With free agency looming, the draft about two months away and the new league year beginning in a few weeks, it’s the time of the year when teams make tough decisions and shed contracts and players that don’t fit into their plans for the next season. Over the last few days players have been hitting the bricks like a Knicks shootaround.
Dockett will test the market
The Arizona Cardinals would like to keep defensive tackle Darnell Dockett in the fold, but not at the $9.8 million cap hit he would have cost them in 2015. Friday the Cards set Dockett free, with a possibility to return to the team if he doesn’t find the deal he’s looking for.
“We have been very clear about our feelings for Darnell and our desire to have him back,” Cards GM Steve Keim said. “After speaking with him and his representatives, we decided that this move today makes the most sense for both the team and the player and allows each to keep all of its options open.”
Dockett didn’t play a down in 2014 after tearing his ACL in training camp. Dockett has been a consistent and solid performer for Arizona on its defensive line since entering the league in 2004 as a third round pick out of Florida State. In 2013 Dockett had 46 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Dockett just turned 33 and will begin his 12th season this fall.
Dockett can’t say he was surprised by the move, tweeting this last Sunday about his plans next season.
No matter the logo Im gonna win that comeback player of the year….
— DARNELL DOCKETT (@ddockett) February 23, 2015
Falcons release Steven Jackson, Harry Douglas, Justin Blalock and Jonathan Massaquoi
Steven Jackson might be headed to the NFL Hall of Fame some day, but in 2015 he’s looking for a job. The Atlanta Falcons cut Jackson Friday after an injury-plagued two-year stint with the team. Jackson was entering the final season of a 3-year, $12 million deal.
Jackson appeared in 15 games for the Falcons last season, but was banged up the whole time. Since joining Atlanta, Jackson has never been fully healthy and had the two worst seasons of his career, not surpassing 1,000 yards for the first time since his rookie season in 2004 when he backed up Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk in St. Louis. Still, Jackson managed six touchdowns over the last two seasons on the ground.
Jackson is the Rams’ all-time leading rusher and excelled as an every-down back while in St. Louis and was one of the best pass-blocking running backs in recent memory.
Jackson is only the 19th player in NFL history to surpass 11,000 yards.
Jackson said he has no plans to hang up his cleats just yet.
“Make no mistake: I can still punish a defense,” Jackson posted on his website. “I still have a warrior’s heart. There are 1,000-yard seasons left in these legs. I know what I am still capable of, and I have every intention of proving it.”
While cutting Jackson wasn’t a surprise, releasing wide receiver Harry Douglas did come as a shock. Douglas battled injuries himself in 2014, but that was after coming off a career season in 2013 where he caught 85 passes for 1,067 yards and two touchdowns and performed well in place for an injured Julio Jones.
Douglas was always a potent weapon as the Falcons No. 1 receiver and even in an injury-shortened 2014 campaign, still caught 51 passes for 556 yards and a couple of TDs.
As long as Douglas is healthy, the 30-year-old wide out should have no trouble landing on a team. Douglas has averaged 12.1 yards per catch over his seven seasons.
Thanking @AtlantaFalcons for my 7 years in ATL & the opportunity to play in the city I grew up. First class organization. Much luv 2 fans
— Harry Douglas (@HDouglas83) February 27, 2015
Douglas’ release saves the Falcons $3.5 million in cap space, but now they have to find another No. 3 receiver unless they feel former Oregon wide receiver Drew Davis is ready to step into that role after not catching a pass in 2014.
The Falcons also parted ways with expensive starting guard Justin Blalock who would have counted $7.9 million in cap space next season. Blalock has started all but three games at guard for the Falcons since they drafted him in the third round in 2007. Blalock, at 6-foot-4 and 326 pounds doesn’t fit new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s zone blocking scheme, but will likely land on another team that needs a superior pass and run blocker within the week.
Defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi was just one of the many underperforming Falcons defensive linemen and his release after his third season is hardly a surprise. Massaquoi produced just two sacks and 22 tackles last season on an Atlanta team desperate for any pressure on the quarterback.
Canty wears out his welcome in Baltimore
After two seasons of lackluster production defensive end Chris Canty will have to find a new job. The Baltimore Ravens cut Canty Friday saving $2.66 million in salary cap space.
The Ravens aren’t actively looking for a replacement, instead letting 2014 fourth-round pick Brent Urban, Lawrence Guy, DeAngelo Tyson and Kapron Lewis-Moore compete for the open position.
Canty missed five games last season and even when he was healthy never spent much time on the field, playing in less than 32 percent of the defensive snaps.
Canty, at 32, is planning on returning for a 12th season and it will have to be with his fourth NFL team. He won a Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants in 2010 as a reserve lineman and pass rusher. Last year Canty had 33 tackles, half a sack and two passes defended.
Redskins cut Barry Cofield and Stephen Bowen
On the same day the Washington Redskins upgraded their defensive line with the signing of Ricky Jean Francois, they cut two underperforming defensive linemen, telling defensive end Stephen Bowen and defensive tackle Barry Cofield to hit the road.
Cofield appeared in eight games last season and recorded just seven tackles and one sack. Bowen was nearly as bad, with 10 tackles and no sacks. Both men were big additions for the Redskins back in 2011 as free agents, with Bowen coming over from the Cowboys and Cofield from the Giants. While each had solid years for the Redskins, 2014 gave the team no choice but to move on.
Dolphins part ways with Hartline and Gibson
Brian Hartline has been one of the most productive wide receivers for the Miami Dolphins over the last seven seasons, but that wasn’t enough to keep him on the team in 2015. Hartline had a down season last year, catching 39 passes for 474 yards and two touchdowns. The two previous seasons Hartline surpassed 1,000 yards and 74 catches, scoring four TDs in 2013.
Brandon Gibson cashed in a solid season with the Rams in 2012 for a big contract with the Dolphins in 2013, but could never stay healthy with the Dolphins, playing in only seven games in 2013. Last year Gibson appeared in 14 games, caught 29 passes and one touchdown.
No room for Langford on Rams defensive line
Kendall Langford was a quality back-up and solid starter for the St. Louis Rams, but ultimately the eight-year veteran was too expensive to keep. The Rams set Langford free after a 25-tackle, one sack season.
By releasing the 28-year-old defensive tackle the Rams save a precious $6 million in salary cap space and it also works out for Langford, who can capitalize on a weak defensive tackle market.
