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Broncos mailbag: Isn't offensive line still a need? By Mike Klis 9NEWS March 21, 2019

Going to try a shorter mailbag as many of the letters had questions about the same topics.

I’m proposing a quality over quantity for both the Broncos’ and our Broncos mailbag:

Mike, the Broncos lost three O-linemen to free agency (possibly 4 if they don’t sign Jared Veldheer) and signed one. Don’t they need to pick up at least one more OL in free agency?

— Steve Swendler

Steve – The Broncos are not finished addressing the interior of their offensive line. There are just too many question marks with left guard Ron Leary coming off an Achilles injury, Connor McGovern playing center when he is better at right guard, and at right guard when he was an undrafted tackle who converted to right guard because of injuries last season.

Sam Jones, a second-year draft pick from Highlands Ranch, will compete for one of those spots, but the interior questions are why the Broncos tried to re-sign the versatile Billy Turner. In the end they got outbid by Green Bay with a $7 million-a-year deal.

The Broncos also tried to sign Kansas City center Mitch Morse until Buffalo made him the league’s highest-paid at his position, and they made a low-rate, “look-see” one-year offer to Matt Paradis, who took a much better deal with Carolina.

There is plenty of time. They could sign an interior lineman in the next couple of weeks. They could address these issues in the draft. They could also evaluate what they have in OTAs and then decide what needs an upgrade.

I knew Bryce Callahan just made too much sense. Watching the conference, this staff and even QB is day and night from last year.

— Jon Cornbleet

Jon – Callahan was a Fangio fit, although I am a little curious why the Broncos decided to lead the league in 5-foot-10ish, elite slot corners.

Chris Harris Jr. is a fabulous slot who is 5-foot-10. Kareem Jackson is a fabulous slot defensive back who is 5-10. Callahan is a fabulous slot defensive back who is 5-9.

All three rated in the top 10 last year as graded by Pro Football Focus. Elite, indeed.

Harris can now stay outside, which is his preference because it allows him to better utilize his ball- hawking skills. Jackson can play more safety, which he has no problem with.

Callahan can help the entire secondary execute the plan of head coach Vic Fangio and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell after the trio was together with the Bears the previous four years.

Secondary work isn’t just scheme and Xs and Os. There’s a feel and flow to it. When this guy move here, you drop back there. It helps when a player on the field can coordinate with the coaches on the sidelines.

As for Joe Flacco instead of Case Keenum at and Fangio instead of Vance Joseph as head coach, this is clearly where Broncos’ general manager John Elway believes the most profound upgrades have been made.

Put it this way: The biggest gripes from Broncos Country last season were, one, Joseph, and, two, Keenum. A distant third was either the offensive line or overall defense. The head coach and QB were changed, and therefore hope has returned.

Do you think we will any other free agents? I see we have about $15 million in cap space and need about $10 million for the draft class.

— Matthew Bate$

Matthew — After the signings of Callahan, Jeff Heuerman and Zach Kerr, the Broncos have $12 million in cap space.

So any free agent additions would have to come a budget price.

This also suggests the Broncos might want to trade back from their No. 10 overall draft spot to No. 15 Washington or No. 13 , who are both in the quarterback market.

And if they do trade back from No. 10, I can also see the Broncos packaging a couple picks in rounds two through seven, and moving up a round.

As it stands now, the Broncos have a crying need at receiver, interior offensive line, inside who can cover and interior defensive line. Much as they’ve got done this offseason, the Broncos still have work to do. Which shouldn’t be surprising considering they were 5-11 and 6-10 the previous two years.

Broncos to visit with QBs Haskins, Lock By Mike Klis 9NEWS March 21, 2019

Even with taking a plea deal to avoid jail time Wednesday, he isn’t coming back and the Broncos don’t have a young developmental quarterback on their roster.

The Broncos are going to see if Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins and Missouri’s Drew Lock are worthy of a first-round pick.

A source told 9News that Lock will be brought in for a pre-draft visit at Broncos’ headquarters. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report Haskins will also visit the Broncos. 9News has also learned there is no visit scheduled between the Broncos and another top quarterback prospect, Daniel Jones of Duke.

The Broncos did hold formal meetings with two other at the NFL Combine three weeks ago: West Virginia’s Will Grier and Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham.

Haskins and Lock would be in play if the Broncos select a quarterback with their No. 10 overall draft pick while Grier and Stidham would be possibilities in rounds two and later.

The Broncos' only quarterbacks currently are their roster are Joe Flacco, who is entering his 12th NFL season and Garrett Grayson, who is beginning his fifth season.

Kevin Hogan, the backup QB in the second half of last season, wasn't tendered as a restricted free agent. Although there is a chance Hogan returns at a rate lower than the $2.025 million original round tender, he is free to sign with other clubs.

Denver hasn’t a had a young quarterback to develop for their future since they cut Kelly following his felony trespass charge last October. Kelly plead to a misdemeanor charge in an Arapahoe County court Wednesday morning. The judge allowed him to serve his supervised probation back home in the Buffalo- area.

Kelly has drawn interest from NFL teams, but not the Broncos, a source told 9News.

At this point, it would be a surprise if the Broncos took a QB with their No. 10 overall pick. Flacco is their guy and the team has too many other starter needs.

However, it also would be a surprise if the Broncos didn’t take a quarterback before the draft concludes.

Then again, you never know with Broncos’ general manager John Elway, especially when the draft is still five weeks away.

Broncos' struggles at quarterback have mirrored OL issues By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com March 21, 2019

Since Peyton Manning decided to call it a career, most folks in and around the league have been quick to say the have had a significant quarterback problem.

True enough. But as they’ve cycled through four different starters at the position in the past two seasons alone, it’s been abundantly clear they’ve struggled almost as much to put a consistent group of offensive linemen in front of those quarterbacks, whose chances to succeed eroded behind lines that often struggled to protect them.

And in many ways, this was an issue long before Manning’s retirement and is still on the front burner years later as the Broncos turn to Joe Flacco at quarterback.

