New England Patriots News 3-22 and Notes Around the AFC East
 Rob Ninkovich got a nice pay increase from the Patriots in 2015. (USA TODAY Images) |
Spring has finally arrived, (sort of) and with the first flurry of free agency in the books, the talk now starts to build around the upcoming April 30 start of the 2015 NFL Draft.
The Patriots made a couple of depth moves and passed on some other more high priced players which is more in-line with their business model.
So here are Sunday’s Patriots news notes and what’s happening around the division:
Winning atmosphere draws Chandler/Sheard: Scott Chandler and Jabaal Sheard are different players who play on different sides of the ball but they share in common a trait that drew them both to New England…the desire to play for a winning franchise. Something to keep in mind is that these two players have been a combined 51-93 before joining New England.
“It’s been a top-flight organization since I’ve been playing,” Chandler told the Patriots.com. “For sure, and longer than that. That was a big factor.” Chandler spoke about being looking forward to being paired with Rob Gronkowski stating, “I’m sure we’ll get to know each other and get along well,” Chandler said. “He seems like a fun guy to be around. Obviously, (he’s) a great player. I’m looking forward to watching him do his thing. He’s fun to watch.”
Sheard was blunt in an assessment of his own play the past two years, “My career has been shaky, it’s been up and down,” he said. And about getting a fresh start in New England he stated, “I’m more focused and hungry than I’ve ever been. I just have to learn how to finish. Hopefully, getting with the new coaches over here, I’ll be able to work on that and get that accomplished.”
It is encouraging to see two guys that have had personal success on other teams that haven’t had the team success be already into the “Patriots Way” right off the bat. Speaks well of both players and the organization. They’ve obviously made the right choice in recruiting these two players.
Well Earned Raise For Ninkovich: Patriots DE Rob Ninkovich was slated to earn a total of $2.45 million in 2015 with a $2.1 million base salary and the remainder in bonuses for workouts and the roster. But the 31 year-old Ninkovich, a clutch player for the past several years, now has a nice new payday.
Ninkovich’s new 2015 salary will be a total of $5 million, with $4.5 million of that completely guaranteed and the remaining $500,000 being tied to workout and roster bonuses.
With the addition of Sheard, Ninkovich will now be able to get a breather now and again. It means both Ninkovich and Chandler Jones will be fresher late in games and it should boost their production. No one in the NFL on the DL played more than Ninkovich last season. Think this bothers him? Not a chance. Amidst Sheard’s press conference welcoming him to the team, he stated he’s already spoken with both players.
“I definitely look forward to working with Chandler (Jones) and Rob (Ninkovich),” Sheard said. “Those guys are definitely excited, just talking to them a little bit. I think we'll make a nice three-man tandem. We'll get after guys and create a lot in the backfield and on quarterbacks."
No one has been more clutch than Ninkovich the past several seasons on the defensive line. Whenever there is a big play being made in a big spot, it is usually #50 making it. So he’s earned his payday.
Cadet Salary Breakdown: New running back Travaris Cadet who is in the running to replace Shane Vereen as the Patriots third-down back in the passing game signed his deal this week. His entire salary cap hit is an affordable $1.72 million for two years. His cap charge for 2015 is $742,000 and for 2016 it is $760,000.
The entire breakdown can be found on PatsFans.com very own Miguel Benzan’s page, PatsCap.com. Miguel does a phenomenal job with the cap and this time of year is a regular on PFW in Progress as well as widely being quoted by most of the beat writers.
Patriots Sign CBs Fletcher and McClain: In two separate moves the Patriots added two new cornerbacks to the mix in an attempt to replace the departed Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner. Former Eagle Bradley Fletcher and former Falcon Robert McClain were signed to contracts this week.
Fletcher signed a one-year, prove-it type deal worth a maximum value of $2.5 million, with most of that cash tied up with incentives and roster bonuses. Only $500,000 of that money is guaranteed. Fletcher suffered through a terrible 2014 that saw him allow the most yardage (1072) of any CB in the NFL and the second most touchdowns, (nine). It is hoped that like Pat Chung last year, a new atmosphere and a clean slate will propel Fletcher back on the right track.
McClain was mainly a slot corner for the Falcons but did get a few starts outside and was serviceable in Atlanta. He signed another prove-it type contract with only $300,000 guaranteed. It is a one-year deal worth a maximum of $1.24 million.
