarterback Jeff George again as a fit for Steve Spurrier's offense. But we hear that Spurrier covets strong fundamentals in his quarterbacks -- which is not exactly what George is known for. Meanwhile, Bears backup (and former Gator) quarterback Shane Matthews has said he would like an opporutunity to play for Spurrier again, but he has one year remaining on his deal in Chicago.
Cardinals wide receiver Rob Moore has said that he will retire if he is not able to get healthy over the summer. Moore has missed the past two seasons with injuries. He was left exposed to the Texans in the expansion draft. If Houston doesn't select him, Moore will either have to take a radical pay cut or face being released.
Now that Giants defensive coordinator John Fox has been hired as the Panthers' head coach, Jim Fassel is looking for someone to replace him. Fassel insists that he is well-prepared to do so and expects to look in-house as well as talk to some candidates outside the organization. One name that we are hearing as a candidate is former Bills head coach Wade Phillips. Meanwhile, Fassel has hired former Chargers assistant Bruce Read as the Giants' special-teams coach.
Immediately after his team finished the regular season, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones proclaimed his team was "out of salary-cap jail." After taking into account their players signed for next season and the money they will have to shell out to retain their exclusive-rights and restricted free agents, the Cowboys should have around $20 million in cap space for 2002. Jones has vowed to be more prudent in spending in order to avoid having to go through another tough salary-cap year like his franchise endured in 2001, when the team had about $24 million in dead cap space.
There are rumblings that the Cowboys will interview Bruce Coslet for their vacant offensive coordinator position. Galen Hall had been considered the front-runner for the job.
It looks like Cowboys center Mark Stepnoski and tight end Jackie Harris are out unless they are willing to take astronomical pay cuts. The Cowboys will make a
concerted effort to get a complete tight end.
The Buccaneers' ace personnel man, Tim Ruskell, was given permission to go to Washington to interview for the general manager job. But when he got there, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder changed the title for the job. As a result, Ruskell told the Redskins he could not interview with them unless the Buccanneers were willing to give him permission to interview for the newly titled position. The Buccaneers denied Ruskell permission in that case.
Material from Pro Football Weekly.
Visit PFW's web site at http://www.profootballweekly.com
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