ProFootballTalk: Who can turn Saints’ defense around?

Sean Payton wasted no time when firing defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Who’s next up in New Orleans?

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The Cowboys are reportedly ready to give their top wide receiver the franchise tag.

Dez Bryant is likely to be designated the Cowboys’ franchise player on Monday, club COO Stephen Jones said Saturday, according to Mark Lane of Fox Sports Southwest.

“I still think that it’s probably, you know, would be a stretch to think that we would have something done by Monday and beat the franchise-tag deadline,” Jones told Fox Sports Southwest, indicating the club was “eyeing” giving Bryant the tag.

Also, ESPN Dallas’s Todd Archer reported Jones had said the club had informed Bryant’s agent the tag was coming.

The top offensive player in PFT’s Free Agent Hot 100, the 26-year-old Bryant hauled in 88 passes for 1,320 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. He has exceeded 1,200 receiving yards and caught at least a dozen touchdowns in each of the last three seasons for Dallas, which captured the NFC East in 2014.

The deadline for clubs to use the franchise tag is Monday.

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With numerous veterans hitting the market in recent days, PFT’s Free Agent Hot 100 has gotten an update.

For now, we’ve added five players to our list of the top free agents, including ex-Lions tailback Reggie Bush and ex-Rams defensive tackle Kendall Langford.

The still-swift Bush could appeal to clubs looking to add depth at tailback, but Langford could be a name to watch, too. Langford (6-6, 313) has never missed an NFL game, and he turned 29 in January. As released free agents go, he has a good number of attributes working for him.

For those wanting to keep track of all of the veteran cuts as free agency nears, check out PFT’s Veteran Cuts Tracker, which we will update as more names hit the market. Both the tracker and free agent rankings are right on PFT’s home page, and you will want to bookmark all of these for ease-of-use as the offseason drama ramps up.

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Before NFL owners can decide on which rules to change (or not to change) for 2015, the balls must be teed up by the Competition Committee.  While not binding in any way on the folks who sign the checks, the Competition Committee’s recommendations typically carry plenty of weight when the time comes to determine whether 24 of 32 owners will alter one or more rules.

The Competition Committee met on Saturday in Naples, Florida.  According to NFL executive V.P. of football operations Troy Vincent, the session included potential improvements to the games played in London.

Vincent didn’t identify specific potential possibilities for making the game better.  As the annual series has grown from one game per year to three, the NFL has begun kicking off earlier, with games becoming Sunday morning nationally-televised events.  There also has been talk of possibly eliminating the automatic bye week following all London games, with the goal of assessing one of the potential consequences of moving a team to London and requiring visiting teams to play without a bye on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

AP

Texans linebacker Brian Cushing was healthier last season than he had been for the previous two years, but he was still dealing with plenty of injuries.

In fact, Cushing has already had three surgical procedures this offseason: One to repair a broken right wrist, one arthroscopic procedure on his left ankle and a procedure on the left knee that has plagued him for years.

“It’s not uncommon for stuff like that to happen. It’s just little things here and there, the residual effects of two major surgeries and injuries, the wear and tear of playing throughout the season,” Cushing told the Houston Chronicle. “There were still some things bothering me a little bit. Just went in there and had real good success in both areas and looking forward to a very healthy and productive season. We have the technology and the doctors, especially in Houston, to do a simple, minor procedure like that. Go in, clean whatever needs to get out of there and just feel better.”

Cushing said he’s confident he’ll be healthy enough to participate in the Texans’ offseason program.

“It’s coming along real well,” he said. “I’m going to start working out a little bit. From a pain standpoint, there’s really nothing going on there. I’m real happy about that. I’m real happy to get the cast off and start doing some physical therapy on it, and I don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

The Texans have to hope the 28-year-old Cushing can get healthy and stay healthy. It’s been a long time since he’s looked like the same player he was early in his career, before injuries took their toll.

AP

With the offseason maximum roster size at 90 players per team, a total of 2,880 jobs currently are available.  Like Michael Sam and Vince Young, running back Ray Rice hasn’t received an offer for one of them.

Unlike Sam and Young, Rice won’t be working out for teams next month.  Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Rice does not plan to attend the March 22 veteran combine.