“Without a doubt, we’re trying to get continuity in there," said Broncos president of football operations/general manager John Elway. “It’s a goal of ours. … We’ll continue to try and improve.”

Last season was just another chapter in a long story. The Broncos used six different combinations overall on the offensive line and at least two different starters at four positions -- left guard, center, right guard and right tackle -- on the way to a 6-10 finish.

And while injuries and movement up front is a bit of a football fact of life around the league -- the routinely shuffle things up front, and the were the only team in the league last season to have all five starters on the offensive line play in all 16 games -- the Broncos’ struggles at quarterback have mirrored their struggles to build a combination they like up front.

“I feel like it will be a good group," said Ja’Wuan James, whom the Broncos made the highest-paid right tackle in the league this past week. “I’m excited about what could happen and what we can do if we get to work."

After the trade for Flacco, James was one of the Broncos’ first targets in free agency with a four-year, $51 million deal.

It’s also a big reason they worked so hard to persuade Mike Munchak, who interviewed for the Broncos' head coaching job earlier this year, to join Vic Fangio’s staff as offensive line coach. Munchak, a Hall of Fame guard in his playing career, is one of the most respected line coaches in the league, and the Broncos have also hired one of their best linemen over the past two decades -- Chris Kuper -- as assistant line coach.

Kuper has been with the for the past three seasons and has coached James.

“ … [Munchak] is one of the best in the business," James said. "I feel like he's going to help me reach my full potential."

But much like at quarterback, where the Broncos don’t currently have a player at the position they drafted, the team is not really a home-grown unit up front either. Since the 2013 draft, which was Elway’s third in his current job, five of the eight offensive linemen the team has drafted are no longer with the team.

The list of those departed linemen now includes former center Matt Paradis, who signed with Carolina in free agency last week after the Broncos had concerns about his recovery from a fractured ankle that ended his 2018 season.

And among the five who would be starters for the upcoming season, left tackle and center Connor McGovern are former draft picks. The player who, pending the draft or any additional work the Broncos do in free agency, would start at right guard, Elijah Wilkinson, was signed as an undrafted rookie in 2017.

Asked last week how important it was for the Broncos to put a consistent group together in front of Flacco, Elway simply said “very important," and Fangio quickly added, “Simple question, simple answer."

Still, the answer hasn’t been all that simple for the Broncos. But with a 34-year-old starting quarterback in Flacco, who is the centerpiece of their offseason work to this point, the Broncos know they have to try again.

“There is no question that it is very important for us to try and protect Joe," Elway said. “Having played that position, if you give them protection, chances of being successful are a lot better."

Cadet to officer, former Air Force star Jalen Robinette hoping next title is NFL receiver By Nicki Jhabvala The Athletic March 21, 2019

The cameras zoomed in and the eyes of NFL coaches and scouts from all 32 teams fixated on the stars. They watched intently as former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins went through his route tree with his receivers, connecting on deep throws up the middle and 50-50 balls in the corner of the end zone.

Joining them inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center was another prospect who had at least a few inches and a couple of years on them.

Jalen Robinette, Air Force’s all-time leading receiver who is nearing the end of his two-year service commitment, was invited to participate in Ohio State’s Pro Day on Wednesday, taking part in the usual drills — the 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jumps, 3-cone drill and the shuttle — while also running routes for Haskins, one of the top quarterbacks in the upcoming draft.

“When I woke up this morning, I told myself to live in this moment because you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Robinette told The Athletic. “To have that opportunity was great. This whole day was huge.”

Robinette started to work with Haskins a couple of days earlier, to try to develop chemistry on short order before their NFL showcase. When it all ended Robinette briefly chatted with representatives of teams, including the Falcons, catching them up on what happened when his dream of making it fell apart at the 11th hour in 2017.

Two years ago, Robinette went through a similar process as he prepared for the NFL draft, only to watch his balancing act with school and training go for naught as the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) rescinded the policy that would have allowed prospects from the service academies to defer their active duty and join a pro team immediately.

Robinette was the most highly-touted prospect from the academies at the time, projected to go in the mid-to-late rounds. Now, as a logistics officer for the Air Force, he is seeking what eluded him in 2017: an NFL contract.

For almost two years now, Robinette has been stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, about 15 miles northeast of the site of the Raiders’ new stadium. His job as a logistics officer has led him to multiple departments, or “shops,” and multiple roles. He started his time at Nellis as the officer in charge of the air terminal on base. He, like TSA officials at commercial airports, was responsible for anyone and anything that came through the terminal and onto the planes.

He later worked directly for his commander as an executive officer, gaining a first-hand glimpse of being a leader to hundreds.

And now Robinette is a logistics flight commander for the 58th Rescue Squadron, ensuring Pararescuemen and Combat Rescue Officers are fully equipped and their vehicles are maintained to allow them to perform high-stakes missions.

The role is demanding yet rewarding, and certainly far from what Robinette envisioned for himself years ago.

“If I could put it in one word I’d say just growth,” he said of his time at Nellis.

In the months before the 2017 draft, Robinette juggled six courses — including Military and Strategic Studies and Critical Decisions in Space — while traveling to and from Centennial, Colo., for training at Landow Performance, a facility owned by Broncos strength coach Loren Landow.

Robinette was the first player from the Air Force Academy to play in the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl and to receive an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine. He led the nation in yards per catch (27.4) as a senior and was regarded as a deep-threat receiving prospect with his 20-plus-yard receptions in Air Force’s triple-option offense. He had the size (6-foot-3), he had hands (10⅞ inches), he had a knack for blocking and the natural athleticism that just can’t be taught. And by the time he finished his four years at Air Force, he sat atop its record book with 2,697 receiving yards (22.5 average).

Robinette was preparing for a dual career as an Air Force officer and professional football player.

Because the DOD said he could.

In spring 2016, before the start of Robinette’s senior season, the DOD revised its pro sports policy to allow graduates of service academies to apply for ready reserve so they could sign and immediately join professional sports teams instead of postponing their careers to fulfill their active-duty commitment.

