LIONS, BEARS, COLTS ALL SIGN FREE AGENTS, NOT A PEEP OUT OF THE CHIEFS
One minute after midnight, Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz rang the doorbell of free agent defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch. He was welcomed into the Vanden Bosch home & a little after sunup, Schwartz had his man under contract. Vanden Bosch had played for Schwartz when he was the Titans defensive line coach. Apparently they had a good enough relationship to open that front door last night. The Lions have been desperate to find a pass rush. The 31-year old Vanden Bosch was a consistent sacker when he played for Schwartz, but since he departed Tennessee, the sacks decreased. We'll see if Detroit's sack total increases in 2010.
The Bears don't have a 1st or 2nd round draft pick thanks to trades, but in an uncapped year, they have the green light to go out & get a few high impact free agents. It's about the only way they'll be able to add enough talent to be competitive in the NFC North. The Bears made it clear they were going to be very active once free agency began & so they have. They signed former Charger TE Brandon Manumaleuna to a 5-year deal early this morning. He was the number one priority as the Bears were obligated to pay TE Desmond Clark a $475,000 roster bonus tomorrow. Expect to see Chicago dump the 12-year veteran sometime today. It's a brutal business. Chicago also signed former Viking Chester Taylor, one of the league's best 3rd down running backs. He received a 4-year deal with $7 million in guaranteed dollars. This move is kind of puzzling to me, the Bears already had Matt Forte as their starter & because of his excellent pass catching ability, he played on 3rd down. What the Bears needed in my opinion was an improved offensive line & wide receivers. Defensive end Julius Peppers has been in the Windy City since early this morning & he is expected to sign a mega-million dollar deal by sundown. So that would mean they still haven't signed a wide receiver or an offensive lineman. They essentially haven't helped QB Jay Cutler much & with the huge investment they have in him, one would think they would give him everything he needs in order to succeed.
*UPDATE at 2:15 CST: The Bears & Julius Peppers have indeed come to an agreement on a 5-year contract.
The Colts had two unrestricted free agents, make it only one now, they signed their defensive signal caller, middle linebacker Gary Brackett. This was pretty much a "must" deal from the Colts' stand point. Brackett will sign a 5-year contract, but the dollars haven't been revealed as of yet.
The Carolina Panthers have released defensive linemen Ma'ake Kemoeatu & Damoine Lewis, plus Julius Peppers left in free agency. That leaves them with veteran Tyler Brayton & a bunch of unproven young guys. Any possibility they would take a chance on Glenn Dorsey? They don't have their 1st round pick because of a trade, so I can't see them trading a 3rd rounder for him, but you never know. If Kemoeatu can pass a physical after his Achilles surgery, I'd like the Chiefs to sign him. Veteran space, eating-run-stuffers who are big enough to play nose tackle are hard to find.
Jon Gruden has taken on a pupil to tutor in the ways of an NFL quarterback. Gruden's most famous student was Brett Favre way back in the 90's. The football analyst for ESPN's Monday Night Football worked the previous two days with Tim Tebow. Gruden has also worked with former Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford.
On another front, Mizzou held their Pro Day yesterday & linebacker Sean Weatherspoon made quite an impression on the 20 or so scouts & coaches in attendance. At the combine, 'Spoon' ran a 4.68 40-yard dash & benched 34 reps. Yesterday he ran 4.54 & 4.52 plus he upped his bench press reps by one. Many times players will show improved numbers at their pro days. It's home in an environment they feel comfortable in, sleeping in their own bed & running on a surface they're used to running on unlike Indianapolis. He is right where I predicted him to be a year ago, a first rounder that should go somewhere between picks 24 & 32. The only other serious prospect for the Tigers is WR Danario Alexander, who is unable to do any of the physical drills or testing since he is recovering from knee surgery. D.A. suffered that injury during Senior Bowl practices, but played in the game anyway, only compounding the problem.
The Bears don't have a 1st or 2nd round draft pick thanks to trades, but in an uncapped year, they have the green light to go out & get a few high impact free agents. It's about the only way they'll be able to add enough talent to be competitive in the NFC North. The Bears made it clear they were going to be very active once free agency began & so they have. They signed former Charger TE Brandon Manumaleuna to a 5-year deal early this morning. He was the number one priority as the Bears were obligated to pay TE Desmond Clark a $475,000 roster bonus tomorrow. Expect to see Chicago dump the 12-year veteran sometime today. It's a brutal business. Chicago also signed former Viking Chester Taylor, one of the league's best 3rd down running backs. He received a 4-year deal with $7 million in guaranteed dollars. This move is kind of puzzling to me, the Bears already had Matt Forte as their starter & because of his excellent pass catching ability, he played on 3rd down. What the Bears needed in my opinion was an improved offensive line & wide receivers. Defensive end Julius Peppers has been in the Windy City since early this morning & he is expected to sign a mega-million dollar deal by sundown. So that would mean they still haven't signed a wide receiver or an offensive lineman. They essentially haven't helped QB Jay Cutler much & with the huge investment they have in him, one would think they would give him everything he needs in order to succeed.
*UPDATE at 2:15 CST: The Bears & Julius Peppers have indeed come to an agreement on a 5-year contract.
The Colts had two unrestricted free agents, make it only one now, they signed their defensive signal caller, middle linebacker Gary Brackett. This was pretty much a "must" deal from the Colts' stand point. Brackett will sign a 5-year contract, but the dollars haven't been revealed as of yet.
The Carolina Panthers have released defensive linemen Ma'ake Kemoeatu & Damoine Lewis, plus Julius Peppers left in free agency. That leaves them with veteran Tyler Brayton & a bunch of unproven young guys. Any possibility they would take a chance on Glenn Dorsey? They don't have their 1st round pick because of a trade, so I can't see them trading a 3rd rounder for him, but you never know. If Kemoeatu can pass a physical after his Achilles surgery, I'd like the Chiefs to sign him. Veteran space, eating-run-stuffers who are big enough to play nose tackle are hard to find.
Jon Gruden has taken on a pupil to tutor in the ways of an NFL quarterback. Gruden's most famous student was Brett Favre way back in the 90's. The football analyst for ESPN's Monday Night Football worked the previous two days with Tim Tebow. Gruden has also worked with former Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford.
On another front, Mizzou held their Pro Day yesterday & linebacker Sean Weatherspoon made quite an impression on the 20 or so scouts & coaches in attendance. At the combine, 'Spoon' ran a 4.68 40-yard dash & benched 34 reps. Yesterday he ran 4.54 & 4.52 plus he upped his bench press reps by one. Many times players will show improved numbers at their pro days. It's home in an environment they feel comfortable in, sleeping in their own bed & running on a surface they're used to running on unlike Indianapolis. He is right where I predicted him to be a year ago, a first rounder that should go somewhere between picks 24 & 32. The only other serious prospect for the Tigers is WR Danario Alexander, who is unable to do any of the physical drills or testing since he is recovering from knee surgery. D.A. suffered that injury during Senior Bowl practices, but played in the game anyway, only compounding the problem.
Comments