While for many reasons it makes little sense for Sam and Young to show up for a mass workout when any interested team could fly the players to town at any time for a private tryout, neither Sam nor Young carry the baggage Rice does.  Any NFL franchise sufficiently curious about Rice’s current talent and fitness level to watch him run and jump and cut and catch would have to endure the criticism that would come from flirting with the man whose on-camera elevator knockout of his then-fiancée became a national lightning rod in September 2014.

By watching Rice work out at a mass gathering of players no one currently wants, an interested team could discreetly eyeball Rice without taking heat for it.  So it would make sense for Rice, who still hopes to return to the NFL, to show up and work out.

Indeed, showing up and working out would make a lot more sense — and be a lot more effective — than a Hail Mary interview with the local newspaper in the city where he used to play.

AP

As Ray Rice tries to work his way back into the NFL, he’s trying to work up a little positive P.R.

The former Ravens running back told Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun that the last year has been incredibly difficult for him (as opposed to how hard the moment was for his wife when he punched her in the face in the elevator, and then watched her apologize for her role in the assault at a press conference).

“The big picture of it all, being the person that I am, I really felt horrible,” Rice said. “You almost want to punish yourself. I know I’m never going to win the battle of public opinion. Honestly, I almost felt like at one point that it wasn’t worth living. I see why people commit suicide.

“It hurt that bad. I was low, real low. It hurt that bad because you worked your whole life to do all the right things and then you’re the world’s most hated person. It was really tough. My daughter, oh Lord, I grew up without a father, there’s no way I could check out on my own family.”

And yet, he did. Now that he’s lost his $35 million job, and trying to hustle up another way to support his family, the public act of contrition is predictable.

Rice also said his relationship with his wife Janay is now on more solid footing, and that he’s grown since the two had a drunken row at an Atlantic City casino. He avoided criminal charges by getting into a pretrial intervention program in New Jersey, but became radioactive in the eyes of the Ravens (who previously, vigorously supported him) when the video of the incident became public.

“It’s tough, I realize that’s a battle I’m going to have to face for the rest of my life,” Rice said. “Time does heal everything, but I don’t think people are going to forget this. I want people to not forget about the incident, but I want people to see there’s a human being on the other side. This is not a monster, a guy who’s a repeat offender. I’m not the guy they stereotype me to be. I’m not excusing what I did.”

Rice said he agonized over how he’d eventually explain the issue to his daughter, and talked about how hard it would be to leave Baltimore to move closer to his hometown of New Rochelle, N.Y.

And while many are skeptical as to whether another team will give him a chance — though the Ravens wish someone would (if only to take them off the hook) — Rice said he understands it won’t be about whether he can still play football.

“I’m optimistic that I’ll get a second chance,” Rice said. “I don’t think this boils down to whether I can play football or not. Obviously I know that. I just think there’s so much more that comes with it. I know the PR side of it will be tough. I understand that. . . .

“I don’t want my career to be defined by this one moment. I’ve been smart with money and the NFL is a great-paying game, but I really want to get back out there for my pride and to be able to leave the game with dignity. I don’t ever want to feel exiled out because I wasn’t that guy. … I know I’m not ready to call it quits yet.”

That decision’s not up to Rice, and whether anyone gives him that chance will depend in part on whether they believe him to be sincere.

AP

We don’t know at the moment whether Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy will or won’t be suspended.

And we can’t know until at least the March 10 start of free agency to know where he’ll play, whenever he’s eligible.

But it seems we know where he won’t be playing next season.

According to Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review, the Panthers are out of the running for last year’s franchise player, deciding to let him walk into the market, and willing to simply accept whatever 2016 compensatory pick comes their way.

While a number of players went to bat for Hardy with management after his domestic violence case was thrown out to create a glimmer of hope, “that slim possibility quickly cooled and eventually ended last week.”

It’s unclear what, if anything, happened within the last seven days to erase the last shred of hope that he’d return. But you could see the writing on the wall at the Scouting Combine, when General Manager Dave Gettleman was discussing the importance of evaluating character and said “Who wants a ticking time bomb?”

The Panthers were already wary of him, unwilling to invest in a long-term deal last year. Then their $13.1-million franchise tag gamble backfired, when he played one game and spent the rest of the year on the commissioner’s exempt list.