Ready reserve was never guaranteed; service academy graduates had to apply and acceptance was determined on a case-by-case basis. But it created an opportunity.

By May 2017, Robinette hoped to be an Air Force graduate. By April, he hoped to be drafted.

The most notable beneficiary of the 2016 policy change was former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who was drafted in the sixth round by the Ravens that year. Former Air Force Garrett Griffin did too, signing with the Saints as an undrafted free agent.

But the policy was also expected to benefit the service academies, which often struggled to attract the top athletes because of their rigorous demands and the post-graduation service commitment.

“Any vehicle where we can get people to better understand this incredible academy that we’re all a part of is certainly great for both the academy and for our nation,” the Academy’s former athletic director, Jim Knowlton told The Gazette in Colorado Springs, ahead of Robinette’s pro day in 2017.

But the policy also had its detractors, who believed the purpose of the academies, where tuition is taxpayer-funded, was to prepare cadets for “a mindset of selfless service to the country,” as retired Army Lt. Tom Slear wrote in an editorial for The Washington Post.

“There is no other justification for the significant public expense that supports them,” Slear wrote. “Professional football, on the other hand, is about service to oneself. It has its place, but not for academy graduates who haven’t fulfilled their obligations to their fellow citizens.”

In May 2017, shortly after the appointment of Jim Mattis as secretary of Defense, the pro sports policy became a relic less than a year after it was enacted.

In April, on the first day of the draft that year, the Air Force notified the Academy that it would not allow athletes to defer two years of active duty to join a pro sports team. The move pre-empted a broader policy shift that was signed by Mattis on May 1 and applied to all the service academies.

The latest shift was a throwback to the previous policy, or the “David Robinson Model,” that required cadet athletes to serve a minimum two years of active duty before they can apply for early release to go pro. That model was in place when offensive lineman Ben Garland graduated from Air Force and signed with the Broncos. That model was in place when receiver Chad Hall graduated from Air Force and served his two years before signing with the Eagles.

That model was in place for so many others who served before turning to sports.

Robinette committed to Air Force expecting to follow the same model. He expected to have to serve after graduation.

But in the year where he was planning his future after college, his directives changed. Twice.

Robinette had plans for a party with family and friends on the third day of the draft, when he expected to receive a call from an NFL team. The call never came.

No prospect from the service academies was signed to an NFL team after the policy change. Robinette was later invited to minicamps for the Bills and Patriots, but he was unable to secure a contract that would allow the team to retain his rights until he finished his service commitment.

All the while, his agent, former Ohio State receiver turned litigation attorney David Lisko, worked behind the scenes to keep Robinette’s window open. With a network that includes policy-makers in Washington, D.C., Lisko worked with lobbyists on Capitol Hill to try to get Robinette either grandfathered into the 2016 policy or to have the new policy go into effect for the class of 2018 and beyond.

But Robinette’s road only got bumpier.

During the Academy’s graduation ceremony in May, he was not among the 979 cadets to walk. Instead, he was one of nine that were pulled from the graduation lineup for “various reasons.”

His reasons?

“Information that called into question cadet Robinette’s eligibility/qualification to graduate and commission,” according to a spokesperson for the Academy’s public affairs office.

Robinette’s graduation and commissioning were placed on hold as the Academy investigated and provided few details along the way, other than to say the matter did not involve any allegations of criminal wrongdoing and were unrelated to football pursuits.

Robinette faced the prospects of having to repay his tuition if he wasn’t able to graduate, or being asked to enlist.

Three months passed before the Academy announced Robinette had met all graduation requirements and was scheduled to commission as a second lieutenant. He graduated Sept. 7, 2017, with his mother by his side, and was commissioned to Nellis.

Robinette said he made a promise to his mother that he would get his degree. And he said he set a goal for himself that he would be in the Air Force. Although his football career was as uncertain as ever, he accomplished both.

The dream of going pro never escaped Robinette, though the circumstances gave him plenty of opportunities.

“I don’t think it was me thinking about moving on. I guess the way to put it was (thinking about) life after football,” he said. “To prepare for an opportunity like this, you almost speak it into existence. You don’t want to say ‘if,’ you want to say ‘when.’ When it happens.

“It just took a lot of thinking and talking to some mentors some have and just exploring some options. It’s interesting just because of the position I’m in. The doors are still open whether it’s through the Air Force or outside the Air Force. The possibilities are endless.”

One such door opened this past winter when he joined the 58th Rescue Squadron. Because the Squadron’s tasks are physically arduous, it has its own training facility, to which Robinette was invited to use.

“Before that, I was either working out at a local gym or the gym on base,” he said. “If I could work out for an hour or two after work, that’s what I had to do. It was difficult at first. When you’re by yourself and having to hold yourself accountable, it’s a huge part, to actually go in day and day out. Not having a teammate or having someone eyes on you, it can be tough.”

But the demand is also one Robinette has been accustomed since he joined the Academy.

Wake. Work. Workout. Sleep.

Repeat.

“As a cadet, we’re dealt a lot. My schedule never really changed when I graduated,” he said. “It was doing my full-time job and training as well. It’s about being focused on my military career and being present there and being a good leader. Then when it’s time to get off work, there’s really no excuse. I have to go lift, run, get some work in. Some people may say it’s very difficult, but for guys like me, in our position, we’ve been doing this every day. I’m sure (former Air Force teammates) Weston Steelhammer, Ryan Watson and Jacob Onyechi would give you the same answer. We’re used to that.”

Physically, Robinette said he feels great. Not playing every weekend can do a body good. So can the ability to oversee his own diet. He’s about five pounds lighter than his NFL combine weight of 220 pounds.

A week before Ohio State’s Pro Day, Robinette traveled back to Colorado Springs for Air Force’s Pro Day for its 2017 graduates. He did all the drills there too, with the Broncos’ scouts in attendance.

Robinette’s trainer clocked him in at 4.53 seconds in the 40, which, if in sync with what NFL scouts timed that day, is nearly a 10th of second better than his 4.62-second showing at the NFL combine two years ago.

Although hope is renewed, there’s still uncertainty inherent in Robinette’s path.

