NFL Update - 2/27/2009

QUICK HITS

• The 2009 combine is over and, as expected, many prospects have increased or decreased their worth in scouts eyes.
• The NFL has announced that the expected salary cap has risen from $123 million to $127 million for the 2009-2010 league year. The $4 million boost should help teams in free agency.
  
• Free agency opened at midnight last night and the biggest name has already signed. Former Tennessee Titans DT Albert Haynesworth has inked a 7-year deal worth $100 million with the Washington Redskins. Haynesworth will earn over $30 million in the next 13 months. In other Redskins news, the team was able to resign CB DeAngelo Hall, whom they signed in the middle of last season after he was released by the Raiders. Hall inked a 5-year deal.
• With the addition of Haynesworth, could Jason Taylor be on his way out? His agent does not think so but Washington could need the $8 million to upgrade other areas.
  
• The 49ers are looking to add another back to take some of the load off of Frank Gore. Apparently DeShaun Foster and Michael Robinson aren't cutting it. RBs are readily available throughout the course of the draft and there is always the free agent market. San Francisco's GM wants the new RB to take 10-15 carries away from Gore.
• Giants DE/OLB Mathia Kiwanuka will remain at DE permanently despite the return of Osi Umenyiora. Kiwanuka and Umenyiora will rotate with Justin Tuck at the two DE positions.
• The Raiders did some house cleaning and cut safety Gibril Wilson a year after signing him to a large free agent contract. Wilson wasn't on the market for long (see Dolphins update below). Other Raiders to get the axe were DE Kalimba Edwards, WR Ronald Curry, OT Kwame Harris, and FB Justin Griffith.
  
• As expected the Colts have cut ties with WR Marvin Harrison, despite attempts to keep him on board. Harrison, who has fought injuries the last two seasons, has no intentions of retiring. In other Colts news, thanks to the increased salary cap maximum limit, Indianapolis was able to retain the services of free agent center Jeff Saturday.
• With Harrison now gone, will the Colts attempt to replace him in the first round of the upcoming draft? Based on their history there is a good chance of that happening. WRs Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez - the 30th and 32nd picks in 2001 and 2007, respectively - and TE Dallas Clark, chosen 24th in 2003, back up that claim. Prospects that could be available when Indianapolis selects on April 25th are Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey, Rutgers Kenny Britt, North Carolina's Hakeem Nicks, and Florida's Percy Harvin.
  
• Edgerrin James may not get his wish after all. The Arizona GM has not decided if he will release James.
  
• The Patriots have added the recently released Fred Taylor to their deep RB core.
• With Fred Taylor gone, Jacksonville will seek another option to pair with RB Maurice Jones-Drew, who they are working on a contract extension with.
  
• The Minnesota Vikings have alleviated their QB concerns by trading for Houston's Sage Rosenfels. Deja vu? This same thing was attempted last year, albeit unsuccessfully. This time around it worked. The Texans received Minnesota's 4th round pick in the 2009 draft. With Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson on the roster - plus last years 4th round pick John David Booty - Minnesota may not be players for Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez even if they drop in the first round.
• Initial reports had Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson taking a pay cut to remain with the team. However now it looks as though things are stalling which could result in his release. Wow, 30 really is a bitch of an age for RBs, isn't it?
• What will happen with Cardinals QB Kurt Warner? He will play in 2009 but it may not be with Arizona. Apparently Warner and the Cardinals are not close on a new deal and there are a few teams (49ers, Jets, Buccaneers) that may try to snipe him on the free agent market.
• The Kansas City Chiefs are now flush with cap space. They released veterans Patrick Surtain, Donnie Edwards, and Damon Huard.
  
• Count the Buccaneers among teams with plenty of money to spend, too. Tampa Bay made massive cuts this week, letting go LBs Derrick Brooks and Cato June, WRs Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard, and RB Warrick Dunn. Does new head coach Raheem Morris know what he's doing? Lets hope so.
• The Texans made cuts this week to free up some room for rookies and free agents. Among those released were LB Morlon Greenwood, DE Anthony Weaver, OT Ephraim Salaam, and safety Will Demps.
• Carolina freed up some cap space by releasing WR D.J. Hackett, RB Nick Goings, and OT Jeremy Bridges.
• Though it was reported last night that unrestricted free agent WR T.J. Houshmanzadeh would be resigning with the Bengals, nothing has been mentioned yet. It was also reported that Houshmanzadeh texted a Philadelphia radio station, wondering where he would land.
• The Broncos are expected to sign RBs J.J. Arrington (formerly of the Cardinals) and Correll Buckhalter (Eagles) today.
• A couple of big name guards were released yesterday. Pittsburgh released Kendall Simmons - their first round pick in 2002 - and Buffalo terminated the contract of Derrick Dockery. Dockery signed a huge 7-year deal with the Bills in 2007 when he hit free agency after the Redskins decided not to retain his services.
• Eric Mangini just seems to bring drama to the workplace, doesn't he? Apparently DT Shaun Rogers wants out of Cleveland after only 1 year of his 6-year deal. Rogers felt slighted by Mangini on two occasions when he did not acknowledge the mammoth man.
• UPDATE: Here's a big one. The Buccaneers and Browns have announced a deal sending TE Kellen Winslow to Tampa Bay for "undisclosed draft picks".
• UPDATE: The Washington Redskins have cut CB Shawn Springs.
• UPDATE: The Ravens, who lost may lose LB Bart Scott to the Jets, have signed CB Domonique Foxworth who played for the Falcons in 2008. This is a nice signing for them after dropping Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle. It's now being reported that Scott did indeed sign with New York.
  