Hardy’s lately been retweeting fans begging the team to bring him back, but it seems like he’s going to have to find another fanbase to do his passive-aggressive online panhandling for him.

If this was just a football decision, he’d be one of the most sought-after players in the market. He’s still 26, and had 15.0 sacks the last time he played a full season.

Teams such as the Falcons, Buccaneers, Bengals, Raiders and Jaguars have the means and needs to pursue him, but his market will be fascinating to watch since no one’s sure when or whether Roger Goodell will rule on his status.

AP

The Benson Family Feud features hard feelings and strong opinions and high stakes and plenty of lawyers, sparked by Saints owner Tom Benson’s decision to re-write his will in a way that altered the succession plan for his NFL and NBA franchises.  A new report indicates that the change from Benson’s daughter and her two children to Benson’s current wife was sparked by a December confrontation between Rita Benson LeBlanc (right in the photo) and Gayle Benson (left).

According to Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times Picayune, LeBlanc (Mr. Benson’s granddaughter, who previously was pegged to run the Saints after his passing) and Gayle Benson (Mr. Benson’s third wife) had a disagreement in the presence of others in a suite at the Superdome before the Week 16 game against the Falcons.  Duncan reports that LeBlanc was the aggressor, and that she eventually “grabbed Gayle Benson by both shoulders and shook the then-67-year-old repeatedly during a confrontation that lasted several minutes.”

“[Rita] was shaking [Gayle] to emphasize her point and to be heard,” a source who witnessed the incident told Duncan.  “It was pretty ugly.”

Duncan reports that, six days after the encounter, Mr. Benson “mailed a letter to [daughter] Renee Benson, Rita Benson LeBlanc and [grandson] Ryan LeBlanc telling them he never wanted to see them again and banning them from his business operations.”

In January, Mr. Benson finalized the change to his will that shifts ownership of the Saints and the NBA’s Pelicans to Gayle Benson after his passing.  That move prompted a lawsuit from Renee Benson, Rita Benson LeBlanc, and Ryan LeBlanc challenging his mental capacity to alter his plans for the future control of the teams.

While the incident between LeBlanc and Benson has no direct relevance to the question of whether Mr. Benson had the appropriate mental capacity to alter his will, it helps explain why he made the decision — and it likely will prompt plenty of fans in New Orleans who haven’t chosen a side in the Benson Family Feud to side with Gayle Benson.

Every Monday through Friday, three full hours of (mostly) NFL-related chatter emerges on PFT Live on NBC Sports Radio.  For those who aren’t in position to listen to the radio or the online stream from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET during the workweek, you’re in luck.  And presumably not bad luck.

All PFT Live shows are available via the on-demand player that can be accessed right here, or through the “on demand” button at the NBC Sports Radio.  Which means you can listen to all of the shows while doing whatever it is you do on Saturday when you’re not at work.

PFT Live (the web show) has been around for more than four years.  The three-radio NBC Sports Radio tour has finished its eighth week.  Week Nine starts Monday, only eight days from the start of free agency.

AP

Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller thinks Wade Phillips is just the defensive coordinator to let him make the most of his talents.

Miller told the team’s website that he thinks the new defense Phillips is installing will let him do what he does best, and attack the quarterback.

“I think we’ll be a little more aggressive,” Miller said. “I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be pretty exciting.”

started all 16 games last season and had 14 sacks, but he said he believes he’ll be in better shape in 2015 because last year he spent his offseason rehabbing from a torn ACL.

“I’ve been working extremely hard this offseason,” Miller said. “Last year I couldn’t really do as much with the ACL surgery but now I’m 100 percent and I’m doing all I can every single day. I’m looking forward to my teammates and all the guys leaning on me to make some plays.”

The Broncos’ offense is still faced with the enormous question of whether Peyton Manning will come back, as well as questions about free agents Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas and Wes Welker. But on defense, there’s little question that the Broncos have good talent, and a good new defensive coordinator.

AP

As the veteran receiver market grows via the release of multiple veteran receivers under contract, more and more receivers will be facing a take-a-pay-cut-or-take-a-hike ultimatum.