He’s been out of the game for two years, and is now competing for a job with prospects younger than him and fresh off the college field. He will face the same, typically trying transition to the pros that all rookies do, but will also have to acclimate to simply playing full-time again.

He’s also awaiting his final release date from active duty to give NFL teams a clear picture of his availability.

But perhaps his biggest challenge is still ahead: waiting, and hoping he gets that shot from a team.

“The challenge is getting into camp, trying to find a team to take a shot on you,” said Hall, who was recently named the ’ receivers coach.

So, for now, Robinette is continuing what he told himself to do Wednesday morning and live in the moment. He has no idea what will happen.

He didn’t in 2017 either.

“My every day is go to work, train, go to bed. It was fun to be back in that atmosphere,” he said. “It’s also nerve-wracking because you’ve been away and in your head, it’s always what’s next, what’s next, what’s next? But at the same time, you have to go out and have fun and live in the moment.”

Former Denver Broncos QB Chad Kelly pleads guilty for trespassing in Englewood couple’s home By Saja Hindi Denver Post March 21, 2019

Former Broncos backup quarterback Chad Kelly pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to misdemeanor second-degree criminal trespassing in Arapahoe County District Court.

Kelly was sentenced to one year of supervised probation and 50 hours of community service during a brief hearing with little fanfare. The judge allowed for probation to be transferred to Kelly’s home state of New York or in another state where he lives, as approved by the probation department.

The first-degree felony first-degree criminal trespassing charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement.

The 24-year-old was released from the Broncos after his arrest on Oct. 23 and has not found another NFL job.

Kelly was attending an annual Halloween party at the Gothic Theatre hosted by the Broncos’ on the night of his arrest. He entered a couple’s Englewood home after 1 a.m., sat on their couch and mumbled incoherently, according to arrest documents. The man in the home attacked Kelly with an aluminum vacuum-cleaner tube.

Police later found Kelly two blocks from the Halloween party, according to the documents. The couple provided surveillance footage to police.

Kelly’s defense attorney Harvey Steinberg said in the hearing that the decision to accept the plea and not take the case to trial was a difficult one.

The former player has friends in the neighborhood of the home he entered, Steinberg said, and he thought he was at one of their houses. Kelly knocked on the back door of the home and thought he heard someone say “come in,” so he entered, Steinberg said. He sat on the couch, and though he didn’t recognize the woman already sitting there, he thought she was a guest of the tenants, Steinberg said.

Ultimately, they decided the plea agreement was the best way to proceed, he said.

Kelly will also be subject to drug and alcohol testing and treatment, as defined by probation, and will have to pay fines and fees as well as any restitution accepted by the court.

In the 2017 NFL draft, the Broncos selected Kelly as the final pick. He made one play for the Broncos, a kneel-down snap ending the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams. Since being released by the Broncos, no other team has shown interest in hiring the younger Kelly.

Though this is the first time Kelly has been in trouble off the field since joining the Broncos, he was kicked off the Clemson team in 2014 for an argument with coaches during a game, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for a bar fight in 2014, and in October 2016, was involved in a brawl at his brother’s high school football game, according to the Associated Press.

The AP reported that Kelly attended the Senior Bowl during his final season at Ole Miss, despite injuries, to talk to NFL teams and explain that he’d learned from his off-field mistakes and “won’t make the same mistake twice.”

Kelly is the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Famer .

Former Denver Broncos QB Chad Kelly pleads guilty, avoids jail time By Janet Oravetz 9NEWS March 21, 2019

Former Denver Broncos backup quarterback Chad Kelly appeared in court Wednesday morning where he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of second-degree criminal trespassing.

Kelly made the plea during a hearing in Arapahoe County. As part of the deal, Kelly 24, will serve no jail time and must serve one year of supervised probation and perform 50 hours of community service. The victims in the case did not object to the deal, according to 9NEWS reporter Jon Glasgow who was in court for the hearing.

He had originally been charged with first-degree criminal trespassing. If convicted on that charge, he faced up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

The plea means that Kelly was in "probable violation" of the NFL's personal conduct policy, according to 9NEWS insider Mike Klis. If Kelly signs with another NFL team, he could be suspended for a game.

It also means the legal process has ended for Kelly which frees him up to return to football, whereas a trial could have extended into the season. Klis also reported that Kelly was confident he would hook up with an NFL team, despite the expected discipline from the league.

He was arrested after Englewood police officers responded to an address in the 3200 block of South Lincoln Street following a report of a man standing outside a residence in the early morning hours of Oct. 23, 2018.

According to an arrest affidavit, the man later identified as Kelly entered the home, sat down on the couch next to a woman inside and began mumbling incoherently.

The woman called for another resident in the home, who entered the living room and hit the man in the upper back with a stick, which police later determined to be an aluminum pipe from a vacuum cleaner, the affidavit says.

Kelly was chased out of the home according to the affidavit and was located a short time later sitting inside a black SUV outside the Gothic Theatre.

Broncos linebacker Von Miller hosted a Wild West-themed Halloween party at the Gothic Theatre the evening before Kelly was arrested.

Security footage from the home Kelly is accused of illegally entering shows a white man wearing dark pants, a white long-sleeved shirt, brown vest and red scarf around his neck outside the home, the affidavit says.

Kelly was cut by the Broncos in the days following his arrest.

The Broncos drafted Kelly, the nephew of Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, with the last pick in round 7 of the NFL draft -- a selection that comes with the "Mr. Irrelevant" distinction. Kelly was arrested in December 2014, in Buffalo, according to USA Today. In that incident, he faced several misdemeanor charges for trying to fight nightclub bouncers and police officers after he and a friend refused to leave a bar, the paper reported. He eventually plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. At the time, Kelly had signed to play football at Ole Miss.

Earlier that year, Kelly was dismissed from the football team for "detrimental conduct,"USA Today reported.

Former Denver Broncos backup QB pleads guilty to trespassing By Staff Associated Press March 21, 2019

Former Broncos backup quarterback Chad Kelly has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor second-degree criminal trespassing for entering a couple's suburban Denver home uninvited.