• UPDATE: The Chiefs and Patriots are working on a trade that will send LB Mike Vrabel to Kansas City for an undisclosed draft pick. As of 3 PM the deal is done. No word on the exact compensation yet.
• UPDATE: It looks as though Vince Young will be spending at least one more season on the bench. Reports indicate that Tennessee and veteran QB Kerry Collins are closing in on a new contract for 2-years, $16 million. It is finalized. Two years, $15 million for Collins to remain the Titans starter.
• UPDATE: The Broncos have completely revamped their deep secondary. They have added SS Brian Dawkins and FS Renaldo Hill. In addition to those moves they also added WR Jabar Gaffney.
• UPDATE: The New Orleans Saints have resigned LB Jonathan Vilma to a 5-year, $34 million contract.
  

• The Miami Dolphins were busy in the days leading up to free agency. The team resigned OT Vernon Carey to a 6-year deal worth $42 million. Five days later they ironed out a 3-year extension for soon-to-be free agent LB Channing Crowder.
• They took a short break from resigning their own and decided to snag someone else. Miami grabbed recently released Raiders FS Gibril Wilson, signing him to a 5-year contract.
• They returned to their own free agents and hammered out a deal with SS Yeremiah Bell, solidifying the deep secondary. Bell signed a 4-year contract.
• After the Wilson and Bell deals it appears that last years starting FS Renaldo Hill will not be brought back. Hill is visiting Denver today. UPDATE: Hill signed with the Broncos.
  
• The only other free agent of importance to Miami is Andre Goodman, who really came on in 2008 and was the teams best CB. As of now he remains unsigned and is thought to be seeking a deal that will pay him $5 million annually. The Patriots are thought to be interested.
• Former Cowboys DE Chris Canty - a Parcells draft pick in Dallas - was thought to land in Miami as soon as free agency started. However he may have priced himself out of their budget. Canty may be seeking upwards of $8 million per year according to reports. Canty is visiting Washington today. UPDATE: Because of the Haynesworth deal, the Redskins have canceled Canty's visit. He will head to New York then Seattle and possibly Tennessee and San Francisco in the next few days. I'd say the 49ers are a good destination for him.
  
• Another player originally on Miami's radar was Ravens center Jason Brown. Brown, like Canty, is becoming way too expensive for the Dolphins. Brown is visiting with the Rams today and is expected to sign a contract worth more tha $7 million per year. UPDATE: Brown received an offer averaging over $7 million per year from St. Louis. It's being reported though that he'd rather not play there and wants another team to step up. Apparently, it isn't happening. Brown will have to take the deal and play somewhere he doesn't want to or wait it out and take a little less money.
  
• UPDATE: The Dolphins signed versatile OL Joe Berger to a 3-year deal. He is expected to challenge Samson Satele and Donald Thomas for the center or right guard spots. More likely, he'll be the backup at LG, C, and RG. Berger began his career in Miami in 2005 but was swiped off the practice squad by Dallas later that year. He returns to where he started his career and is reunited with many men from the Dallas organization.
  
• My Two Cents: Miami is going about this free agent process the right way (listen up, Washington). They took care of their own players (Carey, Crowder, Bell) and grabbed someone (Wilson) to upgrade a position. It would have been nice to grab Brown but you can't overspend. Parcells has always been about building through the draft and this shows that. I wouldn't be surprised to see Marvin Harrison or Laveranues Coles sign with Miami, as the Dolphins need a veteran WR to teach the younglings. The Dolphins may sit back and wait for the draft, where they can grab Cal's Alex Mack, Virginia's Clint Sintim, or Vanderbilt's D.J. Moore to fill out other positions of need. Way to go trifecta!
  
  
  
• Rex Ryan is attempting to raid his former team. The new Jets coach is going hard after former Ravens LBs Bart Scott and Ray Lewis as well as safety Jim Leonhard. Scott may be signed to a deal today. UPDATE: Scott has signed with the Jets, according to Pro Football Talk. The deal has not been signed and Scott will give the Ravens a chance to match the Jets offer believed to be 5-years, $40 million. If Scott does resign with Baltimore, expect Ray Lewis to land in New York.
  
