The Giants signed kicker Josh Brown, ending Lawrence Tynes’ run with the Giants. He got two rings out of it, so good for him. Don’t be surprised if the Giants continue to address the kicker position in the draft. The guy that I would keep an eye on is Caleb Sturgis of Florida, who was absolutely murdering the ball at the East-West Shrine Game practices.
The Giants hosted Jasper Brinkley, but he left to go visit the Cardinals. I can’t say that I know anything about Brinkley’s game, but the overwhelming theme in reading up on him quickly is that he wouldn’t be much of an upgrade over Chase Blackburn, a player who shouldn’t have been starting in the NFL in the first place.
The Giants are expected to meet with Steelers S Ryan Mundy today, per Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. In studying up on other players (not Mundy) in preparation for free agency, I stumbled upon this Mundy gem:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1EcEthv74Q]
The Cowboys cut Marcus Spears today, 3 years too late. That’ll save the Cowboys $2 million in cap space. Woohooo! Let’s go sign somebody! Oh… wait… No cap relief on Spears’ release until June?
Reserve TE John Phillips signed with the Chargers. Phillips was looking like the heir apparent to Jason Witten, when he tore his ACL during the 2011 preseason. The new #2 will now likely be James Hanna.
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is officially no longer an Eagle. He signed with Denver for 1 year. DRC is one of the more frustrating players I can recall watching. So much talent, so little production.
49ers DE Ricky Jean-Francois visited the Eagles, but is on his way to Indy. That seems dead in the water.
I’ve seen a number of rumors that the Eagles are interested in Giants S Kenny Phillips. People around the league think his knee is degenerative. Phillips was such a good player when he was healthy that some team is going to give him a shot. That team just has to know not to put any guaranteed money into years 2 and beyond.
The Eagles have reported interest in Cowboys OLB Victor Butler and Texans OLB Conner Barwin. I don’t know Barwin’s game well enough to comment on him, but I will on Butler. Victor Butler is a pass rusher only. He is a liability against the run, and is not good in coverage. Having said that, I really like him. Here’s a film breakdown I did of Sean Lee. Butler shows up prominently in that film breakdown. He makes plays. But if you put him on the field, it means that you’re likely taking Trent Cole and/or Brandon Graham off of it. I can’t see why Butler would want to sign in Philly for that reason. I think that teams that have much bigger needs for pass rushers would make more sense for him, say, for example, the Jets. But if the Eagles could bring him aboard at a reasonable cost, then by all means…
Isaac Sopoaga said the Eagles would “shock the world.” Aaaaand the vultures heard it:
“Today, Sopoaga pushed the bar higher than anyone expected it to be in Philly this year.”Yeah, that’s what he did. He also flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami.
LB Lorenzo Alexander is now a Cardinal. Apparently, the Redskins made him an offer of $2.6 guaranteed, then lowered it $1.4 million. The Cardinals offered $3 million guaranteed, and he was gone. Great Redskin. They’re going to miss him.
When the Vikings released CB Antoine Winfield, my immediate thought was, “Redskins.” He’s going to be 36, but he can still play, and for years has been one of the best tackling corners in the NFL. The Skins could stick him into a similar role that DeAngelo Hall played last year, with some work in the slot. He would be a huge upgrade, even at his age. The Redskins reportedly reached out to him, but they probably don’t have the cap space.
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