After Kelly entered the plea Wednesday in Arapahoe County District Court, he was sentenced to one year of supervised probation and 50 hours of community service.

Kelly was originally charged with first-degree criminal trespassing, but that was dropped as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

According to court documents, Kelly entered a couple's home after 1 a.m. on Oct. 23, sat on their couch and mumbled incoherently.

Kelly had attended an annual Halloween party hosted by Broncos star Von Miller before the incident.

The Broncos released the 24-year-old Kelly after his arrest. He has not signed with another NFL team.

Safety market explodes, market sputters: What we’ve learned about the value of each position in 2019 By Lindsay Jones & Sheil Kapadia The Athletic March 21, 2019

With the first wave of NFL free agency largely over and the second wave about to wrap up, we can now take a step back and look at what really happened to the market in 2019.

What we found were two major takeaways: 1.) The safety market rebounded in a serious way, with players like and landing massive deals a year after safeties nearly had to beg for work, and 2.) the running back market is sputtering. Le’Veon Bell sat out the entire 2018 season in hopes of resetting the market for backs, but that sort of pay day never transpired for him, nor did it for the other free agent running backs to sign this cycle.

There were other big deals to be had, from pass rusher Trey Flowers’ mega deal with the Lions to Trent Brown’s record-setting left tackle contract with the Raiders, and a couple of deals (cough, Collins, cough) that made little sense. It is also notable how active teams were on the trade market as an avenue to add pieces that couldn’t be acquired in free agency, or to collect draft picks in exchange for veteran players.

But the most interesting free agent situation involves Bell, and even days after he signed his four-year, $52.5 million deal with the , it’s unclear if he’s a big loser or winner of free agency. It really depends on what you consider winning.

From a strictly total dollars and yearly salary perspective, Bell’s deal failed to meet expectations, especially if he truly sought to reset the running back market. By nearly every measure, that didn’t happen.

“I don’t think you’ll see too many players sitting out on a franchise tag. He’ll be the cautionary tale,” said former agent Joel Corry, a salary cap and NFL market analyst. “He didn’t get the riches he was seeking. Mission unaccomplished.”

Bell’s average salary per year of $13.125 million falls short of the $14.375 million APY in the extension signed with the Rams last summer, and also comes up short in total guaranteed money, with $35 million compared to Gurley’s $45 million. The yearly average is also short of the deal the Steelers offered him, which would have paid $14 million a year.

But there are other metrics that matter. Bell’s fully guaranteed portion of his contract is a record-setting $27 million, more than $5 million more than Gurley, and that’s the biggest number to pay attention to when considering Bell’s 2019 deal with the Jets compared to the offer he reportedly turned down last summer in Pittsburgh.

That offer, while according to NFL.com would have paid him $33 million in the first two years, included just $10 million fully guaranteed.

“He was never going to be satisfied with how Pittsburgh structures their deals,” Corry said. “They were never going to reinvent the wheel for you.”

For Bell, the financials only seem to be part of the picture. Yes, he walked away from $14.5 million last year, but he got to spend months recording music and riding jet skis instead of absorbing hits, while also pushing back against the franchise tag system that limits the ability of elite players to hit the open market, and that’s something we can’t put a price tag on.

Let’s look at a few of the other takeaways from the frantic first wave of free agency:

Note: Contract details are courtesy of OverTheCap.com

Safety: Better crop of players means an exploding market The safety market was wild — at least for the top players available. This was especially surprising given how stagnant the market was for both free and strong safeties last year.

Just last week, Collins (Washington), Mathieu (Kansas City), (Baltimore), and (Oakland) each signed deals with an average yearly salary above $10 million, completely resetting the market for safeties. The deals signed by Mathieu, Collins and Thomas all exceeded the previous biggest contract for a safety, and five of the top nine safety deals in NFL history came in the last week. (It’s also worth noting here that the market was sluggish, in part because of a shallow pool of free agents in this class and a strong crop of corners in the draft class.) Just last year, Mathieu signed a 1 year, $7 million deal with the Texans. He’ll now make double that yearly salary with the Chiefs.

There are three reasons for the massive shift in the safety market. First, and most simply, the players available this year are just better than the free agent crop in 2018. Second, teams were not delaying signing safeties because of non-football reasons (see: Eric Reid and his collusion claims from last year), and third, this is widely considered to be a down year for safeties in the draft.

Still, one agent who has been closely watching the safety market told The Athletic that the second and third wave of free agency will be more telling for how the league actually values the position. When the legal tampering period began on March 11, there were nearly 20 veteran safeties seeking new deals. That group grew later in the week with the addition of , who was released by Kansas City after the arrival of Mathieu.

The group of veteran safeties left on the market includes players like Darian Stewart from the Broncos, Kurt Coleman from the Saints, Jahleel Addae from the Chargers and Glover Quin from the Lions, and it’s not likely that the deals will remain high for everyone.

“Shoot, if those next deals are all like 1 year, $1 million, that’s not good,” the agent said.

Running back: Outside of Bell’s guarantees, a down year for backs This was not a great year to be a running back seeking a big new contract.

Outside of Bell, whose deal was well chronicled by The Athletic’s Connor Hughes, the market was tepid, with only Mark Ingram reaching the $5 million per year mark with his three-year contract with the Ravens. Tevin Coleman’s contract with the 49ers was surprisingly low (a two-year, $8.5 million that could be as little as a one-year, $3.6 million deal if the Niners want to move on after 2019, and it came a year after San Francisco gave Jerick McKinnon a four-year, $30 million deal last offseason.

The valuation of running backs goes in cycles, and right now it is down, thanks in part to big years from cheap backs like James Conner (while replacing Bell) in Pittsburgh and undrafted rookie Phillip Lindsay in Denver.

The next benchmark to watch on the running back market is the type of extension seeks — and is able to receive — in Dallas. The former first-round pick and NFL rushing champ has certainly earned a new deal for his play on the field, but he did serve a six-game personal conduct suspension and is in a log-jam of contract negotiations in Dallas, behind pass rusher Demarcus Lawrence, quarterback and .