The group of veteran receivers facing that dilemma includes 49ers receiver Stevie Johnson.  Acquired via trade in 2014, Johnson never became fully engaged in the San Fran offense, resulting in only one start, 35 catches, 435 yards, and three touchdowns.

With a new coaching staff, a base salary of $5.5 million, a $275,000 workout bonus, and a $250,000 roster bonus due in March, the 49ers want Johnson to take a pay cut, per a league source.  According to another source, however, a request to accept less has not yet been made.

Diana Russini of NBC 4 in Washington reports that the 49ers are expected to release Johnson.  It’s possible he’ll simply be cut without any discussion about taking less.  Chances are, however, that a cut would be preceded by a negotiation.  Eventually, Johnson most likely will be asked to take less in order to stay.

Any analysis regarding a reduced offer includes gauging the market elsewhere.  It’s tampering for other teams to tell Johnson’s agents what they’d pay for him, but it’s prudent for the agents of any players facing this Let’s Make A Deal conundrum to try to peek behind Door No. 2 before rejecting Door No. 1.

The growing glut of veteran receivers coupled with the instant impact made by rookies likely means Johnson won’t be getting $6.05 million from the 49ers (or likely from anyone else) in 2015.  Look for something to be finalized before the roster bonus comes due on the fifth day of the new league year.

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On Friday, veteran quarterback Josh McCown opted for the Browns over the Bills.  On the surface, the move seemed a bit surprising.  At a deeper level, it makes more sense.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Browns seemed more eager than the Bills to close a deal reportedly worth $15 million over three years, and McCown viewed the Browns to be the better fit.  Also, the Bills created the impression that they have other plans at the position.

For the Browns, the only clear plans at this point are that Brian Hoyer won’t be part of them.  Via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, coach Mike Pettine and G.M. Ray Farmer called Hoyer on Friday to inform him of the arrival of McCown.  While they apparently didn’t say it, it means they won’t be trying to re-sign Hoyer, who is due to become a free agent on March 10.

McCown will be trying to help the guys who technically represent McCown’s competition, Johnny Manziel and Connor Shaw.

“If you can give of yourself to others to help somebody else in your journey, I think you’ll find so much more peace in life,” McCown told Alex Marvez and Mark Dominik of SiriusXM NFL Radio on Friday night.  “And so that’s my approach when I head into a quarterback room, and is just ‘What can I give back to the guys around me to help us be better?'”

McCown specifically wants to help the 2014 first-round pick who currently is going through a serious personal challenge after entering rehab.

“Johnny is a person, and every person that I come across has value to me, and they matter,” McCown said.  “And so I want to help him as much as I can with all parts of it.  To grow as a person and as a player and to help him go on and have a fruitful career.”

That attitude suggests McCown will be ready to do whatever the Browns ask him to do, with no agenda or rivalry or jealousy.  He truly wants to help the Browns win, whether that means McCown, Manziel, or Shaw taking the snaps.

AP

Rarely (if ever) does a guy finish his rookie contract with a 20-plus-sack season.  Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston did just that, and now the question becomes whether the Chiefs will find a way to keep him with a long-term deal or apply the franchise tag.

An agreement seems unlikely at this point.  The Chiefs weren’t willing to meet Houston’s position at times when he had far less leverage than he currently enjoys.  Now, the 22 bales of hay are in the barn and Houston’s expectations won’t be any lower than they were during the season, when the Chiefs failed to meet them.

It makes application of the franchise tag, barring a sudden change of heart, a virtual certainty.  And that’s when things could start to get interesting.

During the season, Houston’s plan was to gladly accept the franchise tender, and the $13 million or more that goes along with it.  After one of the best seasons an NFL pass rusher ever has had, Houston is now content to let things percolate.

If the market goes haywire for available pass rushers like Greg Hardy, Jason Pierre-Paul (if not tagged), and Jerry Hughes, Houston’s leverage shoots even higher.  Then there’s defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.  If he sets a new high bar for all defensive players, Houston with his average of 1.22 sacks per game over the last two seasons could argue he should at least come close.