• The Jets have restructured the contract of Laveranues Coles, allowing him to become a free agent. Could he reunite with Chad Pennington in Miami?
• K Mike Nugent rejected the Jets contract offer and will test the free agent market, where he will be the top kicker. New York expects to resign Jay Feely who handled the kicking duties while Nugent missed most of the season with an injury.
• The Jets released TE Chris Baker, who promptly signed with rival New England. This is one entertaining feud, even though Mangini is gone.
• My Two Cents: I like what the Jets are doing. Scott was a guy many Dolfans wanted if Crowder left. The Jets have holes (QB, WR) but Rex Ryan has a great football mind and will build through the draft. He has a keen eye for defense so he'll need help from others to fix the offenses problems. If New York finds a capable QB, they should be even better in 2009. That's a big if though.
  
  
• Former Steelers WR Nate Washington is garnering plenty of interest as a free agent. Tennessee, Seattle, and Washington are among the teams interested. UPDATE: Washington is expected to sign with the Lions today. He'll be the #2 behind Calvin Johnson.
  
• Though QB Byron Leftwich could see offers to become a starter again, he hasn't ruled out returning to Pittsburgh to back up Ben Roethlisberger.
• Starting OG Chris Kemoeatu was not resigned prior to free agency and now the Steelers may lose him. He has already been contacted by the Jaguars. Losing Kemoeatu, after releasing Simmons, would be a big blow to the interior line. Pittsburgh must address the unit in free agency and the draft.
• There were rumors that Colts center Jeff Saturday wanted to play in Pittsburgh. He resigned in Indianapolis. There was no word on whether the interest was mutual. From what I can tell, Justin Hartwig did a fine job in 2008. However if Pittsburgh wants to upgrade, they could go after former Viking Matt Birk.
• UPDATE: The Steelers were able to retain Kemoeatu with a 5-year, $20 million contract. The line will return at least four starters (Hartwig, Stapleton, Kemoeatu, Colon) plus Starks, who was a starter but missed much of the season with a back injury.
• UPDATE: Former Steelers OT Marvel Smith is drawing interest from the Raiders and Ravens.
  
• My Two Cents: What is going on with the Pittsburgh o-line? Max Starks was franchised and Willie Colon was tendered a restricted free agent offer. Kemoeatu may be gone; Simmons is. A possible center upgrade? Darnell Stapleton returns with Hartwig and Starks. Are Doug Legursky and Tony Hills the answer? The Steelers may stay quiet in free agency - they usually do - and may wait til the draft. It is a successful approach, usually, but a dangerous one. Pittsburgh could be in for another o-line overhaul.
  

• Where is Ravens LB Ray Lewis headed? According to Cowboys LB DeMarcus Ware it could be Dallas. Apparently Lewis has let Ware know he'd love to be his teammate. Unfortunately for Lewis, Dallas has shown little interest in the days before free agency and nothing as of this morning.
• As previously reported, the Cowboys are attempting to part ways with SS Roy Williams. They'd like to trade him but may ultimately need to cut him, as anticipated.
  
• Things are very quiet in Dallas. A bit too quiet. Perhaps they are preparing to release Terrell Owens?
• My Two Cents: The Cowboys have enough talent to win now. Someone has to bring the team together. Dallas has some needs but they don't need splashy acquisitions. They should wait til the draft and hope they can fill needs with what picks they have left after the (other) Roy Williams trade. A new NT and DE depth, plus some secondary help is needed.
  

• The Eagles are restarting their attempts to trade CB Lito Sheppard. The unhappy Sheppard was thought to be headed out of town last offseason when the team signed former Patriots CB Asante Samuel to a big deal. The reason may have been the asking price - a high 2nd round pick. The Eagles are still demanding compensation in that range.
• The Eagles have struck! According to Pro Football Talk, Philadelphia has signed former Bengals OT Stacy Andrews, the older brother of stud OG Shawn Andrews, who finished the season with Cincinnati on IR after severely injuring his knee. The elder Andrews will get a shot at the RT job but could flip-flop with his little brother and move inside to RG.
  
• The Eagles are thought to be interested in free agent WRs Marvin Harrison and T.J. Houshmanzadeh, the latter of which is visiting Seattle today. Harrison played with Donovan McNabb at Syracuse. Perhaps bringing back an old pal could spark McNabb to accept the Eagles offer and report to offseason workouts?
• UPDATE: Uh oh, Eagles fans... Brian Dawkins is visiting the Broncos today. And according to Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk, Dawkins has signed with Denver as of 5 PM. After 13 years in Philly, Dawkins is gone.
  
• My Two Cents: McNabb is an enigma to me. I don't get him so I won't even touch on the subject. Apparently the Eagles think Andrews will be ready for training camp, despite the injury. They needed to sign at least one OT since both Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan are free to sign with any team at the moment. Reports had the Eagles aggressively trying to resign Thomas but nothing right now. They may wait and add another OT in the first round of the draft in April, even if Thomas eventually resigns.

I'll try to update this occasionally with any new free agent signings. After today all important signings will have their own post.