Wide receiver: Want to add a superstar? Trade for him The two biggest moves of this offseason were trades involving wide receivers: Odell Beckham Jr. from the Giants to the Browns, and from the Steelers to the Raiders.

Those two blockbuster moves overshadowed what was otherwise a lackluster year for wide receivers, in part because of a lack of top-end receivers hitting the market.

The slot receiver market was strong, with good deals for like Jamison Crowder ($9.5M APY to the Jets), ($9M APY from the Titans) and ($7.25 APY from the Bills).

We see two questionable deals here: The four-year, $44.3 million contract the Raiders gave No. 2 receiver Tyrell Williams, which puts him in the same salary range as his former Chargers teammate Keenan Allen, and the 1-year, $10 million the otherwise-frugal gave .

–Lindsay Jones

Defensive line/edge: Demand outweighed supply Trey Flowers was the big winner here with a five-year, $90 million deal that included a $28 million signing bonus and $54 million in the first three years. After Demarcus Lawrence, Frank Clark, and all received the franchise tag, Flowers became the most sought-after defensive lineman to hit the market. He did well for himself, and the had to pay up to land him, but Flowers did not reset the market.

“It was a perfect storm for him because all of those other guys were franchised,” Corry said.

Perhaps the most interesting deal here was the one Za’Darius Smith signed with the Packers. Smith has started 16 games in four seasons and has a total of 18.5 sacks. However, Green Bay decided to make a big bet on his upside, signing Smith to a four-year, $66 million deal that included a $20 million signing bonus and $34.5 million over the first two years. This was one of the best examples of a high risk/high reward deal in free agency.

In addition to the pass rushers who got tagged, Brandon Graham’s deal with the Eagles before the start of the new league year had an impact on the market. Graham will be 31 at the start of next season and is coming off of a four-sack campaign, but he received a deal with an average annual value of $13.3 million. That became the floor for some of the younger pass rushers on the market.

Teams tried different methods to land pass-rush help. The Lions and Packers paid big money to give their defenses a boost. Teams like the Cardinals and Titans made one-year commitments to older players like and Cameron Wake. (Wake’s is technically a three-year deal but a one-year commitment.) And while the 49ers gave up a second-round pick to land Dee Ford from the Chiefs, they guaranteed only $20.5 million on his new contract.

Overall, there wasn’t a dramatic shift in the economics at this position, but a common theme was reinforced: pass rushers who hit the open market get paid handsomely.

Offensive line: Desperate teams will gamble on players with question marks Depending on where the Oakland Raiders play Trent Brown, they either blew up the right tackle market or made a move that is pretty much in line with what we saw from the and last offseason. Solder left the New England Patriots to sign a four-year, $62 million deal. He was older than Brown, who turns 26 in April, but also had more experience. Brown signed a four-year, $66 million deal ($16.5 million average annual value), making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history. The huge payout would indicate that the Raiders see him as a left tackle, but Vic Tafur of The Athletic says it’s more likely that Brown plays on the right side.

Prior to this free agency period, the highest-paid right tackle in the NFL was Lane Johnson, who is making $11.25 million per season. Regardless, this was a case of the Raiders saying, ‘We want this player. We have the cap space. What’s it going to take?’ There’s no denying Brown’s upside, but remember, the league didn’t view him anywhere close to this level last offseason. The Patriots gave up a third-round pick to acquire Brown and also got a fifth-round pick back from the 49ers. So there’s definitely some risk for the Raiders.

If Brown ends up playing left tackle, then Ja’Wuan James becomes the highest-paid right tackle in the NFL. The Denver Broncos inked him to a four-year, $51 million deal. James has missed 18 games in his first five NFL seasons. Per STATS, he allowed five sacks in 15 starts last year. In other words, he has been far from an elite player but is getting paid like one nonetheless. Assuming James doesn’t move to the left side, this signing signifies a big bump in the ceiling for right tackles.

There wasn’t a lot of movement at guard, but Rodger Saffold’s deal with the Titans (four years, $44 million) is in line with what we’ve seen in recent years.

At center, Mitch Morse and Matt Paradis were the two main targets. Morse’s deal with the Bills shares similarities to what we saw with Brown in Oakland and James in Denver. Buffalo had a need and was willing to take a gamble, making Morse the highest-paid center in the NFL (four years, $44.5 million). Morse has played well when healthy, but he’s missed 14 games over the past two seasons. Paradis’ deal with the Panthers (three years, $27.03 million) was more in line with what we’ve seen with the market at center.

Linebacker: The Jets led the way in blowing up the market Perhaps the most eye-popping deal in free agency was the one the Jets gave to middle linebacker C.J. Mosley. As The Athletic’s Connor Hughes outlined, Mosley’s preference was to go back to the Ravens, but the Jets blew him away with a five-year, $85 million deal. The $17 million average annual value shattered what had previously been the top deal for an off-ball linebacker — at $12.4 million. This was another case of a team willing to do whatever it took to land a specific player.

As David Lombardi of The Athletic explained, the 49ers essentially are making a one-year, $14.25 million commitment to Kwon Alexander. It’s a huge number for an off-ball linebacker coming off of an ACL injury. If Alexander plays well, he will get paid handsomely. If he doesn’t, he’ll collect a big paycheck in 2019, but the contract won’t haunt the 49ers in future years.

Anthony Barr’s new deal with the Vikings has the same average annual value ($13.5 million) as Alexander’s deal.

Overall, we saw a sizable bump at this position. Prior to 2019 free agency, no off-ball linebacker was making more than $13 million per year. Now there are three: Mosley, Barr and Alexander.

–Sheil Kapadia

The Most Important Trait at Every Position in Football, and How It Impacts NFL Draft Scouting By Andy Benoit MMQB March 21, 2019

On Jan. 1, 2007, the Boise State Broncos upset the mighty Adrian-Peterson-led-Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl. The game ended with running back Ian Johnson’s game-clinching two-point conversion in overtime on a Statue of Liberty play, and after the game, during a live interview with FOX Sports’s Chris Myers, Johnson got down on one knee and proposed to cheerleader Chrissy Popadics. She said yes, and Johnson, a sudden celebrity, forever captured Boise’s heart.