The cornerback roster now consists of Malcolm Butler, Kyle Arrington, Alfonzo Dennard, Chimdi Chekwa, Dax Swanson, Justin Green as well as Fletcher and McClain. Competition will be fierce this summer.
Where’s the Beef?...DT/OG Positions Still Need Depth: After a few signings during free agency, including bringing back DL Alan Branch, the Patriots are still in need in of both interior DL and OL depth at this point. The team really needs an influx of youth at both positions.
They still have guard Dan Connolly out there as a free agent and he’s starting to get some interest from other teams. Expect the Patriots to address both positions in the draft. There are still some intriguing players out there in free agency but it appears that at least for now…they’re awaiting April 30th.
Eastbound and Down…..News from around the AFC East
Rivers in the Green…It May Happen: With the news that QB Philip Rivers intends on playing out his contract in San Diego to see if the Chargers will move to Los Angeles, he may end up on the trading block.
If that is the case, the Chargers may trade Rivers for the #6 pick which may turn into Marcus Mariota on April 30. Rivers still has some pretty good productive years left at age 33 and if the Jets swap the sixth pick…assuming Mariota is still on the board, it would immediately upgrade the Jets tremendously at the position.
There’s even been talk of Drew Brees being on the block, but right now Rivers makes the most sense. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that the Bolts scheduled a private workout with Mariota… Stay tuned.
Mehta Calls the Pats Petty, Adding More Fuel to the Rivalry: Jets beat writer Manish Mehta wrote a provocative column on Thursday concerning the tampering charges against the Jets that is being investigated by the league. In it, he called the Patriots charges that the Jets tampered with Darrelle Revis, “petty” and going further, he added, “The NFL’s attempt to uncover any dirt was an exercise in futility, a witch hunt driven by nonsense from a hypocritical organization with no reason to feel threatened by its competitor.” Shots fired.
And of course what column coming out of NY concerning the Patriots doesn’t have a mention of “SpyGate”? That saw Tom E. Curran of CSNNE write a scathing rebuttal to Mehta’s column and it further inflamed passions on both sides. Bottom line on this one is what Curran wrote, which was that Woody didn’t “allegedly” tamper with Darrelle Revis. He did, into a microphone, at a press conference. His comments were the text book definition of tampering. Whether or not it was ‘intentional’ matters little.
So the intensity of the Patriots – Jets rivalry just got ratcheted up a notch further and if the Jets get penalized for this, will get even more so.
Bills Get Their Tight End…Clay Hits the Jackpot: The Buffalo Bills have been extremely active in free agency; bringing in guard Richie Icognito, QB Matt Cassel, RB LeSean McCoy, WR Percy Harvin as well as re-signing DE/OLB Jerry Hughes and now have TE Charles Clay in the fold.
Clay signed a five-year $38 million dollar contract and will bring a nice touch to the tight end position as he’s an athletic option in the passing game. With the Dolphins going to their WRs in the short passing game, Clay’s numbers fell to 58 receptions for 605 yards and just three touchdowns in 2014, down from the year before.
Under Greg Roman, his role should increase in the short passing game. However, $38 million for a one-dimensional tight end is a bit of a stretch. Clay isn’t an in-line blocker and rated 16th of 19 tight ends in the blocking efficiency by Pro Football Focus (PFF).
As we’ve seen in games against New England, Clay is a talented pass catcher. But is this an example of wanting a player so bad that you overpay too much for him? We’ll see, but the question for Buffalo’s remade offense remains, who will be under center?
Dolphins Need to Find Help At LB/RB: The Dolphins made the big splash this off-season with the signing of Ndamukong Suh, but had to jettison some other players to make room for the big DT.
While no one in Miami will be missing Dannell Ellerbe and Phillip Wheeler anytime soon, their departure leaves the Dolphins thin there with Koa Misi as the only returning starter.
Miami’s situation at running back is similar with only Lamar Miller, Damien Williams and Mike Gillislee in the backfield after losing Knowshon Moreno. They need a big, bruiser of a back that can run between the tackles. The draft will be an interesting one for Miami.
Miami made the wise choice to not match the offer for transition free agent tight end Charles Clay, instead replacing him with the talented but oft-injured Jordan Cameron and backup Dion Sims. But they’re rolling the dice with Cameron, banking on him staying healthy next season.
Bringing in WR Kenny Stills, and Cameron will give the Dolphins a much different look in 2015. They’re replacing four of their top five receivers in terms of yardage from 2014. These new players will have to get in a comfort zone early with QB Ryan Tannehill.
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