The wildcard in Houston’s case will be the willingness of other teams to consider signing him to an offer sheet, knowing that, if the Chiefs don’t match, the price will be a pair of first-round draft picks.  With the Bills giving up a top-10 pick, another first-round pick, and a fourth-round pick to get receiver Sammy Watkins a year ago, why not at least ponder pursuing Houston with a low first-round pick in 2015 and, if a team that finished with a good enough record to be low in the draft order this year has Justin Houston, a low first-round pick in 2016?

The difference, of course, is the investment in the player.  Watkins cost the Bills $19.9 million for four years.  Houston may want $19.9 million per year.

The possibility of another team signing Houston to an offer sheet could prompt the Chiefs to apply the exclusive franchise tag, which would give him the average of the five highest-paid linebackers in 2015.  It also would make a Terrell Suggs-style linebacker-versus-defensive end tag fight more likely, since the gap between the two positions likely will be even higher based on 2015 cap numbers for the two positions.

However it plays out, the application of the tag to Houston likely will be something far closer to the beginning of the process than the end of it.

AP

LeSean McCoy is one of the best running backs in the NFL. But he’s also one of the most expensive running backs in the NFL. And there’s talk in Philadelphia that the Eagles may conclude that McCoy isn’t worth the money he costs.

McCoy has already been asked about it this offseason and responded that he’s not interested in taking a pay cut, but Philly.com is raising the question of whether McCoy is in danger of being asked to take a pay cut — and getting cut if he declines.

Under his current contract, McCoy is scheduled to count $11.9 million against the Eagles’ cap this year, which makes him the second-most expensive running back in the NFL for 2015, behind only Adrian Peterson. Darren Sproles is also scheduled to cost $4.1 million against the Eagles’ cap, and the Eagles are expected to tender restricted free agent Chris Polk at $1.6 million for 2015. That would be a total cost of $17.6 million just for three running backs. That’s an awful lot of money to spend on a position that is being devalued around the NFL. And the easiest way to reduce that awful lot of money would be to reduce McCoy’s cap number.

McCoy has already said he’s willing to restructure his deal to lessen his cap hit for this year, but he was clear he just means a simple restructure that pays him the same amount of money, not a new deal that pays him less money. That means that if the Eagles think he’s overpaid, their only real option would be to release him.

It sounds crazy that a player as good as McCoy would be told to take less money or get cut, but then again a lot of people thought it sounded crazy at this time last year when discussions were first raised about the Eagles potentially cutting DeSean Jackson. Eventually, that happened. The two aren’t perfect comparisons because there were reportedly off-field issues that gave the Eagles pause about committing to Jackson, and that isn’t an issue with McCoy. But we saw with Jackson that Chip Kelly won’t hesitate to get rid of a productive player. We may see that with McCoy as well.

AP

With two days to go until the window closes for using the franchise tag and no indication that any of the primary candidates for the tag are poised to strike a long-term deal, one of the biggest names due to hit the market most likely won’t.

It’s a “safe bet” the Broncos will be applying the franchise tag to receiver Demaryius Thomas, per a source with knowledge of the situation.  While the two sides are talking, a deal currently isn’t expected in the next two days.

While the magnitude of the parties’ positions isn’t known, Thomas stands to earn $13 million fully guaranteed in 2015, if the tag is applied and if he signs the franchise tender.  After the tag is applied, the Broncos and Thomas will have until July 15 to strike a long-term deal.

The eventual market for veteran receivers surely will be a major factor in negotiations.  If the coming glut of older pass-catchers sees the willingness of teams to spend plummet in light of the trend toward game-ready rookie wideouts, the Broncos may be less willing to pump up the numbers in order to get a deal done.

If/when Demaryius Thomas gets the tag, the stage will be set for tight end Julius Thomas to hit the market.  While many believe Julius is destined to no longer wear orange (yeah, I said it), quarterback Peyton Manning’s willingness to restructure possibly comes with a specific request to keep both Thomases around for 2015.

If that’s the directive, the smarter move could be to work out something with Demaryius Thomas before Monday, and then to use the franchise tag on Julius.  If agent Todd France anticipates the receiver market will soften to the point that the Broncos may actually offer less by late March or beyond, maybe the best move will be to take the best offer they’re willing to make now.  And maybe the Broncos’ best move will be to throw just enough extra on the pile to get Demaryius under contract — and then to keep Julius around with the tag.