A few weeks later at the 2009 NFL combine, Johnson ran a running back-best 4.46 40-yard dash, but he ultimately went undrafted. He toiled in obscurity on Viking, Cardinal, Niner and Dolphin practice squads from 2009-11, and then joined the rest of us in civilian life. All the while, Boiseans lamented that the NFL wasn’t “giving Johnson a chance,” and many were convinced it was because he was just a small fish from a small city.

Really, it was because Johnson couldn’t move left and right. As his 40-yard time dictated, Johnson’s straight-line speed was great, but his lateral movement was stiff. For an NFL running back, a player’s most important trait is the ability to move laterally—especially within confined areas, it’s how he makes defenders miss and set up blocks. Lateral agility is rarely talked about because it can be hard to spot unless it’s on a Barry Sanders or Le’Veon Bell type highlight play. And, unlike straight-line speed (which is borderline irrelevant) lateral agility is difficult to measure nicely, making it nearly impossible for the masses to tweet and talk about.

It’s astonishing how often those traits are overlooked in the pre-draft process. A smart evaluator addresses these traits first when examining a prospect, because any player who lacks that trait will, to one degree or another, have limited upside. It’s crucial that an evaluator understand this—many draft busts are players whose team didn’t recognize, or honor, the repercussions of him lacking that trait.

With draft season upon us, these skills should be the starting points for discussions on all players. And almost any player who lacks his position’s most important trait should not be considered as a potential first-round pick.

QUARTERBACK Most important trait: Accuracy and pocket movement

The two go hand-in-hand, as all but maybe three or four current NFL QBs need a clean pocket in order to throw with consistent accuracy—and without accuracy, nothing else matters. A player’s field vision, football IQ, out-of-pocket mobility, arm strength and moxie have no meaning if he cannot put the ball where he wants. And usually, a player must put the ball where he wants within the timing of the play, which is why it’s imperative a QB give himself space to throw by moving within the pocket.

Who has this trait: (selected in Round 6 of the 2000 draft)

Who doesn’t: (Round 1, 2011 draft)

RUNNING BACK Most important trait: Lateral agility

As mentioned in the first few paragraphs, running backs crucially use lateral agility to set up blocks and make defenders miss.

Who has this trait: Le’Veon Bell (Round 2, 2013 draft)

Who doesn’t: Darren McFadden (Round 1, 2008 draft)

PERIMETER WIDE RECEIVER Most important trait: Beating press coverage

This trait—a combination of upper- and lower-body mechanics plus raw skill—is especially hard to measure in drills. How a player goes about beating press coverage depends on who is pressing the player and what the play call asks of the receiver. This is a classic example of why a player’s film is infinitely more important than his workouts.

Who has this trait: Odell Beckham Jr. (Round 1, 2014 draft)

Who doesn’t: Kelvin Benjamin (Round 1, 2014 draft)

SLOT RECEIVER Most important trait: Change of direction

Often in the slot, a player is running his route off the location of a linebacker/safety/slot corner. If it’s zone coverage, he throttles down and drifts into the void. If it’s man coverage, he sets up his breaks, leading the defender one way and then bursting the other. All of this requires multidirectional movement. Plus, most offenses are predicated on slot receivers gaining yards after the catch, which often requires a receiver to change directions after the catch.

Who had this trait: (Undrafted, 2004 draft)

Who doesn’t: Jordan Matthews (Round 2, 2014 draft)

RECEIVING TIGHT END Most important trait: Ball-tracking

An in-line tight end must see and catch the ball at weird angles, like over his shoulder when going down the seams or away from his body when breaking on a corner routes. The really good receiving tight ends will get snaps out wide, on an island. There, ball-tracking is also critical, since so many of those throws are predicated on the QB playing to the tight end’s size advantage.

Who had this trait: Antonio Gates (Undrafted, 2003 draft)

Who didn’t: Maxx Williams (Round 2, 2015 draft)

BLOCKING TIGHT END Most important trait: Contact balance (in other words, the ability to land blocks on the move)

One would think that drive-blocking prowess would be the most important, especially with tight ends so often facing defensive ends in the running game. But offensive coaches design plays with the understanding that even the best blocking tight ends can’t consistently beat defensive linemen one-on- one. So, many designs aim to give the tight end double-team help (in which case, he’ll at some point work off that double team and up to the second level, where he’ll then have to land a block off movement) or they treat the tight end like an H-back, and have him relocate before delivering a block. (Outside zone running teams love to flow the zone blocks one way and have the tight end cross the formation the other way, taking the backside .)

Who has this trait: Tyler Higbee (Round 4, 2016 draft)

Who doesn’t: (Round 1, 2014 draft)

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN Most Important Trait: Knee-bend ability

Winning in the trenches is all about leverage. On run-blocks, the adage “low man wins” always proves true. In pass protection, especially on the edges, a pass rusher will inherently be lower, but an O- lineman can offset that with crafty technique… as long as he has strong, flexible knees to offset enough of the leverage difference. Those strong, flexible knees also help counter the speed difference, giving offensive linemen a fighter’s chance against pass rushers who usually weigh 40-50 pounds less than them. But more important than countering the speed rush is handling the bull rush. On the surface, a bull rush appears to be about strength. But a defensive lineman with a 40-50-pound weight disadvantage doesn’t go through a blocker by strong-manning him; he goes through a blocker by using his leverage to get the blocker off balance, and a blocker’s balance ties back to those knees. The NFL is a passing league, and a bull rush is the most immediate way a defender gets to the quarterback. An offensive linemen must have the flexible knees to stop it.

Who has this trait: Tyron Smith (Round 1, 2011 draft)

Who doesn’t: (Round 1, 2015 draft)

DEFENSIVE END Most important trait: Edge-bending ability

It starts with flexibility in the region of the body where most humans are least flexible: from the bottom of the knee to the top of the hip. Flexibility there allows a pass-rushing end to get low and dip around the corner. (Von Miller is one of history’s greatest examples.)

A caveat: a player can be a great defensive end without having edge-bending ability, but he just can’t be a great outside pass rusher. Jadeveon Clowney is a perfect illustration of this. The middle of his body is quite stiff, which is why he almost never fires out of his stance and sharply turns the corner. But Clowney’s first step is so explosive, his hands so quick and violent, his leverage so sound and his contact strength so sudden that he wrecks plays in (many) other ways. That wreckage won’t translate to piles of sacks, however (the most sacks Clowney has ever had in a season is 9.5). And his pass-rushing prowess really didn’t emerge until the Texans started stunting and blitzing him inside.

Clowney is in a great situation; the Texans are in that quarter of NFL defensive schemes that don’t demand a great edge rusher. But for the other 3/4 of the league, evaluating a defensive end must begin with evaluating his edge-bending ability.

Who has this trait: Von Miller (Round 1, 2011 draft)

Who didn’t: Björn Werner (Round 1, 2013 draft)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE Most important trait: Initial quickness

Few teams employ two-gap principles up front anymore, making “anchor ability” less significant for most defensive tackles. Even most of the “3-4” defenses employ one-gap (i.e. 4-3) principles. Winning in the trenches begins with penetration.

Who has this trait: (Round 1, 2014 draft)

Who doesn’t: Mario Edwards (Round 2, 2015 draft)

LINEBACKER Most important trait: Play recognition

Almost every offensive play is designed to manipulate a linebacker. Play-action, a rapidly rising staple in many schemes, is the most obvious illustration, but examples lie within every play—for example, the aim of most run plays is for the running back to beat the linebacker to a spot. The faster the linebacker identifies that spot, the better the defense. Pass plays aim to challenge and occupy with routes that open windows downfield. A linebacker who identifies this can eliminate and distort those windows.

Who has this trait: Luke Kuechly (Round 1, 2012 draft)

Who doesn’t: Darron Lee (Round 1, 2016 draft)

CORNERBACK Most important trait: Man-to-man coverage ability

If a player doesn’t have it, he’s a liability in most third-down coverages, forcing the safety to help the player and prompting a costly trickle-down of limitations on a defense’s scheme. Even in zone coverage, man-to-man ability is often required. The most common zone coverage, by far, is Cover 3, where there’s one safety in centerfield and another safety creeping down into the box. in Cover 3 are responsible for the furthest outside receiver, and the technique a corner employs in running this receiver amounts to a variation of man-to-man.

Who has this trait: (Round 1, 2016 draft)

Who doesn’t: Dee Milliner (Round 1, 2013 draft)

SAFETY Most important trait: Open-field tackling

Though defenses are getting more creative in how they use safeties (hence safeties’ rising value in free agency last week), the position’s main purpose still resides in its name: safety. He’s the safety blanket for the defense. A free safety is the last line of defense before paydirt, and a strong safety is usually who the offense doesn’t have enough blockers to account for. Few things make a defensive coach more uncomfortable than a safety who can’t be trusted to tackle in space.

Who has this trait: Earl Thomas (Round 1, 2010 draft)

Who didn’t: Matt Elam (Round 1, 2013 draft)

49ers hire Dustin Little as head trainer By Curtis Crabtree Pro Football Talk March 21, 2019

The announced on Tuesday they have hired Dustin Little as their new head athletic trainer.

Little comes to the 49ers from the Denver Broncos, where he spent the last five seasons serving in various roles. He was the team’s assistant athletic trainer/physical therapist (2014-15), director of rehabilitation/assistant athletic trainer/DPT (2016-17) and director of rehabilitation/assistant athletic trainer (2018).

“We are excited to add Dustin to our health and performance team and believe he is a tremendous fit for our group,” G.M. John Lynch said in a statement. “A wide net was cast for this search, and we simply kept coming back to him. Our due diligence and a great recommendation from the Broncos organization, which is highly regarded for the care of its players, made us extremely confident in bringing Dustin aboard.”

The 49ers fired their head strength and conditioning coach, Ray Wright, after last season and brought on Ben Peterson to serve in a sports science role overseeing the department. Little’s addition is the latest change to the strength and conditioning, and trainings staffs of the team.

Dwayne Haskins has four more private meetings set up By Darin Gantt Pro Football Talk March 21, 2019

The Giants may have gotten the first crack at a private meeting with Dwayne Haskins, but they’ll be far from the last.

According to Aditi Kinkhabwhala of NFL Network, the Ohio State quarterback said he also has four other meetings scheduled (though there could always be more).

Specifically, Haskins mentioned the Raiders (who pick fourth overall), Broncos (10th), Dolphins (13th), and Washington (15th). The Giants are picking sixth overall.

The conventional wisdom is that Haskins could be the second quarterback off the board after Kyler Murray, but that kind of range of teams setting up meetings speaks to the uncertainty.

With so many teams looking for answers at the position, there could be interest in trading up to get to Haskins. Jets General Manager Mike Maccagnan has already admitted he’d be willing to trade down from the third spot if the price was right, and these meetings might help teams decide whether they want to get involved.

Broncos will meet with Drew Lock By Josh Alper Pro Football Talk March 21, 2019

Dwayne Haskins said on Wednesday that he has a private meeting lined up with the Broncos and he’s not the only quarterback prospect who will be spending time with the team in the near future.

Mike Klis of KUSA reports that Drew Lock will also meet with the team as they sift through their options ahead of the draft.

The former Missouri quarterback drew positive reviews for his work at the Senior Bowl in January and has long impressed scouts with his size and arm. There was a report after the Senior Bowl came to an end that Broncos General Manager John Elway was enamored with Lock, although that was before the Broncos made a trade with the Ravens for Joe Flacco.

Given Flacco’s age and recent play, it’s not surprising that they’d still be looking at other long-term options at the position. Flacco’s contract can be dispatched without any dead cap money ahead of either of the next two seasons and that makes it easier to consider adding another quarterback in the first round.